What kind of villain do you want to see in the game?

[Raikai]

I still think that "justified" villains like Emet Selch are great, because it makes them more relatable and it's still something worth tackling again. But this time I want to actually see how an ally and hero descend into that path as the story progresses.

Other than that I'd also like to see, how some other poster mentioned, something like Lavos - not bound by man's morals and just a force of destruction. But that probably requires a supplementary villain to hold up on their own.

Actually, did the "scream from under the earth" was ever explained in Endwalker when the Final Days happened? At first I thought that would be a creature like Lavos, trapped in the Pandaemonium, who reacted 1st to Meteion's song, and was what actually caused the 'destruction' side of the Final Days like rain of fire or earthquakes, because AFAIK those environmental phenomena were never really explained.

[Boblawblah]

I want to unknowingly help the big bad for a good amount of time. Have them build up to be our close ally (NO HINTS), have us honestly think they're a good person, and not just for a single patch, (unless it's an expansion release). Then they drop the bomb on us, and tons of people die. And we basically enabled it, maybe even helped them. Then we become hated, like REALLY hated for a long time too, and are relegated to being pariahs, trying to help people that hate us.

Oh, maybe toss in some power loss like when Midgardsormr suppressed our light, but something different, and we have to build it back up.

My after work, random on the spot, thoughts

[Shinku_Tachi]

It's funny you say that because even if the devs did that some fans would still think they are misunderstood, especially if they make the main villain very attractive looking.

Sephiroth is a prime example of a deluded off their rocker villain, but fans still want to get in his pants because he's very attractive looking.

As a certified villain ******, this is me

In other words someone like Kefka.

Someone like him, or Weissmann from the Kiseki series, for sure. ^_^

I want to unknowingly help the big bad for a good amount of time. Have them build up to be our close ally (NO HINTS), have us honestly think they're a good person, and not just for a single patch, (unless it's an expansion release). Then they drop the bomb on us, and tons of people die. And we basically enabled it, maybe even helped them. Then we become hated, like REALLY hated for a long time too, and are relegated to being pariahs, trying to help people that hate us.

Now I absolutely LOVE this idea right here! Great idea!

[BlisteringFrost]

Make Wuk Lamat a villain so we have an excuse to put her down like a wildly vicious animal when she tries the cliche of summoning a primal.

[Hallarem]

I think they've made plenty of good villains. I just would like our allies to have tension again.

We used to have Estinien, Alphinaud and Iceheart not getting along. They weren't really friends. They were just tolerating eachother because they were doing the same task for different reasons and motivations, and had completely different ideas of how they were going to solve it. Then we had Urianger betraying us a bunch.

Now they all just nod their head at eachother. Their best attempt at "tension" now is Thancred and Urianger helping Koana instead of Wuk Lamat, but it was all in the spirit of friendly competition, and we very quickly just put it all aside. In fairness, it's impossible to have the scions oppose us in that sort of way because they know we have defeated gods, garlean emperors, lightwardens, voidsent, ancients, despair itself, and beings full of souls. But newer characters can do it because they don't have that context about us, or they can do it in a less direct way, such as Tataru getting upset that we borrowed the stapler, or one of the scions being upset at our plan of action and going it alone with their idea of how it should be solved, culminating in a big argument where we finally make up.

Very good point.
And probably why the Scions need to be sidelined for a longer time, we need new companions that do not get along and disagree with a lot of things, and bring personality into the mix. Then find similarities in other issues and work together. Group dynamics are very important in RPG's and all kind of storytelling. I'd kill for Fordola to come along with us, because she would 100% call nearly all the Scions corny as heck. I just feel like the game is growing softer on all fronts where they try to avoid anything even slightly upsetting or contradicting or nuanced.

The whole "Friendly competition" was a red herring for one scene in a dungeon, and then Koana gets tempered by Wuk Lamat and forgot he had his own aspirations and motivations. One of the best scenes was in Shadowbringers where the Scions argue in Raktika over Ryne. Thancred gets upset, Y'shtola gets upset at him. I don't know if its because the writers don't know how to do it or they are directed not to write anything complex.

