The Power Progression in Dawntrail

[Mr_Gyactus]

A question i asked myself for a while now is how SE will introduce a new threat to us players. Or a reason why all of the sudden the new enemies and bosses are stronger than the end of the universe and existence itself.

We fought dragons, primals, gods, ancients and literally the end itself. So my question is, what big bad evil will come next? How will SE make it believable that after defeating Meteion we struggle again with some random trial and dungeon bosses?

When you see G'Raha fatter than Dulia-Chai (he's eating burgers in the trailer too) that will fade into the background.

WoL: "strange, the armor I wore in HW is tight in my belly and sides! What do you think G'Raha Tia?

[Cabalabob]

When you think about it. Nothing we have done that’s noteworthy we have done alone. Gaius van baelsar? Took 8 (now 4) of us at level 50 to defeat him. Nidhogg, 8 again at level 60, zenos, we went against him alone at 60 and got thrashed, we then went off and trained up to level 70 and still only beat him with a party of 4. Shadowbringers we get forced to retreat by Ran’jit at low 70’s when we take him on alone and all our noteworthy victories, again of course, parties of 4-8.

Basically what I’m getting at is, on our own we’re actually kind of weak. Any time they want to introduce a serious threat they have us fight them alone and usually unprepared. Sure we defeated meteion… with 7 helpers while riding shinryu… But while we’re out napping on the beach? Krillin could throw a rock at our head and it would hurt!

The only real issue I see is Azem’s Crystal letting us summon help at any time, making it pretty much impossible for a serious threat to catch us off guard and alone. So unless we lose/give up that power somehow, it’s going to be difficult to introduce threats that way going forward unless they are some world ending threat we need to come up with a plan for.

[KageTokage]

I'm expecting they'll just resort to the tried and true trope of "strong as the plot demands" to maintain narrative tension.

[purgatori]

They won't bother. Just like they didn't bother explaining how some old dude with a stillbirth serpent could easily kick our asses in Shadowbringers until he couldn't any more.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Explain to me why a random bird in Thavnair is stronger than the Ultima Weapon, then we can figure out power levels.

[CNitsah]

as long as they don't do another Zenos, where a guy comes out of nowhere and crush you like an insect after you defeated several ascians and a dragon from the first brood that even death couldn't defeat, making everything you've done up until then irrevelant, I'm fine.

[TheMightyMollusk]

To be fair, we've never defeated an Unsundered without a plot device. We had literal divine intervention with Lahabrea at the Praetorium (especially after it was redone, where he outright kills the player until Hydaelyn steps in), Nidhogg's Eye at the Aetherochemical Research Facility, the overpowering Light of the Lightwardens against Hades, and Azem's crystal to summon backup for Hades and Elidibus. We also had Hraesvelgr's Eye to help fight Nidhogg.

[Jandor]

I don't think the stakes will be all that high tbh, and I'm fine with that. Would be a bit silly trying to immediately one-up the potential end of the universe.

Also, the WoL is pretty much the peak of sundered mortals, but they are still a sundered mortal. They would still (theoretically) die if you shot them in the head/stabbed them in the heart/whatevered them in the whatever.

[Rolder50]

Trying to gauge power levels / lore power progression in an MMO is a fools errand.

[BaconBits]

To be fair, we've never defeated an Unsundered without a plot device. We had literal divine intervention with Lahabrea at the Praetorium (especially after it was redone, where he outright kills the player until Hydaelyn steps in), Nidhogg's Eye at the Aetherochemical Research Facility, the overpowering Light of the Lightwardens against Hades, and Azem's crystal to summon backup for Hades and Elidibus. We also had Hraesvelgr's Eye to help fight Nidhogg.

Azem's crystal wasn't used during the battle with Hades, that was G'raha's summoning spell.