How would you improve Dawntrail's writing?

[IndraSyngiwyb]

Part 2.) Yeah, make Sphene an *actual* villain. Like, she does still mean to keep her people alive, but instead of acting like she's being controlled by Zoraal'Ja, make it so Zoraal'Ja is being manipulated and controlled by HER. Show her promising him the power to protect his people, all the while she is simply using him to gather souls for her own people. She can still put on the whole, "Oh, I'm so sweet and innocent" facade, but make it an *actual* facade. Don't make it her real personality.

Her real personality should be cold and ruthless. Because she's an A.I. She can emulate emotions but she cannot actually FEEL them. She can only do what she is programmed to do: keep the Alexandrians alive by any means necessary. And when someone stops being useful to her or (even worse) becomes a hinderance to that goal, she will destroy them without mercy or hesitation.

And for the love of god, once you've put Wuk and Koana on the throne, leave them in Tuliyollal to run the city. Let the Scions, Erenville, and the WoL have their moments to shine. Let THEM fight Zoraal'Ja and Sphene. Let THEM shut down Sphene's fantasy world. Together. Not all split up so half of them are watching a damn door while the rest run inside.

Those are just a few things I'd have done, but I'm not the writer, so...

[BigCheez]

I'd split Dawntrail into multiple expansions.

We don't meet Wuk Lamat in 6.x. We travel to Tural to help Krile learn about her family, the scions could come to Tural because they want to help their friend instead of just showing up and not doing anything so the devs can put them in the marketing materials. The first expansion would essentially be mostly world building in the first half, exploring Tural and trying to help Krile solve her mystery. The 2nd half could be the same Sphene arc, which resolves Krile's story. Essentially 7.0 but with anything related to Wuk Lamat removed.

We meet Wuk Lamat in 7.x and learn a little bit about her people. 8.0 is Wuk Lamat's Dawn servant arc. We learned a lot about the people of Tural during the worldbuilding in the first half of 7.0 and can actually mentor her now instead of just standing around doing nothing while she does furry Jar Jar Binks stuff.

Aside from the quality of writing (as in the dialogue itself) just being generally terrible, I think one of the main issues with Dawntrail was that there were too many things competing for screen time. The expansion was absolutely dominated by Wuk Lamat and they tried to cram Krile and Erenville's stories, plus some worldbuilding in there too. There was so little time that a lot of Krile's story ended up happening off-screen, which was a complete waste.

[Zaniel]

I think it's safe to say that a lot of people are disappointed with Dawntrail's writing, myself included. Something I've noticed about how people tend to criticize the expansion on here is that a lot of it seems focused on stating what went wrong. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, as identifying the problem is an important step in criticism, but something that I think would benefit discussion is if we talked more about how the writing could be improved. To try to generate this, I have three questions that I'd like to see other players answer:

1. What would you have done differently with Dawntrail's writing and how would you have done it?

2. What are some suggestions you have for how the MSQ could go in the future?

3. What are some parts of the writing that you actually think are good and would like to see more of?

Please try to make suggestions that are actually feasible rather than things like "remove x character."

There is nothing inherently wrong with the basic concepts behind DT so I'm not gonna write my own fanfic of where I want to see it go. Most of the problem with DT was the implementation. You could have a completely different, totally unrelated story but if it was written in the same style as DT it would still suck. The problem is the writers and their complete inability to handle logical plotlines, pacing, characterisation, etc etc. So really, and I am not being edgy here, the only solution is to get rid of the current writers and install some people who know how to construct a story in a video game and know why the story of FF14 was so successful up until now.

Even Wuk Lamat "could" have been well written and not the lunatic mess we got.

[Jaid]

