MSQ question

[Jeeqbit]

Technicalities aside, you do hold your own against Venat, who seems to be able to 1v20 them in the cinematic later on. Also I doubt Hermes has any sort of superhuman reflexes, and nobody is stronger than a blade in the back if they don't have time to put up barriers etc, I reckon. They're strong wizards, not Kryptonians.

The point is that having a long battle with them is not the same as going in as a ninja and attacking them from behind. Even if you beat them, the story doesn't make you really beat people a lot of the time and goes to a cutscene instead.

[Kaurhz]

Something like -- "The future to which you must return, must exist as a result of the Final Days"

Besides, as has been highlighted the sisters or network had already been scattered, so more than likely too late by then, and the exact course of events wouldn't really have been known to us.

That being said, I found the story very predictable, personally. But I 'disconnected' myself from the predictability of it all, and just enjoyed the story for what it was. Taking the predictability away from it all made the lopporitz a very alluring prospect, had it been an avenue they remained towards.

[CKNovel]

Anyone else annoyed with the whole Meteion arc of quests?

If being strictly pragmatic, would decapitating Meteion and Hermes on sight in Elpis prevent the Final Days from triggering and get it over with?

Yes I'm annoyed by all of Elpis but for different reasons.

No it wouldn't prevent anything. Meteion is a network of birds in the cosmos.
It's as smart as smashing an axe on a computer to kill TikTok.

On top of that, "our" Meteion has been our only access to the Nest and the Endsinger.
Because we didn't axed our Meteion computer we could manage to hack TikTok to delete it from the inside.
Additionally, Meteion is helping restoring the lost stars.

I know you really crave for violent ending, but a main character that solves everything through violence and sheer force is truly boring.

[Ravor]

Add to that the fact that our silent protagonist just stands there 5m away as people get murdered in Not-India... it's entirely too frustrating how cliché and contrived the story has been so far ^^

I just wish they specifically chaange this event a little, make it that we are being blocked by 3 or 4 other monster or even 1 other monster which make it seems like we are too busy or being blocked to go for the rescue......

[Eelanos]

Nobody is stronger than a blade in the back if they don't have time to put up barriers etc, I reckon. They're strong wizards, not Kryptonians.

I do find the simple mindedness of some people fascinating. Just imagine going to the past and just stabbing someone that has yet to commit any evil. I really doubt people would give you a pat in the back or consider it a heroic action. You are definitely going to get caught and treated like a common murderer.

Now add to that the fact that they're not just humans but an ancient race of reality-bending magic people, and that the world you're currently visiting is full of them. How many do you think you'll be able to stab before you're dematerialized out of existence? Ten? Twenty?

And now let's ignore the whole thing with Meteon's sisters and time paradox nonsense and pretend you did kill the right people and fix the future. Hooray! Congrats! But, as I said, you're dead. A noble sacrifice, somewhat unpredictable, though an atrocious and anticlimatic ending. Now, what's on the next expansion? Should players make a new character from scratch?

Or are you telling me you feel the story makes much more sense if you're able to go in, kill everyone in sight with ease, giving no reason or explanation as to why, and then leave pushing your sunglasses up while giving a side glance at the camera before traveling back to the current time? Because that's the storytelling of a 10 year old trying really hard to be cool, consequences be damned.

Truth is, part of the predictability of the story is because the writers are limited on what they can write. We know we can't die, but the reason why we don't die and still find the happy ending should feel plausible.
We can't just tackle every new issue guns blazing and Deus Ex Machina the crap out of every villain or catastrophe, even if we technically could because our character has several tons of plot armor for the sole reason of being the main character in a MMO.

Plus, also part of the predictability is because they don't cheat the world's rules.
Most of what happens in the game is set up well before it happens. We can't complain that we knew who the EW final boss was just because it was hinted at in ARR and by the 75% mark in EW it was very clearly telling us who it was. If they were to make a last second switcheroo it would have felt worse, not better.

All in all, making a power fantasy story is easy. Balancing a power fantasy with good storytelling is much more difficult, and I think the team is doing a competent work at it. We can like the story more or we can like it less, but I think the story makes sense and was enjoyable, so I can't say I have major complains about it (except for a couple of choices in the script, but that's an entirely different conversation).

[Rhaggnos]

I do find the simple mindedness of some people fascinating. Just imagine going to the past and just stabbing someone that has yet to commit any evil. I really doubt people would give you a pat in the back or consider it a heroic action. You are definitely going to get caught and treated like a common murderer.

...

