My Endwalker Experience. [Spoiler Safe]

[@F34RDSoldier805]

To be fair, once you get past the queue it's pretty much a perfect release. No bugs and no lag at all.

[@GremDisaster]

Except today there have been various reports of disconnects while in game. I heard they are doing some behind the scenes maintenance right now so hopefully that’s just it, and they didn’t break something.

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

They could open the servers more, but they keep numbers low so that the ingame experience is just perfect. Better have long queue times than super wonky, laggy servers where normal gameplay is impossible. (looking at you WoW with BFA, even looting was often delayed by over 5 seconds...)

[@pineapplesonpizza7726]

The only bugs I've experienced are the flying companions. Which are hilarious btw.

[@F34RDSoldier805]

@@pineapplesonpizza7726 oh yeah, when going down stairs that sometimes happens. Not a big deal though since they come back down, but yeah that does happen.

[@F34RDSoldier805]

@@DrakkarCalethiel Yoshi announced they're getting access to more servers soon. Don't know how soon though but good news either way.

[@xoctal2306]

The crawl at the end of the "swap" gave me more anxiety than ive had in a game in ages and i loved that scene so damn much for it.

[@katsu9582]

That scene with crawling back to the camp i was like how in hell i should do that in that speed lol, glad it worked out lol

[@sanerai1120]

our FC mate was doing it and we convinced him he had to crawl all the way back to camp...told him 6 minutes wouldn't be enough, he'd have to redo it. he believed us but willfully kept crawling 😭😂

[@OldManDoom]

I did enjoy seeing my character as evil, but we deal it was awesome!

[@Autruchement]

I kept getting MGS vibes from the Garlemamld MSQ, between that and the infiltration duty.

[@charpad6690]

it was a masterpiece; i did not expect that to happen

[@duerf5826]

Zone 1 & 2: “ It’s fine.” Zone 3: “Damn!” Zone 4: “Noice.” Zone 5: “Holy shit!” Zone 6: “HOLY SHIT!”

[@kutlumzrak2689]

Zone 5 in particular blew my mind. *Whispers* ..... Zereth mortiiiiiissss......

[@Sharkrini]

@@kutlumzrak2689 can't believe blizzard just plagiarize a single EW zone for their entire big patch

[@Kitsune10060]

@@Sharkrini probably a half assed version with no personality to it or deeper lore implication past that patch, like everything else they've ripped off from FF14

[@densha63]

Same reaction as I did. It was like "OMGs" every time! Man, loving all of EW content!

[@unixtreme]

Zone 6 felt a bit rushed tbh.

[@mikefriedspes]

I just finished msq a few hours ago. This is something everyone has to play. What a finale!

[@JackgarPrime]

I'm soooo close! Halfway to level 90, doing the level 88 quests!

[@steamworkfox4564]

Technically not over~ still have patches

[@alexandernapier14]

I’m still so far behind… base game story.. lvl 45ish? I’ve been struggling with the story.. what to dooo :( I wanna get past this drag so bad

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

I'm at 83 now, if the MSQ keeps on going like this, Endwalker will top Shadowbringers in terms of intense story!

[@swarmX]

@@steamworkfox4564 zodiark/hydalin storyline is over tho

[@Sevarid]

Oh boi I just finished the level 87 dungeon im not gonna say anything but if u know u know holy moly

[@savagex378]

IKR? Even better when you run it in the trust system.

[@Shiny49GER]

Devs: "Yoshi-P how much fanservice will we include for our players?" - Yoshi-P: "Yes."

[@TheGoodColonel]

The entire expansion is just rewardimg the players for their time and care placed in the game. It's amazing.

[@minway3829]

the romantic subtext in that "who's at the door" scene, was intense by ffxiv standards

[@onetrickponysona2613]

that's all ishikawa, baby

[@mikeconstanza]

The amount of meta-level commentary from characters (especially Urianger) was delightful. Really loved this expansion MSQ.

[@oobynooby1]

@@minway3829 huh I didn't see it as romantic, I just picked alphie cuz it seemed like a very alphie thing to do lol

[@hkoizumi3134]

I lost it during the scene when Jullus cried over the soup when he realized it's the small things that makes life worth living. I had never ugly cried for a video game before that moment.

[@pinktobio]

i dunno man, seto and ardbert finally meeting again got me the worst. maybe it's because i've lost pets before but i was ugly sobbing so bad :'((

[@Harl3inger]

The most impressive part of this expansion is how many times it knocked me off my feet, where I kept thinking, there's no way they're doing this, but then they do it.

[@unixtreme]

It was very good at parts but I feel like the general story of ShB was a bit better.

[@barioth6969]

Subverting expectations done right, Neil cuckmann could learn a thing or two from EW writing.

[@arseniykorchevskiy1564]

@@unixtreme Currently at msq lvl 78 and I already feel like I disagree, literally every zone and story element has completely blown my mind in one way or another, and I have cried like 6 times already. In shadowbringers 5.0, not only were there several points that felt pretty slow, and I only really felt like my mind was blown towards the end and in the patches + excluding 5.3 since I haven’t finished EW yet, I have felt wayyy more emotional doing this msq - not only crying, but what feels like every emotion i’ve ever experienced. Finally, I feel the themes are very well reinforced so far, which ShB also did super well, but I feel like many of the cutscenes so far have completely won me over towards EW on this respect, again it just blows my mind over and over again right when you expect that there’s no way it can get any better. Maybe I will change my mind if the ending isn’t that amazing, but if it’s on track with everything else, it will have made me feel like an idiot for thinking Shadowbringers story could never be surpassed.

