The Story?

[Bl4ckSnow]

It's been a while since I completed the base story of ARR. As of now I'm on patch 2.6 I believe; along the lines of preparing to fight the primal Shiva. That's beside the point though. The reason I'm making this post is to get an understanding of the high praise that can be seen all throughout anywhere MMORPG related about this story. It's not mediocre, nothing negative. For me, I guess I find it (for the most part) a pain to follow along. Whether it entails the politics, the difficulty with the names, the lore itself. Maybe it's me, I don't know. Despite it all, I truly want to get immersed with it, really. It's just difficult for me. People have said that Heavensward is better than ARR; that's what's motivating me to hurry finish this quests so I can finally be granted acceptance to Ishgard, so I can be one with the Dragons!

Feel free to make any comments or suggestions that would assist making my experience better.

[Anonymoose]

Speaking for only myself:

The main scenario narrative arcs alone carry some of the weight of my praises for the story, but more weight is carried by the consistency and depth.

To borrow a metaphor from Koji Fox, if you think of the story as if it's a cruise, many people are content to occasionally look over the side or out a window as the boat moves from Point A to Point B. However, if you grab your binoculars and scan the horizon, or disembark at every port to wander off into the wilds, you're not going to find a bunch of cardboard cutouts and painted curtains. (Not for an admirable distance, at least.)

A surprisingly large amount of the world is alive. Every character has their own identity. Every faction is working towards its own ends. When you look closely, you find organic motivations and behaviors, and characters (generally) act consistently with their identity and experience in context with their current situation.

Landmarks and dungeons bear hints of hidden histories that will never be spoon-fed to you. Data logs and side stories help fill in the gaps people find themselves unexpectedly fascinated by. Conflict isn't two horizontal lines meeting in the center, it's a bunch of diagonal ones awkwardly coming at one another as the world keeps on trucking around them. You can find bits of DNA from other events sneaking in if you're paying attention.

The more you know about the world, the more you appreciate how large and polished the story actually is (or, in some cases, how convincingly they make it look like it is, lol). If you invest that effort, there's a good chance you'll end up being one of the high-praisers. But if you don't feel like it, the cruise still ain't half bad.

EDIT: I feel compelled to throw in a random example to justify the above.

In the Main Scenario, you fight a Siren on the beaches of the Isles of Umbra that later becomes the dungeon boss for Pharos Sirius. The reason the locals are so freaked is that allegedly the sirens are supposed to all be dead - the pirate king Mistbeard killed them all in a great culling when he ruled the high seas. The half-cracked Lalafellin smithy Mimidoa claims to have been a part of this culling; he's been claiming this since 1.0, and it always seemed like one of his many tall tales. Suddenly, here you realize that it's obviously, comically true: his specialized earplugs help you fight the siren without being charmed.

Now, a different legend about Mistbeard claims that he once raided the wedding of Nanamo Ul Namo's parents, making off with a ton of gold and allegedly the (willing) virginity of the bride. That last part is probably an embellishment added as the story spread through ships and pubs, of course, but take a look at the map next time you're in Sastasha. If you look closely, the final room (the dock where ye ... weight your anchor) is called The Sultana's Lap. Once upon a time, it was one of Mistbeard's many treasure coves.

Eventually (Leviathan / Hullbreaker Island), you learn Mistbeard's identity, which adds a whole new layer onto his legend and connects to the legends of admiral Merlwyb and her father, as their pirate crew was a bitter rival of Mistbeard's. When you understand the relationship that the two now share, you then understand in a new way how Limsa Lominsa has evolved in becoming a legitimate nation state to ally against the Garlean Empire. And on and on it goes.

It spirals downwards and interconnects, from obvious ties to subtle hints. When you have all of that buried in a main narrative that itself is pretty good, people are willing to fawn over it a bit, lol. Not everyone, but enough to explain why you've read what you've read, even if you don't see what they saw.

