Please, no more Wuk Lamat

[Rueby]

....Speaking of stakes also, IMHO it's not that there wasn't any stakes in the storytelling. The problem is the stakes are wholly unclear and/or inconsistently presented. Few examples that I could think off right now....

You do raise good points...I'd probably rant on forever if I list everything..
I was refering to the stakes of the contest, as it didn't matter in the end, the winner/s were predetermined pretty sure it's mentioned that it's rigged in uhm when we cook the tacos or w.e in Yak Tel no? I guess you can look at it as it's about the friends we make along the way.

...Fast forward to 7.0, instantly dissipates that narrative tension by telling us that the Dawnservant can just not pick any successor... which is wise and in-character for Gulool Ja Ja, but depending on how reader take it, this can be taken as muddling the stakes - a charade if you will....

Didn't Gulool Ja Ja tell you he wanted Wuk Lamat to win after we dueled him in the throne room or am I mistaken? Along with the aforementioned rigging...then it is a charade. If I were to play devil's advocate, the contest's purpose was to just harden Wuk Lamat.

...
Bakool Ja Ja releasing Valigarmanda. Said to be a terrible beast that can lay waste many lives but Bakool was not punished for that?....

I'm not sure about Bakool Ja Ja, to me he's just another character who got the Wuk Lamat brainworms. So he wasn't at all compelling beyond 'ah sad background story ig'

... Where is that sense of urgency? Didn't they know that many lives are in their hands right now?...

Urgency has left the writing room since Endwalker when the world was ending and we went to play dress up and sample carrots with moon bunnies. It was such a jarring transition from the amazing story in Garlemald. Sooooo... I'm not surprised here. I really hated how Erenville's grief was handled throughout the story, his felt 'real' but was brushed off by his 'mother's' embarrassing behavior and Wuk Lamat. I feel bad for him.

Another thing that bothered me is that everyone's turning into a copy of their parent. Koana, Wuk Lamat, Zoraal Ja, all one dimensional aspects of Gulool Ja Ja, Erenville immediately chooses to not be a gleaner anymore, same with Krile, all these things happen way too fast imo...I would've loved to explore these emotions then again I only speak up to 7.1, maybe in 7.2 and 7.3 something compelling happens.

This is another part that's been bothering me. A tangential point that I'd like to bring up was the fact Yoshi-P himself said in the LL during DT early launch, something along the line of "We're gonna see if people like this DT story, see their feedback, then we'll go from there..."

I don't know about other, but that was such a crazy thing to say by a dev of -the story MMO-, lol.

I think alot of the story has already been written/finished/recorded. I think he meant in the ~future~, I guess next expansion. I think it's all just PR talk to try to extinguish the dumpster fire. lmao

So, the Wuk Lamat (beatings) will continue until morale improves.

Yes, my main takeaway of the positive behind the themes and setting brought over by DT was around souls. I genuinely love Origenics for it. This had so many implications and truly felt like a disturbing endgame to get through.

I really loved that part, and the idea of souls being a currency essentially. I would've loved it if they explored abit more on that.

[Hyperia]

This is another part that's been bothering me. A tangential point that I'd like to bring up was the fact Yoshi-P himself said in the LL during DT early launch, something along the line of "We're gonna see if people like this DT story, see their feedback, then we'll go from there..."

I don't know about other, but that was such a crazy thing to say by a dev of -the story MMO-, lol.

If this is true, then it sounds like Yoshi was forced into doing this and not his decision.

[Themarvin]

Much more Wuk Lamat or other Hrothgars, they are an awesome race.

[MoonNoire]

I watched a video that posits Wuk Lamat was created later in development and retrofitted as Koana's replacement... and my god, it really is convincing

The seasickness, the intolerance to spicy food, the ignorance of her own culture and peoples, etc etc
These are traits that fit Koana REALLY well (having been in Sharlayan for so long) and they don't fit Wuk at all (who's supposed to have been in Tural her entire life alongside her father who is THE LITERAL DAWNSERVANT. HOW did her father not mentor her on the different cultures of Tural?)

