What is with the constant mistreatment of the Garlean story?(6.1 Patch spoilers)

[KariTheFox]

I was excited to go off on an adventure and...we're right back to doing errands and favours for the exact same group of characters that we've been stuck doing errands and favours for...for over a decade, almost.

Actually, this patch felt like us getting those characters to come in and do favors for us. We decided to search for the treasure on little more than an adventurous whim, and ended up recruiting a few of the scions to help us out. At no point did I ever feel like I was running errands for anyone.

The closest thing I can think of is collecting water for Y'shtola's familiar spell. But she just helped us clear a dungeon so it's even in my book.

[hydralus]

Actually, this patch felt like us getting those characters to come in and do favors for us. We decided to search for the treasure on little more than an adventurous whim, and ended up recruiting a few of the scions to help us out. At no point did I ever feel like I was running errands for anyone.

The closest thing I can think of is collecting water for Y'shtola's familiar spell. But she just helped us clear a dungeon so it's even in my book.

Not like I was expecting anything different from an on-rails JRPG but I have no idea where you came up with the idea the WoL decided anything. They were told to go somewhere by Tataru, cut off at the pass by Estinien (just the fact that he's the one who bought the map makes it pretty clear it's not YOUR adventure), and you can't even choose who to bring with you because it's all scripted out. And of course you don't get to see a single coin out of the adventure. It was extremely half-baked errand running, again.

[tokinokanatae]

I would think that anyone who expected their WoLs to be dynamic movers of the plot would have been dissuaded by the 800 hours they played prior of their WoL being a mostly passive, kindly do-gooder. They gave you room to imagine you did all the personal, piddling stuff you wanted to do in Eorzea in between the end of 6.0 and 6.1 before taking up Tataru on her suggestion. That's about the extent they can do.

[Brinne]

Anyways, i still don’t think whether or not it was deemed popular should’ve resulted in the entire plot basically being scrapped and destroyed, especially now when people are saying the garlemald portions of the expansion were some of the best things to come out of it.

I mean, I've said I loved the Garlemald zone in EW multiple times, but I have a feeling that a lot of what I loved about it overlaps with elements that Garlemald fans hated about how they were handled overall. The Garlemald zone and their outcome was a well-written portrayal of a situation. I still have basically negative interest in Garlemald itself as a country and an institution.

[Skyborne]

I was excited to go off on an adventure and...we're right back to doing errands and favours for the exact same group of characters that we've been stuck doing errands and favours for...for over a decade, almost.

It's a petty and small detail but it's kind of funny that every NPC just unanimously decided to all call us Adventurer and no longer the WoL. Did they all pass memos to each other? Also, the 'adventure!' music triumphantly blaring whenever the word 'adventure!' comes up.

At this point I'd like to just jump into the Void so all the cheese will melt off of me. Maybe walk in on Diabolos reading a newspaper on his couch, only for him to see us and immediately sweat bullets.

[Slatersev]

Not like I was expecting anything different from an on-rails JRPG but I have no idea where you came up with the idea the WoL decided anything. They were told to go somewhere by Tataru, cut off at the pass by Estinien (just the fact that he's the one who bought the map makes it pretty clear it's not YOUR adventure), and you can't even choose who to bring with you because it's all scripted out. And of course you don't get to see a single coin out of the adventure. It was extremely half-baked errand running, again.

The WOL thinking back to Emet's final suggestion is literally the impetus for the Bounty Treasure hunt. Tataru suggests going to Thavnir. We suggest hunting for the secrets beneath the bounty.

So yes, the WOL had much more of a say in what we ended up doing this patch the usual.

[Cithaerias_pyropina]

I was excited to go off on an adventure and...we're right back to doing errands and favours for the exact same group of characters that we've been stuck doing errands and favours for...for over a decade, almost.

Was excited for 6.1 more than 6.0 because the devs were touting we'd be going off on a new story and here I was desperately hoping that would have meant a new cast of characters. But nah, like you said, same people like always.

My only hope is that since this role quest did not deal with the twins, Jullus, or anyone in the subway means that they will still get another questline that hopefully lasts 2 patches in the story like Doma got in 4.2-4.3.

