It's a fun idea, but the execution needs a little work. It can be frustrating in certain quests, and sometimes the only solution was to run too far away from the character to get the dreaded "Duty Failed" notification and start again. Characters will follow the player in Endwalker, but the AI may lead them into the ocean or over a wall - or they may get stuck behind a crate, running but never going anywhere. It helps make the journey feel less lonely at times, but it's also the one part of the new expansion that doesn't quite work. In terms of characters, FFXIV: Endwalker introduces a new mechanic: letting characters run around with players outside of instances. Related: What FFXIV: Endwalker's 2002 Error Means
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Endwalker knows how to handle its story and characters, and the writing has never been better. By the end of it all, players will have the adrenaline of hopping off a roller coaster mixed with the sadness of leaving a funeral. What works so well is that these characters are not simply ancillary to the main plot but are actually vital to it.
The story gets admittedly dark at times, but this is cleverly offset by sillier moments (like the cute, bunny-esque Loporrits being obsessed with carrots) and sweeter cutscenes (newcomer Meteion). Perhaps more than any other FFXIV expansion, Shadowbringers has been lauded for its story - and Endwalker somehow manages to top it. Outside of a short period around level 85 of the MSQ, the story never felt like it dragged, and even then, there were plenty of surprises and new plot elements thrown in that it never felt too arduous. There are so many narrative curveballs in Endwalker that the story never feels like a slog.
Still, the real drive here is to see what happens with Zodiark and all the characters players have gotten to know along the way. Unifying a decade's worth of story (and possibly even a 35-year-old series) is a tall order, but it's handled incredibly well. People who haven't played these games won't be left in the dark, but these references are still nice winks and nudges to longtime fans. Bosses, characters, locations, and more are callbacks to previous entries like FF10, FF12, FF4, and FF3 - and that's only to name a few. Endwalker's early dungeons, like The Tower of Zot, are nice callbacks to earlier FF games, and they're a great example of what the new expansion does so well: In many ways, this is a love letter to the entire Final Fantasy series. The game is gorgeous from the beginning, and the music is an instant highlight - adding quirky new themes that also harken back to motifs players have heard in previous Final Fantasy titles as well as in FFXIV. Related: FFXIV: Endwalker - Things To Do While You Wait In The Queue It also works to balance the darker story elements that take up the latter part of the Main Scenario Quest. Villain Fandaniel shows up to monologue and taunt the party, but overall, the earlier parts of the game are all about exploration and getting to know these new areas and cultures. Players will visit the beautiful India-inspired Radz-at-Han and Thavnair region, run around high society in Old Sharlayan, and explore numerous new zones from pretty early on. For a game about the world ending, the earlier parts are pretty chill. Admittedly, the story in Endwalker doesn't start off with the same amount of immediacy and mystery that Shadowbringers did. In most respects, Endwalker delivers - serving as a great expansion that rewards longtime fans while still paying plenty of attention to newer players.įFXIV's previous expansion, Shadowbringers, was always going to be a tough act to follow. The latest expansion introduces new mechanics, improves on old ones, and packs in an impressive amount of world-building and storytelling for a character-driven narrative that aims to take players to the moon and back (literally). It's not the end of the popular MMORPG, but it does conclude a decade-spanning story arc involving Hydaelyn and Zodiark, and it does this in an astounding and often surprising way. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is going out with a bang - kind of.
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