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

[sharknado]

why as a dps role am i given a heal?

Dungeon mechanics can 1-2 shots so maybe due to that But then they just should add rez to more DPS to salvage such situations.

[Rhysati]

I'm significantly further now than I was at the beginning of this thread so I'm going to add onto what I've said previously:

Having experienced the first two dungeons, the first trial, and STILL doing monotonous fetch quests and talking about mundane things with little relevance...I've moved from being disappointed to just flat out angry now. This whole thing is a literal waste of my time.

I've seen a number of people in the thread pointing at the graphics, the scenery, the music, the dungeons, etc as being good...and while I feel it's all serviceable/average....My annoyance is in the fact that in order to enjoy ANY of that, you MUST do this story. Now that's nothing new as content has always been locked behind the story. The problem is that when the story is this painfully dull and tedious, you cannot actually play the enjoyable parts until you've slogged through it all. This means that all those other things, whether lovely or not, are irrelevant to whether the expansion is good right now.

The story, falling flat on its face, is the most meaningful part of all of our adventures in the early days of the expansion. This is why this is one of the top threads on the forums, why a similar topic is at the top of r/MMORPG, and why the steam reviews are mixed. The problem isn't that the story is low stakes. It's that it is bad. The pacing is terrible. The content is dull and uninspired. If I asked ChatGPT to come up with some fantasy races and tell me what their cultures main focus is, I think it'd give me something with the depth this expansion has so far. It all feels so lazy.

Now, I'm hopeful that when I get 80% of the way through the story it'll finally pick up like some people have said, but this expansion actively makes me not want to recommend the game to my friends. This is the first time I've ever felt this way. I feel embarrassed to even talk about the game right now.

[Larom]

I'm significantly further now than I was at the beginning of this thread so I'm going to add onto what I've said previously:

Having experienced the first two dungeons, the first trial, and STILL doing monotonous fetch quests and talking about mundane things with little relevance...I've moved from being disappointed to just flat out angry now. This whole thing is a literal waste of my time.

I've seen a number of people in the thread pointing at the graphics, the scenery, the music, the dungeons, etc as being good...and while I feel it's all serviceable/average....My annoyance is in the fact that in order to enjoy ANY of that, you MUST do this story. Now that's nothing new as content has always been locked behind the story. The problem is that when the story is this painfully dull and tedious, you cannot actually play the enjoyable parts until you've slogged through it all. This means that all those other things, whether lovely or not, are irrelevant to whether the expansion is good right now.

The story, falling flat on its face, is the most meaningful part of all of our adventures in the early days of the expansion. This is why this is one of the top threads on the forums, why a similar topic is at the top of r/MMORPG, and why the steam reviews are mixed. The problem isn't that the story is low stakes. It's that it is bad. The pacing is terrible. The content is dull and uninspired. If I asked ChatGPT to come up with some fantasy races and tell me what their cultures main focus is, I think it'd give me something with the depth this expansion has so far. It all feels so lazy.

Now, I'm hopeful that when I get 80% of the way through the story it'll finally pick up like some people have said, but this expansion actively makes me not want to recommend the game to my friends. This is the first time I've ever felt this way. I feel embarrassed to even talk about the game right now.

I don't want to crash your hopes, but I'm half way through the 97 quests and it's really REALLY bad. I started laughing hysterically when I can tell the writers wanted me to cry. Whoever is writing this story should be let go. This is the worst case scenario, it's here and I am in despair.

[Elodie_Einsbern]

I don't want to crash your hopes, but I'm half way through the 97 quests and it's really REALLY bad. I started laughing hysterically when I can tell the writers wanted me to cry. Whoever is writing this story should be let go. This is the worst case scenario, it's here and I am in despair.

You are doing nothing to help me get through this. Could you please lie and tell me it becomes amazing?

[Loggos]

Can anybody, who has (nearly) finished the MSQ, answer me in yes/no format (you can put it under the spoiler cover) whether there is going to be any

interesting plot twist or revelation regarding Erenville at least? His presence is the reason why I keep playing.

[Larom]

Once I see something in the MSQ that is well written I will let you know. I'd take the worst part of ARR over this. I'm about at the 80% mark so maybe it just becomes amazing, but even if it was the rest of it has made me jaded to anything going forward.

[Larom]

Can anybody, who has (nearly) finished the MSQ, answer me in yes/no format (you can put it under the spoiler cover) whether there is going to be any

interesting plot twist or revelation regarding Erenville at least? His presence is the reason why I keep playing.

No (At level 97 atm)

[NekiUno]

From all of the post I am reading, there is one thing I want to say

"Shadowbringers just spoil you all badly"

Indeed, lengthy stories often begin at a slow pace and gradually intensify. Many of us are familiar with epics like Star Wars and LOTR, among others. Currently, this is slightly better than ARR was at its initial release.

[Loggos]

No (At level 97 atm)

Thank you for the answer! :')

[koko-on-da-forumz]

Truly, the only questing format that makes one yearn deeply for "Collect 10 boar hides (rare drop) by killing boars".