@@Amovetv It's what I pray for. My mom's hair turned pure white at age 40 and I pray that mine will be just as pure white. Sadly my dad's side of the family just goes bald.
3 years ago: "I'm sure as shit not playing Final Fantasy." 2024: [every single person I've seen react to the Husky EW video, including the voice actor for Alphinaud]: "LOOK, IT'S GARRETT!"
Funnily enough, the original "Sure as shit not gonna play that game" video you said nobody watches was the first video of you guys I did watch. It turned up in my recommended, I watched because I was curious about the ex-WoW perspective and discovered your livestream playlist and never stopped being a part of the vod crew. Congrats on the third birthday. May many more grace this community.
Yes - was thinking the same thing! And then not too long later we got the "We're a Final Fantasy channel now" video :D Can't believe it was really so long ago and I've stuck with this game that whole time. It's very special.
I love hearing how people tip from "oh, this is mid," to immersion and belonging. My experience was similar. I played XI for many years, and that was grindy and I remember precisely nothing of the story. It was Shadowbringers that made me lose my mind, and from there, realize how many ways people fall in love with this world (housing, collecting, role playing, raiding, modding, art, fanfic, lore junkies, etc). I'm really glad to be a part of it, myself. I'm so delighted for you both for your success (and for us getting to witness the evolution of Garrett's hair). PS. Kyle, I main WHM and I too don't get grumpy healers. At all. One of my favorite things is when shit goes sideways and I get to see if I can clean up the mess! Nier raids fit this bill fantastically well!
It was my friends that kept me in XI. I realized this when they all went on "break" for one winter, and I had zero motivation to log into XI ever again. With XIV, I'll log on and play with the dungeon trusts at 3AM even if nobody else is around.
Stormblood is arguably 2nd favorite xpac. So good. More grounded and heartfelt story compared to the others imo. Also incredible cast. Don't even get me started on the content aspect like Omega, Ivalice and the Four Lords. Such a damn good xpac 🔥🔥🔥 oh and also Triumph 🤙😎🤙
My annoyances with Stormblood are that 1) it feels like two largely disjointed stories (Ala Mhigo, and then an only _barely_ related one in Yanxia and Othard), and 2) I _despise_ Zenos as a character and as a villain. Grade A terrible writing to me. He's not even a real character, just a cardboard cutout of a person with "EEEEEVIL villain" stapled to the front.
@@KaedysKor not nearly as disjointed as Ishgard/Uldah. We're trying to stop a centuries old war only to randomly whisk back to Uldah for the worst copout in any form of media in existence. That's horrible writing. The Far East isn't barely related to our liberation in Ala Mhigo. It's there to gain allies, spark revolution on multiple ends against Garlemald and functionally provides a parallel and goal for Lyse through Hien. Zenos is as shallow as you make him out to be. He's well designed, has a presence and is compelling. He's the prince of Garlemald, who instead of sitting back like a spoiled brat, embraces war, combat and bloodlust. He's so nihilistic and indifferent that only combat excites him. As far as combat goes, even to this day, he's the only one who comes close to WoL in terms of combat. None of XIVs characters are real. Emet is just moody emo boy who can't move on. Thordan is stereotypical evil pope. Reductions are easy to do. You're embarrassing yourself
@@alpsi285 "Go there to find allies" is exactly what I mean by only barely related. Ok, we need allies. Whole effing world for that, and plenty of it subjugated by Garlemald, but we decided to travel literally halfway around the planet to find some. Ya, whatever. I would like to be clear, though, that I found the Far East segment quite a bit more enjoyable and rewarding than the Ala Mhigo bits anyway. Hein was a very compelling character, imo. And I think the one thing that actually _did_ effectively tie the two stories together is that _Lyse_ really needed Hein to teach her, through doing, how to be a leader.
I feel the same way about DawnTrail. I just liked talking, exploring. Was totally okay with the slow burn and me and the scions not being the main attraction. I did treat it like a new book to slowly read through and didn’t rush it. Was so fun. Also the trials are so good.
