On this first episode of MSQ&A, streamer and YouTuber Jesse Cox joins for a spoiler-filled talk about the end of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. What the first complete narrative arc of FFXIV means to him. And what it was like for Garrett and Kyle to finally see the end after two and a half years of streaming the game and making videos about it on YouTube.
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Jesse is a wise man. Do Hildibrand. It just gets funnier and funnier. Hildy is a legend.
The thing I like most about the Trust/Duty Support system is being able to learn the fights at my own pace before queueing with roulette randoms who might be doing it for the 1st time.
Just gave me more confidence.
I did the MSQ dungeons with the Trust throughout ShB and EW, and it worked perfectly, including the Hydaelyn fight. I was green dps, though.
I suspect programing AI NPCs to deal with everything a blue dps could do is harder, because just about everyone I saw complaining about the NPCs in the Mothercrystal was a tank…
My opinion is that endwalker just makes shadowbringers better. Endwalker is good on its own but it has an impact on the previous expansion in terms of payoff that just can't be understated.
One of the best stories I've experienced. I'm glad that so many are able to experience it with us.
More Likes, Ya'll! Enjoyed rewatching this with background shots and zoom-ins on who was speaking. Amazing lead-in and editing! Enjoyed every moment.
Zenos showing up at the end had really strong "Super android 13" vibes.
"FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS I LAY DORMANT! WHO DARE DISTURB MY–"
"Hey best buddy!!!"
Being there with yall while you streamed you could definitely feel the energy. I even walked away with a new fellow Lala friend. Hope to make it to more streams in game.
some tips for getting into Nier from a certified Taroverse Freak(tm):
Nier Gestalt (xbox 360) and Nier Replicant (PS3) are identical games except for the fact that the former has you play as the father of Yonah, and the latter has you play as the brother of Yonah. Nier Gestalt was the only version of the game that was localized, releasing as just 'Nier' on the ps3 and 360 in the west.
Nier isn't a game I'd personally recommend *playing*, instead I had always directed newcomers to watch a letsplay instead (I'm particularly fond of Two Best Friends Play's playthrough). HOWEVER: Nier Replicant ver.1.224 (2021) fixed pretty much every issue the og game had, with the downside that we can't play as dad!Nier anymore. It's a small price to pay, I suppose. But since both of you(?) are fathers, I have a hunch that dad!Nier's story might resonate with you more. Dad!Nier technically isn't the 'creator intended' way to experience the game, since dad!Nier was created specifically to appeal to North American audiences, but that doesn't stop me from loving dad!Nier any less.
"Should you play Drakengard before I play Nier?" is another common question, and for a newcomer, I'd personally say: no. In fact, I have a hard time recommending it at all, unless you have a strong tolerance for low-budget jank and tedious grinding. Like og Nier, my first recommendation is to watch a video essay covering the game (Clemps does it best IMO) and watching it before you play Nier is recommended, but not required. Don't worry about the other two Drakengard games, as they don't tie-in to Nier at all.
Man, that opening narrative by Garrett is so good ❤
Good video
1:22:54 And here's the Jesse Cox poker face again as they're cooking.
1:30:50 Such a magnificent poker face.
1:52:45 I am setting my notification. The video doesn't even exist yet and I'm setting my notification. Jesse Cox voice acting for GG doing Hildibrand is just ME bait.
Come for the FF talk, stay for the Jesse Cox torture. ^.^
If you think about Endwalker as the period on an MMO, not only does it work from the story standpoint, but even within this expansion from a gameplay stand point as well.
Imagine if this was the final expansion. You've saved the universe, you've saved the world, you've addressed every lingering plot thread going back 10 years from the [redacted] to the [redacted]. And within the content of gameplay?
You've been granted an island you could retire to.
Endwalker would be a perfect final expansion to an MMO. And yet, "Walk tall, my friend. Our journey will never end."
Jesse as the moon, I'm sold!
1:27:59 I've absolutely love seeing the influx of sprouts from Xbox and all notifications that I'm getting playing through a roulette with someone that hasn't completed the duty yet!
(Edited: grammar correction)
if y'all do the same format for FF7R of playing a chunk, making a video of chunk, and continuing on, etc -I would love more Jesse segments grilling y'all on what you think is coming for that game too! Also, I loved following the GG FFXIV journey, you guys are the best ❤❤❤
54:45 I honestly thought it was Midgardsormer busting through when Zenos arrived.
About ending MMOs, I think Emet might have put it best: "Though the curtain may fall again and again, so long as others take the stage, ever shall there be more tales to tell….See this tale to a triumphant conclusion, and with elation in your hearts, bid the final curtain fall. Only then may it rise again and a new tale begin – with new parts for all to play."
Blizzard (and others) don't want to let the curtain fall, so it strains under the weight – and falls anyway.
Thancred's multiple girlfriends all showing up at his workplace and Moenbryda and Yda busting a gut laughing for happy times together. Times like those?
SPOILERS
I don't know how Jesse kept that poker face when Garrett literally perfectly described Pandaemonium lol.
It has been such a treat to watch you both play through this game together. Truly. Even if I missed a stream along the way, I would always go back to watch, just to experience the story with you both. I came into the game around the 5.3 patch, and Endwalker was the first expansion I got to experience fresh with the friends I made and I'm so super excited that we will get to play Dawntrail right alongside yall!
Okay, I really have to ask. The end game Endwalker music, the track that's used at the start of this video. Does anyone else get huge "In Time" vibes from the music??
For the 99% of you unaware, 'In Time' is the theme from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qmqFzR8bR4
I'm super curious whether or how GG is going to tackle the variant dungeons. I really like them for lore and visiting cool locations for fun boss fights, and the little lore entries each route gives are great, but doing all the paths of a dungeon in a stream could be miserable.
I really want to see the three of you do the Hildy quests
lmao regarding that trial fight with duty support: yes, they do bait you a little bit, but that specific problem that Jesse had only ever happens if you go in as tank AND you are going your own way instead of following where they're all going. For the lightwaves, the NPC AIs are programmed to go to the same safe spot that we use for the extreme version of the fight, namely, the spot directly opposite from the two lightwaves that are close to each other. They will head there, and then they will continue to attack the boss. The problem arises if you, as the tank, have pulled the boss away from the safe spot that they're programmed to go to. When their programming tells them to reengage the boss, that is exactly what they will do, even if they have to run straight through the lightwaves that are still crossing through the middle of the arena to get to the boss. As a general rule of thumb for running with NPCs, keep a close eye on them and just follow where they go any time they all run as a group somewhere.
Heck yes
I agree with Jesse, the fact that you don't feel the need to rag on the latest issue de jour is priceless and keeps me here. You guys are also generally awesome.
Garrett's narration for the intro with the clips leading to FFXIV🎉 Well done! The journey of finding and living this story after so many disappointments always hits hard❤
One note here: 31:39
The Star Wars: Original Trilogy wasn't winging it, Lucas wrote the first 3 movies as one giant 3 act play. He carved up the first third of the story to pitch it to Fox Studios since he knew he'd have to sell it in smaller chunks.
He did the same with the Prequels, they just suffered from him having full creative control, and no editors or directors to turn his scripts into a movie.
The biggest problem the Sequels had, was they didn't have any kind of overaching plan, they were what you described of "just winging it" each time.