Endwalker is my least favorite expansion yet

[Theodric]

That's because Shb's msq is soooooo good you guys, which means it automatically gets a free pass from any criticism

Sins of the Father and all that I guess

Shadowbringers has been criticised frequently, particularly by many of those who didn't enjoy Endwalker.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Shadowbringers has been criticised frequently, particularly by many of those who didn't enjoy Endwalker.

Yet those same people almost always act as if EW started it.

[Theodric]

Yet those same people almost always act as if EW started it.

Do they? Where? Who are these 'same people'?

Pretty much everybody I know who cites issues with Endwalker's narrative and game-play issues point to the previous expansion as the starting point for things going off of the rails. Especially in regards to the patch content. It's just a matter of Shadowbringers having a bit more staying power to its content offerings whereas Endwalker has struggled immensely to offer anything on the same level of engagement as Bozja or Ishgard Reconstruction.

[Kazhar]

That's because Shb's msq is soooooo good you guys, which means it automatically gets a free pass from any criticism

Sins of the Father and all that I guess

As a Hrothgar player since the day they released, I can assure you ShB was never free from criticism.

[OdinelStarrei]

Do they? Where? Who are these 'same people'?

Pretty much everybody I know who cites issues with Endwalker's narrative and game-play issues point to the previous expansion as the starting point for things going off of the rails. Especially in regards to the patch content. It's just a matter of Shadowbringers having a bit more staying power to its content offerings whereas Endwalker has struggled immensely to offer anything on the same level of engagement as Bozja or Ishgard Reconstruction.

Shadowbringers has been criticised frequently, particularly by many of those who didn't enjoy Endwalker.

Shadowbringers biggest sin is setting the foundation for what would eventually be Endwalker. There's a reason I believe 4.55 to be peak FFXIV.

Believe you me, if Shadowbringers didn't have Bozja and some of the best designed fights/repeatable content structures designed in XIV, it'd be horrendous for a gameplay focused player. Now that those things are missing and nothing is improving on or even really filling those spots, outside DSR/TOP to an extent, it's clear just how bad things are.

There is an timeline where the good things Shadowbringers did in gameplay/story were expanded on after the clean slate, like 1.23b > ARR > HW, instead of things being taken away. And where Viera/Hrothgars have hats.

We're just not living in that one. If I lived in a reality where FFXIV ended at 5.3, I'd probably be at the very minimum content. Right now, it's just a really profitable train with no breaks, really angry or totally silent passengers, no conductors, and I have no clue where the next station is. If Fanfest for 7.0 doesn't pan out, I hope it's a brick wall though, this is a depressing nightmare for a lot of my friends.

Like I unironcally think Endwalker's existence retroactively makes Shadowbringers worse, like a GoT Season 8 situation where you can't go back because you know how it goes and the joy has been stolen.

[Lauront]

There's a reason I believe 4.55 to be peak FFXIV.

If I lived in a reality where FFXIV ended at 5.3, I'd probably be at the very minimum content.

You're not wrong on either of those points. I wasn't too pleased at the time with 5.3, but considering what came after with EW, it's hard to disagree. Sadly I can't see the game improving without some kind of major shake-up, and I am just expecting more of the same as we got in 6.0 and onwards.

Like I unironcally think Endwalker's existence retroactively makes Shadowbringers worse, like a GoT Season 8 situation where you can't go back because you know how it goes and the joy has been stolen.

Can't say I disagree with that, either.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Do they? Where? Who are these 'same people'?

Pretty much everybody I know who cites issues with Endwalker's narrative and game-play issues point to the previous expansion as the starting point for things going off of the rails. Especially in regards to the patch content. It's just a matter of Shadowbringers having a bit more staying power to its content offerings whereas Endwalker has struggled immensely to offer anything on the same level of engagement as Bozja or Ishgard Reconstruction.

No, it's literally because EW is still on going while Shb is already gone and finished and people who apparently easily forget can look back at it and see the whole slew of content rather than reminescening it patch for patch. I bet you my in-game house, we'll be having this same conversation come post 7.0 or 8.0 where you and many others forget and start having nostalgia goggles over how EW was actually pretty Ok. You people are never consistent and there's no winning arguing with you guys about it.

I'm still trying to scratch my head how people quickly shift tunes with praising the exploratory zone content now that we don't have one this expansion. When this wasn't the tone or conversation at all during Shb.

Also you must be really ignorant if you never noticed how criticism of EW in these forums never bring up the fact that this came around when Shb started to shift the direction of this game.

[Atelier-Bagur]

As a Hrothgar player since the day they released, I can assure you ShB was never free from criticism.

Oh yeah it wasn't like that at all when it was still ongoing. But now that it's in the past we can forget and start looking at it fondly and gaslighting ourselves into saying how it was the "perfect expansion" as many people like to believe.

Same goes with the community's beloved Heavensward where it also receives this same attention.

[Theodric]

No, it's literally because EW is still on going while Shb is already gone and finished and people who apparently easily forget can look back at it and see the whole slew of content rather than reminescening it patch for patch. I bet you my in-game house, we'll be having this same conversation come post 7.0 or 8.0 where you and many others forget and start having nostalgia goggles over how EW was actually pretty Ok. You people are never consistent and there's no winning arguing with you guys about it.

I'm still trying to scratch my head how people quickly shift tunes with praising the exploratory zone content now that we don't have one this expansion. When this wasn't the tone or conversation at all during Shb.

Also you must be really ignorant if you never noticed how criticism of EW in these forums never bring up the fact that this came around when Shb started to shift the direction of this game.

Huh? Who are 'you guys' and 'you people' in the context of your post? The same posters who enjoyed exploratory content are not the same people who criticised it in Shadowbringers. I've personally praised Eureka and Bozja many times over the years, as my posts can attest.

[AwesomeJr44]

Same goes with the community's beloved Heavensward where it also receives this same attention.

People look back at Heavensward fondly because it was generally a pretty good expansion. People look back at Shadowbringers fondly because it generally had a pretty good story. I don't feel like as many people will be looking back at Endwalker as fondly once the current expansion honeymoon phase is over. I mean, just look at how controversial it is now.