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

[KizuyaKatogami]

So essentially what we've gleamed from this thread is

The only thing this is missing is Venat shaking the hand of the WoL saying “You’re welcome for saving you all.” Stealing all his credit.

[Teraq]

Elidibus is probably my second favorite character in the entire game so believe me when i tell you i relate to what you said so much. Both him and Zodiark got absolutely shafted in favor of other characters and it shows. He’s been built up since the beginning of the game and he only gets 2 patches to really shine and then gets a 5 minute cameo before sacrificing himself to save us which is also just never ever even brought up. He’s never shown again after that. Isn’t given a scene in the credits or on Ultima Thule. It’s just Emet Emet Emet. You can tell just how much the writers pander to the community honestly. We saw it first with Graha and now Emet and don’t get me wrong, i love Emet, but it’s like they completely ripped Elidibus’ role and presence away from him and gave it to Emet and Elidibus was just written off despite being the other heart in the saga of the two elder primals. Just so disappointing what they did with him and i’ll say it, imo it was an incredibly bad writing decision.

YYyyep, I really, really felt the Emet fanservice in 6.0. And I mean, as an Elidibus fan, I felt it even more than usual lol. After (literally, if I remember correctly) jumping out of my seat at the prospect of going back to the First, I very quickly started dissociating more and more as Elpis went on. It got obvious the story would then be only about Hydaelyn and The Sound in full gear with no looking back, and this was purely going to be the Emet/Hythlo/Venat show with no one else.

By the time the credits rolled, my brain had checked out so completely that I even skipped Scion dialogue, which I never did before. And... uh... I hate to admit it, but I was also so exhausted and over everything that I failed to recognise who was talking in the Pandaemonium teaser lmaooo

Speaking of the single MSQ scene, I mostly loved it out of context; the game even graciously gave me the option to apologise to him, and he low-key sassed me for it, and then I sobbed like an idiot, etc. His last lines, from Zodiark to Hydaelyn, melancholic and slightly teasing, are perfect. Only... we got none of that, actually. We never really got him as Zodiark, we never saw him interact with Venat or Hydaelyn. This line feels like it's teasing me with a story I would have liked so much more only to never give it to me.

So essentially what we've gleamed from this thread is

I see nothing here but true facts no lies detected

[KizuyaKatogami]

YYyyep, I really, really felt the Emet fanservice in 6.0. And I mean, as an Elidibus fan, I felt it even more than usual lol. After (literally, if I remember correctly) jumping out of my seat at the prospect of going back to the First, I very quickly started dissociating more and more as Elpis went on. It got obvious the story would then be only about Hydaelyn and The Sound in full gear with no looking back, and this was purely going to be the Emet/Hythlo/Venat show with no one else.

By the time the credits rolled, my brain had checked out so completely that I even skipped Scion dialogue, which I never did before. And... uh... I hate to admit it, but I was also so exhausted and over everything that I failed to recognise who was talking in the Pandaemonium teaser lmaooo

Speaking of the single MSQ scene, I mostly loved it out of context; the game even graciously gave me the option to apologise to him, and he low-key sassed me for it, and then I sobbed like an idiot, etc. His last lines, from Zodiark to Hydaelyn, melancholic and slightly teasing, are perfect. Only... we got none of that, actually. We never really got him as Zodiark, we never saw him interact with Venat or Hydaelyn. This line feels like it's teasing me with a story I would have liked so much more only to never give it to me.



I see nothing here but true facts no lies detected

Someone else brought this up but it rings so true regarding Elidibus. Why is freakin hermes on the ending art and Elidibus wasnt? Theres just so many things with Elidibus that are irritating with how much they shafted him lol. Tbh, i also skipped those scenes my first time through after i realized the plot was going incredibly downhill. Such a shame because i think thavnair and garlemald were done so well.

[Teraq]

Bravo. I read every word and I pretty much had the same observations throughout my play through of the msq during early access. For a while I was very disappointed and felt like I had nowhere to vent until I saw the threads popping up about it. It felt good to get it all of of my chest.

