I can't connect with the Memories of Vanadiel

[Fawkes]

I think the big problem with the FFXI raid series for non XI players is that XIV doesn't seem to make any effort to properly explain a lot of the context of the places/people that are brought up, definitely not enough in a way that would actually inform someone with zero prior knowledge. They also weirdly choose to have these bosses and events go completely out of order from how they happen chronologically in FFXI... like we have some CoP stuff presented BEFORE Zilart stuff and even within the respective expacs the order of events is all jumbled. I don't know why they couldn't have at least summarized and organized the fights so newbies could get even a smidgen of understanding of what the storylines were.

I wonder if anybody who didn't play FFXI is even interacting with the lore NPC in Lower Jeuno. Not that it's a great way to tell you about the bosses, but that's what they went with.

Don't get me started on that filler sidequest after the raid with Prishe and that singer kid, it felt so tacked on just as an attempt to explore Prishe's character that I could just groan out of my mind. Seasonal event level of writing, literally.
If they have actual sidequest containers next to the alliance raid to use, they could at least put it to use in order for us to actually explore FF11 world, and perhaps BEFORE we get into the raids.

That's a shame, that was my favorite part so far. Although it's probably largely because of the instrumental/music box version of the song that was playing. We didn't get the orchestrion roll for it yet though, so I expect a similar cutscene next time too.


Also, Sareel Ja hinted that Elvaan Guy is actually someone else, so I look forward to the next raid's cutscene when he randomly transforms into Prince Trion and everybody who didn't play XI goes "literally who?" all at once.