Building a better Alphinaud

[KariTheFox]

Can you define "exotic"? Why is say; Ala Mhigo or Thavanair any more or less "exotic" than Ishgard?

[Iscah]

Can you define "exotic"? Why is say; Ala Mhigo or Thavanair any more or less "exotic" than Ishgard?

To be fair, grey medieval Europe is probably the farthest thing I can imagine from what "exotic" conjures up.

That said, the word doesn't feel right for Ala Mhigo either. The word is more specific than "foreign" and suggests a degree of liveliness and colour that Ala Mhigo is lacking.

Or in Endwalker terms, I'd sooner use exotic to describe Thavnair than the Moon.

[Dikatis]

That said, the word doesn't feel right for Ala Mhigo either. The word is more specific than "foreign" and suggests a degree of liveliness and colour that Ala Mhigo is lacking.

Well, it's been ground under heel by the Garlean Empire for the past 20 years and many of the local landmarks have been defaced or destroyed as part of Garlemald's M.O. of cultural destruction in the name of stopping the eikonic threat. It'd be weirder if everything were sunshine and roses.

That said, Gyr Abania is plenty beautiful if you know where to look. Ala Mhigan culture is also fascinating with how they've had to adapt and develop food and remedies from the local wildlife given how barren the ground is there. I love the sidequests in Ala Ghiri too and there's even a throwback to 1.0 in there.

[KariTheFox]

Well, it's been ground under heel by the Garlean Empire for the past 20 years and many of the local landmarks have been defaced or destroyed as part of Garlemald's M.O. of cultural destruction in the name of stopping the eikonic threat. It'd be weirder if everything were sunshine and roses.

That said, Gyr Abania is plenty beautiful if you know where to look. Ala Mhigan culture is also fascinating with how they've had to adapt and develop food and remedies from the local wildlife given how barren the ground is there. I love the sidequests in Ala Ghiri too and there's even a throwback to 1.0 in there.

I think the main issue with Ala Mhigo isn't the cultural aesthetic or appearance of the region, which does have some really beautiful vistas. It's just that there really isn't very much to do in those places.

It's less "people don't like these cultural aesthetics" and more "zones without much in the way of quests or content aren't super popular."

Also, Rhalgar's reach is probably the least interesting hub area to navigate. If they had just let it stay destroyed and moved all the essential NPCs to Ala Mhigo proper, maybe all those zones would be more fondly remembered.

[Dikatis]

I think the main issue with Ala Mhigo isn't the cultural aesthetic or appearance of the region, which does have some really beautiful vistas. It's just that there really isn't very much to do in those places.

It's less "people don't like these cultural aesthetics" and more "zones without much in the way of quests or content aren't super popular."

Also, Rhalgar's reach is probably the least interesting hub area to navigate. If they had just let it stay destroyed and moved all the essential NPCs to Ala Mhigo proper, maybe all those zones would be more fondly remembered.

I can agree with the "lack of stuff to do there", complaint. While I loved the finale of Stormblood, I was definitely disappointed by the lack of side content to do after Omega. The sidequests are great, but the lack of actual stuff to do post-MSQ really irked me.

I really like Rhalgr's Reach aesthetically though. The giant statue of Rhalgr, all the different kinds of people in it, the gushing waterfall, the little nooks and carnnies like the memorial and the entrance to the Temple of the Fist are all great in my opinion. But Ala Mhigo itself got done dirty, yeah. You have this sprawling complex and nothing in it. There's no real reason to stay there and it's a shame given how impressive the exterior and underground are. Not to mention how gorgeous the Royal Menagerie is. The city of Ala Mhigo is kind of an empty setpiece compared to Doma, which got ALL of the non-Omega side content and continued to get side content stuffed in it all the way into Shadowbringers thanks to its proximity to Bozja.

[Iscah]

...

I'm not saying it's a bad place – it has more variety than people give it credit for – but it just doesn't feel like what I'd describe as "exotic".