My Concern for 7.3 - Endwalkerization

So, remember that little stint where the MSQ stretched all the way through 6.5? Reading the new site I’ve a major issue with how they’re telling us how they’re setting up. We probably aren’t getting back to normal scheduling - we’re going back to postpatch Endwalker(which was bad by the way) if they don’t wrap this up in this patch. It might even be a rush job.

If anything, I’m mostly pointing this out so we don’t wonder why we didn’t wrap up Dawntrail’s Story in 7.3 like we’re supposed to. This gives the next expac breathing room to set-up instead of the one-stop pit stop we got in 6.55 to rush explaining it.

If they do wrap it up in 7.3, then I won’t speak of this again - if they don’t, then better to hit them over the head for it.

Endwalker deserves to be shat on a lot more for doing this to us

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by HyperiusUltima

why we didn’t wrap up Dawntrail’s Story in 7.3 like we’re supposed to. If they do wrap it up in 7.3, then I won’t speak of this again

---

They've already confirmed that they're doing that.

Endwalker was the start of a lot of problems, not just the schedule.
It ruined worldbuilding, like Sharlayan farting out a spaceship that only Allagan could conjure up, forget "lets explore Hydaelyn, we JUMPED THE SHARK right into the END OF THE UNIVERSE and having a bunch of exposition scientists that know EVERYTHING about the world, why even bother adventuring? DYNAMIS, that is a dev-splain for anything even remotely "skip this fight even if the fighter is weak" like Wuk Lamat getting the shit kicked out of her, only to beat like 50 minions and the guy that kicked the shit out of her in the next fight. Was a start for the whole "MSQ memery" and wonky sound effects. Tanked a lot of lore with its rushing and mashing two expansions into one. While unbelievably having meaningless filler like a lot of the Labyrinthos.

The devstaff should just admit they aren't interested in making an MMO seriously anymore, because this is not what a serious company does. I sense 0 passion from them

Urgh. They have said over and over again 7.3 is the end of DT's story. How they are speaking is building up the next expac and hopefully for the next major arc.

They have mentioned that a big threat will happen soon and that we will "return as the hero of this world", so I doubt they are going to do it quite like Endwalker.

They also mentioned that Dawntrail would be the new start, but now it isn't the new start, but 8.0 is the new start? If 8.0 "fails" are we gonna get a 9.0 "No guys, this is the real real REAL start"

It was confirmed in the last liveletter that 7.3 is the end of the Dawntrail story arc. 7.4 would normally be some form of standalone adventure that is self contained within the patch, and 7.5 & 7.55 would be the buildup for whatever story arc will begin in 8.0. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jeeqbit

They have mentioned that a big threat will happen soon and that we will "return as the hero of this world", so I doubt they are going to do it quite like Endwalker.

---

I really hope they don't go the way of WoW - with countless cosmic evils each queuing up for their 15 minutes of fame when they finally get to threaten the universe, only to be disposed off immediately afterwards.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gwenkatsu

I really hope they don't go the way of WoW - with countless cosmic evils each queuing up for their 15 minutes of fame when they finally get to threaten the universe, only to be disposed off immediately afterwards.

---

Yeah, I hope it's the great world building we had before and have villains as deep as Emet Selch and such, here's hoping we do in 8.0.

We were already told that 7.3 would end the Dawntrail narrative and that 7.4 onward would be pre-expansion lead-up.
Endwalker was completely a one-off in that regard.

They already confirmed long ago Endwalker was the exception because it was the conclusion of the Hydaelyn/Zodiark arc and Dawntrail would return to the ending at x.3 format.

Endwalker post-patch went from 6.1 to 6.5 because it was designed as a complete story arc for those patches. I think they can see the flaw, though, that that sort of format doesn't really allow for enough expansion set-up.

Omg, that gives me hope that something new and fresh is around the corner. A clean slate is what we all need, and hopefully, not just for story but gameplay too.

I think its mostly due to poor build up.

Shadowbringers while it does an interesting twist in 4.4 into 5.0, it also leaves little room to properly build up the new world. At least with radz-at-han it was more established since 2.0. As its more interested in the cosmic scale of things.

Like lets go with two easy examples by comparison. 2.0 to 2.55 establishes Coerthas, but also Ishgard and all that would come later in 3.0. While 2.0 to 3.55 is more about establishing all that would come with Doma and Ala Mhigo.

Shadowbringers, while it does something different and interesting, its more a mood thing than a world establishing thing in 4.4 to 4.55. As its wants to create tension and mystery and the payoff with 5.0 is a black mirror of the home world. Its also more interested in building up and portraying the whole cosmic scale of things rather than doing more work to properly establish new locations for future expansions, that of radz-at-hand, the new world (aka tural), and meracydia. Which would be fine, if shadowbringers was the penultimate expansion with endwalker being the last expansion the game got. But its not.

