FFXIV: Endwalker Edited Journal

I could not make heads or tails on what to write about this weird ass Final Fantasy XIV expansion . So instead of writing something, I edited my notes and pulled my screenshots. Enjoy!

***Spoilers for Endwalker***

Made a bunny boi that looked entirely different than my last character. However, there is no way to have any body types outside of twink or twunk. I wish I could play as someone who looked like me. But that is impossible so I have to settle for a blue haired with white highlights (because I am a white mage) twink. Glorious.

Music reminds me of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles *check Composer. Kumi Tanioka. Dang.

Garlemald was attacked very hard by the succession of the empire.

Music is good so far. Quest chime is way fucking better than shadowbringers which used to scare the shit out of me.

I needed to sort out my fucking inventory. I almost thought about paying 2 dollars a month in order to get more space. But fuck that. I need to get rid of shit.

Okay if you just sell all your crafted stuff that is the best option. DUH. I need a lot of money. A lot of players were playing so my stock went quickly.

Is Tartaru paid well? She needs to be.

When will Alphuand hit puberty?

Someone might die? “Ha” — me from the future

Hydaelyn is shifty as hell.

Oh shit the Sharlayan’s are just evil bureaucrats.

Y’shtola is a fascist apologist.

I hate that the game is horny for Krile.

I really like Sharlayan music and location. It is a good aesthetic. I believe Neo Classical? I know next to nothing about architecture.

Party members following you around is very interesting. I like how each expansion increases the interactions with the other scions and NPCS.

When should an MMO be an MMO or Single Player Narratives? What do I like?

Why is this one area in Sharlayan Called Journey’s End????

Is G’raha Tia a fan of naps because he is a cat boi?

Nope just called nap rooms.

Holy shit the Forum is the UN. And “radical” is people who believe in direct intervention and “democracy”.

There is an aetheryte that will let people teleport to any attuned one even if they are not attuned. This could break this world or I will never see a boat again.

Lots of Bunny Bois online, I get it.

Alisaie is sad about losing her title. Duh.

Garlemand allows “local culture”. Roman History was a hell of a drug.

This is just a metaphor for climate change. DUH.

You are telling me that 99 bureaucrats are hiding important information from their nation?

Listening to people talk about books they read sucks as a questline.

These people love to fucking gossip. Fucking nerds.

Music is good.

God the father is actually going to love his children and the venom he used against his kids was an act. — “ha” me from the future.

Sharlayan is filled with artifact stealers like Hobby Lobby.

I am liking these strange interludes voiced by Emet Selk? I refuse to look up who is speaking. Okay this artificial garden is neat. It hides underneath the city.

Krile is hearing the light.

Why is my character not telling her what just happened?

These people are shaddy as fuck.

They even speak like assholes.

They are for sure building an ark to escape the final days. -“ha”.

Gleaners should rise up in protest.

Erenville is a smart bunny boi.

The Forum is super Neo LIberal.

Krille is now the voice of Hydaelyn. She gave me a flower. Minfilla and someone else is going to help me in the end. -close

Master Fourchenault is a dick.

We are now discussing fund transfers to defend ourselves in an investigation.

A nation that is filled with “I like books” sort of people.

Alisaie and Alphuand’s mother seems chill. Don’t know why she doesn’t devoice fucking Fourchenault. Ameliance is her name. She likes that her children are in love with me.

The twins got a new fit. Pretty good. Alpuanid got the sage weapons.What is up with having benevolent rich people helping you out?

“Aplomb” — fuck, really? Fuck of Koji Fox.

Kytte is going to kill us. My character is now dressed like an anime girl.

Oh god. Don’t make the Indian coded people as the world’s swindlers. -they avoid this thankfully

Government is failing. -same

The satrap rules Radz-at-Han only in situations that need mediation. The country is ruled by the people.

The aesthetics of Tavnair is very good.

Okay so I am trying to understand what is the character of Flandieral. He seems to just be self-destruction personified. But he had a thing about money in the post Shadowbringers quests. I know he wants to just kill everything to bring about the final days. But damn.

