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

[fulminating]

'Member Azem's crystal that was supposed to be non-functioning three uses ago?

The rest of them I agree with, but wasn't it specifically the hydaelyn buff/necromancy patch that wore off?

[BigBoom550]

The rest of them I agree with, but wasn't it specifically the hydaelyn buff/necromancy patch that wore off?

Yep. Hydaelyn's Form to the Formless, not Azem's summoning.

[IttyBittyShark]

And just to continue off the previous post a bit: I think Zooral Ja would have been perfect as the initial winner. He should not have been an obvious villain (he's IMMEDIATELY pointed out as someone who CANNOT win) but presented as someone who is ruthless and extremely skillful due to wanting to surpass his dad and meet the lofty expectations of his birth. Wuk's loss would have been a perfect point to better characterize Zooral Ja and also point out her immaturity and need to grow, while also giving Zooral Ja the means to go to the golden city and still kickstart his crusade for "better" world under his rule.

He also would have been a much better choice as the one who releases Valigarmanda. First, he wants to beat him to show he can surpass dad. Second, he doesn't care if Vali escapes and does some damage because he thinks people have become too complacent in times of peace. Third, if someone questioned why he did such an awful thing, he could easily justify it: Vali's ice was going to melt one day and release him, he wanted to finish him once and for all. It would have turned this "villainous" act into something somewhat morally gray, and in total line with his character.

But instead Bakool Ja Ja released him because funi prank bro to slow down the others, hee hee. He did it in front of witnesses and didn't get disqualified or reprimanded at all.

after reading things like this where players come up with things off the tops of their heads that are infinitely better than what we got, it just makes me so sad to be honest. i really miss how rich FFXIV storytelling used to be. why can a player come up with better themes, plot-points, and characterization than the people who are being paid to make the story? it's sorely disappointing how different things could be.

part of me feels bad because i feel like i really did just come on the forums to complain. sometimes i wonder if all the negative feedback saddens the developers in any way. it makes me feel sad as well to think about that. on the other hand this is a live service game that we all pay for and most people always really look forward to the 40-60 hour MSQ playthrough.

thanks for putting some headcanon food in my brain. i've honestly been trying to rewrite things in my head just so that it pleases me more lol. i had fun with Dawntrail, but it was not good.

[Voidmage]

i didnt use duty support after first dungeon in DT so i though i use it again for 4th dungeon (vanguard)

and wtf happened with wuk lamat dialogue? why she become such a showoff in a wrong way, her dialogue during duty support is mostly "that was easy!!!" "thats all they can do?" "this is all they can send to us?"

like.. what? in the first dungeon at least she was very cautious, none of her dialogue is snobbish like that, even against giant walrus from the first dungeon her reaction is "iam not going to look that creature the same way again", at least she still cautious about it, now she suddenly feel like vergil from DMC with every words she spoke is literally humiliating them

i get she finally beaten bakool ja ja but thats not how you do character progress

I‘m normally someone who always used duty support for new content and tries to read every dialogue in the duty.

I think at the second trial I just stopped with them.
I didn‘t want to see Wuk Lamat any longer, the characters had absolutely nothing interesting to say and the thing you said.
She really grated my nerves with every single line more.

As an introvert Wuk Lamat would be someone in real live who would absolutely drain my energy every time she is around.

Thank god she is not a trust.

Even the dungeon with the soul separation is boring with trusts.
Such an interesting concept and vile process and all they is is „oh my god“.
Nothing more and the entire topic is dropped at the end of the expansion anyway.
The people still use souls…

[Verathel]

They can retell as many stories as they want, borrow from whatever FF they want and utilize it however they want as long as the eternal cardinal rule of storytelling is followed.

Make it good...

And the entire MSQ being such a roller coaster ride of quality was genuinely unnerving to me.

