I feel like people are too harsh on Endwalker, though...

[Merrigan]

Well, you can disagree with my comment. I love EW but I was just saying that some of the aspects of the story were too heavy for some players which probably turned them off from the game. If a player knew someone who committed suicide in real life, then that might hit them hard seeing it in a game. BTW I do play the game to escape. Thats why I am going to enjoy DT, to escape.

I sincerely believe that this type of audience is a problem. Because by assuming that video games should only ever be a form of pleasurable escapade, we're stifling the medium, which no longer has a future. It wouldn't occur to anyone to claim that literature should only deal with pleasurable themes (... Although; in view of certain polemics in the US, I'm beginning to doubt it), so why claim it for videogamess?

As for the rest, we all have our traumas. It's impossible to avoid them all, except by presenting a game that's all rainbows and kittens.

[Silverquick]

I enjoyed EW. I do at times think MSQ was too heavy for some players with the suicide scene, mother & baby dying, etc.
There are some aspects EW that could have been done better but overall I liked & enjoyed EW.

It's actually kinda the opposite, it was so overdone it was actually cringeworthy and unrealistic, nor did it fit or show any real character development in the NPCs. ie... it felt really forced. The other problem was the storyline injected all kinds of things that don't gel with previous history or looked more like copouts on previous plot hooks. There were a lot of things. At times it felt like it retconned the whole basis of FF at that point.


To the OP: You have to understand there are a lot of people that have played this game since the beginning and remember the original plotline, and because this particular MMO was story based... it is judged heavily on it. Particularly because some of the previous expansions had such spectacular (and even realistic) storylines that drew people in. So the Devs are judged heavily on this, and compared to themselves. Which is a pretty high standard considering previous works.

[Carin-Eri]

Repeating what I said in another thread, but since it's just as relevant here:
I'm actually not in the 'Endwalker sucks' camp here - I enjoyed it and I'm not willing to pretend otherwise. And I wasn't exposed to the pre-launch marketing/hype since I didn't start playing the game until shortly after EW launched and avoided anything related to it for the sake of not spoiling the MSQ for myself. Playing the MSQ at my own pace, I didn't actually reach Endwalker until the following March.

And I watched the Footfalls Cinematic right before I started Endwalker. To this day I still think that cinematic was incredible - I recall watching it that first time. The music and the lyrics, the promise of a 'end of the world' scenario story. The emphasis on the moon and the question of it's role in the story, not to mention the question of why the Warrior of Light was actually on the moon - alone no less! I was completely blown away by it and couldn't wait to see how it would all translate into the story.

But even as someone who very much enjoyed Endwalker.... I don't think the story quite lived up to what the cinematic portrayed.

'The Final Days' should've been a world-changing, almost apocalyptic, event - but it doesn't feel as if it had as big an impact, or long-term consequence, on the world as Dalamud/Bahamut did.

[DrWho2010]

i think the "impact" was lessened because until Bahamut's wings burst forth from Dalamud we had absolutely no idea (I think) about what was going to happen so it was a big shock.

Whereas for the Final Days we had already witnessed a preview via the Shadowbringers storyline so we knew what to expect when it started happening.

[Supersnow845]

i think the "impact" was lessened because until Bahamut's wings burst forth from Dalamud we had absolutely no idea (I think) about what was going to happen so it was a big shock.

Whereas for the Final Days we had already witnessed a preview via the Shadowbringers storyline so we knew what to expect when it started happening.

That’s a big thing, as dalamud fell during legacy we had no idea what was going to happen

A giant dragon elder primal bound by an scientist society was not high amongst the list of potential things dalamud falling was likely to lead to

[Saraide]

i think the "impact" was lessened because until Bahamut's wings burst forth from Dalamud we had absolutely no idea (I think) about what was going to happen so it was a big shock.

Whereas for the Final Days we had already witnessed a preview via the Shadowbringers storyline so we knew what to expect when it started happening.

IMO at the end of the story arc it's better to have a threat that has been built up to as main villian. Otherwise we're left with something like FF9's Necron who looks cool and all but was a massive pull from the butt.

[Carin-Eri]

i think the "impact" was lessened because until Bahamut's wings burst forth from Dalamud we had absolutely no idea (I think) about what was going to happen so it was a big shock.

Whereas for the Final Days we had already witnessed a preview via the Shadowbringers storyline so we knew what to expect when it started happening.

True enough in terms of viewing it from a R/L perspective.

However, in lore, I feel that something everyone in the story referred to as "The Final Days" should've been more 'apocalyptic' than an event referred to as a 'calamity'.
Because in terms of the impact on Eorzea itself it does seem that the Dalamud/Bahamut calamity left more damage, had a greater (negative) impact, and left longer-term consequences then the so-called 'final days'.

[Merrigan]

One other examples come to mind, just so I can get it out of my system: Zenos is, in many ways, a kind of metaphor for what WOL could have been if it had remained on its own. A monster lost in his solitude and his quest for power, devoid of a clear and defined goal (which is what the scions give us). This theme should have been pushed to the end. In the same way that the game didn't dare inflict the consequences of light absorption on us in Shb, it carefully avoids dealing with the obvious: the WOL is a monster in his own right, in terms of power, because they have killed far too many people to stay "pure" and "innocent".

[CStrife912]

I personally liked Endwalker main scenario for the most part, I do wish Garlemald lasted longer for instance. I mean outside of that patch story was a little meh, I did miss a large duty zone but I will praise them for the abundance of QoL and additions they put in place for the new player experience. There is a lot of work they’ve done to make it much easier for people to get through content and now I think Dawntrail if we are to believe them at their word is now going back to the mmo routes. I have a feeling this is going to be another stormblood expansion as in average storage but a great content cycle and I am ok with that.

[hynaku]

I sure didn't care for Endwalkers story or its duties. I liked them so much that I have never unlocked one of its raids or ran any of its duties more than once.