[Hallarem]

Y'shtola would be a good villain if she discovers some ancient secret that convinces her that she needs to do something radical, such as in order to save the world from a future calamity. She is has become way to powerful to begin with -- too much plot armor.

To be fair, the other Scions have become too plot armoury as well, so much so that it wouldnt make sense to kill them off anymore. They kinda lost their chances, only thing that would've hit pretty hard would be Alphinaud going and Alisaie having to deal with that, having her own arc and the rest dealing with it. But they showed so little personality in Dawntrail and were like cardboard cutouts that I wouldnt care if one of them went anymore. It was like watching someone cosplay the Scions.

[Hallarem]

They also have written themselves into a corner because they pulled the trigger with any political stuff going on in the world. All the nations are in peace, Garlemald got nuked offscreen and they rushed Endwalker.

Hingashi is isolationist. Meracydia miiight have strife we need to solve? The Northern Roegadyn lands? Other shards? Middle part of the map, people trying to settle their new ruling parties after the Garleans left, power vacuums etc. Maybe even Garlemald itself later with their power vacuum?

BUT, here's the big BUT. I don't think they are thinking about it that deeply judged on the most recent tidbits of writing they have done. All nuance has been cast to the wind. Peace is the most important thing they want to push, a fluffy everlasting peace where no good writing can manifest.

Because our only villain in that case is not a person with emotions, motivations, evil or good. Nor nations having strife against each other.

It's giant space ghouls, other giant monsters and the cartoon Ascians from ARR going "Nyahahaha I am evil, stop me hero". Which worked great for me when I was like 12 years old, but not anymore. The only depth they managed to enter in Dawntrail was the whole "fear of death" theme. Which was done in an extremely dull way, much like Endwalkers. "oh nooo, we lost our paradise, plz give it back, I am sad now and cannot live or cope". I fear for their obsession with inserting THEMES and THEMEPEOPLE without making them flow with the story.

[BlisteringFrost]

Very good point.
And probably why the Scions need to be sidelined for a longer time, we need new companions that do not get along and disagree with a lot of things, and bring personality into the mix. Then find similarities in other issues and work together. Group dynamics are very important in RPG's and all kind of storytelling. I'd kill for Fordola to come along with us, because she would 100% call nearly all the Scions corny as heck. I just feel like the game is growing softer on all fronts where they try to avoid anything even slightly upsetting or contradicting or nuanced.

The whole "Friendly competition" was a red herring for one scene in a dungeon, and then Koana gets tempered by Wuk Lamat and forgot he had his own aspirations and motivations. One of the best scenes was in Shadowbringers where the Scions argue in Raktika over Ryne. Thancred gets upset, Y'shtola gets upset at him. I don't know if its because the writers don't know how to do it or they are directed not to write anything complex.

Yoshi is "terrified" of aging the twins up even though they're 17 now because weirdos "would get very upset by such a drastic change to beloved characters"

I mean I guess Y'shtola going blind, Ryne getting red hair, or finding out who the Crystal Exarch was didn't matter for anything huh.....?

[Rin_Sato]

Wuk Lamat.

The scions realize she's an incompetent tyrant and needs to be stopped.

[Catwho]

Yoshi is "terrified" of aging the twins up even though they're 17 now because weirdos "would get very upset by such a drastic change to beloved characters"

I mean I guess Y'shtola going blind, Ryne getting red hair, or finding out who the Crystal Exarch was didn't matter for anything huh.....?

They're custom character designs, they can make them a little bit taller and in between teenaged/adult in shape without having to invest in more than one set of clothing. Probably don't even have to alter their rigging all that much.

I'm hoping to see an ensemble cast of bad guys. That was kind of the Ascians but also kind of not since they all worked alone most of the time, and also kind of the Four Fiends but they were disposed of too quickly. One villain isn't enough for us.

Oh, I really like this idea. Instead of the [REDACTED] being faced and defeated one at a time, I hope that that is the direction that they are going with the next batch. I want to see THEM interacting with each other, too. We didn't get any of that with the Four Fiends beyond a few blips and throwaway lines.