Echoes of Vana'diel FFXI Alliance Raid

[Raikai]

While it would be nice to see many of the XI's AF gear return, I find that to be at odds with their staunch, shallow excuse of "we don't want to confuse people with players using glamour from different roles/jobs" whenever they justify not removing the role-lock for glamour; like a XIV SCH wearing XI's WHM AF. So I question them if they open that can of worms.

They opened it once by releasing FF Tactics sets in the Ivalice raids. I think they could just pick items that don't look like AF sets from XIV... XI's DNC could make it because is vastly different from the iteration of DNC we have. Likewise, XI's BLU, which looks more like a scouting job.

[Elkanah]

I know so little about XI, always wanted to try it, but feared it would consume me so I stayed away... for now. Love the overall vibe of it though. Looking forward to the glams and more bops from Soken.

FFXI is now (for about 99% of it) a solo experience with all the expansions while using the trust system to level up and fight anything/everything. So you could play it for about a couple months before Dawntrail and be ready for the memes and side by side opinions with it

[Elkanah]

.

Dont forget the mini expansions (Abyssea) which was basically a reverse story about "What would've happened if the heroes LOST the war?"

[Vyrerus]

Dont forget the mini expansions (Abyssea) which was basically a reverse story about "What would've happened if the heroes LOST the war?"

Lost during Chains of Promathia*

[Jettinson]

Huh, while I am not that overjoyed I noticed how FFXI, FFXII/Tactics ended up getting their alliance raid + field operations (Eureka and Bozja).

So I find that cool

[rainichan]

and we have a character from there currently stranded on the Source.

(I mean, Iroha is now stuck here in Hydaelyn for one)

She isn't stuck on Hydaelyn, she traveled here trying to travel back from the future of Vana'diel as the Emptiness engulfed it - the finale xpac wouldn't have happened if she didn't find a way back to get to the past where her "master" was to help save the future.

On topic, I'm hoping for an Igqira set. I've been wanting that set for SO. LONG. in FFXIV - JSEs would be fun, but alas, would not work. The DNC AF would be fantastic for ranged phys, and Phantasmal Plate for the tanks, maybe Marduk gear for the healers... Kokugetsu for striking, Homam Corazza for maiming. Would love to see a lot of the sets that were for BLU available as glam though, or even for different classes - we don't have anything quite like it in XIV!

For hopes, I'm not sure if I want tracks taken wholesale from XI - a lot are bangers anyway - like they were for Ivalice, or if I want the Soken sound team feel like some of the reimaginings we got for the FFIV and FFVIII tracks. Imagining Soken's spin on the Shadowlord theme or Promyvion, should it be an area, makes me smile. Heck, if Promyvion is an area we go to, I will probably die on the spot lol, one of my fave dungeons in XI Al'taieu would be acceptable if we have the fish that just follow us around without aggroing us, honestly the best part of Sea.

idk there's a lot about the araid I'm very excited for!

[DiscoDuck]

Gimmie my Galka minion please!(And if it's Zeid then I guess I gotta play more, as I have only been playing when I feel like it)

[Griss]

As a Person who came from Xi, I am hopefully optimistic. There are a bunch of fun enemy's and frenimes that they could put in our way. I will be upset if they Do not Put the Shadow lord, Eald'narche in our way at least. and of course the ultimate bad in the final set. Will be the undefeatable, Implacable, devastating. the one the only, the singular name who strikes fear into any soul who has set foot in vana. BUBBLY BURNY

[Mayhemmer]

One thing I'd like them to not repeat from Nier and Myths of the Realm: waiting until the conclusion to start trying to tell the story.

Nier's implementation has it's own host of issues, but by the time the third raid rolled around, I still just wasn't invested. It didn't feel like there was a story being told until the last minute. We only went to a place for some reason, and a thing happened there, twice. I couldn't be asked to care what was happening by the conclusion (or after), so I didn't. Yoko Taro's artificial mysticism doesn't mystify me, and maybe that's a me thing, but it hurt my experience.

Myths had the leg up of being relevant to the game's world, with figures we've known about since the beginning, which was great. But, it had the same issue for me. You go to the place, the gods say "Fight me," you fight them, they thank you for fighting them, and give a cryptic "ah, our plan is in motion..." Twice... It's nice that the follow-up quests do hit on older lore bits, and even confirm a handful of fan theories that have been around forever, which didn't hurt it, imo. Again, it wasn't until the third that the writing itself started trying to make the pieces come together, even if you could see most of it coming miles before that.

I just want to be intrigued right off the bat. I want to be invested immediately. I don't want it to wait until the end of the expansion for Echos to try to pull the curtain away and reveal it's one singular big thing*. No more magic fingers in our face with somebody saying "OoooOOoo what could be happeniiiinnnngggg???" please.

EDIT*: I'd like it to have more than one singular thing, actually. It's been a hot minute since the Ivalice raids, but those felt like stories that you would be thinking about and piecing together for longer than it takes for the final cutscene to finish, and while I admit there were parts I didn't get, it felt like a story with interconnected threads and characters. I want that again.

[Raikai]

One thing I'd like them to not repeat from Nier and Myths of the Realm: waiting until the conclusion to start trying to tell the story.

Nier's implementation has it's own host of issues, but by the time the third raid rolled around, I still just wasn't invested. It didn't feel like there was a story being told until the last minute. We only went to a place for some reason, and a thing happened there, twice. I couldn't be asked to care what was happening by the conclusion (or after), so I didn't. Yoko Taro's artificial mysticism doesn't mystify me, and maybe that's a me thing, but it hurt my experience.

Myths had the leg up of being relevant to the game's world, with figures we've known about since the beginning, which was great. But, it had the same issue for me. You go to the place, the gods say "Fight me," you fight them, they thank you for fighting them, and give a cryptic "ah, our plan is in motion..." Twice... It's nice that the follow-up quests do hit on older lore bits, and even confirm a handful of fan theories that have been around forever, which didn't hurt it, imo. Again, it wasn't until the third that the writing itself started trying to make the pieces come together, even if you could see most of it coming miles before that.

I just want to be intrigued right off the bat. I want to be invested immediately. I don't want it to wait until the end of the expansion for Echos to try to pull the curtain away and reveal it's one singular big thing*. No more magic fingers in our face with somebody saying "OoooOOoo what could be happeniiiinnnngggg???" please.

EDIT*: I'd like it to have more than one singular thing, actually. It's been a hot minute since the Ivalice raids, but those felt like stories that you would be thinking about and piecing together for longer than it takes for the final cutscene to finish, and while I admit there were parts I didn't get, it felt like a story with interconnected threads and characters. I want that again.

Honestly, Myths of the Realm is an interesting storyline because we get to actually know them, but maybe it could fit better into a sidequest chain like Tataru's Grand Endeavor or even a book dedicated only to the mythical lore from Etheirys (Twelve, Kami, Sisters, etc).