What happened to SB (story)?

[CosmicKirby]

So uhh, the reason why Xenos could kick our butts at the start is because he's a genetic supersolider monstrosity that is being enhanced by an artificial version of the same echo that makes US the main character.

I don't know how you felt Heavensward was 'big'. I feel the presentation was similarly lackluster but acceptable, I think your tastes and willingness to consume media of middling quality has lessened and you think the story overall worse because of it.

[Verdan]

So uhh, the reason why Xenos could kick our butts at the start is because he's a genetic supersolider monstrosity that is being enhanced by an artificial version of the same echo that makes US the main character.

Yeah, but we don't do anything to overcome it, aside from level up; while we use a magic artifact to beat Stockholm Lady. It's confusing.

Another thing that's confusing: the hell are the Garleans doing here? We hear that they've enslaved the populations and we see them get shipped off to be served as not-slaves-but-we-all-know-what's-goin'-on-here, but why did they bother conquering these lands at all? Sure, megalomania and sure, actually having access to captive populations is a vital part of a supremacist civilization, but the empire builds these shockingly massive structures using materials from... where? Wouldn't it have been cooler to see scars where mountains were and giant, industrial pits? Shouldn't there be scars on the land, not just outposts for occupation but a reminder of the industrial consumption of the empire? There's all these fortifications to protect the soldiers, but what are the soldiers protecting? What do the Garleans get out of Doma and Ala Mhigo?

[Daralii]

Yeah, but we don't do anything to overcome it, aside from level up; while we use a magic artifact to beat Stockholm Lady. It's confusing.

Another thing that's confusing: the hell are the Garleans doing here? We hear that they've enslaved the populations and we see them get shipped off to be served as not-slaves-but-we-all-know-what's-goin'-on-here, but why did they bother conquering these lands at all? Sure, megalomania and sure, actually having access to captive populations is a vital part of a supremacist civilization, but the empire builds these shockingly massive structures using materials from... where? Wouldn't it have been cooler to see scars where mountains were and giant, industrial pits? Shouldn't there be scars on the land, not just outposts for occupation but a reminder of the industrial consumption of the empire? There's all these fortifications to protect the soldiers, but what are the soldiers protecting? What do the Garleans get out of Doma and Ala Mhigo?

The purpose of the Empire, as decreed by Solus zos Galvus, is to save mankind from the threat of eikons by any means necessary. This includes, but is not limited to, the extermination of any resident beast tribes and local customs that could possibly lead to the religious fervor necessary for the spoken races to summon an eikon of their own.

[Felis]

What do the Garleans get out of Doma and Ala Mhigo?

Ala Mhigo was conquered because it is the entrace door of Eorzea. Only the lost fight above the silver tear lake keeped the garleans more or less out.

[CosmicKirby]

Yeah, but we don't do anything to overcome it, aside from level up; while we use a magic artifact to beat Stockholm Lady. It's confusing.
Another thing that's confusing: the hell are the Garleans doing here? We hear that they've enslaved the populations and we see them get shipped off to be served as not-slaves-but-we-all-know-what's-goin'-on-here, but why did they bother conquering these lands at all? Sure, megalomania and sure, actually having access to captive populations is a vital part of a supremacist civilization, but the empire builds these shockingly massive structures using materials from... where? Wouldn't it have been cooler to see scars where mountains were and giant, industrial pits? Shouldn't there be scars on the land, not just outposts for occupation but a reminder of the industrial consumption of the empire? There's all these fortifications to protect the soldiers, but what are the soldiers protecting? What do the Garleans get out of Doma and Ala Mhigo?

I feel the more looming bugbear in the plot is how easily Garlemald lost two of their assets in decisive military losses,have at least 10 more Legions of soldiers, each with their own commanding officer as strong as Gaius or Zenos was, and yet they proceed to NOT confront the root cause of their losses, or even the opposing force in general in anything except a single file manner of one at a time.

Nor, when faced with a looming apocalypse that they KNEW was going to happen and were DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR through their own negligence, they simply allowed their already doomed and defunct legion led by a mad woman into a conflict against soldiers of no importance, while doing nothing to address the most powerful eikon known to mankind at the time.

Nor, did they, upon seeing the successful results of a single man and his group of hippie friends bind the primal and save the world, consider helping, thanking, learning from, or stealing their methodology of countering the Eikonic threat, their stated prime directive and reasoning for committing what at least SOME OF THEM must find to be questionable actions of enslaving and conquering nations that want nothing to do with them and hold no real advantage of conquering. ( IE Doma)

The Garlean's motivations make NO SENSE at all if you look at them beyond anything other than THE BIG BAD GUYS. And the hand waive for 'any' of these gaping holes in their motivations is "bureaucracy", political infighting and debate draws them in contradictory directions because their emperor that brought them to such power was dying or recently dead.