1. Characters need to actually learn/remember what they've seen. Several times both Erenville and Lamat just completely forget what they've just heard/seen and act like what they are seeing is a new phenomenon. Erenville just forgets that he wants to find his mother and goes along with someone else's idea before a few minutes later bringing up his mother again. There were also many times where the camera pans to our characters and we're just looking and/or nodding when it would've been a perfect time to interject something. The times where we are given something to say, it very often didn't seem to be anything meaningful and seemed to be poor options. I can say that there were several times I wish the option to slap Lamat came up. But, we just smile and look at her like a sycophant all the time. I pretend my character is smiling at her like an adult would to a child who says something ridiculous. So many times, I thought that I was finally free of her for at least a little bit and then she pops back in. Also, living memory zone really pissed me off. Lamat wanting to understand why they want to kill us. But, it's already been explained to you, let's just do what we gotta do to save our people. They try to play it both ways of time is of the essence, but also we have time for all this side story feelings. After finishing the Everkeep story and Sphene goes back to her reflection and it seems to be open ended that she could attack other reflections as well, my character has access to at least two of them, maybe we go warn them to be on alert instead of taking a tour of the city with Lamat. Maybe we send Graha to our Crystal Tower and I could go to the other and see if we could find more information about the other reflections that might be relevant to what we're doing. Y'Stohla even brings up Ascians, I can go talk to one in the First and see if they have any knowledge about the Flood of Lightning and which reflection that was on, was it even caused by them, gather some intel, etc. Every other expansion has always had intel gathering/background info gathering as a pretty large focus, but they throw that away here seemingly because they want to force us to love an (IMO) unloveable character.

[Jaid]

2. This expansion's MSQ really seemed like a forced guided exploration. Yeah, every MSQ has always been pretty guided, but a lot of the time it's been more along the lines of "meet me at this point on the other side of the zone" whereas here, I was amazed at the number of times I had to talk to Lamat seemingly every 10 feet of travel and giving me a tongue-in-cheek quest marker that says "talk to wuk lamat yet again" isn't helping things. She was so infuriating throughout the story to me that every time a dungeon/trial came up, I would go out of my way to make sure she wasn't in my party. They seemingly went out of their way to limit party size specifically so Lamat would have to be in the party. And, characters we know and love would only show up to round out the party when a trial was coming up. The whole scenario of bringing us to Tural for this rite of succession was bad in the first place. IMO, a better premise would've been to just sail there because we want to go and essentially restart our lives away from Eorzea and just see what's what, explore the land, maybe the rite of succession is going on through the zones as we're exploring, but it's tangential to what we're doing, we're doing the simple adventuring then go from there. Most of this expansion literally felt like babysitting someone. Our "echo power" wasn't used like it's been used in the past, it was literally used to show us a visual representation of what the guy in front of us was speaking to us...in my recollection, it has never been used that way before. It's always been an exposition/context tool, but it's never been this blatantly simple before. We always held someone artifact that someone used to own, or we saw someone sus and it hits us, showing us the backstory...never how it was used here. Also, XP pacing was pretty poor. Through 96, I could level 5 jobs one level in each "level" of story (also doing the daily roulettes, etc). From 97, I only played as one job and couldn't level up before the MSQ quests required 98 and that was with doing the sidequests. Same with leveling through 98, couldn't hit 99 before needing to be 99 to continue with MSQ. So, XP pacing needs to be fixed.

[Jaid]

3. The only good parts were when I was with the original scions without Lamat butting her head in. The scene where Turiyollal defends itself and Vrta shows up, Estinien and the other defends Yak Turel, those were good. Putting together the train was pretty good, but a far cry from building the golem in ShB or building the spaceship in EW. Those were super well done and rewarded you for doing the sidequests. I did like the moments where you noticed someone's doppelganger and I hope there's a quest later where we introduce Ginolt to Gerolt.

[Lukha]

Personally, I'd have let Wuk Lamat's story end (for now) on completing the trials and left her to settle in as a leader along with Koana.

And then I'd have let the second half of the base expansion story ACTUALLY BE just getting to explore Xak Tural and do some relaxing, low-stakes adventuring for once (You know, the thing they sold us on when they announced Dawntrail?). No existential threats, no saving the world, just getting to visit some new places and help the locals out a bit while we're there.

Maybe have the last level be a silly beach episode with the Scions as a treat, with the three senior Scions getting some much needed relaxation and working on their tans in the background while the WoL gets another Alphinaud/Alisaie quest split:
Alisaie side could be the WoL's fanclub trying to impress/compete with the WoL in increasingly ridiculous ways (IDK, swimming race, volley ball, who can eat an icepop fastest without getting brainfreeze, silly beachy fun). If they wanted to be really daring they could have the final quest be something where WoL has to judge which of them 'won', and have the completion title/achievement be slightly different based on whether Alisaie or G'raha won.
Alphinaud side could just be WoL and Estinien spending quality time with him (IDK maybe go fishing or camping or something), because his father's a distant jerk and the poor kid is obviously desperate for positive bonding experiences with a father/older brother/whatever figure and even if your WoL is a lady she'll still be better at it than his actual father (XD Even if it's a Lalafell lady, the bar is really, really low).

