they turned the stove off for a bit
Shut the fuck up Lyse
the repetitiveness of the middle point made me skim through some points, i still read through most of it, but holy shit is zenos so fucking cool.
(dark knight questline is so gas in this expansion tho)
(dark knight questline is so gas in this expansion tho)
End it like Zenos
i can fix her
Honestly, I'd have to agree with the majority and say that a lot of the story I just didn't find interesting, going to all these places and liberating them just didn't feel as satisfying. The thing that saves Stormblood is the main antagonist and really the villains in general. Yotsuyu and Zenos were great character and the fact like the WoL actually straight up loses twice was insane. I enjoyed Heavensward's story significantly more, but something that Stormblood does leagues better than Heavensward is the content, the content is incredible. With the addition of Ultimate raids there was no contest but even without those the dungeons and trials were great. I love Monster Hunter so getting to hunt a Rathalos in Final Fantasy was so fun. I didn't find most of the settings interesting, there were really only deserts and traditional eastern places which don't really excite me that much. Overall, I'd say this is a great expansion.
A diamond in the rough in the expansions of the agglomerated MMO, Stormblood may have a flawed narrative going on especially with Lyse's insertion as a revolutionary leader, however the subtext in the game is very underrated. It tells all the aspects of an ongoing genocide of a colony, not only taking the nation's land, resources; but past, present, and future, along all traces of culture buried under imperial assimilation.
After playing through Heavensward and this, my enjoyment with this game is starting to wane a little...
To start off with the good things, I ADORE the music in this expansion (especially the militaristic drum beat version of the Crystal Prelude in the title screen). Also, the aesthetics of Doma was quite delightful for me and a breath of fresh air in this game.
In addition, the quality of the group content keeps getting better and better. I've really started to enjoy that the reason the WoL is going to these dungeons is part of the core narrative and not just "Oh just go to this random place because" from earlier in the experience. Oh and the trials...THESE are probably some of my favorites so far and I'm enjoying how mechanically complex they're getting.
And the negative is...pretty much everything else. The narrative is pretty poorly paced with it split between several regions (and a corresponding cast of characters) and one is significantly more interesting than the other. On top of that, Stormblood seems to be continuing the trend of sections of the MSQ being filled with characters demanding the WoL to do some unrelated obnoxious chores and I'm just like "Why is my character listening to this?". It's been such a consistent pattern with the way these expansions that are set up that I'm worried long-winded uninteresting detours in MSQ in Shadowbringers and Endwalker now.
Speaking of uninteresting...I was already a bit concerned from the fact that this expansion focused on the Empire as I find them to be one of the least interesting part of this world. And surely enough, this resulted in a very predictable and boring arc with a very one-note main villain. I did think some of the secondary and tertiary villains were somewhat interesting in their motivations though.
I'm mildly curious where the story goes in the patches but maybe I should give myself a break... 😅
To start off with the good things, I ADORE the music in this expansion (especially the militaristic drum beat version of the Crystal Prelude in the title screen). Also, the aesthetics of Doma was quite delightful for me and a breath of fresh air in this game.
In addition, the quality of the group content keeps getting better and better. I've really started to enjoy that the reason the WoL is going to these dungeons is part of the core narrative and not just "Oh just go to this random place because" from earlier in the experience. Oh and the trials...THESE are probably some of my favorites so far and I'm enjoying how mechanically complex they're getting.
And the negative is...pretty much everything else. The narrative is pretty poorly paced with it split between several regions (and a corresponding cast of characters) and one is significantly more interesting than the other. On top of that, Stormblood seems to be continuing the trend of sections of the MSQ being filled with characters demanding the WoL to do some unrelated obnoxious chores and I'm just like "Why is my character listening to this?". It's been such a consistent pattern with the way these expansions that are set up that I'm worried long-winded uninteresting detours in MSQ in Shadowbringers and Endwalker now.
Speaking of uninteresting...I was already a bit concerned from the fact that this expansion focused on the Empire as I find them to be one of the least interesting part of this world. And surely enough, this resulted in a very predictable and boring arc with a very one-note main villain. I did think some of the secondary and tertiary villains were somewhat interesting in their motivations though.
I'm mildly curious where the story goes in the patches but maybe I should give myself a break... 😅
incredible amounts of content at max level and a compelling and grounded plot compared to what follows and precedes it.
