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

[seraf]

This. The problem is that the Hydaelyn & Zodiark saga is the foundation of all the lore in FFXIV, but it seemed like for whatever reason they wanted to sweep it under the rug and be done. Despite nothing in ShB and little in EW supporting that the Ancients were incapable of change, we end up getting a cutscene with a group of strawmen and told that's how everyone was and they were never going to be any different. This also conveniently ignores the "no small number" of those who were in opposition of the third sacrifice, including Venat's own followers. Clearly there was a substantial number of Ancients who could change, but we're meant to believe they all only wanted a return to "bliss". The unsundered world wasn't even presented as being free from problems or sorrow, just better than an apocalyptic world (understandably).

I've seen people say that Venat is the voice of the writer and if that's the case I had no idea Ishikawa viewed the Ancients so poorly. As much as I loved Emet & Hythlodaeus, going back in time and not being given an option to spare them the Final Days felt sadistic. I am an unabashed Ancient fan and, like many others, EW was probably the worst case scenario I could think of in terms of what I'd least like to see. I don't consider "fan service" watching your favorite characters get effed over, while your character has no power to do anything about it, and then treats the person responsible as some sort of benevolent goddess. At the end of the day, she was an ideological extremist and I'm not about to praise her for that.

I hope whatever new story we're getting was worth it, but I have my doubts.

You literally could not save the Ancients and even if you could it would undo everything that happened after the Final Days which would have meant the Source and even all the shards wouldn't exist.

[jameseoakes]

You literally could not save the Ancients and even if you could it would undo everything that happened after the Final Days which would have meant the Source and even all the shards wouldn't exist.

There doesn't seem to be a reason why we couldn't try to stop it and the End of Days being averted would have been a great thing as it would have lead to a world without the sundering and apparently a lot less suffering

[KizuyaKatogami]

You literally could not save the Ancients and even if you could it would undo everything that happened after the Final Days which would have meant the Source and even all the shards wouldn't exist.

Why couldn’t we? Graha and Ironworks were able to create a split timeline. Funny how it just coincidentally works out for them there but now all of a sudden it’s impossible to have a split timeline for the ancients or it’s impossible to save them.Whats your logic on that we wouldnt be able to save them?

[Lauront]

You literally could not save the Ancients and even if you could it would undo everything that happened after the Final Days which would have meant the Source and even all the shards wouldn't exist.

Yes, not like an AU formed out of the world doomed to the 8UC or anything.

The ending would've been better if the writers took a page from Final Fantasy 6's midpoint. Have all the worlds converge into one, genocide and all, kill off all the Scions, and leave our characters as the survivors in a shattered, but whole, world. The fallout of such an event, and with us pinned as the cause by the other survivors, would make the next story arc a truly interesting reboot. Not to mention our characters would have to live with the knowledge that our actions caused the death of all their friends. The surviving city states from all the old, sundered worlds would quickly vie for power and limited resources.

Plus it could allow the designers to change all the classes and dungeons in a fresh and interesting way. There's really no reason a post-merging game couldn't have different class designs branching off of the "previous world" magic and martial systems.

Very interesting indeed but probably far more than they'd be willing to chew off at this point.