Quote Originally Posted by Solowing View Post
Put some respect on ARR. This is my first mainline Final Fantasy game I've ever played. Friends tried to explain it and left me more confused then I started. This game actually broke down the lore of the elements in digestible chucks to where the dots got to organically connect. And had it own neat slow burn story. I would recommend it as a introduction to the Final Fantasy "language"

People expectations went up each expansion. At release ARR was really good, but at this point its the slow start to the "good stuff". ARR was actually cracked.
The buildup in late ARR patches was some of my favorite content in the entire game. I loved the politics, the intrigue, and Bloody Banquet is still hands down my favorite cinematic in the entire game.
I honestly wish they'd keep exploring themes of internal politics within Eorzea, make the grand companies and their relations actually matter, and create tension within already explored realms. There's literal expansions worth of content in those themes alone, but I think I'm in the minority of people who'd be excited about it. Daringly exploring new horizons every expansion and discovering 2 new cities you can AFK in after an MSQ revolving around them doesn't seem to be a pattern that will ever really change.