Dawntrail's MSQ story is a disaster and waste of potential. [full spoilers]

[LittleArrow]

I was sure they introduced that kid so we could explain that we've found a way to treat temperal imbalances and maybe make peace between our peoples, but instead we did nothing. But then I deleted a bunch of kids and realized the WoL must just really hate kids.

That section in the last zone I completely skipped. Once I saw what they were doing, how absolutely horrible they handled other parts of the story (paralyzed kid included), I refused to watch my WoL take part in any of that mess - especially with an absolute waste of a character that is Wuk Lamat (doesn't matter which VA voiced her, she was only going to make that entire section worse). I have never in this entire games history skipped an entire swath of story section, but I will not sit and watch my WoL delete an entire section of children or "child like" whatever stupid explanation they put in there.

I did want to mention this looks like it's starting a pattern with the horrible handling of that subject, child death. XIV has handled plenty of adult theming - prostitution, sacrifice, shoot even genocide and plenty more. However, killing children in the final days (the little elephant kids and the hyur one) made me sick to my stomach. I don't care if its at place, I don't care if it serves the story, I don't even care if it's handled well - you don't kill dogs or children that's the rule. There will never be an ok way to approach that subject in any video game imo - I know that's an opinion many people disagree with me on, but that's my opinion.

Yet, as bad as that subject is, imo, my goodness was that the one area this horrible story writing should have not gone with how awful they handled many other aspects of the story.

[Malthir]

That section in the last zone I completely skipped. Once I saw what they were doing, how absolutely horrible they handled other parts of the story (paralyzed kid included), I refused to watch my WoL take part in any of that mess - especially with an absolute waste of a character that is Wuk Lamat (doesn't matter which VA voiced her, she was only going to make that entire section worse). I have never in this entire games history skipped an entire swath of story section, but I will not sit and watch my WoL delete an entire section of children or "child like" whatever stupid explanation they put in there.

I did want to mention this looks like it's starting a pattern with the horrible handling of that subject, child death. XIV has handled plenty of adult theming - prostitution, sacrifice, shoot even genocide and plenty more. However, killing children in the final days (the little elephant kids and the hyur one) made me sick to my stomach. I don't care if its at place, I don't care if it serves the story, I don't even care if it's handled well - you don't kill dogs or children that's the rule. There will never be an ok way to approach that subject in any video game imo - I know that's an opinion many people disagree with me on, but that's my opinion.

Yet, as bad as that subject is, imo, my goodness was that the one area this horrible story writing should have not gone with how awful they handled many other aspects of the story.

I disagree with you there, killing kids and dogs etc can be done incredibly well in a story. Look at FMA with the chimera, as soon as that happens the audience wants to rip the bad guy to pieces. If there's no bad guy it can still be incredibly it's still a very effective emotional tool in writing, take I am legend as an example. It just needs to be done well.

[LittleArrow]

I disagree with you there, killing kids and dogs etc can be done incredibly well in a story. Look at FMA with the chimera, as soon as that happens the audience wants to rip the bad guy to pieces it's a very effective emotional tool in writing. It just needs to be done well.

Like I said, it's a hill I stand on with very few, if any, willing to stand with me. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but it's one I hold dearly. Of course, killing children / dogs is an effective writing tool just as much as sledgehammer is an effecting pounding tool. Just b/c that method draws anger / disgust out doesn't mean it should it be used. There are PLENTY of other writing methods just as effective or more effective at gaining the same results. I know everyone and their mother loves Last of Us, but after that first section I shut off the game and had nothing else to do with it.

Life can be cruel and absolutely heartbreaking. I have no need to add to it with such depressing media. As soon as the death/harm of children / pets are involved, I'm out.

However, I digress.

[Malthir]

Like I said, it's a hill I stand on with very few, if any, willing to stand with me. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but it's one I hold dearly. Of course, killing children / dogs is an effective writing tool just as much as sledgehammer is an effecting pounding tool. Just b/c that method draws anger / disgust out doesn't mean it should it be used. There are PLENTY of other writing methods just as effective or more effective ways to do so. I know everyone and their mother loves Last of Us, but after that first section I shut off the game and had nothing else to do with it.

Life can be cruel and absolutely heartbreaking. I have no need to add to it with such depressing media. As soon as the death/harm of children / pets are involved, I'm out.

However, I digress.

Fair enough, to each their own.

[DarkMasamune]

I think I remember Zoraal Ja mentioning at some point that people want to expand without knowing the consequences of war.

