When FFXIV Meets Dora The Explorer

[@Sephiroth517]

It's almost as if one of them got the Strength... one got the Wisdom... and the last got the Courage... Any ressemblance is purely coincidental...

[@iantaakalla8180]

It explains why the Dawnservant ended up being Wuk Lamat and Koana. Wuk Lamat is strong and courageous, but she is not wise. Only Koana is wise out of the three of them. They alone make the minimal group to make the Triforce group of leadership

[@dps_is_hard]

​@iantaakalla8180 she took the triforce of power from Ganon I mean zarool and zelda I mean koana holds the triforce of wisdom

[@elgatochurro]

Wuk Lamat's courage is lacking and stunted when you find her and have to build up her self confidence...

[@elgatochurro]

@@iantaakalla8180 I wouldnt call Koana wise, he is smart but not wise. Naive he was to truly helping the tribes they came across, his only solution to them was to drastically change their culture forever with foreign technology while having no idea what their cultures even were or how they lived. Wuk lamat expresses even despite her love of her people how ignorant she was of each of them as a people. Koana however was far worse in this regard. Koana starts off with his grand ideal of changing Tuliyolol into Old Sharlayan, he feels his people cant even defend themselves should Old Sharlayan invade. Theyre having so many troubles just because of a MASSIVE storm. He is like a Weeb, "Foreign country so much better, we should jsut become foreign country in every regard". And has all the same failures of that ideology, ignorant of what makes his own cultures and locations unique and wonderful.

[@eiriksundby]

@@elgatochurro yeah the point of the rite is that all of the promises have the potential to rule but none of them are worthy yet. I love the first half so much. It's such a layered and effective means of storytelling. Having the rite teach you about tural's history and peoples, making you appreciate it through knowledge, and how this history is also gulool ja ja's history, and how each step of the rite is meant to instill a lesson that defines gulool ja ja's philosophy, serving as BOTH characterization for Gulool Ja Ja, as well as giving each of the promises a situation that expresses their character and provides opportunities for growth

[@PhoenixSora9aOs3]

The MSQ of DT really feels like a Saturday morning cartoon

[@aultinbarltino]

I see how some might see that as a bad thing; i like that it's like that, since it is the start of a new story.

[@PhoenixSora9aOs3]

@@aultinbarltino i don't mind it. Especially as Yoshi-P did say that this expansion was going to be more mild compared to the previous ones when it came to the story.

[@EnigMK3]

Less like a Saturday morning cartoon (transformers, thunder cats), and more like an after school Nickelodeon children's cartoon. (Dora, that dog family show)

[@john_7000]

​​Dude plzz stop, that a problem like why ff14 fans eat everything this game gives this, and that there only defense towards anyone saying how bad the story is "iT a StArT oF nEw sToRy" like yess it the start of a new story but it doesn't have to be this cliche and cartoony​@@aultinbarltino

[@makisbizarreadventure4669]

@@aultinbarltinoI don’t think it being the start of a new story warrants this tho lol

[@arthurdowney2846]

I just love how she ponders aloud, while we're all listening quietly!

[@amelveambitzya3592]

The child yearns for self discovery

[@Highstar25]

Don't worry, Wuk Lamat will have the realization that she stands for peace and reiterate that fact at least 49 more times.

[@TacoRemixx]

The fact is actually reiterated the same amount of likes your comment has

[@AshuraH]

To be fair, Koana has the same problem, too.

[@laerwen]

If she didn't people would complain about not understanding what her point is... oh wait they already do that

[@fireintheshadows4658]

Bro I swear, half the time FF does some deep commentary, and then it turns to the camera and goes “hey, there’s a traitor hidden amongst us! Can YOU find the traitor?” “Say, your companion seems to have an existential crisis with an obvious answer, do you know how to make them feel better?” Edit: to be clear, I’m not hating on FF. There’s plenty of good reasons why this game franchise is still kicking. But I know even the most avid fans sometimes roll their eyes when this stuff happens. Not saying all the time, but it does happen

[@J-manli]

Part of the hand holding is because of the fact the game is an MMORPG. The writers always have to keep in mind that not every player will play the MSQ consecutively.

[@Keira_Blackstone]

they do tend to overexplain things, and in the past I've been mostly ok with it, because not everyone catches on to things at the same rate. But this expansion was pretty egregious. It really felt like saturday morning cartoon level writing. Jesse's comparison here is quite apt.

[@Til_What]

Holyyyy, that's pretty accurate actually. I was occasionally getting a dora the explorer kinda vibe from the story.

[@TheImaggine]

Listen, she's a warrior, that -1 warriors have compared to all classes is justified

[@OMartinez91]

Warriors are legally required to lose INT for the sake of everything else

[@YummyCatgirlMilk]

They would be real mad if they could read this

[@ramyeonguksu]

​@@YummyCatgirlMilkHi I'm a Warrior main what does that say

[@MidorikoSenpai]

​@@ramyeonguksu it says you're doing great and deserve a cookie

[@malice3331]

@@MidorikoSenpai he cant read that either

[@GuKyify]

And Wuk Lamat asking that same question goes on for 3/4 of the expansion. It's painful.

[@laerwen]

Her being conflicted about her identity IS painful, you're right? Wouldn't YOU be in pain over it if you were in here shoes? Almost like that's kind of the point?

