A lot of folks asking who drew the Garrett & Kyle portraits. That would be Rozaline! twitter.com/RozalineBun You can find those portraits and our end of SB print available on our new shop! garrettandkyle.myspreadshop.com/
Doesn’t matter how many ppl bitch, I’ll say it again and again... The way we look back on ARR and appreciate what they set up for Heavensward is the way I look back at Stormblood... but it set up TWO BANGERS of expansions!! It may have seemed like it was a bit slow going through it but when u get to the end of everything it set up, u realize just how good both Stormblood and ARR truly were. Great job guys 👏 GG
That's how I've always viewed it. It was good on it's own but the setup that it did for two absolutely amazing expansions after was crucial and they wouldn't have hit nearly as hard without SB there. And that's only talking the story, the raid content was some of the best I've ever experienced in the game to date. There's plenty to love about SB.
I'm pretty sure someone mentioned this in one of your livestreams, but the portraits for certain characters during dungeons are actually a new feature from Endwalker back-ported to previous expansions in an ongoing rollout. This kind of thing is one of the reasons I'm so confident in the developers of this game - they don't just forget everything that came before the latest content. It might take them a while to fully implement it since they have a lot on their plates, but it does feel like they have a goal of pushing quality of life updates to the whole game so that even new players can experience the changes. Because of this, I'm really looking forward to seeing the extent of the planned 7.0 graphical update, as at bare minimum, it should significantly raise the quality of the PS3 era content visuals.
Yes! Not only do they work their asses of with consistent patch content, they have always worked on making the rough parts of the game better since the very beginning.
Just expand on the 7.0 graphical update. Only the new parts and important characters will have the new update. The previous expansions will have the updates in 7.X patches. This was laid out in one Live Letter with the timeline of the future patches.
@@cifercero Well, that's true, but they're also prioritizing the character creation presets, and a lot of early game NPCs are built with the same tool players use, so rando NPCs might actually look better than some customized, but less important story NPCs at first. They said they're prioritizing gear resolution boosts based on how many players use the gear as well, so presumably big parts of the game will be hit up front, with more of the outlier stuff cleaned up as the patches roll out. Honestly I think the single biggest thing they could do to improve early game is to check what basic gear is being used in cut scenes and prioritize that as well, because the games seams show the most when they zoom the camera in close enough for the really low-resolution armor sets to start macroblocking. For me that completely takes me out of the experience and I'm suddenly paying more attention to the blocky armor than what's being said. But the game has been like that for a while, and they'll eventually get to all of it, so whatever order they do, the fact that they're doing it is most important.
@@HawkEyeTS Maybe tbey could use the old 1.0 models for the ARR gear? Most, if not all were way better back then(the current versions of them are lower res as part of the transition to 2.0), the current average specs should be able to handle it now.
13:40 This perspective here showcases just how absolutely massive Zenos is. He towers over Hien. 17:08 "He's roleplaying the thicc booty." That one made laugh and scare my cat. 39:40 Poor Garrett. He is so done with Kyle's bizarre spaceman logic. 45:22 Until they make current Coils savage and add an easier normal mode pugs can do so they don't hit that, fail, and quit because they can't proceed it won't be made required. Your whole ending montage with the Stormblood music was very touching and a splendid way to end an expansion. When the Stormblood music kicked into high gear I got full body chills.
God I love your "Probably Wrong Theory Time", it takes me back to my FCs discord erupting into 100s of messages after the patches with just all the off-the-wall wild theories they could come up with. Fun times :D
Garrett is on Team Stormblood is Underrated! Varis is on the Thordan plan! Everytime you ask a question and I can picture the exact scene where it is answered I laugh.
I'm glad someone said the thing I've been saying about stormblood. You need STB to make the war feel like a real thing. It's the first time we see real battlefields. The little skirmishes with the empire don't really show you the scale or give you the feel of proper war
Man, I love your screenshots at the end, really shows the journey it's been and that each part has been meaningful even if it's "side content". I hope you continue onwards into shadowbringers with as much fervor and wizened naivety. Keep up the amazing content!
I think y’all hit the nail on the head on the thing I love most about this game. It knows when to pay something off immediately and it knows when to hold things off for later. And that’s what I find so gripping about the plot and lore, it never tells you everything always just enough to keep the mystery going and allows you space to piece things together yourself.
I love hearing your theories. Sometimes you're way off the mark, sometimes you hit a bullseye. Looking forward to your reactions as the story unfolds 😀
the creepy face in shadows was also done for Yotsuyu like 2-3 times (when she was shooting gosetsu while he was holding the doma keep and when she was stabbing her parents), seems to be a "it's genocidin' time" face
StB was the expansion that got me truly invested in the story. HW was good but I didn't get a fav character until Alisaie in SB. All the characters were just so good! ShB is great and EW is my fav but I will always have a soft spot for StB.
Aside on forerunner/precursor races- I think "Outer Wilds" did an outstanding job with this. I highly recommend giving the game a go- one of the best single player experiences I have had.
