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

[Kozh]

ShB would've had to have been a lot different for it to work out. At some point we're just going to have to admit that ShB did not take the story in a good direction just because it was amazingly well-written in a vacuum. As great as it was in that vacuum, it was extremely short-sighted in how it handled story threads.

I'm also pretty sure Ishikawa didn't know that we'd not have a Garlemald expansion until after ShB's main story was done, so it was already too late.

Honestly it doesn't have to be so different. Yes Garlemald destruction began in 5.0 (cutscene at the ending), but it only start to be realized after patch 5.3. Before that, it's only vague scenes where fandaniel acting crazy and Zenos brooding. If they proceed with their plan to do a Garlemald expansion, they can easily make it so that the destruction only affects the city, not the whole nation.

We might say now "oh, there's so little going on with Garlemald it won't be enough to fill an entire expansion", but that's because we're not the writers. We can't easily make up new lore and stuff unlike them.

And personally, I disagree with "story beats nobody cared". Maybe players who like garlean plot are in the minority, but doesn't mean nobody cares.

[Theodric]

With Garlemald and the Garleans being heavily inspired by the Roman Empire and Russian cultural elements...there was never any shortage of inspiration that the writers could have tapped into had they so desired. They added plenty of nuance over the years, too, though it was always in side quests and never in the MSQ's up until Endwalker so many cool Garlean characters such as Regula van Hydrus are as forgotten by many players as they are by the development team. Or worse yet, never seen at all since they're locked behind optional content.

[Skyborne]

With Garlemald and the Garleans being heavily inspired by the Roman Empire and Russian cultural elements...there was never any shortage of inspiration that the writers could have tapped into had they so desired. They added plenty of nuance over the years, too, though it was always in side quests and never in the MSQ's up until Endwalker so many cool Garlean characters such as Regula van Hydrus are as forgotten by many players as they are by the development team. Or worse yet, never seen at all since they're locked behind optional content.

Oh, they remembered Regula...

... in that instanced Sapphire Weapon fight. here I am again, hiding the pain, gahahaha!

The problem is is those good moment are dragged down hard by the rest of the game.

100%. There were some moments and characters I really liked. But...

[IdowhatIwant]

Regula van Hydrus are as forgotten by many players as they are by the development team. Or worse yet, never seen at all since they're locked behind optional content.

They killed him off in the Warring Triad plot.

[Theodric]

They killed him off in the Warring Triad plot.

I'm aware.

I was more so referring to his sacrifice and honourable streak being entirely forgotten and never referenced again after that point. The best friend of the Emperor of Garlemald being a cool, selfless guy with a reasonable streak was a very big deal - but then the game just forgets about that and never has the opportunity to bring him up during the parley scene with Varis or when it makes sense to consider that not all Garleans are terrible people like Zenos or Valens.

Even the reference to him in Werlyt was entirely surface level.

[DormantOne]

I loved Endwalker. My favorite expansion thus far.

[Allegor]

I didn't like how they handled Zodiark either, but for different reasons, I think.

Considering how he was worshipped as the ancient's savior, I didn't really expect him to look so.....obviously evil. Tbh, I was kinda hoping there'd be some flashback somewhere that shows Zodiark wasn't actually a bad guy and genuinely cared about his people and had his own reasoning and views of things, and some just happen to clash with Hydaelyn's, maybe even having him - or rather, the thousands of souls that made him up - being aware that by ironically being imprisoned, they were doing the planet a favor.... (The Cluster from Steven Universe rings a bell there? lol). The whole trial could've been about trying and failing to save Zodiark from Zenos and Fandaniel, but nope, we got "generic big bad not-Satan" instead /sigh oh well....

[Lauront]

I didn't like how they handled Zodiark either, but for different reasons, I think.

Considering how he was worshipped as the ancient's savior, I didn't really expect him to look so.....obviously evil. Tbh, I was kinda hoping there'd be some flashback somewhere that shows Zodiark wasn't actually a bad guy and genuinely cared about his people and had his own reasoning and views of things, and some just happen to clash with Hydaelyn's, maybe even having him - or rather, the thousands of souls that made him up - being aware that by ironically being imprisoned, they were doing the planet a favor.... (The Cluster from Steven Universe rings a bell there? lol). The whole trial could've been about trying and failing to save Zodiark from Zenos and Fandaniel, but nope, we got "generic big bad not-Satan" instead /sigh oh well....

The appearance didn't bother me much as it did some, as I liked how fierce he looks to convey that sense of a powerful protector... plus I've always liked the chiselled jaw demonic beefcake look; not an accident that I like au ra. And also especially since they used SHB to emphasise darkness is not inherently evil and that such forms result from it (although light also creates some very... questionable looking beings), but I'll confess it is a peculiar choice since he is a primal. Someone mentioned the tentacles represent water and the wings air, but I still found the former a strange choice as well. And in practice, I'd say for their people, Hydaelyn was much closer to being the great Satan, even if she wears an angelic guise. I agree with your overall point.

And well, Hades did nothing wrong so we should have joined him but that is just a personal preference, outside of Venat's silly choice the story was quite decent.

A man after my own heart.

[Rulakir]

I didn't like how they handled Zodiark either, but for different reasons, I think.

Considering how he was worshipped as the ancient's savior, I didn't really expect him to look so.....obviously evil. Tbh, I was kinda hoping there'd be some flashback somewhere that shows Zodiark wasn't actually a bad guy and genuinely cared about his people and had his own reasoning and views of things, and some just happen to clash with Hydaelyn's, maybe even having him - or rather, the thousands of souls that made him up - being aware that by ironically being imprisoned, they were doing the planet a favor.... (The Cluster from Steven Universe rings a bell there? lol). The whole trial could've been about trying and failing to save Zodiark from Zenos and Fandaniel, but nope, we got "generic big bad not-Satan" instead /sigh oh well....

Finally someone who's seen Steven Universe. Nobody ever gets my references.

I suspect virtually no thought went into Zodiark. Yoshi-P said for Endsinger he simply told Amano to draw "despair", so it wouldn't surprise me if the instructions for Zodiark were little more than draw a "dark god". Thus, we ended up with this demonic, Lovecraftian-looking thing rather than the manifestation of the Ancients' seeking salvation.

Unfortunately, I'm left to assume (especially after a recent interview) that Yoshi-P and/or team is bored with the story and want to do something else they consider interesting. Given that this is the foundation of the world's lore to have it so unceremoniously handled in EW and swept aside has been extremely disappointing.

[Ralphe2449]

Tbh my biggest issues with EW story were:

-Very little time in garlemald, it deserved both a huge map and capital and time, not this quick wrap up at the start.
-Zenos felt ignored for most of EW and the ending wasnt as satisfying.

And well, Hades did nothing wrong so we should have joined him but that is just a personal preference, outside of Venat's silly choice the story was quite decent.