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

[Vyrerus]

It's this precedent that's giving me very strong doubts that the "great change" supposedly coming to the world as part of the lead-in for 7.x is going to actually amount to much in practice.

The tower business resolving with a whimper felt particularly disappointing after spending months of seeing the things ominously looming over places I frequented.

Towers being wrapped up in a single dungeon without so much as a cursory set of scenes with people rejoicing was a big letdown. I mean, at the end of 5.5, didn't Nanamo say that the Eorzean Alliance would marshall forces to contend with the Lunar Primals and anything having to do with the towers?

Something along the lines of, "We're a strong independent Eorzea, we don't need no WoL!" (Actually it was more along the lines of, "We can't rely on you for every nation's defense."

But like so many other potentially interesting, LARGE plot threads, they were flayed out by EW as nothingburger with a side of unsalted, cold fries.

[MikkoAkure]

Towers being wrapped up in a single dungeon without so much as a cursory set of scenes with people rejoicing was a big letdown. I mean, at the end of 5.5, didn't Nanamo say that the Eorzean Alliance would marshall forces to contend with the Lunar Primals and anything having to do with the towers?

Something along the lines of, "We're a strong independent Eorzea, we don't need no WoL!" (Actually it was more along the lines of, "We can't rely on you for every nation's defense."

But like so many other potentially interesting, LARGE plot threads, they were flayed out by EW as nothingburger with a side of unsalted, cold fries.

The towers took 3 dungeons (Paglth'an, Zot, Babel) and were the major story for half of one zone (Thavnair) and all of another (Garlemald). They're also the reason we actually go to Garlemald, and the reason why we're able to get there in relative safety without a Cartenau or Ghimlyt Dark-scale extreme pitched battle. I wouldn't say it resolved with a whimper since it took us hours of gameplay to finish it. After the we defeated Anima and by extension, the towers, Zenos and Fandaniel fired a laser at the frickin' moon, which was kind of a bigger deal at the time since we had to get ready to fight the hijacked God of Darkness trying to bust out of prison.

The towers were written in as a ways to a means to get the plot moving as an excuse to get us to Thavnair and Garlemald, but they still did take up the first 1/4 of the expansion.

All that being said, it would've been nice if there were a cutscene of Eorzean troops fighting for their lives against lunar primals, only for the towers to disappear and they all watch as a beam shoots out and hits the moon. That would've allowed a better transition from one plot to the next and established the greater threat being seen by the whole realm.

[Atelier-Bagur]

With the measure of hindsight, and seeing it put like that, I'd say they used Vivi's plot as a way to basically flesh out Zidane's plot while also keeping the main twist centered around Zidane without giving it away.

The thing that drives me batty about Zidane though, is that he's always put his kindness and faith in others, and the whole, "You're Not Alone" segment is just so drastically out of character for him to me. But not only that, the more you analyze his character, you realize it's more of a contrived feel good character rather than a person (as is that scene). He's supposed to want to get on like a bro from Tantalus, a nobody thief from a band of brothers, but the ending result of his character arc is that he's actually some sorta Kuja 2.0 that's perfected, super dee duper powerful, and that's the actual reason for his extreme competence. He was genetically engineered with it. I don't remember if his memory loss about his origins was explained either, but he's more or less a Superman/Goku style dude.

Granted, main character with an epic tie in to the setting's past has been a staple in FF since FFIV, I just really don't like how it was handled with Zidane

False, because you see hints of this side of his character much earlier in the game. Such as when he told that story to Garnet at Black Mage Village where you clearly see that he has more going on with his backstory when he talks about wanting to find where he belongs. Same is when he had doubts with wanting to express his feelings to Garnet in the beginning of Disc 3.

That moment of weakness he had at Pandemonium was after having his mind shattered by Garland even though he tried to debate his purpose and identity. It was only after the people he positively affected helped him back that he learned that he already found his place where he belongs. Zidane is the kind of character who cares about others so much he forgets to care about himself.

The reason why he was so special and superior to Kuja was not only due to being given a stronger soul but had the chance to further temper it by growing amongst the Gaians and forging his relationships and identity.

[Vyrerus]

My favorite part of IX is when Steiner trances for Beatrix in Alexandria. Have we had a romantic situation do that yet in XIV? The power of love power boost.

[KageTokage]

There is a lot of "tell, but don't show" that I feel kind of hurt EW's presentation.

Like...it would've been nice to see the burning skies of Thavnair fade and appropriate rejoicing, but all the celebration is reserved strictly for Sharlayan which wasn't even subject to the worst of its effects at the time.

[KageTokage]

I remember they hand-waved it by saying something along the lines of the towers in the other regions not disappearing as abruptly as Zot did which somehow allowed them to safely rescue the captives.

I really don't feel like there was enough closure surrounding that or the Final Days, and I was expecting the latter to get some attention through more then the final role quest. The writers really seem like they're in a big hurry to just move on to...whatever the heck it is they have planned after the void filler by cutting off as many plot threads as possible.

[Vyrerus]

I remember they hand-waved it by saying something along the lines of the towers in the other regions not disappearing as abruptly as Zot did which somehow allowed them to safely rescue the captives.

I really don't feel like there was enough closure surrounding that or the Final Days, and I was expecting the latter to get some attention through more then the final role quest. The writers really seem like they're in a big hurry to just move on to...whatever the heck it is they have planned after the void filler by cutting off as many plot threads as possible.

Ahh, I knew there was a neat little shiny bow on it to hold all that shoddy wrap together.

[Vyrerus]

Somewhat interestingly, the deep dungeon had nothing to do with Endwalker. It was all Allagan lore and Archsage Noah and other Eureka tie in. Kind of refreshing in this lackluster atmosphere the game is in right now. Still gotta beat it two more times to get the cherry on top.

I wonder if they will somehow squeeze another dungeon or instance out of the Crystal Tower. It's crazy how much has been tied back to it and caught up around it.

[Ardeth]

There is a lot of "tell, but don't show" that I feel kind of hurt EW's presentation.

Like...it would've been nice to see the burning skies of Thavnair fade and appropriate rejoicing, but all the celebration is reserved strictly for Sharlayan which wasn't even subject to the worst of its effects at the time.

Agreed. I'm still stuck on the absolute tonal whiplash that is the Loporrits. They literally Jar Jar Binksed us. Any good will that EW earned with me as a player went down the toliet right then and there.

[Lunaxia]

Agreed. I'm still stuck on the absolute tonal whiplash that is the Loporrits. They literally Jar Jar Binksed us. Any good will that EW earned with me as a player went down the toliet right then and there.

In all honesty, I'm always surprised to hear about someone being deeply bothered by the Loporrits. After witnessing Zenos and Amon appear right at the climax of what had previously been the first genuinely interesting part of the story since 5.0 and soak up what was left of the faceless and thoroughly dehumanised Zodiark soup like a day old crouton, and then realising this was the writer's resolution to the story's most important, decade old plot point, I didn't have much left in the way of a reaction to give anymore. By the time we reached the Loporrits, it was more or less a case of "Ah. Rabbits. Hm. All right then."

Speaking of the moon, I was briefly pondering on this the other day, and was trying to make sense of a) Hydaelyn giving the Sundered a way out via the moon without pausing to consider offering her brethren the same solution and b) the logic in trying to outrun something that ultimately aims to consume the entire universe anyway.

My only conclusion was wishing I could go back to before I contemplated buying this game and living in blissful ignorance of how it all ended. I don't know what's worse, the general brain itch it continues to give me whenever I think about it or the unintentional yet inevitable sense of gaslighting whenever I venture near the community and have to hear about how wonderful and moving the writing was.

It certainly moved me away from the game, I suppose...