Dawntrail appreciation for those who enjoy the story so far

[Gwenkatsu]

I just did my first dungeon and am now working on the third trial, but so far I really enjoyed the MSQ very much.
For starters, it's really refreshing not to carry the weight of the world (or the entire universe) on my shoulders The trials the dawnservant put up make a lot of sense to me, as they mirror his own way to the throne.
I also think Wuk Lamat is a very relatable character. She grew up between brothers that clearly surpass her in most ways, and her answer to that was to play as strong as possible... and she's not even good at that. Now we're in the middle of a coming of age story, and it works fine for me.
I also did not find the story overly silly - compared to Endwalker, where we watched Estinien (a hardened soldier who's living on the street for years) buy a drink for a bazillion of gold... then 5 minutes later spend another bazillion on a hair band. Man I laughed so hard on that... not
I also think most parts of the graphical update were well done. The surroundings look more lively and vibrant, and they finally fixed the low res textures on NPC clothing (often in a cutscene when the camera zoomed in those looked like a screenshot from a 1980s game). I did not like the new faces at first, they somehow all look like porcellain masks now... but I'm slowly getting used to it.

The only thing that made me nope out instantly (in that I skip any related video, and ignore any quest text)...

are the job quests. You meet a bunch of villains that make Hildibrand look like Einstein, and then have to clean up the mess they leave. That was so pointless, silly, and completely out of tune that I did not even watch the first video to the end

[Rehayem]

I finished MSQ tonight. Waited until I was done to expose myself to any of the discourse. I honestly felt like it was a masterpiece, surprised to see it's so controversial.

I believe it's related to Wuk Lamat herself. Her character is... okay, at least to me. The whole nausea and vomiting gag at the start made me really uncomfortable and set up a wrong precedent for her character development. Throughout the entire first half of MSQ felt like we're a sidekick. Granted, we were there to help but even some NPCs called WoL retainer.

Second half I noticed the character development improved quite drastically and I started to enjoy her fairly more, even the silly antics.

[Sani2341]

I wouldn't call it a master piece.

It had a few breather quest chains in odd places. But over all it was very enjoyable.

And I loved that solution 9

turned out to actually be cyberpunk, not just urban sifi.

Looking forward to the raid Story.

[Verathel]

I don't think it's a disaster as people are calling it and the side quest writing is quite good especially the continuity but the writing for the MSQ was simply better for SHB and EW even when you take the summation of the storyline out of the picture. I can't give Dawntrail higher than a 7 so far and I just finished the Third Zone.

I'm all up for new characters but there is a reason why I like the Scions so much...They're fleshed out and for example when you compare more known side characters like Gosetsu and Yugiri...They are again better. You need theme with your writing when talking about unique characters and Wuk Lamat while she was better near the end of Third Zone...Is still very one dimensional and far more often than not cringe.

Also the cultural talk and peace and friendship is almost too superficial for my liking and in some cases barely fleshed out.

[Lothllara]

I'm going really slow, talking to most NPCs, doing all the aetheryte currents plus full questline if applicable and I'm very much enjoying myself. Learning about new cultures, taking in the sights and not being the main character for once is super comfy.

That's also how I play and DT is peak story for MSQ strollers like us, I think. Every detail about the various Tural tribes is so interesting. Sometimes I feel almost as satisfied as if I'd been discovering actual foreign people! It helps that the writers did some deep and respectful research on South American cultures.

[Lothllara]

The only thing that made me nope out instantly (in that I skip any related video, and ignore any quest text)...

I was surprised at those quests too. I'm giving them a chance, since I trust the writers in this game. But yeah, it's so obviously silly and weird, I expect it to hide another, more serious affair. I've only done the first two so far.

Also the NPC for melee dps is the prettiest NPC in the entire game, so she makes the cutscenes bearable even if they seem nonsensical!

[Lothllara]

Wuk Lamat while she was better near the end of Third Zone...Is still very one dimensional and far more often than not cringe.

Also the cultural talk and peace and friendship is almost too superficial for my liking and in some cases barely fleshed out.

Honestly, I'm gonna sound cheesy, but irl the world is making me pretty sad at the moment. I don't find the peace and friendship superficial in Dawntrail because it commits to what is, I think, crucial in real life: respecting people's actual daily life and customs. Because at the end of the day, the political choices we make are based on our survival needs, and our survival needs are linked to our daily customs, because those daily customs evolved over time as the best way to survive and thrive in the given environment of a group of humans (or animals).

If you share bread and participate in each other's religious rites and develop trade between people, it does make war and racism more difficult to sustain. It may sound naive, but it's true, and it's harder than it sounds. I really like how the game commits to this idea and shows it doesn't happen just like that; Wuk Lamat and the team have to work, travel, talk to people, listen, think fast, understand, investigate, etc., to really get to know the cultures. And you can also see how the King organized the countries to encourage this constant mix-up of cultures to foster peace.

Then again, I really don't agree that Wuk Lamat is one-dimensional, so we might not be looking at the story through the same lens I find her personality to be a lovely mix between Zitan's and Dagger's personalities from IX. Like Zitan, she is goofy, but also deeply caring, always ready to help and with zero ego. Like Dagger, she is curious about everything, humble, and has a strong sense of her duty as a princess while doubting herself all the time because her sheltered life hasn't yet prepared her to rule. For instance, one detail I loved about the writing is how she remembers the name from all the NPCs she meets (even though she struggles to remember the name of Ketenramm, who is from history books and not an actual person she's met). She is genuinely interested in all the persons she meets, both in their culture, but also in them personally, their individual goals and fears. She is impulsive, but also listens to the advice and ideas of her entourage, advisors she has chosen well (us, the twins, Erenville, Krile). Overall, I find her to be a really wonderful character.

[Katt_Felista]

You're so right buddy, hey, you should work that thing harder and ask for an additionnal week between patches this time around. Just do it. Let's go. They clearly deserved it.

[Verathel]

I don't mind the message itself but it gets repeated near every single quest again and again and again...We're not children. Honestly you understand Wuk Lamat's character the first 10 minutes you meet her and that's completely fine but having that thrown at your face near nonstop is aggravating.

It also makes the cultural aspect of Tural almost superficial. I don't know if they forgot or didn't have time or didn't care but a culture needs more than one defining aspect to it. The Third Zone her character got better and the cringe was toned down but its still hard sometimes. Especially that there is little intrigue about her except she is an orphan, raised as royalty and she loves peace and happiness for her people. Yet, there is no theme to that aspect or defining quality to it beyond it.

I hope they flesh her out more but it's disappointing. I have been enjoying Dawntrail so far but the writing definitely took a hit for the MSQ so far

I know some people want new characters but it's a reason why I like the scions so much...They're fleshed out.

7/10 so far.

[Freyt]

Finished the MSQ (No spoilers)

• Plot
  90-93: 7
  94: 8
  95: 10
  96-100 9.5
• Characters
  Wuk Lamat: 9
  (mostly because she starts out annoying and ends shallow, middle part is great)
  Everyone else: 10
• Zones
  1 & 2: 7.5
  3: 9
  (Strong latter half)
  4: 9
  5: 8.5
  6: 10
• Bosses (haven't done EX's)
  Everything is a 10/10. Dungeons and trials.
• Dungeons
  No ratings, they're all beautiful but basic dungeon design feels tired
  
  And lastly, Solution 9 is an 11/10