When did this expansion get so good? My recent replay of Stormblood has made me appreciate far more than my original playthrough, from increasing my opinion on a variety of characters to realizing that this might be the best dungeon content in the game pre-Endwalker. The story itself, while a bit segmented, it still very good, and the general post-basegame content such as optional dungeons and raid series are also superb. I personally wasn't invested as much in the overarching narrative compared to Heavensward, but that's barely a dock against a story that's still really solid overall. It's not just the benchmark between Heavensward and Shadowbringers like some claim, and hey, you might even find it to be better than you remember if you stop and smell the roses. Did I mention this is free too? Go and play yourself some Stormblood.
Stormblood's story unfortunately doesn't live up to the high standard set by HW, that being said, end game content/set pieces and general trials in Stormblood are miles ahead of HW. It would have been nice to have a better balance between story and aesthetics but the expansion is not bad by any means.
I love me a good rebel story. Cool departure from the established setting that focuses on the down to Earth conflict.
I might be biased because I love the characters, but this was a pretty good expansion. Really liked the story and what they did with the characters, and even though the base msq kinda dragged a little, the raid and post game msq made up for it.
This review contains spoilers
This was so intense... So cool... Lyse is so beautiful... I love Yugiri... Story kind of peaked here, but damn... why they gotta do Gosetsu dirty like that... also thanks for the Estinien cameos...
Whoever designed The Lochs area though? I am too directionally-challenged for that mess of routes for aether currents, gdi
Whoever designed The Lochs area though? I am too directionally-challenged for that mess of routes for aether currents, gdi
14 is the gift that keeps on giving at this point
If this is the "weakest" expansion I shudder to think what's coming for me in Shadowbringers and Endwalker cuz this shit was so GAS.
Only marginally better than ARR because the story has a lot of downtime in certain arcs and some annoying characters, only redeeming quality is the fights are very good eye candy.
Not as strong as Heavensward, especially in the characters department but still quite good. Post Stormblood was actually awesome and that's when it actually got me hooked. Especially once Scaramouche's twin (Asahi) appeared (Without mentioning the very short parts where Estinien appeared which made me go feral but we don't talk about that). I loved Lyse's character development so much though, it was definitely one of my favourite things.
Most of the content wasn't particularly memorable though, except towards the end. Being able to play other characters during duty actually surprised me and it was fun, glad they added that. Now that one dungeon at the end where you have a few important characters was pretty cool (Would 100% do it anytime just to hear Aymeric say ''you underestimate me'' again)
Have to add that I really love the Azim Steppe and the Bardam's Mettle dungeon. The Azim Steppe was definitely my favourite part of the expansion.
Great introduction/re-introduction to new/old characters. Now I can't wait to get into Shadowbringers cause that transition from SB to ShB was amazing.
See you again for more simping.
-A dear Estinien/Heavensward men enjoyer
ps: I did the great hunt on extreme and the apparently very rare mount dropped and I got it. it was my first and only run. beginners luck? big W honestly
Most of the content wasn't particularly memorable though, except towards the end. Being able to play other characters during duty actually surprised me and it was fun, glad they added that. Now that one dungeon at the end where you have a few important characters was pretty cool (Would 100% do it anytime just to hear Aymeric say ''you underestimate me'' again)
Have to add that I really love the Azim Steppe and the Bardam's Mettle dungeon. The Azim Steppe was definitely my favourite part of the expansion.
Great introduction/re-introduction to new/old characters. Now I can't wait to get into Shadowbringers cause that transition from SB to ShB was amazing.
See you again for more simping.
-A dear Estinien/Heavensward men enjoyer
ps: I did the great hunt on extreme and the apparently very rare mount dropped and I got it. it was my first and only run. beginners luck? big W honestly
Not my favorite expansion but the content was an upgrade from HW.
Disclaimer: This review is strictly about 4.0
This expansion had a lot to say, telling an evocative story about oppression and imperialism. With XIV’s usual handling of its heavier topics, I was expecting this to be genuinely great, and while it’s still very good, it could have been much better for me.
