SPOILER WARNING - Sorry SE, you've lost me with the latest story

[MagiusNecros]

The arc was rushed. And amounted to Hydaelyn just using Minfilia making false promises and eating their aether afterwards anyway. What a way to go.

I disapprove of the introduction of characters in one patch and their removal in the next. No time to build up a character or care about them.

[Alleo]

Yes, the WoD behaviour just didn't seem to accurately portray their back story. Protectors of the people on their world, now grinning when slaughtering innocents...

But the bigger contradiction and fudging for me was with the Hydaelyn bit. A benevolent protector (think ending scene of Ultimate Weapon), who by the way is going to wipe out all living things for eternity. But no! Somehow realizing that wiping all living things out for eternity isn't good for morale, this is changed in an instant to not wiping all living things out for eternity. Oh, and you can have this possessed ex-Scion leader who fell into my grasp to sort out my penchant for obliterating your world. There you go, aren't I good?

I am not really sure why its always Hydaelyn' fault? I mean we know that she was weak, even so weak that she was not even able to talk to us on her own. So maybe she just couldn't help? Zodiark needs his Ascians to do something and it seems that Hydaelyn herself needs others too to help out. The WoD said that they did all the good because the people in their world asked them for it. They only blamed Hydaelyn for not helping them when they noticed that they are going to destroy their world with it, but she was in no situation to help. She is loosing the whole time so its not like she was doing this out of spite. As soon as she got some of her power back thanks to the Crystals, she instantly sent Minfilia there to help them. I am sorry but for me this was a great sign that no she is not evil and that she new that balance was still quite important. Or maybe since she seems to have faults too, she never knew that Light could hurt that much? I mean their world was the first that got too much Light, so maybe she never knew better?

I like that we have a Goddess that clearly loves her children, but at the same time is not perfect and sometimes even helpless or is making mistakes. You could say that she is just like us, but with having way bigger impacts if she messes up.

Minfilia herself also said that it was out of her own free will do go to Hydaelyn and to accept being her Word. So no she did not grasp her forcefully.

About our WoL:

Well yes we do a lot of tasks for money but we also need Gil to be able to survive. And I would say that risking your live all the time really should award us with money. I even feel that we should get bigger rewards for doing it. One could say that a hero should do something just out of kindness and goodness of their heart but we are still humans and need to eat and live. The scions barely pay us anything and lets not start about the grand companies..we do more than any of their soldiers and saved Eorzea how many times already? So yes I feel that we are not greedy and way more selfless than other people in Eorzea. We do enjoy going against powerful enemies to test ourself but at the same time we show no glee in killing. My character never had such bad emotes like the paladin for example.

The dark knight quest (without much spoilers) is more about, how we are sick and tired of being used as a weapon by people and that they like to just use us instead of maybe thinking it through and not putting them self in such stupid danger. We still care about saving the true innocent people but are tired of all the other people that are just quite fast in calling us, even if that may endanger our own life. And I agree with it. This does not make us a bad hero in my eyes. We are after all still human and why should our life be less important than others?

I like my character with faults and I would have no problem if they somehow say that we are selfish people but I dont believe that we go around and gleefully kill people..we might not care that much about them but I believe that we are still more the type to ask questions first and shoot later..which is the opposite of the WoD. I would have no problems if the WoD would be more faulty and less our typical hero but they changed way to fast. Maybe I would have understood them better if we had more time with them. All the potential they had with using the echo and showing us their past and world..only to send them back at the end of the patch. Really I would have found this way more interesting than another man made conflict, which we will probably have to solve too..

But this is all just my opinion. I like that you can look at it with such different perspectives. But I still sometimes get the feeling that some love to make our character or Hydaelyn look like they are way worse than they are.

[Andevom]

Considering I came from FFXI, we're still about 3 parallel worlds away from the point where I go "Okay, this is getting a little ridiculous."

[Teraluna]

U are aware that this whole "multiple dimensions/world" thing actually came up in the cutszene after antitower? Its not new information.
Why are you angry now and not back then?

