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

[DiaDeem]

Or, if we simply get to the gist of it:

Not gonna argue with this xD

[Brinne]

Just self-indulgently, and with over-sentimentalism, thinking a little more about Shadowbringers: it's hard for me to express how affecting and important I found the validation of everyone involved in the final conflict, and how much more specifically relevant I found it (Endwalker by contrast helps clarify this even further than my initial appreciation, in some ways) as the Intended Audience For An MMORPG - ie, someone presumably living in the modern, industrialized society who has the time and luxury to sit on a PC playing a game like this for hundreds of hours.

Knowing that the advantages I have, my current living situation, my life and identity itself as I know it, are largely built on the bones of those who suffered unjust, pretty unspeakable atrocities, is it still okay for me to live? Is it okay for me to want to live? Yes, it is, says Shadowbringers, and you have a right to fight for that right to live.

Speaking more personally, being a disabled person unable to work, who struggles internally a lot with feeling like a resource drain on others around me, knowing that there are many Desperately Needed Positions in society that I simply do not have the power to fulfill, is it still okay for me to live? Is it okay for me to want to live? Yes, it is, says Shadowbringers. And you don't need to be able to present a Logical and Reasoned Argument about material resources or otherwise about it, come up with any concrete justification if challenged. You have a right to live.

And at the same time - does Emet-Selch, a surviving member of an atrocity (a textbook genocide!), have a right to feel hatred, resentment, and mourning for what he's lost and his people - the first people - who were massacred? Does he have a right to feel diasporic anguish about how this world doesn't seem to have a place for him, no matter how hard he tries? Does he have a right to demand respect and dignity for the victims of the atrocities he was left as a survivor of, that have had even that much stripped from them? Does he have a right to demand justice for happened to those people? Yes, he does. He really does.

And we're left to navigate correlating all of those simultaneous "yes"-es, and while Shadowbringers acknowledges the answer isn't ideal or perfect - we'll always wish for and strive for, when possible, an outcome where everyone can be saved - the one it came to - you have a right to live, but you also have a duty to remember, respect, and work to be the best person you can be to honor those who have been lost and sacrificed so you can exist in your current form - was basically as close as you could get to it, for me.

Man. Shadowbringers was good.

(And then Endwalker saunters in and goes actually, something something Social Darwinist Strongman Theory, sure sucks about the "weak" people who were mass slaughtered (they were biologically unfit anyway) but it was on the altar of the "strong" learning to be able to move forward something something, so, you know, thanks.)

[SassyAssassin]

That’s probably one of my favourite memes today.

[Conadrium]

Paradoxes result in split timelines 99% of the time. I am ok with that, as most players are.

Why do I feel like you pulled two percents out of your butt there? (99% and most players)

[Cpt_Jack_Irons]

holy... i did not realize how long this thread has become

what happened?

[shadowclasper]

holy... i did not realize how long this thread has become

what happened?

People were wrong on the internet and so other people had to correct them, which in turn lead to more people noticing people being wrong on the internet.

[Misplaced_Marbles]

People were wrong on the internet and so other people had to correct them, which in turn lead to more people noticing people being wrong on the internet.

Couldn't function if everyone who was "wrong" just left, eh?

[Xeronia]

People were wrong on the internet and so other people had to correct them, which in turn lead to more people noticing people being wrong on the internet.

I mean EW in my opinion just never really resonated with me especially on replay. New characters barely had time to grow before becoming plot devices and you can kinda feel the whole "We had planned two expansions but elected to make this all one so enjoy these clearly would be trial bosses as dungeon bosses instead, also Garlemald resolution will not be seen until X.XX." I wouldn't say that view is terribly "wrong" just different then what most seem to have taken from it. That is how literature works after all, we all take different things from the same story. I did find the overall story really lacking the world/character building polish I am used to from FF14 and almost all of the game post-Elpis just didn't land for me as again characters became plot devices far too rapidly to become invested in any of them as characters. I would still say it is my least favorite expansion even after all this time just due to odd narrative choices and pacing issues during the story. I do wonder how time will reflect on the expansion myself but we have to wait to see on that one.

As for the patch content I want to see where it is all going as it seems thus far rather dull to me and I am hoping for some kind of big event in 6.3 to shake up the plot.

I also imagine it shouldn't be a shock those that took bigger issue with the game's story and possibly other aspects of the game did as Yoshi P. says they can and took a break for an extended period of time.

[Raoabolic]

Couldn't function if everyone who was "wrong" just left, eh?

I remember when all the "wrong" people left WoW back in the day. Wonder what happened to that game...

[Reap00]

I remember when all the "wrong" people left WoW back in the day. Wonder what happened to that game...

The devs and upper mgmt turned out to be closet pervs. Drinking employee breast milk, cube crawling, pushing employees to suicide etc. Blizzard and WoW are truly wholesome products. I wouldn't support them if they were the last development studio on the planet.