That's the only saving grace for me with the rest of this expansion's MSQ is that small hope for more Jullus. As I cannot care less about fighting Zenos again for the one millionth time. Can't spend more than two seconds without Zenos being somewhere in the story, it's irritating.

[Nilroreo]

Not like I was expecting anything different from an on-rails JRPG but I have no idea where you came up with the idea the WoL decided anything. They were told to go somewhere by Tataru, cut off at the pass by Estinien (just the fact that he's the one who bought the map makes it pretty clear it's not YOUR adventure), and you can't even choose who to bring with you because it's all scripted out. And of course you don't get to see a single coin out of the adventure. It was extremely half-baked errand running, again.

I think I'd at least give Estinien a pass since technically we were after the same thing. He just happened to be the one to purchase the map. Agree with everything else though. 6.0 ends with everyone sharing their plans for the future, then heading off on their own adventures. 6.1 begins, and we still somehow haven't started ours while the other scions are still busy with theirs which imo indicates that not much time has passed since the end of 6.0. Then of course we interrupt their business to drag them into our mess. I didn't expect a whole new cast this soon, but really? Did we have to drag them back into it this soon? Theodric mentioned in another thread that this would've been a great opportunity to reintroduce and properly integrate Leofard and the sky pirates from the Void Ark raid into the MSQ, and I agree.

I mean, I've said I loved the Garlemald zone in EW multiple times, but I have a feeling that a lot of what I loved about it overlaps with elements that Garlemald fans hated about how they were handled overall. The Garlemald zone and their outcome was a well-written portrayal of a situation. I still have basically negative interest in Garlemald itself as a country and an institution.

I'm not 100% beat up over the loss of a potential Garlemald expansion, but still feel the devs did Varis dirty and he died too soon. Stormblood gave us a semblance of an idea for where his character was being taken, then he just suddenly dies with a whimper while his son unceremoniously burries his legacy only to replace it with the Telophoroi, a shittier faction whose relevance just kinda abruptly ends 1/3 of the way into the expansion.

[Listrella]

I was excited to go off on an adventure and...we're right back to doing errands and favours for the exact same group of characters that we've been stuck doing errands and favours for...for over a decade, almost.

I think exploring sounds like a great adventure! what would you have them do, not like we can go to a new continent or anything yet as it's not expasion time.

[Theodric]

That's the only saving grace for me with the rest of this expansion's MSQ is that small hope for more Jullus. As I cannot care less about fighting Zenos again for the one millionth time. Can't spend more than two seconds without Zenos being somewhere in the story, it's irritating.

Yeah, I'd like to see more of Jullus as well. He was at the top of the list of new characters introduced in Endwalker that I found myself invested in.

Theodric mentioned in another thread that this would've been a great opportunity to reintroduce and properly integrate Leofard and the sky pirates from the Void Ark raid into the MSQ, and I agree.

Yeah, there's a lot of interesting characters that deserve to see the light of day again that could be called upon without it feeling forced.

Firmly agreed in regards to Varis. The biggest missed opportunity with him was for players who completed the Warring Triad storyline lacking the ability to bring up Regula. He was the Emperor's best friend, after all, though not only did he die in the process of protecting one of the Scion's companions...the fact that one of the major soldiers hailing from Garlemald proved to have an honourable streak is never brought up again and entirely missed by anyone who didn't do the side quests in the first place.

I think exploring sounds like a great adventure! what would you have them do, not like we can go to a new continent or anything yet as it's not expasion time.

Well, we wouldn't need to go to a new continent as of yet but to be fair other MMO's do add new explorable regions during an expansion...

Putting that aside, though, our character returning to being an adventurer would be an excellent opportunity to go back to some older zones and dig for secrets missed the first time around. There's plenty of Gelmorran ruins throughout the Black Shroud, for example - as well as a stone door in the Dravanian Forelands that is tucked away in a little corner of the map.

So I'd have the MSQ take us to such places. Assets could be recycled to create small solo duties that involve killing a monster or solving a puzzle and walking away with some new pieces of lore, a bit of glamour, a minion or any number of other rewards.