[royox]

i didnt use duty support after first dungeon in DT so i though i use it again for 4th dungeon (vanguard)

and wtf happened with wuk lamat dialogue? why she become such a showoff in a wrong way, her dialogue during duty support is mostly "that was easy!!!" "thats all they can do?" "this is all they can send to us?"

like.. what? in the first dungeon at least she was very cautious, none of her dialogue is snobbish like that, even against giant walrus from the first dungeon her reaction is "iam not going to look that creature the same way again", at least she still cautious about it, now she suddenly feel like vergil from DMC with every words she spoke is literally humiliating them

i get she finally beaten bakool ja ja but thats not how you do character progress

Funny enough, I had to do the 2nd trial with Trust because it was very late at night and there was NOBODY, I paid some attention to dialogue and most of the time I was laughing because every party member was giving indications like "get close!" "check the swords!" "get some distance" but all Wuk Lamat's dialogue was "WHAT'S HAPPENING?", "I don't know where to look!!", "I didn't see that coming!". Poor thing was SO lost xD

[Midare]

Earlier when I was listening to the playthrough of the MSQ by a content creator I had a realization.

In that moment when Poochie gets kidnapped and Koana tells us about how he was abandoned by his parents, he mentions how Poochie arrived some time after he had been adopted and how he felt the need to treat her as family because she was "cast out" just like he was.

...except that she was not cast out but rather, handed to Galool JaJa for her safety, and her father (who knows where the mother is), still cares enough for her to essentially rig the feat of repast for her.

So Koana basically got all this attachment towards her because he thought she was in the same position, but it's all based on a delusion.

I feel bad for Koana.

[MartinFreeman]

Earlier when I was listening to the playthrough of the MSQ by a content creator I had a realization.

In that moment when Poochie gets kidnapped and Koana tells us about how he was abandoned by his parents, he mentions how Poochie arrived some time after he had been adopted and how he felt the need to treat her as family because she was "cast out" just like he was.

...except that she was not cast out but rather, handed to Galool JaJa for her safety, and her father (who knows where the mother is), still cares enough for her to essentially rig the feat of repast for her.

So Koana basically got all this attachment towards her because he thought she was in the same position, but it's all based on a delusion.

I feel bad for Koana.

More of her Mary Stu-ness popping up. She came from luxury. Whereas Koana is said to come from the backwater tribe in Shaaloni. So even her backstory isn't sympathic. Everything was handed to her.

If I had to write it, I would make Wuk into a semi antagonist who has everything going to her head cause she's actually privileged. It would make her "everyone just be happy and accept" personality make more sense cause then people can just reason that she's too naive from a sheltered background to understand the real world.

Just like Alphinauld did back in ARR.

[LisseyCrowe]

Guys let's not forget there were literal attempts on her life, as a child no less. Besides, I don't think Koana meant to treat her like family her because he thought she was all alone, it seemed clear to me he did so because he didn't want her to grow alone like he did.

On the other hand, it is weird that there was an attempted murder and the king just goes "Don't worry, I'll adopt her". It's not necessarily a bad story beat, but again, there's such a crucial lack of flashbacks or any in-depth explanation of the past, which is a shame because we literally have the Echo to explore such things. And by weird I do mean that if he truly did adopt her just for that, then there'd be 34 more Promises fighting for the throne.

EDIT: Actually thinking about it it's even weirder to consider he adopted her because he knew there'd be more attempts on her life because of an unresolved conflict and just ... proceeded to keep ignoring that conflict. I swear with every question comes three more.

[ZXN]

Earlier when I was listening to the playthrough of the MSQ by a content creator I had a realization.

In that moment when Poochie gets kidnapped and Koana tells us about how he was abandoned by his parents, he mentions how Poochie arrived some time after he had been adopted and how he felt the need to treat her as family because she was "cast out" just like he was.

...except that she was not cast out but rather, handed to Galool JaJa for her safety, and her father (who knows where the mother is), still cares enough for her to essentially rig the feat of repast for her.

So Koana basically got all this attachment towards her because he thought she was in the same position, but it's all based on a delusion.

I feel bad for Koana.

Part of me was hoping during the MSQ we'd get a similar thing like we did with Wuk, where we run into the birth parent/parents of Koana, or at least part of the nomadic clan he came from, maybe in Shaaloani for example, and get a small scene or two to kind of build that backstory part of his up a bit. It would've been one hell of a thing to find out where unlike Wuk's father, who gave her up to Gulool Ja Ja for her safety, Koana's parents left him legitimately because they didn't want him anymore and they could care less what became of him.

Unfortunately though, Koana is not named Wuk Lamat, so to me it kind of felt like the devs just picked a random prompt from the ol "Sad backstory hat" and just threw it in there for Koana as an easy character backstory to give him, and will most likely not be touched upon at all in the post-MSQ. But one can hope while inhaling the cope because Koana really is one of the best things about Dawntrail.