She doesn't work because it wasn't her story to begin with. They basically put a character with a completely different personality in the same role at some point in DT's planning

This is the video I'm talking about btw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjpxJV6_8Ic

Obviously this is all a theory
It's just... well it speaks for itself, doesn't it? It makes too much sense

As for the character of Wuk Lamat herself... I like her. I don't like her in this story but I've got nothing against the archetype itself
She should've been knowledgeable about her peoples, informing us about their cultures, which would've made her seem not only fun but wise (you know, as aspiring rulers should be?)

[Valence]

Same, I've no issues with her at all. Same as Lyse. I actually want more Lyse.

I'm of the unpopular opinion that Lyse was way better written Lamat. Both characters actually shared the same core premise, being naive do gooders with no real life experience and a simplified world view, until they get a taste of the grit of the real world and how nothing is as black and white as they thought.

Lyse is literally thrown into a war for her countrymen and immediately confronted by them as being just an outsider - the Ala Ghanna segment is severely underrated especially the part with the Crania Lupi introduction. She just wants to punish the bad guys (garleans and ala mhigan traitors) but doesn't really grasp the reality of the situation, what it means for the actual population, and that no, she can't just rush in and win the day because there is gonna be a hell of collateral to pay for. I do appreciate that she slowly learns notably when exposed to Hien that is in a similar situation. She also acts as a clever writing trick by providing an anchor for the player since she's the one constantly asking the naive questions or taking the stances that the player is expected to also ask and take.

That's where the similarities stop though, as Lamat is trying to play for the succession where Lyse on the contrary doesn't want anything to do with leadership and is groomed and forced to eventually be brought into filling the shoes of her late father and sister that she has constantly lived into the shadow of, which isn't the case of Lamat and it instantly makes her a lot more shallow as a result. As a result Lamat was in dire need of a foil to everything always going well for her and it was certainly not Bakool the booli. Even if winning the succession trial or whatever, it should have ended up in a failure, confronted her to her own failings as a result, driven the whole region into despair as Voraal took over ruthlessly or whatever, and this would have ended up being the "low point" for the protagonists to overcome.

But that's kinda the problem with the whole of DT, starting with Tural itself which has a clear lack of foils and conflicts to overcome, because everybody and everything is nice and well. When we get to Tuliyollal, there is nothing to address much because everything has already been fixed by Gulool decades prior.

[CapaxInfiniti]

Personally I love the fact that they are using wuk lamat yet again. It means the next census numbers will be even more hilariously bad than this most recent one.

They seem determined to make sure this game is buried before we get to the next expansion.

Doubling down every time they have the opportunity on something universally hated. I'm sure that's totally going to help player retention.

There's a lot of people making decisions about XIV that need to be let go if they plan to turn this ship around.

[Myotis]

Not my favorite character But l honestly don't get the hate

she does stupid stuff and then shes never punished for making bad or poor decisions.
shes glorifed in each possible moment during the MSQ whatever she would do good or bad.

Also shes quite rude as each time has just needs to add what she does have to say like it's the ultimate and only word we should hear.
(when certain character dies - she does add line before the character what was the closest to that person ) - where during that moment she could just be silent.

[Underscore]

If this is true, then it sounds like Yoshi was forced into doing this and not his decision.

Does it? That to me sounds like they just don't have a very strong vision for the story. I definitely felt that from the patch quests so far and how reactive they seemed at times.

[Araxes]

I love Wuk Lamat and I would actually love to see more of her! I'm sorry you are unable to appreciate her character.

"Hi i am a Hrothgar Female which travels over an entire ocean even though i am sea sick very easily to ask the WOL if he helps me seize the throne of my Country which i do not know in the slightest even though i have no idea if he/she will agree.
Not to mention my personality of a 10 year old."

Yeah no i can't find anything to appreciate her. She has no buisness trying to get that throne her Miqo Brother is much better suited for.

[Burmecia]

"Hi i am a Hrothgar Female which travels over an entire ocean even though i am sea sick very easily to ask the WOL if he helps me seize the throne of my Country which i do not know in the slightest even though i have no idea if he/she will agree.
Not to mention my personality of a 10 year old."

...
No no, you don't understand. You see, she likes smiles and happiness.

Something like... "Don't be happy by yourself - be happy for me who is happy for you. Mine is the glee which will pierce the heavens!!"