Live Letter Thoughts

[aveyond-dreams]

Forgive me for expecting a gripping, thematically appropriate setting to accompany the expansion set against the backdrop of the apocalypse. With the Last Stand in Sharlayan and a currently unnamed cafe set to open in Ultima Thule, it seems that everything that helped me get immersed and invested in this world is being shut away in favor of things that do not fit with what Endwalker should have been or what it was advertised as.

Is it any wonder why for many 6.2 represents a crucial moment that determines whether or not they want to carry on through more of this or not? You have fans of the Scions tired of them and wanting new party members along with those of us who didn't like them to begin with, you have fans of the Ancients who disagree with the logic used to paint them as evil or Venat's notion that they would be subject to the fate of the Plenty, you have an ongoing lack of both housing and long lasting battle content, all while Hildibrand and Loporrits get up to their usual shenanigans on the moon - with the former being widely recognized as divisive and therefore kept in an optional questline not tied to player power until for some reason they decided to tie him into the Relic.

Final Fantasy XIV needs to do better and figure out just what sort of game it wants to be moving forward. A well-crafted fantasy adventure, as the MSQ portions of the trailer would suggest, or a game with no clear identity if we take into consideration the things we saw in the 6.0 MSQ and continued push for "light-heartedness" everywhere. I have a feeling that those who defend such things would not be so turned off by the game should it adopt a more serious and nuanced approached to storytelling while those of us who would like a more focused experience are growing more and more tired of the inappropriate use of this light-heartedness coupled our favorite characters and settings being done away with one after the other.

Rather than continuing to go along with those who are fine with the status quo, I think that it is time to work towards restoring the confidence of the players they stand to lose after what has happened with this game in the past 8 months.