Wow, Wuk Lamat is really single-handedly ruining the DT story...

[Aniise]

I'm not familiar with this "woke" thing but yesterday I saw a character named Woke Lamat and it broke my laugh box.

There are so many funny names for her going around. On this forum alone I read a bunch. Wok Lmao is probably my favorite so far x)

[PaleYonder]

Adding on the mentoring topic: I enjoyed e.g. Heavensward with Alphinaud, where he'd fallen on his face and we were teaching him the ways of the real world (whereas for Wuk Lamat, the laws of the real world have been suspended), seeing him grow, but it was not the Alphinaud expansion. We were also trying to pull Estinien back from a metaphorical cliff and back on solid ground, and I was really invested in this. We were also helping Aymeric with his political goals against forces very much opposed to them. But we were all capable people in our own right who were helping each other through the struggles caused by a hostile world and bad decisions. It was great. And we were also still the hero and centre of the story. None of that applies here.
And I'll be honest, I want to be the hero. I want my character to make the difference, to engage with friends and opponents both, for things to be his business. That's part of the fun of playing games.

This case here is a perfect storm of everything done wrong that one can possibly do wrong. A character without the necessary depth to carry anything beyond saturday morning feelgood cartoons, a plot that hands her everything without meaningful development or struggle, the player character sidelined, the player character's established companions sidelined and without personality, including the ones that were supposed to get real focus this time - and I'm really enjoying Erenville and Krile here.

In fact, the difference between Wuk and Erenville is a gaping gulf. The short wild west escape with Erenville being cool Western heroes was so much fun, and he shows actual personality and depth, and layers that unravel slowly. I enjoyed him a lot in Endwalker, and I feel like he's still himself, but showing more of himself, getting his own struggles, and he's actually my character's friend. We're bonding over struggles and doing things together and clearly enjoying travelling together. This is good, this is how you introduce a new companion to a group that's as long-established as the Scions without making him seem like an intruder. I'm around the end of zone 5 and I still want to spend more time with him instead of less, and think he's been robbed. Meanwhile I wish Wuk Lamat was just retconned out of everything right this second.

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do about my subscription after this. I'm probably going to see this trainwreck to the bitter end once because the curiosity outweighs all else, unless something makes me give up in frustration on the last stretch after all. But then? I don't know. I actually enjoy what I've seen of the combat, but I'll be honest, that's not enough to carry the game for me; especially this one I've played for story and ambience above all until now. The ambience is still there, but the story is now a mess.

[Lyndina]

Can we please use Alexander to turn back time and help meteion with her stuff? Just to evade everything and anything related to Dawntrail.

[BakoolJaJa]

Can we please use Alexander to turn back time and help meteion with her stuff? Just to evade everything and anything related to Dawntrail.

The sky dome suddenly begins splintering and you watch Zenos smash his way into the world yet again. "Was Dawntrail a gift...or a burden? Did you find... fulfillment? I come again to issue challenge and offer singular bliss. ... Oh you're still busy babysitting this thing? Let me take care of that real quick. Okay now we can fight again, you kill me, and then hopefully next expansion I don't need to repeat this."

[PaleYonder]

I'd argue we should keep Zenos around. When he's got the "very persistent friend" slot, things are actually entertaining.

[Rannie]

Can we please use Alexander to turn back time and help meteion with her stuff? Just to evade everything and anything related to Dawntrail.

Orrr now hear me out we use Alexander to turn back time before the sundering... take Wuk with us and take her to the planet where the inhabitants nuke themselves after talking to one of the little birdies and strand her there!

[Malthir]

The sky dome suddenly begins splintering and you watch Zenos smash his way into the world yet again. "Was Dawntrail a gift...or a burden? Did you find... fulfillment? I come again to issue challenge and offer singular bliss. ... Oh you're still busy babysitting this thing? Let me take care of that real quick. Okay now we can fight again, you kill me, and then hopefully next expansion I don't need to repeat this."

Nah cause with how these writers do it, Zenos would appear and Wuk would one shot him then demand they are friends and drag him to the beach for tacos.

