Building Up - FFXIV Heavensward Part 1

[@shingshongshamalama]

The correct response to Emmanellain is just an exasperated sigh.

[@Amovetv]

Good to know it's not just me.

[@Mellow_Owl]

Truth. XD

[@siresorb1419]

Or a Thancred punch!

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

@@Amovetv It's not only not just you, it's literally everybody. And trust me, he is that way on purpose.

[@Ladywizard]

@@Amovetv Think everyone's glad he's not the Fortemps heir

[@duncanmacleod6274]

Okay, explaining what happened with Nanamo, and why Raubahn didn't kill that guy for no reason: Teledji Adeledji, the guy Raubahn cut in half, very much thought he killed Nanamo. He thought he did exactly what you thought he did right up to his death. Lolorito, the more smug potato with the face mask who reveals what happened later, basically found out about Teledji's plan and hired the same handmaid Teledji was using to swap the poison for a sleeping potion all Romeo-and-Juliet style. He basically also wanted to disrupt Nanamo's plan to abdicate (and form a republic and decrease the power of the Syndicate), but didn't want her dead and he wanted Teledji out of the picture as well. Teledji was not just a shady character with plans to do bad stuff, he was also a direct rival for Lolorito in economic and political power. Raubahn straight-up murdering the guy was just the cherry on top for Lolorito. The Syndicate is not one entity, it is the council of power brokers ruling Ul'Dah that also includes the Sultana and Raubahn themselves. It wasn't them behind the plot to poison Nanamo, it was Teledji himself and later Lolorito who hijacked said plot.

[@JohnDCrafton]

I was looking in the comments to write this and I'm glad you did, because you wrote it much better than I could have!

[@Ankfank]

This is a good explanation even if it contains information the game might not have told them yet.

[@Amovetv]

So it was a convincing act because Teledji wasn't acting. Got it.

[@FerrumAnulum]

@@Amovetv Bingo!

[@Maric18]

@@Amovetv plus what (i feel) is under appreciated: lolorito got fabulously wealthy under a system with a sultana who was politically weak if she makes ul dah a republic he would have to care about votes and not just about profits and plotting, so he doesn't want the system to fall, even though he is not ruling it, he is one of the most wealthy and most influential people on the planet ... without having to actually go through the headache of ruling. just trading, smuggling, killing off rivals and taking over their companies

[@ReturnofMatt]

Judge: You may choose a champion to fight in your stead. Tataru: I choose the resident god slayer of Eorzea! Judge: Well, that hardly seems fair.

[@Amovetv]

I had this thought.

[@tylerbaker2405]

@@Amovetv At this point, had Ishgard really taken the character seriously yet? I know the Fortemps respect you but the rest of Ishgard is kinda "Ok, whatever, just don't cause trouble". The opposing fighters are two of Ishgard's elite knights.

[@arathain2]

@@tylerbaker2405 No, Ishgard are very insular. No one knows who you are. Let's see if that changes, eh?

[@Yume03]

@@tylerbaker2405 exactly even the Fortemps sons comment on it after, that now you’ll be talk of town and that you surprised them defeating 2 members of Heaven’s Ward.

[@seekittycat]

Random FF14 fact of the day: The singer for Rivana's theme is not a singer but Dan Inoue the US Lead Localization Director for Final Fantasy XV. Soken realised his voice is amazing when they talk on voice calls. Dan was really shy about his voice and refused to sing until Soken told him he would autotune his singing lol. Rivana's song is also fun can also be seen as diegetic because I can totally see him bursting into song like a disney villian because he's having so much fun fighting you.

[@Amovetv]

Kyle just sent me a video of a live performance of his and yea, that dude can freaking sing. Also a helluva performer.

[@TheNameCannotBeFound]

I swear, nothing brings me more joy than the mad ramblings of someone who just finished any part of FF14's journey. "So this happened, but then this guy came, but oh wait, this chick appears and then boom pow, five more shit happened, BUT OH WAIT, there was also this thing and that thing and then-" I feel like a child in the schoolyard, talking with my buddies about our favorite TV Show all over again.

[@Amovetv]

Oh man. When people ask my goal for making stuff I always say I try to recapture the vibe of talking OG Pokemon or playing through Ocarina of Time at the lunch table. I miss being surrounded by people progressing through the same games.

[@TheNameCannotBeFound]

@@Amovetv

[@WillKazeOh]

The way I see lore presented in still images vs animations for FF14 is: when they use animations, it's the actual event as it happened, unbiased and brutally honest. When it's just images, it's a recollection, like a book, based on the memories of the teller, and tampered through perception, bias, or even "history is written by the victors" kinda deals. So far, I have not gotten an animated cutscene that proved me wrong.

[@jmstover]

"Thou must live, die and know" .... That cut scene starts with "I remember." It is definatly metaphorical in what it is presenting. There could be brutally honest moments, but all together it is a remembrance of the events.

[@WillKazeOh]

@@jmstover We don't talk about it... yet. But I know what you mean.

