The Actual Problem With Dawntrail

[ReynTime]

She's not the only problem but she is a problem.
She's written horribly, like 90% of the main cast in Dawntrail. She gets more egregious because she also hogs 90% of the spotlight and the story makes it all about her.

[BigBoom550]

The three true problems of Dawntrail are:

1. The playerbase is media illiterate. That is me being nice. The majority cannot read, cannot understand themes that aren't as simple as grief or hope vs nihilism, cannot understand subtlety and require things to be spoonfed to them (but then they get mad about being spoonfed! Get some media literacy then lol!). They are only capable of surface level reading which is why I have to see absolute dumb takes like "Sphene is just Emet-Selch." This leads to the next issue -

Sir-and-or-ma'am I was raised on Mario Puzo, Steven King, C.S. Lewis and Harold Robins among others, classic films and 60s-80s music. I'm far from 'media illiterate' and insinuating I am is, frankly, an insult. I would ask you avoid dismissing all critics of the expac as 'just ignorant' and 'media illiterate' because that is frankly a cop-out that's a fancier way of just saying 'Well you don't know what you're talking about'.

If they are that illiterate, constructing a stronger argument than just saying that they are should be child's play.

[arstoka]

2. FFIX is one of my favorites in the franchise. That doesn't make DT any better... -snip-

To add to this, references should be the icing on the cake when it comes to writing a story. It rewards those who have played other games with little easter eggs but does not take away from the entertainment of the story. A story should be able to stand on its own merit. Relying on external media for emotional moments will be detrimental to the story itself unless its a direct sequel that is building on the pre-established story.

[CaptainLagbeard]

If she wasn't around during most of the scenes where she is then it'd look like she's just sitting on her hands and doing nothing.

That's kind of the source of one of the problems.
It's literally wuk lamat the game. It's not being an expansion to FF XIV.

And doesn't help that wuk is a terribly written character.

[Raven2014]

1. The playerbase is media illiterate. That is me being nice. The majority cannot read, cannot understand themes that aren't as simple as grief or hope vs nihilism, cannot understand subtlety and require things to be spoonfed to them (but then they get mad about being spoonfed! Get some media literacy then lol!). They are only capable of surface level reading which is why I have to see absolute dumb takes like "Sphene is just Emet-Selch."

Ah yeah, the modern Game Developers, Movie Maker, and general entertainer taker energy:

- You're too racist to buy our games.

- You're too stupid to enjoy our movies.

- Our product flop because it's way above consumer's IQ.

Ever thought about applying for the PR team at Walt Disney, you'll fit right in. As for me, as a consumer I pay money to be entertained, not watching 'entertainers' entertaining themselves.

[Zaniel]

To add to this, references should be the icing on the cake when it comes to writing a story. It rewards those who have played other games with little easter eggs but does not take away from the entertainment of the story. A story should be able to stand on its own merit. Relying on external media for emotional moments will be detrimental to the story itself unless its a direct sequel that is building on the pre-established story.

Its a contributing factor as to why the post 6.0 patch storyline was bollocks. They tried WAAAAAAAY too hard to shoehorn FF4 into the game without considering how it played into FF14's history and development. Obsession with fan-service over writing. Alexandria is the same.

[Phaty]

Living memory just feels out of place. I feel it should have been sooner and we spent more time in the golden city and them being just AI, and the golden city being called living memory, could have been something revealed post MSQ. They could have shortened the rite and made Galool ja ja the first trial, valga the 2nd trial and then Zoraal ja the final trial. Save the whole sphene and Alexandria AI arc for post MSQ stuff. My idea would be the rite takes place up to the first trial where you battle Galool Ja Ja at full power, wisdom would wake up for it and isn't dead like in the current story. We then go to the golden city and meet sphene, and while there Zoraal Ja finds out about what's really going on and sets out on what he eventually does. We could still keep Bakool Ja Ja releasing valga for the 2nd trial, and it would be because Zoraal Ja talks him into it or something. Then go into the attack on tuliyollal, Galool Ja Ja dying, then we go on to chase Zoraal Ja.

[arstoka]

Its a contributing factor as to why the post 6.0 patch storyline was bollocks. They tried WAAAAAAAY too hard to shoehorn FF4 into the game without considering how it played into FF14's history and development. Obsession with fan-service over writing. Alexandria is the same.

100% agree.

[StormChase]

No because of countless examples of us being humbled.

The bloody banquet at the end of ARR
Thordan outplays us immediately after Bismark by taking the key to Azys Lla and again when the Garleans use us to break thru the barrier into Azys Lla for them.
Zenos throughout SB
Emet Selch when we fail to contain the light of the 1st.

We had moments of weakness in our seemingly impenetrable armor of a character. Even against the Endsinger, we had help from the Scions and Zenos to do that. In comparison, Wuk Lamat is just so naturally gifted that she's able to tank blows from Sphene that would've somehow been too dangerous for us to handle and are so inspired by her that we're able to beat Sphene. There isn't even a comparison.

It's true that the WOL was humbled several times, but I think you're missing a big way Wuk Lamat did fail.

She didn't predict Zoraal Ja's attack.

It was pretty clear Zoraal Ja wasn't going to accept the results, and his prolonged absence would've been a huge warning sign. I don't blame her for not knowing how he'd attack since even her father didn't know what was on the other side of the gate, and it wasn't entirely her fault, but in a lot of cases with the WOL it wasn't entirely their fault either. The Bloody Banquet happened because both the WOL and Alphinaud failed to properly vet the Crystal Braves, and Nanamo didn't take more precautions even though they'd just exposed one spy. Emet-Selch was able to put the WOL in a dangerous position not just because they agreed to take the light, but also because the Exarch put all his light in one basket by using one Echo user instead of two, as well as not predicting Emet-Selch would try to interfere.

Wuk Lamat's mistake did affect her actions afterwards too. Bakool Ja Ja taught her that she should try to see the good in people, even if they're really difficult. Even with Sphene she tried to get through to her as she fought, tried to get her to let go. But she knew she couldn't sway Zoraal Ja. She knew she had to kill him.

Also, if you think she isn't constantly relying on other people like the WOL is, then you're intentionally seeing just what you want to see. The only two times people didn't fight alongside her were the solo duty against Bakool Ja Ja and when she broke Zoraal Ja's regulator. She could tank a hit but she wouldn't have been able to beat Sphene all by herself. She would've taken too many hits at some point.

[BigBoom550]

She didn't predict Zoraal Ja's attack.

The problem there is nobody did. It's not a direct, personal failing on Wuk Lamat's part that Zoraal Ja's attack happened; it's a *communal* failure.

She didn't, Koana didn't, her father didn't, nobody presumably who worked with Zoraal Ja in the Landsguard predicted it, nobody anywhere predicted... a giant armada of hyperadvanced warships crossing over from another dimension to harvest souls.

...

Y'know when I say it like that I can see why nobody anticipated it at all.