Yeah, I burned through MSQ in 3-4 days while my friends hadn't and insisted on no spoilers. I turned to social media only to find out everyone found it better than ShB and it was so beautiful and more than everything they ever hoped for and they cried so much oh my god get your tissues ready if you haven't finished it yet!!!

Thankfully my friends got done with MSQ late December and they mostly share my opinions so now we can have our own little echo chamber, which is a terrible thing to say, but boy I have to admit it feels good.

Why is freakin hermes on the ending art and Elidibus wasnt?

This is the exact moment my brain gave up and died. Who are you and why would you deserve to be on the ending artwork to this 10-year saga?

In retrospect, Garlemald was my favorite standalone part of the story. Such a brilliant, oppressive atmosphere and human pathos.

[OhNooo]

Someone else brought this up but it rings so true regarding Elidibus. Why is freakin hermes on the ending art and Elidibus wasnt? Theres just so many things with Elidibus that are irritating with how much they shafted him lol. Tbh, i also skipped those scenes my first time through after i realized the plot was going incredibly downhill. Such a shame because i think thavnair and garlemald were done so well.

Yeah I definitely think they did Elidibus wrong.

In retrospect, Garlemald was my favorite standalone part of the story. Such a brilliant, oppressive atmosphere and human pathos.

Garlemald was my favorite part too. I think they should’ve had an entire expansion for Garlemald.

[Lauront]

Bravo. I read every word and I pretty much had the same observations throughout my play through of the msq during early access. For a while I was very disappointed and felt like I had nowhere to vent until I saw the threads popping up about it. It felt good to get it all of of my chest.

Now I feel like I’m finally ready to move on so I didn’t renew my sub. I just got an email today reminding me that my sub ends tomorrow lol. I feel like I stick around the forums now for entertainment cause there is definitely some hilarious drama that happens sometimes.

I'm waiting to see how the short stories/interviews wrap up stuff before making a decision, in all honesty. If I don't like the future direction at all, I may do the same, or just ignore the story, depending on how bad it was. Same if Pandaemonium turns into "ancients bad" nonsense - yeah, no thanks. The MMO market may be slim pickings at the moment, but I'm not desperate for one and there's alternatives even if imperfect.

So essentially what we've gleamed from this thread is

Truly. At least the Minstrel's words for Hades, Elidibus and Zodiark (and by implication, the ancients) acknowledges their huge sacrifices. I don't have an issue with Venat getting some of the credit. I do take great exception to their legacy though being just that of these mustache twirlers who, for "no reason", just decided they want to sacrifice all the worlds to their dark god, when in reality that's abject nonsense and they have now sacrificed their world for the sake of the sundered, while she's remembered as the supreme "hero is" deity. Y'shtola is committed to chronicling the tale of the ancients - let's hope she puts all that in.

Elidibus is probably my second favorite character in the entire game so believe me when i tell you i relate to what you said so much. Both him and Zodiark got absolutely shafted in favor of other characters and it shows. He’s been built up since the beginning of the game and he only gets 2 patches to really shine and then gets a 5 minute cameo before sacrificing himself to save us which is also just never ever even brought up. He’s never shown again after that. Isn’t given a scene in the credits or on Ultima Thule. It’s just Emet Emet Emet. You can tell just how much the writers pander to the community honestly. We saw it first with Graha and now Emet and don’t get me wrong, i love Emet, but it’s like they completely ripped Elidibus’ role and presence away from him and gave it to Emet and Elidibus was just written off despite being the other heart in the saga of the two elder primals. Just so disappointing what they did with him and i’ll say it, imo it was an incredibly bad writing decision.

I have mixed feelings about 5.3. On the one hand, I like how they essentially mirrored a WoL in him, with how he's willing to endure any pain and suffering, even to the loss of his identity, to bring his duty to completion. I think Elidibus is by far one of the most heroic personas in the story, alongside Hades, in how they would both labour for 12k years, in near complete desolation, playing the role of villain as necessary, to rectify what they saw as a great injustice done to their kind. However, I was somewhat let down by how they concluded his focus on the balance of dark and light and jettisoned him from his more conciliatory Emissary stance, which as you say went to Emet.

