Why is the WoL so lame in cutscenes?

[Alleo]

The issue with the end could had also been resolved if, in addition to Save the Queen, Misija also had a Firearm, or if STQ itself became the base of a Garlean-type gunblade, to not only add further insult to the Bozjans she betrayed but also have a way to kill Mikoto at Range, which would in turn explain why people didn't try to shoot her as she would still have Mikoto at gunpoint.

Exactly that one little change and all would have made much more sense. Of course we still could have tried to jump in front of her and we still have the problem that seemingly on one side we should be afraid of Mikoto dieing (someone who still can fight) from one bullet while lots of character survive far worse. But just that one change would have made it better.

Honestly, the fact that they already suspected the Garleans were scheming something should've been even less reason to just let things play out in that situation. Their decision to not interrupt the ritual with the crystal focus was sound, but they could've just not let that happen in the first place.

So true. They even said that doing something while we are in there could hurt us (still could have at least gone to the traitor to hit her as soon as we are back...they did not know that there would be a primal after all), so they are all standing there while we could have now been easily killed by a sniper or something...imagine if the shot at the end was from an enemy and not a friend...so taking the risk of letting your most valuable ally go into this is just stupid.

At the very least, they could have shown us an early scene where Mikoto sees the future, and assumes that this will all happen, and have Mikoto talking us down instead of Misjia.

No sadly echo powers, especially powerful ones like Mikotos, are only allowed to exist when the plot needs it. Either dont give your character such usefull tools (we also never seemingly want to train it so that we are not forced by its hand and can use it when we want to...) or plan the plot according to that power. Dont just ignore it when it would be great to have.

[Kesey]

Yeah, I gotta say. When she finally got shot, my only reaction was, "IT'S ABOUT TIME!" and "But who?" I mean, we've all seen movies where the bad guy has a knife to someone's throat and a gun on the hero, and the hero runs up and pulls their gun on the bad guy. Bad guy says, "One wrong move and I'll slit her throat." Then they get a bullet in the head, and more often than not, the hostage gets out fine or with a far less than fatal neck nick. The conclusion to Lacus Litore was awful, and I hate it. It was not a good scene in anyway, shape, or form.

I'm no expert here, but hitting a target square in the head when they are holding a hostage is extremely difficult and is the kind of move, even if successful, would put you in a situation of due process for taking unnecessary risks. To think that this has to be the go to solution means you are watching too many unrealistic movies and video games that have changed your perception of real life.

[Kesey]

The issue with the end could had also been resolved if, in addition to Save the Queen, Misija also had a Firearm, or if STQ itself became the base of a Garlean-type gunblade, to not only add further insult to the Bozjans she betrayed but also have a way to kill Mikoto at Range, which would in turn explain why people didn't try to shoot her as she would still have Mikoto at gunpoint.

No the specific blade holding Mikoto at bay was important to lore and allowed for the echo event to happen with the primal. Its the source of aether to summon Gunnhildr and killing Mikoto with it would also summon the primal. I don't know why you think a Garlean style gunblade would have upped the stakes here, when they were already heightened with the ancient blade itself.

[Kesey]

At the very least, they could have shown us an early scene where Mikoto sees the future, and assumes that this will all happen, and have Mikoto talking us down instead of Misjia.

She can only slightly see the future, as was explained very early in the story and also requires the echo to go off, which even to this moment in the main story is hard to control. In the event she has seen something, its context is probably too difficult to understand.

[Draginhikari]

That's the exact time to shoot first. He thinks we took it too easily, and that it's a trap. We know there's a traitor in front of us trying to do something. She's left herself wide open and needs our help to execute her plan.

That's not the time to patiently wait for whatever the Garleans are planning to be executed. It's time to shoot to kill and then GTFO with the hostage.

Eh... I'd argue that a bit of hindsight and player perspective regarding the circumstances and in some perspective it might be viewed as more tactical to approach the situation in caution in case the expectation to rush the enemy after throwing the hostile, probably the type of overthinking of a situation the might have worked without the primal involved. I don't know, I just didn't find myself as bothered about the cutscene as it seems a lot of people did.

But Mikoto wasn't under threat anymore. We're surrounded by people with ranged weapons. We could have obliterated Misija before she took two steps with our combined firepower.

No one, Mikoto included, is made safer by going along with the traitor's plan when the readily available alternative is "take her out". Considering that's exactly what happens after everything goes wrong because no one bothered to act earlier, the whole thing is just ridiculous.

This wasn't even a negotiation. It was us following the demands of someone with a hostage after they didn't have a hostage anymore, and the entire resistance went along with it because "reasons". That's why it doesn't land, and the only emotion it evokes is annoyance. They'd portrayed everyone involved as competent up until this point, but then a cutscene starts and no one is capable of doing anything except the one random NPC who wasn't even there until the writers wanted someone to actually do something.