With an ensemble cast like this one spread out across essentially two different narratives, the overall mesh felt imbalanced and the pacing bloated which led to some characters feeling underutilized or just…different. That’s the best way for me to describe Stormblood, different. While it was by no means a complete bore, a few sections felt tedious. With how much of a thrill ride Heavensward was, this felt like a return to ARR, for worse. Still, where the game might have stumbled narratively it excelled in every other aspect. Some of the new landscapes and areas are among my favorites in the entire game coupled with one of the best soundtracks as well. The dungeons, trials, and raids were also fantastic and a clear step up in presentation.
Also, although I was mostly mixed on the main cast, I can’t say the same for the villains. Zenos and Yotsuyu balance each other well as an imposing megalomaniac and an emotionally driven one that directly challenges the themes of the expansion. Fordola also works extremely well as an antithesis to Lyse.
Looking back on Stormblood, it's an expansion with high highs and low lows. A few things get rectified with context from Shadowbringers and Endwalker, but I still can't help but see it as something that could have been so much more.
This expansion had a lot to say, telling an evocative story about oppression and imperialism. With XIV’s usual handling of its heavier topics, I was expecting this to be genuinely great, and while it’s still very good, it could have been much better for me.
With an ensemble cast like this one spread out across essentially two different narratives, the overall mesh felt imbalanced and the pacing bloated which led to some characters feeling underutilized or just…different. That’s the best way for me to describe Stormblood, different. While it was by no means a complete bore, a few sections felt tedious. With how much of a thrill ride Heavensward was, this felt like a return to ARR, for worse. Still, where the game might have stumbled narratively it excelled in every other aspect. Some of the new landscapes and areas are among my favorites in the entire game coupled with one of the best soundtracks as well. The dungeons, trials, and raids were also fantastic and a clear step up in presentation.
Also, although I was mostly mixed on the main cast, I can’t say the same for the villains. Zenos and Yotsuyu balance each other well as an imposing megalomaniac and an emotionally driven one that directly challenges the themes of the expansion. Fordola also works extremely well as an antithesis to Lyse.
Looking back on Stormblood, it's an expansion with high highs and low lows. A few things get rectified with context from Shadowbringers and Endwalker, but I still can't help but see it as something that could have been so much more.
This review contains spoilers
final fantasy xiv stormblood has some of the best instances that the game has to offer. aside from one, the dungeons are all well-designed. the trials, notably sri lakshmi, tsukuyomi, and shinryu were challenging but super fun.
the music is also some of the best the game has to offer. the boss music is incredibly hype and the tracks for trials such as tsukuyomi have me shaking my booty.
where the expansion stormblood falls a bit flat is in the story. it is very slow and drags on at times. some of my gripes:
- the entire mini arc with the snake people felt very shoehorned in. aside from the one with the one kobold and titan, i really dislike the filler tribal primal summoning mini arcs in this game
- the ending of the patch content was really lackluster. it felt like nothing really happened and no progress was made. the decision to off-screen estinien saving us from "zenos" was super odd. showing us that could've been hype
- constant fakeout deaths. i dont mind the occasional one here and there, but the constant noncommitment to killing off characters that was prevalent in this expansion gets tiring.
- raubahnn's wasted potential. i feel like the game has been setting up raubahnn to be ala mhigo's savior for the previous two expansions and so i think making lyse the narrative focus in the liberation of ala mhigo was a bit weird. especially when raubahnn is a good character but gets sidelined until the end of the expansion which is unfortunate.
- the story definitely suffers from the split focus. i dont think the doma and ala mhigo sections needed their own expansions. perhaps i would've liked to see the story begin in doma then move back to gyr abania. instead of the several hour intro in gyr abania, then going to doma, then going back to gyr abania.
with that being said, i actually think the doma section of the expansion is decent. the zones are much nicer, i really like yugiri, hien, the tribes of the azim steppe, and all the other characters. the ala mhigo section on the otherhand isn't very good.
i do think what puts stormblood above a realm reborn for me are the main villains. i think yotsu and fordola are really compelling villains. zenos is a bit shallow to me but he does have potential.
i really hated stormblood after finishing. but after taking some time to process everything, i think the hate is a bit excessive. stormblood does have redeeming qualities so i ultimately think its ok. not great. NOTHING will ever be worse than a realm reborn.
the music is also some of the best the game has to offer. the boss music is incredibly hype and the tracks for trials such as tsukuyomi have me shaking my booty.
where the expansion stormblood falls a bit flat is in the story. it is very slow and drags on at times. some of my gripes:
- the entire mini arc with the snake people felt very shoehorned in. aside from the one with the one kobold and titan, i really dislike the filler tribal primal summoning mini arcs in this game
- the ending of the patch content was really lackluster. it felt like nothing really happened and no progress was made. the decision to off-screen estinien saving us from "zenos" was super odd. showing us that could've been hype
- constant fakeout deaths. i dont mind the occasional one here and there, but the constant noncommitment to killing off characters that was prevalent in this expansion gets tiring.