People often misunderstand stormblood. While arr and heavensward were more like straight lines stormblood is more like a circus tent or a pyramid, you wont see its majesty until after you've set up the foundation and stabilized eveything but while you're doing all that its gonna look like a messy construction site but its all vital and its nice to see why its able to stand under so many elements. Also, I would like to challenge what you said about not having a special power or effect in stormblood. Arr had the echo and heavensward had middy but in stormblood our relationship with zenos is our power he has a desire to see us grow which is why he retreats not because he couldn't single handedly slaughter us but because he wants to stoke the fire of our rage that we can offer a greater hunt later that also helps inspire the people to rebel as when they see you fight against the garleans they feel emboldened
41:20 I love how the FF14 devs are wishing us to enjoy Shadowbringers, through Zenos : "A pity Your hunt leads You elsewhere. Not that I am surprised...May You find joy in it, grow stronger, more savage, and savour every Triumph"
I 100% agree with your summary of Stormblood as a "better Realm Reborn". Stormblood is an expansion that, for me personally, grew on me more the further I progressed from it. Shadowbringers and Endwalker are definitely stronger experiences but they owe a lot to both ARR and Stormblood in setting up all the pieces that are payed off so well. I'm really excited to follow your journey into Shadowbringers. No matter what your predictions are, I'm sure you'll enjoy the story to come. BTW the Stormblood main theme you used in the outro will never fail to give me chills! Loyalty! Unity! Liberty!
Also echoing this. For me 2.0 - 6.0 form 2 distinct but interwoven trilogies, ARR/StB/EW and HW/ShB/EW where the story and themes build off of the last and are improvements overall from their predecessors.
One great small detail about this patch, is they mention they're going to the conjurer's guild and alchemist guild to look for help for the fallen scions. You can go to the leaders of those guilds and get new dialogue related to it. Not sure if you have to have done those profession quests or not to see it.
I think the thing that I love so much about the solo duty with Hien is how well it makes you, the Warrior of Light, feel so powerful and important to the world and characters. The fact that these characters don't really have much of a chance to win against Zenos and you are playing as them while they are just delaying as long as possible for you to arrive and save the day.
Althroughout the game you're told how amazing you are, how strong/magically inclined and whatever. In a dungeon or raid you are with a few people as strong as you. That single instance to me showed it better than anyone else just HOW much better then others you are. Movies do it easily but only a few games do this, and it is so well done here.
@@Chopin124 I like to call this the 'broke jobless lalafell problem'. Every cutscene with you in it has to be written, directed, and shot with the possibility in mind that you are a tiny-ass lalafell with no money and any job possible, which is another way of saying no job at all. It's kinda limiting onwhat they can feasibly have you do in a cutscene, but the alternative would involve making so many variations of the same cutscenes, I can see that getting way more expensive than it's worth.
@@Anergyne Especially as they add more jobs to the game, which would force them to add new versions of the same cutscenes every expansion, lest they risk having players complain about them being lazy. They have enough problems to make custom animations to NPCs, making them for player characters for EVERY job is a recipe for disaster.
on the note of farewell stormblood, personally it's my second favorite expansion, i absolutely loved every aspect of it. thick politics is what I live for, and oh boy is it thick. I did base 4.0 in like 5 days, and it's been a great journey to watch you go both go through it. can't wait to see what you're cooking up for shallowbringers
#1 Stay Safe Garrett! #2 I’m just so excited for you two! So much squeeee right now. Lastly, I did the solo duty as Paladin, and that was pretty epic as well. Such a beautiful job.
I highly suggest the art books if you're the type. New books come with minion codes, and they have artwork of the different equipment sets throughout the expansion so they make glam planning a lot easier.
I remember standing up at the end of the Elidi-Zenos fight and shouting "You disappoint me, Ascian!" He really didn't know how to pilot that body, and it shows. As a Warrior I didn't even take avoidable damage, it was so simple.
Editing is top notch as usual! I love hearing "sprouts" speculating as it brings a new perspective to the story and still even makes me rethink some of my interpretations.
Every line you guys speak just makes me more excited for you to see what is to come. I'm more sure now than ever before that you're going to love where the game goes from here. Keep taking your time and enjoy it.
This fight against Zenos is low-key one of the best parts of the story, because it's where the plot really starts treating the WoL as a distinct character. Until this point, the WoL has always been a background character, there to help drive the stories of the actual protagonists (Alphinaud, Lyse, Alisaie, etc.) They could have been replaced by a sufficiently skilled squad of faceless goons, and it wouldn't have changed much. Other echo-users could have defeated the primals in ARR, Midgardsormr could have chosen to accompany Alphinaud in HW, and like you said, the WoL is just a soldier in Stormblood. But here, the Warrior of Light *specifically* is the only one who can go toe-to-toe with Zenos. The best Hien, Lyse and Yugiri (all very Protagonist in their own rights) can do is hold out and wait for the WoL to arrive.
it's not really like that though, I mean after you destroy Ultima you're considered the "Champion of Eorzea" by the 3 city states, and despite what happens toward the end of ARR IIRC Limsa and Gridania still recognize you as such and fully believe you've been set up, Heavensward effectively lets you clear your name while also getting another city state to consider you their Champion. Where Stormblood changes things up, at least once you've liberated Doma, is that the people around you are now really looking up to you as their light in the darkness, and it inspires them to fight for what they believe in, it's not just you and the scions anymore, half the known world is on your side fighting for the same goal.
