Unironically the worst expansion the game has ever had and I say that as someone who came in at the end of Stormblood. Definitely the first expansion I've ever actually skipped cutscenes in and I powered through all 120+ Post-ARR quests before they downsized them without skipping a single one. It was genuinely the first area that made me think "oh I know exactly how this fucking expansion is gonna go" and lo & behold -
spoiler
"Yes, Wuk Lamat is the ideal Dawnservant because she...likes people...no stop asking me why all my children are fucking idiots Warrior of Light - also guess what all your favorite Scions are here for no reason just so you can have them in Duty Support".
Didn't even mind the off-screening of Krile's whole part of the expansion (I hate her, god please can we trade her back for Lyse....) but LOL yeah the last trial was ridiculously directed for English VA and yet, even if it had been a perfectly voiced line, I'm so tired of the cringe "Wait Warrior of Light let me help you!!" final trial second phase that we've gotten two expansions in a row. (actually technically three if you count a certain someone in Seat of Sacrifice LOL)
To make matters worse though, I'm like 99.9% sure that with all the Wuk Lamat focused backlash, the next expansion will be even more of the Scions spoonfed to you - which uh...sure I don't mind most of the Scions but CBU3 apparently hates having any unique characters take center stage in a dungeon or trial or the plot. I actually miss the random Scion Conjurer, Thaumaturge, Healer, etc NPCs that were used for Pre-Stormblood content because at least then it felt like I was just taking a group of actual fighters with me instead of wondering why the fuck Y'shtola is even here and why the fuck she can cast Cure as a Black Mage DPS...
You may want to put a lot of that in spoiler thingies, just in case.
That said...
spoiler
I appreciated the attempt at a "now we're on vacation, time for some more upbeat story beats and some meeting and greeting people in their distant land" expansion approach, but considering the world gets threatened by the end again (and other worlds too for that matter, thanks Spheeeeeene), old habits in the writing did kick in by the end.
This may be fightin' words between us, but apart from the repeated "speak to Wuk Lamat again" approach to the game play and some lackluster performances during key moments that really needed more energy, I liked Wuk Lamat overall, at least in intention and in broad strokes of the character idea and story arc, though I assume she's going to get sidelined pretty hard because of overall player backlash. She didn't even place 10th in the Japanese popularity poll for the expansion while the guy that apologized constantly and instantly corrected himself was near the top of the charts. Also, Bakool Ja Ja has a large and startlingly horny fandom now.
If it helps, some localizations delivered her lines pretty well when they counted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCWF8MYARkM
Yeah it wasn't Wuk Lamat herself that really got me, I didn't think the character was horrible - it was just the tediousness of the 100 quests being 90% fetch/speak to X person quests, which aren't really an issue when it is just a text cutscene because I will happy smash 0 on my numpad until every line has been uttered and the cutscene is over & read it in the chatbox - but the voice acted ones where you can only progress a single line at a time and have to wait for their animations to finish....ergh.
Like 30+ quests where you and Wuk Lamat and/or the Scions have 2 minute long cutscene to discuss something that was quite literally already mentioned. Why god why...and sadly, it is pretty par for the course for the game. Like I've had a bunch of people in my FC share this VG post
Show
And every time I'm like "yeah that's the entirety of the MSQ just switch Wuk Lamat with your choice of Scion or Zenos".
Honestly I group her with Y'shtola and Graha - since they all share essentially the same purpose when it comes to the story.
WoL encounters a problem > Krile/Graha/Y'shtola has a magical solution > Yay we solved it.
I suppose the reason I dislike Krile more than Graha (although he is certainly up there - I am absolutely one of those 'I liked him more as the Exarch' players) or Y'shtola is because they have a lot more personality than just "magical know-it-all" and honestly, ever since like 6.0 Krile has taken a lot more of that role whereas Y'shtola can only be bothered if it is some sort of portal. Honestly think the whole reason they gave her PCT and yet fell flat on her whole part of Dawntrail was specifically because she has literally been a one-note character for 4 expansions but even then.. Honestly as a lala player I think I just get annoyed at how every living lalafell is either a cutesy know-it-all that is easily frightened (Tataru, Krile) or just irredeemably evil (basically every other lalafell else except Raubahn's adopted son) - there's basically no middle ground.
spoiler
I will say for the record though that I would've gladly traded the entirety of hot bunny boy and his hot bunny mommy's Dawntrail plot for the same amount of quests focused on Krile's parents and rightfully so, because what the fuck Square Enix you give us like 10 quests where he's being sad because his mom is dead but Krile's reveal was essentially off-screened; very cool let's go get them some ice cream Wuk Lamat - but still, she is probably my most disliked Scion lol
It IS but all my lalafellin rage is powered by the fact that every mount I use looks like the baby version. Anytime I'm in Frontline and dare to use Raigo some Hyur or Roegadyn will come up beside me like and I realize why Mhach washed Amdapor off the map.
Unironically the worst expansion the game has ever had and I say that as someone who came in at the end of Stormblood. Definitely the first expansion I've ever actually skipped cutscenes in and I powered through all 120+ Post-ARR quests before they downsized them without skipping a single one. It was genuinely the first area that made me think "oh I know exactly how this fucking expansion is gonna go" and lo & behold -
spoiler
"Yes, Wuk Lamat is the ideal Dawnservant because she...likes people...no stop asking me why all my children are fucking idiots Warrior of Light - also guess what all your favorite Scions are here for no reason just so you can have them in Duty Support".
