To Yoshida-san: 3 characters needed to fully experience the 7th Umbral Era storyline?

[Onizuka]

Hello again to all Eorzeans interested in the storyline and following the 7th Umbral Era. For others, please be advised that this post contains spoilers on the Grand Company missions.

In short, I discovered with disappointment – and I think this was the first time I was really disappointed in something in Eorzea – that the Grand Company missions not simply differs from each city-state, but that if you join one you'll miss the nice and important cutscenes of the other(s?).
Going into details now, I'll write this instead of going to Eorzea this evening.

Today I've completed my final Grand Company quest, “The Weakest Link”, but it wasn't how I thought...



A few days ago I stumbled across this Great picture, featuring Legati Gaius van Baelsar and Nael van Darnus... together!
It looked like something of a certain importance, so I didn't read the dialogues or anything else on that wiki page, sure that I would have seen that cutscene with “The Weakest Link” quest, being the last one I had to do, so that after it I could have completed my newest lore entry in my Journal.

Today I did the quest and nothing near close to the Legati was mentioned (I had to battle kobolds).
So I returned to the wikis and read the dialogues... and those are new informations!

What I seem to have learned is that cutscene happens when using the Echo on a Gridanian soldier... during one of the Order of the Twin Adders Grand Company quests.
I found a video of that quest, “Two Vans are Better than One” (can't find a video for the Ul'dah one, “Like Father, Like Son”...), so I can confirm this. ...Oh my, I've just finished seeing the part that starts at 04:20: not only there're new informations and, particularly, characters' characterization, but that also looks like (at least for me) a new Music!

I don't understand... From that single line I see it's an important dialogue, a big part in Gaius' characterization! And hints more at a possible future outcome I'm theorizing about...

Why having such differences between the Grand Company missions? I thought they were all the same, except that they sent you to different areas. Gaius and Darnus discussing together is a BIG difference, in my opinion!


One of the main reasons why I like my stay in Eorzea is the storyline, and I wanted to experience the “LIVE” events of the one-year long seasonal event that is the Seventh Umbral Era.
I'm already having difficulties in having a good lore conversation with Kipih, Petyr and Dural (since last August) and the general randomness of these events, like the new one on the cultists of Dalamud, I read that isn't very welcomed even from the japanese adventurers who can stay in Eorzea only 3 hours a day (kinda like me).

But now also the main storyline missions became somewhat exclusive to each Grand Company? How can I possibly see the meeting of Gaius and Darnus without being in the Twin Adder's Company? And does the Immortal Flames quest also have other cutscenes like this?
YouTube is not a real solution, as I would like to LIVE these events...


I apologize if this post is somewhat complaint-like, but, like I said, living the 7th Umbral Era is one of the the reasons why I'm paying 9.99 bucks a month (aside, of course, from the joy I have in staying daily in Eorzea), the first time ever I'm paying a monthly fee.
The LOC Team, which I stalk every now and then for lore-related informations , knows something about my huge interest in the story of Eorzea, that I periodically sum up in my Journal.

I wish I could better write japanese to go in the JP General Discussion section and ask this directly to Yoshida-san himself. If the community reps would be so kind to forward it, my whole point is:

I want to experience all the “LIVE” contents of the 7th Umbral Era without having to stay in the same place for hours (I can't afford it, anyway) simply crossing my fingers or creating 2 more characters for the other Grand Company missions, that, as demonstrated, have different cutscenes.

Yoshida-san and dev team, can you make it so that we can all see those cutscenes and enjoy the storyline in its fullest before the calamity cometh?

Faithfully,

Cloudio Onizuka

[ninesunz]

ah this all makes so much sense now. I'm aligned to Adder so I got that nice mysterious something epic is going to happen CS, and I'm super excited to see what happens next - I didn't know the other GC's didn't end on such a cliff hanger?

[Yelta_Sumasu]

Wow that is lame if we don't get to all have equivalent story... Does not have to be exact same CS or anything but they story should be told in full to all 3 no matter what. Could be told differently, from different perspective or something but what you are describing is something is explained in one version but left out completely in another...

[Altanas]

My question to SE would be why instead of splintering the story per nation did they not make one massively long story? That way players would be pleased each update brings a new fulfilling "chapter" of story.

As an aside, its also a bit sad the unique 7th Umbral Era events only exist til 2.0. They have a good dynamic basis to work with (invasions / cultists), why not just expand on it for more dynamic content?

[Estellios]

I got a pretty sweet CS involving Cid and one of the Legatus and I'm in the Flames.

I don't mind the stories being told differently, it puts some uniqueness into the companies. We are most likely all heading towards the same end.

[Eldaena]

Individual companies are seeing different scenes now, but I bet your character, as he or she progresses through the company, will discover what the other players have already seen in other companies. We have a long time til 2.0, there will be more company quests and so on before then. What if our characters end up needing to go to the other cities and we somehow end up in the same situations?

Edit: I don't think they are purposely keeping information from us, but I think they are purposely fragmenting it. They want to give us the feeling of rumors and mild fear, perhaps. Omens and such slowly causing a kind of worry people tend to get before such an apocalyptic event? lol but of course we won't know the whole story til it's almost too late to act. =p

[SilvertearRen]

Individual companies are seeing different scenes now, but I bet your character, as he or she progresses through the company, will discover what the other players have already seen in other companies. We have a long time til 2.0, there will be more company quests and so on before then. What if our characters end up needing to go to the other cities and we somehow end up in the same situations?

Edit: I don't think they are purposely keeping information from us, but I think they are purposely fragmenting it. They want to give us the feeling of rumors and mild fear, perhaps. Omens and such slowly causing a kind of worry people tend to get before such an apocalyptic event? lol but of course we won't know the whole story til it's almost too late to act. =p

Considering that cutscenes are a commodity to me, I find that stupid.

I'm trying to complete my FFXIV video project, and because of a lack of willing volunteers on Besaid I'm forced to scrounge my way through whatever cutscenes I can get my hands on. Hence why I view cutscenes as a commodity and not as something that should be "exclusivized".

[Kiote]

And Once again a Big Giant Told You So to all people who flamed my Posts when I said making GC permanent and unchangeable was a terrible decision. This is what you get for blindly defending the bad design decision of this dev team.

[Zenaku]

You can easy watch it on youtube i don't see the issue at the end it still the same storyline. I saw the two empire which then i have to tell cid which then tell people from LL and ul'dah so i don't see the issue here,.

[Eldaena]

Considering that cutscenes are a commodity to me, I find that stupid.

I'm trying to complete my FFXIV video project, and because of a lack of willing volunteers on Besaid I'm forced to scrounge my way through whatever cutscenes I can get my hands on. Hence why I view cutscenes as a commodity and not as something that should be "exclusivized".

First of all, I'm telling you I don't think they will be exclusive. If it's important main story quest information I don't think it would be kept from us forever. It just may take longer for everyone to see everything. However, in the scenario these are exclusive, you can't be surprised either. It's a unique experience for every player in this game. Each city state opening is different, aspects of each main storyline are slightly different depending on your starting city, and perhaps your grand company story will be slightly different than those that took a different company.

If they never link up the company cutscenes and you never see them on your character, then you can be upset. But companies are still relatively new, and we don't have much of an idea of what's going to happen there. We also don't know what's going to happen when foundation day rolls around again next year. We don't know if we'll be able to use the power of the echo to witness events later on. Just voice your concerns about it, that's fine, but I feel the need to calm you because you are acting as if this whole thing is set in stone. lol