Our passive characters and why the 2.55 story fails (BIG SPOILERS) (rant warning)

[Addicted]

I don't think the execution was horrible. Room for improvement, sure, there's a few sore points...

...But the alternative, a road many MMOs take, is "We don't write anything that actually impacts the world very much." GW2's "living story" is another way around it, but then there's no way to revisit past events for new or just busy players.

I hate GW2s Living Story with a passion. Since this is an MMO, we're used to stuff always remaining the same. What I'd want is more akin to a pre-expansion event. I like the fact they went with such a drastic change to the story but I'd be even more impressed if they managed to merge the story developments with game world changes. Not something huge, just something that shows, doesn't tell, that stuff changed.

[kyuven]

My major problem was...

The ESCAPE scene. OK I can buy being captured. It's stupid but OK.
I can buy no one stepping in to help. It's actually pragmatic since there ARE innocents in the room.
I CANNOT buy all the scions needing to do that "hold the line!" thing. We're stronger than they are. That's why they turn to us to kill Primals. To kill MASSIVE UBER DRAGONS like the one we JUST KILLED. You know...the REASON we're there in the first place.
WE should be the ones holding the line so THEY can escape. It's even the heroic thing to do.
Not even getting into the fact that we're basically immortal while they aren't.

[Remus]

/because10characters...

Even if the NPC tell me why i can still walk around Ul'dah it still feels weird. I'm sure every Brass Blade and Crystal Brave isn't on your side. Any time I go Ul'dah now it doesn't feel right after the cutscene, it can still be immersion breaking a bit. I liked the fact that they tell you oh you can't go to the Rising Stone, This was good because it shows the impacts of the events. I can understand that blocking of Ul'dah for those who have done the quest could be a bad idea but at least change the environment or something.

Also, I HATE how passive we are. This is why I like Star Wars The Old Republic. We made a character and they gave us choices. Even though some choices i may not say there is always generally a alternative to what I would say. If you want to be passive then pick your ... option and be silent and boring. Most people here don't like how their characters are passive based on how they reacted on the recent quest. The whole weapon thing is just a cheap trick on SE part, they only did it for plot convenience i mean they didn't even show your weapon be given or anything before the cutscene. Suddenly right after the carriage you have it back... WHERE DID IT COME FROM!!? It makes no sense and you know it. We didn't pick it up, no one said they grabbed our weapon and we didn't find it. Just shows that part made no sense whatsoever. Saying they took the weapon before the private meeting is a weak excuse sadly. Don't try cover up SE poor story telling there because it makes no sense.

If they are going to put our character in such a situation GIVE US CHOICES. It's not that hard if people like being passive let them be with the ... option. Then give a more aggressive type option and perhaps another one which isn't as aggressive if other games can do it SE can do it, actually they have done it before during the 2.0 story with Gaius and at the start of the game =_=. This shows they can do it but some reason they abandoned it. Overall the cutscene was nice but the way how they made your character weak there was just bad im sorry. Also if they did take it there is no way they have a clone of my Longinus Zeta. I'm sure the Lalafell or Alphinaud didn't give it to me because they didn't even mention they had it in the first place. If they said they found it when they were coming back I would let it slide but they didn't so it still makes no sense.

[Risvertasashi]

I hate GW2s Living Story with a passion. Since this is an MMO, we're used to stuff always remaining the same. What I'd want is more akin to a pre-expansion event. I like the fact they went with such a drastic change to the story but I'd be even more impressed if they managed to merge the story developments with game world changes. Not something huge, just something that shows, doesn't tell, that stuff changed.

IMO they did exactly that? A lot of NPC dialogue (guildmasters and street NPCs, etc) changes after you complete 2.55.

[Stuff - It's the heroic thing to do.]

...Gotta agree with this.

[ziddyt]

My major problem was...

