What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[FrightfulNight]

It's not just this arc. Prior to ShB some of the most interesting characters and arcs were around Garlemald. Gaius, Regula, Noah, even Varis are/were interesting, especially as we got closer to going to Garlemald proper. Instead all those years of development and waiting, and we got a single zone (cool and atmospheric mind you) whose story is just a footnote in the plot. Same for conflicts setup in Doma and Ala Mhigo. MSQ tier setups relegated to barely there side stories.

This. Garlemald was one of the plot points I was most interested in. It has played a major role in the story from the beginning and It especially seemed to be building up to it throughout all of SB and most of ShB. However come EW it is just one small zone that just feels like a side destination in the plot. What is more the zone is destroyed before we get there so because zones never change that means it will remain that way for the games life cycle. Most of it is also a frozen waste, i felt it should have at the very least mostly been urban, maybe have some inspiration from bombed out cities in WW 1 and WW 2. We already have coerthas for a frozen tundra. Or again we could have 2 zones with one being a frozen Siberia area, kind of a cross between where the Cereluem platform is and the frozen forests we passed through on the road to Garlemald, then we could have an entirely urban zone for the Capitol that makes us feel like going through a war torn city. The stories was at least good but I felt it should have had one more zone tied to it. Heck you could argue Garlemald should have had its own expansion. I do hope it at least gets the Lions share of the Patch stories with maybe a restoration after feeling like mostly an afterthought in the 6.0 scenario.

What is worse after getting this unsatisfying and conclusion to the Garlean arc there is a chance to rectify it by having an Ilsabard Expansion, but most people are crying out for a Meracydia or New World expansion when the world map of the three continents is still uncomplete, and there is evidence to support Ilsabard is in the Direst situation after EW with both the Civil War and the Final days reportedly wreaking the the most havoc in Ilsabard. It just feels irresponsible and selfish to go off to a new continent because adventure when Ilasbard is in need.

[aveyond-dreams]

The writers seem to prefer writing "slice of life!" scenes as opposed to anything of actual importance. Imagine if Garlemald or the entire fiasco surrounding Venat were as fleshed out and had as much care dedicated to them as G'raha Tia and his ridiculous hamburger scene.

[Rosenstrauch]

The writers seem to prefer writing "slice of life!" scenes as opposed to anything of actual importance. Imagine if Garlemald or the entire fiasco surrounding Venat were as fleshed out and had as much care dedicated to them as G'raha Tia and his ridiculous hamburger scene.

As someone who sincerely enjoys writing little slice of life stuff, I could have done without the hamburger scene. And not even because I dislike G'raha. Why the heck does Sharlayan have hamburgers?

[Theodric]

If it wasn't for the Garleans and the Ascians, I wouldn't have bothered investing in this game in the first place.

I dislike the focus on 'slice of life' and 'escort quests'. I don't want absolutely everyone and everything to revolve around my character, either.

[Puksi]

I seem to remember at some point the devs said they did not have all the Ascians' lore planned out from the very beginning, that they were literally just Bob Evils to cheese a story until Shadowbringers? That would explain a lot of things, because at this point everything about the Ancients feels like WoW's "The Jailer was behind everything", XIV Edition. The implication that the players think too much about these things was just the icing on the cake, considering this is supposed to be a "story first" game.

TL;DR: why does my character trust any of these characters ever

[KizuyaKatogami]

I seem to remember at some point the devs said they did not have all the Ascians' lore planned out from the very beginning, that they were literally just Bob Evils to cheese a story until Shadowbringers? That would explain a lot of things, because at this point everything about the Ancients feels like WoW's "The Jailer was behind everything", XIV Edition. The implication that the players think too much about these things was just the icing on the cake, considering this is supposed to be a "story first" game.

TL;DR: why does my character trust any of these characters ever

Story first game, but haha, stop looking too into it you guys, it’s just a story. Stop criticizing it so much!

[shao32]

I was really invested on the story until they started with all the fake deaths on SB, Yotsuyu final arc was decent but i literally lost any interest on the story when they killed Varis offscreen and the only villians we had was the joker without batman and Zenos warming throne over several patches, my favourite scene on the whole game was Varis roasting the whole alliance.

SHB and EW has been a total dissapointment for me, i be honest that the only enjoable parts i had on of both expansions has been the ascian lore reveal from Emet and the second part of thavnair when i foollish belive things are getting interesting just to find that after that zone the final days and his effects just didn't have more screentime bcs reasons, was more worthy pulling the power of friendship to build the ship i guess.
Emet and hythlodaeus has been the only character along with Quintus i enjoyed, everything outside of that has been really meh, specially venat and the whole time traveling arc wich i consider a mess despite i find interesting how the ancients work there and Y'sthola spoiling they can get back after disapear in ultima thula before the twins and g'raha was just the final screw the scions plot armor for me.

[Teraq]

the second part of thavnair when i foollish belive things are getting interesting just to find that after that zone the final days and his effects just didn't have more screentime bcs reasons, was more worthy pulling the power of friendship to build the ship i guess.

Same here, I loved level 85 Thavnair and thought "well, maybe it was worth it having Zodiark as the level 83 trial if it gets this epic". But that was pretty much it. The Garlemald part felt like an afterthought (although it gave us the catharsis of Alisaie telling Zenos nobody cares). The role quests are just a couple of monsters here and there, though I found some of the story hooks interesting. Are you just going to tell me nothing happened in Ul'dah with all that misery around the city? Really? Come on.

And I genuinely thought it was going to finally pop up in Sharlayan during the Labyrinthos quests, but... nope. I legitimately got a sinking feeling in my stomach when at one point someone goes "you should come outside and see this!!!" and I was like "oh shit it's here in Sharlayan and the sky is going to be blood red" but nah it's just everyone and their grandma showing up to bring you the Unobtainium lol

[shao32]

Same here, I loved level 85 Thavnair and thought "well, maybe it was worth it having Zodiark as the level 83 trial if it gets this epic". But that was pretty much it. The Garlemald part felt like an afterthought (although it gave us the catharsis of Alisaie telling Zenos nobody cares). The role quests are just a couple of monsters here and there, though I found some of the story hooks interesting. Are you just going to tell me nothing happened in Ul'dah with all that misery around the city? Really? Come on.

And I genuinely thought it was going to finally pop up in Sharlayan during the Labyrinthos quests, but... nope. I legitimately got a sinking feeling in my stomach when at one point someone goes "you should come outside and see this!!!" and I was like "oh shit it's here in Sharlayan and the sky is going to be blood red" but nah it's just everyone and their grandma showing up to bring you the Unobtainium lol

Yeah i had the same feeling, just when we get in to the ship and fly away i was "ok im done with this expansion", just to ask my self when we comeback at the end "they just stay there doing absolutely nothing but watch the sky while we have been doing all that stuff in ultima thula?" the tension was totally gone but was hilarious that it seems like everyone was enjoying a tea or something while we had the battle to save the universe.
At least give me a final stand on aetherys where everyone is heavely suffering everywhere doing his best working together to buy time as the scions are doing all those "sacrifices" bcs every second counts or something like that so the final zone feel like we are fighting for all those who are going to die if we fail but the only thing i get is like "it doesn't matter they are just there guesing the form of the clouds as they wait for us".