The Road to 5.0

[Theodric]

We'll just have to agree to disagree. Again, the nations and individuals resorting to such behaviour do so in large part because they do not have the plot convenience of the Warrior of Light to fall back on. This is especially true of Pureblood Garleans who also do not have the plot convenience of aether to fall back on. The game goes to great lengths to show things from different perspectives. There's no reason to assume that such will not be the case with Garlemald, either.

It's a very common trope in Japanese media, as pointed out in my previous post. I'm happy to provide more examples though. If anyone here is familiar with Attack on Titan then I'll point to that as an excellent example of nuanced characters doing questionable things. I've said it in the past and I'll say it again. Discussions of morality are largely irrelevant here as they're often very subjective and prone to bias. When discussing the lore, I discuss things from the perspective of the characters/factions involved. I urge others to do the same. Nobody here is likely to change anybody else's mind, after all. Though with that said...it's hard not to note that this place has become quieter over time and only seems to pick up whenever Garlemald is brought up.

[Berethos]

We'll just have to agree to disagree. Again, the nations and individuals resorting to such behaviour do so in large part because they do not have the plot convenience of the Warrior of Light to fall back on.

Last I checked, the Eorzean nations didn't attempt to go on a conquering spree over the past 50 years before the WoL showed up. Additionally, we ostensibly act as Hydaelyn's Champions to combat a specific type of threat, that of the primals. As supported by the in-game lore and the lore book, the expansion of Garlemald (beyond Ilsbard) began before Solus had learned of the destructive potential of primals...

As such, the conclusion that nations like Garlemald are as ruthless as they are because that is how they deal with the primal threat falls apart because they were that ruthless before they knew of the primal threat. Ruthless conquest has been their modus operandi since they invented Magitek. If they are harsh with how they deal with the primal threat, it's because they are harsh with how they deal with every threat until it is subjugated, at which point they force it to live under their heel (think Seanchan from Wheel of Time, if you're familiar with that series).

Finally - I'm not debating overall morality of actions, I'm debating whether a specific interpretation of motivations are supported by current lore.

[DarthSanguine]

Last I checked, the Eorzean nations didn't attempt to go on a conquering spree over the past 50 years before the WoL showed up.

Ala Mhigo did.

[Mholito]

Ala Mhigo did.

The Autum War was a century ago.