8.0 speculation

[Wildheaven182]

I dont see why we had any interest or stake in the succession of a foreign continent of baby sacrificing savages that cant even grow their own food.
Especially to the point of fighting each other over it after everything the scions have been through together. Im glad that proposed plot point of opposing scions ended up forgotten about.

[Turtledeluxe]

I dont see why we had any interest or stake in the succession of a foreign continent of baby sacrificing savages that cant even grow their own food.
Especially to the point of fighting each other over it after everything the scions have been through together. Im glad that proposed plot point of opposing scions ended up forgotten about.

Fully agree. In my view, it should have been framed as a friendly competition. The team was going for an anime beach episode but they forgot to maybe watch some anime beach episodes and understand how a low stakes story can still play on characters' established traits and personalities to make the tournament feel fun. The team was trying to have it all. Beach episode, anime tournament, tons of worldbuilding, family issues, all before we get to the other 50%. That's nearly impossible to do well. It was doomed from the start.

[Bright-Flower]

I dont see why we had any interest or stake in the succession of a foreign continent of baby sacrificing savages that cant even grow their own food.
Especially to the point of fighting each other over it after everything the scions have been through together. Im glad that proposed plot point of opposing scions ended up forgotten about.

The idea of the scions having a serious schism and seriously fighting one another was never really on the table. But the idea of friendly competition, with different scions having their reasons for backing different candidates, could have led to some fun interactions before they eventually inevitably reconcile and unite again.

Remember that most of the scions also have scholarly backgrounds. They could have had actual interesting discussions on the subject. Instead of the nothing burger we ended up with. It made me want to pull my hair out when the Twins went to the New World ostensibly to learn things to help Garlemald, only for nothing of interesting to happen with that idea all expansion, and then to end with them coming back to Jules to say 'understanding people is good. '

Instead we just get Thancred slightly inconveniencing us in the first dungeon and then nothing else, which was kind of dull. Why bother to tease that story thread at all if it wasn't going to lead to anything?

It reminds me of the whole 'become what you must. Become the warrior of darkness' thing. Obviously the WOL was never going to become a villain but it ended up meaning nothing except a change in terminology and it was actually the blessing of light in the first place that allowed us to fill that role. People are going to be disapointed when a potentially interesting story angle is brought up but then not explored in an interesting way.

[Cleretic]

I dont see why we had any interest or stake in the succession of a foreign continent of baby sacrificing savages that cant even grow their own food.
Especially to the point of fighting each other over it after everything the scions have been through together. Im glad that proposed plot point of opposing scions ended up forgotten about.

...okay that is a CONCERNINGLY bad read of Dawntrail to the point where I'm not sure it's worth refuting, I don't think this is possibly a comment made in good faith. But, here we go.

The reason we (and Thancred and Urianger) turned up is literally because we were asked, but all of the characters involved are broadly humanitarian; they want the best for everyone, and 'everyone' includes the people of this nation that they've never been to.

That nation is not 'baby sacrificing savages' oh my god how did you even GET here. Tural is certainly less technologically advanced than the Eorzean average, but that does not make them lesser people, and certainly not 'savages'; in fact, there's a solid case that Eorzea is more savage than Tural, because Tural's different races are all really friendly to each other, and nobody in Tural has been performing human sacrifices in recent history. Tural's pretty great, they just haven't figured out, like... ocean-faring boats.

The exception is Mamook, but Mamook also are not 'baby sacrificing savages', and aren't really indicative of anything greater. Mamook's just a conservative town that doesn't know how to solve their own problems, and have an old-fashioned outlook doing them more harm than good; they aren't 'sacrificing babies', they have an outlook causing a REALLY haunting infant mortality rate. Not only would basing your entire read on Tural on this reading of Mamook be like me basing my opinion of the entire U.S. on the worst possible reading of Tennessee, Mamook are also just also people who deserve help. They're just a warmer, blue version of Garlemald, and we're also helping Garlemald.


I've also over time just stopped caring about people bringing up that 'the Scions didn't really have conflict' side of things, because... frankly, that was one slide of fanfest hype. It was clearly marketing copy, and I care little about it in Dawntrail in the same way that I care little about the 'become what you must' hinting for Shadowbringers. And I think given context it actually makes more sense that they didn't clash, because the clash between Wuk Lamat and Koana was always pretty tepid and good-natured; both sides agree that Zoraal Ja really had to be stopped, and beyond that the clash is clearly between two figures with mutual respect but different outlooks. It makes complete sense that the Scions never really clashed outside of some good-natured slowdown tactics in Ihuykatumu; there's no ire or animosity here. They're basically just playing for two different teams. Would've been kinda neat to have a 'Thancred and Urianger' boss fight in the middle of that dungeon, but I don't think we needed that, and anything more might've actually detracted from the real focus.