FFXIV's story is threading on dangerous religious grounds

[van_arn]

I will explain this plainly so people can understand: Basically the storyline of FFXIV is saying 'don't be religious'.

Without going into future content you may not have experienced, I'd say the message of that primal arc is closer to "Beware zealotry."

Beyond the primal arc, the Heavensward arc could boil down to "Beware zealotry."

[Neuron]

You should write Yoshi-P a strongly-worded e-mail, because this might not be something he's considered over the past eight years of running the game.

For the past 8 years, this game was under the shadow of WoW. But now the game has gained a lot of popularity and attention.

[Vav2021]

I will explain this plainly so people can understand: Basically the storyline of FFXIV is saying 'don't be religious'.

My Catholic senses weren't tingling. My honest opinion is that it takes a bit of reaching to get that kind of message from it, especially since the same gods in other final fantasy games help you. I think this is more of a different and angry-god take on them.

[Thaciscokidd]

Hahahaha like this hasn't been done before. With real world stuff.

[kpxmanifesto]

No, this is awesome. Keep it going man.

[Neuron]

There is a god in this game called Lakshmi that we have to fight. And Lakshmi is one of the Hindu gods. Tell me how this type of storyline will not offend Hindu people. I, myself, am a Hindu person and I felt offended at that part of the storyline.

[NegativeS]

I know this is a troll but I want to respond anyway...

The primals in FFXIV, while they are deities, represent an existential threat to the land around them in several ways, including but not limited to a draining of the lifeforce of the land (the effects of this are seen about halfway through the story, with the land turning barren, pure-white, and incapable of supporting life), as well as increased hostilities and needless bloodshed between the beast tribes and mankind.

These primals are only so malefic because the way they were summoned was taught to the beast tribes by the main antagonistic force in the game, the Ascians, who purposefully taught them to make primals that temper in order to further destabilize.

We don't go to kill their gods just for the sake of it, we go to do it because the gods are summoned for the express purpose of burning mankind to the ground. They had the first strike, as it were, and we are only retaliating, later taking proactive steps to ensure that these monsters, which are known for a fact to do harm, do not do further harm.

Later in the story... (EW spoilers)

...the primals are summoned for benefit, as they no longer are being summoned at the behest of Ascians and zealotry, but for an actual cause. This proves that the gods themselves are not the problem, but the way that they are summoned.

[Cadmar]

Nah

/doubt

[Vav2021]

There is a god in this game called Lakshmi that we have to fight. And Lakshmi is one of the Hindu gods. Tell me how this type of storyline will not offend Hindu people. I, myself, am a Hindu person and I felt offended at that part of the storyline.

the game takes religious aspects from all over the world and incorporates them into the game as a type of mythology. Even Christian and abrahamic stuff is in the FF series, and you don't see me dowsing ff8 with holy water.

[Listrella]

the never says the beast tribes are wrong for worshipping their gods, it's simply because the ascians were manipulating them that the summoned malicious variants.
MINOR ENDWALKER SPOILER

near the end of endwalker the beast tribes actually summon benign versions of their gods that help you get to the final location of the game