I hope the Writing doesn't remain like it did from Post 5.0 to Now (post 6.0)

[Brightamethyst]

A big part of Emet's appeal is that he's the first, and only Ascian to actually talk to us. Prior to ShB, the Ascians spent many years being cartoon villains plotting and scheming in the dark. Their presence was all over the story but we the players never got any closer to solving the Ascian "mystery". Eventually it became more annoying than interesting.

And then ShB came along and Emet finally talked to us like real people and straight up explained what the hell was going on. It made him more... real, I suppose, than any of the other Asicans to date.

[Iscah]

I think Emet is such a fundamental part of the story of FF14 as a whole that if you don't like him then you probably just don't like the story that much overall.

I disagree. He's still just one part of a larger story – as I wrote earlier, I came out of Shadowbringers loving all of the other story threads: our rekindled friendship with Raha, an increased focus on the Scions (finally some decent screentime for Urianger), and our connection with Ardbert. Emet only ever felt like the villain driving this plot along, until eventually it became clear that the writers intended him to be seen in a different way to how I was seeing him and I don't think it was conveyed well at all.

Some important characters are meant to be disliked, though.

True, but Emet isn't presented as someone you're meant to dislike, particularly once you get past 5.0 and into things like the side stories. Neither does it seem that any of the fanbase regard him as a "love to hate him" character who is popular for being a wicked villain.

He's treated as a tragic hero and lauded for trying to reach out to us despite being on opposite sides, which isn't what it feels like to me at all.

I have to wonder how many people actually replay the story, and how many go through it once and let the ending of Shadowbringers reframe how they remember Emet acting towards us, thinking he was more open than he actually was.

A big part of Emet's appeal is that he's the first, and only Ascian to actually talk to us.

Sure he did, but in a condescending manner, and clearly only ever telling us the parts of the truth that suited him and wouldn't derail his private plans. He was smug about the fact that he was plotting something secret, enforced himself on our group, vanished again when it suited him while potentially getting us in deep trouble... That's not talking to us, that's just plotting and scheming in the open instead of the dark, utterly confident that we won't catch on to his actual intent before it's too late.

By that point, even his saving Y'shtola didn't feel like proof he's genuinely helpful, just another way to keep us constantly off-guard and confused about his true motive.

The closest he gets to honesty is that one moment at the Ladder where he starts getting all nostalgic about Amaurot, but he still turns it into an "I'm explicitly keeping secrets from you" moment by making the remark about us not remembering, then refusing to elaborate when we question it.