[@Someone-dv7hw]

@@jmstover I think that is because it is not a "someone remembers" moment but a "we dive into it/experience it ourselves as if it was happening right now" moment... think about all the echo cutscenes are animated instead of pictures since ARR

[@jmstover]

@@Someone-dv7hw I disagree.... especially in this one cut scene that starts out "I remember standing there." Generally I would agree that Echo cutscenes are history replaying. But this isn't one of those. Spoilerish vaugueness (as much as possible) below. . . . . . that one part where there were gathered people, in a different dungeon outside of the cutscene, there are a bunch of bodies in that same area. In the cutscene this is a realization that an act has to happen at that point, not the actual act happening right then and there. You can match up the dungeon with where they're walking in the cutscene. I take that ShB dungeon as a specific moment pulled from time, where the one EW cutscene is a characters remembrance of events. You know as well as I that the narrator wouldn't have just left events to unfold and done nothing if they were actually walking past it. It isn't in their nature to allow that to have happened: "My meaning. My Love." -- They are remembering those lost to that at the time.

[@tangentkatz]

Tangential comment: I was on hour 8 of clicking a house placard to get a nice house for my FC, and falling asleep, and about to give up, when I saw this published. Listened to it for the last bit and ended up winning the house (on my birthday no less). So thanks for content so entertaining it makes even camping housing placards bearable :)

[@Amovetv]

Oh hell yes! Grats!

[@Tioko]

Congrats and happy birthday! 🥳

[@BazzFreeman]

One thing I *really* appreciated was the way they did the dragons. Graceful in flight, but landing and takeoff shows them as the huge lumps of flesh and bone they are. They have real weight.

[@shingshongshamalama]

I love Thok ast Thok starts off with you fighting a bunch of the gnath and then Ravana is just so fucking eager to throw down that he bursts into the arena and starts singing about how he's gonna kick your ass. And then you kill him and he's like "fuck yes this was totally worth it"

[@Amovetv]

He's a classic top-tier DBZ villain and I cannot be convinced otherwise.

[@erockbaby3000]

Ravana is a fun primal fight, him and a future fight are hilarious just because of how on sight & love to fight they are lol

[@arathain2]

I can't believe they didn't mention the music for that fight. Phase 1, it's an honest to goodness waltz, with sinister chanting. Hit phase 2, and we get an awe inspiring boot shaking basso profundo aria about how cool war is- Unbending Steel. I love fighting a boss who is having as good a time as I am. Big shout out to another big fight in Stormblood.

[@TheSylvirr]

@@erockbaby3000 R E J O I C E I N T H E G L O R Y O F C O M B A T

[@MrMiQT]

You guys are honestly my new Wednesday morning delight

[@Amovetv]

Thanks for letting us know! =)

[@joeyfromanimalcrossing]

them and State of the Arc podcast lol

[@Midare13]

Ravana is indeed awesome, but what really made a big impression on me, was the theme song for that trial... When the phase shifts and that bass voice comes in, I legitimately shivered.

[@Amovetv]

I gotta remember to mention more music. Yes. That bass voice addition hits hard.

[@heronlim8462]

Oh right, Dark Knight's story is written by Ishikawa, the main writer of ShB and EW. So...have fun enjoying the DRK!

[@Boosttackle]

Stuff goes hard, they'll love it

[@Amovetv]

@@Boosttackle really loving it so far.

[@arathain2]

60 - 70 Dark Knight quests and the level 80 payoff to the whole business are... a lot, in the best way. Read the journal entries, though, there's a lot in there.

[@KuroiGaruga]

So cool thing that you mentioned the snow and cold miserable theme. The world changed after bahamut came down and Ishgard used to be fully green, the land's weather drastically changed after the fact to what it is now and thats why you see the surrounding areas away from ishgard are just green and thriving.

[@lathyrusloon]

Looking at images of Isgard and the areas around it being planned before YoshiP burned everything is just so cool. Lovely Meadows and just so green.

[@Dyneamaeus]

Pirate mommy's old voice had an element of restrained violence that fit really well for someone who presumably screamed orders a lot.

[@pinkchckn]

Just remember to separate information that you know from information your character knows. The game will sometimes show you some things for context or updates so future developments won't come completely out of the blue, but this does not mean your character knows of that.

[@ladeao1552]

The Lala Raubahn killed was trying to kill Nanamo, Lolorito swapped the poison to a non-lethal one to screw him over. Lala politics in action.

[@VaporeonEnjoyer1]

Yeah when the "good" money grubbing lala simply poisons you less than the evil one, you got a wild cast of characters.

[@specialnewb9821]

@@VaporeonEnjoyer1 For lalas it was Tuesday.

[@HizzerPeews]

6:20 Aggro is kind of interesting in XIV. There are actually a few different ways of aggro'ing monsters in the open world, or deep dungeon content, and it varies from monster to monster. Passive: Monster only aggros when emnity is generated by an attack. Sight: Monster will aggro onto players who move into their 'vision', which is a cone in front of them as Kyle mentioned. Sound: Monster will aggro onto nearby players in any direction who generate 'sound', such as running. Switching to walking can avoid these. Which I think may have been the problem Garrett was running into, but it's hard to say without knowing what monsters were giving him trouble. True: Monster will aggro on anything close enough. No matter what! Usually used in dungeons and on bosses so you can't walk past. Group: Not really an 'aggro type' per se, but mobs automatically group up with nearby mobs if you attack them when above their level. You can easily see the groupings with the little lines that flash around when you target a monster.

