Why do the Scions seem so incompetent?

[Mordoni]

It sounds like you just dislike Minfillia, but I'll still try and answer your question.

City-States are like Soap, Detergent, etc, great at cleaning up specific messes.
The Scions are like Bleach, even better for cleaning, but can damage things.

Problems happen when someone discovers "Bleach" not only cleans, but whitens, and then decides to brush their teeth with it, or uses it as a weapon.

TL;DR: Scions are just being used lazily.

[Hestzhyen]

[big spoilers ahead if you haven't done ARR]

People felt like Minfillia did nothing but pointlessly make us run around to deliver messages, and she was never seen in action herself (we even had to go rescue her!), so it didn't matter that we were told sometimes that she did a lot of important administrative tasks. She was our naggy boss making us ignore the linkshell network she set up to go tell guys in Timbuktu that we all needed to come back to the Waking Sands. The writing around her role and why we were being sent on endless come-hither, go-thither quests could have been a lot better for sure. It's difficult to write convincingly strong non-combatants in a game centered around resolving all problems with violent conflict, though, so her ending up as the Mother Crystal's puppet/pawn is probably the best thing that could have happened to her. Now we are lead by Alphinaud, who while not being a strong fighter like his sister, can at least fend for himself in a fight if the WoL happens to be half a world away. That's more fitting for the role the Scions are taking in the story I think.

I feel like the game will necessarily need to include some other group than the Scions to wipe out whenever it's time to raise the stakes... I know they're supposed to be uncommonly strong/talented people, but watching them get put out of commission just to drive the point home every time makes me wonder why I keep associating with them. They're nice people for sure but I get the feeling that only Urianger is truly competent sometimes because the rest of them get knocked out of the story more often than they're in it lately.

[ObsidianFire]

The thing is, Nael is probably the most black-and-white thing to come out of FFXIV until Zenos. Nael's involvement in 1.0 is mostly to be the one who keeps Dalamud dropping the entire time. There's reasons why SE can stick the most important parts of Nael's impact in 1.0 in the Binding Coil raids and feel like the player base isn't missing much of what Nael was trying to do.

There's a whole bunch of other stuff in 1.0 that impacts the 2.0 plot, characters, setting, etc. in much more interesting and long lasting ways then Nael did. Characters like Cid and Minfillia are given much more fleshed out backstories. We find out what the main three city states were like before the current alliance leaders were in power. Cid's relationship with Eorzea as a whole and Garlemald is a lot more personal rather then academic. And we get to see why everyone respected Louisoix and a bunch of other stuff.

As far as I can tell, most of that stuff would be better told as Side-Quest content now rather then something like a raid. It'd be like watching several hours worth of cutscenes. Thank goodness YouTube exists...

[MetalSnakeXI1]

The thing is, Nael is probably the most black-and-white thing to come out of FFXIV until Zenos. Nael's involvement in 1.0 is mostly to be the one who keeps Dalamud dropping the entire time. There's reasons why SE can stick the most important parts of Nael's impact in 1.0 in the Binding Coil raids and feel like the player base isn't missing much of what Nael was trying to do.

There's a whole bunch of other stuff in 1.0 that impacts the 2.0 plot, characters, setting, etc. in much more interesting and long lasting ways then Nael did. Characters like Cid and Minfillia are given much more fleshed out backstories. We find out what the main three city states were like before the current alliance leaders were in power. Cid's relationship with Eorzea as a whole and Garlemald is a lot more personal rather then academic. And we get to see why everyone respected Louisoix and a bunch of other stuff.

As far as I can tell, most of that stuff would be better told as Side-Quest content now rather then something like a raid. It'd be like watching several hours worth of cutscenes. Thank goodness YouTube exists...

Well I meant more than just the battles with Nael cuz there are more to 1.0's story than that.

And while I'm glad youtube summaries for the story of 1.0 exist.....I still think something can be salvaged without repeating the Binding Coils too much.

I won't mind sidequests with maybe solo instances where you play a few key 1.0 events.Or heck some sidequests with a few of Minfillia's associates to make us feel more the impact of what she seemingly accomplished.

