Remove Trust System from future Trials

[MeteorShan]

Having finished the Yawntrail MSQ, which is absolutely dire, one extra part I feel needs to be removed from the game is the availability of the Trust system for Trials in the MSQ moving forwards.

I tend to enjoy using the Trust system on a first time playthrough for a new MSQ dungeon, as I like to see the Companions / Scions dialogue as we’re exploring along with being able to take my time to read any notes on the floor which give more lore about the area, typically when using Duty Finder other players will want to zoom through a dungeon as quickly as possible which is perfectly understandable.

The first time they enabled the Trust system for a trial was the epic second trial of Endwalker, which made complete sense as both ourselves and our Scion friends were being tested to see if we had to strength to overcome the final trial of oblivion & despair. This was a pretty awesome moment I think for most FFXIV players being able to do a trial with the Scions.

Dawntrail though shoehorns in the Trust system for the first two trials in the expansion, which is clearly just trying to shove Wuk Lamat down our throats more to validate her presence given she has dialogue at the end of each where we’re practically forced to pat her on the back for the great job she did, let alone what happens in the final trial with her terrible appearance halfway through. This, for me at least, has tarnished the epic feeling of the second Endwalker trial and I feel that really should be the only Trial in the game with the Trust system enabled as an option.

The use of the Azem crystal cutscenes at the start of a trial and grouping with people that way through Duty Finder is really cool, I would prefer that being the sole method moving forwards rather than having the Trust system option for any other trials. If anything, I actually think they could also add an Azem crystal cutscene (which can be skippable of course) to the start of dungeons when you team up with three other random players through the Duty Finder.

[Ririta]

Holy shit the Wuk Lamat brainrot is real lmao

just get over it already, go touch some grass, do something else

[SwadTheFrog]

Agreed wholesale. I feel like the Trust System is now genuinely hurting the narrative. Not only do things become even more formulaic on the narrative "Oh, we're reachining level 83/89, time for people to randomly show up to back us up because we need eight folks". It's even more obscene on the 89 trial, where the other Scions just...appear. It is a COMPLETE asspull. No, seriously, think about it for half a second. We took the one route available to us to move further up along the Everkeep. The elevators were locked. There was NO OPPOSITE ROUTE. Yet somehow half the Scions, without being noticied by us, came running, somehow took an entirely alternate route that was never mentioned beforehand, and stumbled up on us taking the /opposite/ path. It genuinely makes zero sense.

[Connor]

Whether trusts are available or not has no bearing on whether the content is doable in Duty Finder. So I’m not sure what the actual benefit would be in removing trusts from trials?

I don’t understand how fighting one trial boss is completely acceptable but then for any other that is totally forbidden and must never exist ever again. And I mean, from a role-playing perspective who else is going to kill the god-like-monster but a team of people who specifically go around doing basically exactly that.

And the story would play out extremely bizarrely if every time a trial appeared literally every Scion peaced out and Wuk was like ‘you’re on your own bitch find your own friends’ lol

[Bright-Flower]

Nothing is more formulaic than 'I pull out the Azem cystal, which I only use when it's time for a trial fight specifically, and summon seven strangers from acrosstime and space who happen to be battle ready and of the appropriate level for this.'

It was a bit awkward for the 99 trial, sure. But for the 93 trial it fit perfectly with everyone coming together to face Valigarmanda.

[Taliriah]

Feel free not to use it. I loved not having to wait in a queue and not to feel the anxiety of having to play correctly in a group.

I actually groaned when the wol pulled azems crystal for the last trial.

[MeanDragon]

Just, don't use it? Why should they remove something that you don't like that is optional?

[Voidmage]

I don't mind the Trusts for the trials. Makes for an more involved fight.
There are just two things I want them to pay attention though when doing it.

First:
Make it more plausible in the story. At least for the second trial it felt forced how all the characters were there. I think the leadup to the first trial was far better.
At points it really felt that they wrote the story around the trust system and I think that limits them in creativity.
Make it so more characters can be trusts.
Zarool Ja and Koana were great. Why not have Bagool JaJa or Otis as well? The scions sometimes seem only to be there to fill the Trusts.

Second:
Keep the final trial free from them.
This is just my opinion and nothing more but I like how we take the center stage in the final fight of an expansion. Stuff like in Endsinger is ok but I think the final fight should be the time for the WoL to shine. It is the great finale of an expansion.

[Menriq]

I feel like the Trust System is now genuinely hurting the narrative. Not only do things become even more formulaic on the narrative "Oh, we're reachining level 83/89, time for people to randomly show up to back us up because we need eight folks".

Legitimate question. If you have an issue with this, what is your explanation for 7 random PC's joining you for these fights? In the scope of narrative, 7 other players randomly joining seems a lot less plausible. I think there are some situations in which people are just going to have to understand immersion is going to break for certain aspects.

[LilimoLimomo]

It sure would be terrible if there was an optional feature in the game that you didn't have to use.