[@Ktjnn]

In some content, like Deep Dungeon and Eureka, the mobs can have different aggro types. Sight, Sound, Magic, Blood, and Touch. So a mole mob might be sound based, but an elemental sprite is magic based, meaning if you cast near them they will aggro. And in these contents, it can really matter.

[@WillKazeOh]

As a matter of fact, as far back as ARR Gridania, there are huge spider-like monsters that aggro on sound, so if you RP walk next to them they litterally won't attack you.

[@Amovetv]

This is cool as hell and I had no clue.

[@VaporeonEnjoyer1]

Yeah it's interesting to see old school FF11 (not saying they invented it, but seeing monsters from 11 act the same way in 14 is great). But when you add flying, summon a mount whenever you want, the modern mmo conveniences, I can see why they don't do that anymore for most places.

[@tangentkatz]

I love the different aggro types in deep dungeon. Nothing so nice as rp-walking through a room of monsters and not pulling any. It keeps the strategies more interesting at higher levels

[@Salt_Mage]

General rule of thumb in the overworld is if it has eyes, it’s a sight cone aggro. If it has no eyes, it’s a sound radius aggro.

[@ProfessorOak6]

I don’t have many friends irl who play ff14, so it’s really cool to hear you guys talk about your experience playing through the game and story.

[@Amovetv]

Small handful of friends that play myself. This is how I feel about the comments section. It's cool to read through so many thoughts and explanations of deeper FF14 bits I missed along the way.

[@rachymn7883]

Guilds are spoiler free so we talk in code. "that treasure we were looking for is came back rusty worse for ware and darker or T_T why did mother take her."

[@LukeGarou]

The Gnath are 100% one of my favorite Beast Tribes in the whole game (counting everything from ARR to Shadowbringers), with one of my favorite Beast Tribe questlines. It's really endearing, and a solid use of your time. In fact, it's a good note for leveling alt jobs, because those quests drop a lot of exp for your time put in.

[@cheapspellcheque]

Much better than the Vanu Vanu anyway... that took me an age to complete and all just to get one 3 star card.

[@itsjezzer]

@@cheapspellcheque Um, you also get a mount, minions, outfits, and a CYCLOPS VISOR for maxing out Vanu Beast Tribe rep, smh.

[@Cellybeans]

@@itsjezzer DON'T FORGET THE VANU'S SUNDROP DANCE EMOTE

[@itsjezzer]

@@Cellybeans OMG. Now I'm absolutely FURIOUS that anyone would impugn the Vanu quests. FURIOUS!

[@tibor420]

@@cheapspellcheque Homie I get to do the HAKA cause of them. They legit.

[@ralstlin939]

Mobs aggro differently, some attack you on sight cone shape, some aggro you by sound (normally mobs with no eyes) in a circle around them, u can avoid sound aggro by walking instead of running. There are more types used on specific areas but mainly these 2.

[@DamnUsernameTakenFU]

Lawd I cant wait for these two to move up in the story and listen to the discussion that follows. You two are doing great.

[@reginaldswann7445]

Honestly, this is my “Must See TV” now. 🤦🏾‍♂️💁🏾‍♂️

[@jameschapman4357]

it really is

[@Amovetv]

Hell yea!

[@BlumenCT]

The more media I consume the more I feel that whole I don't need to be surprised all the time thing. Presentation and context are a hell of a thing.

[@Salt_Mage]

Proper foreshadowing is a great tool for storytelling, too many stories now go for shock value or surprise.

[@weertangel7231]

Its great seeing u guys go through this game together and at a relaxed pace. About Icehearts battle with Ravana, what she means when she says she needs more crystals is that she needs more Aether, and those are usually found in crystal form, hence there's usually so many collected by the beast tribes since that alongside prayer is whats needed for a summoning while Iceheart pretty much does it solo.

[@Xilibrius]

Old merylweb was the same voice actor for the templar knight commander from dragon age 2 and the old Raubhan voice actor is the singer who did the shadowbringers theme if i'm not mistaken.

[@austinyun]

From what I remember Teledji actually wanted to kill her but Lolorito swapped the poison

[@cheapspellcheque]

The theory that's been kicking around is that they really wanted to kill Nanamo off and do a revenge arc with Raubaun but the outcry on Nanamo's death was such that they reversed coursed.

[@Amovetv]

The plot thickens...

[@tylerbaker2405]

@@Amovetv my further interpretation was that Teledji was making a power play to put himself on top. Lolorito has ever been the master of the long game and cut the upstart's legs out from under him.

[@itsjezzer]

​@@tylerbaker2405 Lolorito had two goals: Preserve the status quo (with him on top in the Syndicate); Stop Teledji's bid for power. Basically Nanamo's intention to dissolve the Sultanate was disastrous because she had no plan for what would come after. It was literally: 1. Dissolve monarchy; 2. ?????; 3. PROFIT. Lolorito had no problem with getting Nanamo, Raubahn, and the Scions out of the way, but drew the line at regicide.