Right lol. I had a harder time getting invested in the story at first, but i loved the characters, and it's honestly the most fun I had in an expansion. Raubahn ex was infuriating at the time, but it's something that players who were there all suffered in solidarity, lol. Loved the dungeons and trials, and the areas are still some of my faves to just chill and fish in.
I want to thank you both for all the great memories and fun time you have shared with us! I have been there since the end of HW, and was there on the edge of my seat the entire Shinryu night. I saw you finish EW... I have never enjoyed any streamers more than the two of you! I wish you many good times and adventures ahead, and I promise to be here to like, share, and comment as you do!
If I had a nickle for "14 haters who end up looking like Emet because they love him so much" I'll have two nickles which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice 😂. As someone who traveled the real "Azem Steppes" Stormblood has such a special place in my heart. I am not a Stormblood fan but I REALLY enjoyed parts and when I see all the SB references in Endwalker I end up loving the expansion more. I think that writers respond to the fanbase, if people think something is frustrating they try to fix it later. It's honestly so rewarding.
I mean your last point is honesty the entire game lol, they could have let the base game fail but they fixed it and even made it a part of canon, fixing their mistakes is definitely a huge focus
I'm a Stormblood enjoyer, appreciator and enthusiast. The story and its themes resonate DEEPLY with me because I see my own country's past and present played out in its story. Occupation, exiles, eventual liberation and clashing ideals between those that left and preserved a kind of "pure" culture with them, and those that remained, had to adapt and bend and change - and even collaborate. And in this change of generations, the new generation may well feel that no, they ARE in the wrong, their oppressors DO want better for them, and if only they proved themselves as the "good ones", then surely, one day they might be accepted... And likewise, the exiles return, with their lofty ideals, having breathed an air of freedom and... cannot understand the oppressed at all. Why aren't you fighting? Why aren't you rising up? Why are you just accepting it? It's very easy to retain ideals to a naive degree when you live in the free world and are surrounded by people that espouse, foster and live those ideals. It's very much a "well-fed cannot understand the hungry" situation. And then, I enjoyed all the other cultures along the way. Originally I had made my Au Ra character as a kind of writing exercise for my own novel, and I saw that you can give them horns and red skin and yellow eyes as the people in my setting, cool! But then, the story kept echoing so many beats featured in my own novel, to the point where the Azim Steppe was so close to how I had envisioned my own character's culture... that it felt simply astonishing. I did every single side quest in that zone, I absorbed all of its lore, I loved the nods towards Mongolian culture and took a detour in learning about them, too. It's a shame that so many malign the expansion as bad or boring, because it is anything but. Among other things, it is also very clearly a confession from Japanese writers, because the way the Garlean Empire acts and behaves in Stormblood echoes very strongly with their own history's darkest pages... so this is a kind of metaphoric story about rejecting that kind of legacy and embracing one of cooperation, understanding and respect of many different heritages. It's very subtle, and I don't see many folks talk about it either. After all, a rather historical-inspired, human story just doesn't stand out much between high fantasy epics of fighting hordes of dragons and single-handedly saving the world from an ancient super-wizard. But I'm glad to see a Stormblood appreciator among you guys, and I deeply appreciate how you guys look at stories and what they try to do.
I remember starting "shadowbringers", and looking at the TH-cam recommendations I saw a live of you. You were in Limsa and Garret was talking about the minions and how he spent 1 hour looking at people standing still. Somehow listening to you talk about the game made me discover the "emotional vampire" side of the game. So, thank you for sharing your experience. Greetings from Argentina.
As a fellow Stormblood Enjoyer, when Garrett said he loved it, that was when I knew I had to subscribe to this channel. I'm a member now so I guess that worked out.
I still have my old characters (multiple as I can apparently never have just one character in anything) because of a mess involving steam vs PC version, regions, and a friend gifting me time resulting in having to create a second service account (which still gives me headaches to this day for things like buying expansions).
i kinda remember i sub'd to the channel very early, right around the time just before the release of Endwalker (?) Garret still wasnt 100% committed, but i could see the great chemistry between him and KYle. at this point, they both have done more ingame stuffs than i have lol.
