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

[KizuyaKatogami]

That quote is from At World's End, which is before the visit to Elpis. Y'shtola had an innacruate understanding of the situation, and then after you visited Elpis she had a different understanding based on what you told her.

This isn't a contradiction, you're just being dishonest.

She literally spent time at anamnesis though, yknow, the place with all of their knowledge etc? No ones being dishonest, you’re just being oblivious to the obvious bias painted towards hydaelyn.

[KariTheFox]

Y'shtola would have to have known that Zodiark was the one who stopped the Final Days after all the research she had done in Anamnesis Aynder, moreso then any of the other Scions.

I think mistranslation is the only logical explanation in this case.

I just listened to the cutscene in Japanese, my Japanese isn't perfect but she seems to be saying that Hydaelyn was around to bind Zodiark when the Final Days were happening so she would know what to do.

(Or maybe she knows something because the Final Days remained forestalled even though she bound Zodiark, like I said. Not perfect.)

Edit: the point is that she doesn't seem to be crediting Hydaelyn with anything except binding Zodiark in the Japanese. It's a weird line in English that doesn't reflect her prior knowledge or later conclusions. So using it as represe ntative of her stance - next to the later one especially, strikes me as cherry-picking.

[KizuyaKatogami]

I just listened to the cutscene in Japanese, my Japanese isn't perfect but she seems to be saying that Hydaelyn was around to bind Zodiark when the Final Days were happening so she would know what to do.

(Or maybe she knows something because the Final Days remained forestalled even though she bound Zodiark, like I said. Not perfect.)

Edit: the point is that she doesn't seem to be crediting Hydaelyn with anything except binding Zodiark in the Japanese. It's a weird line in English that doesn't reflect her prior knowledge or later conclusions. So using it as represe ntative of her stance - next to the later one especially, strikes me as cherry-picking.

We shouldn’t have to cross reference with other languages though. Localization needs to do their damn job. Either way though, you can’t expect and shouldn’t expect everyone to know 2-3 languages or be cross referencing them. In the end it’s source material.

[KariTheFox]

We shouldn’t have to cross reference with other languages though. Localization needs to do their damn job. Either way though, you can’t expect and shouldn’t expect everyone to know 2-3 languages or be cross referencing them. In the end it’s source material.

That's something I'll actually agree with you on, I have a lot of problems with the English localization. It's not really an Endwalker specific issue, though.

Localization is hard work, though. So I can see how a minor incidental line like that could have gotten overlooked. And it can't really be easily changed now, since it's a voiced cutscene and all.

[jameseoakes]

We shouldn’t have to cross reference with other languages though. Localization needs to do their damn job. Either way though, you can’t expect and shouldn’t expect everyone to know 2-3 languages or be cross referencing them. In the end it’s source material.

I have wondered if a lot of the issues with the story have been issues at the localisation stage and a lack of communication between the English localisation team the the writers. I think the story would still be weak but might have addressed some of the tone/theme issues that look to be driving a lot of the complaints with the story

[Lauront]

I wonder how many people have unsubbed due to the story. I know of several in this thread and I've one foot out the door myself.

I'm giving it until 6.2, as it's around the time the short stories should be due to come out, plus it'll have the next stage of Pandaemonium. If that ends up just being more doubling down on "mommy loves you, she's GOOD, herois, HEROIS, ACCEPT HER LOVE, ok!?!?!", I am going to unsub as well, as I've no desire to be preached at in that manner, particularly if they begin/continue bending the writing in this direction. I really don't care for the inconsistent, hamfisted themes EW tried to push, as is. I was also not a fan of how Y'shtola was portrayed and G'raha following me around all the time in 6.1, and I really wanted to see a new (and better) cast enter the fray - given that even Yoshi has reservations about Y'shtola's portrayal in 6.1, we'll see if that sinks in for 6.2. They'll have had time to reflect on any 6.0 feedback as well by that point. So a lot riding on it potentially.

[Theodric]

If nothing else, it's interesting that they're commenting on such things. I've noticed that they seem to very quick to weigh in on both major and minor aspects of the game these days if there's even a bit of backlash. Whether they take such feedback on board and strike a better balance moving forward remains to be seen. Personally my problems with FFXIV in its current form extend beyond the story itself. If not for being lucky enough to own a mansion, I'd likely take a lengthy break - but if I lose that, I'd have zero interest logging into the game even if began catering to me directly.

FFXVI, at least, appears to me more to my tastes and there's a handful of upcoming MMO's that have piqued my curiosity. They're all a fair bit away from going live, unfortunately.

[Lunaxia]

What was wrong with Hyth?

I've always been very fond of Hyth, right from his first appearance in Amaurot (albeit as a shade.) We may not have had a tonne of information about him prior to EW, but from what we did learn I just found him really interesting, and I had hoped Emet, and to a degree other parts of SHB, had paved the way for more thoughtful, complex characterisations than before. He represented the first fleshed out, non-Ascian Ancient in the story and had a significant connection with Emet, while at the same time seemed to serve as a potentially fascinating foil; a whimsical, peaceable yet discerning character that kept his own counsel, yet was hinted as matching him and the Ascians in terms of power and intelligence. I looked forward to his own take of what had transpired during and after the Final Days, and what his dynamic with the other Ancients might add to the story.

I was incredibly disappointed to see him reduced down to what felt like little more than Emet's adoring, self-deprecating sidekick who had almost no purpose or perspective outside of Emet and Azem, and only seemed to be there to emphasise how great and wonderful they are. Suddenly, the Chief of the Bureau of the Architect - you know, the overseer of the institution that rules over all of creation magicks - became the weaker, lesser character happily dwarfed by his friends trope that permeates Japanese media, whose sole redeeming ability was his innate soul sight. Paired with Emet's intense tsundere-ification, there was just a distinct lack of depth that I had been hoping for since the end of SHB. That aside with the WoL in particular trying to hammer home what a good guy Emet was felt so shallow and forced, and followed EW's unfortunate trend of telling, not showing that SHB for the most part seemed to avoid so well.

[Theodric]

Unfortunately Hythlodaeus was given the Regula van Hydrus treatment. I remember being excited by Regula's existence because his sacrifice ended with a line of dialogue that implied that, at some point, we'd have a conversation with Emperor Varis and be able to mention the heroic sacrifice of his best friend as a potential method of easing tensions and working towards peace. Instead the game not only forgets about Regula's existence during the peace talks with the Emperor but it then decides to take the blandest and most predictable route to forging peace with Garlemald - by destroying it entirely offscreen.

I suppose the game itself doesn't care about more than a handful of characters that are deemed 'acceptable' to shove into our faces at every point. I'm reminded of the fall from grace of World of Warcraft, where it made complete sense to involve certain characters in the story or reference them in passing but...that simply didn't happen.

Kind of like how we're constantly getting throwback references to Haurchefant but Ysayle is rarely mentioned despite having much more screen time.

[Misplaced_Marbles]

If not for being lucky enough to own a mansion, I'd likely take a lengthy break - but if I lose that, I'd have zero interest logging into the game even if began catering to me directly.

Heh, comments like this make me wonder if the devs find housing working as intended encouraging or disheartening.