[@arathain2]

Mostly Teledji got over his boots and the real player stepped in to stabilize the board in his favor. Teledji was never as good a schemer as he thought he was, and Lolorito... is very much as good a schemer as he thinks he is.

[@beholdthevoid]

Regarding the Ul'Dah politics, I believe it goes as follows: -The syndicate knew Nanamo was going to try to abdicate in favor of a Republic, which they opposed -Teledji Adaleji moved to poison her and pin the blame on the Scions -Lolorito found out what Teledji was planning and enlisted Nanamo's servant to swap the poisons, that's why you see her talking to him. Basically Lolorito used the opportunity to eliminate a rival and seize power himself since he was responsible for saving Nanamo's life.

[@reyennarhel2505]

If y'all love the Gnath/Gnath walking I cannot WAIT until you meet the Namazu

[@Shiirow]

dewlala is literally there from ARR, she just doesnt speak. the scene with the Domans asking for aid, shes like literally sitting next to Lolorito and leaves when they vote. she is on the syndicate and a head of the religion of Nald'thal.

[@JordanKennedy]

9:45 fyi The Vanavanu dance is based on the Maori haka.

[@tophergerkey]

The dance the vanu vanu do is based on real world hakas, as performed by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand (right down to the fact that male and female vanu dance slightly differently).

[@williamklett6660]

You're begining to see why HW draws so much praise. So much more to see and do, and the best is yet to come... I love how each character feels real, someone you know, someone who can plaeas, and disappoint you. Some that can make you laugh and cry...

[@LadyFrostbite]

So not really a spoiler, you're gonna return to Sea of Clouds, but I have some good advice for you. If you have any clear views of the northern sky portion of the map (kind of northwestish, iirc), keep an eye on the cloudline as you progress. If you're lucky, you might spot something that definitely doesn't belong :3

[@erockbaby3000]

If you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about I never noticed it until the patch content lol

[@Salt_Mage]

It was there since 3.0 and drew so many questions of “what is that thing?”

[@UltaFlame]

@@Salt_Mage I remember flying out there and being like ???? What is that thing, are we gonna go there?

[@proy3]

It took me a second for this to register. I remember how freaking cool that was during Heavensward launch.

[@brunohenriqueazevedoborges5490]

5:02 You got it right on the first time. Never seen anyone do that before.

[@arathain2]

Alphinaud: my arrogance in thinking I could play the game of nations cost me near everything I hold dear. Alphinaud, 5 minutes later, seeing a nation locked in unending conflict with immortal dragons: I can fix this! I love the guy. He has such a great journey, and he has always had such a good heart. He never stops being Alphinaud, though.

[@leesakowski790]

At a former job, there were 3 of us that played FF14 and at that time Heavensward was the new expansion. One day, one of co-workers started doing the "Vanu Dance", the other FF14 player and I were doing our best not to start laughing hysterically as all our non-FF14 player co-workers were looking at the "dancer" and trying to decide if he was insane.

[@Amovetv]

This reminds me of the out-of-game influence of WoW in its peak. Around BC-era bunch of my friends and I were out at our local pizza joint being annoying and making murloc noises at the table. A waiter there was walking by, stopped, gave us (what I thought was) a weird look, and then excitedly asked "what server are you guys on?!"

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

I can think of a few points to come that may well motivate you to do your next video. But I promise no spoilers just 😀. I really enjoy hearing you come along and enjoy the journey.

[@Bardran1986]

Really enjoying u guys videos with the debates about the story! i play since 2014 and i saw way too many ppl playing this game from time to time. u guys are one of the best ones, feels genuine when u guys are discussing about it. really cool!

[@Amovetv]

Happy to hear. Kyle and I have a long history and shooting the shit about games we like. Glad it's translating to video for you.

[@kkplx]

The way i understood the sultana situation: The monetarists are not in any way unified - each one is his own master and has his own schemes. Lolorito was in league with the servant and knew about both the abdication and the plot by teledji Teledji was fed a convenient traitor in the handmaid by lolorito, and did not know about the plan to abdicate. Teledji wanted to kill nanamo. Lolorito had his double agent, the handmaid, replace the poison with one that would put her in stasis. Lolorito could then either let things escalate as happened and teledji would die, or he could use the maid and the antidote to reveal teledji as a traitor. Lolorito had no way of losing out in the events, other than maybe the sultana catching wind and realizing both lalas were snakes.

[@JohnDCrafton]

If you had done the dragoon quests, you would have seen the Eye in ARR.

[@Xenogsaga]

Incase you wondering a bit of dark/tragic fact about Yugiri's orginal english voice actor, she died. So sadly don't expect her to do much talking for awhile. So if you ever got curious about why suddenly Yuguri isn't talking in any cutscenes.Also don't expect her talkign anytime soon.

