What would you like to see from a future story arc? (Spoilers)

[CCheshire]

I want to spend time with Graha, Erenville, or Zero again. I know they're always been supporting cast, but I want an entire side story dedicated to them, even if their role is finished in MSQ.

[Mawlzy]

I want to spend time with Graha, Erenville, or Zero again. I know they're always been supporting cast, but I want an entire side story dedicated to them, even if their role is finished in MSQ.

Would be nice to see how Zero has been getting on.

[mallleable]

Some themes I would love to see them explore: environmentalism, identity, relationships with power, systemic change, love and hate, and cosmic horror.

[KageTokage]

Some themes I would love to see them explore: environmentalism, identity, relationships with power, systemic change, love and hate, and cosmic horror.

I was really hoping they'd go this angle with the Final Days but...alas.

The Endsinger was honestly a really disappointing final boss after the eldritch horror angle a lot of the blasphemy designs were leaning into.

[Daralii]

I was really hoping they'd go this angle with the Final Days but...alas.

The Endsinger was honestly a really disappointing final boss after the eldritch horror angle a lot of the blasphemy designs were leaning into.

I still think it's weird that she didn't get her own theme and just had a medley instead.

[KageTokage]

I still think it's weird that she didn't get her own theme and just had a medley instead.

She's also the only MSQ extreme aside from Ultima Weapon that didn't get a new phase so it seems like the devs just kinda...didn't care about making her feel terribly grand in comparison to what came before.

Suppose an ultimate might fix that eventually...

[Kandraxx]

Good gameplay that doesn't revolve around pressing the same button sequences over and over with 30 "does damage" skills.

[Hallarem]

Good gameplay that doesn't revolve around pressing the same button sequences over and over with 30 "does damage" skills.

Maybe we get a story arc that reduces our button bloat and makes gameplay better

[MatchaokaCha]

A return to form in world politics like the first three expansions, hell, even Shb had a more interesting political background than DT. The Americas are such a rich source of historical inspiration, and they flubbed it so badly simply because they wanted to sanitize the 'scary' bits like they did in FF16. The stakes don't have any weight to them as a result, so they end up evaporating their audience's investment to the plot. There's a severe lack of interesting world-building right now.

SPOILERS. Just an example of brilliant writing that CS3 was capable of (IMO):

My favorite scene from EW is when Alisaie and Alphinaud are simply having a conversation about the pitfalls of fundamentalism while being held hostage in Garlemald. This was a deliberate callback and reply to Varis Zos Galvus during Post-Stormblood. But this time, we're in a more calm setting that allows the siblings (and us) to explore some philosophical ideas and the greater consequences they entail. There's something incredibly open and vulnerable with the way this cutscene was presented. I've had conversations with close friends and family members about these types of discussions (minus the kidnapping), and the music was the perfect icing on the cake.

Scenes like this transcended FFXIV beyond it's plot. It was beautifully heartfelt, intelligent, and introspective. We got to see how much Alisaie, and especially Alphinaud, have grown over the years. They developed their own sense of morals and values to be able to refute the destructive principles of a fascist state that has been oppressively looming over the continent. They don't sugarcoat it. There is nuance and no perfect solution exists. They come to understand the enormous complexity and effort that's required to enact change within people whose ideologies don't align with theirs. The writers did their homework and managed to cobble together a somewhat coherent plot, despite EW suffering from pacing and similar issues as DT. This type of consideration is completely absent from the, now overwhelming, corporate fluff that FFXIV has become. Their recent writing is not even remotely relatable or believable in any way.

[Hallarem]

A return to form in world politics like the first three expansions, hell, even Shb had a more interesting political background than DT. The Americas are such a rich source of historical inspiration, and they flubbed it so badly simply because they wanted to sanitize the 'scary' bits like they did in FF16. The stakes don't have any weight to them as a result, so they end up evaporating their audience's investment to the plot. There's a severe lack of interesting world-building right now.

SPOILERS. Just an example of brilliant writing that CS3 was capable of (IMO):

Rubber bullets so people in Texas don't get offended for appropriating their culture?

Whalaqee censored out of the "stealing natural resources" plotline because native americans would get offended? And replaced with the most childrens cartoon version of a wild west version I've ever seen outside of an actual childrens cartoon. Where everyone is just okey-dokey with massive traintracks and ceruleum being mined out (again, stolen from the whalaqee storyline). No clashing with the native hhetsarro, and when there is a small problem, it gets solved with a trainwhistle OUT OF NOWHERE, invented in two seconds where everyone gets to be happy. No clashing of traditionalism and technology.

A generational conflict no doubt with a plethora of vendettas being sorted by tacos

Birdpeople being gaslighted by a furry to deny them their reeds for sustenance and building materials because they FORGOT their glowing paradefloat actually made their reeds grow

A people whose whole personality and existence is "I'm a merchant"

Fast forward to people whose whole personality is "Oh the theme is "Death is scary, so my whole personality, actions and everything I do revolves around MUH THEMES" instead of being actual functioning member of society (aside from Arcadion characters, a big theme in FFXIV is that the deeper better writing tends to be in raids and side content like Bozja, lots of nuance)

RANT.OVER. Dawntrail and Tural are DONE. 7.2 went into a better direction, but I'm expecting Sphene to be Wuk-Lamat temper-beamed down into a F-tier character somehow. I don't trust them yet.