Personally not enjoying the story currently but everyone keeps saying it gets better

[Slayer25c]

Liked ARR, didn't like HW with pervy elves and emo dragons, liked Stormblood, Shadowbringers was best, Endwalker was fine.

You go somewhere with that those pervy elves are best and those Emo dragons will eat u lol

[Jeeqbit]

Personally, I even enjoyed ARR. There are plenty of people who do as well. But ARR isn't for everyone, and usually Heavensward is where people start to like it a lot. If you don't, then maybe it's not for you.

It could also be your approach to it. If you skip all the unvoiced interaction, then you skip some of the bond forming between other characters and yourself.

If you are in a rush to get to 90 and not taking your time, then it can feel like a chore. If you stop seeing the story as an obstacle and just enjoy the journey through it however many months it takes, it's easier to take it in.

But some people are just not story people and wouldn't go to see Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter either. Or they have friends who are max level and want them to join them for raids as soon as possible. If it's really not for you, you can always skip through it and replay it later with New Game+ if you change your mind, but by then you will have spoiled some story events for yourself, what future areas look like and all the dungeons, trials and bosses which are characters in the story.

[Moebious]

As someone who loved Heavensward to then be completely disappointed with the Stormblood story, to the point of taking a break from the game, I would say it gets a lot better with the Shadowbringers prepatch and its main story.
Funny how I disliked the story of Stormblood but came to absolutely love its content instead, like Eureka, Deep Dungeon, glamour, and certain dungeons/Extremes/Omega.

I'm currently having the same issue with Endwalker's story, of being really meh but hoping for its content to deliver in some areas at least, like we are finally getting a new Deep Dungeon soon! And also the Alliance raid so far has been phenomenal, Extremes been enjoyable, while Island Sanctuary and Criterion have been complete duds.

Stormblood story really had some glaring issues with pacing and some of its story just being a mindboggling mess of an affair. I sometimes wonder why they chose to change Yda into Lyse, and propel her infront of someone else, like say, Raubahn? Raubahn seemed like the perfect character to venture into all of Stormblood to reclaim it and come to terms with his own views and Ilberd's points of views and his clear anguish leading to his down maniac actions and death. Could have been an amazing retread of Raubahn's past, with some better threads between him and the villains, past and present, it could have been a very interesting path of reclamation and reflection.
Not to mention that Gosetsu and Tsuyu could have been so much more, within the main story arc as well.

[CKNovel]

So i just finished stormblood and personally im not enjoying the story currently.

No worries, many didn't liked the end of Stormblood.
It's considered the "worst" expansion for many.

It's not bad, it just wasn't up to Heavensward.

If you liked Heavensward then yes, you'll enjoy what comes next.

[Cabalabob]

For me shadowbringers is where ffxiv “jumped the shark”. Up to stormblood the story is mostly grounded in national politics and warring factions with an evil shadow organisation pulling the strings. There’s a few fantasy elements like heavensward being about dragons but you could replace the dragons with people and it wouldn’t change much.

Then in shadowbringers

suddenly you’re pulled into another dimension for a huge lore dump on what the evil shadow organisation is and find out about ffxiv’s multiverse theory and then in endwalker you fight space ghosts on the moon.

What I’m saying is, the last 2 expansions are very different to the base game and first 2. If you didn’t like those then maybe what comes after will be more up your alley.

[Jeeqbit]

Stormblood story really had some glaring issues with pacing and some of its story just being a mindboggling mess of an affair.

If it were a lot of other game developers, you would probably walk up to someone and say "hey, wanna liberate this place from the garleans?" and they would say "sure" and then you'd go to war and win, instead of drawing it out over an expansion.

I was really happy that they chose to be realistic and make the story about how it's not as simple as that and how people are afraid that if they fail, they will be thrown in jail and lose everything. It's like that in real life. If you were to go to your government's main building and try to revolt, you would probably be thrown in jail and lose everything. It's a huge risk and that's why people don't usually dare, unless they feel the odds are in their favor like in 2010-2012 or they have nothing to lose anymore.

I sometimes wonder why they chose to change Yda into Lyse

Character development. All of the scions were bland and samey, so they had them all disappear in ARR and return with unique injuries and characteristics that make them unique, such as Thancred being unable to use magic, Y'shtola being blind and using her magic to see aether and Urianger's frequent change of attire. When Yda returned, she needed a similar change as well, so they made her passionate about Ala Mhigo.

The timing seemed like they were explaining the voice actor changes. They did this for main characters when they weren't able to do a similar voice, such as when Yugiri removes the mouth mask or when Yda stops pretending to be someone she's not. Alphinaud changes a lot and although that wasn't explained, you can try to imagine that his voice was breaking.

and propel her infront of someone else, like say, Raubahn?

I don't believe that she is propelled in front of Raubahn. They probably just wanted her to get some character development out of it.

[hagare]

Well the thing is, the story is constantly improving on itself. Sure it has its snags here and there within every expansion, but I think its kinda detrimental on trying to sell a new player that the game's story only gets important in Shadowbringers. Thats stupidly disingenous and its another reason why I feel that expansion is too overrated.

The point of FFXIV' story is that you find something that you found interesting or engaging even if its little right from the beginning in ARR. Whether its the world, the lore, the characters and the conflicts you go through. Its honestly why HW sells hard for people because it makes all those smaller moments previously matter and pay off.

Anyway obviously this take of mine is one of many for a lot of people and understandably not everyone feels the same way with this games story. Just wanted to give my 2 cents on the matter

that's why I didn't say the story only gets important in shadowbringers. That's on you.
I only said it improves. Which does not mean the previous expansions are bad.
And which is why I said the game might not be for him if he hasn't been enjoying it up to stormblood.

[Atelier-Bagur]

that's why I didn't say the story only gets important in shadowbringers. That's on you.
I only said it improves. Which does not mean the previous expansions are bad.
And which is why I said the game might not be for him if he hasn't been enjoying it up to stormblood.

Its just a weird thing to say that it gets better in Shadowbringers. Its already getting better so it feels like youre saying the story is crap until Shadowbringers when youre trying to sell somebody on its plot.

[Ranaku]

So i just finished stormblood and personally im not enjoying the story currently. a lot of people say that Shadow Bringers is where it get really good but they said that with the other expansions as well. im just wondering if it does get any better or at least the pacing will be a little faster because im only now realizing how slow everything is going.

I am very thoroughly enjoying the gameplay though with the raids and dungeons and the sorts. doing that is really fun and is part of the game that makes me keep going.

Not everyone has to enjoy the story, people have different tastes and that is alright. If you don't like it you don't like it, that is ok and totally valid.

What is not alright is just rubbing your own opinion (not saying you do that here) in other peoples faces. And that goes both ways. If you like the story then great, share your enthusiasm for it with others that like the story too and don't try to convert others who don't like it. The other side of the coin is the same, if you hate the story then great. Rage about it with those who also dislike it and don't try to convince people who like it that it is in truth shit.

Fact is that both sides can be intentionally kupoholes cause people always try to convince others that they are in fact right, when there is actually no right and wrong when it comes to subjective taste.

[Oizen]

When people say FFXIV has a good story, they mean in comparison to other MMOs, where the bar is so low you basically have to pick it up off the ground.

Compared to other games, or other mediums at all really, the story told in FFXIV is nothing special. Very anime trope-y, lots of padding/filler, ect.