[@TheUbberman]

The roadtrip was indeed an absolute delight and it's best parts are upcoming! HW does start MMO'ey and slow, but when that train gets moving its gonna keep moving at speed! (except for stopping by Grandmas for a bit)

[@erockbaby3000]

LMAO not grandma’s, and yeah Heavensward is really where the game says “ok we’re going 0 to 100.” And you’re just like “when do we slow down?”, Then FFXIV is just like “we don’t & if you want to that’s too damn bad”

[@kaltoren]

@@erockbaby3000 the actual answer is: you get ONE break, base Stormblood. Stormblood pacing gets wonky ...

[@drayman101]

The thing I really appreciate about FF14 is how the "poster job" and (at least one of) the new expac jobs usually have some unique dialogue and/or tonal tie-ins between the job quests and main quests... as you mentioned walking into the 'trial by combat' part in Ishgard as a Dark Knight is really great because of the early start of the DRK quests, and their themes of punishing the corrupt guards for daring to abuse their power with your personal brand of gritty vigilante justice... but it's also great as a Paladin, as the embodiment of what the sword and board "personal guard" protector job should be, that is being warped by the Ishgardian city guardsmen's corruption.

[@highbrow-stonebender]

Heavensward is the first Expack after rebuilding the game from scratch. This is their first outing under a proper development timeline and the quality of storytelling and production value are orders of magnitude better. If you like the Dark Knight's storyline (one of the best parts of HW imo) it was written by Natsuko Ishikawa, the storyteller that gets standing ovations at any convention she appears in because of Shadowbringers. I kinda wished you guys had talked more about your first impressions when that primal appeared. For me it was a major "Oh, holy SHIT!" moment. I mean, you sorta had this thing thrown at you out of nowhere. It only makes sense you left your captain ahab kit at home and will have to address the primal later when you are better prepared. Don't worry, it's coming. P.S. Raubahn did nothing wrong.

[@Amovetv]

I thought it was cool. But we moved on so quick I kind of forgot about the sky whale. Ravana made a much more lasting impression for me. -Garrett

[@Keira_Blackstone]

@@Amovetv there's more with the sky whale later- cloudtop is a zone where you do some of it at low level to give you an idea of what's going on and then revisit it later to finish the story- this is a thing every expansion does with its first couple zones from here on out.

[@highbrow-stonebender]

@@Amovetv There's still plenty of spectacle to come :) This is everyone's favorite expansion for a multitude of reasons...until they get to Shadowbringers.

[@duncanmacleod6274]

Oh hey, on the conal sight aggro stuff, there is actually one major part of the game where that matters a lot if you guys like that kind of thing. The open-world zones of Eureka side content in Stormblood are a place where the different types of monster aggro and navigating hostile terrain full of actually threatening monsters are a focus. You also need to rely more on communicating and working with other random people outside of any fixed party system. It's a major side-track from the MSQ though, and it's all involved with the relic weapons for 4.0. It's their old-school MMO experience within their new MMO.

[@hobogray6385]

It also becomes relevant for later sections of Palace of the Dead as the decent becomes harder.

[@LadyFrostbite]

Wait until they learn some aggro on sound 😄

[@tibor420]

Ive spent the last week solely on Eureka. Ive also spent 500k on logos haha. Always heard bad things but really enjoying my time so far. Tho Hydratos feels alot more dead than previous zones.

[@ChrisMorray]

Ah, the Hard Modes exciting the boys and Tam-Tara Deepcroft hard! I'm glad to see y'all enjoying the side content along the way. It's probably the best bits or ARR and the most "lessons learned along the way" you will find. Not necessarily harder, but I would say more mechanically advanced.

[@Amovetv]

I think this is a damn accurate assesment of "hard" modes. Also everyone who said that story-wise they're more like sequel dungeons were spot on.

[@ThemisElidibun]

Like a good book this game is meant to be replayed, the story grows on the second play through! I missed a lot that I was like Oh! when I played it again. Thanks for sharing your experience of the game, it's great to see other people loving the story.

[@renaulde9982]

Had fun with the Monday stream, enjoying this recap/thoughts video for things mostly put to the side as I make my way through Shadowbringers. Love the content and opinions, glad y'all are having fun!

[@SyaLandau]

I fell in love with Heavensward so hard when I played through its content that it made me use that Fantasia bottle from ARR to become an Elezen (still am now)! Really glad to see the both of you progressing through the expansion and I can't wait for your next video!

[@Shiirow]

also the Nanamo plan. Taledji's plan was to kill her, and take over the government. Lolorito caught wind of this, and paid the Lady in waiting to simply put her to sleep, letting Taledji think he succeeded. Essentially signing his own death warrent by taunting Raubahn which would lead Raubahn to be imprisoned for the his murder. Pretty much pitting his two biggest rivals against each other. With Taledji dead and Raubahn now owing him one for saving Nanamo and nullifying his 'conviction'. Lolorito is a sly devil but wont shake the status quo unless it threatens his bank account.

[@itsjezzer]

Teledji intended to kill Nanamo, but Lolorito got wind of it and substituted a COMA POTION for the poison without Teledji's knowledge. Lolorito basically acted to do damage control and prevent Teledji from seizing power, but Teledji's intent was always to kill Nanamo and frame the Scions.

