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

[KizuyaKatogami]

snip

1.There was no foreshadowing, you keep bringing this up when the devs themselves literally stated theyve been just going along with the story as it comes. It isnt hard to look back at older expansions and going, "hmm maybe we should use this or bring this back up." That isnt foreshadowing lol.
2. They werent constantly sacrificing themselves. They did 2 sets of sacrifices and were planning a third. Zodiark did work, while he didnt get rid of Meteion, he shielded them from her, and it lasted for 12k+ years, even after he was sundered, who knows how long it could have lasted if he was whole, surely long enough for the ancients to come up with a plan which brings me to point 3.
3. While they themselves might not have been able to get to UT, which tbh, we dont entirely know if they couldnt eventually, theyre able to make dynamis manipulating familiars. Perhaps they could create a familiar or a set of familiars similar to Zodiark who can take the battle to Meteion. The ancients knew of suffering. Stop acting like they didnt, we're shown numerous times they knew of it, they werent immune to it. No one needed to answer anything. The answer is killing her plain and simple. Servants doing everything for them? Are you serious? The ancients sacrificed themselves so that others would be able to continue living, theyd get to see a brighter tomorrow. Please tell me how the ancients relying on Zodiark is any different or any worse than everyone in this game relying on the WoL, including Venat's entire plan relying on the WoL.

[Jeeqbit]

1.There was no foreshadowing

Maybe there wasn't, but it's interesting that the word "despair" was used so much so maybe they picked up on it from their own playthroughs and used it for EW.

The ancients knew of suffering. Stop acting like they didnt, we're shown numerous times they knew of it, they werent immune to it.

Well Venat didn't think so, so she sundered the world to make them know suffering. As the previous Azem, she saw a lot more of the world than everyone else and was more likely to know.

[Theodric]

Well Venat didn't think so, so she sundered the world to make them know suffering. As the previous Azem, she saw a lot more of the world than everyone else and was more likely to know.

Venat wasn't the only Ancient who travelled the world, though. Hythlodaeus sits down next to the player character at one point during the Elpis story arc and reveals that Emet-Selch is exceedingly well travelled and worked tirelessly to help whoever needed it.

On the other hand Venat, described herself in a rather arrogant manner - referring to herself as 'without prejudice' which we know is a lie because her reaction to people not doing exactly what she wanted was to murder every last man, woman and child present on Etheirys at the time.

Personally I don't think the genocide of the Ancients was ever justified given what we know of the situation.

[tokinokanatae]

I'd rather have a good story than obsess over where the story takes place, personally. To be clear: I welcome a hypothetical expac based on minority cultures not commonly seen in high fantasy. Sure, I love castles and Ishgard remains one of my favorite settings in the game. I also think the Steppe is one of the best-realized locales--on par with Ishgard, imo--and there's not a single castle to be found there. (Garlemald, which is popular with several of the people in this thread, is also an industrial fantasy location without any of the banner flying ramparts so beloved by high fantasy books and movies.) If you remain interested in seeing castles and dragons and concerned they have no place in the game's direction, New Game + is your friend.

Well Venat didn't think so, so she sundered the world to make them know suffering. As the previous Azem, she saw a lot more of the world than everyone else and was more likely to know.

Being widely traveled doesn't make you an expert in suffering, though?