[@nuggleberry]

THANK YOU FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE SAW THE DORA ANALOGY ;-;

[@icarusavery5691]

This really goes to show what kind of impact direction can have on a voice actor's delivery. There's scenes in this expac where Sena Bryer is acting her goddamn heart out (esp. around the lv96 msq) and then there's... this. or the final trial. Given how a lot of the returning actors also sounded kinda off, I have to assume the voice director was completely asleep at the wheel.😊

[@bencandy4018]

Im actually of the very same opinion. A lot sounded just flat at times and I do believe the VAs couldn’t do much for it.

[@Nadaters]

I changed it to jp audio very quick

[@icarusavery5691]

@@Nadaters There's a lalafell in the main cast, I could never use JP audio. The only thing that could get me to use JP audio is if every character in the English dub was replaced with ARR Alisaie and ARR Tataru

[@Badger3X]

​@@icarusavery5691 NGL, I *hated* Papalymo when I played through it the first time. He just seemed like such a condescending douchebag to me. Then I played an alt and listened to the Japanese audio and he reading it while listening to the tone and he quickly became one of my favorite characters. Different portrayal of the same lines have huge impact, even through a language barrier. Sorry, not entirely related to you comment, just had to get it off my chest.

[@icarusavery5691]

@@Badger3X to be fair, very few characters sound truly good in the ARR dub (I'd say mostly it's Urianger, Merlwyb, Gaius, and Raubahn) but I've got a weird soft spot for ARR Yda and Papalymo. Unfortunately, I can't stand 90% of the lalafell voices in Japanese. They grate on my ears super hard. Papalymo also always sounded way too young to me in Japanese.

[@Tessa_Ru]

I like the general theme of this expansion, but omfg they beat us over the head with every little message over and over. I want to yeet myself off a cliff these scenes coulda been all cut in half and it would have more impact.

[@tyty8484]

Written by the people who brought you the elctricity trope: electrope. So scarce it caused nuclear war, yet so abundant that literally everything is made out of it. Its the perfect trope!!!

[@SeikiKisaki]

Schrodinger's Electrope. Until the writer decide in the moment what it needs to be, it's both absolutely abundant and extremely scarce at the same time.

[@worse9347]

You know I actually never put that together until now. I was probably far too check out by that time in the story to really think about it. But yeah, somehow scarce enough to fight over yet the whole damn city and everything down to common walk ways and clothes are made out of it.

[@fluffyfang4213]

I was nodding in agreement until I remembered oil exists. Scarcity is relative to the demand I guess.

[@tyty8484]

@@fluffyfang4213 So you're saying that it's a patronizing political statement instead of just bad writing? Holy shit. But I also don't remember anyone getting nuked over oil. So who knows.

[@worse9347]

@@tyty8484 if you dont think countries are willing to go to war over resources then go back to history class because it happens on a number of occasions and even with Russia rn how the us and other countries boycotted it to try to drain them of resources till they stopped attacking Ukraine Tldr: resources are a big reason wars start, stop, and end

[@Konokken]

I get it now, Wuk skips her own cutscenes, she has no idea her own story 😂

[@Steven18634]

This short perfectly encapsulates how I feel about Dawntrail's reading level for the most part.

[@Kuraerisu]

Reading the absolutely [REDACTED] takes I've seen on Twitter since the end of Endwalker, the reading level is justified.

[@Steven18634]

@@Kuraerisu Fair enough.

[@laerwen]

@@Kuraerisu 10000%. People just can't read and can't critically think half the time.

[@CloudsCrux]

DnD DM: Wuk, what is your class and what stats did you role? Wuk: I’m playing a Paladin: Oath of Devotion. My base stats are: STR: 17 DEX: 14 CON: 14 INT: 5 WIS: 8 CHA: 10

[@worse9347]

There is no way in hell her int, wis and charisma are THAT high

[@CloudsCrux]

@@worse9347 😂😂😂 Edit: i gave her a 10 CHA mainly cause of the weird divide between people who like her and people who don’t do i just went down the middle with it 😂

[@worse9347]

@@CloudsCrux Lol, gave her the "eh fuck it close enough" treatment. I guess it works

[@Shiyamirai]

Figures INTs the dump stat😂

[@maggalo6metalholicninja362]

The BRUH at the end has me DEAD 😂

[@reshypoo9447]

Always struggled on multi-choice questions, and this one was no exception.

[@TheAzarak]

Yea it was rough because none of the options were mean enough to Wuk Lamat.

[@john_7000]

​@@TheAzarakeaxctly they didn't even let us criticize her

[@JustinStrife]

@@john_7000 I so badly wanted to criticize her throughout the entire DT. But nope. Square Enix would not let anyone badmouth her or put her in her place. Nope, can't have that.

