So, anyone feel like this should have been a bigger deal...? (SPOILERS!!!)

[Sheriyana]

Yeah, the moon and Labyrinthos were both a waste of a zone, the last zone is also more of a set piece than a zone.

[Iscah]

the last zone is also more of a set piece than a zone.

For story flow, I consider that to be a good thing.

Plan to use it for side purposes or patch MSQ maybe, but I don't think there should be much fluff between the 89 dungeon and the finale.

[Silver-Strider]

I was unimpressed with most of the expansion honestly. It was a narrative mess with pacing issues and felt very unsatisfying as a conclusion to the story 10 years in the making. It's very clear that story elements were cut to merge the original 2 expansions that had been planned for the conclusion and I honestly think they should've stuck with the plan if all we got for it was this half baked excuse as a result.

On the topic of the moon specifically, it was another wasted zone as far as I'm concerned. The whole starting part with the Watcher and having him restore the binds on Zodiark was completely unnecessary filler. It was over before it even started with what few actions we actually took before Zenos and Fandaniel did their thing. Then there's the whole forced comedic relief of the Lopporits that killed what little narrative momentum that the defeat of Zodiark had and I was just questioning, "When does the story get better?" and was sadly found wanting by the end of it all.

[linayar]

I do agree that Hydaelyn and Zodiark seem to be oddly used here, given that it is supposed to be the culmination of years of talk about what they are.

The Ascians have talked about the revival of their "one true god" for so long, and what is he in the end? An empty vessel, waiting to be occupied and puppeted by the first person to come along and break the seal. He was over and gone too quickly, and it was really just a supercharged Amon throwing his Allagan creations at us. No sense of Zodiark as a character.

Hydaelyn, meanwhile – setting aside any discussion of whether Venat's choices were right or not, the overall idea of Hydaelyn feels diminished by the reveal that she is essentially "one person", the continued identity of her creator, rather than an independent entity designed to play the part of mother-goddess. The leap from goddess-primal to person-primal feels far more jarring to me than the reveal that she was a primal at all.

Like I said, Endwalker is the payoff for Shadowbringer. When you have Elidibus and Venat being described as the hearts of Zodiark and Hydaelyn respectively, and considering the nature of even regular primals being influenced by the desires of their summoners, it's clear that primals are less of a false god and more of a powerful tool (which can be misused and with bad consequences).

Zodiark in Endwalker is a result of not having Elidibus. Hydaelyn in Endwalker is a result of having Venat.

[SamsaraTrickstar]

Ye they failed there big time. It's like we going to the moon. Ok no biggie.
Then we going to space. Ok no biggie.
Like why it's so casual as if we go to the supermarket. They made a way bigger deal going to a different location on the planet.

[TaleraRistain]

I liked it. They made a big hairy deal about the moon and then subverted all expectations. Definitely took me back to old classic Final Fantasy games.

[Iscah]

Like I said, Endwalker is the payoff for Shadowbringer. When you have Elidibus and Venat being described as the hearts of Zodiark and Hydaelyn respectively, and considering the nature of even regular primals being influenced by the desires of their summoners, it's clear that primals are less of a false god and more of a powerful tool (which can be misused and with bad consequences).

Zodiark in Endwalker is a result of not having Elidibus. Hydaelyn in Endwalker is a result of having Venat.

I know they were described as the "hearts" of the primals since Shadowbringers, but we never really learned what that meant – my impression was that it was more of a core for the primal to form around, maybe influencing its personality, but not simply being the same person now in control of a more powerful form.

I suppose our closest reference is incarnate summoning, where a single person draws the primal's power into themselves, but a heart seems like it would be the opposite: being the core on which the power called forth by all the summoners together would coalesce and become something vastly greater than a single human mind.

And if Elidibus is to Zodiark as Venat is to Hydaelyn, the very mind and personality of the primal but set free to wander, the story has never treated him as such. Even once it was revealed that he was a primal, an essence drawn out of Zodiark, he was treated as something separate and not (at least with enough emphasis) the key functional part of Zodiark himself. For all we knew at the time, what was called forth might not have even been the real Elidibus but a copy produced by the wishful thinking of his friends while the real soul remained within Zodiark.

[Ardeth]

Honestly it was all rather disappointing. Zodiark goes out like a loser only to be undercut by comedy space rabbits. By the time we get to the past I'm desperately waiting for the check and you realize you're half of the way done.

The last zone has more padding than a 14 year old girls bra. And because the power of friendship/mcguffin exists in the azem stone we can do pretend character deaths that hold about as much weight as a balloon filled with helium.

Jokes aside everything after Garlemald is downhill in some way or another and even Garlemald has dumb shit in it.

Do you guys remember the pointless subplot where in Zenos swaps body's with us? I remember thinking that must be some 5d chess play to undercut what we've done to help Garlemald and reignite the tension. Nope, it's just there so Zenos can be IMMEDIATELY outed as not us and sneer and leave.
Seriously the terrible in from the cold scenario made more sense. This was pointless.

I just wish this plot held a candle to Shadowbringers. It's like shitty Gurren Lagann fanfic by someone who doesn't understand Gurren Lagann.

[Jettinson]

Imo they could have used more of the initial part of the Moon rather than the Loporitts areas. They might explore more in later patches.

I just love chilling in the Moon, the atmosphere works so nice


But let's be honest, did anyone have a chuckle or confused reaction when we got asked to protect the last pillar and right a minute or less it got destroyed by Zenos with 0 suspense?
The aftermath i enjoyed but the build up to Zodiark in that moment was just goofy for me lol

[Anvaire]

i think for me, the entire Zodiark sequence is the biggest let down of the whole expansion. I really felt that they could have done so much more with Zodiark than what we got. Even if it facilitated a trip to SHB to retrieve elidibus' soul. It smacks to me of a writer who fell in love with a new character and then shuffled things to make them be more important. I didnt like how they used the scions to constantly Justify Venats actions and make her Holier than thou, not because i think she is evil, but rather that she should occupy the morally grey camp as should Zodiark. In essence both were mirror images of each other with aligned intentions but difffernt pathways.

If im honest, id have been happy for the conclusion to be both remained but were in balance, over their disappearance entirely. Or for both to reconcile and finally work together... this is but a pipe dream that i dont expect many if any to aggree with though.