Dawntrail plot is not chill low stake, but it's pacing is and that's why it's bad

[Basteala]

There's actually way more at stake here than SB but the pacing is inexplicably bad. The final zone in particular had me just shaking my head with the 'hey, let's take it easy for a while and get to know some people' vibe they tried to sell and it just doesn't work imo. It worked for the first half of the expansion due to the plot but it feels really out of place in the 2nd half.

Yeah I agree with that, but I think that a better explanation might have sufficed. Something "like we need to blend in to not be suspicious" and maybe at that point you have Wuk Lamat say that doesn't sit well with her, but she wants to get to understand the people here, and then it can kind of progress organically into the emotional situation you have.

Or if you don't want the duplicity, simply something where helping them come to terms is needed, just something where the heroes have to interact to some degree--even if just at the beginning, rather than it being simple fancy.

[PercibelTheren]

There's actually way more at stake here than SB but the pacing is inexplicably bad. The final zone in particular had me just shaking my head with the 'hey, let's take it easy for a while and get to know some people' vibe they tried to sell and it just doesn't work imo. It worked for the first half of the expansion due to the plot but it feels really out of place in the 2nd half.

Yeah, it gave me serious "the world is ending, let's play dress up with the Loporrits" vibes. Basically, could have been a side quest, should not have been part of the MSQ.

[Malthir]

Yeah, it gave me serious "the world is ending, let's play dress up with the Loporrits" vibes. Basically, could have been a side quest, should not have been part of the MSQ.

Add in the fact that there can be no emotional pay off to a bunch of people we've just met, aka the uneding people. I don't care about you or your society, I was informed about you 5s ago, you're end goal is dumb/none existent you're a poor copy of emmet who was written much much better better.
Literally comparing them both

Sphene

Created an artificial world with the memories of her dead people. Her end goal keep feeding the machine souls to keep the dead memories of her people in virtual space. Meaning this will go on forever there's not really an end plan here, just constantly burning up souls. So why would I feel even slightly bad and not just absoultely furious that this hack writer tried to copy emmets remember that we once lived line.

Emmet

Created an artificial world with the memories of his dead people. But through the delivery we realise he is keeping this artifical memory world going not just to remember his people but also as a form of Self-flagellation, punishing himself for his part in the sundering. His end goal is not the artifical memory world but to completely the rejoining bringing all his people back to life. He doesn't care if all the shards die because we are functionally just all fractured pieces of a person that he is trying to put back together.

[LittleArrow]

<SNIP>We arrive with Wuk and Krile, to relax and help Krile etc, Wuk never mentions a leadership campaign. Wuk likes partying with the people and cultures and she takes us around to the different groups, instead of 900 longwinded info dumb cutscenes, we should have been doing solo duties with mini game type things learning about those cultures. For example, lama racing up the hills with the traders (literally just re skin the chocobo racing minigame), then solo another duty where we're on the back of a cart protecting the barrels of goods from waves of mobs while it's going down the path etc. Have us do surfing minigame and other beach themed solo duties with lore involved so as a player we feel involved in the story. We learn that Wuk loves her people and spends time with them. Have her not interested in the leadership race because she would rather spend time with her people than on a throne. Starting her as a fun loving and caring goofball. Then slowly have us cross paths with the leadership race, basically the same interactions with 2 twin headed heel etc. Then slowly due to the second arc of the game Wuk realises that if she truly cares for her people she needs to help them, take responsibilities and fight for the sake of her people.

See that's an Arc it's character progression, I'm not a good writer, I'm sure there are plenty of people that could come up with something better. But even then that shows my point the writing is so flawed. <SNIP>

I don't agree the problem with the story is solely pacing. Pacing is a MASSIVE issue, yes, but there is truly poor writing.

This quoted example, I would've loved going through a story like this. The more I go through the story the more I realize I truly like Wuk Lamat's character, but the writing has destroyed any goodwill this character had. Telling me what peace is over and over again to the point where I'm literally skipping scenes because I'm sick of reading / hearing it, giving me literal verbatim recaps of what I just did an hour ago was so exceptionally jarring - it didn't feel like I was playing any final fantasy game period. Not to mention, I don't know who Wuk Lamat is.

I think the comparison to Lyse is valid, but I think there are even better comparisons to Yugiri. Yugiri saved her people, helped us in ways she never needed to, and we sought HER out. We grew together as buddies. I went on 1 hunt with Wuk for her to vet my WoL. The story itself attempts to blackmail you and scare you into helping her; if you don't help her... well her warmongering brother could win! If you don't help her... well, how are you going to find the city of gold! Hey... remember that old grumpy guy that we all love and snaps his fingers alot? Yeah yeah.. emotional attachment, he told you about something! Even those reasons in and of themselves are fine, but without developing Wuk's character or giving some sort of growth / attachment makes this whole thing feel so shallow.

No, I want to help her b/c I want to. I want the story to show me, grow with my wol for good reasons like Yugiri, Lyse, shoot I was pumped chasing after Hien during the dungeon where we're pushing the enemy back.

This is legitimately bad writing in the game. This suggestion in the quote would've been leagues above what we got. I just hope the post patches are better and they listen to our feedback.