FFXIV Spoiler thread

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I've found the writing whenever it concerns Minfilia to be bad. I'm left to assume she's someone's pet on the writing/dev team. She's ruined every character/interaction she's been involved in from my POV and I'm hoping we're finally done with her.

All of the Scion holdovers from 1.0 were problematic. It's clear that the new writers had no idea what to do with them until their reintroduction in ShB (which also changed their characterizations, see Thancred and Urianger), so they spend most of ARR through Stormblood just hovering in the background. The focus is on the new characters, Alphinaud and Alisae, and the expansion characters Aymeric/Hien/Gosetsu/etc. For Minfillia, Yda, and Papalymo, it's clear that the writers had absolutely no idea what to do with them, so those three got written out of the story so they wouldn't continue to bloat the cast with their presence. Yda even gets completely reinvented as a new character in 3.5, and then written out of the story at the end of 4.0.

[Lane]

Had I not seen ShB first I likely wouldn't have had any appreciation for the CT series. At that point in the MSQ I was beyond tired of ARR and just wanted to get to HW. Given that it introduces my favorite character I took the time to enjoy it rather than blitz through it. There have already been a few characters from ARR who ask, "Remember me?" No, I do not, like Laurentius or the guy from Quarrymill who constantly reminds me I fetched medicine for him once (and I still can't remember his name). I'd like to think I would've remembered the CT series, but I can't say for certain I would have and having that history wouldn't have meant anything.

For Minfillia, Yda, and Papalymo, it's clear that the writers had absolutely no idea what to do with them, so those three got written out of the story so they wouldn't continue to bloat the cast with their presence.

I was disappointed with the loss of Yda. Both she and Moenbryda brought some much needed energy and lightheartedness to the Scions. As for Papalymo, maybe they thought there were too many archons, too many lalafell, or they didn't know what to do with him and Lyse. I feel bad for anyone who started in Gridania.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

As for Papalymo, maybe they thought there were too many archons, too many lalafell, or they didn't know what to do with him and Lyse. I feel bad for anyone who started in Gridania.

Yeah it was kinda disappointing that they never did anything with Papalymo. He was the only male Lala character in the game who wasn't treated exclusively as comic relief.

[Twen]

Yeah it was kinda disappointing that they never did anything with Papalymo. He was the only male Lala character in the game who wasn't treated exclusively as comic relief.

From the top of my head; Lolorito and Pipin?

[Drindorai]

From the top of my head; Lolorito and Pipin?

As well as Teledji, the catalyst of most of the post ARR arc lol

[Val the Moofia Boss]

From the top of my head; Lolorito and Pipin?

Weren't main characters. Loloritto was set up to be the big bad of HW going by the cinematic but then that storyline was anticlimatically aborted. Pipin is a background character nobody remembers with barely 2 minutes of screentime (and still got a short story, somehow).

[ippollite]

To be fair, and assuming its true (and they rewrote him during heavesward preproduction to be a cynical but loyal protector of uldah), thats kind of a good change, no? I dont know if id have been that concerned about uldah while everything is kicking off in ishgard. It would have perhaps spoiled the flow?

Eta: pipin is loved by both asmon and rich in their playthroughs. So dunno if its fair to say he's forgettable. (:

[Drindorai]

I like how characters that directly contradict Val's claims just get ignored as "forgettable" or their storylines being 'anti-climactic' lol

According to whom is Pipin forgettable? The person making the easily disprovable claim? Because it seems like people genuinely like him every time he's part of the story.

[CalamityHeart]

Pipin is fucking awesome, and I'm really bummed that interactions with him are so scarce. He definitely wasn't forgettable to me, or anything close to comic relief. I really want to see more from him.

The whole Ul'dah coup thing was a pretty big letdown, though. At least to me. The way that it all fell together and then ultimately got quietly swept away just felt... shit.

[ippollite]

heres a trope i honestly wish didnt exist...

If youre at shadowbringers, you know what it is. if you arent, once you hit shadowbringers youre gonna roll your eyes when it hits...


They are not a plot device. They shouldn't be treated as a plot device. Im adding a minus one to your etsy score. Because here we apparently go again. (you've dug so deep i'm genuinely wondering if you haven't inversed gravity and popped out the other side, because you should!... because, you should...) The thing is.. the thing is... They/im not a plot device and shouldnt be a plot device.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

heres a trope i honestly wish didnt exist...

If youre at shadowbringers, you know what it is. if you arent, once you hit shadowbringers youre gonna roll your eyes when it hits...


They are not a plot device. They shouldnt be treated as a plot device. Im adding a minus one to your etsy score. Because here we apparently go again.

What are you talking about?

[Dakhath]

The only "they" I can recall off the top of my heads are the twins and the Jongleurs, which are absurd, but I forgot all about them until I tried to remember a pair of something.

Oh, and Ryne and her counterpart, but that's definitely a plot point.

