Your thoughts so far?

[3Bears1Goldy]

Please no spoilers for those who haven't progressed or started Stormblood content yet!

 

So, Stormblood has been out for a couple days now. There's been issues with staying connected to the servers for various reasons. Congestion, DDoS attacks, certain 'EX' NPCs ( =P ), so on and so forth.

 

But for those of you who've started progressing through the Main Story, how much are you enjoying it so far? Are you enjoying the look and feel of the new zones that you've gotten to explore? How about that new soundtrack? Hate it? Love it? Meh about it?

 

I have been having quite a grand old time personally, despite only being 63, almost 64. Kugane really impressed me. I know that Ishgard had a particular theme going for it, but this place just blew it away. I actually did a /walk around the whole city for the first half hour or so, rather than just sprinting around to do the quests as fast as possible. There's quite a few potential RP locations throughout the city, so I'm very much looking forward to more people getting levelled and into the area.

 

Parts of the MSQ are a little bit predictable as far as the sidequests in each zone go, you'll pick up on the pattern pretty quickly. But the cutscenes. Oh yes, the cutscenes. So much love.

 

And the soundtrack so far. Love it. I want more of it.

[Nebbs]

Pathos, so much pathos. Honestly the main stories have quite a bit of depth. I feel they stepped it up to deliver more than the two dimensional stuff you might expect. 

 

Though I still feel like a bystander to events, as there is no real sense of making a difference.

 

The dungeons are fun and contain much dodging, yet I manage okay tanking them. I'm in the UK with a 170ms+ ping too.

[Kallera]

I'm not sure about the story. It feels like the garleans are both more varied and less. Like I think My biggest problem is that the game hammers it home every second that they are all, to a man, irredeemable and should all be destroyed. I have a worry that this is going to be swept under the rug(via , say, the emperor killing everything himself or showing pure garleans to be a "manufactured" race) or result in the alliance doing the same oppression, sans consequenses.

 

I'm not a big fan of Alisaie and even less of Lyse, but I do like Yugiri and Gosetsu.

 

As a tank, I've been having a lot of fun, though I wonder about if the wheels will fall off when people get their hands on the meta and start overgearing, especially in the face of increased difficulty with tanking.

 

And I want to hear the Dungeon Boss theme obsessively. I do dungeons just to hear that theme!

[Gegenji]

Like I think My biggest problem is that the game hammers it home every second that they are all, to a man, irredeemable and should all be destroyed.

 

There is literally a whole side quest chain about a whole town not wanting to give up a Garlean officer to the Alliance because he was a decent human being and they liked him.

[Kallera]

Like I think My biggest problem is that the game hammers it home every second that they are all, to a man, irredeemable and should all be destroyed.

 

There is literally a whole side quest chain about a whole town not wanting to give up a Garlean officer to the Alliance because he was a decent human being and they liked him.

 

Well, I did not get to that chain yet. ^^;;;

[Virella]

Like I think My biggest problem is that the game hammers it home every second that they are all, to a man, irredeemable and should all be destroyed.

 

There is literally a whole side quest chain about a whole town not wanting to give up a Garlean officer to the Alliance because he was a decent human being and they liked him.

 

Well, I did not get to that chain yet. ^^;;;

I think you really should finish up the MSQ before making up a judgement how SE portrays the Garleans!

[Teadrinker]

Granted I'm still wrapping up but Doma just feels so much more smooth, solid and well done than Ala Mhigo in every capacity. Visually, storytelling, quest design, everything. Ala Mhigo feels like 2.0 questing to me.

 

I wondering if both just had different writers.

[Daciana Sangebautor]

Hmmm so far I'm not a fan of the -bling- noise the queue timer makes randomly, it tricks you into thinking your queue is lessening. That's mainly the extent of my Stormblood experience so far, beyond Palace of The Dead Disconnects, and sticking back in queue again.

 

-Nod-

[Kage]

I enjoyed Stormblood far more than I did Heavensward.

 

Maybe it's cause I'm weeb. I dunno. I just felt like I had a lot more fun and excitement out of it.

 

... barring queues. Though I had less frustration than I did at Heavensward's launch. That gave me tears of anger and frustration lol

[Enla]

I'm almost done, but I'm enjoying this expac as a whole far more than I ever did with Heavensward. The writing is tighter, the tone is more consistent, and aside from a few minor issues I've been pleasantly surprised with the direction they've taken the story. My only issue is oddly enough with the very character I should love, Lyse. The writing for her is just terribly sloppy in places and I hate how the MSQ warps away from it's realistic tone to place her on a pedestal she frankly didn't earn. There was one instance in particular where it felt as if the writers skipped an entire arc her character should have undergone to give her some fancy importance to the plot; when at that point literally anyone else would have been better suited.

 

She smacks hard of how Minfillia was written in places, and I honestly pray that they fix that going forward and actually tap into the growth they're trying to show without making such unrealistic and jarring jumps.

