Even our content creators cannot pretend to like the trashy writings of Dawntrail.

[Eyrilona]

I have always felt that Zepla's turning point was not because of this expansion or that expansion, it was when she lived through months of stress and existential uncertainty and eventually had to flee and leave her home of eight years in Kyiv, Ukraine, behind because of the war front moving across the country. She went through literally becoming a refugee trying to sort out her life and start over from a tiny room in a different country -- that does things to people. Afterwards she had to reinvent herself, re-establish herself, but you don't easily just resume your previous persona after a fairly traumatic experience like that, and she ended up borrowing parts of the style of other then big gamer streamers like Asmongold to fill the gaps and cracks.

I still don't think she is unfair to the game, just more bitter about.. well, life, the universe and gaming while still using the trappings and language of her previously more cheerful streamer persona.

[Galvuu]

I've been watching CiderSpider's playthrough on and off (the guy with the funny, deep-voiced Lalafell videos) since he started (he's quite enjoyable) and seeing his disbelief and annoyance with story grow with each session is like having a look into my own experience.
It's funny because he started with a positive outlook- a few oddities here and there, but rationalizing them somehow and thinking it would all come together.
But the last few sessions, he's just overwhelmed by the terrible pacing, nonsense characterization and general senseless plot.
Seeing someone who started out so positive towards the story and then slowly realize it's actually just bad is an experience.
I feel sorry for him, because he's at a point where all incongruousness is just too much to bear and it's impossible to ignore the myriad flaws and he keeps taking short breaks to vent about it.
I'm usually a bit demanding regarding narratives, and I know a lot of XIV lore (which usually hurts the msq experience more, since you can see all the lore retcons and plot holes), but seeing a more casual msq enjoyer having a similar experience to mine really shows how unforgivable this whole plot and characters are.

[Isala]

I've been watching CiderSpider's playthrough on and off (the guy with the funny, deep-voiced Lalafell videos) since he started (he's quite enjoyable) and seeing his disbelief and annoyance with story grow with each session is like having a look into my own experience.
It's funny because he started with a positive outlook- a few oddities here and there, but rationalizing them somehow and thinking it would all come together.
But the last few sessions, he's just overwhelmed by the terrible pacing, nonsense characterization and general senseless plot.
Seeing someone who started out so positive towards the story and then slowly realize it's actually just bad is an experience.
I feel sorry for him, because he's at a point where all incongruousness is just too much to bear and it's impossible to ignore the myriad flaws and he keeps taking short breaks to vent about it.
I'm usually a bit demanding regarding narratives, and I know a lot of XIV lore (which usually hurts the msq experience more, since you can see all the lore retcons and plot holes), but seeing a more casual msq enjoyer having a similar experience to mine really shows how unforgivable this whole plot and characters are.

If only he was still doing "Mad Because Small", because I would adore a "Mad because Wuk Lamat!" section.

[RabendaShin]

Preach just finished the MSQ, I caught the tail end of him watching the credits... He's not pleased. I'd compare it to a father being 'not angry, but disappointed'. It's going to be a fun VOD to skim through.
Let's hope the devs take notice of his critiques.

[ZavosEsperian]

She has. Until Asmongold showed up and she started to copy him

Correlation does not equal causation. Unless you are Zepla herself you really cant come to any major conclusion related to how or why she acts like that.

...downright to how she talks and moves now.

...you do understand how creepy you sound saying you observe Zelpla moving like Asmongold, right? This is either some next level parasocial relationship type stuff or...please seek some help before I hear a shocking news story about a FFXIV player.

If she had changed her mind in EW by herself that be fine but she is just copying someone else, realizing how drama boosts the channel.

She did change her mind on her own, and the patch content in EW changed a lot of people's minds just like 7.0.

So personally I cannot take her opinion seriously.

I have a hard time taking yours seriously as well since you can apparently tell if a streamer is copying another streamer's movements...which remember how insane this makes you sound.

And that is coming from someone who thought DT was absolutely just mediocre. Just wasn't my cup of tea story wise but I know plenty of people who genuinely loved it.

Relatable

But them & I at least formed our opinion ourselves and not because we wanna copy one big streamer.

I don't think Xeronia ever expressed her own opinion and only stated what she observed with Zepla over the years.

Raim was right, the FFXIV community won't be beating the cultist allegations if people are openly admitting to watching every mannerism of their "favorite" streamers to make sure they aren't "copying" someone.

[Kaurhz]

Well this took a turn.... Lol

[Swordsman]

She has. Until Asmongold showed up and she started to copy him, downright to how she talks and moves now. If she had changed her mind in EW by herself that be fine but she is just copying someone else, realizing how drama boosts the channel. So personally I cannot take her opinion seriously. And that is coming from someone who thought DT was absolutely just mediocre. Just wasn't my cup of tea story wise but I know plenty of people who genuinely loved it. But them & I at least formed our opinion ourselves and not because we wanna copy one big streamer.

