6.4: Dark throne review

[Remish]

I am a huge FF4 fan. It was my first FF game ever. I have been dying for the four fiends, Golbez, and Zeromus. Zeromus was expected and that filled my excitement really. I wanted Zeromus in this game for years as an old school fan. Their fan service was meant for people exactly like me. But even this patch left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I don't normally like to engage with these negative threads cause they kind of spiral out of control in unproductive ways; but as someone who wanted this fan service, I felt kind of disappointed. It's not that things were predictable. Of course, they were going to be if you knew the original FF4. It's that the delivery was underwhelming. The pacing wasn't great, and threats feel cheap. I wanted this FF4 fan service but so far it feels like they made the void story more confusing by having things like Goblez be apart of the void for thousands of years but just now decided to make Zeromus happen. It just feels kind of random honestly. I was hoping to spend more time on the Red Moon. I wanted a dungeon on the Red Moon, not the Aetherfront. I think the Golbez trial it self is actually fine. It's just kind of everything else around it that feels bleh. At least the FF4 remixes were great. I give them that win. But at the moment it feels more like 6.5 story is going to be "Do more filler quests to strengthen the wards. Find a quick solution that's been in front of our faces the whole time since we have every smart person in the universe in one room now, which will lead to us making a ward that not even Zodiark could tamper with. Go back to the Red Moon then confront Zeromus. Go home, and probably meet this new client or whatever for 6.55."

PS: I'm also kind of broken at the thought that Zeromus was nothing at all like the one from FF4 but maybe this was done intentionally so it wouldn't be predictable.

[Oizen]

I honestly think this entire story is being written as we go as a direct response to people who were mad that Zodiark barely played a role in EW's plot.

Also remember when Thancred showed up, said thancred things then left? that was the best part

[Remish]

I honestly think this entire story is being written as we go as a direct response to people who were mad that Zodiark barely played a role in EW's plot.

Also remember when Thancred showed up, said thancred things then left? that was the best part

I like how he was literally invited to show up just to say Thancred things then left. Though I think it was also to double having a tank for trusts. If you haven't noticed, every dungeon in EW so far has had a random number of scions show up right before the dungeon then disappear afterwards.

[dspguy]

I had no issues with the patch. I thought the story was enjoyable, but also mostly expected. I'm not really sure what people expect when they've been doing this "1 dungeon 1 trial" per major patch for a few expansions now. It feels routine... because it is. They've used a formula that has worked (subscription-wise at least) for a decade. I don't really know what people were expecting. Remember when the playerbase complained about the post-ARR 2.X storyline. So they shortened it up as well as using that in future expansions... and players don't like that either.

They can't win.

[Remish]

I had no issues with the patch. I thought the story was enjoyable, but also mostly expected. I'm not really sure what people expect when they've been doing this "1 dungeon 1 trial" per major patch for a few expansions now. It feels routine... because it is. They've used a formula that has worked (subscription-wise at least) for a decade. I don't really know what people were expecting. Remember when the playerbase complained about the post-ARR 2.X storyline. So they shortened it up as well as using that in future expansions... and players don't like that either.

They can't win.

They can't win but it's also the pacing that's changed. EW is probably the first expansion where every patch trial has been apart of the MSQ since ARR. I never really thought about it until now but I think trying to force all these trials into the MSQ each patch has done something to make tensions and pacing not feel so good for story telling.

[Hyperia]

I have difficulties to believe the guy that wrote this are the same that wrote EW.

It’s not the same team that did 6.0, the lead story writer said that she is stepping back from doing ShB and EW to let their junior writers each do a patch.

This was said when they gave the 6.x roadmap in the PLL.

My biggest issue is that they crammed two expansions worth of content into 6.0 and then had to spread a single patch worth of content out over 5 patches.

They should have had 6.0 end with Zodiark and then finish 6.3 with the Endsinger fight. Everything we have done since 6.1 could have been done in 2 patches.