 

Yet we still have 4.1 onward to fix my issues, as I doubt they're going to be taken into account with the handful of MSQ quests I have left, and I'm hopeful that with the strength of the rest of the writing it will all be addressed.

 

Edit: I just finished it, I was right. Not happy to be right honestly.

[Zhavi]

The atmosphere is 1000 times better than Heavensward was for me, that's pretty much it. The zones, the people within them, the xaela, the architecture, the sense of purpose. The group dynamic isn't quite as cohesive as Heavensward, but everything else makes up for it. There were one or two places I was rolling my eyes hard (excessive amounts of pathos aren't good for the story weight), but man oh man. I love this expansion. THE ARCHITECTURE! It feels like a love letter. The aesthetics cater almost exactly to the stuff I like -- and I'm not even talking about Kugane.

 

Overall, I'm majorly enthused.

[Kallera]

I finished the msq last night, and while it did turn out better than arr, I do share a lot of the gripes people have with Lyse. I got the impression (from Yotsuyu's and Fodola's characterization) that a lot of the hard times came about from ongoing attempts at rebellion, and of course, Zenos being a psychopath brought things to a head. I do like that i'm starting to see parallels to Eorzea's situation now and Garlemald's many years ago. Makes me truly appreciate Elidibus as an utter chessmaster compared to the twirling mustaches of his black robed peers.

[Arashin Kujqai]

I enjoyed stormblood just about as much as heavensward I would say, if not more because I love the map designs and how spread out they feel. In heavensward the mamps felt like "this is where you go when you're 60... here's the one when you're 62.... now here's the one for 64" and so on. In SB it seems like you revisit prior maps in a metroidvania kinda way but rather based off the story of how you get to each side/area of them. Overall the lore they expanded on with specific races got me far too giddy but my biggest complaint so far is still feeling like an errand boy.

 

I mean I get that we're the chosen warrior of light bla bla, but I'd love for just once if the story was revolved around us more than the sake of the scions or eorzea. Maybe a crisis or dilemma that only befalls the WoL and he/she has to overcome it alone. Just overall tired of being the "oh, you're good at killing primals, go handle that will you?" feeling. Or the "we need an escort and you're the hero of the whole damn world, won't you plz?." It feels as though there is no resolve for the whole reason the adventurer (WoL) began their journey, to be an adventurer. Not this idolized hero of destiny. I wouldn't mind a questline that instead of having you go to NPC to NPC to be told what to do or where to go, but instead have some crisis befall your character and you instinctively have to think based on your situation where you'd need to go or who to talk to. Overall, I'd like to feel like a wandering adventurer again, not a servant to hydaelyn/the alliance/etc do gooder stuff.

[R'yndae]

I'm enjoying the Stormblood story moreso than most, though the big part I absolutely adored was within the Azim Steppe but I'm 100% utterly biased on that front. 

 

Personally, I don't think it's wholly better or worse than Heavensward, but it fits my tastes a bit more? Likely me enjoying the wider cast of characters, along with the more vibrant settings. I'm not a big fan of drab, grey castles and tons of snow, to be frank. 

 

Stormblood's story feels like it goes a bit quickly, though? I'm not too sure how to put it, but these massive, big, events occur so quickly that it feels almost strange? Like the pace is off. Not that I horribly mind, as I tend to enjoy more of the side characters and cast than anything else. But it is a little jarring, for me.

 

At least, it's a better MMO story than about any MMO I've played extensively. Though, to be fair, that's not a high bar to begin with. But I do feel like I care about the characters, and what's going on, for once. 

 

The actual feel of the game is... I love RDM and how it plays, it addresses so many issues I had with almost every other class I tried. I love the ability to swim, and that was huge for me, and I adore the cities and the colors and designs that are so varied and feel so lively. The zones themselves even feel bigger? But maybe they just feel larger since I spent so long in Eorzea that it began to feel small by comparison. Not terribly sure. 

 

RDM Class Story is kinda... cliche and trite to me. I wish it was a bit more original, though maybe it gets better as I do the post 60 quests? I'm almost 70, just been doing the MSQ more to get it done so spoilers can't really hit me in the face and spoil content. 

 

But, overall, I'm enjoying it a lot more than I did Heavensward. And I thought I was going to -really- love a dragon-centric expansion with a corrupt religious regime in an area I remember trying to see if I could trick the game to let me into. And, adversely, I thought I wasn't going to find Stormblood's story as interesting. But, turns out, feelings are actually reversed on that front.

[Ryslo Suramlo]

One of my FC members had a great ideal about the Warrior of Light. What if all our heroic deeds and such are leading us into a story where we are not seen as the Hero especially as we breach Imperial Lands.. What if the story takes a darker turn and we are seen as a slaughterer. After playing through SB, HW and ARR it certainly seems like the Warrior of Light turns the tide on most of the Battle Fields, taking on God-like Figures and doing the Impossible with the lent power of Hydaelyn. It'd be fun if the Next Expansion becomes a struggle.. because Stormblood mirrored what the other three story's did; Warrior of Light is the game Changer... Without the Warrior of Light would they still claim victory? Maybe... but it definitely makes it easier on everyone having the Warrior of Light around.