@@scotty110 I'm not talking about the titles the WoL has in the lore, I'm talking about they're used as a character by the story structure. The WoL as an individual also doesn't matter in post-ARR, it's all about the Scions as a group. And even in post-Stormblood, the WoL (liberator or not) has zero impact on the story. It's all politics being handled by Lyse/Hien/the Alliance.
Re: the game feeling like Stormblood all the way through 4.56, if you look at the cutscene viewer in the Inn the post-expansion sections are generally divided into two. For example, HW is "Dragonsong War" (3.1-3.3) and "Post-Dragonsong War" (3.4-3.55) This division is also the same for Shadowbringers (5.1-5.3/5.4-5.55). This isn't the case for Stormblood, where 4.1-4.56 are all listed in one block as "Post-Stormblood."
On the “Own up to the fact you were spoiled on G’Raha Tia.” People seem to forget that when Shadowbringers was being teased, trailered, ect. There was never any question on who that was. We watched the Live Letter when they teased that character and all took a collective, “Oh welcome back, G’Raha.”
Did we? I remember going on a whole mental trip with pictures and strings pinned to corkboards working out who the F the Exarch was meant to be. Last time I'd seen the boy it was years prior in a side quest, I didn't even remember his name, never mind his deal.
Great video as usual! I feel like a broken record saying that, but you two just do such a great job. Glad you enjoyed Stormblood. Now we get to look forward to even more adventures!
Really great video boys! Love the montage at the end with the Yanxia music playing in the background, brings a tear to the eye :p Which is apt considering Shadowbringers is on your horizon....
I think the thing about Elidibus in the Old and New section (why he acts like that) is better explained in future stories! Though I guess you already expected that. Edit: Dang! I can't wait you guys doing Shadowbringers, but more than that I can't wait for the next "interpretations" and retrospection!
Been looking forward to this point for a long time but gotta say, every time someone gets to ShB the wait between videos feels so much longer because of that anticipation. Can't wait to see how story beats new and returning hit you guys. Especially given a handful of observations and speculations in this video.
After the reveal of Garlemald being founded by an Ascian, I'd say it's a fun exercise to go back to Gaius' big speech during the Praetorium and replace "Eorzea" with "Garlemald" as it fits remarkably well.
Left a like because of the obvious effort put into making the video.. nice editing and makes me wish I had the skills to do this to remember my own adventure in this game :)
Oh, those were really well made portraits for the two of you! Following by the Zenos "faces" was comedy gold though! Also, stay safe out there Garrett, hope the hurricane is very uneventful for you.
Again we feast on runtime! I think Lyse suffers from Stormblood's pacing more than anything. You mentioned it got split between what seemed like two seperate expack plots, and so you wind up forgetting about Lyse half the time, only remembering that when she was introduced she didn't seem like much and all the things she does to make her character grow happens off camera while your attention is elsewhere. P.S. Hien goes toe to toe with Ascian powered Zenos and holds his own. Usually you're dead before you draw your sword, and the WoL needs the echo to take him on. Hein is a badass.
I am glad they appreciate Storm Blood as much as they did and had a lot of good memories with it. It's an expansion that asks a bit of the player in terms of how much you should be investing in the story but once you do it is well rewarded. I was definitely one of those people that thought the MSQ during SB was a bit of a slog but have since come around to it like Garret has. Well iirc I think Garret had an open mind to it even during the start but just kind of checked out here and there during some dialogue pieces
This is what got me back into FFXIV after taking a break back then! The hype of the trailer got me to resub! After 4.6 I was hooked to FFXIV forever. It had a death grip on me. I can't wait for y'all to see just how far FFXIV can go! Trust me, it's worth every step. Enjoy the ride guys!
I'm really, really happy to hear that you enjoyed your experience with Stormblood, Garrett. Not because I personally love it so much (omg do I); I'm just always happy to see players take it in for what it is, and enjoy what I think is FFXIV's most unique story expansion so far. You two are going to love ShB, but you don't get that without this coming first.
I'm just absolutely giddy watching this. I really feel the game continues to get better not only because the developers are improving but because of the build that you guys were talking about, the world-building and character-building that (mostly) stays true to their ARR-and-beyond origins. Now you're going into a new expansion with already a deep appreciation and love for these characters like Alisaie and the other scions, and that's such a powerful beginning to any story. That's 75% of why it's so good, IMO.
i appreciate you guys and your work on the channel so much. we're also having a historical storm over on the other side of the globe too, hope you'll stay safe garrett!
you guys pick up on so much it’s really great to watch your journey live and in your retrospectives! i’m getting new details i never noticed in like 3 full play throughs and it’s so cool
Listening to you two talking about your experiences with playing through the game that I love has been a treat. Subbed. Be safe, Travelers and wanderers.
Been watching your videos for months and can finally continue them from my office at work, been loving every minute of your adventures and shenanigans! Hope you're doing alright, Garrett. I'm going on day 8 of no power and debatably clean water at my home in Cape Coral lol.
I think it’s interesting how you guys experience the going through the story without the waiting. Some of these things are still really fresh and others get lost in even bigger story points, it’s interesting to see what you guys retain and what you forget. For me watching it’s like watching a series over again and I’m spotting things I missed!
I love your analysis so much I'm so happy ya'll taking your time 💖💖. I love making theories like this and do so every expansion. I love stormblood story and raids so soooo much but the msg pacing hurts so extremely bad I can't even make myself watch it.
