The Problem with ARR Progression

[Iscah]

I am not so sure it is for the sake of continuity, although I suppose it could be. The requirement to do those to proceed with the 2.x MSQ was added long before the relevant HW quest was added.

It's definitely for continuity, but far more immediate than the 3.X quest you're thinking of.

The hard mode unlock quests involve all the core Scions - specific NPCs programmed to sit at a table at the Waking Sands, and have to remain there until you complete the quest associated with them. But the characters those NPCs represent should not be at the Waking Sands by that point. There will be new instances of the NPCs at the Rising Stones, where the characters currently are, but the old version will be stuck in place as well.