[@gysahlfields7506]

So, regarding the MMO cat fight kicking my ass thing in an expansion while I am already a hero beating the worst enemies in the previous one. In FINAL FANTASY XIV, we canonically take on a new Job every new Expansion, meaning we are training for the first time on that Job while leveling. Just saying. Canonical Jobs per Expansion: FFXIV = Archer ARR = Warrior HW = Dragoon SB = Monk (1st Half), Samurai 2nd half) SHB = Dark Knight EW = Paladin Just saying :) Also, regarding the Aggro types of Monsters. The Aggro types are actually quite elaborate in this game. Some enemy types Aggro on Sight (cone sight). Some enemy types Aggro by sound (meaning if you walk past them from behind they won't aggro), some Aggro if you have lost alot of HP while passing by them (undead enemies for example, because they smell blood), etc. There are many aggro types.

[@taldir5228]

Rejoice in the glory of combat!

[@lsschwartz]

I'm loving watching your videos on your playthrough of FFXIV, I'm a fresh player myself (started last June, although I "binged" played it and am caught up and have a blast seeing new people get surprised by how good this game is, even though I passed it up year ago.

[@muzomuhlevilane3381]

I look forward to these weekly videos so much, a little oasis in the middle of the work week desert. Hope y'all enjoy the rest of this expac too - it's a doozy

[@iMazaky]

I need to say that I been watching the channel for a little over a month now and I been looking foward for new videos. It's so nice to hear you guys talk about your adventures and not only that, as a veteran of FFXIV of some sort is very refreshing to see you guys perspective in some events that even I have not thought about it or how little attention for some scenery I had and how much fun you guys have with the little details, even make me think about doing new game+ (Don't know if you guys know but basically you can replay the game story). Hope you guys keep in this journey and having fun with FFXIV!

[@theminimanx]

I really like your progression chats. It's pretty rare to see speculation while people are still part-way through the expansion. Also, I don't think I've seen people compare the beginning of Heavensward to a Western before, but it fits *so* well.

[@nicoletodd275]

The eyes can be seen in the models. It's a good little bit of modeling that they got right.

[@XtrmPlays]

Ahhh I haven't watched either of your content in like a year since I fell out of Blizzard games. So excited to see your journey in FF14. I started back in like November and its been an experience to say the least, just finished 5.3 for those in the know.

[@sonicroze]

Glad you're enjoying ^_^ This is... I really enjoy listening to you. It's going to be interesting hearing what you think as things progress. This is another strength of FFXIV is that, even though it is one big story, when they allow you to take a different path (following Emmanelain or Antoirel for example) or what job you chose to level along side that content can really impact your experience and make one differ from another. In an interesting twist of fate, I started in Gridania, my friend who got me into the game began in Limsa and a third mutual friend of ours began in Ul'Dah. Because of this, when the MSQ converged, I had no idea about the Brass Blades and the corruption in Ul'Dah or how the Syndicate worked... I didn't know about the pirate foundations of Limsa. I only knew the boughs of the twelveswood and how important their relationship to the elementals are. Continuing to that, I joined during Stormblood and it wasn't until I completed the MSQ that my friends and I went back and cleared the Binding Coils. It wasn't until later than that still, that I picked up Arcanist and leveled Summoner/Scholar. Looking back, I wish I had started as an Arcanist(Summoner), then did Binding Coils, THEN did Heaven's Ward. It would have changed my perspective on things, and I would have been able to go "OH, that makes SO much more sense now". You don't need a flow chart to understand it, but it was the first time I really picked up an "Oooh, I know something not everyone else does" sort of vibe. All three of the HW jobs - DRK, AST and MCH are inextricably bound with Ishgardian Lore. AST shows off not only how Ishgard uses Astrology, but how Sharlyan ideals and culture differ (more on that later). DRK gets more into politics and personal, and MCH has some things to say about the four "High Houses". I think this is the main reason the free trial was expanded through HW though since they are the only jobs that cannot be picked up from content within ARR - All future expansion jobs begin in ARR accessible zones and merely require you to be at the proper level to accept them.

[@quantum_ogre]

Great video! In regards to the segment about them not animating the historical flashbacks, I believe it is a intentional choice on the dev's parts to differentiate the 'campfire stories' from the Echo-Flashbacks the Warrior of Light receives. They get really creative & subtle about how they present a scene. Something really cool you'll see more of is an intentional use (and disuse) of various voice acting vs written text. Imo, it is a really neat use of the video game medium that can't get in TV or books.

[@kaltoren]

Congratulations Garrett and Kyle, you have supplanted Lulu streaming highlights as my first go-to KZbin video to watch on Wednesday mornings. That's actually rather big.

[@chloesa4487]

Been waiting all week for this video! I love how you guys sat down and do a progression chat, because really, there's alot to cover in the future lol. Great video as always!

[@KGrooveBlanka]

Loving your guys journey. A very unique and in-depth take on what I'd call a traveled road through new eyes and it's great to see the excitement. Can't wait for next one!