Hahaha, now FF players are blaming Asmon for the negative reviews from other content creators. GCBTW really showing here lmao.

Edit: I kinda want to bring this up in his subreddit just to see how he reacts to it.

[Davixxa]

People criticizing zepla for her takes on the msq are the exact same people who agreed with her when she praised the game
ya'll only like them when they have the "good think"

Ngl I stopped giving a shit about Zepla the moment she explicitly threw trans people under the bus with The TERF Wizard Game.

She even said she wasn't gonna play it until the "That Wizard Game" site came up, at which point she chose to throw trans people under the bus and then came up with some lame excuse about the Ukraine war which is entirely unrelated to trans people's lived experiences.

She's a grifter. There's no reason to take anything she says as a measure of fact.

Do I think this is the best written expansion so far? Not at all, but honestly it's a step up from 6.1-6.5.

She's saying the exact same thing a lot of us have been saying, and the cult is mad because her audience also has a healthy normey audience.

No. Her audience has changed. It's not a normie audience anymore. She alienated a large part of her audience a while back.

No such thing has happened.

Low-quality bait.

She at least traded in her LGBT ally card. That's for sure.

Wow, nice edit. Must feel real good creating the illusion that people agree with your weird takes.

Here's how the post was before the edit. Turns out it's basically identical.

https://web.archive.org/web/20240709...s-of-Dawntrail.

Exactly this. I feel like this community is gaslighting me into thinking Zepla is some kind of hateful personality, when she absolutely was not for several expansions and was consistently one of the more positive figures. She was overwhelmingly positive during SB and ShB during the time I was playing, I remember a pretty wholesome community moment when she cleared TEA with many people rallying to congratulate her. Now all of a sudden everyone is lambasting her and slandering her as a perpetual hater because she's offering criticism towards the game starting in the past year or so? Gimme a break. This is one of the most toxic smear campaigns I've seen in a while just because she's offering some very valid criticisms.

And you'd be correct. She wasn't for the longest time. But that changed a few years back at this point. I don't care about her takes on the game because quite frankly, I haven't watched her content since she decided to throw trans people under the bus and then proceeded to run the "I've been CANCELLED" grift for a week straight on her channel. That is, at least, what made me lose all respect for her.

[ZavosEsperian]

I have always felt that Zepla's turning point was not because of this expansion or that expansion, it was when she lived through months of stress and existential uncertainty and eventually had to flee and leave her home of eight years in Kyiv, Ukraine, behind because of the war front moving across the country. She went through literally becoming a refugee trying to sort out her life and start over from a tiny room in a different country -- that does things to people. Afterwards she had to reinvent herself, re-establish herself, but you don't easily just resume your previous persona after a fairly traumatic experience like that, and she ended up borrowing parts of the style of other then big gamer streamers like Asmongold to fill the gaps and cracks.

I still don't think she is unfair to the game, just more bitter about.. well, life, the universe and gaming while still using the trappings and language of her previously more cheerful streamer persona.

In terms of FFXIV, I think she has been dissatisfied with the game prior to any major world events occurring starting in 6.0 before the turn of the new year. With that said, I think she was better at masking this dissatisfaction prior to having to flee from war, which undoubtedly resulting in compounding her stress even further.

With DT, there have been times I have caught her saying "How did we get here from Heavensward?" as that was when she first joined the game and she considers it her favorite expansion to date. Her reminiscing in this way makes me think she is wondering to herself why the game's writing has fallen apart over the past year or so and this is abundantly clear with DT. Perhaps she is coming to terms with the fact the game she loved for the greater part of 8~ years and basically used it for her career is now in the state that it is, and it is possible to observe this based on the fact she likes referring to previous expansions and their writing positively.

For many of us who are not satisfied with DT, it can be cathartic to watch as others also do not enjoy the game (unless there is an active personal bias against said streamer). Many have shared this viewpoint and I admittedly do find catharsis in seeing others not being satisfied with the MSQ.

With all of this said, this is just what I am thinking largely. I cannot speak for Zepla and her own personal thoughts.

[RabendaShin]

Preach just finished the MSQ, I caught the tail end of him watching the credits... He's not pleased. I'd compare it to a father being 'not angry, but disappointed'. It's going to be a fun VOD to skim through.
Let's hope the devs take notice of his critiques.

Update: VOD on YouTube timestamped for when he starts his thoughts.

Addresses issues with Wuk Lamat being set up for failure, Scions being yanked away from us like a cat toy on a stick, and pacing. I'd advise anyone complaining about 'biased content creator' opinions to have a look, he goes pretty in-depth on how he came to form his opinions regarding Dawntrail.

I noticed one of the people on Preach's production team (Chris) is... pretty defensive and vocal about Wuk Lamat so that might explain his more lenient take now compared to his response to her while playing the MSQ.