Sorry for the wait, I wanted to put something together really fast to make up for the video I removed today. So here it is! It’s not scripted like most of my content but I like to think it’s a teaser regardless. Enjoy!
#ffxiv #endwalker #expansion
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I appreciate the work that went into Stormblood.
I just don't think it's nearly as good as Heavensward or Shadowbringers.
A split focus means neither branches get as much support as if they were singular.
I enjoy the world expansion and details we got in Stormblood, and many aspects of it.
I just don't think a split like Stormblood had served either side of the split well.
Great video as always,
I appreciate every video you make, even if I may not agree with a particular opinion in one of them
I have mixed feelings on this… The comparison to SB in terms of splitting between locations has also been on my mind. I'm incredibly hyped, and I'm sure I'll enjoy visiting and learning about each place, but having so many different locations does make me a bit nervous.
As you said, it's not an easy task for the writers and I don't think my respect for them will diminish even if EW doesn't pull it off. But at the same time, if it's so challenging that the final product might not be as strong as it would have been otherwise, it seems like a direction that would be wise to avoid in the planning stage.
To be clear, I am optimistic about how they'll handle it, and I hope that EW shows that they've taken lessons away from that aspect of SB. But if it does lead to the characters and areas feeling lacking, then I wish they would not force themselves to write that way.
In a way ShB had a bunch of different cultures as well, but I think it somehow managed to feel like one First a lot of the time. Maybe the centrality of the threat of Light helped it feel like we weren't starting from zero in the different zones, or maybe having a single primary main scenario writer helped retain focus on the same themes and arcs throughout. I'm not sure if this is exactly comparable or what the key factor was, but it gives me some hope that EW will similarly be able to create that feeling of continuity.
I loved SB.
It was down to earth. The themes were amazing. It was the first time that you get to experience things through other people’s eyes. For me, exploring the world and it’s different places and learning/understanding new places is my favorite part of MMOs.
I personally rank SB above HW. It’s different. And I loved it.
Honestly in comparing the basegames. I personally consider Stormblood the best expansion. Both HW and ShB have these kinda filler arcs (In HW that being Bismark, doing to the Dravanian Hinterlands and I guess also Ravana while in ShB its the entire Lightwarden hunt which is just used to dripfeed you some information but stuff only really gets going once you return to Kholusia). Meanwhile in SB, everything you do feels meaningful, besides Sirensong Sea I guess. Go stir revolution, get your ass kicked by Zenos, go look for Gosetsu and Yugiri, secure support of pirates, help the people of Doma, find Hien, gain the support of the Xaela, get Doma back. Stir Revolution once again, push forward, push forward. Secure help of the Locals, they don't want anything to do with you. We gonna fight anyways. Go fight Zenos. I get that people think Gyr Abania got the short end of the stick already, but we have been exposed to this conflict since 1.0 and I don't think it was very nassicary to flesh out the Ala Mhigan's when we have been exposed to them for a long time.
This is actually my main concern with Endwalker. I'm worried it will suffer the same weakness of splitting attention between regions. Ala Mhigo felt especially under examined. I really do hope that's not so much an issue with this one
SB's was a bit frustrating mostly because they had amazing set ups and conflicts especially on the ala mhigo side that weren't utilized very well. A proud warrior nation whose greatest strength, waging war and fighting, led to their own gradual decay from the bulwark of Aldenard to what its become in the beginning of SB.
From 1.0 and on you've heard tale after tale of resistance members begging the city states and scions for aid, giving their lives for a seemingly futile cause, but a cause they have no choice but to take up. But on the flipside, the kings they had up until the mad king were simply overseeing a decaying nation falling more and more into poverty. When the empire took it over, there's no doubt in my mind that there were a lot of cities and people that actually were helped by the empire through the employment and trade the empire brought to them. Imagine if you were disliked by the natives because you had killed Gaius. Hell the skulls were meant to bridge the gap between the Ala Mhigans and the Empire. The lead up to SB on the ala mhigan side was an amazingly nuanced situation.
There's mountains and mountains of history, old wounds and old prides that drives the ala mhigan refugees' plights in the city states, that leads Wilred to take his compatriots to charge an Amaljaan stronghold, all culminating into Ilberd throwing himself from Baelsar's Wall with the eyes of Nidhogg. It may seem pointless and futile to the player in a case by case basis, but altogether its a tragic tale of a people's desperation.
while I don't think it was particularly a bad story, its like you said, it needed time to explore and pay off all this history, but instead it felt rushed, skipped over built up and potential conflicts that would have make Ala Mhigo's part to the story feel more whole and endearing. I hope they can take what they've learned from SB and apply it to EW.
stormblood had gosetsu in the spotlight, heavensward did not. checkmate athiests
For me SB is way better than HW. I enjoyed SB story much, much more.
Stormblood's story would have worked better if it wasn't implemented in an mmo in my opinion. It's not uncommon for rpgs to split off like this, but the nature of mmos is so everything must revolve around your character. So it just doesn't feel right to me that the WoL is carrying both fronts so heavily. I feel like one way they could have done better (just my opinion) is if they let us control Lyse on the Ala Mhigan front while the WoL was in Doma. I think that would have made her a more enjoyable character for most people since they only see her as someone who road your coattails, so to speak.
I think that may be a spicy opinion but at least it would have made sense in the gameplay since they were letting us use the other Scions anyway, but they didn't have use Lyse? Missed opportunity. Having her stay in Ala Mhigo to support the resistance in their time of need after getting routed in Rhalgrs Reach would have lend more credence to her taking over the resistance. Ala mhigo is the one single point that most people disliked in SB, and I see why. Doma had an incredible story and it was mentally exhausting.
Stormblood msq was solid. It had a lot of missed opportunities, but I feel that the writers learned from their mistakes after seeing Shadowbringers. I hope they continue to put this much passion into future works. I have faith in them.
Out of all expansions Shadowbringers, I think, still is my favorite. It and HW also had several "oh shit" moments that SB had less of (for me only time that comes to mind is Zenos beating our ass the first time).
But SB is less showy by design. Its more of a slowburn. I still enjoyed it greatly, even if some themes got dragged too long for my liking or I was dissapointed in the trajectory of Jotsuyus character. SB delved into the themes of war, patriotism, doing the right thing vs doing the practical thing. It showed the dirtier side of that "doing the right thing" when you have to outweigh what gets sacreficed in the end for the greater good. Besides anything that gives me an expansion of lore of au'ra is a win from me.
In the end I dont see SB as subpar. It had a slower pace similar to ARR a bit which I didnt mind even then, it was even nice, grounded and "homely", but I know I am a slow and patient gamer. Not everyone should be.
I am not expecting another ShB but I don't want another SB either haha
HW is my mid way standard (without any deaths please xD). It's not great but it's not disappointing. With SB I felt like alot was left be desired, especially after HW. It's not bad but it's not amazing either. It's just mehh?
I like emotional and moving stories with a lot of lore, and while I don't think a big part of EW will be like that, I doubt the writers will lose the emotional touch they brought into HW and ShB.