Revelations from Patch 2.55 [SPOILERS]

[Rannie]

Dude game smart good luck with that and if you need some help maybe I'll see what I can do... tomorrow I start a needed vacation from work and it's also my birthday week.

[gamesmart]

Okay, now I've mostly cleared through Thanalan - just Northern Thanalan left if there are any NPCs that mention anything...but this, while it's not quite 2.55, hit me in the feels a little bit:


Just...yeah...

[Rannie]

Man.... poor wilred

[Wadoka]

It's easy to say you could take on an armed contingency of trained soldiers completely unarmed. It's another thing to actually do so - and there was way more than four Brass Blades.

No. There, at that moment, there were four, a merchant, and a servant.

Once I'd neutralized the room, then - and only then - would I (perhaps) stop to think forward.

The entire city was swarming with both Brass Blades and Crystal Braves, both groups hostile, both groups trained and experienced soldiers / mercenaries. Even if you had the martial prowess to take one or two on, their sheer numbers would be enough.

Wisdom and intelligence are different characteristics. My character has a lot of native intelligence. Once the Sultana's chamber was clear I would go tactical - and if that meant escaping the city, that's what I'd do. Perhaps I'd switch to Miner, and trigger Stealth, and just walk away...

...but more likely I would secure a few sturdy weapons and go find the Scions... and let Minfilia (sigh) quaver and waffle and "Oh dear!" me into... not doing anything at all.

(Why do we follow her again? So... weak...)

It's also worth pointing out that from the moment we went into the Sultana's chambers until (presumably) our escape from the dining hall, we were unarmed. Even PUG / MNK needs a weapon...

The mechanics of the game require us to have a weapon (which is a Royal pain in the arse, when you just want to lie down in bed and go to sleep); but no-one NEEDS a weapon. Gloves would be nice, a little hand protection is appreciated; sturdy shoes too; but.. and you should know this - people are frighteningly easy to damage, to break... all it takes is knowledge, skill, and will.

... and that's all assuming you would be able to keep yourself together well enough to actually fight back after seeing the Sultana choke and die in front of you. Most people would be in a state of shock, and likely too distraught to really fight back...

...what?

Seriously?

Where I'm from, most people would experience a few moments of surprise, and maybe a little dismay. That's it. We'd pity and scorn anyone who went any further into emotionalism, than that. It would be "What?" for a few moments, then "Holy schlitz!" for another few moments, then "This was murder, red alert, all hands on deck, battle stations!"

I don't get choked up about anything, short of, say, the death of one of my pets. Pets are important. People come and go. Distraught and unable to do much? That's beyond my understanding.


Short version - I believe you are engaging in inaccurate generalizations which justify how the story plays out, but which do not apply to me personally, nor to any of my game personas.

[Belhi]

We follow Minfilia because she took charge and created first the Path of the Twelve and later the Scions and she handles all the stuff that would make very boring game play like management, going through documentation and maintaining correspondence with faction leaders, managing information gathering, organising studies into things such as Aetheric readings at various locals as well as managing bodyguards to keep said researchers safe, managing primal research, processing the substantial amount of data brought in by the Archons and other scion agents which she also manages the missions of, and handling logistical management.

That's why we follower her. Because being in charge is a shitty job where actually being able to fight is a rather unimportant skill.

[gamesmart]

Another update!
Working on The Black Shroud right now, and the Conjurer Guildmaster said this:



The plot thickens...

[Anna_Lannis]

As far as I'm concerned, the three leaders and their so-called Grand Companies are all but dead to me. If we EVER get a change to side with the Empire. I'M TAKING IT. Or better yet, I'll unite all the beastmen together and be the next Shadow Lord.

[Nialle]

As far as I'm concerned, the three leaders and their so-called Grand Companies are all but dead to me. If we EVER get a change to side with the Empire. I'M TAKING IT. Or better yet, I'll unite all the beastmen together and be the next Shadow Lord.

We don't fight for the heads of the countries; it's the common folk who need a hero the most. Not fair to abandon all those regular people just because the leaders of a country disappoint us.

[Cilia]

Well, let's continue.

Have not read the answers, since they will be the same again anyway (and I actually don't care much about what you few people think or want to believe).

If that's the case, why even bother coming here? You parrot the same weak justifications for why the story didn't play out how you think it should have, and people argue against it. That's what a debate is.

The only real chance for Lolo is, to keep the coup "smooth". Any attention is bad for him, since he is the ONLY one profiting from it. There is no one else. No one.

That was the point of doing the coup like he did. He didn't have to really draw any attention to himself, and there is absolutely nothing implicating that he's responsible for Nanamo's murder. There really isn't any attention on him; in fact his exasperated sigh in the post-escape scene with the Handmaiden may be his annoyance at having to even say those few lines he did at the feast. The only reason there's attention on him is because he's the most prominent named member of the Syndicate / Monetarists still alive.

To blame the WoL is on the long term utterly stupid and just good for the shock to shoo away others - so they don't dare to fight this coup immediate. The WoL has nothing to win from this regicide, in the best case just also nothing to lose, but that's it. The same for the Scions. Their main involvement in Uldah goes over the Sultana and Raubahn and even that is not much. Both are gone, so the Scions also just lost.

... what?

No, Lolo would not fight us. It may be good for him, if we somehow would die - without his involvement and others to blame, but he must avoid any blood on his hands, since his motives are crushing obvious. He also would not give the WoL a rigged trial. There would be no trial at all, in the worst case. But not, because he would let us get killed, that would be bad for him. He would keep the WoL in prison, trying to play the fair judge, to buy more time to stabilise his reign or whatever else he plans as master or puppet. For his position an outbreak of violence would be the worst. NOW he got what he want, at least the biggest part. It's unstable. Even slamming doors may bring this house of cards down.