[@jacobb5484]

@@arseniykorchevskiy1564 it feels about equal, ShB has more room to breathe but EW has better emotional stakes. EW feels like 2-3 expansions squished together.

[@arseniykorchevskiy1564]

@@jacobb5484 What do you think they should have spent more time on? To me, it felt like the urgency in Endwalker felt like a big part of it, and if they spent another entire expansion on this story it would feel very dragged out and weird. To me, it feels like we have spent the perfect amount of time on every zone, since I feel very attached to the zones and the characters in them, but have never felt like it dragged. Maybe they could have spent a little more time on Garlemald, but I’m glad about the way they approached it because they spent just the right amount of time that you don’t feel like it’s a repeat of what you went through in stormblood with zenos, but instead you get to learn about the struggles of the people there and zenos is not really a big part in it. I just honestly can’t think of what they needed to add to the story that would make it better without just dragging out, I have never thus far felt that they were excluding any important plot or character moments for the sake of getting through the story faster.

[@jjfrank]

if zone 3 blew his mind... 5 and 6 are gonna splatter his brain across his walls.

[@DadsCigaretteRun]

Just got to 4, I’m so hyped lol

[@bieberhole69420]

i finished msq sunday and i still get chills every time i zone into zone 6

[@davecarlson505]

@@bieberhole69420 I'm honestly torn between grinding the heck out of fate to get that orchestrion roll and only visiting that zone sparingly so that the emotional intensity of it doesn't wear off. That such a dilemma could even exist is an incredible triumph!

[@Ephelle]

@@bieberhole69420 The music gets me every time. If I have to go there for gathering it's going to be a struggle.

[@BioMatic2]

the radio song is by far my favorite music theme in the expansion, i just love how they use it. on the other hand "that" duty shows through gameplay how determined WoL is, even under those conditions it refuses to give up.

[@ChainedFei]

It proves that their strength isn't their body, it's their willpower.

[@OldManDoom]

I love how they deliberately force you to start behind the 8 ball, and you are working from a disadvantage from the get go. Very challenging but very fun!

[@n-aera]

As soon as I finished that section, added to what happened before made me go "fuck it, better than Shadowbringers"

[@crowolf3862]

The radio was such a genius use of the garlean theme. I do love how 14 can add lyrics to something and just recontextualize and make a song even more amazing

[@roarprawn]

I loved how the first Trial was so hard. Really feeled like an achievement to finish.

[@gokuby]

Yeah the first story mandatory trial where our random party actually failed and disbanded (Tho that was because the healers really didnt get the mechanics and we didn't have a single revive).

[@angryoaf]

I made it to the 3rd zone. The character development and the relationships are just mindblowing. They do such a good job connecting you to the cast.

[@locket9160]

The best part is. 3rd zone is amazing and then 4th zone blows it out of the water. Likewise, for me at least, 5th and 6th zone then blows the 4th zone out of the water completely again XD

[@talancorwell]

Still working my way through zone 4 but zone 3 was hands down the best zone storyline in the ENTIRE game (so far). And it's not even CLOSE.

[@JonathanVanSmith]

@@talancorwell Oh buddy, you haven't seen ANYTHING yet. Zone 5 and 6 are some of the best experiences I've ever had in gaming. Ever.

[@deepdarksecretful]

​@@JonathanVanSmith cried at that last stretch at zone 6, if i wasnt already as we progressively unlocked it. I definitely enjoyed 5 the most out of all too, if not for the events of zone 6. They could have delayed the game for half a year, and we would still sing praises of it after release T.T

[@Crusina]

I'm at the level 88 of msq and I'm beyond shocked that SOMEHOW they managed to top SHB 5.0 and it's not even the end. Also for those who get it, I am in love with "resolute civilian". I need her to become a scion lol

[@captainmurphy4948]

She's better off where she ends.

[@jkranites]

*snaps fingers*

[@ToxicCalamari]

She was great, best grill jobber npc

[@Crusina]

@@ToxicCalamari exactly and her voice actor 👏

[@Crusina]

@@captainmurphy4948 true but...I love her =(

[@davecarlson505]

A couple thoughts: - If he is really enjoying the story in the first three zones, I really can't wait to see what he thinks about what comes after! This is easily one of the most ambitious (and largely successful) stories I've experienced in any game. - I too really appreciate the time and resources spent on the small character moments.

[@Goujiki]

Doing the Lv87 dungeon had me grinning and giggling like an idiot. 😅👍

[@ugxsan]

I wish he'd waited just a teensy bit longer to make this video. I need to know what he thinks about the very next thing the game's gonna have him do. Both gameplay and story-wise.

[@katsu9582]

Oh yeah, what a beautiful map i had my revenge too in dissing specific person too, and i laughed hard

[@NocturneNox1]

Better then shadowbringers

[@blugill2273]

im just at 2nd return to thavnair and holy those cs there is amazing

[@WTFM]

the character's just hanging out and you getting to spend this downtime with them is my favorite thing honestly. it's storytelling we dont normally get elsewhere (because often they see it as irrelevant) and it lends soooooo much to making you love the other characters that your surrounded by. Also Graha eating getting and eating that burger was the cutest thing ever.

[@Caursten]

That emotional bond you feel towards these characters is an important part of where this story goes and where it ends up. Without it, I don't think it would have hit nearly as hard as it did when I got there. These scenes with your friends are so overlooked.

[@fai4743]

Following Bellular's Format of non-spoiler: The Third Zone towards the end, felt like a Christmas story. :) It was so cozy.

[@BLoud1394]

Until it turned into an absolute nightmare beyond Tim Burton’s comprehension :) it just spiraled so fast

[@pineapplesonpizza7726]

It was a brief moment of comfort, like a loving pat in the back before your executioner leads you into the chamber where you'll be electrocuted and fall into DESPAI-

[@biscuitman5388]

I’m in love with the speech bubbles with their art over it in midst of the big combat battles. It gives me dynasty/samurai Warriors nostalgia vibes.

