Quote Originally Posted by Addicted View Post
I admire them for trying to make such drastic changes in the storyline, as poorly executed I think they may have been. I'd admire them even more if they tried to reflect that change in the actual world, especially since this is an MMO. Something as simple as having a hooded model while in Ul'dah or your face obscured while in Revenant's Toll. You may say that the story shouldn't impact the gameplay and I'd agree but it'd be a temporary change foreshadowing the expansion. It'd make it seem more living and less static. The writers try to justify why everything remains the same and it just falls flat because a change of this magnitude can't be hand waved with NPC dialogue.
I don't think the execution was horrible. Room for improvement, sure, there's a few sore points...

...But the alternative, a road many MMOs take, is "We don't write anything that actually impacts the world very much." GW2's "living story" is another way around it, but then there's no way to revisit past events for new or just busy players.

All in all, despite my criticisms... I will say thanks to SE for writing something this meaningful. I'd rather seem them try than not have it. And maybe next time, they'll take our feedback and there will be a "resist arrest" option.