A Character Death That Made Endwalker Worse [6.0 Spoilers]

[Kesey]

Zenos had to die, so that we can have a Burger / Tacco eating scene in the next Expansion. Right now I don't feel Dawntrail. My Hype lays between 0-1% after I saw Las Vegas & London Fanfest Videos + both Trailers.
The Story will be boring since Yoshi said it will be a single Expansion. New Job looks boring, the new Places feels boring. I don't care about the Mamool Ja or their King whatever. We will be with the same 0815 boring Scions ... except Krile joins us and I can't stand her, same for the Twins and Graha Tia. The rest will be like always, New Dungeons, Raids, Gear, Tribes. The new Frontline Map will be Borderland Ruins with the same Playstyle like the 2000 Points Map, which is no longer PvP, more like camp at Crystals and get Points, the moment a Team has 200 Points more as both other Teams it is Game over.

I believe Yoshi-p said in a press interview during Las Vegas Fanfest was the story is intended have a 3 expansion arc, but could go longer if the players really like the new story.

[Cleretic]

I believe Yoshi-p said in a press interview during Las Vegas Fanfest was the story is intended have a 3 expansion arc, but could go longer if the players really like the new story.

I highly suspect Dawntrail will be similar to Heavensward: An standalone beginning-to-end story, that has some scene-setting for a greater story in the background.

That said, it's also a situation we've never really been in with FFXIV, because unlike Heavensward it's going to be setting up the longstanding stuff, rather than just carrying it on. It's a story likely without any of the longstanding 'arc villains/concepts' we've had in the game thus far, in fact; I can understand a bit of apprehension or lack of excitement. There's kind of a lot of things that are understatedly 'new' about Dawntrail that we've never really had before.

I hope Aneshda finds something that'll make them excited. And if Dawntrail doesn't provide it, I hope they can find it somewhere else, rather than locking themselves in a room with a game they don't like.

[Carin-Eri]

Zenos stares a redemption arc in the face and says 'no thanks'. He takes the advice given by Alisaie, gives it a genuine honest try, makes the universe better for it... and then just realizes that's not really for him.

What Zenos wants out of life is to throw down and go down; if the way he dies is in glorious combat with the one person who can challenge him, then that's how he wants to go out. And he doesn't get that anywhere else; telling him to go live a good life just isn't really something he can find any joy or fulfillment in. He knows where his happy place is, and his happy place happens to end with a sword/fist/fireball/Card Game Laser Beam to the face. And he's okay with that--hell, that's debatably one of the highlights for him, given this isn't even the first time he died happy after losing a fight to us.

You forget that, while a core part of Endwalker is 'life is worth living', another core part is 'everything eventually ends, and we have to accept that'. Zenos accepted that, in the same way Hydaelyn accepted that, Emet accepted that, and the Twelve accepted that. So why is Zenos' death somehow different from that in your eyes? Is it because rather than being some ancient super-being, he's just a really jacked dude?

This.

I enjoyed how it all played out, personally. I'll admit, when I first played it I felt a little indifferent about fighting him again - particularly right after the Endsinger fight.

However, the way they approached/led into it sold it for me. For Zenos of all people to be the first person in a LONG time to address us as 'Adventurer' demonstrated that he understood what we always wanted to do rather than what we'd always had to do.

[Aneshda]

I believe Yoshi-p said in a press interview during Las Vegas Fanfest was the story is intended have a 3 expansion arc, but could go longer if the players really like the new story.

In London he said it will be a single Expansion.

[Keichi]

Zenos had to die, so that we can have a Burger / Tacco eating scene in the next Expansion. Right now I don't feel Dawntrail. My Hype lays between 0-1% after I saw Las Vegas & London Fanfest Videos + both Trailers.
The Story will be boring since Yoshi said it will be a single Expansion. New Job looks boring, the new Places feels boring. I don't care about the Mamool Ja or their King whatever. We will be with the same 0815 boring Scions ... except Krile joins us and I can't stand her, same for the Twins and Graha Tia. The rest will be like always, New Dungeons, Raids, Gear, Tribes. The new Frontline Map will be Borderland Ruins with the same Playstyle like the 2000 Points Map, which is no longer PvP, more like camp at Crystals and get Points, the moment a Team has 200 Points more as both other Teams it is Game over.

How can you even say yet, that the story will be boring? When it looks like, that you dont even give them a chance?
Yeah ok. The start setting is very grounded. And it can be boring, to only take care of maybe a kingdom problem, when whe had faced a universe problem.
But, at last for me, is it ok.

