Is it just me, or did 5.3 represent a big decline in storytelling? (spoilers)

[ShinShimon]

MASSIVE MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW

When I was doing the first story quests in Amh Araeng (with the Mord in Mord Souq, before you meet Alisaie), I was worried that my favorite game had gone to hell. The writing and direction felt tacky and try-hard, like it had been handed off to SE's B-team. But then Tesleen... happened, and from then on Shadowbringers was peak FF14.

However, I get the exact same vibes from 5.3 as I got from those terrible early quests with the Mord. The events of the story were amazing, and a fitting conclusion to Shadowbringers, but the dialog and cutscene direction feels fundamentally different to what came before, and entirely for the worse. The music in cutscenes was way too schmalzy, the characters were over-emotive... and a lot of the characters just felt off. It's hard to say why, but in the final scenes on the First, Alisaie, Alphinaud, and Y'shtola especially all felt out of character. Not through what they said, necessarily, but how they said it.

There were other problems. The exposition drop leading up to the fight with Elidibus felt rushed and forced. We had no farewell scenes dedicated to Lyna or Ryne in particular, despite them both permanently losing their closest family in our return to the Source. We really don't need a wacky over-acted Asahi meat-puppet.

Overall, it feels like the story is now being told with much less art and subtlety. I don't know if it's a result of the team having to work from home with less coordination, or if they were just rushed due to disruption of workflow, or if the writing and cutscene direction have actually been handed off to new people. But 5.3 was a major artistic downgrade for FF14, even if the fights, new music, and basic arc of the story are still top-notch. It kind of ruined the ending of Shadowbringers for me, and I hope it doesn't represent the new normal for FF14 going into the future.

[LaylaTsarra]

Don't agree I think the story was amazing.

[GrizzlyTank]

The music in cutscenes was way too schmalzy, the characters were over-emotive...

The only change that have happened is that they have increased their animation budget, there is just a lot less canned emotes than it used to be.

We had no farewell scenes dedicated to Lyna or Ryne in particular, despite them both permanently losing their closest family in our return to the Source.

We had that during the eden questline.

[Iscah]

We had no farewell scenes dedicated to Lyna or Ryne in particular, despite them both permanently losing their closest family in our return to the Source.

We didn't have dedicated farewells with them because we don't need it - we'll be travelling back and forth between the worlds for some time yet.

Lyna had that really lovely farewell moment with the Exarch, even if they wanted to pretend it wasn't so final, and if you talk to her post-MSQ she's fully aware that he's alive and well.

Ryne likewise had her farewell to Thancred, but she'll be calling on us to help her again in the Empty soon enough.

[Penthea]

Overall, it feels like the story is now being told with much less art and subtlety.

The lack of subtlety could be down to the fact that this expansion is supposed to be a huge reveal of the true nature of various primary figures in the story.

It's hard to say why, but in the final scenes on the First, Alisaie, Alphinaud, and Y'shtola especially all felt out of character.

Disagree, I felt it portrayed them wonderfully. Maybe you're forgetting they were on The First for years before the WoL arrived? People change as time passes. Y'shtola has become more open with her feelings which I felt was a good change. It makes her more interesting to me. She's still the deep thinker she always has been, but now we see how she really feels more clearly instead of getting mostly only a scholarly point of view.

As for the twins they acted pretty much the way I expected them to. I knew Alisae would try to be strong but would crack a little. Alphinaud is better at keeping his composure but he has always been more open about his feelings than his sister is. The motherly scene with Dulia-Chai is something I felt was done so well.

We had no farewell scenes dedicated to Lyna or Ryne in particular, despite them both permanently losing their closest family in our return to the Source. We really don't need a wacky over-acted Asahi meat-puppet.