[Gumbercules]

well "stories" are like art, so they are subjective. That others find a story compelling doesn't really mean you will as well. For example i really enjoy FF 14s story arcs as well as their delivery, and this in turn creates a sense or "world" and lore about the game that makes me want to know more and more about it all. On the opposite end though, I know many people that really enjoy legion for wow story wise and i can't really bring myself to find it to be anything more than mediocre at best. It is a matter or perspective is what i am trying to get at i guess.

[Lukha]

You're at the end of a major lull in the story right now, so I'd suggest you reserve judgement at least until you get to Ishgard, since the last couple of ARR patches ramped things up tremendously.

Personally I enjoyed the 'filler' episodes immensely (Ramuh's introduction in particular was one of my favorite questlines, because the lead-up in the Sylphlands was so hilarious), but a lot of people seem to have found them dull, so I guess it's really just a matter of taste. Some people need a lot of action and forward motion to stay engaged, some people relish any new bit of material about a world or cast, even if it turns out to be three hundred pages of them going about their daily lives while nothing in particular happens.

[Belhi]

If your up to Shiva and interested in the HW story then I suggest you take the time to pay attention to what your doing now, up to the expansion. The HW story really begins in 2.4, the patch you fight Shiva in. Pieces start coming together and context will make a lot more sense when you finally enter HW.

I think Anonymoose described what I like about the FF14 story and lore. Its just so interconnected and fleshed out and it can create some interesting mysteries and fascinating context. A single passing line from an NPC can suddenly hold great implications because it reveals to you a detail or potential detail you didn't know before.

As for specifically the MSQ, I will say it starts slowly and probably has too much filler early on. I don't mind the filler but it can detract from the focus of the actual story. In that regard HW felt a lot more focused. While you do wonder around quite a big and have quite a few detours, the focus of the story remains pretty constant. I think that as much as anything is why many feel HW's story is stronger than ARR's.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Anonymoose nailed it again, as usual.

The general rule of thumb is not to rush the story. Those of us who've been playing since the beginning — be it from version 1.0 or the re-launched ARR — have had the benefit of months of real time to immerse ourselves into the world beyond just the MSQ, so that plays a very large part in explaining why the overall story of Hydaelyn resonates so strongly with us.

But that said, only a minority of us can claim to truly pay attention to the lore (and even fewer of us have truly encylopaedic knowledge of every tiny story detail). So don't feel bad if the story doesn't grab you. It's a game first and foremost, so if the gameplay doesn't interest you, the story on its own won't make up for it.

As for myself, I have larger meta reasons for being invested in the story of Hydaelyn, Eorzea, the primals, the beast tribes, the Scions, and the Warrior of Light. Meta reasons that, for the most part, would make sense only to me. But I'll share my thoughts all the same, in case it might help spark a deeper interest in the game's lore.

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For me, FFXIV has been the only game-world of late whose storyline echoes (the reference is deliberate ) real-world trends. This has been something I'd noticed since Version 1.0.

In the plight of the beast tribes, I see the woes of marginalised peoples around the world today.

I'm reminded especially of the war-torn, impoverished lands of the Middle East, and in many parts of the Arab world. These are places where many struggle just to get through the day. It's not hard, then, to understand why many in the Arab world are pushed to radical and extremist ideology.

The beast tribes of Eorzea are manipulated into summoning primals, their avatars of rage and revenge on an uncaring, hostile world. So too the extremists of our world.

Seen in this light, the call by various characters — from Minfilia to Y'shtola, from Alphinaud to Urianger — to seek a way to break the cycle of hate resonates deeply with me. I want my hero in this world to be that shining example that leads others to lasting, meaningful peace.

But in Eorzea, as in our world, the obstacles are many. People are selfish and self-serving by default, especially when times are harsh. The city-states exemplify this; none are innocent.

The insular Gridanians care about protecting the sanctity of the Twelveswood above all else, and would keep out those the Elementals arbitrarily deem undesirable.

The opulent Ul'dahns practice a narrow form of meritocracy that puts the rich on a pedestal, and keeps out the poor, on the assumption that only the indolent or talentless would fail to enrich themselves.

The Lominsans, for all their talk of freedom, are only just a shade above petty tyrants — freedom in their eyes also means the freedom to take whatever they have the strength to seize and keep.

