Synodic Scribe's "The Steady Change in Writing..." Video

[Zackneifein]

All of this amounts to "right place, right time". We never made some pivotal decision that landed us there. We were always just going with the flow and doing what we were told to do. This is the opposite of what player agency describes.

Character agency isn't just about making decision, even more in a RPG game with a linear story. It's also either being the key for the story to progress (that's why Zero have a lot of agency during 6.x) or that it's logical for the character to do what it do. There isn't any of that in Dawntrail, while it's present for any story before.

"Lore wise", the WoL isn't going with the flow during Heavensward. They are doing what they do because they want to, to repay House Fortemps kindness, same for Stormblood, the war is inevitable, this make no sense for the WoL not to take part (even more when you think that due to the Griffin, the WoL may think themself part responsible).
After realising that only they could beat Zenos, they become the key element of the story, without the WoL, there isn't any way for the story to progress in any positive way.
Won't even start with Shadowbringer and Endwalker.

And Heavensward isn't a "right place, right time". The war was supposed to be an "eternal suffering" for Ishgardian, it's the WoL and it's companion that created the situation for peace and the fall of Niddhog.

To be more clear : even if it's a game where we make no decision by design, narratively the WoL isn't a pushover... until Dawntrail.

[Bonoki]

There was a moment in Heavensward where the Warrior of Light clenched their fists, seemingly about to strike Emmanellain, before Thancred stepped in and did it instead. It was one of the rare times our character showed real emotion. Later, Yoshi-P apologized for this, acknowledging that it took too much agency away from how players felt their characters would have reacted. He even stated he wouldn’t do it again.

[Exmo]

...

Everything I'm saying is falling on deaf ears. Let's just agree to disagree.

[Auro_Seldaris]

I preferred it when the WoL wasn’t such a focal point. I think of it like a book because, in a book, you—the reader—aren’t the main character. In fact, you’re not a character at all. That’s one of the reasons ARR through SB felt so much like a novel—except instead of reading it, we were playing it. I had never experienced anything as immersive as that in all my years of media consumption. Great times.

It is not a book.
It is a video game.

The interactivity is a fundamental part of the experience. If you want a novel-type experience where you're a third-party observer and not an actual part of the story, go read a novel then.

Why do people come play FFXIV when they know how focused on the WoL it is? There's another MMO you can play where you're not the main character, and never have been, it's called World of Warcraft. If that's what you want out of a story, then perhaps you should check that out. I hate this mentality of "bringing the WoW mediocrity over here". Please leave those of us who want our character to be important to enjoy the game where we ARE important in peace, instead of forcing what we don't want on us, thank you. It was bad enough in Dawntrail, I don't want more of that.

Also, I kind of feel like you're having a basic media literacy problem here, because it's been pretty clear since ARR that you're special in SOME way. Why wouldn't the Eikon Slayer - one of only a handful of people to be able to go toe to toe with primals and come out not only with their brain unscrambled, but victorious to boot - be a main character in the story? As a Star Trek fan, I do enjoy when the entire ensemble gets to shine, but to say that Kirk, or Picard, or Sisko aren't the main character would be silly and disingenuous. Same here - I like it best when the entire cast gets some good moments and time in the spotlight, but to say that our character isn't or shouldn't be important is silly and disingeunous.

Speaking of things I don't like... I dislike this Yoshida-forced insistence on the WoL just being some "Random adventurer" again. This constantly referring to us not as the Warrior of Light, but the "Champion of Eorzea" nonsense. They tried it in 6.x, they tried it in 7.0, you can tell this is someone on the team's pet idea (probably Yoshida himself). It's being forced and it's not working, they need to stop. You can't put this cat back in the bag.

[Carin-Eri]

And that's the main problem. It's not just that the focus isn't on the WoL, it can work that way. It's that the WoL isn't relevant at all and didn't even have it's moment to shine (truely shine, the 2 - 3 cutscenes where the WoL is supposed to be "badass" or somes lines about being "dangerous" aren't enough at all).
There is already more agency for the WoL in the Raid content that in all the MSQ combined.

Apologies for repeating something I've said before, but it's certainly relevant in this context.

I didn't hate Dawntrail, personally. I actually enjoyed it for the most part. However, as you've said, it did feel like any moment the Warrior of Light could've been more relevant to the plot was downplayed. And, in my opinion, the very worst offender in this respect was the dialogue at the start of the Interphos trial, where Queen Eternal identifies us as "the single greatest threat". And honestly? I thought the first half of that fight was awesome.... until the whole thing was ruined by the total contradiction of that "single greatest threat" statement - namely having Wuk Lamat appear midway through the fight and present us with a unnecessary 'here I come to save the day!' moment.
The worst element of it all was that it didn't actually change anything and took the wind out of the sails of the fight (for me at least). And worst of all? Narratively, it didn't really make a difference - all we got was a "I won't change my mind" moment and then Wuk Lamat turning Super Saiyan, demoting us into her little helpers.

