Please stop splitting the MSQ between two Stories [spoilers]

[Dulcia]

Attenion there will be spoilers in this thread

Stormblood, Endwalker, Dawntrail

What does these three have in common? All three have a MSQ that is split in two. Stormblood was split between Ala Mihgo and Doma, Endwalker was split from Garlemald and resolving things with Zenos to suddenly Sad Bird Girl is destroying the world, and Dawntrail went from Right of Succession to suddenly Alexandria.

Square, please stop doing this.

I understand the desire to tell the story so you can move on to the stories you want to tell, but this impatience does not do the pacing of the game any good. These areas desrve more respect and time to flesh out the characters that live in work in these places. In the example of end walkers I felt Garlemald was wasted. Not only was it destroyed off screen, but then any major story beats fall flat here because suddenly the world ending threat out of no where overshadows it and the struggles of Garlemald are forgotten. Did anyone else notice how Garlemald is still hidden by a cloud on the official map? There is more to explore there and Endwalkers should have been the expansion to do it. I think we could have gotten more out of endwalkers - but I 'll set that aside for now because that is a distraction from my true point which is:Having two stories in one MSQ really hurts the pacing of the game.

My enjoyment of FFXIV really stems from the Story. When the story captures me, it makes me want to live in this world. When the story fails to do that, I cancel my sub.

It is clear that this kind of thinking is a problem when you have the biggest expansion ever in Dawntrail and a lot of its moments fall flat due to pacing issues. Moments like Wuk Lamat's father, Krile's Parents, Erenville's mom - all these don't get the time they deserve. So much time is spent on Wuk Lamat, when the time could easily be spread out on the characters participating in the story with her. Give the other contestants time to develope into full fledged characters. Show them struggle in their own ways with the trial.

By the Twelve, it could have been so beautiful.

Imagine the scenario where the plot focused soley on Wuk Lamat's journey. You might argue that things would be more padded, but in my opinion this would only give more time and room to develop the regions and characters of Tural. Think about it.

Shadowbringers is universally loved. Why? Did you ever notice that its plot had a single throughline? From the beginning to the end it told a single story, not two different stories. It is honestly how all expansions should be. If Dawntrail had followed Shadowbringers example instead of Stormblood it would have been a much better expansion.

Meanwhile places like Solution 9 feel empty and lifeless because so little time is spent living and developing there.

You have ten years ahead of you, whats the rush?

[GrizzlyTank]

Yeah, Garlemald proper should have been it's own expansion.

An reccuring issue that started with the introduction of Zenos. Skipping out on the political drama. In SB Zenos was a black hole for it, not caring about it at all. In ShB Zenos was straight up used to kill it off. Bozja was cut short. And since then we haven't really had any of it to fill that spot.

So we are left with characters that don't really have that much weight to the world.

[Ramiee]

Yeah, Garlemald proper should have been it's own expansion.

An reccuring issue that started with the introduction of Zenos. Skipping out on the political drama. In SB Zenos was a black hole for it, not caring about it at all. In ShB Zenos was straight up used to kill it off. Bozja was cut short. And since then we haven't really had any of it to fill that spot.

So we are left with characters that don't really have that much weight to the world.

Im still so mad about this 12 years of build up

[Eloah]

Im still so mad about this 12 years of build up

While I don't think it should've been it's own expansion, as even the Devs said it probably would've contained a lot more filler, it would've been nice to get more on them besides what we got in side and supplementary content. Most of the discord happened off screen, so it's a bit harder to resonate with.

[Daralii]

While I don't think it should've been it's own expansion, as even the Devs said it probably would've contained a lot more filler, it would've been nice to get more on them besides what we got in side and supplementary content. Most of the discord happened off screen, so it's a bit harder to resonate with.

I assume the idea was that it'd be creepy to enter the heart of a nation as large and advanced as the Garlean Empire and find nothing but silence and ash, but it was a lot of buildup thrown out for the sake of the Ascian of a thousand names and our bff. That said, I still think In from the Cold is one of the best solo duties they've made as far as intertwining narrative and gameplay goes, and Quintus's suicide was an excellent scene.

[Boblawblah]

What's odder is that this was split into two, but it still felt like a filler episode in a lot of ways. The single Azem reference at the end isn't exactly on the same level as how they built up the intrigue of the Ascians and the nature of the world in ARR. I've said it before, but I was really hoping for an ARR style of expansion, but it seems they have their own ideas.

[tsuchii]

The level of entitlement here is unreal, imo. I almost feel insulted for the writer/writers.

Though the pacing might be fast and abrupt, I will disagree that the stories from your examples are 'split'. They are not.

[GrizzlyTank]

The level of entitlement here is unreal, imo. I almost feel insulted for the writer/writers.

Though the pacing might be fast and abrupt, I will disagree that the stories from your examples are 'split'. They are not.

Yoshi himself have said they chose to cut the storylines down.

[Kasasagi]

There is no split in the story. The focus ist in each of these expansions on a Character. Stormblood was Lyse, Endwalker Fandaniel/Hermes and Dawntrail is Wuk Lamat. These Characters were the focus of each Story. The diffrent locations where they went was the story.

And yes the WoL is the Main character of FFXIV but the focus in evrey Expansion was on a diffrent Character or characters. In ARR it was the Scions, in HW Estinian and Ysale Shadowbringer was Emet-Selch and Minfilia/Ryne.

[Basteala]

The level of entitlement here is unreal, imo. I almost feel insulted for the writer/writers.

Though the pacing might be fast and abrupt, I will disagree that the stories from your examples are 'split'. They are not.

Entitlement because someone doesn't share your views? Isn't that sentiment, umm...entitlement?