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

[Lauront]

As Emet fan, 100% this. I cried during the conclusion of Elpis when I realized we can't save him and Hytlo. But in Ultima Thule? I feel it was a disrespect actually by making HIM, out of everyone, to validate Venat's decision. Like, really?? Can we please have one scene where the devs aren't bashing our head with "See? See?? Venat is the right one". I just sit there dumbfounded for a while and went "F that". And I get even more salty that we don't even get the option to say farewell and call his real name, meanwhile we have the option to do so for both Hermes and Venat.

Other people have mentioned it before; but yeah, this game attempted to present morally gray story/point of view, yet at the same time isn't brave enough to commit to the idea that the protagonist side isn't that much different from the "bad guy".

At least it's not worded as badly in French (the part about "setting foot here"), but I agree, the scene is being used to try seal a "happy" ending for all of them (why Hermes should be included in that final art is beyond me), to the point that even anger which would be justified is being scrubbed away. His people are wiped out, his two close colleagues Lahabrea and Elidibus have lost their identity in what would be a vain struggle (since the time to fix it would've been much before but someone never told them because of supposed time travel shenanigans) and their souls denied their return to the Underworld, and having to play villain and go against the remnants of their close friend when they finally found them. As a method of bringing me to like her? It doesn't work, in fact it achieves the opposite. I'm not the type to cry and the Ultima Thule stuff did nothing for me beyond the plight of the dragons (there you could really see the tale of a species broken by senseless destruction.) By contrast, the Garlemald stuff with Jullus, Elidibus's fate and acceptance of it, and those wandering ancients around Zodiark? That stuff was much sadder.