[CNitsah]

It’s not the same team that did 6.0, the lead story writer said that she is stepping back from doing ShB and EW to let their junior writers each do a patch.

That explains a lot. I'm not reassured for 7.0.

[Oizen]

I had no issues with the patch. I thought the story was enjoyable, but also mostly expected. I'm not really sure what people expect when they've been doing this "1 dungeon 1 trial" per major patch for a few expansions now. It feels routine... because it is. They've used a formula that has worked (subscription-wise at least) for a decade. I don't really know what people were expecting. Remember when the playerbase complained about the post-ARR 2.X storyline. So they shortened it up as well as using that in future expansions... and players don't like that either.

They can't win.

Well the issue is more of the fact they stick to the exact same formula to a T for each patch. Mixing it up would be nice.

[IkaraGreydancer]

Guess I'm in the minority. I quite enjoyed what we have going. People using the "were just standing around talking" excuse don't make sense. The majority of xiv since ARR has been that.
Next to call most of it "filler" is also off. Time spent for character development and establishing alliances isn't filler. Radz and Garl making that agreement is huge for Garl restoring itself down the road.
Next I find it interesting many say things are predictable yet everyone n their mom that I saw here said Zero would become Zeromus. That didn't happen, nor did I see anyone pinpoint that the remains of Zodi would be used to create it. Regardless of the Talismans being to hold on not it was clear we couldn't touch Zeromus so we had to leave. Beating and finishing this story would fall pretty flat with just Golbez narrative as I believe there's more to him to learn still (like him possibly being the WoL of the 13th, or rather the original being that).

Idk maybe I'm weird.

[ZephyrMenodora]

Guess I'm in the minority. I quite enjoyed what we have going. *Snipe for Post Length*

+1 in the minority. I loved the Dark Throne MSQ, now that I finished it after work. Stayed up late too to finish as I was captivated.

The opening showing some downtime and relationship building with our colleagues is great to see, along with more world building for the Garlean people. I liked acknowledging that they aren't content living on charity nor do they want to do so forever, and how hard that would be for a proud people brought low.

FF4 is my favorite Final Fantasy of all time after 14, so more nods to that game always bring me incredible joy. The Octopus boss, Golbez, Baron, and the wonderful remixes to the Moon theme and Overland/Four Fiends, Golbez & the Dragon....all was fantastic. Those of us who know FF4 might have expected Zeromus would appear in some form, just how it happened was surprising. Also looks far more menacing a presence than the original. I know there was a complaint about a false victory with Golbez, but honestly...that was Golbez in FF4 too. In that game after defeating him our entire party watches as he slowly, tile by tile, crawled towards the crystal the party was protecting and snatched it away. Hilarious moment of "why are you all just standing there!?" But here it made more sense how it all played out. Our characters generally try to see the good that exists in other characters, even villains, and do not generally just brutally massacre their enemies once they have them down. It all happened relatively quickly as well so the characters didn't seem foolish like in early ARR where we watch Gaius slowly, slowly walk towards the Ultima Weapon, and we watch him give a speech rather than blasting him off as he spoke or simply not letting him slowly walk towards it to begin with. That was far worse to me than what happened here.

New dungeon was gorgeous and the dungeon and trial for the people I did it with as first timers was challenging (wipes on dungeon, no wipe but many deaths and needing to rez on the trial - I brought summoner for more rezzes but also needed rezzes myself) had a fun amount of challenge for the average player.

Zero is really growing on me and I love seeing her slowly open up with her trust issues. And my love, my Y'shtola - glad to see she is still on her own journey to return to the people she loves in the First, and her own interests having been forgotten. Personally my WoL would be very interested in helping her more with this but that's maybe a me thing.

Anyway, story was a decent length given there's only a few months of development. Not sure how people expect entire expansions in a patch. Didn't do the Raid yet or the Tartaru quest - but I work full time so I can't devour everything in a day. Looking forward to it though and predict I'll enjoy that content a lot as well.