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

[Theodric]

Yet there's hundreds of posts of people losing their minds that Venat did this or we did that. I'm not saying you have to like what she, but some here make me think they think they actually live in XIV.

Pointing out how the game isn't consistent with the themes and messages it seeks to push elsewhere is hardly equal to people losing their minds. It's a story driven game, so people being invested in the narrative is to be expected. I'm not sure where you're getting the impression that anyone here believes that they live in XIV unless you're referring to those who act like criticism of Venat is blasphemy towards an actual deity...?

Then it's a shame they didn't. But it would lessen the impact of their tragedy if they were somehow just fine somewhere else. They did that enough with everyone else, I don't want this game becoming like Kingdom Hearts. Hell, Emet even looks like Xehanort in Elpis.

When every single Scion died and came back mere minutes later I daresay the writers weren't overly concerned with the idea of lessening tragedy. Many of the single player Final Fantasy games also allowed antagonists to walk away largely unscathed by the end of their respective stories, so there's certainly precedent - and since personal tastes differ, there's plenty of us who care very little for the Scions and would much rather see some of the more nuanced characters continue to exist in some form.

Hence why what happened with Elpis is a tragedy. When I got to Amaurot, and even when I go back there, it was like reaching a certain location in Xenoblade 1: haunting. That there were even quests to do for these effectively ghosts made it worse. TBH, I still have other ideas on what the sound should have been. And while I'm not entirely against Meteion, there was still more I think they should have done, but they'll all be from other games I can't talk about without spoiling, and require rewrite after rewrite of XIV as a whole. If the game was a single player game from the start and not an mmo, I think it would have been the best Final Fantasy they've ever made.

Stereotypical JRPG tropes are stereotypical JRPG tropes. I invest in fantasy settings because I like the fantasy elements and non-human races. Having them constantly destroyed and sidelined grows tiresome and can arguably be attributed to why World of Warcraft began to descend into irrelevancy.

I prefer darker endings in my video games, though only when they're consistent - and if they're going to bend over backwards at every turn to keep the main cast free of any lasting consequences then I don't feel it is unreasonable for the antagonists and grittier characters in general to not just be killed off again and again. The game is rapidly gaining a reputation of late as little more than a glorified visual novel with its focus on lengthy unskippable cutscenes involving burger eating and similar fluff.

[EgilTheStressedMage]

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It's the penalty of being a successful mmo: they're going to start tripping. I personally see them as tripping and trying to get back up while others see them as falling so hard they exited the other side of the planet. It stops being criticism when personal attacks get involved because person A doesn't like that person B likes what person A doesn't and vice versa. If I was ever that person, I apologize.

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Because fandom and again people living in XIV. They can't bear to see their favorite characters die off for any reason even when their stories are completed. Also I've only played III, IV, V, VI, XV, and two Crystal Chronicles. I've touched VII, XII, and XIV is ongoing. I don't know who these antagonists are and not going to say which ones I think because spoilers for old games that were remastered recently.

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Tropes themselves aren't inherently bad, it's how they're used. And they didn't use them well this expansion, I admit that. Also how were the elements being destroyed?

Unfortunately the majority disagrees. Some creators just won't allow their characters to die no matter how hard it ruins the story. While others do it because lol then build the story around or off of that. But the fakeouts absolutely have to stop, though I strongly doubt they will. I didn't mind the fluff, least of all that delicious looking burger. But I still wanted some bad to go with the good that actually lasted. They looked like they were having a last meal.

By the way when I say lives in XIV, I'm referring to the people who sent death threats to the devs. There's other aspects of it but that's the big one that removes all doubt.