Dungeons: Moment or Location

[Absurdity]

I started ARR in March 2024 and I first noticed dungeons feeling disconnected from the world in Shadowbringers, particularly Dohn Mheg.

Doesn't surprise me, Shadowbringers was when the world building became more of an afterthought. The character writing in Shadowbringers was strong, but the zones, dungeons and raids became mostly set dressing, a visually appealing prop in which dramatical story moments happen.

[JohnLakeside]

Doesn't surprise me, Shadowbringers was when the world building became more of an afterthought. The character writing in Shadowbringers was strong, but the zones, dungeons and raids became mostly set dressing, a visually appealing prop in which dramatical story moments happen.

I know i'm in the minority, but I think the character writing in Shadowbringers was also weak. Other than Emet and kinda Thancred, none of the other characters were really fleshed out. Certainly not to the extent Fordola, Tsuyu, Gosetsu were. Maybe you could say Ryne was fleshed out, but I didn't find her arc all that interesting.

[Valence]

The Scions have always been cardboard pieces of paper and walking tropes that do act more like robots and less like humans tbh, with only too little exceptions. No matter the expansion.

[MoofiaBossVal]

The main issue with the Scions is that they feel like a modern JRPG party, in that they are glued together rather than feeling like real people. In Trails in the Sky, you have people coming to and fro, weaving in and out of your party and going where their motivations take them. In Dragon Age Origins, you have party members that have disagreements with each other and will leave over them. In FF14, the characters who feel the most real are the Heavensward and Stormblood locals like Estinien and Gosetsu. They are in the party not because they are your party members like the Scions, but because for the moment your motivations are intersecting. They are on a mission of their own, and they are allowed to express disagreement.

[LuisMikhail]

thank you for the more fleshed out list.
I might have comfirmation bias in that the dungeons as story moment ones are the ones I see the most of when doing roulettes.
I like the idea of them becoming more like OW zones once the expac is over..

also Mt. Gulg and Babil to me feels like the perfect examples of mixing the two ideas. the way they loooms over the local environment constantly is very cool.