Lolorito would never fight us himself, and there's nothing implying he has any blood on his hands that's within the public sphere of knowledge. Whether he imprisons or kills us is immaterial - the point is we'd be indisposed and unable to do anything, and thus unable to continue the story. Having you imprisoned (I never explicitly stated we'd be executed) is actually in his best interests, since it leaves us alive but doesn't cause civil war to erupt in Ul'dah... which is likely the only reason they haven't executed Raubahn, for that matter. Things didn't go perfectly (Teledji mouthed off and got himself killed, Raubahn broke you free so you could escape), and thus the situation is as it is now.

Uldah is not that corrupt. There ARE corrupt people and because some of them are at the top, it is a problem. But it is no Sodom. If it would be, there would be no scheme. There would be no Sultana at all, no Sultansworn, no Raubahn, no Flames. The situation and that every good guy backed down gave Lolo and the corrupt people the power now. In reality this would mean, that the situation in Uldah became much, much worse and that Limsi and Gridania wouldn't be able to trust the leader and army of Uldah anymore - the alliance? Gone. Maybe still existing on paper, but worthless.

Except it is that corrupt, because the scheme did happen. The point of the coup was to let the Monetarists / Lolorito usurp all the power in Ul'dah, and thus lead to the dissolution of all the organizations that stand against them. This was just the power play of a plot that's been in the works for a long time. The situation in Ul'dah has become much, much worse as a result of this coup (speaking to a merchant in the Ul'dahn markets shows the Syndicate has begun routinely crushing consortiums already). Nobody knows how it'll affect regional politics yet, but at least for appearances' sake Limsa and Gridania can't sour relations with Ul'dah - Garlemald is on the horizon looking for a weakness to exploit so as to begin an invasion, in case you've forgotten.

And for the WoL? Well, just like it is. The WoL goes his way, seeking a new war or other things to fight or save or ruin. S/He just fled this one, all the work to fight corruption and for the lifes of the citizen? Perished. Their problems, sorry that you thought s/he's your light, saving you. Not this time. S/He gonna build some airships now and has fun in the skies. Weeeeee!

That kind of defeats the purpose of being called "the Warrior of Light;" you're the peoples' savior, champion of the smallfolk. If you want to project that sort of image onto your PC go ahead, but most people won't just forget all the crap the Monetarists lumped on us and all their shady, underhanded shenanigans. People that are actually invested in the story want to have Nanamo's death and Raubahn and the Scions' sacrifices mean something - if not for justice, then for vengeance - not just blow it off and go fly around Ishgard for fun and profit.

Short version - I believe you are engaging in inaccurate generalizations which justify how the story plays out, but which do not apply to me personally, nor to any of my game personas.

Regrettably, generalizations (accurate or otherwise) are the best the writers can do in the face of a large interactive audience. They cannot write each player's preferred outcome into the game or customize it to your liking because it's not within your character's persona to act or react as the PC did during "The Parting Glass" (or at any other point in the game, really).

As an aside, I shudder to think what you've gone through to the point that watching a close friend and confidant choke and die right in front of you would barely faze you. Truly.

[RobinRethiel]

That was the point of doing the coup like he did. He didn't have to really draw any attention to himself, and there is absolutely nothing implicating that he's responsible for Nanamo's murder.

Fine, keep your eyes close with full force just you don't have to see it. EVERYTHING is pointing toward him. Nothing to anyone else.

... what?

Exactly... *sigh*

Except it is that corrupt, because the scheme did happen.

Yeah.. AFTER the coup, sure. I just said this.

By the way: the cutscene itself gives a perfect example of how powerful the guards and the scions are.

Ilberd does an AoE attack. The few Brass Blade and Crystal Braves in the room instantly die or are knocked out, while Ysh just deflects it for the whole group - btw with a motion of her hand, without any weapon. This means, actually only Ilberd is a real enemy in this room. The others are far to weak to be a threat, obviously. The cutscene itself it telling that. And outside? As said before. We run outside. No one there. Really no one. You don't hear anyone, see anyone. Then the chat party begins about this odd situation and after some minutes, the first seven guards appear - who are getting slaughtered by Yda and Papa, while Ida dilacerates the next 10 with a Final Heaven, which pretty sure breaks all their bones and turns their organs into some bloody something.

As Wadoka said: If the WoL would have to enter the palace - and the situation is clear, people die, there are spies, we were many times attacked from behind in the main story and so on - and this would have an impact on our power, we would simply decline it and say, that we need another way/place to meet, other circumstances or we would at least go for example as a Ninja. You don't need daggers for the Mudras, for hiding or Shukuchi (the teleport"). To go into such a place even without and defense would just be idiotic.

Regrettably, generalizations (accurate or otherwise) are the best the writers can do in the face of a large interactive audience. They cannot write each player's preferred outcome into the game or customize it to your liking because it's not within your character's persona to act or react as the PC did during "The Parting Glass" (or at any other point in the game, really).

Well, the WoL was written down to a angsty (and also pretty dumb) coward not even trying to help anyone, abandoning everyone. Sure, many people give a shit on the main story or roleplay (= their characters emotions, thinking and so on) anyway and just see, that the story leads heavensward, to the expansion. So of course they will never have any problem with any story, because they don't care for the story.

I don't see the Sultana as close friend. We have almost no contact to her. She's just a good and kind leader. And if it would be different, then just running away would be even more strange. The WoL is no civilian (if a civilian is just shattered by something like that, sure, but we have seen so many people dying...). The reaction would be more like Raubahn's. Sure, maybe we would have no chance, because Ilberd is somehow possessed by a god or whatever, but that's a different point.