Minfilia Warde

[Nalfein]

She's just here to vaccum the light, she'll explode right after!

[Naria]

Tbh, I'm less than thrilled about her return. I knew she would be back a some point, but I was hoping that when she did return she wouldn't have any significant screen time. Sadly, it seems like she is going to be fairly important in Shadowbringers. After the train wreak that was Lyse I don't have much hope that Minfilia's return will improve her character. But hey, at least Urianger got a makeover.

[Alexandre_Noireau]

Don't forget the one aspect of 5.0 story is that the WoL goal is to protect Minfilia as shown in one of 5.0's art. It would be interesting if players are given choices in dialogues through 5.0 that may determine how child Minfilia will grows up into X type of person.

It is thancred's role. Not ours.

If anything, we have been shown in very different places, WoL/D was in something that looks pretty alien to me, either new regions and a new world.
Thancred was in a different instance or version of Gelmorran origin it seems.

He could perfectly be defending a manifestation of Hydaelyn we as Warriors of Darkness need to defeat.

[Jonnycbad]

The whole Elidibis wearing a white robe amongst black Ascians and the warrior of darkness amongst the scions is Reminiscent of.....

[Nihility]

She's been in the world of darkness and we're apparently becoming the hero of darkness. sort of seems obvious

[Iscah]

Seeing her name there in the title makes me realise: Ward. Protection. How long have we known her full name for?

If anything, we have been shown in very different places, WoL/D was in something that looks pretty alien to me, either new regions and a new world.
Thancred was in a different instance or version of Gelmorran origin it seems.

It's been suggested elsewhere that the desolate landscape the WoL is in resembles Mor Dhona.

And actually, after a lot of puzzling over it from the first trailer, I'm fairly sure that Thancred and Minfilia are in Limsa. The doorway and lamps visible in one of the shots, and the architecture in general, seem to be a close match to what can be found in the city. Certainly far closer than anywhere else I could find.

If so, then the shot of them running up stairs with a blue light behind them could potentially be at the lighthouse in Limsa's harbour.

It would also fit with his "this town has changed" remark, because it's actually where he lived prior to being recruited by Louisoix.

But hey, 'damsel in distress' can be very well done.

One of my all-time favourite NPCs happens to be a light-aspected damsel in distress!

Specifically the PS2 game ICO, which is effectively one big escort mission with a mysterious 'child of light' and a whole lot of shadow-demons out to get her... it's short (5-10 hours) but excellent, and it made me care about her so much by the end.

Between the Amano artwork and the 'Thancred and Minfilia' section of the trailer, it's definitely reminding me of that game and Shadow of the Colossus, which was by the same creators.

[frostmagemari]

Shall we talk about this?

<the OP's picture>

I swear.. if i have to bounce between the waking sands every other quest, i'll help the other side just to finish whatever is going on. >.> But i know.. we'll do all the hard work, and then she'll waltz onto the scene and act like she helped when she did nothing.

Seriously though.. if they avoid doing those two things, there's hope for this character; and i do want whoever they (re)introduce to be a good character rather than an annoyance.

[Fyce]

I'll never understand all the Minfillia hate. I'll admit she was a poorly written character, which is why I'm excited for her to be back and for Shadowbringers to add some much-needed development/depth to her. Must protect.

Well, you answered your own question actually: she is (was) poorly written.

The issue is that the work she did was barely implied and never actually shown, giving us the impression that all she did was just sitting behind her desk all day while calling us back to the Waking Sands every 5 minutes out of boredom to ask us to save the day yet again. Or even to save her ala Mario & Peach. That's why when Alphinaud took over her responsabilities, even if he did pretty huge mistakes, people were more supportive for him as he was actually doing stuff.

Had she came with us in a few of our adventures, and simply used her Echo to do stuff other than the exact same stuff we were doing ("Did you see it too?" Yes, Minfillia, I did, I have the echo, just like you...), she would've felt closer to us. Heck, they could've use her the power to speak every languages, and it would've make a lot of sense for her to come with us and try to use diplomacy with the beast tribes.

So yeah... It did feel like she basically had no other purpose than to annoy us with her requests and get kidnapped. In short, she appeared to us as useless and helpless. When she was called by Hydaelyn, I think people were more than happy to see her go, simply because she was given an actual useful purpose.

I hope that her return means that she'll get an important role and focus point, and something more that "oh, she lost her memories and is now a child needed to be defended", because that'd basically make her more or less what people hated about her previously: helpless and useless.

[Reinha]

I have no problem with weaker characters as long as they don't pretend to be leaders of people. Hopefully she will be given a different role this time.

[MuseTraveller]

Not a huge fan of Minfilia but not hating her either. I'm okay that she is coming back, it was hinted so before anyway.
But by the Twelve don't make her defenseless child who will need protection all the time, or get kidnapped again...
And please no Duty missions where she is NPC I have to keep alive or something.