 

Love that Elidibus makes a showing again and we have a very good assumption of who he is.. a very good one.

[Ferus Ironlash]

Stormblood still managed to have a better story than the last four FF games (XV and the XIII trilogy), so there's that. I appreciate the more political focus of SB compared to HW, and most of the characters are great. Except Lyse.

 

I get what SE was trying to go for, but good lord, it didn't show. After getting back to Ala Mhigo, we still never get to see any sign of Lyse being a competent leader or even doing any leading in general, unlike Hien. Really hoping that future MSQs manage to fix this.

 

Also please revert the tank damage changes, 270 slaying accs being meta for us is absurd.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

heavensward = skyrim

 

stormblood = suikoden

 

everything's bretty gud but the xaela steal the show. sadu is the best and hien is a bro

[Edda]

stormblood = suikoden

 

Real talk, the Suikoden vibes were overflowing. That was probably what I loved most about this expansion. Suikoden reigns supreme in the storytelling department though. Stormblood just fell flat in a lot of areas, the pacing in particular was all over the place. Azim Steppe and Hien were highlights (I can't believe SE managed to warm me to the lizard people). Lyse was a huge low point for me, which sucked since I really wanted to like her.

 

Hancock should replace her as a Scion. What a guy.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

stormblood = suikoden

 

Real talk, the Suikoden vibes were overflowing. That was probably what I loved most about this expansion. Suikoden reigns supreme in the storytelling department though. Stormblood just fell flat in a lot of areas, the pacing in particular was all over the place. Azim Steppe and Hien were highlights (I can't believe SE managed to warm me to the lizard people). Lyse was a huge low point for me, which sucked since I really wanted to like her.

 

Hancock should replace her as a Scion. What a guy.

 

Like how Aymeric and his knights gave off a Chris Lightfellow vibe, the Xaela gave off a Karaya clan vibe, and I'm interested to see what happens next to them in 4.1 onward.

 

And most people will probably use WoW garrisons as a point of reference, but I'd like to see Squeenix try their hand at Suiko-style castle-building / base-building as an expansion / overhaul of the adventurer squadron system. Recruit an army, train and equip them to defend against primals, etc.

 

Or I'd like to live in an airship. I just really want sky pirate housing

[Y'raya]

Granted, all lower level stuff so far, but I feel like the slight class restructuring feels nice, and I definitely like that I don't have to run off and level something else to unlock my jobs.

[Kieron Lohengrin]

switching back to this game was the correct decision

 

[Michikyou]

Scholar makes me cry, and rage.

 

AST makes me hate my life.

[Momo]

switching back to this game was the correct decision

 

 

 

I am hoping that is part of a larger image because it blatantly has like 5 female characters in the foreground and not more than 90% of a male character in it...I get it, bro-gaming, but we'd like to see those hot male bods too.

 

I have really enjoyed this story so far, but I get this feeling that they are saving a great deal of the story meat for further patches, and I am hoping that includes fleshing out Lyse more. I hate to harp...but I enjoyed Lyse back when she was Y'da, she had clear character points and a purpose, but now she is trying to be shoved into a role she can't hope to fill at this part of the story. Give me more of her sister's story to make me feel for her, give me more of her warm-hearted and vulnerable moments, and give me some battle charged moments so I can believe she is a damn leader.

 

Otherwise, the Steppe, my god, it is like a true ray of sunshine and fresh air when you first walk in. It just has that open and welcoming feel, being both free and at home all at once...maybe that is just me, but they are at the heart of this expansion certainly. 

 

I won't talk about Hien, this thread should probably stay PG13...

[Kieron Lohengrin]

switching back to this game was the correct decision

 

 

 

we'd like to see those hot male bods too

 

mr face has you covered

 

[video=youtube]

[Yian Kutku]

Just started the Stormblood story, and have just decided to go to Doma. Haven't actually gone yet; just made the decision.

 

Am I misremembering, or is the English translation getting more and more distant from the Japanese? I noticed this in Heavensward, where Matoya randomly called Alphinaud "Louisoix's granddaughter" instead of the Japanese "Louisoix's grandchild", but it's getting more pronounced as the MSQ goes on.

 

An example during one cutscene (that was shown in the launch trailer) involving Fordola:

 

 

Meffrid (English): Traitor! Kinslayer!

Meffrid (Japanese): But you're Ala Mhigan!

 

Fordola (English): I am no kin of yours.

Fordola (Japanese): I am of the Garlemald Empire.

 

 

It's kind of correct in the broad strokes, but it gives me the impression that the translators just glanced at the Japanese text, got a general idea of what sort of concept it's trying to convey, and then used their own words to express that, marking it good at "close enough".