- raubahnn's wasted potential. i feel like the game has been setting up raubahnn to be ala mhigo's savior for the previous two expansions and so i think making lyse the narrative focus in the liberation of ala mhigo was a bit weird. especially when raubahnn is a good character but gets sidelined until the end of the expansion which is unfortunate.
- the story definitely suffers from the split focus. i dont think the doma and ala mhigo sections needed their own expansions. perhaps i would've liked to see the story begin in doma then move back to gyr abania. instead of the several hour intro in gyr abania, then going to doma, then going back to gyr abania.
with that being said, i actually think the doma section of the expansion is decent. the zones are much nicer, i really like yugiri, hien, the tribes of the azim steppe, and all the other characters. the ala mhigo section on the otherhand isn't very good.
i do think what puts stormblood above a realm reborn for me are the main villains. i think yotsu and fordola are really compelling villains. zenos is a bit shallow to me but he does have potential.
i really hated stormblood after finishing. but after taking some time to process everything, i think the hate is a bit excessive. stormblood does have redeeming qualities so i ultimately think its ok. not great. NOTHING will ever be worse than a realm reborn.
Nothing draws as much mixed emotions as Stormblood does, for me. The main scenario is absolutely abysmal, genuinely loathed most of it as it seems that every character in this expansion passively loses braincells. It had its moments, like the Azim Steppe arc but the rest? Absolutely abysmal.
But, the genuinely baffling state of the main scenario aside, level 70 was when I felt gameplay really start picking up and be incredibly fun. Not to mention the post-content! Besides Ivalice, the rest of it was incredibly fun- it gets a 4 star because of that and the fact that the post patches were done so incredibly well. The build up to Shadowbringers was immensely wonderful through it as well.
But, the genuinely baffling state of the main scenario aside, level 70 was when I felt gameplay really start picking up and be incredibly fun. Not to mention the post-content! Besides Ivalice, the rest of it was incredibly fun- it gets a 4 star because of that and the fact that the post patches were done so incredibly well. The build up to Shadowbringers was immensely wonderful through it as well.
This review contains spoilers
Fuck it, it’s good. The Ala Mhigo/Doma split doesn’t really bother me as much as it bothers a lot of other people. The mechanics are objectively better than Heavensward’s, and I love the music. 4.1-4.3 had their issues but feel incomparable to 3.1-3.3, and Yotsuyu- in spite of Square Enix’s ongoing issues in portraying female characters, including her- is a cathartic character for me in a way that not a lot of others are. It’s free now, so there’s no excuse not to play it already if you’ve already played through Heavensward. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s worth a shot. Oh, and this all isn’t to say that we shouldn’t be discussing the colorism with regards to Lyse’s design and Ala Mhigo as a whole, but that’s for another time and place.
few things....
- this has an interesting setup but the thing is all of the zones in this expansion are so lifeless
- storywise this feels very boring compared to heavensward and doesn't rlly move the overall of this entire series
- main villain is the only good part
- this has an interesting setup but the thing is all of the zones in this expansion are so lifeless
- storywise this feels very boring compared to heavensward and doesn't rlly move the overall of this entire series
- main villain is the only good part
could use more dragons
Foi meio cansativo na primeira metade, mas depois engrenou bem legal.
This expansion was the first time in this game that I felt the story start to drag. Thankfully, Zenos was a captivating villain, and the climax stuck the landing.
After sinking 500 hours into this game, patch 4.1 has got to be the first time I've enjoyed anything about ffxiv's story
ffxiv fans will look you straight in the eyes and tell you "the story gets really good after 500 hours i swear" and they're right
Apesar de ser um arco mais polÃtico, consegue nos apresentar novos personagens e aprofundar outros existentes, que são aqui muito bem desenvolvidos. Toda a escrita evoluà em maturidade, apesar de existir uma queda brusca em um dos patchs.