What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Stachiko]

due to her explanation.

Exactly. She spoon fed us an explanation and our character accepted it regardless. I would've personally asked her 100 million questions and possibly caused the end of all Etheirys as we know it. Spose my FFXIV game should all be glad I'm not personally the WoL.

There's a certain negligence in going back in time in the first place. We were told not to interfere, and yet not only did we interfere, we told them about the situation.

I must've been half awake when I read the parts leading up to Elidibus sending us back. I don't recall any major mentions of time consequences or hesitation to take action. Mind you, at that point I was also moderately done with the story.

I'll take your word for it. Even then, at least it was a group decision (Which I also wouldn't consider sufficient enough people to make a decision).

[linayar]

I love this response- it is both critical of me while acknowledging our mediocrity. You win.

Yeah, when you don't consider mediocrity as a negative or a loss, you tend to win more often.

Exactly. She spoon fed us an explanation and our character accepted it regardless. I would've personally asked her 100 million questions and possibly caused the end of all Etheirys as we know it. Spose my FFXIV game should all be glad I'm not personally the WoL.

She had an explanation, and given what we know of the present, her explanation makes sense.

I must've been half awake when I read the parts leading up to Elidibus sending us back. I don't recall any major mentions of time consequences or hesitation to take action. Mind you, at that point I was also moderately done with the story.

I'll take your word for it. Even then, at least it was a group decision (Which I also wouldn't consider sufficient enough people to make a decision).

It wasn't a group decision. It was just us deciding to tell them.

[Lauront]

As if she's anyone's "parent". Between that and "supreme deity", the levels of sheer delusion.

[TaleraRistain]

I think they're referring to how Hydaelyn's backup plan would be for the people of Etheirys to flee elsewhere, which would lead to Meteion destroying the world and thereby the other reflections of Etheirys. Thancred, notably, was not entertaining the possibility of not fighting Meteion because he was worried about Ryne.

That said, if Hydaelyn is tapped out on power and the Warrior of Light can't defeat Meteion, I'm not really sure what else the backup plan could be. It's clear Hydaelyn would prefer that they can defeat Meteion, but she left an out for the people of the Source so that SOMETHING could survive in the event that result wasn't possible.

Not to mention that there's no way she could know back when she started to make those plans that some fools would unshackle Zodiark early. The only way she could reasonably consider he would be free and the aether shield fell is if all the Rejoinings had happened, so the shards would no longer exist. I don't think she disregarded the shards as much as she didn't think they would be there anymore to worry about if her ultimate backup plan had to come into play.

[Berteaux_Braumegain]

Every time Venat/Hydaelyn said "My children"

What I HEARD was "My precious little sundered mediocres"...... it was not endearing.

Well, that's kind of a you thing, not a story thing.

[crimsonwitch]

I'm honestly just really depressed about this "grand ending" for this game. I am a lore nerd, i played this game for story and only clear a few savages at 80. Now that the story was mildly butchered i feel like there is nothing left for me. this was my favorite game and i basically have nothing left to play now at the moment. I have no social network in game either so... nothing is keeping me around anymore. I was excited for 5 months about the endwalker trailer, the music, everything..

i dont think its healthy from the community to just tell people "ok just unsub bye"... we love the game and expected more from it. When square charges like 44 pounds each time a new expansion drops, you expecting to get an AAA experience. But i guess that's where i went wrong. It's just an mmo storyline..

[Caurcas]

As if she's anyone's "parent". Between that and "supreme deity", the levels of sheer delusion.

Like a delusion that a 3rd sacrifice would make everything the way it was before?

[linayar]

i dont think its healthy from the community to just tell people "ok just unsub bye"... we love the game and expected more from it.

The community is not the devs. If the community likes part of the game that you don't, there's nothing the community can tell you other than not to be depressed about a game and try to find some other joy in life, like another game, or something else.

If you really are depressed about how the story went, it would indeed be a healthy choice to unsubscribe from the game if, by your own words, there is nothing keeping you around other than the story. And if you do decide to leave, it doesn't have to be a permanent break, but it's up to you (and your mental health) whether you think you want to come back.

[Rulakir]

What I want to argue is that she sundered the world, knowing very well that the shards would be kindling for the fire. That makes her no better than the ascians.

Her actions never receive the same scrutiny as those of the Ascians, which is part of the problem. Everything she does going back to ARR where she tells Minfilia to kill herself is dismissed. Hydaelyn has a history of being shady and at no point ever loses the trust of the Scions. The WoL has one dialog option at the beginning of EW where we can say we can't trust her anymore just because she's a primal. I had quite a few choice words for her at the end of Elpis and certainly during the Mothercrystal trial, but instead I'm only given positive dialog options, facial expressions, and 'touching' cutscenes with oddly the only character who acknowledges she was unjust, unkind, and caused untold suffering and bloodshed.

I also forgot about the age old question, how does the Japanese forums feel about Endwalker?

I don't know about the forums, but there was a character popularity poll with some interesting comments about Venat (via translator app). She still ranked #3 overall behind Emet & Hythlodaeus, but this suggests the Japanese players may be having similar discussions.

"Venat has become a character that I hate so much it makes me sick. Even if I knew she would be popular because of the way the story depicts her, it's true. I liked her in Elpis. But seeing the confusion and despair of her people afraid in the face of death for the first time, she neither tried to care for them nor act in her role as an advisor. Instead she said, 'You guys are useless at life, so I'm just gonna create new life that'll be more adaptable.' What prevented Meteion's despair from destroying the world was Zodiark, who continued to supplement the Aether Currents. And the ones who suffered the most were those she sundered and destroyed by her own judgement without notice or permission. So why does she get a self-indulgent scene about her own suffering?"

"It doesn't make sense to divide the ancient people who were equal and preach my children, it's
too selfish and unpleasant."

"Venat was silent about Methion and Hermes, right? It's not fair at that point anymore."

"There is no need to divide human beings, and I cannot sympathize with or agree with Venat's judgment."

"I am angry at Venat who kept the information and reduced the options that the ancients can take despite keeping the memory."

"Venat and Hermes are unconscious co-conspirators, aren't they?"

[Caurcas]

Who would've thought a collectivist culture thought the collectivist ancient were rad. Wow.