The ESCAPE scene. OK I can buy being captured. It's stupid but OK.
I can buy no one stepping in to help. It's actually pragmatic since there ARE innocents in the room.
I CANNOT buy all the scions needing to do that "hold the line!" thing. We're stronger than they are. That's why they turn to us to kill Primals. To kill MASSIVE UBER DRAGONS like the one we JUST KILLED. You know...the REASON we're there in the first place.
WE should be the ones holding the line so THEY can escape. It's even the heroic thing to do.
Not even getting into the fact that we're basically immortal while they aren't.

This is what bugged me most when iw as going through, but I agree with pretty much all of the complaints so far

[Addicted]

IMO they did exactly that? A lot of NPC dialogue (guildmasters and street NPCs, etc) changes after you complete 2.55.

Tangible changes to the game world, however small. I guess you could fit NPC dialogue in that category as a change to the game world but I'm looking for something more substantial. Much of the NPC changed dialogue, while still a consequence of completing the story, is more of a way to justify why everything remains the same.

[kyuven]

Tangible changes to the game world, however small. I guess you could fit NPC dialogue in that category as a change to the game world but I'm looking for something more substantial. Much of the NPC changed dialogue, while still a consequence of completing the story, is more of a way to justify why everything remains the same.

They announced a long time ago that they want to revamp Ul'Dah.
With all this, it looks like they plan to hold to that.
However, for us at it stands now, they're not finished and still have a TON of work associated with 3.0.
Change will come.
And it kinda has to remain the same otherwise players could potential be blocked out of content such as class quests, job quests, moogle mail quests, EX primal quests, dungeon quests, and...oh yeah.
Hildibrand. A LOT of that quest chain involves Ul'Dah.

[Risvertasashi]

Tangible changes to the game world, however small. I guess you could fit NPC dialogue in that category as a change to the game world but I'm looking for something more substantial. Much of the NPC changed dialogue, while still a consequence of completing the story, is more of a way to justify why everything remains the same.

Well, but as a political event/storyline, it's basically all about the people involved. I mean Revenant's Toll has been growing patch by patch... but well, what could they do for this? I'm having a hard time seeing what they could change besides the people. We do lose access to the Rising Stones, sensibly...

[Wournsfeik_Untawhasyn]

It's a fair point. I think, however... FTBs can imply passivity (no visual cues like us taking up a fighting stance to counter that), especially when you add in that a few scenes after when, instead of helping our liberator, we did outright flee. On camera.

It's not bad to have a problem with that, really. And I understand it unless you consider the following:

The FTB in this case didn't assume a struggle because, again, some of us would've chosen to be captured because Teleji, no matter how much of a rat he was, loves having a captive audience and to be visible. He's not the type to quietly behead you when he's setting you up to take the fall.

Teleji Adeleji basically publicly accused us and the Scions of treason, from what I can tell outside of those present at the banquet there has been no formal announcement to Ul'dah. That means the damage was already done when Raubahn cut you lose. Everything the scions are doing right now is getting their strongest member on the most important task they're faced with right now, getting their names cleared so they can move freely about the city-states again. There is no one stronger than you, and so the 'hold the line' bit was because they needed you, yes you, specifically out of there. Because if you all held the line together and things just went pear-shaped, that'd be it. You'd all be rotting in a cell next to Raubahn awaiting that trial and public execution to finish out Lolorito/Teleji's scheme.

They told you to keep moving because you've proven time and again you're the one who can rise to any challenge, and that's what they need right now.

[Causality]

Another thing that I found very odd was our pick of exile to Ishgard. Why Ishgard? Gridania and Limsa want nothing to do with what happened in Ul'dah and it's not like the Braves or the Brass Blades have any agency in those 2 cities. Sure, Coerthas is a much more isolated place and it'd be harder to get information on you but I found it odd as a first choice, especially since you were already headed towards the Black Shroud.

"Because I feel our Warrior of Light Fanboys over Haruchefant as much as he fanboys over our Warrior of Light." All joking aside, or am I? Seriously though, Ishgard is still under assault and its still in the best interest of the realm to reinforce Ishgard. View it as we may as well go there since we were heading back there anyway. Even if the Red Wedding, I mean Victory banquet, went off without a hitch or even if we fought back, We would have responded to Ishgard's need for help due to the dragons getting into the City.