This story is really underwhelming - it's opened to mixed reviews.

[Elodie_Einsbern]

In a story driven MMO, a story with bad writing and nothing happening for over 5 hours at a time is a travesty. Especially coming off Endwalker.

I think I spent a little over 6 hours before I used an ability other then Sprint, once I started the MSQ. Was insane, and there was nothing happening. I could have just hit skip on everything and nothing would be lost. At no other point in this game have I felt this way about the MSQ.

[Malthir]

This is me as well. I rather enjoyed Stormblood while everyone around was talking about how badly written it was. I certainly don't think it was a masterpiece or anything, but it was good enough. This, however? So far I've actually found myself aggravated and saying out-loud: "I don't care!" before skipping the rest of a boring cutscene about the intricacies of cotton weaves in a turtleneck sweater(used something that isn't real so I don't spoil anything for someone, but it may as well be real).



I can handle that just fine. My favorite times in MMORPGs have been when I'm just some nobody adventurer trying to make a name for myself. Classic World of Warcraft, Everquest, Lord of the Rings Online....all properties where you aren't some epic hero.

But in FFXIV we ARE an epic hero. We are the chosen one. We literally have saved not only our world, but other worlds. And now we are on a boring journey to help the new main character collect 3 flowers to make a flower crown for a kitty cat so she can become Hokage. That's not just not being an epic hero, it's being a sidekick in a bad children's cartoon.

I don't think it's a bad children's cartoon, it's a tweens self insert fan fic, where the Saviour of the world follows her around and helps her to be come the leader because peace and love and we're best friends forever :'D


I'd be all for the slower pace and I would find Wuk 60% more tolerable if we the more experienced person were teaching her, when she does things wrong we help her she realises her mistakes, develops and learns as a character. instead she screws up constantly we sort of fix things and they she comes out smelling of roses and everyone cheering she's just so awsome, it's bloody tiring. How did we go from ARR ultima functionally being a nuke, to this.........

[HyoMinPark]

It has been a really long time since I’ve posted on here — and I came back to post for the last possible reason I ever thought I would be posting about.

I’m in the level 92 MSQ range right now, and I have never struggled so much to stay interested or engaged in the story. I’ve had mild complaints about just about every expansion FFXIV has had—certain parts dragged or felt too filler-y. I was extremely harsh on the split Ala Mhigo/Doma story for Stormblood (specifically how Ala Mhigo felt like an afterthought), but my mind changed after playing through it again two more times. Now I actually look back on it fondly. But Dawntrail thus far has been a real slog, and I struggle to maintain enthusiasm or focus. The level 90 split felt more like I was doing a Beast Tribe quest chain than something for the MSQ. I’m struggling to connect with the new characters being introduced. I’m actually far more intrigued by Wuk Lamat’s siblings/competitors than her (which is sad, because I was genuinely curious about her going into DT). I find it more appealing to explore the new zones and watch how the environment (e.g., grass and bushes) now move with my character when she runs through them. I’ve seriously been thinking more and more about doing NewGame+ for ANOTHER expansion just to see any graphical improvements done in those zone/experience my character in her new graphical upgrade in an environment or story I enjoyed.

The plot just doesn’t feel like it’s plotting to me. I’m REALLY hoping that it gets better because, despite my criticisms, I have always found something to enjoy about each expansion and FFXIV’s story is my favorite part of the game. But the things I’m hearing from those further along than me don’t sound promising. And I’m really hoping that I can find something in DT to turn my current judgment around. Or, at the very least, improve it just a little bit.

[DynnDiablos]

I think nothing is going to pick up until back half when we get into the Solution 9 stuff. But I agree, the first half shouldn't be completely boring. And Wuk Lamat is grating on my nerves.

[Malthir]

I think nothing is going to pick up until back half when we get into the Solution 9 stuff. But I agree, the first half shouldn't be completely boring. And Wuk Lamat is grating on my nerves.

Esc skip cutscene is your friend. It's the only way to stay sane.

[Loggos]

This is the first time a MSQ has me forcing myself to continue. I know previous expansions had their fillers but since they often occured between interesting events it always felt worth pushing through. Here everything feels like a chore. I really want to like the story and I'm not that far in yet but the writing is so trope-ish and on the nose...I know FF14 was always a bit cheesy and didn't shy away from using tropes but it never felt as clumsy and quite frankly amateurish as this.

Have they changed who is in charge of the story or is this the same person who wrote Shadowbringers? How they could go from ShB to this is mindboggling to me…

I cannot get over how absurdly cartoonish Bakool Ja Ja is. I don't remember any other important adversary to be that much of an excessively exaggerated cartoon stereotype? He feels so out of place.

The same goes for their conflict resolution. I like the idea of a character like Wuk Lamat being able to inspire hope in people but this feels more like a really badly written Sunday morning anime with the most contrived plot to really hammer home certain messages like

not succumbing to grief after losing friends

in the Hanuhanu village.
And to counter moments like Koana

performing miracles of science with "but look how much fun we had!!!!! : DDDDDD That makes it good!!! ^____^ <333"

but delivered in the shallowest, cringiest and most on the nose storytelling...

(You could have used that moment for an interesting reflection of Wuk Lamat doubting herself, keep that tension for a while and resolve it later in the story. But they exposed you to Koana's deus ex machina solution and immediately resolved it emotionally.)

This feels like they are speed-running through anime tropes without really giving the story time to develop any emotional depth. Tropes aren't bad but they need good character and narrative development to make them work.

The arc from ARR to EW wasn’t perfect by any means but I always enjoyed myself. I just cannot comprehend that this is its successor… As in, I really don’t get it. How?

[Kefzka]

Who’s ready for a new adventure?!!

*Delivers fruit*

What I find most disappointing is that we are still handing out invisible items. Does it require that much more development for us to be able to see these objects we are supposedly handing to people?

[koko-on-da-forumz]

So, it does pick up in terms of interest after about the halfway point.

But boy, does it ever then introduce some other writing problems. Characters are introduced and we're expected to care about them five minute later when they have a dramatic moment. One major character's motivation is just...never directly explained? But through inference, and contrast with your party, you can see how stupid and nonsensical it is. One major character is practically just another character copy-pasted into a teenage girl hatsune miku body.

It's really bad.

After the abysmal 6.x patch series, they really needed a home run. They whiffed the ball entirely on every possible level.

[Themarvin]

So it is underwhelming because we finally burried the ascians for good which has been a part of the game from ARR to EW... thanks for getting rid of that and giving us something new, but I guess people like these Ascians like Lahabrea.... I think it is underwhelming that people can't move on, onto something new, that has not been thinned out as this entire Ascian thing has.

[Loggos]

So it is underwhelming because we finally burried the ascians for good which has been a part of the game from ARR to EW... thanks for getting rid of that and giving us something new, but I guess people like these Ascians like Lahabrea.... I think it is underwhelming that people can't move on, onto something new, that has not been thinned out as this entire Ascian thing has.

It's not about Ascians. Vautry was ShB's villain for the most part and that whole arc was incredibly interesting even when the Ascians weren't revealed yet and the boss fight was very rewarding.
It's about stakes, pacing and the depth of the story telling.