I actually thought he would be an interesting character. He gave mysterious and introverted vibes in the beginning, but not "antagonist" vibes. He gave me the impression that he was going to be that brooding character on a show that's hiding something, and not something bad per se. A secret, a sadness, a tragedy. Something interesting that makes him so quiet and serious in his indeavour.

But no.

I didn't hate what he became, but still was a little bit disappointed.

[genuine_stranger]

Like I said, it's a hill I stand on with very few, if any, willing to stand with me. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but it's one I hold dearly. Of course, killing children / dogs is an effective writing tool just as much as sledgehammer is an effecting pounding tool. Just b/c that method draws anger / disgust out doesn't mean it should it be used. There are PLENTY of other writing methods just as effective or more effective at gaining the same results. I know everyone and their mother loves Last of Us, but after that first section I shut off the game and had nothing else to do with it.

Life can be cruel and absolutely heartbreaking. I have no need to add to it with such depressing media. As soon as the death/harm of children / pets are involved, I'm out.

However, I digress.

Yes and no.
If handled well it can be a very powerful method to show how messed up a world can be, how a character gained the conviction to better themselves, or how someone got consumed by anger and wants to see everyone pay who let their kid die.

In most media however this topic is handled poorly and amounts to emotional baiting / manipulation if anything.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

That section in the last zone I completely skipped. Once I saw what they were doing, how absolutely horrible they handled other parts of the story (paralyzed kid included), I refused to watch my WoL take part in any of that mess - especially with an absolute waste of a character that is Wuk Lamat (doesn't matter which VA voiced her, she was only going to make that entire section worse). I have never in this entire games history skipped an entire swath of story section, but I will not sit and watch my WoL delete an entire section of children or "child like" whatever stupid explanation they put in there.

I did want to mention this looks like it's starting a pattern with the horrible handling of that subject, child death. XIV has handled plenty of adult theming - prostitution, sacrifice, shoot even genocide and plenty more. However, killing children in the final days (the little elephant kids and the hyur one) made me sick to my stomach. I don't care if its at place, I don't care if it serves the story, I don't even care if it's handled well - you don't kill dogs or children that's the rule. There will never be an ok way to approach that subject in any video game imo - I know that's an opinion many people disagree with me on, but that's my opinion.

Yet, as bad as that subject is, imo, my goodness was that the one area this horrible story writing should have not gone with how awful they handled many other aspects of the story.

I had to take a 24 hour break from the story after deleting the kids. I only wanted two things from DT, no genocides and no colonizations. I decided I didn't care how boring it was, how lame it was, as long as I didn't wipe out any more entire peoples or do the most obvious "wrong thing" a person can do in an expansion about faux America, I'd be like A+, great job guys. Yay, power of friendship! Why did they decide to make genocide a zone? That is now forever a burnt husk, so whenever I am forced to go back there to gather or fish I can reminisce about the way I killed all those kids that time to demoralize their monarch. Then we come back like "Yeah, we killed your queen, destroyed your afterlife, and this kid you've never seen before is your new ruler, but don't worry, the lady who beat your queen to death with her axe is his guardian. Welcome to Tural."

But hey, at least we didn't kill their gods, so there is that...

[Lersayil]

But hey, at least we didn't kill their gods, so there is that...

Uuuhh... I think Sphene was referred to here and there as a "Goddess" or "God Queen"? Though I think those were explicitly external sources like the giants vision. I guess we can technically still cross it out on our bingo card?

[Lady_Silvermoon]

Uuuhh... I think Sphene was referred to here and there as a "Goddess" or "God Queen"? Though I think those we're explicitly external sources like the giants vision. I guess we can technically still cross it out on our bingo card?

So we hit the unholy trifecta. Elidibus was right. We are Death.

[Raven2014]

I was sure they introduced that kid so we could explain that we've found a way to treat temperal imbalances and maybe make peace between our peoples, but instead we did nothing. But then I deleted a bunch of kids and realized the WoL must just really hate kids.

We didn't delete any kid or anyone at the end. The Endless does not even have a soul which has already be tripped from the memory. The memory is not even authentic but already heavily modified to suit the agenda of the creators. Even Sphene wasn't real, it was implied several time the real Sphene wouldn't go to the extreme, her current self is basically just a brainwashed version that's programmed to protect the Endless at any cost. She's just an agent to execute the will of the AI core. The Endless zone was just a simulation, nothing more, nothing that can even remotely imply any sort of moral implication whatsoever. The system is basically just a self-serving AI trying to stay in existence while using real human as fuel.

S9 and the ourskirt are real people. Some argument can be made if the Endless still retain their soul, but as it is they're just data.