Wow, Wuk Lamat is really single-handedly ruining the DT story...

[Antharaes]

Here's an accurate summary of this part of the msq :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFjqEexH0Tg

Epic!! You just won the internet for today. I can't stop laughing....

[Vensaval]

I'm still confused as to why people believe changing tribes to allied societies is the reason why the worldbuilding was as shallow as a pond this time around.

It isn't the reason, but there's a high likelihood it's a symptom. Again possibly related to cultural consultants and DEI. Timing makes sense since DT would've been in development while DEI, SBI, and so on were at their most—let's say—popular. It's already been confirmed SBI was working with Square, though I don't think we know for sure which projects specifically.

However, it lines up with the decline in quality of Alan Wake, Spider-Man, and God of War for example. Each heavily criticized by players, and for good reason. I suspect DT is on that list as well. Especially since in each of these cases, the gameplay itself remains solid.

[BakoolJaJa]

so basically wow provide all these zone/region to level? compare to ff14 where they use all region/zone to make one seamless story and you level up along the way?

Exactly. You can take your alts through any of the expansions (through chromie time), but also inside of those expansions you can technically skip entire zones and just do some of them instead. The original areas especially, as well as those from early expansions never had a "connecting" storyline that took you through the zones one by one, so there you just pick whatever. With the newer expansions, you technically have a main story that will usually take you through the different locations, BUT it's a very small part relatively speaking, so there's still nothing stopping you from skipping 99% of whatever zone you no longer want to do.

The story was never particularly seamless, in a way the game is more "lore" focused than "story" focused, or at least used to be. Though nowadays you can totally follow the entire story of Dragonflight and end of August you'll be able to follow the entirety of War Within. Those experiences are very close to ffxiv.

Also curious what expansion you were leveling through? Nowadays I think you can start with Dragonflight from essentially the beginning, and that would have been my recommendation. Out of the old ones, the best is either Legion or BfA, with my personal favorite being Legion. Btw, Legion also has this thing called "class halls." They come with a unique hall (sort of base of operations) and storyline for each of the classes, plus cool weapon transmogs. VERY, very fun and totally worth doing. Warlock class for example has a weapon that TALKS to you when you kill enemies. The class flavor is top notch and really helps roleplay. Plus the rest of the expansion is also great. I am only sharing all this because I myself started WoW not that long ago and I was about 99% confident that I'd hate and quit it, I hated the starting zone (Exile's Reach which I'm sure you also did and also hated), I didn't like the default expansion I got started in (BfA at that moment, though it later grew on me) and I only stuck with the game in the end because of Legion. I trusted some people on Reddit who told me to try it before quitting for good, and then I was hooked.

[LisseyCrowe]

so basically wow provide all these zone/region to level? compare to ff14 where they use all region/zone to make one seamless story and you level up along the way?

so in wow you can just max your char in region A, then play alt but this time max it at region B something like that? talk about different structure

i will continue playing off course even after max level, but half of the fun questing to see your level progress bar going up lol, now i feel wasted buying game time for 2 months, i though the levelling will take some time (2-3 weeks), i did not expect halfway from max level in just 3 days, well at least the exploring will take some time i guess

Worth pointing out that a relatively recent change was to make it so that each expansion on it's own could bring you from level 1 to current content. It used to be that you would start "at the beginning of the game" and then work your way up through expansions. But that took a while and was somewhat boring (for many, I assume) because of how more battle-focused than FF14 WoW is and most of these areas were devoid of other players. It's still possible to play start to finish but it either involves creating multiple characters to at least do every expansion once or you would have to visit the NPC that locks your level so you can keep clearing content before it stops scaling to you.

So yeah, it used to be that slowly taking your time levelling through quests would take you a month or two (or three). One ... option, if you're open to it maybe? Would be to level a character through Cataclysm Classic instead. Admittedly I don't know how solo-friendly that is, but it will be closer to your goal of slowly watching your level go up.

[Remiferia]

Woke up to a lovely tweet from Wuk Lamat's VA insinuating that disliking Smile could be because you're a racist.

People already don't like the character and have issues with the performance, yet people like me were willing to defend the person for doing her job as best as she was able and believing that any directional or casting issues should be laid at the feet of the company, but now she's doubling down on these implications that Dawntrail is only receiving mixed reception because fans are intolerant and don't like Black Gospel, South American culture, or Trans VAs.

I'm sure there's a certain subsection of the fandom that do believe this, and I believe her when she says she's been getting harassed due to the presence of grifters like Grummz getting involved. She should be allowed to vent her frustrations and discuss said harassment, but she's becoming a brand risk by attacking the average fan now - even if she believes that putting plausible deniability in her wording is clever.

I'm beginning to feel like the character has simply got to go. She's doing more damage in a couple months than every other VA has in the last decade combined. Lack of professionalism.

[Hesitate89]

Wuk Lamat is reincarnated former convocation of seat of Deudalaphon.

[Daralii]

Woke up to a lovely tweet from Wuk Lamat's VA insinuating that disliking Smile could be because you're a racist.

People already don't like the character and have issues with the performance, yet people like me were willing to defend the person for doing her job as best as she was able and believing that any directional or casting issues should be laid at the feet of the company, but now she's doubling down on these implications that Dawntrail is only receiving mixed reception because fans are intolerant and don't like Black Gospel, South American culture, or Trans VAs.

I'm sure there's a certain subsection of the fandom that do believe this, and I believe her when she says she's been getting harassed due to the presence of grifters like Grummz getting involved. She should be allowed to vent her frustrations and discuss said harassment, but she's becoming a brand risk by attacking the average fan now - even if she believes that putting plausible deniability in her wording is clever.

I'm beginning to feel like the character has simply got to go. She's doing more damage in a couple months than every other VA has in the last decade combined. Lack of professionalism.

"Smile is black gospel music so if you dislike it you're racist" is such a ridiculous statement that I have to think she's rage baiting.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

"Smile is black gospel music so if you dislike it you're racist" is such a ridiculous statement that I have to think she's rage baiting.

The worst part is that people aren't connecting Smile to black gospel, they are connecting it to the Disney Hercules song which is inspired by gospel. It'd be like accusing people of hating Mexicans for not liking Taco Bell. The accusation itself is patronizing, just like the people equating Erenville to black representation after he said he doesn't know his dad. Please stop helping. You're not.

[BigBoom550]

The worst part is that people aren't connecting Smile to black gospel, they are connecting it to the Disney Hercules song which is inspired by gospel. It'd be like accusing people of hating Mexicans for not liking Taco Bell. The accusation itself is patronizing, just like the people equating Erenville to black representation after he said he doesn't know his dad. Please stop helping. You're not.

...that Erenville one has to be a 4ch troll. I refuse to believe otherwise, because that says some really, really bad things.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

...that Erenville one has to be a 4ch troll. I refuse to believe otherwise, because that says some really, really bad things.

Nah, well meaning people really did argue the writers did a racism when a bunny of color mentioned not knowing his father and I had to explain that while Erenville is black, he's not black. And when FF14 wants a group in game associated with a real life group, they let you know and Viera are not modeled after African Americans. And fathers smashing and dashing has been established as part of Viera culture regardless what color the bunny is. And that suddenly connecting Erenville with blackness because he doesn't know his father was way worse than anything the writers did.

Sometimes people are so eager to fight racism, they do a bit of a 360... I feel Sena is doing something similar with her comments about Smile (I just found out who made that statement.)