[@john_7000]

@@JustinStrife yeah cuz the writers have a huge boner for her haha 😆 and they genuinely believe they have created the best character ever and everyone gonna love her smh 🤦🤦 like no that's not how u do a likeable character by sticking them next to the player character all the time, and I feel like cbu3 always struggle with that stuff, they did the samething with ff16 dlc the rising tide, heck ff16 dlc has same character new character both are axe wielding and both they are sticking them with the main character every chance they got, and Shula the new dlc character from ff16 is so boring it even as boring as wuk lamat heck even more cuz at least wuk lamat have a nice personality, Shula is just boring, they even ignored Joshua and Jill the same way they ignored the scions in dawntrail, tho Shula is not the center like wuk lamat, the center Character is still Clive but it the samething in every side quest they force her to have the most dialogue and they even remove Joshua from the party when we enter the dungeon, just to make her be with us 🤦🤦 cbu3 are so bad at this, they make awesome games but they are so bad at creating a brand new characters likable.

[@JustinStrife]

@@john_7000 I wonder who is making these decisions. They need to face the music, because these decisions are NOT working.

[@mrroboshadow]

"is there anything i can do better than the others?" me (who has never played FFXIV):....fanservice?

[@grizzlybear6377]

Yes. Brawny cat women are an absolute _must_ for any MMO RPG

[@Noobie2k7]

​@@grizzlybear6377 I mean FFXIV eeally does have something for everyone.

[@PokeBattlerJaze]

WOULD YOU BELIEVE SHE ISN'T THE MOST REQUESTED WHEN IT COMES TO PORN THIS EXPANSION?

[@Absreal99]

It's definetly not a Game for everyone

[@Nienna_Asyare]

@@Noobie2k7honestly xD I’m absolutely certain there is *some* part that appeals to everyone!

[@BiscuitsV2]

I have sat through so many ingame lore power point presentations, but here we are, back at Blue's Clues again.

[@maddie5900]

i appreciate that me and Jesse (and probably a fuckload of others too) had the same process of seeing it coming and facepalming when it arrived as ham-fistedly as it did.

[@Koutakurai]

I had A LOT of facepalms in this expantion

[@squallofthedai]

Lot of guys being too critical, just enjoy it for what it is and quit nitpicking, oy.

[@Koutakurai]

@@squallofthedai seems like a phrase a wow player would say at the dawn of wow's decadence

[@HollowAshes747]

​@@Koutakurai the amount of hand waving of any criticism I've seen for this expansion is enough to pay for a new car 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@Koutakurai]

@@HollowAshes747 didnt get It, its not a slang in my language

[@participationtrophy2093]

Dawntrail was sooooo bad that after I finished, I went back and replayed Stormblood and actually liked it. 😭😭😭

[@roomaphoo]

i was so annoyed when they constantly overtold wuk lamat's story with stuff like this then i went online and saw that there were people who STILL didnt understand or know anything about wuk lamat 💀💀

[@john_7000]

Know anything about what?? The character is just terrible and it overstays her welcome, she have no right no right to be in the second half of the expansion

[@JustinStrife]

Her depth is less than puddle deep. What is there to understand?

[@laerwen]

@@john_7000 The writers CLEARLY disagree with you, LOL. Dawntrail is HER story, since you seem to not get it. That was clear since EW's last patch. It's her story, not ours.

[@stevensaldana2155]

Jesse Cox, bad boy detective. Solving puzzles at a 5th grade level 🕵️

[@Ouwesnuifduif1]

This is some of the most frustratingly bad writing we've seen in a ff game in recent times

[@ceres090]

I was thinking the same thing when I saw this thing. She even pauses like Dora.

[@eiriksundby]

this is unironically thematically potent because one of the many points of the first half is exploring gulool ja ja's philosophy through several different means, not least of which being how each of his children reflect him in different ways, and how this both limits their perspectives but also gives them the tools to learn from what he seeks to teach them.

[@erickpederson4480]

No one missed that. The issue is the writing. It's for a toddler's animated show. The themes and plot points of this expansion are solid, it's just the writing that is atrocious. I think most people are mad about BECAUSE they had a good foundation for a story and really fumbled it

[@LithFox]

You know, I was kind of hoping that it being an easy story to grasp and apply to our own personal lives might actually reflect on the people who played it but honestly, I think they just proved that they require simple stories and also neee level 100 role quest that specifically teach you to put Esuna on your hot bar. I unironically said finally when I found out that was my healer quests

[@eiriksundby]

@@erickpederson4480 yeah it's spelled out, but i don't mind it cuz coming to that understanding is a necessary step. It's not the most organic line, but it communicates what it needs to

[@vaan_]

@@eiriksundby But... wasn't that literally the very premise why Wuk came to Sharlayan? She knew her brothers would not bring peace to her nation, she explicitly states this. Her "revelation" was already who she was since day 1. That's why it feels like Dora writing. She's been carrying her backpack every episode but still turns to the kids watching and asks where she has her map. Except this is not Dora, it's a 10 year old game aimed a teenagers and older, and the average age of a mmo player is well above 20.

[@eiriksundby]

@@vaan_ well she's got a surface level understanding of it. She wants to preserve the peace but she doesnt understand what that actually means

[@TLinkan]

Legend of Koana: Wuk Lamat to the Past is my favorite game

[@TYBomerang1]

That the brutal side is always a monster.

[@bloodbought6809]

That laugh lol

[@erdnuzz8368]

Thats why Wuk isnt the Vow of Reason.

[@JustinStrife]

She shouldn't be the Vow of anything.

[@YiffsterXenn]

She's a shonen jump protagonist!