We need those dialogue portraits of Garrett & Kyle to return in future videos... they'd also make pretty cool emotes. Enjoying the speculation since you guys are playing at a better pace than I did in retrospect. Part of the appeal of re-watching is picking up all the details because they do such a good job of connecting it all and keeping everything relevant.
First time I encountered that astroplate when we were "called" made me think "Oh, we are doing Kingdom Hearts now? Where's my stained glass mugshot?". LOL
I don't always watch these video to completion, so it is possible you all mentioned this at some point through the MSQ, but one of my favorite Stormblood moments was when we got to face Hypertuned Grynwaht (Doma Castle). I truly believe that was some of the best voice acting from the entire expansion. The VA could have just delivered his lines all blasé, but he cranks it up to 11, and it'd just so refreshing to hear him going all out. Solid performance from a character who was hounding us each step of the way.
congrats on getting to SHB! this is such a great video to send off stormblood, which i've come to agree with you both totally about in terms of the slow beginning but definitely being a solid expansion overall. thank you guys again for sharing your journey with us!! (also hope you stay safe out there with the storm!!!)
That last couple minutes with the screenshots made me tear up. I think the end of Heavensward was the first time I felt like I had finished a journey, but Stormblood's very end was the first time I felt like I lived a journey. That Storm of Blood motif hits me every single time it pops up outside of Kugane. Very underrated expansion. I've been playing since 2.0 launch pretty much nonstop and honestly 4.3-4.5 was the most exciting portion of the MSQ for me. Glad you guys had so much fun with it.
I always tell people that Stormblood is when FFXIV became good. Content wise HW was just more of AAR. Stormblood is when they really hammed up the variety and made the game just more fun to play and hang out in. Story wise, yea Stormblood doesn't have some of the heights heavensward reaches. But Stormblood, much like post ARR really makes the world of Final Fantasy XIV feel big and interconnected.
I feel like a broken record. "Another awesome video!" every time. But it's true! So I'll just add that I loved the little screenshot replay at the end. I've been watching you two since Heavensward, so those were super fun to re-watch and remember.
A lot of folks asking who drew the Garrett & Kyle portraits. That would be Rozaline! twitter.com/RozalineBun
You can find those portraits and our end of SB print available on our new shop! garrettandkyle.myspreadshop.com/
I love that Tuna is in full battle dress and Val is in comfy casual. It's like it's taken straight from a dungeon run.
I've really been enjoying these. Great work gents.
Jesse Cox the Prophet has blessed this video. ;u;
\o/
Man Jesse it's so insane to think about that you were just this clueless about the story 2 years ago. How time flies!
Elidibus doesn't drop character until he has done the dvd commentary.
He’s a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude!
lmaooo
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
He doesn't read scripts, scripts read him.
When Kyle said "Welcome to shadowbringers" I just thought, yep, get ready to hear that multiple times from chat...
They going to get like $5000 in superchats just saying "Welcome to Shadowbringers" when the real Welcome to Shadowbringers scene happens.
🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂
🙂🙂🙂🙂
😊😊😊😊
I always cringe so hard when people do that. That moment is not even that representative of the rest of the expansion.
Doesn’t matter how many ppl bitch, I’ll say it again and again... The way we look back on ARR and appreciate what they set up for Heavensward is the way I look back at Stormblood... but it set up TWO BANGERS of expansions!! It may have seemed like it was a bit slow going through it but when u get to the end of everything it set up, u realize just how good both Stormblood and ARR truly were. Great job guys 👏 GG
I still love ARR. it definitely lacks polish, but- at least for me- it did a great job building the world and getting me invested in it.
That's how I've always viewed it. It was good on it's own but the setup that it did for two absolutely amazing expansions after was crucial and they wouldn't have hit nearly as hard without SB there. And that's only talking the story, the raid content was some of the best I've ever experienced in the game to date. There's plenty to love about SB.
I love ARR and SB so much. SO MUCH.
ARR > EW > SB > HW > SHB > 1.0
FFXIV = GGOAT
I've always viewed Stormblood as a more refined version of ARR, it's got some similar pacing issues but it overall has a more tightly packed narrative
I wish people have this mindset too as they go through Dawntrail.
One of my favorite things about Lyse punching Zenos' facemask and breaking is is that it mirrors what happened to her mask (as Yda) at the end of ARR.
From one Floridian to another, I hope you make it through as well. Let's hope we all weather the storm, together. 😎👍
Stay safe cap! Hoping it's just an excuse for snacks and reading.
Stay safe floridian Warrior of Light may the Mother Crystal protect is all
yes...Fla grl here.....we'll make it through, just another hurricane season...glad you are safe Garrett....
Estinien is off being the DRG job mentor, you get a lot more context about what he's been doing if you run that quest line
I'm pretty sure someone mentioned this in one of your livestreams, but the portraits for certain characters during dungeons are actually a new feature from Endwalker back-ported to previous expansions in an ongoing rollout. This kind of thing is one of the reasons I'm so confident in the developers of this game - they don't just forget everything that came before the latest content. It might take them a while to fully implement it since they have a lot on their plates, but it does feel like they have a goal of pushing quality of life updates to the whole game so that even new players can experience the changes. Because of this, I'm really looking forward to seeing the extent of the planned 7.0 graphical update, as at bare minimum, it should significantly raise the quality of the PS3 era content visuals.
