The big event at the end of the current patchcycle - Predictions

[Hurlstone]

I wonder if they're going to bring into play actual factions with a branching story for zones? Such as choosing between the side of a local government or rebels. Whichever side you choose, the story will follow theirs for the zone until one final event happens, and you find out you've been helping commit a tragedy (two different tragedies that will happen at the same time regardless of your original choice, mind you). The opposing side will blame you for taking part in it, and you have the guilt for having helped commit it.

It would be very interesting if they did try and do that. They have dipped their toe into that think before with that choice we make in Zandor (Though I am not sure if it actually effected anything, did not feel like it) They would have to be carefully though, not to gate anything to big off to the player, but I would like to see them take a few more risks like that. Good way to perhaps help define our WoL too.

[Cleretic]

It would be very interesting if they did try and do that. They have dipped their toe into that think before with that choice we make in Zandor (Though I am not sure if it actually effected anything, did not feel like it) They would have to be carefully though, not to gate anything to big off to the player, but I would like to see them take a few more risks like that. Good way to perhaps help define our WoL too.

It did affect something, just not in a way a lot of people expected.

If you say Misija should be executed, then she dies of her wounds in the Diablo Armament fight before anyone can do anything. If you say she should face a proper Bozjan trial, Bajsaljen takes the knife and kills her himself. I used to think that the explanation was 'they're taking worse care of her if she's due to be executed so she dies faster', but now that I write that, I'm realizing that it's actually fulfilling what you say to do, just in an indirect way; if she's due to stand a Bozjan trial, then it's a Bozjan that decides to kill her.

My guess is this alleged 'choice' will be a Sophie's Choice situation--something like us having to make a decision about who to help, neither option is 'the good one' but there's no way to save both, and we just have to live with the decision we make. Whether or not said 'choice' is actually a branching thing we're asked to decide about, or our hand is circumstantially forced down one path, I don't know; they're capable of doing both well.

...but either way there's gonna be a lot of people deliberately distorting or ignoring facts to claim that whatever choice they thought was The Right One was objectively and morally superior and the other side is some kind of turbo-ubercriminal. They'll be the minority, but they sure won't realize it.

[Hurlstone]

It did affect something, just not in a way a lot of people expected.

If you say Misija should be executed, then she dies of her wounds in the Diablo Armament fight before anyone can do anything. If you say she should face a proper Bozjan trial, Bajsaljen takes the knife and kills her himself. I used to think that the explanation was 'they're taking worse care of her if she's due to be executed so she dies faster', but now that I write that, I'm realizing that it's actually fulfilling what you say to do, just in an indirect way; if she's due to stand a Bozjan trial, then it's a Bozjan that decides to kill her.

Oh I see. Cheers for the extra info! That makes more sense now.

When I read that Misija died either way I kinda dismissed it as a faux choice, but that take on the situation makes sense for sure. Even then, her dieing by Bajsaljen's hand I would say is a more 'heroic' end to her character then the other, so aligns more with the choice to have her face trial rather then executed.

My guess is this alleged 'choice' will be a Sophie's Choice situation--something like us having to make a decision about who to help, neither option is 'the good one' but there's no way to save both, and we just have to live with the decision we make. Whether or not said 'choice' is actually a branching thing we're asked to decide about, or our hand is circumstantially forced down one path, I don't know; they're capable of doing both well.

Yeah, I think they could handle it well, though they would still have to be careful not to make one side more 'right' then other if they do want such a situation. FFXIV deals with a lot of dark themes and stuff, but at its core it still has a moral heart expressed via things like the Scions and their ‘Save who you can, remember who you cannot’ approach which the WoL has been tied too over the years. That said 7.0 will be the best time to add in such moral dilemmas that have shades of grey, and over time we have been able to respond with more sarcastic/less heroic retorts even if they do not have any impact on the story.

[RyuDragnier]

My guess is this alleged 'choice' will be a Sophie's Choice situation--something like us having to make a decision about who to help, neither option is 'the good one' but there's no way to save both, and we just have to live with the decision we make. Whether or not said 'choice' is actually a branching thing we're asked to decide about, or our hand is circumstantially forced down one path, I don't know; they're capable of doing both well.

The easiest way would be to make both individuals perform atrocities nobody can agree with afterwards. So there was never a case of "one side is less evil", but a case of "both sides are horrible and it was a moment we could not win in no matter what."