[@Kailspars]

So far up to lvl84. The story beats keep going from "I expected this", "This seems logical" to "This sort of twist already?", "Is this really going to happen?". I think they've done a good job pushing the right narrative elements "far enough" to make certain moments quite realistic, even daring for a video game. I'm very eager to see how the plot will be resolved. The two Dungeons and the Trial I've done feel more fun than ever. However, the story is so engaging, that I just want to know what happens next.

[@DaremKurosaki]

That was basically my response at lvl 83ish after the first trial "Wait.... This already? And we have 7 more levels of MSQ to go? Where the heck do we go from here?" Answer: Far further than I ever imagined.

[@Kuribohcoast]

At a similar point. I think I spent a solid 45 minutes just yelling "What the fuck?!" In more and more urgent and confused tones.

[@specialnewb9821]

"They'll go THAT far?"

[@Ntwolf1220]

That's me wiping to the first trial 5 times lmao

[@benjibenjo5590]

I 'm at the final boss. The story is so good written, there many plot twists. And after the story all your questions is anwser.

[@shiroikami2690]

One of the things that we say a LOT in the XIV community, and I'm sure you've heard it at this point, is that XIV is a Final Fantasy game *first*, and an MMO *second*. The entire way the story is presented is very similar to how the other numbered Final Fantasy games, and beyond that other JRPGs in general, choose to present their content. This means more focus on the slower "human" aspects, where a western-created game might choose to instead focus on more action-oriented gameplay. Having said this: I finished Endwalker on Sunday evening and it has been a whole rollercoaster of emotions. The final boss in the level 83 dungeon that you talked about feeling like a primal trial fight... a lot of people expected that boss to *be* a trial, not the last boss of the second dungeon. Similarly you may find some of the content in your near future to be surprising as well. Side note - the Zenos bodyswap storyline was SO uncomfortable for me. I spent the entire time S C R E A M I N G at Zenos and Fandaniel to GIVE ME MY BODY BACK. For me, though, it was the level 87 story content that had me in an emotional wreck because it was just... perfect. I could have happily spent even longer in that part of the game if the story hadn't forced me to move on. It was (almost) everything I would have asked for had doing so been an option. But move on I did, and the rest of the MSQ did not disappoint. I'll be very interested to see the takes of all the former WoW content creators on the trials and max level content when it's impossible to outgear the content, and almost nobody knows what they're doing.

[@AlchemicSoul]

30+ some years of gaming and this is the first time my expectations for a hyped product have been exceeded.

[@savagex378]

I just completed the MSQ a few minutes ago. Holy cow was that amazing! Easily beats Shadowbringers by a mile! So many moments in the story that will leave you spellbound. I lost track how many times I've exclaimed "Whaaat???"

[@mickbotcast]

My chat with friend is full of wat what WHATTTT Omg OMFG Since both of us avoid spoil the 3rd person lmao

[@LontEnCaras]

finished it now too. just... woah... I really does beat shadowbringers. And shadowbringers was amazing already!

[@Ziegeri]

I loved the expansion, but for me it didn't surprise me once. You already knew what and why is going to happen when things happened - still amazing story.

[@DantoriusD]

@@Ziegeri ill doub it. Because actually from the 5th Area onwards everything is complete new and never mentioned in the Game before. So ill doubt that someone even predicted this Twist.

[@Ziegeri]

@@DantoriusD I mean of course there was new things, but the plot twists in the story was so easy to anticipate. I was hoping more for something that would really surprise me, but sadly there was nothing that really did. For an example you instantly knew what the second and third trials are going to be when you first time met those characters.

[@nKe.]

I was in bozja when the world went down. People were warning each other that if we leave the instance, we'd get booted out. So there we stayed, in bozja.

[@dacbiet]

Endwalker triumphs over all the expansions based on my experience. There were times my jaws dropped that I kept pressuring myself to keep playing sacrificing my sleep knowing I got work the next day. For those people who have made it pretty deep in the MSQ, the first trial could've been the end but no, there's more.

[@SuperRamos619]

Yea, this was the moment all my expectations flew out the damn window, and I no longer knew where the story was headed.

[@dacbiet]

@@SuperRamos619 yeah! I mean we all knew what to expect but for it to be that soon really starts to make you curious what is there to be as we progress

[@savagex378]

I literally spent an entire day just playing through the MSQ to the point of exhaustion. I had to stop because my body couldn't take it anymore.

[@Goujiki]

Theres no doubt for me. Endwalker is the pinnacle of adventure RPG epic finales. It's better than Avengers Endgame by a mile.

[@Goujiki]

@@savagex378 Day 1 was brutal for me. I couldn't sleep anticipating the Launch, and I ran on 3 hours sleep doing 15+ hours of story, then eventually just told myself I had to sleep cuz it was too hard to focus on reading the non voiced quests lol.

[@ramontavaresdacruz2256]

NPCs following you are actually a great QoL too, we used to select the NPC and type /beckon to make they go towards you before and it was such a bad system lol When Bellullar said "First up" I thought he would tell me to wait on queue to watch the video D:

[@clayskii]

I'm glad someone else remembers the /beckon system. What made it worse was more than five feet was too far to use the gesture. So you had to use it every few steps.

[@danilooliveira6580]

and I like it because it let you get exposition on your own pace. you can explore around to get all the dialog, or you can just rush the the destination. its a good way to learn more about the place from the NPCs without needing to hunt for random NPCs around the map or slowing even more the pace of the MSQ than it already is.