Yes! Not only do they work their asses of with consistent patch content, they have always worked on making the rough parts of the game better since the very beginning.
Just expand on the 7.0 graphical update. Only the new parts and important characters will have the new update. The previous expansions will have the updates in 7.X patches. This was laid out in one Live Letter with the timeline of the future patches.
@@cifercero Well, that's true, but they're also prioritizing the character creation presets, and a lot of early game NPCs are built with the same tool players use, so rando NPCs might actually look better than some customized, but less important story NPCs at first. They said they're prioritizing gear resolution boosts based on how many players use the gear as well, so presumably big parts of the game will be hit up front, with more of the outlier stuff cleaned up as the patches roll out.
Honestly I think the single biggest thing they could do to improve early game is to check what basic gear is being used in cut scenes and prioritize that as well, because the games seams show the most when they zoom the camera in close enough for the really low-resolution armor sets to start macroblocking. For me that completely takes me out of the experience and I'm suddenly paying more attention to the blocky armor than what's being said. But the game has been like that for a while, and they'll eventually get to all of it, so whatever order they do, the fact that they're doing it is most important.
Really their biggest issue seems to be job system.
@@HawkEyeTS Maybe tbey could use the old 1.0 models for the ARR gear? Most, if not all were way better back then(the current versions of them are lower res as part of the transition to 2.0), the current average specs should be able to handle it now.
"Where do Ascians come from?"
Well, when a mommy Ascian and a daddy Ascian love eachother very much....
Im ded...hahaha
Still the best production values for a promo filmed while boarding up a house for a hurricane...
13:40 This perspective here showcases just how absolutely massive Zenos is. He towers over Hien.
17:08 "He's roleplaying the thicc booty." That one made laugh and scare my cat.
39:40 Poor Garrett. He is so done with Kyle's bizarre spaceman logic.
45:22 Until they make current Coils savage and add an easier normal mode pugs can do so they don't hit that, fail, and quit because they can't proceed it won't be made required.
Your whole ending montage with the Stormblood music was very touching and a splendid way to end an expansion. When the Stormblood music kicked into high gear I got full body chills.
God I love your "Probably Wrong Theory Time", it takes me back to my FCs discord erupting into 100s of messages after the patches with just all the off-the-wall wild theories they could come up with. Fun times :D
Garrett is on Team Stormblood is Underrated!
Varis is on the Thordan plan!
Everytime you ask a question and I can picture the exact scene where it is answered I laugh.
I LOVE the slideshow at the end.
The ending made me tear up. It's been amazing working with you guys, thank you
You're the best!
I'm glad someone said the thing I've been saying about stormblood. You need STB to make the war feel like a real thing. It's the first time we see real battlefields. The little skirmishes with the empire don't really show you the scale or give you the feel of proper war
Man, I love your screenshots at the end, really shows the journey it's been and that each part has been meaningful even if it's "side content". I hope you continue onwards into shadowbringers with as much fervor and wizened naivety. Keep up the amazing content!
I think y’all hit the nail on the head on the thing I love most about this game. It knows when to pay something off immediately and it knows when to hold things off for later. And that’s what I find so gripping about the plot and lore, it never tells you everything always just enough to keep the mystery going and allows you space to piece things together yourself.
I love hearing your theories. Sometimes you're way off the mark, sometimes you hit a bullseye.
Looking forward to your reactions as the story unfolds 😀
the creepy face in shadows was also done for Yotsuyu like 2-3 times (when she was shooting gosetsu while he was holding the doma keep and when she was stabbing her parents), seems to be a "it's genocidin' time" face
OH MY GOSH!! The portrait even includes CHEWY!!!!! That is AWESOME!!!
StB was the expansion that got me truly invested in the story. HW was good but I didn't get a fav character until Alisaie in SB. All the characters were just so good! ShB is great and EW is my fav but I will always have a soft spot for StB.
Aside on forerunner/precursor races- I think "Outer Wilds" did an outstanding job with this. I highly recommend giving the game a go- one of the best single player experiences I have had.
People often misunderstand stormblood. While arr and heavensward were more like straight lines stormblood is more like a circus tent or a pyramid, you wont see its majesty until after you've set up the foundation and stabilized eveything but while you're doing all that its gonna look like a messy construction site but its all vital and its nice to see why its able to stand under so many elements. Also, I would like to challenge what you said about not having a special power or effect in stormblood. Arr had the echo and heavensward had middy but in stormblood our relationship with zenos is our power he has a desire to see us grow which is why he retreats not because he couldn't single handedly slaughter us but because he wants to stoke the fire of our rage that we can offer a greater hunt later that also helps inspire the people to rebel as when they see you fight against the garleans they feel emboldened
41:20 I love how the FF14 devs are wishing us to enjoy Shadowbringers, through Zenos : "A pity Your hunt leads You elsewhere. Not that I am surprised...May You find joy in it, grow stronger, more savage, and savour every Triumph"
I 100% agree with your summary of Stormblood as a "better Realm Reborn". Stormblood is an expansion that, for me personally, grew on me more the further I progressed from it. Shadowbringers and Endwalker are definitely stronger experiences but they owe a lot to both ARR and Stormblood in setting up all the pieces that are payed off so well.
