Final Fantasy XIV Hot Takes

[thvojenkins]

A Realm Reborn was what the game needed to rebound from the disaster that was 1.0.
Heavensward was good.
Stormblood was an expansion that wasn't released so much as it escaped. But it was fine.

Shadowbringers has enough confused storytelling, half-truths, and outright falsities in the narrative that if it were a World of Warcraft expansion, Actiblizz would have been crucified, and Endwalker has proven to be more of the same.

But because SE relied on the power of "HEY, THIS IS SAD," Final Fantasy XIV became god's gift to gaming. We're not supposed to pay attention to the lore so much though, or we'll find out the man behind the curtain is just another rehash of Kingdom Hearts.

On a gameplay note, going through the MSQ once is an experience. Going through multiple times on alts was kind of a pain when there was only one or two expansions. The more expansions that get released, the more alt-unfriendly the game becomes.

[Firlont]

I never allowed any irritation with the need to return to Vesper Bay to blossom into a hatred of Minfilia Warde, and I never wanted her to leave, even after Shadowbringers made the desire for her return into a moral enormity.

[Kolsykol]

I never allowed any irritation with the need to return to Vesper Bay to blossom into a hatred of Minfilia Warde, and I never wanted her to leave, even after Shadowbringers made the desire for her return into a moral enormity.

Hating Minfillia because she was the quest NPC is just really bizarre and petty.
She wasn't a bad character at all.

I also don't buy into this bs about how she was '' useless '', just because she wasn't a fighter doesn't mean she was useless and ofc she'd be the target for kidnapping as essentially the leader...
It's true I think to some extent that we didn't see her do much on screen, but if you paid attention to the story it was clear that she did do stuff.
Getting mad at her for making you '' do stuff '' instead is just dumb too, ofc she did rofl?
You're the fighter out in the field and she's not why the hell would she put herself at risk?

It's like getting mad at a general for sending soldiers out to do stuff or not going scouting themselves.
It makes no sense.

[SeverianLyonesse]

Hating Minfillia because she was the quest NPC is just really bizarre and petty.
She wasn't a bad character at all.

Eh she was kind of a damsel in distress, got a disproportionate amount of screentime to her actual impact on the story, and generally lacked for character traits. I think her character rested too much on being well-intentioned and pretty, and it does read like the writers expected her to just skate by on being your in-game girlfriend.

I don't really hate Minfilia so much as the fact that she was poorly handled. I am disappointed in how she was written, when if we *had* to have that archetype in FFXIV she could have been given more agency and personality. Leaving the plot like she did was probably the best thing that could have happened to her.

[Kolsykol]

Eh she was kind of a damsel in distress, got a disproportionate amount of screentime to her actual impact on the story, and generally lacked for character traits. I think her character rested too much on being well-intentioned and pretty, and it does read like the writers expected her to just skate by on being your in-game girlfriend.

I don't really hate Minfilia so much as the fact that she was poorly handled. I am disappointed in how she was written, when if we *had* to have that archetype in FFXIV she could have been given more agency and personality. Leaving the plot like she did was probably the best thing that could have happened to her.

Ofc when she's essentially the quest giver she'll get a lot of screentime.
Being a damsel in distress doesn't make you inherently a bad character either, and like I said it makes sense why she'd be put in that position.
The whole waifu thing really applies significantly more to Y'shtola and tbh she's less of a character than Minfillia at this point.

In regards to the damsel part I would've found it even dumber if she suddenly became some badass and got out herself.
It made perfect sense why she'd become a target and the first time she also wasn't the only one who was captured.
But much like Y'shtola and the whole '' fake death '' thing people have a tendency to ignore the other characters in the scene or who the same thing happens to.

[SeverianLyonesse]

Ofc when she's essentially the quest giver she'll get a lot of screentime.

It was a bad creative decision that affected her character.

Being a damsel in distress doesn't make you inherently a bad character either, and like I said it makes sense why she'd be put in that position.

Not inherently, but combined with a lot of disproportionate screentime wherein you don't really develop...it just highlights that you're written to be just a waifu macguffin.

The whole waifu thing really applies significantly more to Y'shtola and tbh she's less of a character than Minfillia at this point.

It absolutely does not. For one, it's unfair to compare Y'Shtola now, after four more expansions by herself, to how Minfilia was written when they were both in the cast through ARR. Even with 80% less screentime Minfilia quickly wore out her welcome. But for two, even if Y'Shtola is underwritten as a character, she still, on average, exerts more agency and capability and intrigue as a character than Minfilia ever did. One sassy zinger and one badass near-death experience per expac is still more than Minfilia ever got.

In regards to the damsel part I would've found it even dumber if she suddenly became some badass and got out herself.

This is a non-argument. She could have always had some combat/field experience from the beginning. She could have undergone training like Tataru which would have given her an actual character arc. Or she could have just not been written into the focal point of so many scenes. But there were many non-dumb ways that she could have been written and interacting more with the plot as anything more than a waifu macguffin.

It made perfect sense why she'd become a target and the first time she also wasn't the only one who was captured.

As you observed, she was the focal point of that capture to the near total exclusion of everyone else we might have cared about. Also just because things are written to "make sense" doesn't mean they are particularly compelling or respect the characters very well.

[Raoabolic]

I never allowed any irritation with the need to return to Vesper Bay to blossom into a hatred of Minfilia Warde, and I never wanted her to leave, even after Shadowbringers made the desire for her return into a moral enormity.

Same. Meanwhile people go crazy over Zenos (evil goku) and yshtola (haha little sun! now brb coming back from the dead again!). At least Minfilia got a proper end and farewell (ShB and that one dungeon in EW), Zenos was just a tool to send the player to Garlamand and yshtola has become nothing but a mascot for XIV. Feels real good to be a minfilia fan imo.

[Caurcas]

Magnai is a better character than Y'shtola.

[Izar_Chillen]

Magnai is a better character than Y'shtola.

The resident of the Steppes are more interesting



We got 10 more years of Cataracts Shtola - I foresee a few quest in later expansion which we have to take Shtola to Specsavers (a UK Glasses Shop franchise)


Its a shame that Shtola has become so vague , her English VA Robyn Addison is a great actor , and has great range , if anyone played Dragon Age Inquisition and loved Sera the crazy Elf you will know what I mean , yet she is slowly becoming explanation'Shtola at key moments and not much else. I hope they can write a better character over the next few years.

Please Shtola find a way to get back to Runar its the only thing you ever seemed to really care about

[Solebound]

Everyone over hypes Y'shtola as the best waifu in the game and shows no love to Urianger's girlfriend Moenbrdya.