What's your favorite storyline so far? ARR, HW, Dragonsong, Stormblood?

[Straynge]

!!NO SPOILERS PLEASE!!

Hello everyone. I'm nearly through with the Dragonsong Wars and I was just thinking about how the story lines have just gotten so much better since ARR and I don't know which I like best: Heavensward or Dragonsong. Both story lines are good. Don't get me wrong. I love the original too but I can't help but feel that Heavensward was a huge step forward. Not only was it more focused but it also felt like every single quest was important. So I'm trying to decide which I liked best.

What is Stormblood like? I've hard it's a lot different then the previous ones. Is the story on par with HW? Which one so far is your favorite? That long 100 plus quests I had to do to get to HW was so worth it. So which is your favorite:
1. ARR
2. Heavensward
3. Dragonsong Wars
4. Stormblood
5. Other: please explain

I choose 3: Dragonsong. Again, NO SPOILERS PLEASE!

[Sylvina]

definitely 2-3 I consider HW the best expansion and think it will remain that way a long time.

[REPROBEAN_CHILD]

Isn't Heavenward ABOUT the Dragonsong War? I assumed they were the same thing

[Aylis]

5: for me. Hildibrand!!! I like a mix of serious and off beat comedy in stories. Hildibrand does just that. The HW story arc for his series was very well done. Seriously I wish he would be his own expansion or his own game.

[Sakuraluna]

There are characters and aspects of the entire main scenario that I really liked, and then details that I liked a lot less, and that makes it hard to pick just one expansion. If I have to choose one though, it would be HW/dragonsong due to the way it developed the characters and I really liked the feel of it. There's also a lot of potential in SB though, but I think it's still a bit too early to tell where the story will go.

[AkashiXI]

Heavensward for me, then Stormblood. I felt the former had so much weight to it — each character was going through their own trials and tribulations, yet the common goal kept us all together. The Warrior of Light felt less of a catalyst and more of a... well, adventurer. I loved the characters, the atmosphere, and the story.

Stormblood almost had it right for me, but I couldn’t get over two characters: Lyse and Zenos. Both didn’t feel believable at all, for different reasons. Lyse’s revelation came too fast, and we (WoL) accepted without question. Zenos’ whole character felt unbelievable. No backstory, no real drive, just one big trope of, “I have to kill to feel!” It felt like a James Bond villain.

[Derio]

Since Dragonsong was in HW.

I am going to go with HW. Mainly because the story was so good, there were sad moments, and happy moments, while stormblood just felt anger and sorrow the entire time.

The music, storytelling, etc was good in HW. But mostly character development. Lyse in SB is just annoying IMO. Alphinaud while many people dislike him, I prefer him in HW over Lyse in SB. I really dont like the post war storyline in SB because frankly its boring and is starting to remind me of the 2.1-2.55 series with the only good parts being the side questlines.

Its still early though. I know Hildi and the 24 man series wont disappoint.

I cant really compare Stormblood storyline because its still developing through the patches. But if we were to go off of just expansion alone HW would still win. But we can ask this question again in 1 year when we have more patches out and can see Stormblood in its almost entirety rather than still in its early stages.

[Naunet]

Heavensword, if you removed the weird "Evil Catholics!" nonsense from it and ignored The Most Pointless Death in the Entirety of FFXIV. I enjoyed the conflicts of the dragons - both between dragon and human, and between dragon and dragon. I enjoyed the complexity to be found in Midgardsormr's personal conflict, the growth in relationships between the main cast, and Nidhogg's final fight was very fun. Even the Warrior of Darkness stuff was fairly well done, though I don't think SE gave it the ending it deserved. I also really enjoyed the seeming betrayal and then return of Urianger - he'd long been my favorite of the Scions and I felt Alisaie's emotions as my own!

In comparison, ARR felt like a patchwork of goofy mini-adventures with no real direction up until the final quest. Stormblood has suffered from an utterly forgettable and one-note villain in Zenos, and the balancing of Doma's and Ala Mhigo's liberation felt very forced and glossed over.

[HyoMinPark]

I definitely think that Heavensward and Patch 3.2~3.3 is some of the best bits of story MSQ-wise in this game.
Outside of MSQ, 5. Other option: DRK quest chain—specifically 30-50 and 60-70. I love how it explores your character rather than other characters; it’s gives the WoL a sense of...being a normal human like anyone else.

Stormblood was a good expansion; I wouldn’t rank it up with Heavensward, if only because some of it felt a bit rushed, and I did not like the ending of 4.0. It just sort of...fell flat. Don’t wanna give much away but...

[Antonio_Xul]

Heavensward for me. The whole Evil Religious people hits home being an Atheist in a religious US. Also the Dragons were awesome and the characters within: Haurchefant, Ysayle, Hraesvalgr, etc. (I hope I spelled those right). Warrior of Darkness storyline was cool and very interesting when it ended.

Stormblood is OK, but I already see where they are going with Fordola and that other Evil female whose name I forgot, and don't like it. Gosetsu and Arenvald are awesome and I want to see more Yugiri. Lyse is OK. I like that she is still kind of dumb sometimes and they didn't change that. I always liked her exchanges with a certain Lalafell before where we are now.

Hildibrand is just so hilarious although, they are making his stories way too short lately. They need to fix that.

Briariden or however it's spelled was also good in Heavensward. The Scholasticate was fun.

Moogle quest we need more of. That was also good.