All in all, making a power fantasy story is easy. Balancing a power fantasy with good storytelling is much more difficult, and I think the team is doing a competent work at it. We can like the story more or we can like it less, but I think the story makes sense and was enjoyable, so I can't say I have major complains about it (except for a couple of choices in the script, but that's an entirely different conversation).

Justify it as you may, there are too many artifices shoe-horned in tbh.

For instance, Emet-Selch saw the convergence immediately, and even mentions that when MC and Hyathlo walk to the fake one. Yet instead of cutting short Hermes' interminable speech, snapping his fingers and jumping out, he simply allows himself to be memory-wiped.

Too many forced instances of "oh no, artificial problem" caused by gawking inaction.

Another one: as soon as you realize the emotions connection, and see that Meteion's report WILL break his mind, have 2 ppl constrain or distract Hermes instead of allowing the weak, traumatized nutcase to join you in receiving his fix of predictable PTSD. Then deal with how you will inform him and give him back his pet later.

It's less about the power fantasy and more about practicality. Time travel can never be done well, btw, because there are no ground rules. Are we dealing with multiple timelines? Can they split? Will they converge (as Hydaelin mentions later)? If events are unafected by it, how come they mention having seen you in the future, implying you were present in the original events that made you go back to begin with?

I don't take much issue with the storytelling itself, just the way they force events in nonsensical interactions sometimes.

Hell, I'd be fine with having Thancred backstab someone and deal with it. Not about power fantasy, more about don't waste my time.

And to be fair, most of my frustration is due to the endless running around nature of the quests. Every single one just moves the goal off a little 4 or 5 times before you have any meaningful interaction or can turn them in, and most dont have the decency to offer any combat in between. I feel like a trans-dimensional mail man...

[Kes13a]

Justify it as you may, there are too many artifices shoe-horned in tbh.

For instance, Emet-Selch saw the convergence immediately, and even mentions that when MC and Hyathlo walk to the fake one. Yet instead of cutting short Hermes' interminable speech, snapping his fingers and jumping out, he simply allows himself to be memory-wiped.

sorry to burst your bubble.. but have you REALLY thought this through?

lets say we do your little trick of just preventing the wipe and everything from happening.

where is the justification for your existence? there is none. at all. the ancients would fix their issue, or not, but it is highly improbable at that point that a "warrior of light" would ever be created or needed.

I can see it now... partway through endwalker, SE Yoshi and the team, put up a screen saying.. "thanks for playing Final Fantasy 14, but the world you were in and helped created is gone. have a great day, see you in the future..."

[Atelier-Bagur]

sorry to burst your bubble.. but have you REALLY thought this through?

lets say we do your little trick of just preventing the wipe and everything from happening.

where is the justification for your existence? there is none. at all. the ancients would fix their issue, or not, but it is highly improbable at that point that a "warrior of light" would ever be created or needed.

I can see it now... partway through endwalker, SE Yoshi and the team, put up a screen saying.. "thanks for playing Final Fantasy 14, but the world you were in and helped created is gone. have a great day, see you in the future..."

"But the future to refused to change"

[Rhaggnos]

I just wish they specifically chaange this event a little, make it that we are being blocked by 3 or 4 other monster or even 1 other monster which make it seems like we are too busy or being blocked to go for the rescue......

Yeah. I'm sitting there like "Sure, it's not like can instantly summon a miniature Primal Bahamut and snap that insignificant beast like twig or anything. Or merge with the voidsent and cleave it in half like Zenos. Or Fire IV it from Egypt." etc...

[PawPaw]

Justify it as you may, there are too many artifices shoe-horned in tbh.

For instance, Emet-Selch saw the convergence immediately, and even mentions that when MC and Hyathlo walk to the fake one. Yet instead of cutting short Hermes' interminable speech, snapping his fingers and jumping out, he simply allows himself to be memory-wiped.

I have to admit, I spent a long time laughing about this one. He breaks open the convergence and instead of snapping his magic horse into existence, grabbing Hythlo and exiting promptly; he decides it would be a better use of his time to give us a rousing parting speech complete with a sad smile and a wistfully waving Hyth. All while just watching us ride our sparkly puppies across the entire arena over to the convergence. These are people who can teleport as easily as they breathe. But no, it definitely made much more sense for them to just stand there like idiots and let their memories get wiped. There was absolutely no way they could have escaped that. No chance. /eyeroll

The memory wiping contrivance was...silly, but at the least give me a believable reason as to why these two wouldn't have booked it out of there with us instead of just standing around like powerless fools.