[@Esurnir]

Let’s ignore endwalker who took everyone by surprise at lvl 93. What were we doing in the other expansions at 93 ? We were refugees with the Fae, saw Minfilia last words to Thancred through the oracle of light. Talked to Seto about Ardbert. Fought the king of the fae We fought the red turtles to win the trust of the pirates, fought one of the most bombastic and memorable primal ever in the game. We fought the insect people, saw Shiva try and find the limit of her power against ravanah. In dawntrail, we climbed a mountain, had a trite cutscene, fought generic voiceless elemental dragon number 7. This part was a pain to get through 😢.

[@elgatochurro]

the mounaint is gigantic man, and valigarmanda was quite the fight

[@laerwen]

Yeah, I mean, being chapter 1 of a story, naturally we're not doing epic things. That would make sense, right?

[@rinnnnnnnnnnrin]

That song never gets old

[@Shiyamirai]

When I saw this scene, I was like, "Shits going to hit the fan hard.. I feel it in my neurospicy brain."

[@TheDool]

The contrast is insane. Beginning of endwalker has war refugee story depicting death and suicide and then there is this.

[@laerwen]

It's...almost like it's an entirely different story.. and different narrative... and that it's a story about someone else and not the WoL. Imagine that.

[@Mashi437]

Some silly writing to be sure BUT LETS BE FAIR, how many people can accurately assess their own strengths, specially as something as benign as "love for peace" vs more concrete things like strength and intelligence. (and no i mean accurately assess, not just claim to have a quality they think they have or want like I'm sure most people will actually do.)

[@InvisibleInque]

She got that Sora brain and I cherish her for it.

[@yanipheonu]

Sora isn't going to run a country.

[@gigaus0]

That cut to JJr is priceless.

[@Magicka-girl]

Glad im not the only one who felt this way

[@potatohildy]

Looking back at this scene after finishing msq is kinda sad because it’s now obvious Gulool Ja Ja wanted all three to work together to rule

[@vandirk7270]

Yea....the Dawntrail expansion reminded everyone that FF14 is a PG13-rated game f'sure.

[@iantaakalla8180]

The worst part is that this is something new because in even ARR there is a trafficking dungeon, a team that fell apart, the weird situation of Gridania, capitalism, whatever Merlwyb did against the Kobolds, the utter hatred towards you before Garuda, and using the fact that all “beast tribes” summon out of frustration as proof to rule over everything. I mean, it is still under PG-13 because it is distant enough but holy hell is ARR Eorzea a ticking time bomb and only the expert defuser, the Warrior of Light, is why the road to a solution for every problem in ARR exists. And every single thing is generally this dark or complicated, even when the character was otherwise one-dimensional or unrealized. And then you realize you are the OP shounen hero thus Dawntrail.

[@JustinStrife]

DT should be rated D for dumb. The writing was atrocious.

[@laerwen]

@@JustinStrife I hope you're not still playing a game you hate so much

[@JustinStrife]

@@laerwen I realize people like you aren't very smart. And that's okay. I don't hate the game. I hate the latest expansion's story and characters. I've been a subscriber to FFXIV since 2015. I own a medium house and a medium FC. I've spent thousands of dollars on this game over the last 9 years so I am VERY invested into it. Which is why I am so passionately upset about how badly Square Enix messed up one of the big focuses on this game. The story. If you can't underestand that, and your only response is "if you hate game, stop playing", then seriously, go fuck yourself. You're too stupid to talk to people on social media or in general.

[@camil-jr]

Yeaaaah the writing was really … something in this expac

[@jackjohnson8305]

Fire the writers bro, this MSQ was not it bring back ishikawa

[@laerwen]

Nope, ShB and EW was her narrative - the writing here was good, it's chapter 1 of a new story.

[@FlexxibleFree]

Man, there is some puddle deep parts in FFXIV, makes me sad after hundreds of hours of story the game is taking us for babes.

[@laerwen]

It's taking us for babes because this is the level at which people read. They struggle with every little thing and can't find a narrative with both hands. And you know what? this scene isn't about the narrative - it's about Wuk Lamat's self-discovery. Because Dawntrail is HER story and that has been clear since the end of EW.

[@Jemstoness]

This is FfXIV’s version of Dora saying, “Where’s Swiper ?“ while being 2 feet in front of her.

[@fredwort]

my only problem with final fantasy is when you think your smart for catching something, it just straight up explains it without letting you think about it

[@DfRaid]

For the love of god PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NO MORE WUK LAMAT IN THE POST PATCHES

[@elgatochurro]

man hates quality

[@laerwen]

She's here to stay LOL

[@GreyFox23]

WOOOH. Konna VA is SUPER different from the Japanese VA. Was not expecting it.

[@Diaily]

Dawntrail writers are on the same level as an Dora the explorer episode.

[@mahakimukano4536]

I mean after all she ain't the one with the reasoning😅

[@kalythai]

Lalafell cutscene whiplash

[@BlitzedNostradamus]

I've been saying this whole MSQ is like SOMA packaged into an episode of Seasame Street and it clearly shows.

[@centali6551]

when the game famously bad at exposition writing is bad at exposition writing

[@TheLazzaruz]

I had the same reaction when i started it

[@Dark-uj2jq]

Yeah now that the honeymoon period is over...msq first half was really bad...

