I personally disagree with the premise that the post-EW MSQ has been worse than ever before. I actually feel it's been one of the better ones with only one major gripe: Vrtra/Varshaun is kinda lame, not really living up to what we know about the great wyrms. Though it is consistent with him going out and doing his own thing when the rest of them were waging wars against man. I've enjoyed getting some insight and access into the Void. Seeing the treacherous way of life of its denizens. I like Zero. I've enjoyed the trial fights against the fiends. Barbariccia in particular was really good. I enjoyed the dungeon boss battles against Scarmiglione and Cagnazzo. Rubicante and Golbez are fine. Granted I'm a very long time Final Fantasy fan and that kind of fan service is aimed at people like myself. It's not the Four Lords, which I really enjoyed but it's been decent to good.

By contrast, I thought the Ruby Weapon fights and story were awful. Seat of Sacrifice can go right in the garbage with that QTE. Memoria Misera is actually gated by completely different previous content.. (I'm not even sure what to be honest) which, along with Bozja was an asinine design decision made repeatedly in the back half of Shadowbringers. Bozja itself was entirely forgettable. Wasn't interested in anything going on there. Nier raids suck. And Graha Tia... Effing shoot me every single time I need to deal with that loser.

I feel two major things have fallen short story-wise post-Endwalker (which itself was bad to mediocre). First is that the dungeons have been extremely uninspired. Nothing new or interesting basically from end-to-end, with maybe the exception of Troia. More towers. More elevators. Vanaspati is a poorly lit Holminster copy. Ktisis is basically a well lit Fractal Continuum. Alzadaal feels like a better maintained Skalla. Lapis Manalis feels like a mashup of Anamnesis Anyder and Bardam's Mettle. There's nothing new here, whereas Shadowbringers kinda felt fresh and cool end-to-end, From Holmister Switch all the way to Paglthan.

The second problem is the pace.. dear lord we are really spinning the tires at this point. Absolutely tip-toeing through this stretch in the Thirteenth. Pick it the hell up already! I've been enjoying the Myths of the Realm raids.. other than Graha Tia clinging on.. but the time between them has been excruciating! Pick it the hell up already!

Seeing the date of the next expansion was going to be summer of next year was an absolute dagger. It really doesn't matter what they plan to do in that expansion, it simply cannot come soon enough. Even if it was due in December, it would feel overdue.