[@bananafishbones5724]

Love hearing your thoughts every week, guys. You've become part of my morning routine every Wednesday. I wake up, get some coffee, and sit down to listen to Grinding Gear before doing anything else. Keep it up! As great as Heavensward, you won't believe some of the stuff that comes later.

[@shadith2380]

I love the vath too! Up to ShB, I think they're tied for my favorite beast tribe story line (the other is a spoiler). I know there is so much to do, but the story arc for their rep quests is just exceptional. The way the writers loop your progress back into your story is just *chef kiss* and there was a moment with the vath where I was just OH OH OH OH excited to see them pop up again.

[@edwardnowakowski5990]

What I love about ravana is… he’s already summoned, but he STILL makes an entrance during his boss fight

[@dannysoulchild]

Continuing the love of your progress. Great to revisit these parts through you for sure! Keep it going peeps! 😂

[@FishSkeleton-]

I love the 'book club' style format you guys have gone with here, I wish more people would do this sort of thing, like how Brandon Plays Pokemon made by EasyAllies is one of my favorite playthrough video series' ever. That junk aside though, I'm loving both of your takes, and Kyle, Paladin totally fits well for the whole Ishgard stuff, just remember that you're a free paladin beholden to no ruler or cause save for those you choose to champion and in your incorruptability you can be a paragon of virtue holding fast and true against the obvious overrreaching of the Holy See.

[@winkcraft2552]

Really enjoy your videos guys. I enjoy this format of two buddies just talking about a game they are both playing and having alot of fun with, Its what I would be doing if I could get any of my friends playing FF14 lol. Can't wait for the next wall of dungeons, the Tamtara story is easily my favorite out of all the hard dungeons I've done.

[@oot999]

I find myself looking forward to your uploads every Wednesday

[@Amovetv]

Means a lot to hear Oot!

[@Warmanmx]

Excellent video , i really enjoyed how you guys took the time to do a 'chapter 1' of HW , it is a great idea and hope you keep releasing videos like this one. I'm a veteran from 1.0 , and while i have seen dozens of reaction videos by now from Heavensward by other streamers, yours is the only one that has touched the earlier bits of the Heavensward story ( much of which i had honestly forgotten by now) , while others focus only on the ending or just the highlight reels. and btw , you guys should watch the 3 part documentary from noclip about ffxiv 1.0 , the calamity and how that became ARR.

[@bangormc3rd562]

The nice thing about FF14 is that they don't forget about plot threads. At least that I can think of. If in the first act they have hung a primal on the wall, then in a later one it will be fought.

[@erockbaby3000]

I can’t wait for y’all to get further in the story for Heavenwards cause some of your theories are hilarious and some were 100% right. I’m gonna enjoy y’all reaction & review to what happens next.

[@DaveTV12]

Man, its about to get sooooo good for you guys. Cant wait for next episode!

[@frostmourne1986]

The flash bang with Sloppeh was hilarious.

[@DinosaurousM]

Really enjoying hearing your thoughts week by week. Have fun enjoying the rest of 3.0, it's a blast!

[@Xilibrius]

still loving your guys's journey through this game. look forward to see how your opinion continues to change and evolve as you continue through the story.

[@IronSalamander8]

Dark Knight is my main still, I fluctuated a bit to main Machinist for a time when I was left to solo for a time, and right now the job does feel like it has issues compared to the other tank jobs, but I still love it. The story is great! I've only recently been playing Astrologian and agreed, the quest line is amusing and feels a bit silly at times, but it's fun. FF14 is great at introducing characters like Iceheart that are legitimately deep, or actually gray unlike a certain banshee, and you may not be really sure if they're a villain or not. That's some great writing I didn't expect in an MMO. Heavensward is great, you guys are in for some amazing moments, but there's so much more beyond to look forward too!

[@Amovetv]

Yea. It's some damn solid writing.

[@erkthemage8019]

Great video guys only thing is you missed what the Gnath were really about and it’s expanded more in the beast tribe. The group that you traded with broke off from the hivemind. They are known as the vath. The tribe that inhabit the big fortress in the south of the zone are the Gnath and are the hivemind. I’ve done all the ARR beast tribes and almost done with the HW ones and I can say the vath storyline is by far the best outta any of them

[@densha63]

Love your journey so far. It's like me looking back when I was the one experiencing the story so far. Looking forward to your next upload :D

[@forestmaiden2316]

About sneaking around monsters. The ultimate cheat is: level one of the gathering jobs to 20. You get the sneak at first level, but at 20 it's perma activated. That sneak ability is godtier lol. Nothing, absolutely *nothing* will aggro you.

[@gysahlfields7506]

Btw, regarding the Eye, it is also featured alongside Estinien in the Story of Dragoon in ARR :) Basically, if you had played Dragoon in ARR you already had some (alot of) backstory for HW. :)

[@lizmichaels8994]

I love watching you guys and hearing your thoughts. Always look forward to wednesdays to hear your thoughts and progress.