[@KnucklesGum]

It's better than the second part, in my opinion

[@ChoppedCheeese]

Was all bad. Just a cringe children's show and we become a babysitter

[@Nadaters]

I thought it was bad during the honeymoon. It did get better 2nd half but mixed reviews are warranted. The dungeons/raids/trials are all fun though

[@baconbankai]

all of it's bad in dawntrail in my opinion

[@Keira_Blackstone]

@@ChoppedCheeese honestly I didn't even feel like a babysitter. I genuinely think the story would actually make more sense if they just wrote out the WoL entirely. It reminded me of most WoW expansions in that regard.

[@Nadaters]

i think the mixed reviews are fair, but it does get better 2nd half of story

[@backslash4141]

Ehhhh... I mean, it got kinda interesting for a bit, then boring again, then the ending happens. Ruined a perfectly a good trial, ngl.

[@vaan_]

the problem is not that it's the 2nd half, it's the last 30% vanguard is level 97

[@rllove016148]

Oh lord Wuk……

[@Spookybluelights]

Look man, Wuk-Lamat is the epitome of "She a little confused, but she got the right spirit." Leave my meatheaded daughter alone.

[@OMartinez91]

She literally is an orange cat. I don't know what everyone else expected from her

[@Nagoragama]

Exactly how I feel. I loved DT and was shocked by the reactions once I started reading them after finishing the MSQ.

[@JustinStrife]

@@Nagoragama Because Orange Cat should never become the leader of a country. Because we never were able to get away from Orange cat. Even in the mini-Texas area, we ended up fetching her bracelet. She would NOT go away. I've had Orange Tabbies for literally 30 years. They are not this dumb. Or annoying.

[@Nagoragama]

@@JustinStrife you are annoying

[@JustinStrife]

@@Nagoragama You're a child. Wuk Lamat and her 139 times we had to speak with her in DT was annoying.

[@Feynt]

I won't lie, that's some bad MSQ writing right there. Come on Squeenix, you're better than that.

[@nunya2662]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 your videos give me life!

[@Bottlecap0]

Dawntrails msq was so bad lol

[@Dank-dy5uz]

Galool Ja Ja dies Bakool Ja Ja kills him.

[@iantaakalla8180]

I wonder, were things laid out this much in the other versions?

[@Hirotoro4692]

They weren't if you mean other expansions

[@balladsnowfox7714]

they were just had someone use more flowery language and people kept on missing the point even as it was spelled out (like calling Venat evil and Emet and the asicans as doing the right thing the wrong way) so its yalls fault cause it took to this, which isnt even that different

[@richardpopper321]

Yeah but like, tacos

[@incognisance4293]

Wuk Lamat is just a bad character I’m putting it out there

[@texanjoecoffeehouse8141]

First time I really felt like FF was talking down to me with the entire msq.

[@Haru_M05]

I still find it hard to believe that we went from jewels like "Do not seek forgiveness, for it will not ease the burden. It weighs as it should" To Dora the Explorer and Blue's clues

[@Tsuba_Nick]

​@Haru_M05 Exactly... Or how we went from "Focus and envision that which rejects the claim that you cannot attain your goal", a message applicable to anyone throughout the struggle of life, to "With smiles my nation can be happy, cause that's all that is needed for peace" ×99times. Not even children's show stoop to that level of naivety.

[@laerwen]

@@Haru_M05 Yeah I mean, why would the narrative simplify between the last chapter of book 1 and the beginning of book 2? Surely it would be just as complex as the end of the story, right? This makes no sense.

[@Haru_M05]

@@laerwen except that quote isn’t from the previous expansion, it is not even from Shadowbringers or the MSQ but from a job quest which means it’s optional and it doesn’t affect the MSQ. (BTW I recommend you to play the DRK job quests they are all amazing and surprisingly manage to give the WoL some great character development and moments)

[@desertleviathan5131]

Given how much of the fandom is still literally claiming that the explicitly fascist empire founded by genocide wraiths Did Nothing Wrong, I can't really blame them for becoming this blunt and repetitive about characterization.

[@under-dog5390]

Simple the Ascians weren't wrong in their goals or how they achieved them (the method of rejoining needs to be done to achieve their goal.) The only thing is the WoL has immense plot armour anddddd zero moral ambiguity. Everything they do is perfection with the most perfect outcome. The enitre point of the Ascian and Garlamald arc was to see them not as the bad guys but just flawed people like everyone.

[@milladmac2005]

​@under-dog5390 the ascians weren't wrong? Endwalker literally showed that they had become tempered in their attempt to stop the end of their lives and that they were given an unfair disadvantage by Hermes who outright erased their memories. Garlemald was shown as wrong for multiple attempts at actual genocide and they dropped one of those plot points by having zenos kill varis before he dropped a poison mist on people that happened in the original timeline graha is from. No wonder the game is now trying to beat people over the head

[@under-dog5390]

@@milladmac2005 Nope they weren't as if we are talking actual wrong doing here it would be Hermes (ofc) and Venat as she held that knowledge, kept it to herself upon the summoning on Zodiark and also destroyed the world they knew. Having a desire to restore the world to it's natural state is just that a resoration. Hell even the souls don't disappear as they would just become the being they once were. Hell we do the same for the same reason and rejoin our own soul for power it's just dressed up as the "good" way of doing it. I mean we literally consumed Ardbert to win.

