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

[Amh_Wilzuun]

Initial impressions from video gamers are something aren’t worth much to me. Remember when Wind Waker was called trash because it was too cartoony?

Well I’m not saying that initial impressions aren’t important, but I don’t think they are more valuable inherently than what people think about a game when the dust has settled and people have calmed down on hating/overhyping a game

[Voidmage]

Initial impressions from video gamers are something aren’t worth much to me. Remember when wind Waker was called trash because it was too cartoony?

Wind Waker was never really called trash. It had a lukewarm reception before people could play it and then the biggest criticism was that it was actually short with artificial long sailing. I was there when it came out.
Also people were confused because the tech demo before that was something else entirely.

Just because initial impressions don't matter to you doesn't make them unimportant.
They are the most important thing for developers because it doesn't matter how a game sells over 2 years but in the first few weeks to month.
Also a lukewarm initial reception is bad pr.

[Nanchi]

I liked Wuk Lamat. She has a lot of the same issues as ARR Alphinaud in the 2.x patches - she's naive, sheltered, and absolutely gets taken for a ride as a result. Everyone hated him in 2.x. Then he ate a big piece of humble pie and we grew to love him in Heavensward.

But she learns from her mistake, grows, and over the course of the expansion (which takes place over a full month if you track the day/night cycles and breaks and whatnot) actually sheds some of the naivety. She's still got a lot of growth to do, but her character makes a lot more sense if you think of her as being a dumb teenager. (She's about Alisae's age.)

I don't buy that. Wuk Lamat is competing for the throne to rule an entire nation. Her only father ******, her oldest brother is a warmongering psycho and the only seemingly competent figure in her life is Koana (who should have been the one sitting on the throne not her) She cannot afford to be a dumb teenager, attaching herself to Wols hip so they can solve every problem she has. The fact that she pushed the idea of "Please accept this position at my court." speaks to how incompetent this person is. The reaction of everyone around in that scene being completely baffled and shocked at that remark was probably the most self-aware punch line the writers have written in this expansion. Alphinaud in comparison lived through a proper and true character ark, he humbled himself, reflected upon his misgivings and learned from his mistakes. Neither Wol nor Ysayle or Estinien ever sugarcoated what happened in the Arr-Heavensward transition and Alphinauds role in it. Wuk Lamat however is surrounded by idiotic Yes-men bending over backwards to hype her up and give her compliments at any given moment for the most banal statements ever.

She is completely unfit to rule a nation even with Koana at her side and the entire storybeat after the rite of succession confirmed it.

Instead of being there for her citizens, leading efforts back at home, she thinks she can afford to go on a little shard hopping adventure because of course she is when the WoL is going. Her entire condescending speech about "knowing what Sphene is going through" and "From one ruler to another I need to stop her." just made my distaste for her even more amplified.

She hasn't even done any work at court, hasn't done any proper ruling and she wants to tell someone else who has done it for eons how it's done? She should not have been present in the 2nd half of the MSQ, no matter if a part of her family was preparing for war. Her job was to be in the capital, be there for her people. Not to shrug that responsibility off to Koana and Alphinaud.

[Nothv13]

I liked Wuk Lamat. She has a lot of the same issues as ARR Alphinaud in the 2.x patches - she's naive, sheltered, and absolutely gets taken for a ride as a result. Everyone hated him in 2.x. Then he ate a big piece of humble pie and we grew to love him in Heavensward.

But she learns from her mistake, grows, and over the course of the expansion (which takes place over a full month if you track the day/night cycles and breaks and whatnot) actually sheds some of the naivety. She's still got a lot of growth to do, but her character makes a lot more sense if you think of her as being a dumb teenager. (She's about Alisae's age.)

Except she lacks the intelligence of Alphinaud and doesn't fail like Alphinaud despite having the same flaws and being dumber. Alphinaud actually did something, not just running around preaching peace and happiness. He had his fall and redemption. Wuk had no such fall. She doesn't fail at anything in a way that leaves a lasting effect, everything just goes her way. Kidnapped and had a stone stolen1? No biggy, I'll just crush the guy I could barely touch with all my might despite no training and nothing changing. Barrier none of the other Scions can get through? I'll just crush it. She just succeeds because the writers want her to rather than the story convincing use she earned it. It is a horribly written character.

[Rikka_Chu]

Its kind of hard for me to belive that SE was able to make even more annoying character than Snow from FFXIII

[HighlanderClone]

I also think they wrote Dawntrail like this. They probably wanted to test the waters on how players reacted to not being the main character and having more of a mentor / free role. If the reception was good they would continue it and leave her in the team but if it was bad... then I hope they learn.

Ugh like a million other things they'll probably get the wrong lesson out of it...

I don't mind not being the main character. It's that the WoL has virtually zero agency and is basically a prop. Also the entire story is bad it isn't just because of WoL being a side character.

Sadly SE probably wouldn't realize what the real issues are given their track record.

[Verathel]

After the invasion things at spicing up, the writing is better again, there is action....Wuk Lamat doesn't sound like a whiny 13 year old anymore.

"I'm going to resto my people's happiness!"

/face desk. I swear it's a rollercoaster ride with Dawntrail. They have 3-5 solid lines and then such a cringe line it makes you sigh.

[AmorfaVex]

I was unable to find an image of the WoL completely terrified. However, I think we can all relate to Wendy here.

Too awesome to be buried in this thread.

[ThorneDynasty]

Point to me literally one time WoL acted as Wuk Lamat's mentor. I wish there had been at least a single solid instance of that, because that was my assumption too, that it would turn that way. Which kept me giving undue slack to the writing, but it never turned out that way despite my constant expectation of character/relationship development just around the corner. I assume the people saying "WoL is like Gandalf" are 100% headcanoning it, because it seems like the obvious thing to write, but when did they write it?

Like so many things people defend the plot with, WoL being a mentor figure to Wuk was strictly tell-don't-show. And even the "telling" part was just Gulool asking us to look out for her once. I'd argue we aren't even told we are her mentor.

[Verathel]

Point to me literally one time WoL acted as Wuk Lamat's mentor. I wish there had been at least a single solid instance of that, because that was my assumption too, that it would turn that way. Which kept me giving undue slack to the writing, but it never turned out that way. I assume the people saying "WoL is like Gandalf" are 100% headcanoning it, because it seems like the obvious thing to write, but when did they write it?

Like so many fucking things people defend the plot, WoL being a mentor figure to Wuk was strictly tell-don't-show. And even the "telling" part was just Gulool asking us to look out for her once. I'd argue we aren't even told we are her mentor.

It's kind of funny the more I go on with the MSQ the more I wish we would have traveled to Tural with Erenville and the twins and Krille without meeting Wuk Lamat and stumbled into the rite of succession later on....We somehow impress the Dawnservant with our OPness and he makes us a sort of enforcer/judge of the entire contest.

Also strangely enough pre Dawntrail Wuk Lamat was better because there was still a level of mystery and intrigue.