Anyone else get the feeling they are still figuring out the story for 6.X and 7.0 ?

[aveyond-dreams]

Setting aside the posts that have not been conducive to an open and honest discussion about the story's direction, the return to a potentially high fantasy setting in the provinces of Ilsabard with a plot that treats the political situation there with greater care than that of Garlemald would strongly interest me. However, the fact that the story doesn't even want to mention that part of the world right now instead of gradually leading up to it is disappointing.

Even if 7.0 turns out that way, we still have a very long time to sit through this plot they have for the Void wherein we're dealing with the same cast and being told repeatedly by some players that they don't want things to get dark or that the stakes of Endwalker were acceptable. Respectfully, I have to disagree on both points in that I want FFXIV to lean more towards a refined and mature way of storytelling and not being afraid to do bold things with its characters. That was how things were when I fell in love with the game back in Heavensward but now it seems that the storytelling is no longer aimed at players like me.

[Espon]

Pretty sure they know where the story is going for the next few years. Content isn't pulled out of thin air at the last second, it begins being worked on months or even a year in advance. For that they need a plan.

I wasn't expecting 7.0 to be all about the Void. We're already visiting it for the second time, and this will mostly consists of finding Vrtra's and beating up Golbez and the 4 fiends. In the interviews they said that instead of revealing what the next expansion might be about in an early X.3 like previous expansions, it'll likely take come in 6.5. That does not indicate they have no idea what they're doing, that just means they don't need a huge build up to our next destination.

[Alleo]

I am not really sure which part of the interview gives the idea that they dont know what they are doing? For me it reads that the void will be bascially self contained and done in this expansion but whatever happens there will lead us into 7.0 And since that is still far away and they dont want to spoil something, they hint it with "something big could happen".

I think they just wanted to show us that this expansion we wont get a hint of the new direction until much later. But that does not imo mean that they somehow dont know about it themselves.

[Kaurhz]

See, a few ways you need to look at it is:

a) They probably have the premise and the 'key points' of the story figured out, just not necessarily the nuances, specifics, or how the exact story will play out in cinematic. E.g., a draft for the stories may be completed, yet not reviewed/finalized into the final copy before they are actually acted on.

B) Similarly, they are always going to be vague with respect to the future of the story and how it will play out. Giving out anything beyond what they gave is potentially just leading to spoilers.

[Zanarkand-Ronso]

B) Similarly, they are always going to be vague with respect to the future of the story and how it will play out. Giving out anything beyond what they gave is potentially just leading to spoilers.

This right here.
We can speculate all day, and Yoshi will be weird and vague to stir discussion, its a great Marketing Strategy, and its working as intended with this thread as an example. But we wont actually know ANYTHING, until it actually happens.
And its better this way.

[aveyond-dreams]

I think at this point I would prefer for him to be more honest and straightforward in order to set more accurate expectations. This "marketing strategy" was partially responsible for the negative reception of male Hrothgar in place of male Viera, and overall I'm simply tired of him trying to subvert our expectations.

[ElysiumDragon]

I could see two possible scenarios for 7.0:

A corrupted Azdaja decides "The Source keeps messing around with us, let's invade the place" and leads a voidsent invasion of Meracydia, and the Scions make it happen because of their tampering with their cross-Shard travel investigations. 7.0 being a matter of taking down another of Midgardsomr's brood and defeating a voidsent invasion at full power (I don't think the denizens of the 13th are going to take kindly to you casually strolling in there and beating up several high-rank voidsent, again.)

That, or the 13th gets rejoined by whatever means, causing the voidsent to effectively become permanent denizens of the Source (nowhere to go back to), and 7.0 would be clearing up that mess across most of the known world (Meracydia too).

Also calling either a G'raha death or an Estinien death, based on these possibilities.

[DynnDiablos]

Honestly, I don't have much keeping me between patches anymore anyway. The long wait for 2-3 hours of MSQ and 2 hours worth of raid completion has me re-sub, complete new patch, un-sub for 3-4 months.

[Reap00]

Unfortunately, yes. These recent interviews have only left me further disheartened and anxious about this game's future. The story is too big a part of mine and others' overall enjoyment and drive to participate and be in this game's world. The interviews made it seem like the Void isn't even going to be the focus of 7.0, and that it's subject to the reception by some of the more vocal sections of the playerbase on social media rather than establishing a beginning, middle and end for character arcs and the setting.

The release timing is also an issue, the fact that Endwalker might last until Summer 2024 is a thought that weighs heavy on my mind. As much as I want these patches to redeem and salvage my experience with this expansion, I don't know whether that will actually happen. Maybe it'll be that we just have to deal with the scions until the end of 6.5 and after that we get a whole new party, a whole new high fantasy setting, and things will finally reground themselves in a new adventure. I just don't know. I just want my confidence and faith to be restored.

Are you ever positive about anything? Why assume the worst all the time? I don't understand people so focused on negativity 24/7.

[Moebious]

Story wise, if they got all notes of what they want to happen or achieve, could be the same as the Game of Thrones showrunners, going onwards from season 6, as they know what each point will have to happen, but their bridge between each point is going to be ever so increasingly questionable quality, without proper build up.

Or, it could be to start from a place of introducing new cast of characters of importance to align around, albeit I don't know if they are simply trying to make a second attempt of Shadowbringers, or if they will try to craft a buildup akin to Heavensward.

Part of me really really wants them going back to High Fantasy style of story, Heavensward style, and looking at FF16, it could be possible. But on the other side we have Endwalker, which seems too close to modernity and slice of life of starbucks filler episodes in the making, to having Estinien becoming our Monty Python character of the medieval realm, going on a quest for treasure.

Please be high fantasy, trying to link FF16 or something, like its a shard or something, and wish to deepen its lore through either building upon, or paving the way for it, being part of the same world/shard, in another time.

Wishful thinking I know but FF16 seems promising, if only the story team there, Heavensward team, also were to craft 7.0.