[@milladmac2005]

@@under-dog5390 venat knew that her world was doomed the moment Hermes enacted his plan. Which was already flawed from the jump because he purposely removed vital information from others. Venat had to enact the plan she was shown to allow the WoL to interact with them. That's how time loops work. You're basically giving the ascians a pass cause Hermes was depressed

[@under-dog5390]

​@@milladmac2005 Ah thats the thing isn't it... necessity. The necessity to make the world whole involves rejoining the shards. Emet even free of tempering still holds strong to his belief in the restoration.

[@RHCrewReactions]

The good writing got left behind in Ultima Thule.

[@laerwen]

Well, it's nice to write the end of a story - you get the payoff. Dawntrail isn't as rewarding simply because it's chapter 1, book 2.

[@RHCrewReactions]

@laerwen I disagree. It's just bad writing for the entire first half, followed by mediocre writing in the second half. imo ARR had a far more compelling story, which is a fair comparison because ARR suffered from "pray return to the rising stones" and DT suffers from "once again speak to Wuk-Lamat".

[@由奈王]

Huh?

[@itsDeej.]

most average sqenix character

[@HomlessEskimo]

I know the story was simple but I truly enjoyed every moment of it.

[@laerwen]

Yup - it's simple, because that makes perfect sense for a chapter 1 of a book, right? I enjoyed it quite a lot for the same reason. Not everything is going to be Endwalker - and it shouldn't be.

[@thelonesage3146]

Yeaaaaah this expansion was something .

[@laerwen]

I know, isn't it great?

[@lauracapper3807]

Yeah I’m only starting to get into the post Rite of Succession part and I got to admit…Wuk…she’s a big ol sigh to me as a character. On the one hand it is endearing to see her in her child-like wonder about everything. However…that doesn’t make up for the MASSIVE, amounts of her just legitimately being an absolute dumbass and I don’t mean it in the fun way. Like to the point where she’s overshadowing YOU as a dumbass, and let’s be honest, no matter what xpac it was, you were always portrayed as somewhat of a dumbass to move the plot along. But man oh man, you start looking like the smart one in this xpac and that’s saying a lot considering some of the stuff they insisted your character did or didn’t do in previous xpacs to get the story moving. I don’t have much to say I. The way of the voice acting other than some lines here and there do sound like they are just being read from a script. All in all I was expecting more from this expansion? Obviously I have yet to beat it but….it ain’t looking good. Almost makes me wish we were able to choose which claimant to do the rite with instead…sorry Wuk it’s an L from me. I’ve played enough Fire Emblem: Awakening for 2 life times of “Friendship saves the day” I’m not asking for much, just please don’t give us an Awakening ending.

[@reDustt]

I think this is about when I started skipping cutscenes.

[@elgatochurro]

man hates it

[@laerwen]

It's wild telling everyone about this self own. Why are you paying for a game you don't want to play? Because clearly you don't.

[@MrSHADOWANGEL999]

Hahaha

[@ultimavermicompost]

She’s such a poorly written character.

[@Cadugaming]

Spare us of wuk lat eng voice

[@FloSick808]

Wtf is this FF what a joke

[@seanblackburn6046]

I did it. I made it through this mess of an MSQ without skipping anything. But istg, if there's anymore of that "we should know them first" 'tell not show' nose-leading bs I WILL summon an Eikon of Natsuko Ishikawa to amend the issue!😅

[@icyjiub2228]

Do you want a medal?

[@seanblackburn6046]

@@icyjiub2228 sure, if they're giving them out. I'll put it next to the one I picked up for doing the dishes and putting out the trash since it was such a chore at points.

[@Yunfarron78]

Bruh, you have people that *still* don't understand Emet-Selch's character. Or Zenos'. Or Y'shtola's. Or understand why the gods are the way that they are. Is it grating? Yes. But clearly, the class needs to relearn media literacy. When you have people arguing "Emet-Selch was right" and Emet himself states that "I was wrong", there's an audience issue. Dora the Explorer shenanigans will likely continue until media literacy rates improve xD

[@misanthropiclusion]

I agree we should've just kill emet on the spot instead of hearing him out waste of time, space and story telling

[@ArtForSwans]

I made it through Stormblood and Bozja and nobody congratulated me so wtf do you want brother 😂

[@ABonafideSkeleton]

The average Yawntrail experience

[@denielf.7169]

Look, imo, folks can have neg or positive feelings on dawntrail, but i feel like you cant judge a book by its cover. Lots of folks like to shit on the voice acting and storyline of dawntrail, but forget exactly how bad ARR was on its voice acting and how bad Stormbloods storyline was. I got so bored with stormblood i left msq for about 2 weeks to do other things in game. I was fully invested with dawntrails storyline i was late to work several times, but there were a few parts where it was stilted, but not enough to be bored with it. I physically cannot stand arr thancred and alphinaud voices. I had a part where the sound quality in dt with thancred threw me off, but I absolutely love sena's acting with wuk lamat. Shes so cute and it makes me feel wuks got that dumb golden retriever barbarian energy with all of 8 int. You cant judge world building in the start of a new storyline vs Shb or EW where theyd had 8 to 10 years of story to build with, is what im saying basically.

