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

[Malthir]

I mean, "low" or "high" stakes are relative terms.

Compared to defeating the embodiment of universal despair and absolute entropy, effectively stopping it from erasing the entire universe, a mere continent is quite literally insignificant.

While that's true it's hardly a holiday esque chilled expansion, nor is it adventure, you're not adventuring when you're being led around by the nose. So it fails in both regards, I posted it in another thread, but now I'm at the end of the story I've come to realise,

The entire plot of this expac is a poor attempt of a copy of the first arc of Stormblood with the last act of Shadowbringer, Sphene story line is literally a budget emmet.

Our PC has no reason to be here, no reason to do any of this, as I said before it's not like we're on adventure, we're essentially a political campaigner for a character we've just met. We don't go off the beaten track discover new things, just get led around like a lap dog.

[Kuroka]

The marker of defeating what is essentially the devil on the moon, then god, then flying to the edge of the universe and defeating the source of the end of all existence? Going into a political dispute is just Tuesday for the WoL.

What i was really disappointment in was, how we were seen as a thread, but never had an moment were someone did something to upset us and just some angry gaze of us sends that one shivering... showing how we're vastly stronger then any of them but just hold back to not interfere too much...

Though it was funny when they talked about how the Mamol-ja got the beaten so hard on Eorzea and we just smile and nod *instert captain kirk meme*

[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.