Within the wake of saving the universe from a time-ending calamity, the query that is still for the world of Remaining Fantasy XIV after the occasions of 2021’s Endwalker enlargement is: How will we transfer on? This query units up the quests instantly following Endwalker’s climax to grow to be an arc that completely acts as an epilogue to every part that got here earlier than, punctuated by a wonderful 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 a terrific blueprint for the way forward for the sport.
To get it out of the best way, I do know I’m late to the social gathering. As I’ve documented already, I’ve lately been making my approach by FF14’s many expansions and haven’t fairly made it to Dawntrail but. Put up-expansion patch quests are nothing new. As expansions sometimes have two to a few years between them, the workforce at Sq. Enix doles out smaller story and content material updates to tide gamers over. With previous expansions, these patch quests have usually labored in two components. The primary wraps up the story of the previous enlargement and the second units up the subsequent. For Endwalker’s patch quests, the workforce had a singular alternative to buck that formulation, because the enlargement’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 dangerous for Warriors of Gentle to take care of. However, in order to not begin fully from scratch, the story offers with the Void, a world engulfed by darkness that has come up sometimes up to now. It’s a setting that has at all times appeared prime for an enlargement, 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 known as the First, which was engulfed by mild and on the point of dying, however could possibly be pulled again with our assist. Right here, nevertheless, we’re confronted with a world that our infinite heroics can’t do a lot for. It’s there that we encounter considered 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 a lot of her reminiscences, and her humanity with it. After 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 infinite cycle of struggling with little to justify it. But as a result of she can not 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 your complete MMO’s story as much as that time, the Endwalker patches relegate your hero, the Warrior of Gentle, to a supporting position. That is Zero’s story, and it’s a very good one. After spending a complete enlargement crammed with existential dread and defeatism, serving to somebody who has given up hope for a greater life is extremely cathartic. It’s mainly a narrative about studying the facility of friendship, a cliché concept if ever there was one, but it surely does this with sharp writing and fantastic character moments for its main girl, and let’s be actual, Remaining Fantasy has by no means been refined 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 downside that the patch quests’ major villain has, but it surely’s additionally one that everyone attempting to get again to a traditional life goes by. That is finest exemplified whenever you go to the individuals of Garlemald, a now-fallen nation that lengthy served because the MMO’s evil empire. Now, they’re underneath occupation from you and your allies, and when you have the perfect intentions, they’re not so prepared to just accept your assist. Either side must put apart their satisfaction to maneuver ahead collectively, as it’s the solely approach they will each rebuild. The state of affairs 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 top 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 massive 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 fully, 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 influence and journey worthy of a full Remaining Fantasy 14 enlargement. Following Endwalker, I nearly hoped that smaller, extra centered 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 enlargement, Dawntrail. However based mostly on what I’ve been listening to about its construction, it might at occasions really feel extra such as you’re taking part in a collection of episodic mini-expansions, and to me, that feels like a very good factor.
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