[@TheScandinavianGyger]

This! For real, I wish people did not have such a knee-jerk reaction when it came to this expansion. "I dislike some things with this so that means it all is bad". Criticism is good. There are things that worked and some things that did not work with the MSQ. I wish people could take a step back and ask themselves WHY they disliked/liked something instead of running off to the forums to start fights. Or worse, sending death threats to voice actors...

[@honkedoffjohn]

I would call her a shonen protagonist but shonen protagonists are compelling. This is literally 4kids dub writing.

[@Highstar25]

honestly if she WAS a shounen protag who just threw themselves blindly at every challenge or obstacle due to having more bravery than sense, I would probably like her more. Especially if they made it a running gag.

[@ABonafideSkeleton]

If she was an actual shounen it would would at least be fun, but she isn't. She's just bland, infantile and breathtakingly stupid (but not in a fun way), and its not helped by the English VA's flat and boring line reads.

[@HiddenEvilStudios]

@@Highstar25 Agreed, instead of this constant flip-flopping between projected overconfidence and lack of self-worth. Hell, having Erenville basically being reed art wrangler desperately holding her back would've made it more endearing and less grating.

[@tomefilho3902]

Wuk is "head empty".

[@Snowshill]

seriously hated this expac story, it was wuk lamat having character growth then it being made irrelevant after a "by the power of friendship speach" then the growth being reset -.- also how the frick are these candidates to be ruler when they don't know their own culture -.-

[@AdamX222]

The prospective rulers of the nation not knowing a thing about their own people is probably the most realistic thing about Dawntrail's story, actually :p

[@Nadaters]

I just didn't like how boring the first half of the quests were

[@steelclackers2611]

​@@NadatersI'm the opposite. I enjoyed first half. Might be difference in tastes.

[@professoroak1920]

idk what it is about the english voice for Wuk Lamat but fuck if it's not grating on my ears every time I hear it

[@ArtForSwans]

She's so stupid, I love her. I can't wait to read all the comments about how much of a lovable character she is and how good the writing is. Damn, I hope more people talk about it, I'm definitely not tired of it!

[@Hirotoro4692]

Most comments say the writing is bad

[@ChoppedCheeese]

​@@Hirotoro4692that was their point

[@ChoppedCheeese]

The writing went wayyyy downhill this expansion

[@RisqueBisquetz]

still not as bad Stormblood's... and as childish as Wuk Lamat can be, Lyse got her beat on the badly-written nepobaby role XD

[@edwardnowakowski5990]

@@RisqueBisquetzI’d agree, at least wuk lamat’s arc shows her changing into a leader. Lyse’s position in Ala Mhigo and the journey she went on to get there feel entirely unrelated

[@tbnwontpop8857]

​@@RisqueBisquetz Oh, spare me. At least SB's story was exciting and it had the Azim Steppe segment. You people are vastly understating how awful DT's writing is.

[@JustinStrife]

@@edwardnowakowski5990 What games have you guys been playing? Lyse failed and changed as a character throughout Stormblood. She was a different person at the end of the expansion. Wuk Lamat is still a dumbass at the end of DT. I didn't even like Lyse or Stormblood, but compared to Dawntrail and Wuk Lamat, they are freaking Shakespeare.

[@shanematthews1985]

God i'm so glad i didn't play this in english >.

[@leohillmann6717]

I actually like the story so far.

[@JediMB]

It's almost like she has self-worth issues.

[@NeoDMC]

That's not the point of this video. It's about how infantilized DT is toward the player. There is no need to spell out the themes this overtly. We get what they are trying to get across, but the fact that Wuk Lamat literally says the themes out loud makes it incredibly cringe. Yeah, we already know she has self-worth issues, but we see that in how she never wants to appear weak or incompetent. She will literally lie about not having a stomach ache to appear stronger, cuz she's worried about how unfit she might be in the eyes of others. She works through that, but it doesn't need scenes like this to reinforce that aspect.

[@JediMB]

@@NeoDMC And yet I keep seeing people in the community who don't get it even when it's spelled out for them.

[@JediMB]

FFXIV has had plenty of moments where things have been spelled out to a rather silly degree over the past 10+ years, anyway

[@Tsuba_Nick]

lol

[@Tsuba_Nick]

Are you sure about that? Where are her issues in the second half? After proclaiming that there is no need for title she constantly talks about being queen and dawnservant and having the audacity that she can somehow bring peace with her want for smiles. Suddenly gaining the strength to defeat any enemy literally. Taking center stage in discussion which does not concern her especially after she proclaims that she has no idea about shard and reflections and that’s ok, but instead of asking to learn about it as a leader of a nation should, she just brushes it aside. Also proclaims herself guardian of gulool Ja and even from the first two second being all like “I want to know literally all about you”. Also talking about dragging back her “brother”, cause they certainly didn’t feel like brothers to me, on his “scaly ass” was just an interesting side note. Character driven narratives are beautiful. This was not it. This was written either by a 14 year old or by someone with incredibly little experience and depth of character. Clearly appealing to a juvenile audience that start crying the moment sad music plays. Alisaie had self worth issues. Hell, Ryne is a masterful example of self worth issues. Wuk lamat is a caricature and people just have standards for the game they pay to play.