Didn't even mind the off-screening of Krile's whole part of the expansion (I hate her, god please can we trade her back for Lyse....) but LOL yeah the last trial was ridiculously directed for English VA and yet, even if it had been a perfectly voiced line, I'm so tired of the cringe "Wait Warrior of Light let me help you!!" final trial second phase that we've gotten two expansions in a row.
(actually technically three if you count a certain someone in Seat of Sacrifice LOL)
To make matters worse though, I'm like 99.9% sure that with all the Wuk Lamat focused backlash, the next expansion will be even more of the Scions spoonfed to you - which uh...sure I don't mind most of the Scions but CBU3 apparently hates having any unique characters take center stage in a dungeon or trial or the plot. I actually miss the random Scion Conjurer, Thaumaturge, Healer, etc NPCs that were used for Pre-Stormblood content because at least then it felt like I was just taking a group of actual fighters with me instead of wondering why the fuck Y'shtola is even here and why the fuck she can cast Cure as a Black Mage DPS...
You may want to put a lot of that in spoiler thingies, just in case.
That said...
spoiler
I appreciated the attempt at a "now we're on vacation, time for some more upbeat story beats and some meeting and greeting people in their distant land" expansion approach, but considering the world gets threatened by the end again (and other worlds too for that matter, thanks Spheeeeeene), old habits in the writing did kick in by the end.
This may be fightin' words between us, but apart from the repeated "speak to Wuk Lamat again" approach to the game play and some lackluster performances during key moments that really needed more energy, I liked Wuk Lamat overall, at least in intention and in broad strokes of the character idea and story arc, though I assume she's going to get sidelined pretty hard because of overall player backlash. She didn't even place 10th in the Japanese popularity poll for the expansion while the guy that apologized constantly and instantly corrected himself was near the top of the charts. Also, Bakool Ja Ja has a large and startlingly horny fandom now.
If it helps, some localizations delivered her lines pretty well when they counted. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCWF8MYARkM
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Yeah it wasn't Wuk Lamat herself that really got me, I didn't think the character was horrible - it was just the tediousness of the 100 quests being 90% fetch/speak to X person quests, which aren't really an issue when it is just a text cutscene because I will happy smash 0 on my numpad until every line has been uttered and the cutscene is over & read it in the chatbox - but the voice acted ones where you can only progress a single line at a time and have to wait for their animations to finish....ergh.
Like 30+ quests where you and Wuk Lamat and/or the Scions have 2 minute long cutscene to discuss something that was quite literally already mentioned. Why god why...and sadly, it is pretty par for the course for the game. Like I've had a bunch of people in my FC share this VG post
And every time I'm like "yeah that's the entirety of the MSQ just switch Wuk Lamat with your choice of Scion or Zenos".
Feels like shit just want Ysayle back...
spoiler
I feel the same way about Moenbryda, but at least there was some closure with her parents and Urianger in Endwalker.
The best characters get killed before they even see through the expansion - happens every time. At least
spoiler
Papalymo
got to see two
Since we're on the subject, may I ask why you don't like Krile? It's not a loaded question, I promise.
Honestly I group her with Y'shtola and Graha - since they all share essentially the same purpose when it comes to the story.
WoL encounters a problem > Krile/Graha/Y'shtola has a magical solution > Yay we solved it.
I suppose the reason I dislike Krile more than Graha (although he is certainly up there - I am absolutely one of those 'I liked him more as the Exarch' players) or Y'shtola is because they have a lot more personality than just "magical know-it-all" and honestly, ever since like 6.0 Krile has taken a lot more of that role whereas Y'shtola can only be bothered if it is some sort of portal. Honestly think the whole reason they gave her PCT and yet fell flat on her whole part of Dawntrail was specifically because she has literally been a one-note character for 4 expansions but even then.. Honestly as a lala player I think I just get annoyed at how every living lalafell is either a cutesy know-it-all that is easily frightened (Tataru, Krile) or just irredeemably evil (basically every other lalafell else except Raubahn's adopted son) - there's basically no middle ground.
spoiler
I will say for the record though that I would've gladly traded the entirety of hot bunny boy and his hot bunny mommy's Dawntrail plot for the same amount of quests focused on Krile's parents and rightfully so, because what the fuck Square Enix you give us like 10 quests where he's being sad because his mom is dead but Krile's reveal was essentially off-screened; very cool let's go get them some ice cream Wuk Lamat - but still, she is probably my most disliked Scion lol
I wonder if you'd like if Charity Nineheart was a canon story character.
https://www.youtube.com/@CiderSpider
I suppose I just really like "GET DRILLED, IDIOT!" as a Mechanist catchphrase.
It IS but all my lalafellin rage is powered by the fact that every mount I use looks like the baby version. Anytime I'm in Frontline and dare to use Raigo some Hyur or Roegadyn will come up beside me like
and I realize why Mhach washed Amdapor off the map.
I think I understand; it's "GET DRILLED, IDIOT!" but Black Mage edition.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: