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

[BRVV]

The WoL's intervention very much did have an effect. It's part of the causal loop. Elpis is set at a point in the timeline long before the 8UC (which I'll note is in fact the original timeline) and splinter (in which the game is presently set) divided. E.g. the WoL from the splinter going back to Elpis and maintaining the casual loop will keep the 8UC timeline going as well. Think of the 8UC and tangential timelines as being like two branches extending from the same tree limb.

As for "current" events: Zodiark isn't dead in the 8UC, which means modern Meteion is not yet a threat to that world.

Game's got plenty of plot holes, but I wouldn't count those among them. I do, however, believe the use of a causal loop wasn't the best decision.

Yeah that seems to be the only way it all makes some sense... with terrible implications. Weren't we told again and again that we CANT change anything? Guess they meant it in "it's already part of the timeline, bro". So we have 2 kinds of time travel. The Graha one that splits the timeline and the non-splitting one. The method could be the same. As you laid out, if i understand correctly, it depens on wether you go to a time before the shards were created or after. Why is this all bad, though? Well for one we have not been told if we could just travel again and there lies the problem.

Let's assume a new enemy appears. One who didn't exist before the split. Perfect! We can travel back and stop or change everything! Maybe he will never be born! But what if that being did exist in the united original. Well boys, girls & everybody else... let's travel to where the world was one and just vibe. Do whatever you feel like. Set something on fire idk. Or just harass everyone to tell you how to stop new evil dude. After all we CANT change the original timeline, right?

But i have to admit: it does make sense. I wouldn't want to see it because i thought the time travels were identical.