Spoiler, Sploilers, and more Spoilers

[Ranhansha]

And that's exactly what you got, a story that made logical sense.

No. It didn't. How does time travel work? Can you change things? Is it fixed? Our travelling there was what allowed Venat to learn about Meteion. Otherwise, everything would have happened but she wouldn't know the cause. So I guess you can change the past, even though, I believe, Elidibus tells you you can't. Then we also have alternative time lines on top of that with G'raha Tia in ShB? We have both. Makes perfect sense. And when you summon the Ancients they are your size, the same as Meteion, even though you are your usual size now. And they keep telling you to take dragon scales to Ultima Thule for whatever reason that never mattered. And everyone dies one by one in trials made just for them and the convenient power of friendship that you just got for that exact purpose resurrects them. Or how everything is solved in a single day, even fixing never before seen galactic spaceships or finding a protection against the tempering, which has been a constant issue. I mean...
That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the story. I enjoyed it, but I expected so much more.
Granted, I was starting to fear after patch 5.4 and the way they solved things and 5.5 when the focus was the tempering yet everyone was fighting lunar primals without the echo and no one seemed to care.

[Lium]

It is Book one.

Also what do you mean IT'S not. It very much intended to be Epic because they decided to tie everything together. These expansions prior to Shadowbringers WERE not related till they decided to.

This argument that "you realize there are people who have no problems with the story" is a strawman.

Wait what? Literally everything in this game up to this point has been caused or manipulated by the Ascians in their effort to rejoin the shards. Every. Major. Event.

• The Dragonsong War. Initially caused by the Ishgardians betraying the dragons but manipulated to new heights by the Ascians, specifically Lahabrea.
• Stormblood. Entire story was about liberating Ala Mhigo and Doma from the Garlean Empire, and you have to confront Zenos, the grandson of Emet-Selch, then later get to see Emet for the first time. Several revelations happen post-MSQ leading into Shadowbringers.

Stormblood even included the line of dialogue spoken by that shaman-like character in the Azim Steppe regarding the WoL: "A singular radiance. Shimmering. Like a jewel of the Dusk Mother, blinding in its brilliance. Stars flicker and flock to you. Before such gathered light, even the secrets of the gods may be laid bare. Some are fated to rise in grace and glory. Others to falter and fade, though not from memory. Both will be your strength and salvation come the end. Cherish the stars and the light they bring you in the dark. For you are a traveler, are you not?”

Which sounded cryptic at the time, till in Shadowbringers, Emet-Selch's spirit says this during the fight against Elidibus: "Herein I commit the chronicle of the traveler. Shepherd to the stars in the dark. Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow. For yours is the Fourteenth seat—the seat of Azem."


I mean at this point it's just clear some of y'all were not paying attention to story beats.

You could say each expansion prior to Shadowbringers weren't connected in that there was a new plot in each one. Okay, sure. But the story has been the same since ARR. It's always been about stopping Calamities. The only thing that changed was how the Ascians were trying to go about triggering them.

[NanaWiloh]

I think that is the point that I also disliked (but overall I find it to be good story and a good ending for the story line). I wished it would have stayed more focused on the planet. Them opening up the whole universe is imo too much. Just as I found it strange how our planet was the only one that was still with hope. And then we somehow defeat despair itself. So what now? Will they truly only tell us smaller stories? Will they be happy with years of such stories? Or will we have an expansion where we will fight an even worse enemy...IMO if you have something like the Endsinger keep it for the last expansion.

And I too still dont understand the time travel...I just dont believe that Venat would have gone the exact same path if we had not been in Elpis. They after all only suspected that something was wrong with Hermes because we told them about the Final Days. And yet it has to be that way because we do have the bad future where we died.

No she would have followed the same path. We could not change the events cause as far as time was concerned they happened before we ever arrived there. Time travel plays heavily on the fact that you cant predict the future or change the past. But there elements of the past that aid in shaping the future. In Venat case were are a element of her past so she knew we would be going back in time at some point.

Cel1790 gave a good explanation..then me. lol

[Raven2014]

Lot of ironies in the complains here.

Guys ... do you know what a realistic story is called? It's called history, and if you had studied it, human history is far more stupid than what presented in the game.

[Rin_Kuroi]

Lot of ironies in the complains here.

Guys ... do you know what a realistic story is called? It's called history, and if you had studied it, human history is far more stupid than what presented in the game.

I think it was Twain that said: The difference between nonfiction and fiction is that fiction must be absolutely believable.

Sometimes I wonder if SE took that as a challenge to make the most off the wall overtop the story.

[yajnaji]

Ah yes please gatekeep the game from people who are giving criticism. I’m pretty sure that’s reportable btw but irregardless, people are allowed to critique a game and continue playing it if they enjoy other elements.This is honestly just an ignorant way of thinking and a hindrance to the overall theme of the forums.

I don't see any criticism. Only whining and human stupidity.

[QT_Melon]

Wait what? Literally everything in this game up to this point has been caused or manipulated by the Ascians in their effort to rejoin the shards. Every. Major. Event.


I mean at this point it's just clear some of y'all were not paying attention to story beats.

You could say each expansion prior to Shadowbringers weren't connected in that there was a new plot in each one. Okay, sure. But the story has been the same since ARR. It's always been about stopping Calamities. The only thing that changed was how the Ascians were trying to go about triggering them.

Wait what? where am I arguing against the overall plot? I mean where do you guys come up with this?

You mean this straw that you collected to beat up was you thinking we didn't realize Ascians were in every xpac?

Not that the fact they had to go back and retconned a lot to make it work and left quite a few parts janky?

Oh okay... here lemme get you more straw to beat up then.

[Lium]

Wait what? where am I arguing against the overall plot? I mean where do you guys come up with this?

You mean this straw that you collected to beat up was you thinking we didn't realize Ascians were in every xpac?

Not that the fact they had to go back and retconned a lot to make it work and left quite a few parts janky?

Oh okay... here lemme get you more straw to beat up then.

No, you said prior to Shadowbringers, expansions weren't connected. I pointed out they were because they all had a common thread behind them. What exactly did they retcon to make it fit? That's an honest question, I really want to know.

Also, there is a difference between plot and story.

[Penthea]

You don't know me. I don't accept whatever is put before me at all, which is why I left WoW after playing it the majority of my adult life. I think long time XIV players are just spoiled and anything less than perfection leads to whining.

Some of them really don't know what a bad mmo story looks like.

[Theodric]

Some of them really don't know what a bad mmo story looks like.

I'm pretty sure they do, given that comparisons to WoW have actively been made and many of the same storytelling issues are beginning to manifest here as well. If you like the current approach, that's perfectly fine - but others have concerns and they're relaying them. Something that they're free to do so.