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

[shao32]

I was really invested on the story until they started with all the fake deaths on SB, Yotsuyu final arc was decent but i literally lost any interest on the story when they killed Varis offscreen and the only villians we had was the joker without batman and Zenos warming throne over several patches, my favourite scene on the whole game was Varis roasting the whole alliance.

SHB and EW has been a total dissapointment for me, i be honest that the only enjoable parts i had on of both expansions has been the ascian lore reveal from Emet and the second part of thavnair when i foollish belive things are getting interesting just to find that after that zone the final days and his effects just didn't have more screentime bcs reasons, was more worthy pulling the power of friendship to build the ship i guess.
Emet and hythlodaeus has been the only character along with Quintus i enjoyed, everything outside of that has been really meh, specially venat and the whole time traveling arc wich i consider a mess despite i find interesting how the ancients work there and Y'sthola spoiling they can get back after disapear in ultima thula before the twins and g'raha was just the final screw the scions plot armor for me.

[Teraq]

the second part of thavnair when i foollish belive things are getting interesting just to find that after that zone the final days and his effects just didn't have more screentime bcs reasons, was more worthy pulling the power of friendship to build the ship i guess.

Same here, I loved level 85 Thavnair and thought "well, maybe it was worth it having Zodiark as the level 83 trial if it gets this epic". But that was pretty much it. The Garlemald part felt like an afterthought (although it gave us the catharsis of Alisaie telling Zenos nobody cares). The role quests are just a couple of monsters here and there, though I found some of the story hooks interesting. Are you just going to tell me nothing happened in Ul'dah with all that misery around the city? Really? Come on.

And I genuinely thought it was going to finally pop up in Sharlayan during the Labyrinthos quests, but... nope. I legitimately got a sinking feeling in my stomach when at one point someone goes "you should come outside and see this!!!" and I was like "oh shit it's here in Sharlayan and the sky is going to be blood red" but nah it's just everyone and their grandma showing up to bring you the Unobtainium lol

[shao32]

Same here, I loved level 85 Thavnair and thought "well, maybe it was worth it having Zodiark as the level 83 trial if it gets this epic". But that was pretty much it. The Garlemald part felt like an afterthought (although it gave us the catharsis of Alisaie telling Zenos nobody cares). The role quests are just a couple of monsters here and there, though I found some of the story hooks interesting. Are you just going to tell me nothing happened in Ul'dah with all that misery around the city? Really? Come on.

And I genuinely thought it was going to finally pop up in Sharlayan during the Labyrinthos quests, but... nope. I legitimately got a sinking feeling in my stomach when at one point someone goes "you should come outside and see this!!!" and I was like "oh shit it's here in Sharlayan and the sky is going to be blood red" but nah it's just everyone and their grandma showing up to bring you the Unobtainium lol

Yeah i had the same feeling, just when we get in to the ship and fly away i was "ok im done with this expansion", just to ask my self when we comeback at the end "they just stay there doing absolutely nothing but watch the sky while we have been doing all that stuff in ultima thula?" the tension was totally gone but was hilarious that it seems like everyone was enjoying a tea or something while we had the battle to save the universe.
At least give me a final stand on aetherys where everyone is heavely suffering everywhere doing his best working together to buy time as the scions are doing all those "sacrifices" bcs every second counts or something like that so the final zone feel like we are fighting for all those who are going to die if we fail but the only thing i get is like "it doesn't matter they are just there guesing the form of the clouds as they wait for us".