Final Fantasy XIV Hot Takes

[Sauteed]

I didn't like ShB at all.

[DamianFatale]

I didn't like ShB at all.

I loved Shadowbringers, but got depressed that it was out of the source. I'm happy to be back in the source, but the direction of Endwalker is making me sad, and longing for more of the source.

Elpis is cool, but its not in the main world. It feels like a Shadowbringers area.

I have always wanted to go to Garlmald, AND WANTED A NEW SNOW ZONE FOR LIKE EVER. We hadn't had one outside of Eureka since Heavensward, but its so cut off from the rest of the world. There's no city hub, no nothing besides a small slightly repopulated town, and a bunch of ruins. I'm fine with the ruins considering Garlmald had it coming, but it would be nice to restore, or at least see a still in tact smaller Garlean hub. It's so important to the story, but the devs keep this from us. I don't get it. Imagine Doma without the restoration.. would be silly.

The moon is great, and a really cool zone, but again instead of one surprise zone like Azys La, we got THREE, and when we usually only get six zones an expansion, I was really longing for more of the source. I wish we had a second Thavnair zone, Sharlayan, and Garlean zone each. Heck, we were technically in another Garlean zone via the Magna Glaces, but they never made it a normal zone. I was really disappointed. I think the devs might want to consider a seventh zone, and maybe even possibly an eighth or every expansion from now on, because it could really help flesh the pacing of things out if they are going to continue to be varied. I'm not into the single zone per country mentality that they have had, and prefer back in A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormbloods way of having multiple a country. (though I suspect Ala Mhigo might have killed this.. because they didn't go all the way with it despite hyping up Ala Mhigo.. the city is cut off..)

I feel like I was drip fed a tiny bit of Thavnair, Garlmald, and Sharlayan, but not given enough extra places in those areas to make it feel worth it. The pacing was really off for me, but otherwise I really like the expansion. It was varied and fun, but I think almost TOO varied like the second half of Stormblood was.