[@EdBurke37]

I took a four day weekend and regularly had insta-queues early in the morning myself. Ended up completing the MSQ already. It made me feel my own feelings!

[@Ephelle]

I can't go into the final zone without the song making me tear up.

[@alden2085]

@@Ephelle same. I was just going through there collecting aether currents the day after I finished the msq, and seeing the locations things happened and listening to the music, I just got all choked up again.

[@Lin117]

The unnamed "third zone" was around the point in which I started saying "this expansion has a real shot at topping Shadowbringers". Then the 4th zone happens, and suddenly each and every chapter thereafter is somehow increasingly breathtaking in its own unique and beautiful way, each with its own setting and theme masterfully crafted into the whole. There were legitimately points where I had to stop and take 20 minutes because I was exhausted from crying, gasping or cheering. Every scene hit its note, every emotion that needed to be conveyed was done so beautifully, and every story that needed to be told was wrapped up perfectly to leave me feeling whole. My journey as the Warrior of Light now over, I'm left feeling as though I've been broken and remade a dozen times, my outlook on life renewed. As a writer my standards for storytelling has ever been high, and I never in my life would have believed that the most beautiful and complete story I've ever experienced would come from an action bar MMO -- but from the bottom of my heart it has.

[@Arthillis]

Yup, I felt much the same. This story checked all the boxes, and then some i hadn't even realized needed checking. And then it kept checking more of them as i played on. By the time the story was over I was broken.... in a good way. I don't think Ive ever been this satisfied from a "games" story. The beautiful part though. It wasn't only Endwalker that did this. It was the entire game. If we didn't have all the build up and the character development and story arcs leading up to Endwalker then it wouldn't have gut punched us as hard as it did. You need the entire package to really appreciate the beauty of Endwalker.

[@stsars13]

"a bit spooky" Oh you sweet fuckin' summer child

[@ojisankusai]

I highly recommend that you _always_ do the trust version of the dungeon _first._ Chances are you'll win, but it'll take awhile. But you get a much better understanding of the mechanics as well as just _super_ lore immersion at the same time. I really hope the continue to refine this system, as it's one of the best things FFXIV has going for it compared to literally every other MMO.

[@jamesderbutler]

I did everything with other people. Actually never used trusts myself since I prefer the higher speed with actual players. I DO watch videos of trust runs tog, if only the interesting lore bits. That being said, I was extremely tempted by the 2nd and 3rd trial to do them with the scions. Still didn't but I weil very likely do that at some point.

[@Keira_Blackstone]

Trust has honestly been a saving grace for me in learning mechanics. I just follow the npcs around to see where I should stand lol.

[@dattand2085]

Just finished, this is my favorite story ever. Just incredible

[@froman1522]

Even better then Neir? I think neir/neir automata still might be better then this story, but that might just be nostalgia.

[@dattand2085]

@@froman1522 Hehe Nier/Nier Automata held that spot before for a long time, but I gotta say for me it has been dethroned^^

[@Drake00075]

They both "swim together" so there could always be something new.

[@Windupchronic]

SPOILERS: - - - - - - - - - My only issue with the body swap is that I _really_ hoped we'd get to see us fighting the Scions. That would have been awesome. I felt they ended that aspect of the confrontation too soon and could have mined it a bit more.

[@vesselfragment]

this entire expansion just feels like an X.3 patch, but like, 50 hours long. its truly incredible

[@UndercoverCracker]

Is it really THAT good?

[@kyoli012]

@@UndercoverCracker erm, yes?

[@shiryushini7321]

@@UndercoverCracker no, it's better

[@kutlumzrak2689]

@@UndercoverCracker no, it's even better.

[@vesselfragment]

absolutely, in my opinion, it topped shadowbringers. i won't be specific at all, but i HIGHLY encourage you to play through it

[@Theheadless1858]

The first act is a bit slow. After that, every zone feels like a patch onto itself. By the time you hit the first trial you go wait what? And it’s a non-stop crazy emotional ride to the end.

[@bucca2]

As the great Twitter user horse ebooks once said, “everything happens so much”

[@Windupchronic]

Yeah, the expansion starts a bit "lah dee dah dee dah." And then suddenly it becomes "holy f--ing s---!!"

[@Goujiki]

The first trial had me on the edge of my seat and I fell off my chair at lv87 dungeon.

[@shinkamui]

I like the slow bit tbh, it's not as if radz at han, sharlayan and garlemald were uneventful. Loved uncovering the mysteries of the forum and seeing the scars of war through the garleans. That sense of unknowing and tense expectation culminating in the dinner scene, pretty much a chef's kiss for me. Even the soup with jullus got me pretty bad. The radio ambience. So good.

[@TerminallyNerdy]

I did not expect the first trial boss to be who they were. Right now my wife and I are in the 86 zone, after unlocking role quests and we both went OK WTF GAME YOU ARE DOING THIS NOW AND WE GET TO SEE THIS AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[@hostiletwink]

I've finished Endwalker, people ask me to compare it to Shadowbringers A LOT, "it is as good as shadowbringers?". You can't compare the two... I imagine it as an essay, first paragraph is the Intro (ARR), next 3 paragraphs are story/plot points (HW, SB, SHB) and the conclusion being Endwalker doing heavy lifting in the closure department, yes the story is great- but Endwalker is so much more than a story leaving you with questions, you're getting answers and closure by way of the narrative. The two are vastly different but similar by being beautiful executed.

[@BlindGuardianCz]

They managed to beat Shadowbringers..... I was in AWE whole time I played.

[@ChainedFei]

I haven't finished yet, but I haven't come down... it only goes higher and higher.