[Fluxating]

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do about my subscription after this. I'm probably going to see this trainwreck to the bitter end once because the curiosity outweighs all else, unless something makes me give up in frustration on the last stretch after all. But then? I don't know. I actually enjoy what I've seen of the combat, but I'll be honest, that's not enough to carry the game for me; especially this one I've played for story and ambience above all until now. The ambience is still there, but the story is now a mess.

Same. I starting skipping the story after the lv97 dungeon once Wuk stole the spotlight from what should of been Erenville and Krile's part of the story, reinserting herself as the main character. While the story isn't the main reason I play XIV, it is still a large reason and I no longer have any faith in it. Wuk Lamat is a awful character, but without her the story would still be terrible. When you write for something, it has to go through various editors and approval processes and everyone in charge of that felt this was a good story worth putting out? If they're happy to release story content this bad, how can I expect they won't drop the ball again with the patches or even the next expansion?

[Voidmage]

Same. I starting skipping the story after the lv97 dungeon once Wuk stole the spotlight from what should of been Erenville and Krile's part of the story, reinserting herself as the main character. While the story isn't the main reason I play XIV, it is still a large reason and I no longer have any faith in it. Wuk Lamat is a awful character, but without her the story would still be terrible. When you write for something, it has to go through various editors and approval processes and everyone in charge of that felt this was a good story worth putting out? If they're happy to release story content this bad, how can I expect they won't drop the ball again with the patches or even the next expansion?

This is also my opinion.
The writers themself are only half responsible. The supervisors are at fault here.

Given that the Japanese side also seems to be more on the negative end (much more then usual even on this forum) I‘m kinda hoping for an official response in some form in a live letter but I really don‘t think there will be anything.
Yoshida and co seem really ignorant to negative feedback lately with not even addressing it.

Gaming sides also seem quite critical this time around.
Maybe that just my opinionated searching though.

In an ideal world this could be the start of the devs really upping the game for the next time but…

[Ramiee]

Snip

Spoilers ahead but heres how I would restructure the story without changing the main stuff that happens to incorporate this more.

Wuk Lamat would never have her strength questioned, from the beginning I would make it that her main flaw she needs us to help her fix is her being a bad leader. In the early zones I would change it to her learning no lessons about the cultures of the people and instead you do all of the work then with your first meeting with Gulool Ja Ja after the trials start he specfically calls Wuk out on this and that she needs to learn from your example. Then I would change Wuk Lamat kidnapping scene to instead her walking the party into an ambush then Krile would get overwhelmed or would freeze up, you or Erenville would tell Wuk she needs to protect Krile but in her anger she ignores that and it leads to Krile being kidnapped. She still loses her piece of candy.
After this incident the WoL straight up tells her shes not fit to be the Dawnservant, the fact she couldn't focus on protecting a friend in combat due to her anger and arrogance means she could not protect a nation of people. This would lead into her roleplaying event instead of her becoming stronger or whatever its also not a solo fight and when playing as Wuk Lamat you have to focus on defending those who are fighting with you.

For Krile she throughout the story would have low confidence in her Pictomancy and would feel like a burden, the WoL would constantly be giving her advice and trying to motivate her with her goal of finding out about her grandfather's reason of being in Tural. She is clearly the weakest link in the party for most of the story but as time goes on she starts getting more confident in her abilities after each dungeon. Then in the Solution 9 event instead of playing as the WoL you play as Krile and this is her moment to shine, when Otis is defending Sephene, Krile uses a LB to beat the enrage and after this shes confident in herself even if she still has a lot to learn.
I would also make Erenvelle an Arcanist so he can heal/dps in duty support, his main flaw is his unwillingness to open up. Krile and Wuk are both unaware of his feelings but the WoL instantly notices it and throughout the story you slowly prod at him to reveal whats on his mind until he opens up after the attack on Solution 9.

I would hope all of these would give Wuk, Krile and Erenvelle each moments to shine. Then in the final trial its your moment to shine and your main character moment of the expansion. Wuk, Krile and Erenville all pop up after you finish the trial. This can also lead into post-patch storyline having further developments for Wuk, it becomes clear that during her rule as Dawnservant she becomes over rellaint on your council so the post-patch is now about you teaching Wuk to rely less on you.