Thread: My Concern for 7.3 - Endwalkerization

Originally Posted by Gwenkatsu

I mean, the best part about Emet Selch was that he wasn't even a villain. He fought tooth and nail for all he held dear, exactly like the WoL does.

He was at the end of it all but that's what I meant by deep villains that make you question their motives and such, those are some of the best stories imo.

Originally Posted by TeresaFortell

The biggest mistake they have committed in Endwalker was rushing the story in Garlemald. It could have been an expansion worthy of material just in that one area, and it was glossed over like nothing. And because of this, the entire Endwalker expansion feels incredibly rushed. It most certainly had its high points, but it fell short of expectations.

Endwalker was supposed to be 2 expansions worth, and it clearly feels it with how some things are really rushed, you can tell who was suppose to be the boss for the first, for example

They also mentioned that Dawntrail would be the new start, but now it isn't the new start, but 8.0 is the new start? If 8.0 "fails" are we gonna get a 9.0 "No guys, this is the real real REAL start"

Originally Posted by Hallarem

They also mentioned that Dawntrail would be the new start, but now it isn't the new start, but 8.0 is the new start? If 8.0 "fails" are we gonna get a 9.0 "No guys, this is the real real REAL start"

There's plenty of dangling plot hooks in the back half of Dawntrail that can be used to spin a story for quite a long time if they feel like it, while digging around in ARR-Endwalker for other tidbits, they don't need to start over.

It was confirmed in the last liveletter that 7.3 is the end of the Dawntrail story arc. 7.4 would normally be some form of standalone adventure that is self contained within the patch, and 7.5 & 7.55 would be the buildup for whatever story arc will begin in 8.0.

We were already told that 7.3 would end the Dawntrail narrative and that 7.4 onward would be pre-expansion lead-up.
Endwalker was completely a one-off in that regard.

They already confirmed long ago Endwalker was the exception because it was the conclusion of the Hydaelyn/Zodiark arc and Dawntrail would return to the ending at x.3 format.

Endwalker post-patch went from 6.1 to 6.5 because it was designed as a complete story arc for those patches. I think they can see the flaw, though, that that sort of format doesn't really allow for enough expansion set-up.

I think its mostly due to poor build up.

Shadowbringers while it does an interesting twist in 4.4 into 5.0, it also leaves little room to properly build up the new world. At least with radz-at-han it was more established since 2.0. As its more interested in the cosmic scale of things.

Like lets go with two easy examples by comparison. 2.0 to 2.55 establishes Coerthas, but also Ishgard and all that would come later in 3.0. While 2.0 to 3.55 is more about establishing all that would come with Doma and Ala Mhigo.

Shadowbringers, while it does something different and interesting, its more a mood thing than a world establishing thing in 4.4 to 4.55. As its wants to create tension and mystery and the payoff with 5.0 is a black mirror of the home world. Its also more interested in building up and portraying the whole cosmic scale of things rather than doing more work to properly establish new locations for future expansions, that of radz-at-hand, the new world (aka tural), and meracydia. Which would be fine, if shadowbringers was the penultimate expansion with endwalker being the last expansion the game got. But its not.

That of the three afformentioned future location, at least radz-at-han and meracydia were having build up since 2.0. Tural is more fragmented and had more emphasis on a handful of concepts. Such concepts are: Some food, the city of gold, blue magic and the whalaqee, a two-headed mamool ja leader, and where mamool ja come from.

Which I feel we would have had more proper connections and storylines if frankly 5.0 to 6.0, 6.1 to 6.5, and 7.0 to 7.3 weren't all about other worlds as the home world feels like its shrinking and being overtaken by all this shard stuff. Especially if there is meant to be hypothetically 3 to 4 more expansions of this.