[@67Kalem]

I always think with these games, we’ll how the heck are they going to purvey any kind of sense of threat when you’re an immortal god that can kill anything? The dinner scene and what happened literally made go “OH SH*T THAT”. Wish they went a little further with it and made it have a lasting consequence as painful as it might have been lol

[@LILTRACUZ514]

I just wanna say how much I love this community, I just got to Zone 3 and I've been able to freely read comments without anyone spoiling a thing, you guys are great!

[@AuspexAO]

Taking out HQ mats is somehow the thing that blew my mind most where quality of life is concerned. It makes the market soooo much cleaner and it also makes me feel like every strike of my pick matters even in the early expac where HQ mats used to matter the most. Being a gatherer is making me rich right now and it feels so good. Also, I said while writing on SHB that the scene where your character coughs up white goo is the most terrified I've ever been for my avatar in a game, but EW's dinner scene destroys that. I was so worried about both my WoL and his friends.

[@ugxsan]

Zenos has always had a threatening aura, but I've never been more worried for my own safety while playing a video game.

[@TrowGundam]

I finished EW MSQ on Sunday, and I... just wow. I can't say anymore, words just fail me. I have to say it wasn't what I expected, but it still delivered. I know in the final stretch, especially one particular part, I was balling my eyes out. Once I was done with the MSQ I got the catharsis I desired, and I was emotionally drained, in a good way. I have NO clue how they are gonna go forward from here, but if it is even half as good as ShB and EW was, I can't wait to experience it.

[@NocturneNox1]

Ew is a masterpiece

[@cotovantre]

I'm floored about how well the voice acting has gotten. I used to set it up in japanese, just because i thought it was better. I switched back to english after going through the start of EW (like halfway through first zone) and.. wow.

[@lllllShjnllll]

HW got better and they really shine Stormblood foward! I was shocked when I check out the Japanese version for Shadowbringers because it wasn't anything I expected. I'm not bashing either version because people have their own preferences but to me English VA cast nailed it...Feo Ul, G'raha Tia, Alphinaud and especially Lyna hits so so much harder. And thats coming from someone whose first language isn't English or Japanese, I just happens to know both.

[@jaeusa160]

I commend the servers being so stable once you get in, this is preferable to making it in and then getting booted out and restarting the queue from scratch. However, I do really just wish I could sit in queue without having to babysit the queue itself. If that's the price we're paying for it being stable in-game, okay, that's a good trade. Obviously, it would be nice to have it all.

[@Rakka5]

Without any spoilers: This expansion is so good it makes Shadowbringers look like ARR. This game is a milestone achievement in gaming, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am utterly and completely lost for words how blown away I was from start to finish. Oh and Soken has ascended godhood.

[@Irisfantasies]

i wouldnt say that it overshadows shadowbringers at all but i may say Endwalker is as high as it

[@awworrell]

Soken is offically a primal.

[@maddym.5466]

@@Irisfantasies SHB is the melody and EW is the harmony that builds over it and elevates it. Together they make a lovely song.

[@Blackwind_Legacy]

Eh SHB will be my favorite, EW is tied with heavensward for me.

[@mickbotcast]

I've more beloved game But Endwalker just made that game look like a small folktales compare to a novel masterpiece known as Endwalker

[@ChoppedCheeese]

This expansion makes FF14 easily one of the best stories they have ever told.

[@Kasaaz]

Someone asked me, "Is it good?" And the only response I had was, "It's important." I think it is a very important game on many levels. Both for the players and I hope for the industry.

[@totallynottrademarked5279]

This is the first time in my life that I have though "So that is what a magnus opus is supposed to be". The entire body of work by Yoshi and Soken is a testement to storytelling that will go down in history for how well it was executed.

[@lllllShjnllll]

Don't forget Ishikawa! The ultimate trio!

[@astrealove2247]

I just finished the MSQ a few hours ago. I've not had any major issues at all. No bugs, no lag at all. 3:30 Correction, the zone's not called Radz-at-Han it's called Thavnair. Radz-at-Han is the city located in Thavnair.

[@Gredran]

“If you turn bad, who’s gonna stop you?” Man I hope you play DRK soon if you haven’t already. And the way they animate your character walking, I felt like, at least from a distance, your character walks in very much the way as Zenos does. Really nice character animation touch :)

[@taylorrobens2761]

I have finished the MSQ and man, this game has made me so thankful to be a part of it and its community.

[@Kujar3Player]

There was an interview with YoshiP where he said something along the lines of "once you are around level 83, perhaps you'll think "you will go this far?"" And that was obviously in relation to the body swap scene. I was expecting some crazy place somewhere, like really going somewhere far, but not this... Not this at all. You know, I am really attached to my character, 0 fantasias, been playing since 2.5, I really like her, I can't imagine a XIV warrior of light differently than her. We shared many moments together and she's precious. So Zenos stealing my body I felt like I am going to jump out of my skin. It was at that moment where I got absolutely infuriated and wanted to beat both him and Fandaniel with a rusty pipe. The sense of urgency and hopelesness as you were making it to your friends as this unnamed garlean soldier was incredible. Bravo to the XIV team really.

[@arof7605]

That whole section gave me, as the player, anxiety for my character. Being stripped of my power and through the whole duty I was constantly thinking "I hate this, this is awful... This is perfect". It did exactly what it was trying to do to you far better than doing it in any cutscenes. That said, the rest of the duties and trusts as healer (started CNJ, done every bit of MSQ as WHM) were a mix of awesome (healing NPCs you know and love including the scions) and immersion breaking (screw you I healed through all that, no way I was that beat up at the end), but they've never really accounted for players doing that except in a few places.