Honestly Im pretty amazed by the amount of story we got with 3.4.
I was expecting as much as 3.2 which was almost nothing.
But we did get so much, you should be happy.

Criticism of the way the story was handled is not anger. It's confusion and to a certain extent disappointment when compared to the story telling prior to 3.4

The first main point, which more people have related to here, is the WoD curtailed arc and the manner in which it was rushed to termination. Good guys gone bad is ok, but to have them gleefully killing young innocents just didn't make much sense.
This brought in the second point, which was the whole Hydaelyn - going to kill you all with blinding light / oh hang on no I won't. Here's my possessed puppet, off you all go then. This came across like the ending to some children's pantomime where everything has to turn out right in the end, irrespective of any deeper introspection.

There where good parts to the story, albeit slightly predictable with the summonings, but they did serve to lead us to the end. The reunion with Yda and Papalymo was pretty low key considering nothing had been seen or heard of them - Did you get my note? - seemed to be the extent of the efforts to communicate with their closest friends and allies.

I'm sure 4.0 will be as good as ARR and Heavensward story arcs, which where excellent and looking forward to it very much.

[Kaurie]

Criticism of the way the story was handled is not anger. It's confusion and to a certain extent disappointment when compared to the story telling prior to 3.4

I just don't get it. The story here is way better than anything prior to 3.4, with the exception of 2.55 and 3.0.

[Velhart]

Eh, I had no problem sympathising with their cause. My issue is just how quickly they were written out of the plot after being teased for so long combined with the fact that the 'main cast' never seem to suffer any real, lasting consequences. I feel like Nidhogg's arc and the Warrior of Darkness arc were both rushed but that's just me.

This is exactly how I felt. I was thinking that the Warriors of Darkness would play a role in 4.0 or at least cause the events that led to 4.0. They were built and hyped up since 3.1 and when we finally get something out of them besides a few teasers through the story, we already beat them and resolve their story. It felt borderline pointless their role because they contributed nothing to the transition between 3.0 to 4.0. It only felt like a side distraction to the main plot unless 4.0 plans on adding to this or bringing them back in some form.

I mean, it wasn't bad their plot, but it did feel pointless in the main story itself.

*EDIT*

I take back somewhat what I said. Someone's explanation of the thirteen parallel worlds makes sense and this did at least establish that information.

[Theodric]

-snip-

Yet how is that any different to the simple fact that the Warrior of Light shows the same inclinations during the DRK quest chain and literally goes across Eorzea slaying people for coin in addition to saving people from Primals? Both believe that their cause is righteous - however flawed that reasoning may be.

[Gramul]

I just don't get it. The story here is way better than anything prior to 3.4, with the exception of 2.55 and 3.0.

That's really up to personal preference. Everything we're arguing here is subjective, but it doesn't hurt to share opinions and viewpoints so long as we keep them in perspective.

[KaitlanKela]

Honestly, I'm glad the WoD are gone. I never liked them conceptually, I felt they were cheesy antagonists. I was pleased to hear that they actually did have some story and motivation other than "we're obviously the opposite of you," and I liked how the devs used them to bring the concept of parellel worlds into the story. However, they served their purpose and they can go back to where the other cheesy anti-heroes go when the plot device is over.

That said, can we talk about Nero? Am I the only one who's convinced he's found the OMEGA that was discussed in the 2.x series. If you look at his surroundings, he's very near the place where the level 60 (or maybe 58, can't remember) SMN job quest took place, which IIRC is at Cartenau, which is where OMEGA was and then Nero shows up all like "look at meh new toy," now THAT is a development I am interested in!

[Vejjiegirl]

That said, can we talk about Nero? Am I the only one who's convinced he's found the OMEGA that was discussed in the 2.x series. If you look at his surroundings, he's very near the place where the level 60 (or maybe 58, can't remember) SMN job quest took place, which IIRC is at Cartenau, which is where OMEGA was and then Nero shows up all like "look at meh new toy," now THAT is a development I am interested in!

Kinda sad they threw Nero's character development in the Crystal Tower saga out the window though.