MSQ sync for "The Burdens We Bear"

[Jojoya]

This is a suggestion for SE to add MSQ progression sync to the L60 side quest "The Burdens We Bear" (ending of the quest chain that starts with "The Paths We Walk") at some point in the future if there are time and resources to do so.

This is a rather special side quest chain for players and is frequently recommended as a "must do" side quest chain to new players, many of whom are likely to have advanced to the end of the MSQ before they work on side quests. Events in the 5.5 MSQ have created a large continuity error in the quest for those who do "The Burdens We Bear" after completing 5.5.

Spoiler tagging the issue for those reading who haven't done the quest chain and/or completed the 5.5 MSQ yet.

The problem is the objective to visit Tiamat. For those who have completed the 5.5 MSQ, she is no longer at Antithesis yet in the cutscene for "The Burdens We Bear" she reappears there in her bonds. The follow-up text at the end of the cutscene is equally jarring: "Within this monument to hubris would she remain until the end of days...beyond redemption..." since the player will know that's no longer true.

I would recommend a MSQ progression sync for the quest so those have completed the 5.5 MSQ would see a slightly modified cutscene. The objective could be changed from "Visit Tiamat" to "Visit Antithesis". As Midgardsormr is also part of this cutscene, the cutscene could open with a display of the empty platform then switch to Midgardsormr appearing and speaking a variation of her lines as a reflection on the lessons his child had learned before gaining her freedom.

While the objective could also be removed entirely so the player goes from the blue bouquet to the Aetherochemiscal Research Facility, I believe it should remain a part of the quest as Tiamat's presence is important to the MSQ and it's also the only part of the quest chain that acknowledges Midgardsormr's role in Heavensward.

There is also a minor continuity error in the quest "The Oaths We Swear" involving the objective to take the unguent to Swift at Hall of Flames. Raubahn's presence in Ul'dah could be explained by the meeting that Swift references and it's possible that Higiri (as one of the shinobi) would have known he could be found there. The problem is the quest text "Yet for all his great deeds, one was left undone." as it is a reference to the liberation of Ala Mhigo. But it is also vague enough that players would likely overlook it if left as is.

[Enkidoh]

There's actually plenty of examples of apparent continuity errors in story cutscenes if the player does not undertake sidequests quests in a certain order (the big example was back in 2.55 with Nanamo if you hadn't done the CUL quests which involve her and Lolorito - players were puzzled

seeing her alive and well and Lolorito not acting like anything was wrong if you did the level 50 CUL class quests after completing the 2.55 main scenario where... Nanamo kind of ended up dead (as she was believed to be at the time), and Lolorito had put a bounty on your head accordingly.

A certain amount of suspension of disbelief is needed if such quests are not undertaken in the 'right' order before certain points in the main scenario are reached, but it's not something I see changing I'm afraid as there would be no real benefit to it.

In some cases though the contradictions can no longer be ignored and thus SE mandates completion of certain side stories first before a certain main scenario quest could be completed - specifically the Crystal Tower raids are required for Shadowbringers main scenario, given the Tower and a certain npc introduced with it are directly part of ShB's main scenario, and SE could no longer handwave the connection away for those that had skipped Crystal Tower by that point, so they made CT mandatory for continuing in ShB's storyline. It remains to be seen if SE will repeat this.

[Iscah]

This is how sidequests always work. They capture a moment in time and if you do it later, you are stepping back in time to that point.

It's very obvious with any of the major side stories involving the Scions. If you're mid-Shadowbringers and go do the older stories – the Binding Coil, Warring Triad, Alexander – they will be there in their old outfits with no memory of more recent events, because it hasn't happened for them yet.

If it's a level 60 quest, it happened in post-Heavensward. You skipped a chapter of the book and now you've come back to read it.

Later quests will adjust according to your completion of earlier quests, but not the other way around.

[Iscah]

In some cases though the contradictions can no longer be ignored and thus SE mandates completion of certain side stories first before a certain main scenario quest could be completed

Specifically this happens if an event that happens in a side story must happen first for the further quest to make sense, or if the NPC who gives the quest has to permanently move elsewhere.