Synodic Scribe's "The Steady Change in Writing..." Video

[Zackneifein]

That's interesting. For me it was the opposite. I only really started being truly invested in the game in SHB.
Now mind you, I don't think the WoL has to be the focus all the time (in fact I'd argue in EW we weren't the focus most of the time), but I want the WoL to feel like a part of the story. Ishikawa always did this really well imo. Making the player feel included in a way, something that was lacking for me until SHB and EW. Since I made my WoL an OC with backstory and all, I prefer it that way, and the Azem lore is one of the most interesting parts for me.

In DT I was often wondering why my WoL is even there, but that's a sentiment a lot of people share.

I want my WoL to have agency. Doesn't matter the WoL isn't the absolute focus of the story, but I want agency. If the WoL never was such a character, and never matterd in the story like in many other MMORPG I wouldn't care (and I probably wouldn't play FFXIV since a long time), but it's not the case so I care.

In ARR, we are starting our adventurer life, that's our agency.
In Heavensward, we want to help the people that helped us at our lowest because the WoL is a gentle soul.
In Stormblood, we have to stop Garlemald in an inevitable war then we became the only one capable of stopping Zenos.
In Shadowbringer, we are the only one able to confront the Lightwardens.
In 5.x we have to help the Scion go back to the Source because they are our friends.
In Endwalker we have to save the world.
And for most of what's over, most of the time there were things only we could do, mainly the Primals or confronting foes too powerful for anyone else, but also travelling between the First and the Source or going to Elpis.

In 6.x, we wanted to have an adventure and what happened after that is only the consequences (and we are starting to lose some agency to Zero since it's with her power that the story can progress, yet we are still mentoring Zero about being a human again and we are the one confronting the mightiest foes).
And in Dawntrail... what's our agency ? An adventure ? Tural is a pacified land. A vacation ? Nah, we are babysitting someone, it's not what I call a vacation. Being a mentor ? Not only we don't mentor Wuk Lamat but she don't need it. Saving the world ? Yeah maybe, but far too late in the story. And more importantly is there anything done in the MSQ that specificaly required the WoL ? No.

And that's the main problem. It's not just that the focus isn't on the WoL, it can work that way. It's that the WoL isn't relevant at all and didn't even have it's moment to shine (truely shine, the 2 - 3 cutscenes where the WoL is supposed to be "badass" or somes lines about being "dangerous" aren't enough at all).
There is already more agency for the WoL in the Raid content that in all the MSQ combined.