Hamsas are strange dodoos. My character rides them weirdly.

Amon? Who?

Apparently Flandainel was someone named Amon who ruled the alleganes. Okay so he is Darth Nihilism. That is it.

They got Nidhana, I hate Flandainel.

Tower of Zot going get got.

Strange being in a free company solo. But not too bad.

Where the fuck is Tartaru? It is cool that everyone else is here and hanging out. But there should be more situations where Tartaru gets to do stuff. She is great at crafting stuff. The MSQ is only just about combat. What the hell.

Everyone got the talismans.

Vrtra is a knowledgeable dragon. Did not want to fight the dragon song war.

Midgardsormr does not talk because he respects me. Which means he will show up sometime to do something. -he does not :(

Killed Daniel on the moon and thus the final days started.

The game is a lot better now that it is about little moon bunnies saving the world in an ark.

Game is better when it is just Final Fantasy 4.

The Final Days in general is more compelling without a front-facing villain vs Daniel being the villain. -“ha”

Story is a lot darker when it is the final days and the stakes are very clear. People’s emotion, governed by Aska energy, causes them to turn into abominations.

Returning to the first reflection for the story was a great touch. Nice to see Rin have a connection to Hydaelyn in some way.

Going back to the past is wild. I do not care about the emotional struggles of the Ascians in a broad sense. But the characters of Hermes, Emet, and Hythlodaeus are fun to hang around. Even if I hate Emet and feel zero remorse about him dying.

The locations are all extremely cool too

Wait, is Hermès’ flaw that he cared too much about life? -kinda?

Unlike everyone else?

Hermes revealing his staff was funny.

They keep calling their race mankind which is interesting.

Metiron falls into nihilism and becomes the cause of the final days.

Watching Venat is cool. She is a great character. Elips was really cool.

Going back to Garlemald sucks dick.

Moenbryda’s ghost finally put to rest with Urianger talking to her parents. Urianger finally is able to lead confidently.

Tataru has been done dirty in Endwalker. Barely gets anything to do until the end, even then it is not enough.

The twins’ mother funded the scions from the jump.

Did Nero’s voice actor quit or something? He says nothing which is the exact opposite of who he is.

Spaceship is cool: Ragnarok.

Ultima Thule is a dead star.

A reflection of the star where the dragons were from is on Ultima Thule. They were invaded and killed.

The Ea also live here. They are ghosts. Some are traditionalists who only want to die with a body instead of being unmade.

Y’shtola is dying for the third time. Wonder if she is coming back for the third time?

They all will come back of course.

They all died ha.

Going through the past worlds and how they ended was cool.

Fuck you Zenos.

I would rather everyone die than get his help.

There was one tank who kept getting fucking hit by the planets.

I hate Zenos so fucking much even though I know like 30% of the fans want to ride that fascist dick.

Now he is dead thank god.

Disbanding the Scions in name is not a bad fresh start.

With endwalker being the peak of final fantasy excitement it will be interesting to see what happens in the future and how it manifests.

I want my Stardew valley island.

Side notes:

I love the liminal space dungeon. Great music with fun aesthetics.

I am so excited to craft and gather in these new areas more than anything.

Overall:

This expansion is filled with the fascist apologia I hate in the game. However, the moments of hope and community in the face of despair are very 2021. The pandemic may not manifest in the stories literally but the emotional pain is reflected very heavily. Now, did I need Endwalker to be this long? No. Did their workers need to work in ungodly conditions to ship an expansion every 2 years? Even before Covid it was hard enough to make a game let alone an MMO. The expansion is bigger in scope and story. One can only hope that their experience and team size relieved the stress. However, it would be naive to assume that is the situation without evidence. Undoubtedly people have suffered greatly from the development. Even for an expansion I mostly loved, it was not worth it. The Scions overcame despair with hope, a sensation that is near impossible to come by in this world. But one that is sorely needed.