Its the start of a Saga and a new story. Its likw to start new book Serie. It will be probally not so exiting at the start. And im not much a Fan of the lizard people. But whe dont know much yet. And should give it a try.
I even had the opinion, that i wanted for the next expantion a story, where you are back of beeing a normal advaneture and do little things again. And maybe step into a country wide problem.
Until, i replayed the beginning of ARR and noticed, that Arr was allready that, what i had in mind. And remembered, why Arr is stated to be the worst part of the story.

Where i aggree is with the Sion.
I hoped for a new group as companion. Because the story of the Sion is finished. And everyone wanted to do there own thing (Ysthola, write your book).
That whe have them again by us, is the only thing, i dislike yet in Dawnfall.

[MistakeNot]

Zenos was batshit crazy with no redeeming features whatsoever. As villain that was as one-dimensional as they can get.
He didn't even have the good sense to *stay* dead after he killed himself in Stormblood. That would have been a fitting end for him, and his coming back after that didn't improve a single thing for anyone or for the story.

[Aneshda]

How can you even say yet, that the story will be boring? When it looks like, that you dont even give them a chance?
Yeah ok. The start setting is very grounded. And it can be boring, to only take care of maybe a kingdom problem, when whe had faced a universe problem.
But, at last for me, is it ok.

Its the start of a Saga and a new story. Its likw to start new book Serie. It will be probally not so exiting at the start. And im not much a Fan of the lizard people. But whe dont know much yet. And should give it a try.
I even had the opinion, that i wanted for the next expantion a story, where you are back of beeing a normal advaneture and do little things again. And maybe step into a country wide problem.
Until, i replayed the beginning of ARR and noticed, that Arr was allready that, what i had in mind. And remembered, why Arr is stated to be the worst part of the story.

Where i aggree is with the Sion.
I hoped for a new group as companion. Because the story of the Sion is finished. And everyone wanted to do there own thing (Ysthola, write your book).
That whe have them again by us, is the only thing, i dislike yet in Dawnfall.

It is not a new Saga or a new Story. Yoshi said at the last Fan Fest it will be a 1 time thing, a single Expansion and nothing more. What I saw in the Trailers and what Yoshi said, was boring.
The Maps boring, the Mamool Ja super boring and what there King want .... i don't give a shit. I hate Krile, Graha Tia and a new beginning with them ... oh no thx.
After Endwalker they should have retired them all, so that we can find new Scions on our Way but no, we get the same old crap again. They killed Zenos, why not Krile and the Twins and Graha Tia too?
They are all the same ... 0815 Fanboys. I have enough promising Graha a Future with me and a new Adventure or how the Twins, Krile and Yshtola telling the WoL always what we already know and what the WoL should do ...
It feels like the WoL is a stupid idiot. And this was in the Expansions before not so bad like in Endwalker.
There is just nothing new, nothing exciting in Dawntrail.
I fear that Yoshi ruined the Game by killing all Foes, destroying Garlemald and removing nearly everything from the Ancients. The Twelve was the last piece of Mystery we had in Game. They should have stayed like that but nay Yoshi had to create a stupid Machine into the Story to that the world can pray to who ever ... lol. Just to get rid of this last old piece of the Game too. After that lame ending all hope was gone that the next Expansion will be any good.

[Cleretic]

Zenos was batshit crazy with no redeeming features whatsoever. As villain that was as one-dimensional as they can get.
He didn't even have the good sense to *stay* dead after he killed himself in Stormblood. That would have been a fitting end for him, and his coming back after that didn't improve a single thing for anyone or for the story.

This is kind of speaking to another thing around Zenos, even putting aside that yes, it was a fitting end for him: he's a very limited character that's not actually universally beloved. He's probably the most polarizing character in the game in terms of comparative crowd size of lovers and haters.

With a character like that--especially a villain who sorta naturally forces himself center-stage--there are inevitable diminishing returns: you won't win over the crowd that dislike them, and there's only so much you can do to appeal to the crowd that likes them before you wear them out. Changing the character risks losing their fanbase to appeal to a crowd that might not even be interested in the appeal to them in the first place. It's the same reason why bringing Emet back would be a terrible idea: he can't keep up his shtick forever, and not everyone likes this shtick.

He needs to leave the story eventually, and... well, for someone like Zenos, there was only ever one way out of it.

[DreadCrow]

Zenos was batshit crazy with no redeeming features whatsoever. As villain that was as one-dimensional as they can get.

I've never understood why this is a bad thing. It's not like a lot of people who do bad things in real life have deep, complex reasons.

[Kesey]

In London he said it will be a single Expansion.

Here is the link to article. He answers about the intended arc of this new story in the answer to the second question. His phrasing will say two expansion packs, but he means Dawntrail plus 2 more expansions. He even mentions the story going longer if the players like the story.

https://www.rpgfan.com/2023/07/29/yo...ss-conference/