When does Stormblood get good?[Spoilers?]

[Enla]

Well lets not forget that Fordula was quite ready to let poor people on the land be beaten nearly to death. She did not just serve Garlemald, she and her group went out of their way to torment others. Yes her dad died (but garlean soldiers looked away too..) but just with Yotsuyu, that gives her no right to let it out on those that did nothing to her. And in the end she even sacrificed her own comrades for her goal.

At least she is one of the few villian that truly have to go through a redemption arc by working for it and suffering the consequences of her actions..while the other two just kinda killed themselves...

Hence the 'it doesn't excuse their actions' portion of my post. Fordola did truly awful things but the story never stops to take a second and imagine /why/ she turned out that way or even sympathize with her troops and their circumstances that led them into the Garlean's service. Fordola doesn't need to be a good person and we don't need to excuse with her heinous actions - she did wrong and she is now rightfully paying for it. However by refusing to provide any nuance to people like her in the narrative it drags itself down as a whole. How did someone like Fordola come to exist? Why did so many youths decide that being in service to Garlemald was a preferable alternative? Are some of them doing this under the slim hope it'll make things better for their families? Are some doing it out of greed? Just how far has Garlemald truly gone that this would even be an issue? Do some of their wages go home? Do they even get a wage? And did the change in Stewardship between Gaius and Zenos cause more issues like this or were they always there? For a story that tried to show the harsh realities of war these were questions that at the bare minimum needed to be considered during the conceptualization stage. And yet it doesn't feel like they were beyond a handful of blink and you'll miss them lines. Instead we have a pretty black and white 'they bad, we good' scenario that would be fine in any other narrative that wasn't trying to constantly tout itself as being nuanced.

It's Stormblood's refusal to stop thinking it's deeper than it really is that gets it into some of the worst trouble narratively, right up there with the split focus hampering the overall impact.

[Siete]

Just finished Stormblood up to the main MSQ (Not the following patches)
Damn, Zenos got me right in the feels, that was relatable.
Wish I would have skept Lyse's following monologue and the cutscenes with her on the main screen.
Incredibly, she never redeemed herself as a character, she's a literal nobody and did literally nothing during the whole campaign but being a crybaby and getting lectured.

[Gemina]

I didn't, not like SB. However, even for the WoL, liberating two nations was a bit far fetched for me. It wasn't a matter of "when does it get good?" but rather a series of highs and lows throughout the entire expansion:

4.0: "We just got our arses kicked. Let's go liberate Doma!
4.1: "Wait, what? He's not dead?"
4.2: "Who cares! God Kefka here I come!!
4.3: "I hate you Tsuyu." "I love you Tsuyu." "I hate you Tsuyu"... Seriously, well designed trial SE. "I love you Tsuyu!"
4.4: Where is this all going? I think SB is actually over.
4.5: Yup SB is pretty much wrapped up, and we're basically in ShB at this point.
Post: "You too, are my enemy, and my friend."

[Siete]

I didn't, not like SB. However, even for the WoL, liberating two nations was a bit far fetched for me. It wasn't a matter of "when does it get good?" but rather a series of highs and lows throughout the entire expansion:

4.0: "We just got our arses kicked. Let's go liberate Doma!
4.1: "Wait, what? He's not dead?"
4.2: "Who cares! God Kefka here I come!!
4.3: "I hate you Tsuyu." "I love you Tsuyu." "I hate you Tsuyu"... Seriously, well designed trial SE. "I love you Tsuyu!"
4.4: Where is this all going? I think SB is actually over.
4.5: Yup SB is pretty much wrapped up, and we're basically in ShB at this point.
Post: "You too, are my enemy, and my friend."

"Farewell my first friend, my enemy"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AAAAAAAAAAAAA
I relate too much to this guy and it hurts
He was just a doomer

[Anselmet]

I'm up to level 62 and I feel like never talking to Lyse ever again, I'm done so done with her attitude.
I miss Heavensward.

Stormblood is a low point. However, there are high points like Azim Steppe which is around 64/65. You will eventually run into the leader npc of that side of the world and that is mostly enjoyable. But then you gotta wait until... the end patches. Lyse is the low point. I am sorry. If it makes you feel better, by the time you get to ShB you will be hyped up like with HW. Keep plucking at it and you'll get to a more enjoyable story.

[MPNZ]

Basically, at the Azim steppe/end of the churning mists/garuda/raktika greatwood. It's literally around the same point every expac, but SHB has just been really well paced compared to the other two and not take like an entire century to get to do something fun and not just overly rely on the side-stories/never-ending quests

[Gemina]

"Farewell my first friend, my enemy"

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO AAAAAAAAAAAAA
I relate too much to this guy and it hurts
He was just a doomer

I feel your pain, and I'm all too familiar with the "relationship" between these two. It comes with a lot of hurt and shame to admit he is pizza.

[Nemmar]

Hence the 'it doesn't excuse their actions' portion of my post. Fordola did truly awful things but the story never stops to take a second and imagine /why/ she turned out that way or even sympathize with her troops and their circumstances that led them into the Garlean's service. Fordola doesn't need to be a good person and we don't need to excuse with her heinous actions - she did wrong and she is now rightfully paying for it. However by refusing to provide any nuance to people like her in the narrative it drags itself down as a whole. How did someone like Fordola come to exist? Why did so many youths decide that being in service to Garlemald was a preferable alternative? Are some of them doing this under the slim hope it'll make things better for their families? Are some doing it out of greed? Just how far has Garlemald truly gone that this would even be an issue? Do some of their wages go home? Do they even get a wage? And did the change in Stewardship between Gaius and Zenos cause more issues like this or were they always there? For a story that tried to show the harsh realities of war these were questions that at the bare minimum needed to be considered during the conceptualization stage. And yet it doesn't feel like they were beyond a handful of blink and you'll miss them lines. Instead we have a pretty black and white 'they bad, we good' scenario that would be fine in any other narrative that wasn't trying to constantly tout itself as being nuanced.

It's Stormblood's refusal to stop thinking it's deeper than it really is that gets it into some of the worst trouble narratively, right up there with the split focus hampering the overall impact.

Huh? We know how Fordola and people like her came to be. There was a flashback scene to her dad getting stoned. Did you forget? The youths were the children of those that didn't fight the empire and tried to adapt and were shunned by the revolutionaries.

Honestly, i get the feeling people were half asleep. Stromblood is awesome. Now that i finished Shadowbringers, Stormblood was honestly my favorite story (not that i didn't love Shadowbringers too). I know it's not popular, but the characters introduced were way more fascinating. Yotsuyu and Fordola in particular were great villains. You could see Yotsuyu's regrets, you could see Fordola's pain, you could see Zeno's loneliness. I don't understand how this didn't resonate with people...
I guess FF fans just prefer stories of the distant past. :/

[LaylaTsarra]

I enjoyed Stormblood. I ran story many times with my alts. I have to say however that Shadowbringer was simply amazing in my view and I was very pleasantly surprised to see how good it is. My favorite xpac to date. One can only hope that 6.0 will be as good.

[Lium]

Just finished Stormblood up to the main MSQ (Not the following patches)
Damn, Zenos got me right in the feels, that was relatable.

Uh...how was Zenos relatable to you?