[FatalFatalis]

I think there were just way too much stuff to wrap up in one expansion (or patch).
Garlemald, Zodiark, Venat and Hydaelyn, Zenos, the Final Days, some parts didn't have enough time to develop and in the end it felt flat.

[Skyborne]

Yeah, I burned through MSQ in 3-4 days while my friends hadn't and insisted on no spoilers. I turned to social media only to find out everyone found it better than ShB and it was so beautiful and more than everything they ever hoped for and they cried so much oh my god get your tissues ready if you haven't finished it yet!!!

It was the story equivalent of getting wasted, then waking up in bed with an ogre next to you that you thought was beautiful at the time. Very easy to get swept up in the music, though there were some moments that got me. And speaking of characters who were wasted/forgotten, what about Regula van Hydrus? The man who was the equivalent of General Leo from FFVI, the emperor's best friend since childhood, who sacrificed himself for a boy? No mention, but I haven't gotten around to the Garlemald sidequests yet... Also, lots of mourning for Moenbryda, but nothing about Nabriales, the man that she sacrificed herself to stop. Even Emet-Selch left him out (and poor Deudalaphon who may as well not exist) in his quick rundown of the Convocation seats in Elpis. Poor lads.

Also, your brain lasted longer than mine. I was practically comatose and beseeching Ra-La by the 23rd 2000-word Scion speech about the better brighter tomorrow, stand tall my friend, hope hope hopey hope hope.

[OhNooo]

The MMO market may be slim pickings at the moment, but I'm not desperate for one and there's alternatives even if imperfect.

Oh for sure. I’m actually at a point in my life where I’m trying to spend less time sitting at a computer desk (my irl job requires me sitting in front of several computer screens for 8-12 hours each shift). So I’ll definitely be looking into things like VR or anything that would help me get more movement in while also having fun.

They got my attention since SHB with the new direction of storytelling and it had so much potential. But I think I had to remember that this is an mmorpg so it wasn’t a good idea to get too invested in the story. Better to read a good book for that I suppose.

[Teraq]

Garlemald was my favorite part too. I think they should’ve had an entire expansion for Garlemald.

And preferably actually involving Gaius, Cid and Nero.

No, I'm serious here. I like Maxima and Lucia, but... OH come on!

I am especially offended by Nero not getting a single voiced line, in fact having literally less presence than (checks notes) Livia and Rhitahtyn. Actually, did anyone else find that dungeon weird? I mean I have no issue with the choice of end boss, if we're gonna die on this Fandaniel hill then let us die on it, but why Livia and Rhitahtyn?? We had Ilberd and Papalymo in a trash pack, and then we saw Moenbryda and Haurchefant. So, then... why not Nabriales and Charibert, right?

And then after the trial we get Elidibus's soul to pop up and lecture Venat on how she gave up hope on them all and robbed them of a chance to even properly pass Hermes's stupid "test", and... Wait no sorry, that's my unwritten AU fanfic.

(edit)

Also, lots of mourning for Moenbryda, but nothing about Nabriales, the man that she sacrificed herself to stop. Even Emet-Selch left him out (and poor Deudalaphon who may as well not exist) in his quick rundown of the Convocation seats in Elpis. Poor lads.

Also, your brain lasted longer than mine. I was practically comatose and beseeching Ra-La by the 23rd 2000-word Scion speech about the better brighter tomorrow, stand tall my friend, hope hope hopey hope hope.

I have to commend you here for somehow mentioning darling Nabs before I did.

Also idk but the Crystal voice in 5.3 had me convinced Deudalaphon was a woman, with how high-pitched it sounded if I recall correctly. Halmarut, who was also Professor Not Appearing In This Saga, notably got a deep-voiced crystal while we literally never saw or heard him anywhere else.
(This totally raises the issue of Mitron sounding slightly higher-pitched than Loghrif, andthat is its own can of worms!)