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

[lolnotacat]

....or any part of the MSQ that even hints that going on a big game hunt might have been in the cards as part of the rites?

Replaced with tacos, rubber bullets, and alpaca saddles. lol. LMAO even

[Bellybell]

https://x.com/umadori0726/status/183...aqahUM5IiSvciA

So they says, you can just let 'HER' solo the last boss trial.

WoL is officially Wuk of Lamat now

[SwadTheFrog]

With the subject of Valigarmanda coming up, I've been thinking about it, and I've come to the conclusion of it being *the* single laziest and most phoned-in MSQ trial in all of 14 in set up and execution. To explain that, let's first have a quick look at every single MSQ trial in the game.

Ifrit : Summoned to basically eat you as a sacrifice. Arena is just the desert.

Titan : Summoned to defend the kobolds, arena is a bit weird in that it's a large stone circle, but the location at least makes sense in that it deep in Kobold territory.

Garuda : Summoned by the Ixal to I believe attack the garleans? Or step on you - regardless, to defend an area. Fought in Ixal territory in the middle of a whirlwind.

Mr. Ritalin : Arena is just a normal cliffside. Fighting to protect a generator, if I remember right. Just a guy in armor. Obviously won't back down.

Ultima Weapon : Piloted to specifically defeat you, fought in a Garlean base.

Narbiales : One of the most asspully locations, fought somewhere through a dimensional rift, but the fight makes sense - he kidnapped Minfilia and wants to kill you.

Greg : It's Greg and he's on a big bridge.

King Mog : Fought in the forest, summoned because the moogles have grown worried and paranoid.

Leviathan : Summoned to defend Sahagin territory, there is specifically a whole plot point about constructing a ship that can pursue him while you fight the Primal, while being resilient to just being sunk.

Ramuh : Fought atop of a big tree, specifically wants to test your might and mettle.

Shiva : Fought on the ruins of an apmhitheatre, she's cornered and wants to fight for Ishgard.

Ravana : Summoned to defend Vath territory, fights in you their hive and because he really, really likes to fight honorably. Bugbro.

Bismark : It's a giant dumb flying whale that eat islands - there is a whole plotpoint ab out creating a lure for it ,and you fight atop of a floating island being tugged around by the Enterprise, so it makes sense why it can't just run off.

Thordan : Fought in just an Allagan facility, wants to kill you to become Captain King.

Nidhogg : Fights you on the steps of faith, consumed by revenge and wants to murder you and everyone.

[SwadTheFrog]

Susano : Fights you underwater in Kojin territory, summoned to defend the Kojin. Also just likes fun and fights anyway.

Lakshimi : Forgot she existed, if I'm going to be blunt, but it's the same story as all the primals at this point. Fought atop of a summoned arena that is admittedly one of the oddest.

Shinryu : Mr. Fight Autism himself. Fought atop of the menageria and later brings you to the skies -which, while being a bit odd, I can excuse him making an arena to fight you on.

Tsukoyomi : Fought in a Garlean base, insane with revenge and has a deathwish anyway.

Titania : Fought in a castle, is also insane and needs to be put down.

Innocence : Fought atop of his palace in Mt Gulg, with a infamous series of quests that detailsl and explains how you can even get there.

Hades : Fought in a reconstruction of Aumarot, obviously needs to kill you for the Rejoining.

Warrior of Light : Fought atop of the crystal tower, also *needs* to kill you.

Zodiark : Fought in the moon's core, the arena admittedly makes no sense in existing, but the fight makes enough sense. Fandango is insane and wants to break out of it, and you're trying to stop him.

Hydaelin : Fought in the aetherial sea, wants to fight you so you can prove yourself.

Endsinger : Fought atop of Shinryu, because it was very specifically using it's flying ability to play keep away and blast all your buddies. Can't run away from you due to it.

Golbez : The fight makes sense, wants to kill you, but the Arena is one of the worst, as it is just random C U B E

Zeromus : Fought in the Core of the red moon, is an insane creature that won't stop fighting.

[SwadTheFrog]

So, that was a massive list, but to outline something specific. For the most part, the fight makes *Sense*, it makes sense why the enemy cannot just run away, and the arena is almost always justified in some way. So now let's look at Valigarmanda.

