Even our content creators cannot pretend to like the trashy writings of Dawntrail.

[Malthir]

Exactly this. I feel like this community is gaslighting me into thinking Zepla is some kind of hateful personality, when she absolutely was not for several expansions and was consistently one of the more positive figures. She was overwhelmingly positive during SB and ShB during the time I was playing, I remember a pretty wholesome community moment when she cleared TEA with many people rallying to congratulate her. Now all of a sudden everyone is lambasting her and slandering her as a perpetual hater because she's offering criticism towards the game starting in the past year or so? Gimme a break. This is one of the most toxic smear campaigns I've seen in a while just because she's offering some very valid criticisms.

You can never slightly disagree with the cult bro, as soon as you step a toe out of line, they go mental.

[Astronema]

TBH the issue about Gaius IMO is that his personality is all over the place, all the time, it not just a Werlyt issue. He sound way more like a resonable being in 1.0, then he just turn into a bland and basic villain in 2.0. I still facepalm whenever I do Prae and he roll a nat 1 on persuasion when trying to make Cid change side.

Gaius is a deep cut ofoswald spengler. He is making references to ideas in the book decline of the west.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc2200Wh3Zw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsaieZt5vjk

[Astronema]

zepla is a very nice old lady. wink.

[Mondschnee]

Exactly this. I feel like this community is gaslighting me into thinking Zepla is some kind of hateful personality, when she absolutely was not for several expansions and was consistently one of the more positive figures. She was overwhelmingly positive during SB and ShB during the time I was playing, I remember a pretty wholesome community moment when she cleared TEA with many people rallying to congratulate her. Now all of a sudden everyone is lambasting her and slandering her as a perpetual hater because she's offering criticism towards the game starting in the past year or so? Gimme a break. This is one of the most toxic smear campaigns I've seen in a while just because she's offering some very valid criticisms.

What's even funnier, back then they were constantly calling her a shill for being "overly positive". Instead of listening to the valid criticisms she has (that btw echo most of the fanbase's negative sentiments towards Dawntrail MSQ), they just want to dismiss her outright because idk, they don't like her I guess? Which is their right, but then they shouldn't go out of their way to talk about things they have no understanding for.

[RabendaShin]

Exactly this. I feel like this community is gaslighting me into thinking Zepla is some kind of hateful personality, when she absolutely was not for several expansions and was consistently one of the more positive figures. She was overwhelmingly positive during SB and ShB during the time I was playing, I remember a pretty wholesome community moment when she cleared TEA with many people rallying to congratulate her. Now all of a sudden everyone is lambasting her and slandering her as a perpetual hater because she's offering criticism towards the game starting in the past year or so? Gimme a break. This is one of the most toxic smear campaigns I've seen in a while just because she's offering some very valid criticisms.

You can never slightly disagree with the cult bro, as soon as you step a toe out of line, they go mental.

It's what happens when loyal fans of the game make it their identity. Being part of the herd and showering praise is more important than preventing the game from deteriorating by speaking out. All edges are smoothed out by not addressing them. Many such cases like this across many fandoms, and social media didn't help.

[Ritsugamesh]

It's the age old meme of 'leave the multi billion dollar company alone...' in action. They developed this and sold it, we have every right to give honest feedback without the fear of being dogpiled.

Preach is actually over the story based on his last story recap. And he's trying. He's really digging into what is on offer and looking for some depth and nuance, and it's just not there.

On a brighter note, I've had some serious fits of laughter discussing the plot with my FC. Some of it is just that badly written.

[Isala]

It's what happens when loyal fans of the game make it their identity. Being part of the herd and showering praise is more important than preventing the game from deteriorating by speaking out. All edges are smoothed out by not addressing them. Many such cases like this across many fandoms, and social media didn't help.

XIV's community is one of the most toxic positive of the bunch. Let's not forget the threats they sent a content creator for speaking out about game issues even years ago. That hasn't changed for the better, that's for damn certain.

[Soteira]

With all due respect she sang the praises of the game for ages in HW, SB, and ShB. She began to change her mind in EW patch content and now DT it seems. It seems a little unfair to write off someone who was formerly perfectly happy about the game to the point she recommenced it to a ton of people and got several players on board just because in her own opinion the game has not kept up with the prior excellence.

She has. Until Asmongold showed up and she started to copy him, downright to how she talks and moves now. If she had changed her mind in EW by herself that be fine but she is just copying someone else, realizing how drama boosts the channel. So personally I cannot take her opinion seriously. And that is coming from someone who thought DT was absolutely just mediocre. Just wasn't my cup of tea story wise but I know plenty of people who genuinely loved it. But them & I at least formed our opinion ourselves and not because we wanna copy one big streamer.

[Aniise]

As far as I understand it, people don't like Zepla because she had the guts to criticize the game that can't be criticized (or else...! ò_ó). They also dislike her because she played "thE bAD WizOrd gAMe"™. (which I'm not 100% if she even did but she said the boycott was dumb and that's enough to demonize her I guess)

I wouldn't really take people that hate her because of those bland reasons serious tbh. I myself am rather glad content creators are vocal about their dislike of the story. I don't really follow any FFXIV creators per se, but it makes me feel seen that they have issues with the story that mirror my own. And hopeful that their voices might reach the devs if ours won't.

[Eyrilona]

I have always felt that Zepla's turning point was not because of this expansion or that expansion, it was when she lived through months of stress and existential uncertainty and eventually had to flee and leave her home of eight years in Kyiv, Ukraine, behind because of the war front moving across the country. She went through literally becoming a refugee trying to sort out her life and start over from a tiny room in a different country -- that does things to people. Afterwards she had to reinvent herself, re-establish herself, but you don't easily just resume your previous persona after a fairly traumatic experience like that, and she ended up borrowing parts of the style of other then big gamer streamers like Asmongold to fill the gaps and cracks.

I still don't think she is unfair to the game, just more bitter about.. well, life, the universe and gaming while still using the trappings and language of her previously more cheerful streamer persona.