[@DogiTheWallcrusher]

I beat the MSQ last night. Anybody below level 86 msq has no idea what's in store

[@Ntwolf1220]

You guys ever taking off the glam item you get in the 86 zone? I'm not

[@tofo7151]

@@Ntwolf1220 I got into the first trial of endwalker wearing that 86 glam. Good thing people were in a cutscene and I had a deglam item hahaha

[@Eiensakura]

@@Ntwolf1220 i think i will hold off glamming it for a few weeks to avoid spoiling others who are progressing atm.

[@jamesderbutler]

@@Ntwolf1220 I did. But then again I am a PLD and so I kind of HAVE to wear the job gear.

[@sleepysera]

I just finished the 4th zone and while I agree about the slow start, the 3rd and 4th blew me away, both visually and narratively and Jullus is one of my favourite characters now, I hope he survives this expansion (since I'm still very far from the end so I have no clue how all of this is gonna turn out) ♡

[@Zendelxex]

By the twelve, this is what the epitome of narrative rpg should be. What a journey! IMO Avengers pales against Endwalker!! The plethora of feels!!

[@フフウェイ]

I mean who watches avengers for the narrative anyway. It's average *at best.* :D

[@Loaf-sama]

I can't wait to come back to this video in 6 months when I've actually caught up to Endwalker, seeing as how I'm only in Heavensward. So.....thanks for the spoiler free section, I'll continue watching at 11:04 when I return.

[@Mechazoid5116]

The psychological analysis of humanity in the ends of this expansion are incredible when you realize the parallels to our reality

[@EdBurke37]

Anima was extra awesome as a big fan of FFX.

[@mcneil016]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the zone 5 msq, for me that is where everything get really interesting

[@smward87]

Followed immediately by imo the slowest and worst part of the expansion. I understand pallete cleansing and the story reason behind it, but dear good is the return to Labyrinthos dull and it just. keeps. going. The payoff that it leads to the final zone and the preceding trial before heading off to said zone, however makes it worth the slog.

[@jaeusa160]

@22:40 To top it off, there's actually MORE to it than that. You pan over several misc background NPCs having little moments. But those NPCs include characters from many job questlines. So to we of many alts, even those characters are also ones we known and have had story with. Like just in a few seconds there, there are characters from the Bard, Scholar, White Mage, and Gunbreaker quests, the GNB guy doubling as appearing in the Bozja quests. Naturally, of course, they and others will acknowledge various milestones relating to their content when you can speak with them.

[@cambienvenu]

I even had a moment before Garlemald where one of the npcs mentioned how an experienced white mage such as yourself so-and-so (my second primary class). That felt really great to me since I wasn’t even playing one at the moment. Made it feel like the smaller quests mattered.

[@KotCR]

@@cambienvenu Yep, having levelled every job to 80 I got that too. The cool thing is that line is actually voice acted, and rarely are job quests referenced in voice acting scenes.

[@Oyst8Y6h]

I’m impressed somehow they managed to make this feel like a FINAL FANTASY game too on top of being xiv!!!!!!! Music is a BLAST too!!!

[@futurepastnow]

When I played it I felt the 80-83 part was too slowly paced, but now I think that was deliberate, because once the story takes off it never stops.

[@soulechelon2643]

For those that don't heed the warning to NOT go down into the comments section, my post is a spoiler: Yeah that sequence where you're the Garlean soldier was frustratingly amazing. That's what I'd call it. It was tough, scary, and for the first time in the whole game you feel truly powerless and weak. I personally even lost the first fight because I didn't grasp the fact that I wasn't an unstoppable force anymore. Didn't use the defense buff because I thought I wouldn't need it. Didn't use the attack buff at the right time either. It ended with us both dying at the same time, which I feel is the perfect example of how you're not a super human any longer. And having to run around and scavenge made it feel all the more perilous. Then, when you finally get through that area, you do the typical WoL thing and try and save a bunch of people...only to fail, because you're just a normal soldier now. Absolutely frustratingly amazing.

[@fleurdeliseffxiv1580]

Nice spoiler

[@soulechelon2643]

@@fleurdeliseffxiv1580 He straight up talks about it in the video and warns you not to go down into the comments during the spoiler free part of the vid. You spoiled yourself.

[@fleurdeliseffxiv1580]

@@soulechelon2643 no you spoiled me but thanks for adding a warning got future people (not that it's a spoiler I really care about but)

[@Fordster1994]

I gata say I was grinning ear to ear during that bit before you go to the 3rd zone they have so many of the class/job related characters there that it was just awesome to recognize them. Thaumaturges guild, pugulist guild, dragoon story, bard story, Machinist story, The white mage refers to you as a white mage if you have lvled one even if you arent on that class at the time... I know if forgetting some, but I ran around that room talking to all of them and just had a big smile for all of it.

[@ChaoZzBladex]

the only thing ive got to say is damn Props to SE the servers are so stable i didnt encounter any bugs so far no crashes whatsoever its probably the smoothest MMO expansion lauch ive ever played (even when the game has explodet in the past months with so many new players.) and the servers beeing so stable makes the queue take longer ofc since the people dont crash out of the game but hells its so nice!

[@xtremefurrycat]

Just beat the msq last night and it's a hell of a journey, I friggen loved it. Just a lot of woa moments and yes I cried too.

[@nikomo]

I just finished MSQ two hours ago. So good.

[@MadnessRealm]

Without spoilers, I feel like Endwalker only starts at Lv.83, and everything before that is just the intro, which is not a bad thing, but past level 83, it just gets crazy. I lost count of how many times I got teary eyes watching these really powerful scenes. 5.3 was definitely an emotional patch, but EW just multiplies that tenfold. There's also a lot more humour and little moments of silliness this time around compared to the previous expansions, and I love it.

