Quote Originally Posted by Carin-Eri View Post
Same - I thought he was a fantastic character.

A villain with relatable motives/an extremely good reason to be the way that they are is definitely not a bad villain, but I feel some have started to lean on that trope a little too heavily. So when a bad guy with "simpler" motivations comes along, he catches hate.

I personally enjoyed Zeno's exactly because he's simple and, frankly, relatable. The Warrior of Light fought beasts, Gods, dragons, and pretty much the entire imperial army. The only time we've ever faced any sort of challenge or hardship, its been indirectly from people threatening those around us. We were basically untouchable - a gun to bring to any swordfight. I suspect most players were feeling pretty invincible by the point in the game immediately prior to Zenos, which was likely by design.

And then, without warning, Zenos appears and absolutely wipes the floor with us reminding us, both in-game and meta, that we're not invincible and there IS someone better out there.

And I honestly enjoyed how his story played out, particularly when we finally fight him in Ultima Thule - because in my view, he was right about us when he identified our 'Adventurer' roots. and recognised that we were heroes through circumstance and a need to do the right thing, rather than choice.
To me, it was actually incredibly impressive considering the limitations Garleans have. I did wish the fight took place a lot sooner and I was actually hoping for an extreme where I get to fight him in his human form, much like we fought his father.

I don't understand the pure hate some people have for him. All that drove him was gaining power and dueling people out of sheer enjoyment for the challenge after spending most of his life honing his skills. I can also absolutely understand his lack of interest in politics. He was after all a self-serving villain, hehe.

To be fair, I never liked WoL development and how perfect they were. Always picking the best answers, the best choices, the best outcomes, never faltering, never doubting. So unidimensional and so damn boring. Where is the darkness, the struggles, the pain???