Quote Originally Posted by SieyaM View Post
This would have worked if there was any believability to it. Once Estinien did his thing I immediately knew that this was all theatre and nothing of consequence was going to happen this entire run up to the end. There is simply no way they would allow all of these very marketable characters with plot armor that has kept them from real danger for 10 years now to eat it here. Whatever despair or tension they were attempting fell flat for me and bordered on ridiculous as I sat there watching each of them monologue themselves to death.
It also assumes that the player, specifically, cares for the Scions. They've long since worn thing for me and I'm not even convinced that they're that marketable - it's been the Ancients who have consistently dominated character popularity polls ever since Shadowbringers. With a few Scions managing to score rather highly, certainly, though there's very much a sense of the development team holding back instead of leaning into merchandise for 'antagonists'. Despite how popular they've proven to be across other Final Fantasy games. Even Roche got a statue made of him and the likes of Sephiroth, Rufus, Gabranth and so on have a lot of fans/merchandise.

Then again, this is FFXIV. I've never encountered a fandom with so many players being so keen to police the likes and dislikes of players and that goes right up to the development team itself at times.