I was promised a summer vacation expansion, SE!

Then for 7.XX I'd have had Wuk Lamat and Koana seriously courting the WoL to stay on permanently in Tural in some kind of official capacity (Combat Janitor LOL), and spend the patches until it's time to start building up towards 8.0's story having the WoL taking the position on a trial basis while 'considering' whether to accept. The MSQ from there would revisit and flesh out the areas that we had to rush through in the first half of DT because of the contest by sending the WoL out to listen to the locals' (battle-related, lol) concerns and problems. Basically just an excuse to expand on the worldbuilding and lore.

Then the lead-up to 8.0's story could arrive with some new major threat the WoL and Scions need to address, forcing WoL to decline the job offer and move on, maybe suggesting they ask Bakool Jaja instead on their way out XD.

[Feina]

Probably scrap the entire Dawn Servant arc (like let's face it, the WoL/Scions being King Makers is an awful inclusion). I'd remove most of the Scion's from DT too, make it so they're all away on their own adventures after post-EW concluded, and then just keep a small band of characters (Alphi, Krile, Erenville & Estinien + WoL).

Krile still receives the invitation to Tural to find the Golden City, which the rest of the above gang join up on to help her, and have a mostly harmless adventuring expansion (Indiana Jones style).

Each zone is still as it is etc, but the motives to visit each is purely to seek out more clues to locate the GC, perhaps each seperate society has it's own myths and legends which we need to piece together the full truth? I'd remove the entire aspect of new Shards, Alexandria's invasion etc, as it felt so strange being stuffed into an expansion which was tauted a "vacation" for the WoL. Just keep the stakes low, but then start alluding towards the very end that the Golden City is more than it seems, so it leads off into post-DT & 8.0.

As it is, it feels like way too many plotlines of varying importance were opened, closed, reopened and that's even before the majority of Post-DT/8.0.

[SXTC]

I honestly think the main story quests feel like side quests most of the time till you eventually get an important one that triggers a dungeon and a cutscene with actual voices... though it's sad that you never hear the voice of your own character xD
Most main story quests feel like regular boring quests... I would enjoy the game more if every main quest was voiced and sounded important... so less quests but perfectly made.

Afterall the game doesn't need more quests, it needs more "not so boring" options to spend your time without constantly having to grind for it. I have several idea's and I voiced a few on this forum already but at this point I feel that making opinions is a waste of time sincE I heard the dev's don't even read this forum...

[Kanehon]

This is from someone who, as a whole, enjoyed Dawntrail and the change of pace, while still having issues and reservations about certain points.

1. What would you have done differently with Dawntrail's writing and how would you have done it?

Overall, I feel like Dawntrail lacked commitment. It wanted to do something different, but I feel like there were points where the story was afraid of committing to it and half-hearted doing it instead of going all in.

I would have leaned more into the "divide" between the Scions. They don't have to hate each other, but a friendly competition would have been fun. I'd have enjoyed if the first boss of Ihuykatumu were a fight against Thancred + Urianger + Koana all together instead. Could still end with Thancred dropping rocks on us as they run away before the Warrior Of Light overwhelms them or something.

I do like Wuk Lamat, but I would have leaned more into the person we met in the Endwalker Patches. A hunter who has traveled the land. She doesn't have to be completely clueless to still learn more about the cultures in her land. Could still give us a brief idea and then reach the place and learn more (For example "Pelupelu are traders, it's very important to them" and get there and she learns where that aspect comes from, etc)

Also speaking of the cultures. I would have spent more time developing them, as well as the myriad issues surrounding the people there. Give us more time really exploring all these new lands, fill them with more things. Get in depth into it. Commit to learning about a new continent.

I still would have let Wuk Lamat stand back sometimes. Even liking her. I don't think the issue is on her, but rather that she is a victim of the issues. Given Erenville and Krile more time and more to do.

Honestly. I would not have had Solution 9 in Dawntrail. Sure, I don't like the place and it does nothing for me. But more importantly, I think trying to introduce that whole plot meant we had to learn about TWO whole new worlds instead of one, leaving one as rushed exposition and feeling like the first half is "go here listen to this move on" instead. I would have had Dawntrail be both Yok Tural and Xak Tural. Go through South AND North. Involve the North in the trials, and learn about it BEFORE the bubble. Make us really be invested in the pain of the bubble when it happens maybe in the patches. People we knew and areas we'd been to are now gone, children NPCs we helped are now adults. Make it more personal for the player too.