I get that not everything can be shown especially with a huge story spanning 3 expansions(Well more like a relaunch and 2 expansions but still) but I prefer the "show don't tell" approach personally

[Theodric]

Minfilia suffered as a result of every other Scion being given tasks that really should have been hers to undertake. Some of my favourite characters are those in a non-combat role, so I don't think Minfilia serving as a non-combatant was a mistake. Yet to a degree, she was meant to be a diplomat and a negotiator. Yet we don't see her doing anything along those lines very often and when it does happen it occurs off screen.

At this point, Alphinaud is doing much of what Minfilia should have been doing. I suspect at some point a decision was made to retire Minfilia for the most part and replace her with Alphinaud. He's arguably the main Scion at this point and has enjoyed the most character development. He failed horribly when it came to Ilberd's scheming...but he learned from his mistakes. When Minfilia was kidnapped by Livia - and then again by Nabriales - she didn't really undergo any major changes. There's poetic irony in her effectively being kidnapped for a third time by Hydaelyn to become a vessel...

[MetalSnakeXI1]

Minfilia suffered as a result of every other Scion being given tasks that really should have been hers to undertake. Some of my favourite characters are those in a non-combat role, so I don't think Minfilia serving as a non-combatant was a mistake. Yet to a degree, she was meant to be a diplomat and a negotiator. Yet we don't see her doing anything along those lines very often and when it does happen it occurs off screen.

At this point, Alphinaud is doing much of what Minfilia should have been doing. I suspect at some point a decision was made to retire Minfilia for the most part and replace her with Alphinaud. He's arguably the main Scion at this point and has enjoyed the most character development. He failed horribly when it came to Ilberd's scheming...but he learned from his mistakes. When Minfilia was kidnapped by Livia - and then again by Nabriales - she didn't really undergo any major changes. There's poetic irony in her effectively being kidnapped for a third time by Hydaelyn to become a vessel...

The thing is,we see Alphinaud as he negotiates and as he develops as a character and learn from his mistake with the crystal braves.We don't see much with Minfillia beside her channeling her inner princess Peach and get kidnapped twice.

Again not every character need to be a combatant.Look at Urianger,he doesn't fight(except once against the warriors of darkness), but you feel the effect of his research and studies as you progress whether against the primal threat or the ascian menace.Heck if it wasn't for him taking the risk to team up with Elidibus the Warriors of Darkness dilleema would probably never been resolved

[SannaR]

Minfillia is how we get Krile and how we even know a whole island of other scholary types got dead. So if you really want to blame anyone for any interest in Eureka it's Minfillia's fault. We interrupted her LS talks with probably Krile a few times. Also Urianger fights during the we need to rescue the scions post waking sands attack. I blame her being kidnapped a second time on Midgarsomer as he had just put that block on our blessing of light which is stated as to why Nabrialas could just teleport into her chamber.

[MetalSnakeXI1]

Minfillia is how we get Krile and how we even know a whole island of other scholary types got dead. So if you really want to blame anyone for any interest in Eureka it's Minfillia's fault. We interrupted her LS talks with probably Krile a few times. Also Urianger fights during the we need to rescue the scions post waking sands attack. I blame her being kidnapped a second time on Midgarsomer as he had just put that block on our blessing of light which is stated as to why Nabrialas could just teleport into her chamber.

So we can blame Minfillia for Eureka then xD.

As for the second kidnapping.....you're kinda right.But considering that Elidibus walked in an out before Nabriales came in,she shouldn't have been entrusted with something like Tupsimati if her method of protecting the staff is....staring at it

Not to mention,the end result of Midgardsormr's blocking was imo worth the trouble

[DPZ2]

... ,she shouldn't have been entrusted with something like Tupsimati if her method of protecting the staff is....

So you, as Warrior of Light, immediately knew how special the stone bound to the staff was, and all of the Archons missed it?

No-one knew it for more than a memorial to a great man, including his grandchildren.

You're playing Monday-morning quarterback, and it's already Tuesday ...

[MetalSnakeXI1]

So you, as Warrior of Light, immediately knew how special the stone bound to the staff was, and all of the Archons missed it?

No-one knew it for more than a memorial to a great man, including his grandchildren.

You're playing Monday-morning quarterback, and it's already Tuesday ...

Well I didn't knew but at least the archons,especially Papalymo who claims to be "Louisoux's finest student" should've probably known that the staff that was used to channel the Twelves themselves to seal an elder primal would be special