I can't connect with the Memories of Vanadiel

[Shinku_Tachi]

See, that's the problem I have. After Yoshida constantly telling us to stop playing XIV and take breaks to play other games, now we have them telling us to do the same with XI. I don't want to. It sounds interesting as a game for sure, but I play XIV. I'd like XIV to stop actually leaning on other games to provide enjoyment.

It's not about being tired of playing XIV.

Let me apologize for not wording things better.

My intention wasn't a "pffff, if you're tired of 14, play other games" blow you off post. If that's the message my post sent, I'm sorry.

It was meant as general recommendation (because of how much joy 11 brought me in the past), in the event that you put 14 down in the future.

[DynnDiablos]

Hell, I played FFXI religiously back in the day on PS2 with the expanded HDD (the game came in a big white box lol) and I STILL have no connection to this greatest hits hallway of a raid.

[Daralii]

From what I've heard the Zero story line was a complete rehash of FF4 and now the same appears to be happening with FF9?

It's less that it's a retelling of IX(Endwalker's patch MSQ was mostly a bad retelling of IV with plenty of eyeroll moments if you're familiar with it) and more that it's plucking elements of IX, gesturing wildly towards them, and demanding you care because it's something you kind of recognize. IX is my favorite mainline FF and I just hate the expansion more because of it. The broad strokes of VPR's visuals are also copied and pasted from IX's main character, just with worse character animations.

[Auro_Seldaris]

It's less that it's a retelling of IX(Endwalker's patch MSQ was mostly a bad retelling of IV with plenty of eyeroll moments if you're familiar with it) and more that it's plucking elements of IX, gesturing wildly towards them, and demanding you care because it's something you kind of recognize. IX is my favorite mainline FF and I just hate the expansion more because of it. The broad strokes of VPR's visuals are also copied and pasted from IX's main character, just with worse character animations.

Yup, this is the same exact feeling my friend has about this. You're not alone, Daralii.

[PharisHanasaki]

Ashamed to say it, but I ended up skipping half the quests. I simply did not connect with the characters at all.

[Underscore]

The "theme park ride for a movie you haven't seen" analogy describes it perfectly, this is just how I feel as well. That might be why the post-Endwalker MSQ didn't resonate with me much either.

The Return to Ivalice raid story wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed how it expanded XIV's world. The lore elements borrowed from Tactics were integrated into the setting in a way that felt convincing and interesting to me despite not having played Tactics. FFXIV's world was full of mystery and intrigue back then, and the Ivalice raids scratched that itch. They also led to Bozja, which is the best content in the entire game.

Echoes of Vana'diel on the other hand takes the already questionable plot device of Electrope and uses it as a flimsy excuse to give us a nonsensical slideshow of "thing from other game", purely to evoke nostalgia for a title I've never played.

[Domina]

Felt pretty haphazardly put together like the first one as well.

Definitely feels like a direction issue .... it reminds me of what a mad man once said:

Sloppy!

and another:

Please look forward to it.


I like to think that sums up FFXIV these days

[Veritas-Ancora]

I really just wish FFXIV would drop the Nostalgia bait and start focusing more on an original, exciting content and lore. (The exciting because myths raids were an original but not exciting)

I'm the polar opposite. I LOVE the nostalgia.

The nostalgia is what keeps me subbed to this game.

Void Ark was proof that independent storytelling is not particularly grand.

MSQ does a really good job keeping the theme park at bay, but the alliances and raids are all about that nostalgia.

[RedLolly]

The only one that felt "cheap" to me were the Omega raids. Very fun fights that were just a rotation of old bosses with zero context until it actually had us fighting Omega itself, which was connected to original FFXIV lore.

It's probably better than how I and several others felt during the Nier raids: disconnected, confused, annoyed, and with eyestrain.

When I replayed ShB, I just never unlocked them.

[Moonlite]

The raid makes me wish for a real update to 11.