Quote Originally Posted by ZavosEsperian View Post
Personally, I do not think there should be any side content requirements for relic related content. Ivalice being required in ShB was as big of a mistake as requiring all of Hildibrand: it forces players to potentially interact with content they do not find enjoyable for the sake of generating a lead in to a long grind fest. In reality, doing the side content the relic is based off of should just provide the player with alternate dialogue and additional context more than anything.
The thing is, it's been like this since the beginning. The original ARR relic unlocked the HM primals, Chimera, and the Hydra, and you had to do ALL of them to get the relics, as well as run a bunch of other optional side content like HM dungeons. The relic quest and initial unlocks have been like this since the beginning, and hasn't changed in that aspect. You either accept this and do it anyway, or you do not and you never touch the relic. Those are the options here.