(Their only actions that SEEMED to make sense was anything regarding Gaius' plans as a whole. And even then, this might be brought into a whole SLEW of questions, because there's a (SPOILERS) Distinct possibility that Gaius is Elidibus.)

PS, forgive me if my bit regarding 1.0 events and Nael is a BIT off, my knowledge of the battle of Carteneau is rusty.))

The purpose of the Empire, as decreed by Solus zos Galvus, is to save mankind from the threat of eikons by any means necessary. This includes, but is not limited to, the extermination of any resident beast tribes and local customs that could possibly lead to the religious fervor necessary for the spoken races to summon an eikon of their own.

And it's worth noting this 'requirement' was partially undermined when Illberd summons an entirely fabricated primal without any real religious zeal, just a very angry speech and a bunch of blood 'sacrifices'. There wasn't really a ritual either, he just got really angry and used a bunch of aether in some dragon eyes (Which somehow weren't spent YET, but will be AFTER...) to summon what is apparently a primal strong enough to rival Bahamut. (Which was probably summoned by a whole SLEW of dragons, with a lot more eyes than just two, and should be far more powerful....)

The eyes were a mistake. Illberd's ending arc was a mistake. Many of the end-of-xpac cliffhangers have been written poorly, lest we forget the BACKPEDALS from 2.5 -> 3.0

[Jandor]

And it's worth noting this 'requirement' was partially undermined when Illberd summons an entirely fabricated primal without any real religious zeal, just a very angry speech and a bunch of blood 'sacrifices'.

Primals are definitely getting a bit silly.
Originally they required huge piles of crystals, a lot of worshipers and a complicated summoning ritual taught by the Ascians.
Now though, they apparently require none of that, one very upset snake lady is enough to bring them into being.

[DamianFatale]

Primals are definitely getting a bit silly.
Originally they required huge piles of crystals, a lot of worshipers and a complicated summoning ritual taught by the Ascians.
Now though, they apparently require none of that, one very upset snake lady is enough to bring them into being.

It wasn't just her. Her servents clearly helped her.

[TankHunter678]

Primals are definitely getting a bit silly.
Originally they required huge piles of crystals, a lot of worshipers and a complicated summoning ritual taught by the Ascians.
Now though, they apparently require none of that, one very upset snake lady is enough to bring them into being.

When it came to lakshmi this was the very first summoning, so it is likely that it was a case that their traditions and constant gem work as well as meticulous storage resulted in over time the building of conditions that other beast tribes rush through to resummon their primals as quickly as possible.

Just like the case of Susano, and how his artifacts were revered alongside all of the other artifacts for a long, long, time leading to this first time summoning. In ARR and HW nearly every primal summoning was intended, or was a direct result of tampering with their cage. Here in SB they were accidents that were completely unintended, but conditions were finally right for a jumpstart summoning.

You also got to remember that back in ARR/HW there was one situation where a complex summoning ritual was not used for Titan. Instead the sheer grief felt by one kobold child that discovered its parents dead and unresponsive next to a pile of crystals was enough to jumpstart summon Titan. Leading to Titan killing some of the nearby kobolds before we took it on in a trial fight where instead of its normal lines it was titan mindlessly repeating the same crying of the kobold child that summoned him through that sheer force of grief.

[Daralii]

Primals are definitely getting a bit silly.
Originally they required huge piles of crystals, a lot of worshipers and a complicated summoning ritual taught by the Ascians.
Now though, they apparently require none of that, one very upset snake lady is enough to bring them into being.

Gemcrafting is a cornerstone of Ananta society. It's not exactly a stretch to think they had enough aether accumulated in all the jewels around them to unintentionally summon a primal.

[Galgarion]

Primals are definitely getting a bit silly.
Originally they required huge piles of crystals, a lot of worshipers and a complicated summoning ritual taught by the Ascians.
Now though, they apparently require none of that, one very upset snake lady is enough to bring them into being.

Ilberd didn't need any crystals for his summoning. He had Nidhogg's eyes to provide all the energy he needed. And Cosmic Kirby was wrong about the Ala Migan's not having any religious zeal: They died full of hate, praying for vengeance. They were the ones doing the summoning, Ilberd merely shaped their hate. He was the one who decided it had to be a dragon.