Ardbert's Party vs the Scions Analysis

[VelKallor]

you could argue that she is just building on something that Kazutoyo built.

Disagree.

Ive done all MSQ start to end at least twice, and you can TELL where she started..she may have had a basis on which to work, certainly ( Really, what writer doesnt? ) but what we see is HER handiwork and her gift. Every writer has a basis, a start point, a foundation to build on, agreed...but what she had been given is NOTHING, compared to what she created.

You could see it pre Shadowbringers, the tone, the settings, all carefully laid down in exquisite detail.

( Spoiler below, click at own peril if you havent done Shadowbringers MSQ)

Tesleens fate..dear God, it was at that moment it came home to me HARD....just how BROKEN the First was....soul tearing horror, leaving me shattered. One moment she is a woman..the next her body and spirit literally twisted, remade into an abomination of Light that had no memory of who or what it once was. I was literally in tears of rage

I can think of only a scant handful of game writers that had that ability.....to literally reach in, grab your heart , turning it to ice in one split second.

My guess is that she will be lead writer for the next expac...and I cant wait to see where it will take us.

[Payadopa]

I think OP is starting to rival the length of text in all of XIV with the constant complaining. lol

[Carin-Eri]

*Snip - sorry, but character limitations and all that*

You missed Zenos.

I mean, he's included in the Artwork (as per your OP), was technically an associate of the Scions in the closing chapter of Endwalker and, regardless of his motivation, it seems very unlikely we would've defeated Endsinger without his assistance.

[Thaciscokidd]

you could argue that she is just building on something that Kazutoyo built.

Disagree.

Ive done all MSQ start to end at least twice, and you can TELL where she started..she may have had a basis on which to work, certainly ( Really, what writer doesnt? ) but what we see is HER handiwork and her gift. Every writer has a basis, a start point, a foundation to build on, agreed...but what she had been given is NOTHING, compared to what she created.

You could see it pre Shadowbringers, the tone, the settings, all carefully laid down in exquisite detail.

I can think of only a scant handful of game writers that had that ability.....to literally reach in, grab your heart , turning it to ice in one split second.

My guess is that she will be lead writer for the next expac...and I cant wait to see where it will take us.

So have I. She didn't start solo Main Scenario Writer till Shadowbringers and that was a banger of a opening number. I still want to see something she has done from the ground up as project lead. There has been too many times that there has been someone kill it on a ensemble just to stumble in a solo venture.


Edit:
I'll agree she knows how to hit those emotional high points, in Shadowbringers she hit everyone just at the right time. I think that might be my problem with Endwalker. The bar was set high and I went in with high expectations. I really want to see what she could have done with a xpac solely on Garlemald and the end of the Zodiarc/Hydaelyn. Because the tools where there and she has proven capable. That's why I want to see what she can do on her own.

[redheadturk]

White hair gang > Dead peoples gang.

Checkmate Aveyond

Eh, no. Dead People's Gang was infinitely better, IMHO. Whether that was the Ancients, or Ardbert's gang. What happened to the Ancients was a frickin' tragedy, they deserved better than getting merced by Venat, who should have told them what was going on despite the risks so they could solve the real issue. And Ardbert's party certainly deserved better than being manipulated into destroying their world.

[VelKallor]

Thaciscokidd

Apologies, the forum posted that owing to my hamhanded keyboarding, rest of post now added.

[Rulakir]

They could have done more with Scions this time and just... didn't. How about exploring Thancred's (and I suppose Urianger too) emotional turmoil about Ryne outside of a couple of grimaces? How about G'raha struggling with leaving the supposedly hopeless 8UC timeline to theoretically die only for the future he thought he saved potentially being worse (not to mention Lyna)? How about Ryne having more of a reaction to the impending death of their shard after thinking their world had been saved? How about Y'shtola showing any concern for Runar? (I don't recall her mentioning him once despite her life's mission supposedly being how to get back to him.) I could go on and on about deep, emotional themes and character development they could have delved into that were either ignored or glossed over a unbelievable amount.

As for Scions vs. WoDs, this unfortunately goes back to the WoL being recruited at level 15 to join the Scions. Unlike Ardbert where it appears he amassed his companions in a more organic way, the WoL turned out to be the token member of the Sharlayan club. We generally don't get to keep the friends we make along the way for every reason in the book from death to the person being a city leader. Meanwhile, the Scions never die so there's no membership turnover either.

I agree that HW is more what I wanted and what I'm used to out of an RPG experience. Meeting people of diverse backgrounds and goals along the way who we join up with for one quest that continually unfolds into a grander scheme. Instead, the Scions have a collective objective and the WoL is on board with whatever that is. Given that Ishikawa was writing this, I wish that the DRK themes had come into play of the WoL asking themselves if doing whatever the Scions want them to do is always the right thing. I felt particularly with their history as Azem, obvious fondness for Emet & Hyth, and time spent in the unsundered world that EW would've been the time to address that and, instead, we got even less dialog options and the WoL regressing back to lobotomized ARR, nodding approvingly at everything.

Hindsight's 20/20, but I think the big mistake here was having the 'hero' join an organization. The Scions should've been side content like a hunter's guild. Aside from, again, HW, the WoL is on rails with whatever the Scions are doing and as a result with few exceptions (like Elpis) the WoL rarely feels like they're having their own adventure or pursuing their own desires. I don't see how this is fixed without somehow divorcing the WoL from the Scions, which is something else they had ample opportunity to do after 6.0 and just... didn't.

As has been said earlier, if you tie the themes in Endwalker to what we have just endured over the last two damned years ( over seven MILLION dead worldwide and the entire planet thrown into chaos ), "forge ahead" is exactly what needs to be in the forefront of our minds. We cannot live with constant fear, we cannot hide from tomorrow, we MUST find a path forward.

Thanks for the reminder why EW sucked. Instead of a good story, we got platitudes combined with suffering fetishism.

[SnowVix]

The Tv trope website teach how to do the 5 man group they must have the leader character, the big man, the woman, the smart man, and the rival. Is need for the good writing.

TV Tropes was a mistake. It is not a writing textbook, nor a course, nor a mandatory element. Please, for the love of good writing, take an actual writing course instead of treating TV Tropes as your Bible.

[Carin-Eri]

As for Scions vs. WoDs, this unfortunately goes back to the WoL being recruited at level 15 to join the Scions. Unlike Ardbert where it appears he amassed his companions in a more organic way, the WoL turned out to be the token member of the Sharlayan club. We generally don't get to keep the friends we make along the way for every reason in the book from death to the person being a city leader. Meanwhile, the Scions never die so there's no membership turnover either.

Wasn't that supposed to be the point though?

As you say, Ardbert apparently amassed his companions.
Whereas the WoL was an Adventurer at heart, as Zenos (of all people) pointed out, and (at least initally) just sorta went along with what was happening around them.

[Novae]

5.4 to 6.0 Scions were the most boring, uninspiring cast we've ever had. No wonder why my favorite moments of Endwalker were far away from them ( moon part 1 and Elpis). Knowing that we'll have to endure them again, I have completely lost interest in the MSQ for now.