Wow can’t believe it’s been 3 years that’s crazy. Even thinking that ShB was 4 years ago is nuts, but to see your journey is making me super aware of how time has flown :O cheers to putting out great vids guys, love GG x
Love these kind of videos. Found you guys late into your journey (Shadowbringers!) and we met at Fanfest. Vod watcher and heavy lurker but love the community!
left wow to ff14 july 2000. patch 5.2 iirc. have stayed ever since. bonus: my wife is a console player, first game in 24 years of marriage, we play together!
Happy 3 years! Even after 10+ this is still my favorite game of all time. And of course we stan Stormblood in this house! My dog's name is Yda Lyse for a reason 😊
Re: Getting people into the game - I swore off FFXIV after trying the 1.0 beta and despising every moment of it, from an EQ, WoW, and FFXI player. Garrett Sure-as-shit wasn't going to play? That is MUCH nicer than the things I'd say after my beta experience, for many many years~ What got me here in the end? A friend who was visiting showed me Twintania (ARR Coil raid, last boss of the first tier), and I was shocked at how much it reminded me of the raiding I had done in BC - Early Cata. This was during mid-ARR? Maybe ... Patch 2.3? I had been missing this since I stopped after early Cata in WoW. I gave it a go after that - and of course, the fact that one of my best friends was vouching while knowing my early beta 1.0 experiences helped a lot. Friends make the MMO, after all. I had been playing RPGs all my life and was obsessed with great stories in them, but at the time any MMO I had played wasn't really about that, or didn't execute it well. It wasn't even a factor in my mind for the MMO experience. Ask me today and of course, I'll be right on board with how great the numerous stories can be in FFXIV. Back then though, I needed to see the raiding content just because that's basically what I had been doing MMOs for for awhile, even back in EQ. Which is to say - I agree. People may be looking for different things to get hooked on the game, so gotta custom tailor what the main selling point is for what someone needs at that time in their life. The story didn't get me here, but it's been one of the main reasons it's kept me! I might use it as the main reason when talking to some friends interested in playing, or I might use something else like raiding, glamour, or even the music (We all know Soken is a blessing~). Anyway still happy as always to have you two as part of the community - hope this video helps some curious people out, and hope you two enjoy your time in Dawntrail!
My current challenge is trying to get my previously WoW player friend whos sworn off MMO's to give it a try lol, i even offered to buy him the game, trying to get him interested little by little lol cause i really think he'd love it
I've found you guys around the start of June and I've been binging the vods starting from Stormblood and I'm just catching up to 6.3 today and it's been amazing to follow your journey and your theory cooking. Feels like I've been watching for years now and I'm glad I found you guys. Excited for Dawntrail.
I was watching you guys LIVE progging Shinryu Extreme and I think I was just as invested as you guys that whole night. I never thought I'd be yelling just as loud as you guys when you beat it. I cannot believe it's been three years.
Okay, regarding Stormblood's ongoing feedback... NGL the reason why I love this expac was because of Red Mage addition. I was about to accept that as a casual player I just suck at positionals and at being BLM Leylines/SMN very long opener and rotation (this was before LEGOS primal, people! XD) when this came out. My friend insisted that I should give this class a shot and ever since then, it had became my main class. RDM during Eureka Boom was one of my favorite moments and getting the REZMAGE tag (Especially the Anemos big boss). While people are entitled to their opinions, I'll always look back and remember StB times fondly.
As one of the old folks thats played since patch 2.3ish, I've had a blast watching the videos you guys put out when you go through the story you drop your theorycrafting and everything. I can't wait to see your takes on Dawntrail. Have fun in Tural you two!