And the Ishgardians, well, most of them are so caught up in their religious orthodoxy that they've long lost sight of their humanity.

Even the Sharlayans, you'll eventually find out, are not as noble as you'd at first think, despite being arguably the most learned nation in the realm. Knowledge can lead to selfish arrogance just as easily as martial strength.

=========

So, what we have in Eorzea is a world that's coloured in multiple shades of grey, in some ways as politically and socially complex as any you'd find in a slew of recent triple-A Western games, be it Tamriel of The Elder Scrolls, Thedas of Dragon Age, or the Reaver-ridden galaxy of Mass Effect.

And yet, the problem with many Western games is that their morality is too often painted in stark black-and-white. They're usually contrived, with moral choices that are too obviously structured, and therefore present no dilemmas.

Conversely, what I enjoy most about Eorzea is that its pathos so closely mirrors those of our own world. I find that it helps me reflect deeper on real-world events, and what's going wrong in so many places, and how there really is never a simple answer, no matter how hard we might wish.

And therein lies Hydaelyn's anguish, as expressed in Dragonsong, the theme song for Heavensward:

Children of the land, answer this:
Why must you turn to empty bliss?
Tell me why break trust, why turn the past to dust
Seeking solace in the abyss
Tell me why create, a circle none can break
Why must you let go, the life you were bestowed
This I fear I'll never know
Never know...

In short, Eorzea feels real to me in ways that most other game worlds don't. And that's why I'm invested in it.

[Heliantheae]

That's what I love about this game. Nothing is just thrown in there. Everything is world building from the "filler" quests to the botany levels. Like they've said above you just have to explore a little.

[Garnix]

I started playing XIV when ARR got released.
I enjoyed myself. But I left the game as soon as I reached lvl50. Then HW arrived, and I wanted to give the game a second chance. Before Shiva, I actually found it way too long and tedious, so I can definitely understand your fears.
And then starting at this point, I started to really love the story, as I understood it was not just about an usual Warrior of Light, having to defeat primals one after another. And I actually think this is why I got hooked by heavensward story and lore, and now play the game almost every day.
The story is no longer focused on primals. It now feels like there is a real plot, involving politics, religion, war, human/lalafell (yep, these are not human, we all know that ) nature.

So, just keep going, and enjoy the beginning of awesomeness with the end of ARR.

[Claymore65]

I will say, at least for me, the story really began picking up near the end of the patch content and especially throughout Heavensward. I still enjoyed ARRs plot, but Heavensward is where I felt a huge improvement.

ARR has a bit of a muddled plot, mixing in random Primals, Garlemald, Ascian intervention, City State Politics, Beast Tribe matters, Scion drama, combined with a whole lot of miscellaneous, time wasting nonsense like the infamous "Company of Heroes" plotline and fetch-quest delivery missions, especially in the patch content. ARR's plot felt more like it was establishing the world the telling a story. Granted, I feel like the whole game is stronger for that fact, but it still makes the core story less satisfying.

Heavensward has a much tighter narrative, focusing almost exclusively on the Ishgardian / Dragon conflict. Much of the plot focuses on traveling with a small group of companions, which lets you get far closer to them. Focusing solely on Ishgardian politics lets you get a much better understanding of the country and the struggles it faces, both from internal and external threats. You meet both heroic characters and vile villains, and some characters prove more deep and morally complex than they initially appear. Heavensward also has far superior pacing, with very little time spent on pointless fetch quests, and the few they have do a better of job establishing or developing characters. Even the side quests in Heavnesward oftentimes have little plot-lines attached to them, or tell tragic tales from a war-torn land. It was far more interesting thematically, exploring the "sins of the father" in an interesting way. Heavensward lets the player feel like they have a tangible effect on the future of a country, rather than simply defeating a threat to the status-quo. I feel like overall, it's a huge step up. There are some low points (such as 3.1's story content, or the rushed conclusion of some 2.X patch content), but as a whole I think it's a substantial improvement in almost every respect. 3.3's plot was an absolute highlight for me as well.