Endwalker Main Scenario Commentary & Feedback

[Fenral]

Got 90k'd in the middle of a big scene but...

Holy mother of arc welding, Batman. Of all the people to bring back now. But now we know why Ishikawa kept G'raha around...

Level 82-3 zone:

This is the first we've heard of Corvos, right? G'raha's profile in EE1 just says southern Ilsabard, and this is also the first mention of his clan in relation to House Darnus, which feels like it should have been brought up back in 2.X when people where already drawing obvious connections.

But apparently to Garleans, said region is the promised land, and Sharlayan likes it enough to want to copy it's climate This would probably be more impactful if Ilsabard wasn't a giant cloud on official maps.

AND I'm really not sure how I feel about the G'raha backstory retcons overall. Right now it seems like he's being set up for (IMO) the worst possible resolution to his character, and Ishikawa doesn't work that way (or, hasn't since 2.5) so I'm holding out for a twist.

Level 83-4 Zone:

So, that was a thing that just happened. Expac is going off the rails!

Lopoorits are the beast tribe of... Hydaelyn Herself? I don't think anyone would have put money on that.

There's probably no Hummingway because Nero killed him back in 2.0.

Level 85:

Things are getting very Berserk in here. This is basically Falconia, with the laws of reality going to s*kupo*t and strong leadership being the only salvation.

I had a feeling from it's last words that the Blasphemy was that merchant from the level 80 quests. Ouch.

And more Corvos mentions. If this isn't about to be a full zone, why do they keep mentioning it?

Level 85-6 zone:

Okay, I remembered the Zeal artwork was a zone we hadn't accounted for yet, but was not expecting actual Chrono Trigger. With Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus as our tagalong NPCs because why the hell not. That's some final season YOLO right there.

Meteion is... that female voice we heard along with the Sound after Zodiark bought it. Almost positive, but this is where I took a sleep break, so we'll see.

FINISHED! But I have been up for 24 hours and will need sleep to organize my thoughts. Leaving the above for now so people can follow my insanity.


87 dungeon:

First of all, being able to run a Trust dungeon with Emet-Selch, Hythlodaeus, and Hydaelyn is some A+ wish fulfillment. We had no reason to expect anything like it even in our most indulgent fantasies.

Second, as a fellow bleeding heart, I adore Hermes. Sure, he's a bit of a strawman at times, but the way he feels alienated by his grief, like's he's wrong for feeling sadness where others don't, really brings me back to my 2.5 self. I think he's the first antagonist we've gotten whose feelings felt like my own to such an extent, though his fall into despair is sad to watch.

Venat is fantastic. She addresses basically every criticism ever leveled at Hydaelyn, while also giving us insight into the seat of "Azem" without doing anything that might constrain the player's own understanding of their WoL and past self. Her monologue set to "Answers" was likewise chilling. As a main theme for the entire saga it's a bit grim (not like "Footsteps" is better), but contextualized as an anthem of Hydaelyn Herself, it's perfect.

Meteion is a tragic victim of conservation of detail, but I like how we're given the option to assume she's important ahead of any direct exposition. The WoL has played JRPGs before. Even though she comes out of left field (or FF11, to be more accurate), she's exactly the kind of omipotent avatar of nihilism that marks a Final Fantasy finale.

And the time loop. Pure insanity.

88-89 zone:

This is filler. Also a curtain call for basically everyone we've ever met, but it needed to happen.

Tataru crafting the AF gear this time around is great.

The final meetings with everyone as they discuss the future a death flag like it's going out of style. If G'raha absolutely must be paired off with someone because certain kinds of people don't like even the tiniest insinuation that he could see the WoL that way, I would still rather he get with Alisaie than some new random character or a catgirl harem, even though they are still 8 years apart. That said, the way basically every other sentence out of his mouth sounds like a thinly-veiled proposal continues to sustain me in these dark times. Companion romances when?

I'm glad Urianger finally got his closure on Moenbryda, even though there was quite a bit of meandering, and the search radius on the quest was entirely too big.

Level 90 zone:

Welp, Yoshida did it. He got me praying to Hydaelyn.

That dread from 2.5, that every single overlord kill after Nabriales would come at the cost of a companion's life, it finally came back in full force. That Thancred could just be gone, and for ever "victory" after to end with one more companion erased, was actually too much. Even thinking logically, like "what about the teleporters, or that crystal, or the Trusts for the 90 dungeon" stopped help as soon as Y'shtola told me that I couldn't use Hydaelyn's gift to bring them back. (Though it was nice that she finally grew a proper personality in her final moments.

And then it was G'raha's turn, and I started procrastinating. I wasn't sure if I was lying when I agreed to one more promise, because I needed it, too. And then it happened and I went completely numb. I needed to believe that Hydaelyn wouldn't have tested us all and given me that gift just so I could sacrifice my companions one last time for the "greater" good. So I prayed.

And guess what?

That really specifically useless detail from that early aetherophysics lecture was a plant. And the payoff was Emet-Selch doing what he always does, making everything better just by being there, and Hydaelyn's last gift could finally be used the way it needed to be used. But gods that hurt. That is something a story is allowed to do once and only once, and they pulled it off, but please, Yoshida, don't pull anything like that again.


And okay, who the hell decided to name that quest "You're Not Alone," after a certain song/moment from FFIX that is probably still one of the best low->high moments in the series? It's mean. Cruel and manipulative, I tell you. I couldn't tell if it was meant to be reassuring or ironic.

(I rewatched later, and the second option in G'raha's scene does kind of play Ishikawa's hand early, like, "no really, the writers wouldn't do that," but some masochistic part of me is still glad I chose to believe, even as it hurt more in the moment.)

Final dungeon and boss:

Even if it feels like a retread of Shadowbringers' final dungeon, these two are kind of a duology, so I'll allow it. (I got the minion on my story clear, so I guess that prayer was answered, too.)

The Endsinger is a great final boss design. I like how they've started leaning into that Yoshitaka Amano look for major bosses. The lead-in cutscene was intense, and in my pettiness I enjoyed the look on Alisaie's face as the teleporter button was pressed. Sacrificing myself for my companions (and having them hate it) is one more item off my FFXIV bucket list.

The Shinryu save didn't come completely out of nowhere, at least, but by the time it was happening, I was like "wait, this is what they wanted to do with Zenos?"

The post-boss grudge match was great. Really, the one thing I wanted from Zenos, and we got it.

And then the finale, the world is saved, and the Scions' go their separate ways, for now. Probably setting up a round of lower stakes, more intimate adventures following smaller groups of companions for a bit. If this is the new status quo that we'll return to after each new adventure, I can get behind that.