I'm really excited to follow your journey into Shadowbringers. No matter what your predictions are, I'm sure you'll enjoy the story to come.
BTW the Stormblood main theme you used in the outro will never fail to give me chills!
Loyalty!
Unity!
Liberty!
Also echoing this. For me 2.0 - 6.0 form 2 distinct but interwoven trilogies, ARR/StB/EW and HW/ShB/EW where the story and themes build off of the last and are improvements overall from their predecessors.
You will be properly welcomed to Shadowbringers soon.
One great small detail about this patch, is they mention they're going to the conjurer's guild and alchemist guild to look for help for the fallen scions. You can go to the leaders of those guilds and get new dialogue related to it. Not sure if you have to have done those profession quests or not to see it.
I think the thing that I love so much about the solo duty with Hien is how well it makes you, the Warrior of Light, feel so powerful and important to the world and characters. The fact that these characters don't really have much of a chance to win against Zenos and you are playing as them while they are just delaying as long as possible for you to arrive and save the day.
Althroughout the game you're told how amazing you are, how strong/magically inclined and whatever. In a dungeon or raid you are with a few people as strong as you. That single instance to me showed it better than anyone else just HOW much better then others you are. Movies do it easily but only a few games do this, and it is so well done here.
@@idg4ff My only gripe with it is how in SOME cutscenes, no spoilers, is like, I have a gap closer! why is my WoL not doing anything?? 😂
@@Chopin124 I like to call this the 'broke jobless lalafell problem'. Every cutscene with you in it has to be written, directed, and shot with the possibility in mind that you are a tiny-ass lalafell with no money and any job possible, which is another way of saying no job at all. It's kinda limiting onwhat they can feasibly have you do in a cutscene, but the alternative would involve making so many variations of the same cutscenes, I can see that getting way more expensive than it's worth.
@@Anergyne Especially as they add more jobs to the game, which would force them to add new versions of the same cutscenes every expansion, lest they risk having players complain about them being lazy. They have enough problems to make custom animations to NPCs, making them for player characters for EVERY job is a recipe for disaster.
@@ryujin8754 I hadn't even considered that, but yeah, that absolutely would add to the reason why they do things the way they do.
on the note of farewell stormblood, personally it's my second favorite expansion, i absolutely loved every aspect of it. thick politics is what I live for, and oh boy is it thick. I did base 4.0 in like 5 days, and it's been a great journey to watch you go both go through it. can't wait to see what you're cooking up for shallowbringers
No matter what people say about Stormblood, _everyone sings the theme tune._
What other MMO can say that?
Storm of Blood~
Born from blood~
Of our fallen brotherssss~~
So good...;u;
And when the reprisal happens in the END trailer, everyone starts headbanging.
#1 Stay Safe Garrett!
#2 I’m just so excited for you two! So much squeeee right now.
Lastly, I did the solo duty as Paladin, and that was pretty epic as well. Such a beautiful job.
I highly suggest the art books if you're the type. New books come with minion codes, and they have artwork of the different equipment sets throughout the expansion so they make glam planning a lot easier.
I remember standing up at the end of the Elidi-Zenos fight and shouting "You disappoint me, Ascian!" He really didn't know how to pilot that body, and it shows. As a Warrior I didn't even take avoidable damage, it was so simple.
It's one of those times when I wish I can like a video more than once.
Just make sure you press the button an odd number of times
Editing is top notch as usual! I love hearing "sprouts" speculating as it brings a new perspective to the story and still even makes me rethink some of my interpretations.
Every line you guys speak just makes me more excited for you to see what is to come. I'm more sure now than ever before that you're going to love where the game goes from here. Keep taking your time and enjoy it.
yeah I get really excited for them, because I think they're in exactly the right mindset to get the most out of an incredible experience.
I expect so many tears, it will be glorious.
I am always jealous of people who are going through these the first time.
Garrett, you wield the soundtrack like a weapon. Second farewell to an expansion, second set of tears. Oh the future you have in store. Revenge...
A Father's Pride was the best song to use during the slide show I absolutely loved that
This fight against Zenos is low-key one of the best parts of the story, because it's where the plot really starts treating the WoL as a distinct character.
Until this point, the WoL has always been a background character, there to help drive the stories of the actual protagonists (Alphinaud, Lyse, Alisaie, etc.) They could have been replaced by a sufficiently skilled squad of faceless goons, and it wouldn't have changed much. Other echo-users could have defeated the primals in ARR, Midgardsormr could have chosen to accompany Alphinaud in HW, and like you said, the WoL is just a soldier in Stormblood.
But here, the Warrior of Light *specifically* is the only one who can go toe-to-toe with Zenos. The best Hien, Lyse and Yugiri (all very Protagonist in their own rights) can do is hold out and wait for the WoL to arrive.
it's not really like that though, I mean after you destroy Ultima you're considered the "Champion of Eorzea" by the 3 city states, and despite what happens toward the end of ARR IIRC Limsa and Gridania still recognize you as such and fully believe you've been set up, Heavensward effectively lets you clear your name while also getting another city state to consider you their Champion.
Where Stormblood changes things up, at least once you've liberated Doma, is that the people around you are now really looking up to you as their light in the darkness, and it inspires them to fight for what they believe in, it's not just you and the scions anymore, half the known world is on your side fighting for the same goal.
