The Actual Problem With Dawntrail

[MediocreIndigo]

I agree that Wuk Lamat is not the problem, but the issue is not the length of the story, it's the writing of said story.

Case in point: Shaaloani. It's an entire zone that feels like a meaningless sidequest where almost nothing of import happens.

And to follow it up, Living Memory. Another entire zone that's narratively wasted, because before even entering it we are told numerous times that its inhabitants are not living beings, but are simulations made manifest from aether. Which means that all the time we spend there pleasing holograms is just time we're wasting, instead of addressing the impending threat to all life.

And all of that is to say nothing of how flat the Scions are for the entire expansion. You would think there was a second sundering with how watered down their personalities are, to the point where they're all basically interchangeable. A longer story would just mean even more of this.

The writer clearly demonstrated that they could not fill the 100 quests they had with life nor a convincing, consistent story. Asking them to perform an even bigger task would have stretched their limited talents even further, resulting in less, not more.

I disagree with the sentiment that Living Memory was wasted. While it's true that the Endless are only constructs created from the memories of the deceased rather than the actual people they're based on, they're still sentient beings, not just algorithms without any true self-awareness mimicking human behavior. The fact that the Endless are seemingly able to exist independently of the terminals so long as they have unfinished business is proof of this. If they lacked a will of their own, they all would've disappeared once the terminals were shut down. The writers wouldn't have put as much emphasis as they did on Sphene's internal dilemma if she was merely a hologram.

The reason that most of the Scions feel flat during this expansion is because they've already gone through their arcs and the writers would rather focus on the newer characters. I don't think it was necessary to involve all of the Scions if some of them were just going to be out of focus, but we did get a few moments of good characterization. Alisaie consoling Wuk Lamat after the attack on Tuliyollal and G'raha speaking about regret during the gondola ride come to mind.

[LilimoLimomo]

While it's true that the Endless are only constructs created from the memories of the deceased rather than the actual people they're based on, they're still sentient beings, not just algorithms without any true self-awareness mimicking human behavior.

If I recall correctly, the writers literally refer to them as "simulations" multiple times. If there's any text in the game that contradicts that, I would love to be directed towards it so I can speak accurately on the topic.

The reason that most of the Scions feel flat during this expansion is because they've already gone through their arcs and the writers would rather focus on the newer characters. I don't think it was necessary to involve all of the Scions if some of them were just going to be out of focus...

I think you're misunderstanding me; I'm not talking about how the Scions didn't get moments in the spotlight. I'm talking about how as a general rule they are written as indistinguishable from each other. Past expansions have done a great job of characterizing the Scions; each of them has different perspectives and histories and interests and slants. And if you replay an expansion like Shadowbringers, you can see this characterization in almost every single line. Even when everyone is talking about the same issue, each Scion talks about it in a way where you can see how they are parsing the situation distinctly through their own lens. And that's just almost entirely non-existent in Dawntrail except for a select few momentary moments. The writer seemingly did not understand (or perhaps didn't care) about the Scions as individual characters.