It really annoyed me - I'd love to know why the hell the writers couldn't sideline Wuk Lamat just once, particularly considering Queen Eternal's opening statement!

[Zackneifein]

There was a moment in Heavensward where the Warrior of Light clenched their fists, seemingly about to strike Emmanellain, before Thancred stepped in and did it instead. It was one of the rare times our character showed real emotion. Later, Yoshi-P apologized for this, acknowledging that it took too much agency away from how players felt their characters would have reacted. He even stated he wouldn’t do it again.

If that's what he wanted to do, he absolutly failed.
The WoL is everything but a blank character. And even then, "agency" in defining a personality for a character has nothing to do with "agency" in the story.

[Auro_Seldaris]

Apologies for repeating something I've said before, but it's certainly relevant in this context.

I didn't hate Dawntrail, personally. I actually enjoyed it for the most part. However, as you've said, it did feel like any moment the Warrior of Light could've been more relevant to the plot was downplayed. And, in my opinion, the very worst offender in this respect was the dialogue at the start of the Interphos trial, where Queen Eternal identifies us as "the single greatest threat". And honestly? I thought the first half of that fight was awesome.... until the whole thing was ruined by the total contradiction of that "single greatest threat" statement - namely having Wuk Lamat appear midway through the fight and present us with a unnecessary 'here I come to save the day!' moment.
The worst element of it all was that it didn't actually change anything and took the wind out of the sails of the fight (for me at least). And worst of all? Narratively, it didn't really make a difference - all we got was a "I won't change my mind" moment and then Wuk Lamat turning Super Saiyan, demoting us into her little helpers.

It really annoyed me - I'd love to know why the hell the writers couldn't sideline Wuk Lamat just once, particularly considering Queen Eternal's opening statement!

What really genuinely pissed me off was the buff. I'm not inspired by you, Wuk Lamat, because you're not that inspiring. I was actually offended by the implication that I, the Warrior of Light, Savior of Etheirys, slayer of the embodiment of despair... was inspired by her.

Talk about taking away character agency , what if I don't want to like her?

If that's what he wanted to do, he absolutly failed.
The WoL is everything but a blank character. And even then, "agency" in defining a personality for a character has nothing to do with "agency" in the story.

This is how we end up with such bland characterization. They do something - the WoL clenching their fist, Y'shtola and her magical girl summons, etc, - and the community has an absolute shitfit about it. Yoshida apologizes for actually trying to make these characters.. well, characters, so they never do it again.

[Daralii]

What really genuinely pissed me off was the buff. I'm not inspired by you, Wuk Lamat, because you're not that inspiring. I was actually offended by the implication that I, the Warrior of Light, Savior of Etheirys, slayer of the embodiment of despair... was inspired by her.

Talk about taking away character agency , what if I don't want to like her?

As per Yoshida, she's actually an amazing character and we just don't get it. Not liking her isn't allowed.

[Valence]

Stormblood has practically nothing to do with Hydaelyn and Zodiark though. Why would you even consider it part of the story? It's the "Boring middle part" that ultimately matters very little in the end.

Neither does HW then, unless you consider that there is an Ascian trying to pull the string behind Thordan, but then it's been the same behind garlemald for a way longer time. And that's the point, the WoL is constantly fighting events set in motion by ascians one way or another, whether it's an invading imperial legion (ARR), an endless war (HW), an invading foreign power (SB). It just happens that hydaelyn vs zodiark becomes more relevant in SHB and onward because that's where we finally start unraveling what's behind the veil instead of fighting threats sent at the world to generate a rejoining.

Trying to drive a wegde between interconnected events is pointless. That you found the middle part boring is one thing, but it doesn't change the fact that the middle part is no less important to the story than what happened before, it just continues raising the stakes and making the looming threats growing closer and closer until ShB happens, and this time the only reason you actually move the story forward into deeper revelations is Emet Selch amusingly enough, because without him it would have ended up being about twarting yet another ascian threat, just in a more "after the fact" fashion than most due to the state of the First when the WoL finally comes there. If anything, the Stormblood middle part is literally what drives the story toward Endwalker Garlemald, and set things in motion for the final days to trigger.

[GrizzlyTank]

Since the end of SHB the political drama in the story has been gone. Which was one of the major things adding suspense and weight to the world.