I am tired of being dumb.

[Orophin]

Sounds like the game you want to play is Mass Effect.

[Jinrya-Geki]

Bioware, which is a Canadian company?

[Enkidoh]

Orophin's point though Jinrya is that Bioware games which feature characters that have a default backstory and history, even a default name, despite the player actually being able to customize the character's appearance, would be more suitable for you than FFXIV which is a game where your character is very much the 'silent protagonist' and whose past and backstory are a blank-slate, left to the player to fill in the blanks. Ironically FFXIV and older FF games like FFI and III are more closer to role-playing's 'pen and paper' roots where a player character was completely created by the player.

To be honest, I actually prefer XIV's style of characterization, as it gives me freedom to how I play my character, rather than something like ME where no matter how I design my character, 'my' character will always be the same as someone else's in backstory and characterization, determined by the sensibilities of the development team, and just differ in appearance.

[Toranja]

I would be glad if he had some actual dialogue. He does "speak" with others, but there's no dialogue for it. Just lots of /yes and /surprised.

[Urthdigger]

As far as the Scions taking credit for your work, they really don't. The scions of the seventh dawn encompasses the entire group, INCLUDING YOU. While it's true the others don't do much of the fighting, they do all the vital behind the scenes work such as scouting out information, negotiating with allies, researching strategies, and so on. So, it's fair to say that ALL the scions helped save Eorzea, though if anyone asks who went toe to toe with the Black Wolf and defeated the Ultima Weapon, the answer is undeniably you.

[Skyhound]

This is actually something I've noticed as well. Though instead of chalking it up to annoying story telling, I think it's deeper than that. I feel as though it is to hint at the Echo really being a result of hydaelyn's tempering process. That's why our character is so mindless and can be made to do anything, he's/she's trying to "spread the light of the crystal".

[Sobius]

I do seem to remember a point late in the original story, where I was supposed to be the lynchpin of the whole "final battle against the empire," and "everything depended on me, and perfect timing and execution" blah blah. Yet some dolt made me cook soup and run it out to all his inept soldiers because they were cold and sad. This seems a bit.. Poorly prioritized.

As far as the OP though, I used to have that same chuckle back in the days of XI. After clearing every expansion.. You would run into someone who would say " Oh XXX.. For some reason that name rings a bell." It freaking well better, I saved the world like 5 times already lol.

[Urthdigger]

I do seem to remember a point late in the original story, where I was supposed to be the lynchpin of the whole "final battle against the empire," and "everything depended on me, and perfect timing and execution" blah blah. Yet some dolt made me cook soup and run it out to all his inept soldiers because they were cold and sad. This seems a bit.. Poorly prioritized.

Well, the way I saw it, those quests take place on the eve of that final battle (Using that flexible time MMO quests have so it's always the night before even if you wait a week). The rest of the troops are making their final preparations, resting up, and gathering their morale before they do the battle that will be the diversion that will let you get inside. So, while gameplaywise if you hadn't done that you'd just jump straight to the battle, lore-wise you're helping out with the morale of the soldiers on the night before instead of just waiting by yourself.

[Dotsusama]

Bioware, which is a Canadian company?

They should have said The Old Republic, on the topic of MMOs. Though I promise you that it's not actually that impressive to have an engaged, fully-voiced player character there, making "complex morality-based decisions" because in the grand scheme of things the story still progresses how the writers want it to.

[Enkidoh]

I do seem to remember a point late in the original story, where I was supposed to be the lynchpin of the whole "final battle against the empire," and "everything depended on me, and perfect timing and execution" blah blah. Yet some dolt made me cook soup and run it out to all his inept soldiers because they were cold and sad. This seems a bit.. Poorly prioritized.

Urth basically summed up some of it, but I'll elaborate further and say the reason why you had to do that whole set of quests in Northern Thanalan prior to attacking CM and the Praetorium is simply because the player is put up on a pedestal, you're asked to help bring some much needed morale to the Immortal Flames, many of whom were little more than green recruits seriously contemplating deserting their ranks. What better morale boost to the beleaguered Allied forces than to have the adventurer who toppled Rhtitayn and is known by the Garleans as 'the eikon slayer' come and break bread with them?

Besides, the example you gave of the quest where you give soup to various soldiers is directly stated as being for this reason - a good general builds a rapport with their troops, by actually spending time with them and showing them they're on common ground, and that they're not just considered as cannon fodder. It's a common trope in war stories.