@@scotty110 I'm not talking about the titles the WoL has in the lore, I'm talking about they're used as a character by the story structure.
The WoL as an individual also doesn't matter in post-ARR, it's all about the Scions as a group. And even in post-Stormblood, the WoL (liberator or not) has zero impact on the story. It's all politics being handled by Lyse/Hien/the Alliance.
Re: the game feeling like Stormblood all the way through 4.56, if you look at the cutscene viewer in the Inn the post-expansion sections are generally divided into two. For example, HW is "Dragonsong War" (3.1-3.3) and "Post-Dragonsong War" (3.4-3.55) This division is also the same for Shadowbringers (5.1-5.3/5.4-5.55). This isn't the case for Stormblood, where 4.1-4.56 are all listed in one block as "Post-Stormblood."
On the “Own up to the fact you were spoiled on G’Raha Tia.”
People seem to forget that when Shadowbringers was being teased, trailered, ect. There was never any question on who that was. We watched the Live Letter when they teased that character and all took a collective, “Oh welcome back, G’Raha.”
Did we? I remember going on a whole mental trip with pictures and strings pinned to corkboards working out who the F the Exarch was meant to be.
Last time I'd seen the boy it was years prior in a side quest, I didn't even remember his name, never mind his deal.
Great video as usual! I feel like a broken record saying that, but you two just do such a great job.
Glad you enjoyed Stormblood. Now we get to look forward to even more adventures!
The post credits poem is always hinting at the future
Really great video boys! Love the montage at the end with the Yanxia music playing in the background, brings a tear to the eye :p Which is apt considering Shadowbringers is on your horizon....
I think the thing about Elidibus in the Old and New section (why he acts like that) is better explained in future stories! Though I guess you already expected that.
Edit: Dang! I can't wait you guys doing Shadowbringers, but more than that I can't wait for the next "interpretations" and retrospection!
Yeah right here there is kind of a reason.
I can express how excited I am for you starting ShB proper!
Been looking forward to this point for a long time but gotta say, every time someone gets to ShB the wait between videos feels so much longer because of that anticipation.
Can't wait to see how story beats new and returning hit you guys. Especially given a handful of observations and speculations in this video.
After the reveal of Garlemald being founded by an Ascian, I'd say it's a fun exercise to go back to Gaius' big speech during the Praetorium and replace "Eorzea" with "Garlemald" as it fits remarkably well.
And "eikons" with "Ascians".
"What drives even men of learning to grovel at their feet? You lack the strength to do otherwise!!"
Left a like because of the obvious effort put into making the video.. nice editing and makes me wish I had the skills to do this to remember my own adventure in this game :)
One thing about this game that I've heard from other WoW refugees is highlighted at the end... y'all took some banging screenshots!
Man, I'm barely halfway through and the edits and art in here are top tier!
Oh, those were really well made portraits for the two of you! Following by the Zenos "faces" was comedy gold though! Also, stay safe out there Garrett, hope the hurricane is very uneventful for you.
Again we feast on runtime! I think Lyse suffers from Stormblood's pacing more than anything. You mentioned it got split between what seemed like two seperate expack plots, and so you wind up forgetting about Lyse half the time, only remembering that when she was introduced she didn't seem like much and all the things she does to make her character grow happens off camera while your attention is elsewhere.
P.S. Hien goes toe to toe with Ascian powered Zenos and holds his own. Usually you're dead before you draw your sword, and the WoL needs the echo to take him on. Hein is a badass.
I am glad they appreciate Storm Blood as much as they did and had a lot of good memories with it. It's an expansion that asks a bit of the player in terms of how much you should be investing in the story but once you do it is well rewarded. I was definitely one of those people that thought the MSQ during SB was a bit of a slog but have since come around to it like Garret has. Well iirc I think Garret had an open mind to it even during the start but just kind of checked out here and there during some dialogue pieces
The cat boys look like shounen a harem anime protagonist, the bunny boys look like they belong in a shojo manga reverse harem
This is what got me back into FFXIV after taking a break back then! The hype of the trailer got me to resub! After 4.6 I was hooked to FFXIV forever. It had a death grip on me. I can't wait for y'all to see just how far FFXIV can go! Trust me, it's worth every step. Enjoy the ride guys!
I'm really, really happy to hear that you enjoyed your experience with Stormblood, Garrett. Not because I personally love it so much (omg do I); I'm just always happy to see players take it in for what it is, and enjoy what I think is FFXIV's most unique story expansion so far.
You two are going to love ShB, but you don't get that without this coming first.
I'm just absolutely giddy watching this. I really feel the game continues to get better not only because the developers are improving but because of the build that you guys were talking about, the world-building and character-building that (mostly) stays true to their ARR-and-beyond origins. Now you're going into a new expansion with already a deep appreciation and love for these characters like Alisaie and the other scions, and that's such a powerful beginning to any story. That's 75% of why it's so good, IMO.
cant wait for you guys to play the best expansions in the history of expansions!! keep up the great work as well
i appreciate you guys and your work on the channel so much. we're also having a historical storm over on the other side of the globe too, hope you'll stay safe garrett!
you guys pick up on so much it’s really great to watch your journey live and in your retrospectives! i’m getting new details i never noticed in like 3 full play throughs and it’s so cool
Archbishop Thordan: "What are you!?" WoL: "I'm Batman"
Listening to you two talking about your experiences with playing through the game that I love has been a treat. Subbed. Be safe, Travelers and wanderers.