[@Just_Call_Me_Tim]

I’m not at Dawntrail’s part of the story yet, but this Hro girl annoys the hell out of me even from the trailer. Also… why do things seem so… on the nose with this?

[@Enixon869]

several expansions of folks declaring "The genocidal mad men are the real heroes and was 100% in the right" might have contributed

[@HiddenEvilStudios]

@@Enixon869 ...Who did nothing wrong, thank you very much.

[@Keira_Blackstone]

@@Enixon869 oh god is that it? the Emet Selch did nothing wrong' crowd has cost me all nuance in the story I once loved? That's incredibly depressing.

[@Just_Call_Me_Tim]

@@Keira_Blackstone Yeah, I had no idea these comments were even here, but I’d have to agree with you. As to my original comment, there’s just something weird about the Hro girl, whatever her name is. The rest is fine, but it’s also just regarding the video.

[@HonkaiMain]

This is my first time hearing dawntrail dialog....... I wish I didn't

[@altoid3453]

Wow Wuk lamat is so dumb

[@JediMB]

She's a shōnen anime protagonist.

[@altoid3453]

@@JediMB Shonen protagonists are boys. Thats the point of a shonen

[@JediMB]

@@altoid3453 Shōnen (anime/manga) is a demographic target. While in a minority, plenty of those stories have female protagonists.

[@nothanksnopenoname6403]

Oh lord no. I can not play with English voices for this expansion. Japanese is way better. More emotion and everything in their voices compared to the English.

[@ShannonMontanino]

Example number 665 of why I skipped the entire story of Dawntrail. Such a disappointment

[@JustinStrife]

I started skipping before the first half ended. I had NEVER Done that in an FF game before until now.

[@ChoppedCheeese]

More like Weak Lamat

[@HiddenEvilStudios]

The voice actor for Wuk Lamat wasn't even THAT terrible, but the character itself is grating.

[@DrakeWurrum]

And any flaws in the voice acting can be squarely placed at the feet of the voice director.

[@HiddenEvilStudios]

@@DrakeWurrum Nah, it still has me asking myself how the guy got the gig in the first place when he can't perform to the level that's necessary. Quite a bit of whisper-shouting. I'd rather Square stick with either the British Theater people or bring in American VA's that can perform as needed. Could've had Patrick Seitz as one of Bakuul Ja Ja's heads, as an example.

[@DrakeWurrum]

@@HiddenEvilStudios - First of all, Wuk Lamat's VA is a woman. Second of all, you're wrong to ask yourself that. A lot of the voice acting this expansion fell flat, not just hers. The voice director is the one telling the VAs what to do and is also the one responsible for giving them the proper context to their lines. It feels like none of the EN VAs received the necessary context to put the proper feeling. The director also decides if the take they get is acceptable to put into the game. Which means the voice director thought the VA's delivery of her lines for the third trial was acceptable. The VA would've had no clue.

[@HiddenEvilStudios]

@@DrakeWurrum No, he isn't. Reality beats ideology. The second part I agree with, but the focus is obviously on him due to the quality of the writing on top of his performance. In addition to that, it truly baffles me that the voice actors SUPPOSEDLY get no context for their lines. That must be incredibly frustrating.

[@SirKata]

​@@HiddenEvilStudios You're right, reality does beat ideology. That's why she's a woman, a fact supported by science. Your disregard for the science has no impact on this fact. Facts don't care about your feelings.

[@RisqueBisquetz]

People in the comment who thinks Jesse hates her 😂

[@tyllua]

This makes wuk lamat even worse of a character. Making the player dumb down to dora level....

[@goldypmu]

I do not like this character. All I see is her yapping x.x

[@MaZeW1]

I mean, duh. This really is not meant to be a revealing information for the player. This is a moment of character growth for Wuk Lamat. She always felt inferior to her brothers. Always felt like the lesser sibling. Only through us she learned that maybe that is the wrong attitude to have. She is no longer sorry for herself, but she still thinks of herself as less. This is HER moment to realise she is not. She can stand as an equal besides them. I just feel so many players want to be upset about this moment not being super surprising to them they miss that. We came without any connection to these characters, with a mostly neutral mindset. But she is not. She has this image in her head of her big brothers being super strong and super smart, something she can never possibly compete with. And it is hard to let go of preconceived notions. This is the moment she does.

[@Barnuses]

I don't think it's the lack of revelation to the player that vexes people. I think it's the way it is presented. She is an adult vying for the leadership of an entire continent. And we've faced increasingly complex philosophical challenges since we learned people were being euthanized after we fought Ifrit because there wasn't a cure for tempering. Even if she is going through a journey of self-actualization, they present it to us as if we are children learning about the concept of self-esteem.

[@NabsterHax]

The wonderful thing about being a writer is that you have the option to not write characters that are so lacking in complexity that they bore your audience to tears as they bumble through their asininely simple character arc. The problem isn't that the story doesn't make sense. It's that it's themes and presentation are more suitable to an audience of 10 year olds than an audience that has been emphatically praising stories with much deeper and more interesting, adult themes rooted in political intrigue, war, genocide, religion, depression and existential philosophy.

[@HiddenEvilStudios]

@@NabsterHax What he said. Agreed.