[@fridgegremlin5496]

This game rewards you so, so deeply for your investment in characters. The more you care about them, the more emotionally invested you’ll be- and the better the story is. Personally, I’m feeling broken and battered and bruised and I have never been more glad to be part of this journey. It’s been amazing from start to finish, and I’m excited for everything coming up.

[@bucca2]

I cannot wait until you finish MSQ. So many moments I know you’ll love

[@RaddyC]

I finished MSQ yesterday morning. Though the story isn’t perfect, it was so well done that it had more effect on me than 3.3, 5.0 and 5.3. I was fighting back tears for literally hours after the credits rolled. I’m not even an emotional man, but the ending hit me like a truck. They outdid themselves. I honestly hope they don’t try to beat this bc if they do they will fail. Endwalker is up there with Return of the King in my book.

[@hillmor8635]

Yeah, Endwalker is most likely going to be their Magnum Opus.

[@stobiepiel2585]

It felt a lot like LOTR to me. I felt like Frodo (and I'm a Lala, so even more so) The way I'd get to the end of the book, and not want to read the last page.) The Elves leaving, the Fellowship breaking - it has the same emotional impact.

[@hippopotatomoose]

Holy shit! Return of the King? That epic? I've been taking my time. And I was thinking that this was going to be LotR epic. I picked up a few of the regular side quests and man!!! I was blown away. They are worth doing.

[@ronnydee34]

lmao

[@Kitamurasama]

@@hippopotatomoose sidequest have been amazing since Heavensward there were some hard hitting ones

[@WoWRefugee]

I'm so happy I finished the MSQ and final Trials and Duties! I haven't been online or on any social media since Thursday night!!!! Around level 85 on, I cried allot. Man this was great!!!

[@Kasaaz]

I just wanted to say I really appreciate the editing your team does for these videos. Underappreciated.

[@Ch4pp13]

When I beat the Tower of Babil dungeon, all I could think of was "this seems a bit too fast, doesn't it..." And then the game proceeds to scare the ever living fuck out of me with the quite literal out-of-body experience duty.

[@Y0uWinY]

Something very important, the story of the raid in Stormblood is quite important to EW. So make sure you have done that.

[@Cavox]

Can't wait for the fifth (and sixth for that matter) zone video.

[@gloobs988]

Got up to msq 89 and can say that those "oh shit this is awesome" moments haven't stopped. There's 1 boss that ive encountered which was a little mechanically flat but to say that of levelling dungeons I think is crazy good. They also did a fantastic job of grounding an otherwise impossible story making it actually believable. I absolutely loved shadowbringers and yet it pales in comparison to endwalker

[@darkwulf2k]

As I played through the story i went from saying it was equal to SHB or better than, settling in the end on better than. Not to take anything away from SHB, but with this you are comparing to 10 out of 10 games, and when forced to pick one, i'd probably end up on EW. The balance of slow and fast is grand imho. The slow downs allow you to digest the high points before reving up again. Overall as Asmon once said "game good". Enjoy the ride! I feel like the npc follow you part was part to appease the RP crowd, and part to slow down the speed runners lol.

[@lllllShjnllll]

Narrative wise I think they're on equal standing but anything else have been mass improvement. None of the new area feels like a chore. Even doing fetch quests is fun, or at least reasonable. Aether Currents are definitely so much more reasonable. Pacing between engaging lore moments & character development is amazing. The use of combining narrative and music is SO MUCH BETTER. And what's most important is EW alone make our journey through ARR,HW,SB and SHB shines even more than it already is. Every little details from each expansion tied together into a harmony. Easily best expansion for me.

[@SMNtheNight]

SPOILERS That moment when Jullus finally broke down really really got me. Such a powerful scene.

[@pixiesnakes4293]

That part when you are in the empty (redacted) in zone 6 with twins and there is no backgroud music, no ambient noises, no nothing, just silence and your own echo

[@NitDraws]

Thank you for the ground targeting settings info! I love you!

[@angelgodric]

I need Matt reactions and I play some of the duties and dungeons with the scions because they are my friends and it felt right to do the fights with them. Finish the game in 3 days and for me is by far the best story in gaming in the last 20 years.

[@Orinocomplex]

I didn’t think shadowbringers could be topped. But Fuck me they did it. Master story telling. I didn’t want it too end. My only gripe

[@ChainedFei]

Neither did any of them... and yet all good things. What do we live for?

[@Orinocomplex]

@@ChainedFei the next best thing

[@NatCr3w]

I have to say the dinner scene was more pure horror than any modern horror film or game I have seen. The immediate realization of what was happening made me feel physically ill. The thought of that being the last thing one of my friends saw haunted me. In addition the twists throughout the duty especially at the end with the crawling kept me at the edge of my seat. I was sure I was about to see a horror show. I'm just past the first trial and it wasn't till the end of that where it clicked about what this expansion was covering and why it did it the way it did. It was a rush of adrenaline when it dawned on me how perfectly I had been manipulated and that in the end I really was powerless to stop it. I am unprepared for what comes next and I love it.

[@bryceh59]

As someone who maxed out every class before Endwalker, seeing all the characters show up- and remember you!- in the scene in Ala Mhigo, it was like having a big family reunion. I love how FFXIV remembers your character's journey and will change dialogue depending on what you've done so far.

[@minway3829]

I wanna say, the slow moments of the msq felt special too, it kept the pacing from getting monotonous going from hype to hype, and a lot of them gave me a feeling like ,"oh this is the peaceful/boring area I need to protect".