It is SPECIFICALLY stated as a very clever creature. It specifically can fly very fast and anywhere. We chase it (on foot), catch up to it because it's "regaining it's energies in a mountain chain rich in Ether" - which, fine. Makes enough sense at least. What doesn't make sense is that the arena is a rectangular shaped mountain peak with literally no visible way to get in - there's no scene of the party running past a bridge and the bridge being destroyed, or flying in some way to get there, or anything. It's just a conveniently shaped, tiny arena in the middle of the peaks that makes no sense but is meant to be an actual location, rather than a summoned location.

That's already very lazy, but then there's the fact that Valigarmanda...has no reason to fight you. At all. It is a beast, sure, but it is a clever beast, and it can fly. And quite literally NONE of you can fly, have made preparations to stop it from flying like harpoons, or anything of the sorts. There is genuinely nothing stopping it from reaching 50% HP, going "aight, no, I'm done" and flying off.

And the thing is - that's suspension of disbelief, and many fights have that issue too. I'm happy to suspend my disbelief in why an enemy hasn't just decided to run away for the most part as "Well, we're blocking the way, so even if Zodiark is massive and could just bulldoze through us, whatever, it's enuogh of an excuse" ,or "We have harpoons, if Bismark tries to run, we can chain it back over". - the fight genuinely makes no sense.

It's the equivalent of playing D&D, of the DM tossing an ancient red dragon your way - a very cruel but very SMART creature, having it land to fight you in melee, and as it starts to get it's ass kicked, it just...keeps fighting, instead of flying away to try to save itself or hide in it's hoard. It is so absurdly lazy and nonsensical.

[Derio]

Yea Wuk Lamat doing a super LB2 to finish off the final boss in the story did not feel great. If you were watching a movie it would be fine. But this is a video game where we are the main character. Wuk Lamat's spotlight in DT makes Lyse spotlight in SB look like a joke.

[MoiraTerrwell]

Man I was so excited when her story arc was done and we could continue with Erenville, cause she was doing my head in learning nothing from her siblings. If we'd been with Koana she'd not even had a single shot she had the largest entourage with the smartest and strongest people (Urianger and Thancred being excused from this list for Dawntrail, Y'shtola and G'raha staying at home and Estinien going on his own adventure... wish I could've joined him instead). We'd have had Koana on the dawnthrone within half the story.

And I get that the message is that you gotta get to know people to understand them, but by Hydaelyn it was being shoved so hard.

and after my way too short break with Erenville, she showed back up again. All the Sphene's did my head in. Her showing up at the very end for another Sphene made me genuinely mad.

[LittleArrow]

I'm pretty disappointed in Yoshida. Everytime there's been a controversy, he's either chosen to stay silent and it seems the dev team reels it back, or he'll comment on it either explaining why they're doing what they're doing or apologize and explain how they're going to fix it.

What a stark contrast to the stubborn and totally out of touch Yoshida of today. I would understand / read between the lines if he just stayed quiet, but the comments I'm seeing now are really frustrating. Comments like, Oh yeah we knew people weren't going to like it, but it's the start of a new adventure so we're happy with the pacing - is so insulting to every foundation he has built so far. You know what other game companies willfully and knowingly made games they knew their fans wouldn't like? Most of the game studios that are closed today. Pretty crazy how many game studios are shutting down and Yoshi + team feel their best solution is to just double down.

He once commented on the developers of WoW, questioning if they play their game because of the disconnect - well I think we can safely assume who's playing and not playing their games anymore with the incredible disconnect that is every response from the SE team. Shameful.

[MoiraTerrwell]

if I could rewind time, I'd pluck Emet out of the aetherial sea and ask him what the hell?

If I could rewind time I'd literally let myself just lose and him win, because surely our life as the most powerful Sin Eater Ever is more glorious than dealing with Wuk Lamat.

[ReynTime]

https://x.com/umadori0726/status/183...aqahUM5IiSvciA

So they says, you can just let 'HER' solo the last boss trial.

WoL is officially Wuk of Lamat now

Not too surprising when they were already making quite a few solo duties even on the default difficulty winnable by just letting the NPCs take care of it.

For all the improvement to dungeon and trial mechanic designs they keep finding ways to make the MSQ more of a leisure stroll with no challenge.