Part of this is everyone knows the WoL can travel freely between The Source and The First. It's not a true final goodbye because everyone can still keep in contact through them. Also Y'shotla explicitly said she intends to find a way that she can come back. She certainly does not think it's goodbye forever, but until she figures out a way so that she can travel with ease like the WoL does. As for Thancred I feel that he is trying to protect himself by not getting too attached to Ryne, even when he says goodbye. He has complicated feelings about her due to Minfilia.

And well Urianger mostly hung around pixies and I don't think I need to explain why there was no emotional goodbye scene for that. The pixies live in the present too much for an emotional goodbye and my impression is Urianger never got close to any of them, he merely learned how to work with them. Also a pixie spoke to Tataru in her dreams and while it was likely Titania who did that, who is to say the other pixies cannot do this as well? We know so little about the nature and the strength of their powers.

I did feel the scene with Lyna was rushed but that was due to much more pressing matters like...saving the world

The exposition drop leading up to the fight with Elidibus felt rushed and forced.

It was because Elidibus was panicking. He knew he was the final ascian figure who could lead his people in their quest, and I think he truly feared the WoL. Elidbus knew he was a primal and he knew the WoL has a long history of besting them. While he was far more powerful than the average primal, he also knew that the WoL vanquished an unsundered ascian so it was obvious that not even that aspect of himself kept him safe. He stopped being a cool-headed calculator as soon as he entered the scene after Emet-Selch's demise. He tried to overwhelm the Scions with sheer numbers and even appearing before mortal races, which was very out of character for him. I interpreted this as him acting out of fear and desperation.

We really don't need a wacky over-acted Asahi meat-puppet.

To me this just makes it even more clear why Elidibus panicked. I seriously doubt all the ascians were perfectly dutiful and he would have known it. Some likely would have voiced their weariness of their quest, and it's clear the Asahi ascian has had his fill of it for a long time. We have a new thing to fear; an ascian who is trying to have fun at the expense of the mortal races.

OP I'm sad to see that you did not enjoy the story as a whole. While I disagree with you I'm not going to tell you that your opinion is wrong. Not everyone likes the same thing and that's okay.

[Gothicshark]

Is it just me, or did 5.3 represent a big decline in storytelling?

Just you.

Overall, it feels like the story is now being told with much less art and subtlety.

Really, it's all you. I would say 5.3 is some of the best writing.

[Kozh]

I won't say big decline, but I do agree very much that the Elidibus part is too rushed. 5.3 is a good patch overall, but there are so many expositions and things happen right after another. I personally wished they removed less important things from 5.1-5.2 and start the Elidibus plot sooner. Perhaps have us interact with him in the middle of 5.1, gives us hint about his deteriorating memory or his nature as a primal.

[StriderShinryu]

The only thing I agree with is that the big revelations did come out in a bit of a rushed pace. Ideally they could/should have been drip fed over a bit longer of a time, but that's not really due to the quality of writing as much as the patch based storytelling inherent in the game. When you only give a story advancement every few months you have to sort of write around that and it can be hard to makes things flow naturally. But, generally, the story was great and was delivered very well given the format. I don't see any drop in quality at all.

[Fynlar]

We had no farewell scenes dedicated to Lyna or Ryne in particular,

Uhh, I specifically recall some with both. Sure you weren't just skipping through cs?

Also regarding the Elidibus thing, his gradually losing his cool from his plans falling apart was forecasted welllll in advance of 5.3. It pretty much started even before Shadowbringers, when Zenos!Elidibus utterly failed to best the WoL "with the ease that one might swat a fly" as he fully expected he would, and only came close to doing so because of the Exarch's calling. You can easily see from his conversation with Varis afterward that his former confidence is shaken, and that's before the real Zenos comes back to reclaim his body...

[Demoniun]

I hated 5.3 msq a lot, too many quest for nothing, we need sauce not bring food from Source to The First. Other patches before, same thing. Less quests, more juice. I hoped that the catboy die, i was happy when he sacrifices himself, but no, let's bring him in Mor Dhona. ShB had a good starting point, but it loses on all quests that brings nothing. Totally agree.