Ok, SPOILERS here obviously though I myself will try to be as non-specific as possible for as long as I can here.

As someone fleeing the depressing dystopian absence of respect for player investment in the world that is WoW’s lore approach, maybe I’m a little shell shocked and paranoid here… but I’m really worried about the remaining Scions who, as a primarily trust-loving player, are basically my FC.

We have lost multiple Scions and closely associated Archons since the start of the game, but I’m really scared they’re going to kill one of the characters I love to “add stakes,” or serve as a “Phil Coulson in Avengers” figure to motivate the heroes.

Alisae getting hurt in the trailer feels like a foreshadow.

Alphinaud having conversations about when he grows up feels like somewhere a crueler storyteller would hang an intentional irony to be seen in a future tragedy.

Hell, relationship to Louisoix threatens a sacrificial parallel all its own!

Burning through Y’Shtola’s nine lives feels like it could be a desensitization tactic for a big bomb-drop to come!

What even is Urianger’s arc once Sharlayan is laid bare to hang out in? Is it “over enough to end,” and for that matter, is Thancred’s after he’s finally gotten past/over Minfilia?

Am I worrying for nothing here? Am I just damaged by a decade of GRRM copycats? Is there reason to believe there are lines FFXIV won’t likely cross and our now decade long NPC friendships have significant plot armor for the sake of comfortably happy endings? Longtime players, throw me a bone here!

Not all plot armor is bad!