Dawntrail's MSQ story is a disaster and waste of potential. [full spoilers]

[jameseoakes]

Congratulations everyone, we are getting more Wuk Lamat in the patch (notes) and the... hereditary ruler child of solution 9 / clone of Zoraal Ja and we get a glimpse into Zoraal Ja's ... past? Instead of glimpsing into his past in in the main MSQ while he was still relevant? Oooof.

Hard times ahead. (Honestly I don't mind the kid, but I hope they don't have him declared king without pushback. I sure as heck would protest if some foreign ruler savior or not would come in and be like "Hey guys, this is your new king and I'm his new guardian, Wuk Lamat awayyyyyyy")

The whole plot around Alexander having a child king forced on it whos a puppet of another monarch just seems so badly thought through, I just struggle to see how they won't get that to feel terrible

[Ronivan]

Another person who has no clue what consultancy companies do. I know it's hard to accept that your favourite game company has incompetent writers, but that's really what it is.

So you know what they do as to invalidate my statement by simple saying I do not know? I have provided information explaining one aspect of the work, while you have provided nothing beside your own opinion. Could you provide information that counter my argument I have provided in my post?

[Maltothoris]

Well if you want any more proof, it's a shame we didn't get post game stuff like this. https://x.com/aitaikimochi/status/1844949578027761836

Edit: Outfits already there but the scenarios would of been nice.

[Carin-Eri]

Well if you want any more proof, it's a shame we didn't get post game stuff like this. https://x.com/aitaikimochi/status/1844949578027761836

Edit: Outfits already there but the scenarios would of been nice.

I'd presume this was early in the development of Dawntrail, because as much as I would've liked that scenario I can't really see where it would've fit into what the MSQ became.

[Darko]

Congratulations everyone, we are getting more Wuk Lamat in the patch (notes)

Guess I'll do what I started doing halfway during MSQ, skip cutscenes and when I can't, mute sound and just not look at my screen until it's over.

[Hallarem]

DT wasnt as bad as the effect of Game of Thrones season 8, which soiled the rest of the series. But another similarly badly written MSQ for 9.0 might just do that.

[CuteBucket]

DT wasnt as bad as the effect of Game of Thrones season 8, which soiled the rest of the series. But another similarly badly written MSQ for 9.0 might just do that.

This is why I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic. Dawntrail SUCKED, flat out, but it was also mostly (for better and worse) a fully self-contained story. The only thing that happened that isn't resolved is what to do with the people of Alexander now that they're stuck on the Source (could be interesting, or could be terrible, could be mid, time will tell) and how to handle the inter-dimensional grail thingy the plot dropped on our heads. I still adore what came before (well, certain issues with Endwalker aside) and this hasn't killed that love I have for the game...yet. But they're on thin ice.

Don't squander this game's legacy, SE. Respect the writers and the established lore that came before. Things can get better, but only if there is time and care and respect put in from the top down, which I felt was really lacking this time around.

[Daralii]

This is why I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic. Dawntrail SUCKED, flat out, but it was also mostly (for better and worse) a fully self-contained story. The only thing that happened that isn't resolved is what to do with the people of Alexander now that they're stuck on the Source (could be interesting, or could be terrible, could be mid, time will tell) and how to handle the inter-dimensional grail thingy the plot dropped on our heads. I still adore what came before (well, certain issues with Endwalker aside) and this hasn't killed that love I have for the game...yet. But they're on thin ice.

Don't squander this game's legacy, SE. Respect the writers and the established lore that came before. Things can get better, but only if there is time and care and respect put in from the top down, which I felt was really lacking this time around.

Yoshida said in an interview that DT's reception was about what he expected, so the MSQ was apparently expected to flop and they were content to ship it that way despite the story being one of the main elements that the game used to ride to success. Based on that and how far in advance they work, I don't think there's much chance of a turnaround unless the financials are really that bad(and they might be based on his more recent "We're working on it, please don't retire" comment), and even then it wouldn't be until 7.3 at the earliest.

[jameseoakes]

Yoshida said in an interview that DT's reception was about what he expected, so the MSQ was apparently expected to flop and they were content to ship it that way despite the story being one of the main elements that the game used to ride to success. Based on that and how far in advance they work, I don't think there's much chance of a turnaround unless the financials are really that bad(and they might be based on his more recent "We're working on it, please don't retire" comment), and even then it wouldn't be until 7.3 at the earliest.

The please don't retire comment really makes me wonder how bad things might be for them to say that

[Rhivryn]

Just adding my voice to the cacophony, but i loved the Dawntrail story, tho I agree with some of the OP's criticisms (such as lack of combat/varied gameplay in general) but disagree they make DT "the worst" or the fact that they imply 6.0 and ARR are 'bad.'

My biggest criticism with the story was:
*I wanted more with Valigarmanda, he was my fave part of the story, I loved him so much. I listened to his boss music for a week straight. But the transition from him being set free to us going to fight him....he's like gone. There needed to be a cutscene or two of him rampaging across the countryside. Also, killing him off immediately just felt like wasted potential, to me. I dunno. I wanted more. (reluctant Midgardsormr 2.0? optional dialogue if you've done the four lord story line where you can have him go be with them and not be an arse instead of dying? i know xiv has never done that, just a stray thought I had typing this.)

*The final area was great (imo) if a bit slow; but from finishing the zone story to before the final Dungeon; Sphene makes zero comment on anything we did at all? Like if you cut out the entire final zone, and just teleported from the Gate in the Cenote to the door of the Final Dungeon, Sphene's motivation and dialogue virtually don't change? She made zero acknowledgment to any action we took in the final area; so to me, it felt rushed and half-implemented in regards to her writing specifically? And her "goodbye" death scene felt like it didn't really resolve anything? I dunno.

*Zorall Ja becoming the villain was whatever to me, I thought his little punk assistant was gonna have a bigger role (I legit thought he might be a sundered Ascian for a bit), and I thought him just being unceremoniously disposed of halfway through was a waste of good villain potential.

*MY BIGGEST CRITICISM was the way they handled other people's reactions towards the WoL?!?!? When you are directly referenced by the other characters, usually the Scions or ERENVILLE; they constantly refer to you as if you're some kind of bloodthirsty mongrel who's barely keeping their bloodlust in check? Or some avatar of unrelenting violence, and I'm always caught off guard by it?! MY CHARCTER IS NOT LIKE THAT WTF? I'm playing a Monk, yes I can beat you up with my fists, but the whole point is like, knowing when not to fight, and protecting others, self-enrichment/enlightenment; and Erenville casually just being like "I know how much you want to, but please don't murder these people tee hee, it might get us in trouble!" and im like....THAT IS NOT WHO MY WOL IS! And it's weird because the Scions are supposed to be these scions of Justice, protecting people to their cost of their own lives; why would they associate with like, an unfettered raging violence machine, and treat them like Besties, if that were the case? It's very bizarre to me. I hated when they did that.

Otherwise, I loved everything else, including Wuk Lamat.