Rhalgrs Reach should never have existed

[RitsukoSonoda]

TBH I only ever visited Rhalgr's Reach when I specifically needed to for a quest or to use the tomestone/token vendors. I spent most of my non adventuring time during Stormblood in my house in Shirogane or in Kugane itself.

[Atelier-Bagur]

Most of these weren't added until much later into the expansion, like WT (patch 3.4), and the first Custom Deliveries NPC (patch 3.55a). The 2nd NPC, along with Faux Hollows were added in a later expansion. Meaning the features that Idyllshire had going for it were a lot more comparable to the ones Rhalgr's Reach had, for the majority of the expansion.

I'm guessing you simply see beauty in temples that were left to ruin? Because that's what Rhalgr's Reach is. There's rubble all over the place, barely any proper paths, half-broken pillars, and tents everywhere. This all makes sense for a Resistance base, during the initial 4.0 Stormblood MSQ, when the Garlean Empire was very much in control of the region. After Ala Mhigo's liberation? The Ala Mhigans would have no reason not to start restoring the place. Even a small outpost in The Lochs (The Saltery) saw more restoration than Rhalgr's Reach. To put things into perspective, the 3.0 version of Idyllshire (before all the patches that improved it) would be comparable to how Rhalgr's Reach is today.

I'm sure Rhalgr's Reach could be a beautiful place had it received the same treatment (along with a more central aetheryte), I just find beauty to be hard to find in its current state. But at the end of the day, I guess it's how the saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Like I said, its big, its wide, theres long red drapery, waterfalls and a kick ass statue of rhalgr looming over along with a pool of water enclosure. It looks refreshing and beautiful.

Idyllshire is just a ruined, messy industrial looking ass place that most likely smells bad.

My opinion of course, but seriously you cant tell me that something so ugly and compact like a ruined ass town full of metal junk is more appealing than Rhalgrs Reach. Lets quit with the Stormblood bad memes ok?

Im just saying we need more endgame incentives to have us revisit that place because it deserves it. I flippin hate how the devs just abandon all Ala Mhigan shit just because that culture and style isnt as appealing as fantasy Japan which is the more world wide popular aesthetic.

[Nezerius]

Idyllshire is just a ruined, messy industrial looking ass place that most likely smells bad.

My opinion of course, but seriously you cant tell me that something so ugly and compact like a ruined ass town full of metal junk is more appealing than Rhalgrs Reach. Lets quit with the Stormblood bad memes ok?

Have you even been to Idyllshire in, oh, anytime in the past 6 years? The entire place has been restored. Majority of the buildings fully retain the original Sharlayan aesthetic, along with the bridges and walls. It has a nice looking fountain plaza, east of the scrips vendors. It even has an entire gardening system for the outpost's sustainability.
Obviously it also has some goblin architecture, since the entire restoration was a joint effort between adventurers and goblins.

Or are you just purposefully looking at 3.0 screenshots of Idyllshire, and ignoring all the changes made from patch 3.1 to 3.5?

[Atelier-Bagur]

Have you even been to Idyllshire in, oh, anytime in the past 6 years? The entire place has been restored. Majority of the buildings fully retain the original Sharlayan aesthetic, along with the bridges and walls. It has a nice looking fountain plaza, east of the scrips vendors. It even has an entire gardening system for the outpost's sustainability.
Obviously it also has some goblin architecture, since the entire restoration was a joint effort between adventurers and goblins.

Or are you just purposefully looking at 3.0 screenshots of Idyllshire, and ignoring all the changes made from patch 3.1 to 3.5?

My brother, Ive consistently go there frequently every week. It still looks boring and the music is annoying! And inb4 ofcourse you hate it if you visit it so many times because:
1. 100% True which further proves my argument that it lost its luster and they should start spreading out endgame activities in various other hubs
2. If I wanted that aesthetic, Old Sharlayan is much more appealing

Look I just seriously dont like Idyllshire anymore. It's neat that there's lovable gobbies and what not but the place just looks...heavily UGH. I much rather have more reasons to visit Rhalgr's Reach because the place looks more comfortable and cozy to hang in.

[Nezerius]

My brother, Ive consistently go there frequently every week. It still looks boring and the music is annoying!

There's a difference between finding the place to be boring, and calling it a ruined town. One's a perfectly fine opinion, the other is an incorrect statement.

2. If I wanted that aesthetic, Old Sharlayan is much more appealing

Except Old Sharlayan couldn't be visited when Idyllshire was the endgame hub.

[Atelier-Bagur]

There's a difference between finding the place to be boring, and calling it a ruined town. One's a perfectly fine opinion, the other is an incorrect statement.


Except Old Sharlayan couldn't be visited when Idyllshire was the endgame hub.

I'm not talking about if Old Sharlayan didnt exist before Idyllshire. That was a response to a point you made about the Sharlayan design in Idyllshire, which doesnt live up to its counterpart now that Old Sharlayan exists and is a better version of that style. The only charm Idyllshire has are the goblins that inhabit there

[Atelier-Bagur]

It also doesnt help you have to warp into Idyllshire if you want to go to the Dravanian Forelands for FATE (for Shb relics) or Hunt farms or whatever. So thats triple the revisit time to that stanky place. Its so annoying having to do that. I wish they implemented a sidequest where you help install a main aetheryte in the Forelands so we can stop having to detour to Idyllshire to get there.

[chip793]

I just don't like the pacing of Stormblood's opening act in general. The zones are great and the Reach is a pretty cool hub in universe and function. It just felt like it dragged like the old ARR post chain used to, though nowhere near as egregious. I still love the expansion overall and it has my favourite EX trials by a decent margin too. Every time I get one on mentor roulette I crack a smile because most of them are super easy and fun to teach sprouts in.

[DiaDeem]

[Sjol]

Pragmatically, anything systems that exist 3.0 and later have to be in Idyllshire because that's the only end-game zone you have continuous access to from 3.0 on. Hence, WT and Faux being there. They could duplicate WT and Faux into other end-game hubs, but that's what it would have to be, duplication.

One comment in regard to OP's original post, things like: "It was Rhalgrs Reach. Literally nobody asked for it." give little room for discussion. To me, a lot of the statements come off not as opinion, but as fact. If someone in real life came in spouting their strong opinions with little verbal room for disagreement, you might roll your eyes in real life to signal that they're coming on a little too strong. I read the "OKAY" reaction gif like that. A little bit more "I think" and "I find" gives indication that you're open to other people's ideas and invite discussion. That's my take.