Within the wake of saving the universe from a time-ending calamity, the query that is still for the world of Closing Fantasy XIV after the occasions of 2021’s Endwalker growth is: How will we transfer on? This query units up the quests instantly following Endwalker’s climax to turn out to be an arc that completely acts as an epilogue to every little thing that got here earlier than, punctuated by a superb character within the type of newcomer Zero. With a decade-long overarching narrative additionally having come to an finish in Endwalker, the post-expansion “patch quests” function an important blueprint for the way forward for the sport.
To get it out of the best way, I do know I’m late to the celebration. As I’ve documented already, I’ve not too long ago been making my manner by FF14’s many expansions and haven’t fairly made it to Dawntrail but. Publish-expansion patch quests are nothing new. As expansions sometimes have two to 3 years between them, the crew at Sq. Enix doles out smaller story and content material updates to tide gamers over. With previous expansions, these patch quests have typically labored in two components. The primary wraps up the story of the previous growth and the second units up the following. For Endwalker’s patch quests, the crew had a singular alternative to buck that system, for the reason that growth’s launch served as its personal finale and an ending to the overarching Hydaelyn-Zodiark saga of the MMO’s previous ten years. That meant that the Endwalker patch quests could possibly be their very own contained story.
The brand new freedom turns the post-Endwalker quests right into a mini-expansion of its personal. They introduce new characters, locales, dungeons, and an enormous unhealthy for Warriors of Mild to take care of. However, in order to not begin completely from scratch, the story offers with the Void, a world engulfed by darkness that has come up every now and then up to now. It’s a setting that has at all times appeared prime for an growth, and whereas this isn’t fairly that, the smaller method works to its profit.
The Void is a world misplaced. Now engulfed by darkness and ravaged by beasts corrupted by that energy, it’s successfully past saving. It’s a distinction to a lot of what we have now encountered up to now of FF14. Shadowbringers launched us to a world referred to as the First, which was engulfed by mild and getting ready to dying, however could possibly be pulled again with our assist. Right here, nonetheless, we’re confronted with a world that our limitless heroics cannot do a lot for. It’s there that we encounter certainly one of its denizens, Zero. Like the opposite inhabitants of the void she is cursed to a deathless existence. Within the years since her world was misplaced she has shed lots of her recollections, and her humanity with it. Once we first meet Zero she is a chilly, uncaring one who has one thing in frequent with Endwalker’s antagonist; each see existence as an limitless cycle of struggling with little to justify it. But as a result of she can’t die, Zero can’t get the remainder she yearns for.
The majority of the post-Endwalker patch quests see us dragging Zero round as we attempt to rescue an ally from the Void whereas additionally managing restoration efforts after the nearly-avoided apocalypse on our personal world. In distinction to the complete MMO’s story as much as that time, the Endwalker patches relegate your hero, the Warrior of Mild, to a supporting function. That is Zero’s story, and it’s a great one. After spending a whole growth full of existential dread and defeatism, serving to somebody who has given up hope for a greater life is extremely cathartic. It’s principally a narrative about studying the facility of friendship, a cliché concept if ever there was one, nevertheless it does this with sharp writing and great character moments for its main girl, and let’s be actual, Closing Fantasy has by no means been delicate with its themes.
The story additionally parallels Zero’s journey with that of the individuals of your world. In life, Zero was a loner who believed she couldn’t belief anybody and needed to work to save lots of the world on her personal. It’s the identical drawback that the patch quests’ main villain has, nevertheless it’s additionally one that everyone making an attempt to get again to a standard life goes by. That is finest exemplified while you go to the individuals of Garlemald, a now-fallen nation that lengthy served because the MMO’s evil empire. Now, they’re below occupation from you and your allies, and when you have the very best intentions, they’re not so prepared to just accept your support. Either side must put apart their satisfaction to maneuver ahead collectively, as it’s the solely manner they will each rebuild. The scenario has a profound impact on Zero, who displays on her personal alternative to show down the assistance of a pair of heroes hoping to stave off the tip of their world earlier than it turned the Void.
Finally it’s revealed that the surviving member of the duo she encountered so way back is the arc’s large villain, Golbez. It’s a poignant second for Zero, by which she realizes how a lot her closed-off lifestyle has impacted these round her. She isn’t answerable for the Void completely, however she does really feel a brand new sense of guilt and missed alternative. If solely she may have reached out a hand again then. The patch quests don’t fairly stick the touchdown of their predictable finish to the battle at play, however as a personality research of Zero, it excels. When Zero is lastly in a position to convey a spark of sunshine to the Void, it’s a mirrored image of how we have now introduced a spark of hope into her life as effectively.
Although there’s solely about half as many quests right here, they convey a way of narrative affect and journey worthy of a full Closing Fantasy 14 growth. Following Endwalker, I nearly hoped that smaller, extra targeted tales turned the brand new norm for the MMO. After all, that isn’t what occurred, and proper now 1000’s of gamers are exploring the grand new growth, Dawntrail. However primarily based on what I’ve been listening to about its construction, it might at occasions really feel extra such as you’re enjoying a sequence of episodic mini-expansions, and to me, that feels like a great factor.
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