[ippollite]

What are you talking about?

hang on, let me skip the cut scene to answer you... the aftermath. Thats the literal title of the literal quest chain im currently doing (for the first time ever). 5... val. youve obviously done them all... for anyone else im in Yx'mjal (5.0.3ish) Y'stola is apparently in her native state, absent for like 80% of the experience when she suddenly appears at a crucial juncture to fix some shit - its a literal trope! You know it, i know it... [SIZE=1](everyone knows it)[/SIZE][/FONT]

ive watched the endwalker cutscene. Once (arr)... oh god! Twice (Hw) hiya! Thrice (sb) hiya again! Quatro (is that the expression)... for a FIFTH time... we're doing this shit again? You know youre dead soon enough, right (can you just return to the aethyr current so we can get on with this??) I mean, youre literally the best npc in the game. Its been literally coming since early heavensward. They couldnt do it in shb. But theyre coming for you princess (blind and sapping her energy since hw seeing the aethyr) peach y'stola.

Its getting really cliche... Princess peach is y'stola. Not minfilia. Why on earth would it be minfilia over y'stola? Thing is, its clockwork. Deuteragonist does some shit, then deutoragonist is incapacitated for 75% of the expansion (i googled it). We fix it.
Its some supermario shit going on. Dududut du duuu du. Dut. dut dut dudut...

Theres homage and theres... this...


...(also homage?)?

[MrTharne]

Oh you're talking about Y'shtola's fake out death. To be fair the one in Shadowbringers isn't really meant to be a fake out / "will she die this time ? Is this it ?", it was use in my opinion as a way to show the difference in power/knowledge between the Sundered and the Unsundered. In Heavensward to bring back Y'shtola, we needed three very strong magical users of our time (Kan-E-Senna + her siblings) and the help of the Elementals, compared to Shadowbringers where Emet, alone, make it seems like child's play to pluck her out of the Lifestream. It was a "oh shit, he's that powerful." moment.

But in Endwalker, I think she will sacrifice herself for good toward the end.

[ippollite]

Im gonna pretend i know what sundered/unsundered means. I love you indulged my nonsense, though..

<3 this isnt a dismissal. Its genuine thanks for not spoiling me (i have zero context) whilst trying to justify whats happening right now.

I guess ill revisit this next month

[enzi]

What are your thoughts on Fandaniel, his power level and his connection to the unsundered?

[Xilurm]

Weren't main characters. Loloritto was set up to be the big bad of HW going by the cinematic but then that storyline was anticlimatically aborted. Pipin is a background character nobody remembers with barely 2 minutes of screentime (and still got a short story, somehow).

I mean tbf you never said main characters. Which would put Papalymo as the only main character anyway.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

What are your thoughts on Fandaniel, his power level and his connection to the unsundered?

Fun character, tied with Zenos as my favorite villain. Not as "deep" as Elidibus or Emet but much more entertaining to watch. 20% chance he's lying about his motivations and is actually trying to hijack Zodiark's power for himself, or he's an agent of the Sound. 10% chance he's saved (given that the Ascian storyline is ending, it would be pretty sad if no Ascians were saved (on the other hand, he's already massacred quite a lot of people, but then again this is the same game that let Gaius off the hook, and bent over backwards for Yotsuyuu and Yslaye). Thus far every Ascian has stuck to their ways and died). I suspect either Fandaniel or Zenos will backstab the other.

[CalamityHeart]

What are your thoughts on Fandaniel, his power level and his connection to the unsundered?

Honestly? Not a big Fan of Daniel at the moment. Him as a foil to Zenos's more... 'collected' sort of level of crazy is an interesting and amusing dynamic, and I'm intrigued in learning more about him, as I have been with most of FFXIV's villains.

But him by himself as the overdramatic clown prince of omnicidal insanity is uh... something that's probably going to have to grow on me over the course of Endwalker.

I'm not totally sold on disliking him yet. I wasn't a fan of Emet when he first appeared, either, but he ended up becoming one of my favorite parts of Shadowbringers. So I'm hoping Fandaniel will get the same treatment and we're able to peel back some of the layers on him and he turns into a character that I love to hate, rather than a character that I just... hate.

[Lane]

The whole Ul'dah coup thing was a pretty big letdown, though. At least to me. The way that it all fell together and then ultimately got quietly swept away just felt... shit.

Same. It's my one little nitpick about HW. The beginning where we're refugees with nowhere else to go and have to prove ourselves worthy of being wards of House Fortemps was exciting, but extremely short lived. Third quest chain in we've already established ourselves in Ishgard and shortly after that the Ul'dah situation is 'resolved'. We'd barely stuck our toenail in the Dragonsong War. We could've essentially just said, thanks for the mini vacation, looks like we can go back home now, good luck with your dragon situation. :P I thought being a fugitive should've at least lasted the entirety of 3.0.

What are your thoughts on Fandaniel, his power level and his connection to the unsundered?

Not sure. The Fandaniel we're presented with doesn't appear anything like his Convocation description where his title is "Protector" and his glyph is "Bringer of Order". His memory crystal also seems strangely incomplete or broken, perhaps alluding to his reinstatement being compromised.

My initial thoughts are he's playing Zenos. At the end of ShB, he also acted like he knew there was a decent chance of failure but wanted to test the WoL's and Scion's capabilities. I'm hoping for more depth than simply wanting to destroy everything, but it's possible being both sundered and a incompletely reinstated to his seat might mean existence is pain to him. Based on what little we know it could go either way. I've read he's Ishikawa's favorite character though.