That of the three afformentioned future location, at least radz-at-han and meracydia were having build up since 2.0. Tural is more fragmented and had more emphasis on a handful of concepts. Such concepts are: Some food, the city of gold, blue magic and the whalaqee, a two-headed mamool ja leader, and where mamool ja come from.

Which I feel we would have had more proper connections and storylines if frankly 5.0 to 6.0, 6.1 to 6.5, and 7.0 to 7.3 weren't all about other worlds as the home world feels like its shrinking and being overtaken by all this shard stuff. Especially if there is meant to be hypothetically 3 to 4 more expansions of this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hallarem

They also mentioned that Dawntrail would be the new start, but now it isn't the new start, but 8.0 is the new start? If 8.0 "fails" are we gonna get a 9.0 "No guys, this is the real real REAL start"

---

There's plenty of dangling plot hooks in the back half of Dawntrail that can be used to spin a story for quite a long time if they feel like it, while digging around in ARR-Endwalker for other tidbits, they don't need to start over.

no more level caps would be nice.... and then adding content in odd and ends over and over instead.


They got areas from ARR to DT to populate with content to do and or maybe linking some of it together for the endgame.

The main conflict of Dawntrail is expected to be resolved in 7.3, but we'll likely still be in, and around Tural in 7.4, and .5 as we gear up for 8.0. Pleeeeease be Meracydia.

I want to go on another planet with brand new lore and a brand new adventure.

Literally said the story ends in 7.3 in the live letter. Pay attention.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rinoa_353

Yeah, I hope it's the great world building we had before and have villains as deep as Emet Selch and such, here's hoping we do in 8.0.

---

I mean, the best part about Emet Selch was that he wasn't even a villain. He fought tooth and nail for all he held dear, exactly like the WoL does.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Emet Selch

Case in point─I do not consider you to be truly alive. Ergo, I will not be guilty of murder if I kill you.

---

The best opponents are those whose motives you can understand, when you see the world through their eyes. This were the strongest moments in SB when they made you feel all the loss this man had to suffer, to the point where you pity him for the incredible weight he has to shoulder. And still you have to fight him, for all that you hold dear. "There are things we cannot afford to lose." Well said, mister creepy cat-fanboy ;)

I honestly don't know how it only took two xpacs to come from Emet Selch to SPHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENE LISTEN TO ME!

The biggest mistake they committed in Endwalker was rushing the story in Garlemald. It could have been an expansion worthy of material just in that one area, and it was glossed over like nothing. And because of this, the entire Endwalker expansion felt incredibly rushed. It most certainly had its high points, but it fell short of expectations.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TeresaFortell

The biggest mistake they have committed in Endwalker was rushing the story in Garlemald. It could have been an expansion worthy of material just in that one area, and it was glossed over like nothing. And because of this, the entire Endwalker expansion feels incredibly rushed. It most certainly had its high points, but it fell short of expectations.

---

Endwalker was supposed to be 2 expansions worth, and it clearly feels it with how some things are really rushed, you can tell who was suppose to be the boss for the first, for example

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gwenkatsu

I mean, the best part about Emet Selch was that he wasn't even a villain. He fought tooth and nail for all he held dear, exactly like the WoL does.

---

He was at the end of it all but that's what I meant by deep villains that make you question their motives and such, those are some of the best stories imo.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TeresaFortell

The biggest mistake they have committed in Endwalker was rushing the story in Garlemald. It could have been an expansion worthy of material just in that one area, and it was glossed over like nothing. And because of this, the entire Endwalker expansion feels incredibly rushed. It most certainly had its high points, but it fell short of expectations.

---

The issues in my opinion are that:

• We were hyped for a Garlemald expansion during the Stormblood patches - with Alphinaud teasing it by his travel to Garlemald.
• We had, however, just had a big battle with the Garleans on two fronts. Stormblood was all about fighting the Garleans. So if you think about it, we'd just be doing more of the same had they done a Garlean expansion, and SE wanted to get back to a magical, fantasy theme with places like Il Mheg.
• SE destroyed all the excitement for a Garlean expansion by revealing that the Ascians created it. That one thing destroyed the entire point so that our focus needed to be on the Ascians.
• Although it's side content, we spent a hefty amount of Shadowbringers doing Bozja and it did a "war with the Garleans" better than any expansion would be likely to. Between all the mobs, Skirmishes, CEs and raids, the field operation just really felt like a war in the trenches and no expansion was going to top that.
• The "kill another primal" thing had been going on for so long (8 years) and they wanted to finally be done with it and think of new ideas and new stories. They could honestly have run with that forever and had us just keep fighting primals endlessly, and I thought they would do just that, but not rushing it would have meant a further 2 years stuck in this endless chase of primals.

I like to think that to an extent, we had weakened them a lot as well. We took their territory in Eorzea, Gyr Abania, Doma and Bozja, so really taking advantage of a political campaign to storm them and then climb the tower was likely just going to be the battles we had anyway.