The duty support is bad for the game's story.

[Nestama]

Duty Support is fine, BUT I feel SE should really maybe consider throwing in random no-name NPC adventurers like they did for ARR and some HW and StB dungeons.

I love the Scions, but... are they really our only friends? Surely we have an adoring fan or three-seven somewhere, eager to stand next to us.

[Ephremjlm]

I mean I agree that TAILORING the story around duty support is dumb, just use the Azem crystal or random NPC's.

That said ironically in the same way that Trusts kinda killed the social aspect of FFXI, it could do the opposite with FFXIV if they pushed the game that way. They wouldn't be shackled by the main story elements forcing us to do dailies and such. Also it means that we no longer have to cater to toxic people like that of those in dungeons who don't want to try or learn dungeons and instead force everyone to slow down at THEIR pace. Now if they want to go slower they can just use trusts. Those that want to go faster play the optimal way with people. And idk I feel like we have seen the devs open up leveling a bit more. One thing I think DT did really right is that fates actually give/gave decent xp in comparison to anything else on patch release.

[Reimmi]

"The only way we can reach [Level 99 Trial Boss] is going through this very dangerous dungeon. There is no other way!"

*we reach the trial boss and 4 more Scions walk out of a broom closet so we have 8*

It's funny since we have the crystal, why can't we just summon the avatars of the scions to fight with us instead of making them jump across the planet to us

[Catwho]

That's not the fault of Duty Support, though. They made Duty Support in ARR make perfect sense, as you watched your companions grow through the levels and gain confidence in themselves. Or you have that moment in Elpis when the dungeon comes up and you realize just who exactly there is available to come with you because the story has set it all up properly.

The issue in Dawntrail was just a lack of creativity and just throwing the Scions in because classes were needed for dungeons. It was as absurd as Lyse joking about finding 7 friends who just happened to be on a fishing trip nearby to go help you battle Susano. They need to set the stage in the story why certain NPCs would be available and that's what they failed to do in Dawntrail.

As absurd as that joke seems on the surface, it's entirely plausible with Ruby Dragon being in that zone that there might be a dozen random high level adventurers trying to catch a stupid fish.

[TaleraRistain]

As absurd as that joke seems on the surface, it's entirely plausible with Ruby Dragon being in that zone that there might be a dozen random high level adventurers trying to catch a stupid fish.

Possibly, but we had to call in favors to get ourselves over there due to the environment before we helped improve it, so at that point in the story fellow adventurers may have run into the same issues.

I did appreciate with that little quip that the devs did acknowledge how silly it was sometimes that we magically had just the people we needed to face something.

[-Kairi]

Just have a scene where the Scions talk about how we can always call on them in times of need, even when we're far apart, and then say we're using Azem's crystal to summon them as needed. Teleport magics are canon, they can leave on their own when we're done. Thancred might need some kind of handwave, though.

Lmfao, Thancred

[Jangles]

The issue in Dawntrail was just a lack of creativity and just throwing the Scions in because classes were needed for dungeons. It was as absurd as Lyse joking about finding 7 friends who just happened to be on a fishing trip nearby to go help you battle Susano. They need to set the stage in the story why certain NPCs would be available and that's what they failed to do in Dawntrail.

They don't even need to set that up, it's fine if it works out in a way where the amount of people needed for a trial match up with what's happeneing in the story but still, story and gameplay don't need to represent eachother 1:1 to a fault.

[LibitIncarne]

"The only way we can reach [Level 99 Trial Boss] is going through this very dangerous dungeon. There is no other way!"

*we reach the trial boss and 4 more Scions walk out of a broom closet so we have 8*

this would have been fine if we had all 7 as options for Duty Support like what happened with:
(Shadowbringers)
Malikah's Well
Mount Gulg
Amaurot
Anamnesis Anyder
The Heroes' Gauntlet
Paglth'an

(Endwalker)
The Tower of Babil
(Vanaspati would be here if not for Urianger being on the moon)
The Aitiascope (Which also goes immediately into a Trial)
The Dead Ends

[VeyaAkemi]

Thancred might need some kind of handwave, though.

Thancred can't cast magic anymore, but us summoning him wouldn't be him using magic, it's even explicit that he can use magic indirectly if some other mechanism casts the spell and he simply contributes the aether, like when he used the experimental Aetheryte to go to Thavnair.