[@Ankfank]

To note about Dewlala. She is a syndicate member you have only seen in 2 cutscenes I can remember but, from what I remember, never interracted with. She was there during 2.1 when Syndicate was deciding on Doman refugees but didn't say anything and she was also naturally at the banquet during 2.55. So it makes sense you would forget that you have ever seen her. Someone can correct me if I forgot a scene where she was present in ARR.

[@Amovetv]

Just gonna say I think it's rad that the vast majority of commenters just want to expand on bits we don't know. It's fun to read through and learn more about the game/world.

[@itsjezzer]

@@Amovetv I think there are 9 Syndicate members total, if I'm not mistaken. You've met Teledji, Lolorito, Dewlala, and Raubahn.

[@arathain2]

@@itsjezzer And possibly Godbert Manderville, if you've done the Hildibrand quests.

[@itsjezzer]

@@arathain2 Forgot about Godbert! That's right. The Syndicate are essentially the richest people in Ul'dah.

[@arathain2]

@@itsjezzer Right. I don't remember when it specifies, but membership to the ruling Syndicate is determined by wealth. You get richer than a member, you get their seat. Raubahn is on the Syndicate. Super famous gladiator who was smart with his winnings and prestige.

[@unloyal4847]

I always wait for your vids cuz its fun seeing both of your experience in ff14

[@rachymn7883]

That theme song for Heavenward that has given me PDST. When ever it plays "what now!! Who are you taking from me now! 😭"

[@xenomemphate]

Dewlala was around in ARR in the background of the Ul'Dah cutscenes. She is basically the pope of Ul'Dah - in charge of the religious order of the city. Also who the Black Mages worship. To your statement about Raubahn killing someone in cold blood - Teledgi had arranged to have the Sultana assassinated. Attempted assassination is probably punishable by death, though Dewlala does point out he was not given a fair trial.

[@donlyon646]

I clicked on this because of the look on your face the awesome white outline. Nah, I watched this because you two are amazing humans. Just got to make sure I am staying ahead of where you are so I can continue to enjoy the content spolier free

[@kaleiohu]

The MSQ is pretty streamlined to feel like a continuous story so it can be hard to know how far in you are at times. A good indicator is the level requirement on the quest because it's paced out for 10 levels. The MSQ gives so much exp that it usually doesn't come up, but the requirement increasing is kind of like the bookmarks to a chapter.

[@trifontrifonov4297]

Taledji was planning to have Nanamu killed, so he can take over. Lolorito smelled rat and decided to take over Taledji's plan without his knowledge. He planned to use the supposed death of Nanamu to clean house and then have her as a puppet. When he suddenly started shouting that Raubahn is a killer and to arrest him, he was opportunistically taking advantage after Raubahn went and publicly killed somebody. That's why there was no man hunt for the main character after they escaped the palace. At that point any further actions of his would not be excused as misunderstanding born out Taledji's accusations and Raubahn killing him. He can excuse his actions and orders during the celebration as a big mistake. That's why Raubahn was not quietly killed off. He was keeping him as a hostage. The Scions were out and about, so he could not move forward with any plans. And with Raubahn free he simply scrapped the whole thing and is playing the loyal servant. He isn't, but nothing he did was outright treasonous. Lolorito is a smart cookie. TL DR: Taledji had a plan to take over. Lolorito learned about it and improvised to turn the events to his advantage. He has no end game as he is basically trying to see how the cards will fall, so to choose the best option for himself.

[@brikaro1]

The choice of two zones to start in is something they always do at the start of expansions to help with area congestion as well as do a bit of worldbuilding.

[@TheGerrok]

The episode next week is likely to be pretty hype.

[@vyris2663]

Highly recommend doing the epilogue side quest "The Paths We Walk" at HW's conclusion / 3.3. You'll know when HW is finished, but the side quest is easily missed or forgotten. It's a phenomenal wrap up before starting the 3.4 MSQ which begins Stormblood.

[@danielaxc2900]

We got em, boys.

[@Amovetv]

TBF I think y'all got me a while ago. But yea. HW is freaking great so far.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

"I wanna play a knife wielder-" Rogue. Go play Rogue. It's in Limsa. You will not be disappointed.

[@chrisbaldwin8570]

Dewlala showed up in previous cutscenes and was part of the Ul'dah story.

[@Terramagu]

It should be mentioned that she was only in Ul'dah starter quests. I want to say Black Mage specifically? Either way she's mainly a 1.0 character. She's a member of the Syndicate, but she does lead the Order of Nald'thal, who run the Thaumaturgy Guild.

[@DracoSuave]

Jean Gilpin is missed as Merlwyb. But if you miss Raubahn's old voice actor, Jason C Miller still gets involved with FFXIV in his capacity as a singer for the main theme for Shadowbringers, a certain trial theme, and then later the singer for a zone theme in Endwalker. So he's fine.

[@Salt_Mage]

Regarding Shiva vs Ravana, she mentioned not enough crystals because Shiva is Ice aspected, while Ravana is Earth and Fire aspected. The Gnath mostly collected Earth and Fire crystals, meaning Shiva could only draw on a portion of the horde of crystals in the room. Primals can only draw on crystals of the same aspect as they are.