Been watching your videos for months and can finally continue them from my office at work, been loving every minute of your adventures and shenanigans! Hope you're doing alright, Garrett. I'm going on day 8 of no power and debatably clean water at my home in Cape Coral lol.
That's rough. Glad to hear you're okay though. We're doing well in Bradenton. Hope you get power back soon!
Nice! Been looking forward to this vid! I'm, super SUPER excited for you guys!
And who drew the portraits? They're so well done, and kinda want one.
Just pinned a comment. That was twitter.com/RozalineBun!
I'm SO excited now, guys! GG so far! Cheers to more to come! And I teared up at the end when you play the photo album. What a journey!
Sad thing with Count Edmont is that his English voice actor passed away. I don't know if we're ever going to see that character again.
We probably won't have a voiced cutscene with him, that's for sure. Makes me really sad.
Yugiri's English VA was murdered prior to HW. It may be a bit but he might come back
I think it’s interesting how you guys experience the going through the story without the waiting. Some of these things are still really fresh and others get lost in even bigger story points, it’s interesting to see what you guys retain and what you forget. For me watching it’s like watching a series over again and I’m spotting things I missed!
MAN THAT OUTRO WAS SO GOOOD I AM CRY RN
I'm very behind working on catching up but that montage at the end got me a little haha. It's been so great watching your journey.
I love your analysis so much I'm so happy ya'll taking your time 💖💖. I love making theories like this and do so every expansion. I love stormblood story and raids so soooo much but the msg pacing hurts so extremely bad I can't even make myself watch it.
I hope everything goes well for you in Florida!
We need those dialogue portraits of Garrett & Kyle to return in future videos... they'd also make pretty cool emotes. Enjoying the speculation since you guys are playing at a better pace than I did in retrospect. Part of the appeal of re-watching is picking up all the details because they do such a good job of connecting it all and keeping everything relevant.
Looking forward to see how many twists the lands of Shadowbringers brings to their character theories~ enjoy!!!
Garret just make sure you are not caught in a hurricane, you might get transported to an alternate Earth where Florida is purple.
Can't wait for the next MSQ stream, you guys are something I look forward to each Wednesday. Glad you're enjoying the adventure!
You get a like for the promo before the hurricane. Hope you are staying safe and comfortable
I'm so glad you guys liked Stormblood, because it's by far my favorite of the series for all that it tried to accomplish content-wise and lore-wise.
Your journey is so enjoyable for all of us as well !
Welcome to Shadowbringers! can't wait to welcome you guys properly when you're finally back to streaming the msq.
First time I encountered that astroplate when we were "called" made me think "Oh, we are doing Kingdom Hearts now? Where's my stained glass mugshot?". LOL
GREAT video you guys! Especially loved your wrap up screenshots and art.
Awesome video and the slideshow at the end was a great touch. Can't wait for the adventure to continue.
I don't always watch these video to completion, so it is possible you all mentioned this at some point through the MSQ, but one of my favorite Stormblood moments was when we got to face Hypertuned Grynwaht (Doma Castle). I truly believe that was some of the best voice acting from the entire expansion. The VA could have just delivered his lines all blasé, but he cranks it up to 11, and it'd just so refreshing to hear him going all out. Solid performance from a character who was hounding us each step of the way.
thank you for putting respect on stormblood. Most people don’t and it makes me mad
congrats on getting to SHB! this is such a great video to send off stormblood, which i've come to agree with you both totally about in terms of the slow beginning but definitely being a solid expansion overall. thank you guys again for sharing your journey with us!! (also hope you stay safe out there with the storm!!!)
That last couple minutes with the screenshots made me tear up. I think the end of Heavensward was the first time I felt like I had finished a journey, but Stormblood's very end was the first time I felt like I lived a journey. That Storm of Blood motif hits me every single time it pops up outside of Kugane. Very underrated expansion. I've been playing since 2.0 launch pretty much nonstop and honestly 4.3-4.5 was the most exciting portion of the MSQ for me. Glad you guys had so much fun with it.
that artwork is really cool and it's the first time i felt that Kyle's glam looked good XD.
32:46 - Ayo wasn't expecting to hear Grandia 2. Today was a good day.
"Scarring the beautiful bad guy's face." Oh no, now I have Zenos = Dilandau stuck in my head.
I always tell people that Stormblood is when FFXIV became good. Content wise HW was just more of AAR. Stormblood is when they really hammed up the variety and made the game just more fun to play and hang out in.
Story wise, yea Stormblood doesn't have some of the heights heavensward reaches. But Stormblood, much like post ARR really makes the world of Final Fantasy XIV feel big and interconnected.
Just wait until they figure out the Crystal Exarch is actually two Lalafells stacked ontop one another in a robe. Biggest story moment imo
Stay safe, Garrett!
Aw, I loved your photo album at the end! What a great idea!
Another great video guys, so many assumptions and theories based on it. Have fun in shadowbringers :)
I feel like a broken record. "Another awesome video!" every time. But it's true!
So I'll just add that I loved the little screenshot replay at the end. I've been watching you two since Heavensward, so those were super fun to re-watch and remember.
hope you and the family are safe, Garrett!