Eh... I don't know, looking back at the scene it doesn't seem like Mikoto was exactly 'safe' at that point, despite being further away it still would have been plausible for something to go wrong. The NPC in question basically was unseen up to that point and likely was only succeed primarily because it was a surprise attack by a opponent that wasn't supposed to be there. Given everyone excluding the primary cast was already tempered before his arrival, I don't really think it made that much of a difference regarding the scene. I'm not saying it was the greatest direction ever and there were problems with how it played out, but I just don't understand the anger surrounding the thing I've seen.

I admit the thread has given me some more insight on the view but I still don't particularly finding myself agreeing.

[Morningstar1337]

No the specific blade holding Mikoto at bay was important to lore and allowed for the echo event to happen with the primal. Its the source of aether to summon Gunnhildr and killing Mikoto with it would also summon the primal. I don't know why you think a Garlean style gunblade would have upped the stakes here, when they were already heightened with the ancient blade itself.

Prolly was worded poorly in hindsight, but consider this. You see a holy relic of your culture in enemy hands augmented via said enemy's tech. Would you not think said relic was defiled by the aggressors?

That said the point I as trying to make is that Misija having a way to kill Mikoto at range would had ensured the WoL would acleste to her demands without looking like a fool since the Echo scene was after (IIRC) Mikoto being thrown away from striking range, and with the Blades including several ranged fighters able to incapacitate her if she attempted to close the gap she herself made. It could be a regular gun or it could be a gunblade made form Save the Queen the point being that if she had a ranged weapon she would still be seen as a threat to Mikoto's life

[Kesey]

Prolly was worded poorly in hindsight, but consider this. You see a holy relic of your culture in enemy hands augmented via said enemy's tech. Would you not think said relic was defiled by the aggressors?

That said the point I as trying to make is that Misija having a way to kill Mikoto at range would had ensured the WoL would acleste to her demands without looking like a fool since the Echo scene was after (IIRC) Mikoto being thrown away from striking range, and with the Blades including several ranged fighters able to incapacitate her if she attempted to close the gap she herself made. It could be a regular gun or it could be a gunblade made form Save the Queen the point being that if she had a ranged weapon she would still be seen as a threat to Mikoto's life

Not sure any of them knew what to think, as that relic, although easily recognized by that culture, had been missing for a long time. It also seems appropriate that it ends up in Misija's hands as her background is an archeologist. Which is then compounded by family history.

We're talking about a situation that in the real world is akin to your enemy bringing forth the Ark of the Covenant and all the horrible things it is capable of being true. Not a symbol easily recognized like American Flag, whose power entirely rests in symbolism.

[KageTokage]

At the very least, they could have shown us an early scene where Mikoto sees the future, and assumes that this will all happen, and have Mikoto talking us down instead of Misjia.

I'm still waiting to see if they make her Echo's limited, albeit still abnormally powerful capabilities play into the story in a meaningful capacity because right now it's seeming like they mostly just wanted to add in a new Echo bearer for the sake of giving the Garleans fodder for a Resonant treatment.

That's another thing that's bugged me since the start of the Bozja story since I like Mikoto as a character, but her suddenly coming out and saying "Oh, I have the Echo, too" after it being wholly unmentioned in the Ivalice story felt...awkward..

[Vyrerus]

I'm no expert here, but hitting a target square in the head when they are holding a hostage is extremely difficult and is the kind of move, even if successful, would put you in a situation of due process for taking unnecessary risks. To think that this has to be the go to solution means you are watching too many unrealistic movies and video games that have changed your perception of real life.

Because FFXIV is real life? Because FFXIV is realistic? Get outta here with that line of thinking. If I were playing this game for the realism, I would have stopped when my guy wasn't instantly killed by Ifrit's fire breath at level 20.

Also at that range, even I could hit someone in the head with a handgun, hostage or no. I'm not even an expert marksman, merely mildly proficient. The only thing unrealistic in fiction is that the bad guy is almost always the one to hesitate, and the hero never has a misfire. Just because you like to suck it up with these story cutscenes doesn't make the rationale for how they play out good.

[RyuDragnier]

I'm still waiting to see if they make her Echo's limited, albeit still abnormally powerful capabilities play into the story in a meaningful capacity because right now it's seeming like they mostly just wanted to add in a new Echo bearer for the sake of giving the Garleans fodder for a Resonant treatment.

That's another thing that's bugged me since the start of the Bozja story since I like Mikoto as a character, but her suddenly coming out and saying "Oh, I have the Echo, too" after it being wholly unmentioned in the Ivalice story felt...awkward..

Considering how they've got a magitek soldier unit piloting mechs that require borderline telepathy just to have the reflexes for it (meaning near echo levels), Resonant seems to be the lore excuse for that. I just hope we can stop their experiments before a certain soldier gets killed (Dabog, I will save you, I swear it).