[@vabbiq8584]

Bellular, Preach, Asmongold, AnnieFuchsia.. All coming from WoW, have all really become some of if not THE best FFXIV content creators in just the last few months. Poor Blizzard really let some gems get away, didn't they?

[@HylianRezzi]

With each 'arc' in the story, without fail there has been multiple moments that have got me making an audible noise out loud. I have screamed, cheered, teared up, panicked, gotten so angry so much and I'm at the *LEVEL 86 MSQ* It's insane how the devs have just gone from strength to strength and we're getting rewarded so much for all the content we have touched on from ARR to ShB. I'm just well and truly amazed and everything I've experienced so far has made playing the base game and all the expacs before totally worth it

[@michaelsharaiha]

There is a dungeon in the fifth zone that you should only do with trust, that's it.

[@TheFancyKyle]

Finished it today, Christ Dunno how they manage to keep topping themselves.

[@KLGChaos]

It gets even better. 4th zone slows down a little, which I didn't mind as I found it a fun little diversion which some nice lore. 5th zone it just goes full speed after that and it's crazy. And I agree. A lot of the negative comments I've seen are people saying there's stuff that's too slow. To me, those slow points are when some of the best character moments happen, so I love them.

[@demondj0220]

Currently in the last zone, and I've been blown away by far. The second trial threw me for a loop because the devs did something that I've hoped the would implement for a while since they introduced the Trust system

[@Whorbital]

"Don't expect any crazy zones" Hears Yoshi-P laughing

[@Theheadless1858]

Three words for you: The Final Zone

[@Gabestoic]

They called it the covid variants zone in my world

[@blueblazer9991]

I thought it was brilliant that the Propaganda Radio "protected" them from being tempered, but in essence they still were

[@BroadwayRonMexico]

They werent tempered, but they were the ones who created the primal

[@Elidan1012]

@@BroadwayRonMexico he means they were "tempered", as a people, due to propoganda

[@syllawblood]

@@Elidan1012 but there wasn't any propaganda. They weren't Nazis and these radios are more akin to the British radio not the Germany one. They even took time to link having a radio with being affluent. The kids were paranoid and created literal conspiracy theories simply because they heard Varis' voice from the radio. It was the denial that their world was ending. It's a weird take to link the radio with Nazi era propaganda. The Garleans have always been more like the Roman empire... This Nazi link is just odd.

[@Elidan1012]

​@@syllawblood They call us savages for a reason. They think of us as invaders without further thought for a reason. They revere the emperor to a religious degree, making Anima possible, for a reason. It is obvious that the citizens, and even the soliders, has no grounded view of what other regions are actually like. I can't see any other reason than propaganda. It is not sutle. The same could be said for many in Eorzea, but that is because their only interaction with Garleans as a whole is militaristic, so that obviously scews their views as well.

[@syllawblood]

@@Elidan1012 the savages view on other people from a militaristic empire is literally Roman History.

[@arseniykorchevskiy1564]

To me, the pacing was perfect, the story is unimaginably crazy and cool so whenever I got to do a few chores it was a breath of fresh air that allowed me to process and better understand the story. Also, I feel like you never do anything that feels like a chore for more than like 5 minutes so it was honestly a bit too fast at times. It’s an incredible expansion either way though

[@serisothikos]

Finished this morning. A work of art.

[@kattyt23]

I have to say EW really feels like the end to a final fantasy game, I really loved it

[@bondsmatthew]

SPOILERS FOR ENDWALKER FIRST HALF . . . . . . Finding out who Fandanial was before really made his theatrics and the way he acted made good sense and it's something I don't see people talking about more

[@bucca2]

And the way they continue to flesh out why he is the way he is, tying it into the final conflict, SO GOOD

[@vbarreiro]

Yeah absolutely and I like that they baked in a way out of the plot hole they had made into the cutscene where they reveal it so people aren’t wondering “then who the fuck was that earlier?”

[@stobiepiel2585]

To think I'd end up caring so much about him - I never would have believed it possible. He's a brilliant character.

[@Ntwolf1220]

I really see why the writer woman said that he was her favorite character. He's pretty cool. Hard to say he's my favorite compared to a certain other one tho

[@sleazyrabbit2294]

Can’t wait to see the vids after you finish the 4th and 5th zones.

[@FatalisReigns]

i totally agree with your thoughts about the narrative design you talked about in the spoiler section. I know a friend who really hated those sequences but i found them fascinating and really well designed, whereas i normally dont enjoy them.

[@Abundanceplayer]

SPOILER DONT READ When we do the garland instance as that soldier, so far i was surprised how fucked up that solo instance and no one i knows had the same thought, and just thought it was neat. you find survivors who you help but at the end your the only one who barely survived just cuz your the WOL. they all died so easily and your leave to help your friends, those ppl tried to survive but it was pointless cuz of the tempered and monsters and they die trying.

[@Kitsune10060]

The body swap duty is probably my favorite in the game. For really no other reason then it does that whole 'show, don't tell' thing about WHY the Garleans are so fucking terrified of us.

[@Keira_Blackstone]

yeah I think it's my favorite now too. Something finally beat the one where you have to protect everyone from getting tempered by Lakshmi.

[@Link0402]

Having just finished the MSQ today.... man.... you're in for a ride. Almost universally a significant step up from our previous high point, Shadowbringers. However that's possible.d

[@aesthral]

i gotta say i love the patch quality feel in the msq is not all in a big bundle of base game with the leveling (which they do fine) but the story is rich and engaging im in 88 and i had so much feelings during this expa.. also love the integration of voice acting. as someone who doesnt like to read+ mild adhd sometimes i have to read stuff twitch or triple to comprehend, it has me more engage and actually reading and clicking the npc to see what they think about what is currently going on in a quest