The Negative Impact of Poor Character Writing on the Quality of Dawntrail's MSQ

[Strike_]

Dawntrail had great potential - Tural's politics and future depending on a competition between would-be successors all with different ambitions? A really interesting premise, so much can be done with it. But as the story progresses, there is no political intrique to be seen anywhere. -snip-

While XIV has never been the peak of political writing, what it's done so far has always felt beliveable to some degree (on it's own established standards). At the very least it has always given any political conflict grounds to stand on. Here we're competing for an entire nation's leadership and that role is never expanded beyond "oh it's for the peace and prosperity, it's this real cool thing". We never really get to truly witness how the said peace is upheld, and anyone who could potentially threaten or test it is immediately swept aside upon introduction, like the renegade faction of Yok Huy or the Mamool Ja with their Blessed Siblings. With just a few empty pleasantries about wanting to get to know you, all is forgiven and forgotten. In Mamool Ja's case, their old (althought harmful) tradition is just neatly dropped, just like that, no questions asked. All of Tural's politics are a mystery and every time there's a chance to explore them, it's not used. Oh, in Shaaloani there's people who rose to enforce laws in midst of rampant unlawfulness? Interesting, is this not the norm in Tural? Are there laws on the other side of the bridge then? How are they being upheld? Is the lack of them why there's a problem with bandits in Kozama'uka? How does the Dawnservant rule over Tural, exactly? Oh, there it goes, never to be touched on again. The Very Important Bracelet™ is much more interesting and relevant, apparently.
-snip-

Thank you! there's 3 opposing factions and there's no pushback from any of them when wuk wins. we're led to believe that gulool ja ja hosted a 3 day rager and that stopped hundreds of years of war between the hroth and mamool ja for 80 years no big deal.

imagine if we just took aymeric and got wasted with nidhogg and that was the end of the dragonsong war? it's absurd. there's not a single thought to the political ramifications of ANYTHING that's happening in dawntrail, and while 14 has had varying levels of political drama over the years it's never been COMPLETELY ABSENT. this kept its factions and world grounded in reality instead of it feeling like the setting of a poorly set up shonen anime. Tural does not feel like a real place.

there's tons of other issues, like the character writing OP talks about but dawntrail just has no depth.

I think ultimately it will be fine as long as the writing quality recovers by next expac because the basic premise and broad plot points of dawntrail are good enough but the writing just has no detail or depth.