**SPOILERS** Did anyone else find this new zone to be a complete slog? **SPOILERS**

[DynnDiablos]

I completely agree. The pacing of this expansion has been all over the place and the tone has been a rollercoaster. I am just skipping every conversation at this point in Elpis because I truly, honestly, do not care at all about any of this and I want to actually play a game, not just read text and watch cutscenes.

Almost every level I've gained has been through watching cutscenes. I love a good story, but this is a video game SE.

I have no problem with a lot of cutscenes and I feel the voice acting has been excellent as well as direction, but Endwalker has a serious pacing issue. Elpis, while I understand is meant to help flesh out the past in order to save the future, they couldn't have done it in a more dull way. The zone is gorgeous, yes, but the way the story is being presented is completely uninteresting. Many of the MSQ quests in this area don't even contribute much to the main plot, they are just used to justify why this area needed a zone to begin with. As I said, I've never skipped anything plotwise in this game but this area I just want to be done and over with. Actually dozed off last night while in it.

[Rhysati]

I have no problem with a lot of cutscenes and I feel the voice acting has been excellent as well as direction, but Endwalker has a serious pacing issue. Elpis, while I understand is meant to help flesh out the past in order to save the future, they couldn't have done it in a more dull way. The zone is gorgeous, yes, but the way the story is being presented is completely uninteresting. Many of the MSQ quests in this area don't even contribute much to the main plot, they are just used to justify why this area needed a zone to begin with. As I said, I've never skipped anything plotwise in this game but this area I just want to be done and over with. Actually dozed off last night while in it.

I agree with you on this. I also like cutscenes. I like story. I loved the last expansion and my favorite games of all time are all JRPGs.

The pacing here is so jarring that every time I started to get grabbed by the story and interested, the rug was pulled out from under me and I went back to talking to people or running errands like the apocalypse didn't just begin. While I understand why others are saying they love Elpis for the adorable little story, I feel it would make an EXCELLENT optional side-story that everyone can play when they feel like it. Having the entire story come to a grinding hault while you play a bit of Back to the Future just really killed every ounce of excitement they built up for me with the Final Days beginning.

It's like watching Star Wars: A New Hope and in the middle of the attack on the Death Star they just cut to the first 30 minutes of The Phantom Menace. Sure, it is relevant to how we got to that point in the story, but couldn't we tell this on it's own when it isn't detracting from the pacing of the adventure we are currently on?

[Rae88]

It's like watching Star Wars: A New Hope and in the middle of the attack on the Death Star they just cut to the first 30 minutes of The Phantom Menace. Sure, it is relevant to how we got to that point in the story, but couldn't we tell this on it's own when it isn't detracting from the pacing of the adventure we are currently on?

I always found the Star Wars movies vastly overrated to be honest. A New Hope had a lot of cliches and the characters could often be caricatures (Obi Wan was the wise old wizard overused to death in fantasy stories). Which just demonstrates that people like different things, it's not objective good or bad.

[Rhysati]

I always found the Star Wars movies vastly overrated to be honest. A New Hope had a lot of cliches and the characters could often be caricatures (Obi Wan was the wise old wizard overused to death in fantasy stories). Which just demonstrates that people like different things, it's not objective good or bad.

Well, that's kind of beside the point. I was just picking an example that the overwhelming majority of people would know and understand. Insert any movie you like here and the point stands. In film, books, plays, stories, etc you don't cut the legs out from under your climax.

[Rae88]

Well, that's kind of beside the point. I was just picking an example that the overwhelming majority of people would know and understand. Insert any movie you like here and the point stands. In film, books, plays, stories, etc you don't cut the legs out from under your climax.

I disagree that they did. Anyway in a plot driven story events are the focus of the story and the action is usually derived from things that happen, in a character driven story how people arrive at certain decisions and choices are the focus and the decisions they finally make shape events. Elpis was very important in this regard.

As I said in another thread I feel that Endwalker is a beautiful character drama and because of this some people won't like it as much as Shadowbringers. It focuses more on the characters than the events taking place imo.

[Sorimachi87]

Respectfully disagreed on that matter.
It was very important for us to learn more about the whole thing and the design and everything around it was great imho. And i wasn't even doing a single side quest yet. Looking forward to some experiments to azems familar - us.

[RavnEerie]

Im struggling with the same in garlemald.
Walking-simulator :P

[ArcaviusGreyashe]

I like story. (...) While I understand why others are saying they love Elpis for the adorable little story, I feel it would make an EXCELLENT optional side-story that everyone can play when they feel like it. (...) Sure, it is relevant to how we got to that point in the story, but couldn't we tell this on it's own when it isn't detracting from the pacing of the adventure we are currently on?

Just goes to show that you (and others with the same opinion tbh) don't like stories, you like action packed bullshit with no rhythm except "cocaine driven movies and games" that you were nurtured with.

Am I an elitist ? Sure. But I'm fed up with y'all pretending to know shit about writing.