Im sure as shit playing ffxiv and thanks to you guys and your videos I did what Kyle did and annoyed my friend enough to get him into it and he loves playing astro and his card and loves it when I tank because of "so many bad tanks" Love your videos and I cant wait to watch more
Love the interview format you guys went after with this! Makes me reminisce about my journey too, over 3 years of playing as well and my first time being current for an expansion launch, jeez, time does fly lol
Wow!! 3 yrs passed! Crazy to think that I started watching you guys during your Heavensward journey! It’s been fun watching you guys play throughout the expansions. Congrats guys!!
Funny thing is when I first tried it a long time ago, I also did an Archer as I usually love Hunters and the early gameplay loop + confusion killed it fast for me too. Came back, went Dragoon (woo) and got hooked. Been a few years loving the game now - always love the content guys keep it rolling :D
Weirdly I got big into HotS a few months before they canned it, and I definitely watched some of your content back then. But for a while I didn't realize that you were the same people from back then. Honestly I think this duo format is great for non-competitive gaming. You're kind of tapping into that couch co-op feel that we all miss
Time truly flies, i remember finding u guys trying FF 14 out when i was also still playing it and just getting sucked into the atmosphere u both still bring with u. I hope u have many fun years ahead together playing tons of games :)
Great video! Love you guys ❤ You make really unique content. I am grateful to have you guys here! Both of you deserve so much more!! Thank you for these 3 years ❤❤
Honestly one of the things I respect about FFXIV so much is how it has opened my eyes to gaming in general. I have always bounced around more then the average MMO player, I would say, but there was always still that constant search for "this will be my forever game, the one I return to in between everything else, my second life." I had WoW for a while, I tried many other MMOs like TERA and SWtOR, spent far too much time in and out of Destiny 2, I did some MOBAs with plenty of years sunk in League and I did try HotS for a time as well, but there was always this kind of disappointment when I would "run out" of things to do, ya know? Like I needed those games to continuously provide something for me, to the extent mixing in other single player games would be distractions, just brief distractions while I waited for my "main game" to get more to do even if that "more" was just faction/rep farming like WoW loves to focus on, and now it's pretty clear which of those games were deliberately designed in a way to constantly drag you back and suck you in, make you scared of missing out or even just falling behind. Those were what was constantly bringing me back to most of them, not the game or gameplay itself, but the fear of not being in "relevant" endgame content like everyone else. Now That I've spent so much time in FFXIV and the mentality that game is designed on, I really just feel more freedom in the games I play. I have fully quit any other long form games and now mostly play either single player games like BG3 and Nioh 2 or I spend more time with friends in shorter form multiplayer games like Helldivers 2 more recently but also still games like Stellaris. But all the while I still repeatedly return to FFXIV without feeling pressured at any point in time to do so, I play it when I want and when I CAN, I do what I want for as long as I want and I stop when I want as well, and it never punishes me for it and I never feel like I've "fallen behind" cause the game doesn't go anywhere and parts of it don't get removed or locked away by devs or lack of player involvement. So now if I'm looking at a game and I see fomo, I see those same old tactics to try and just keep me stuck, to suck me into something again, I just turn away from it cause I now know what I actually want and when I find it I know I won't ever have to worry about FFXIV going anywhere without me. I mean that's precisely why I literally don't touch ANY Blizzard games anymore, the fomo isn't even disguised at all, so put that on top of the sexual abuse allegations forever souring my opinion of the company and it not being something I will ever just be able to overlook like so many others it seems, and Blizzard might as well be a dead company to me now.
This kinda thing is what im trying to explain to my previos WoW player friend whos sworn off MMO's due to not wanting to commit the time, i know he'd love it if he gave it some time
I love how you both talk about that 'tipping point' so many people seem to have with XIV, the point where you go from just playing this game, to actually being a part of the world. I started... gosh, about 7 years ago now?! Where does the time go! I love it because of the Gold Saucer. I'd get on with friends, we'd all hang out in Discord and take turns streaming movies or shows or something, and every time a GATE came up in the Saucer, we'd pause and do the GATE together. But then I started getting into the story on my own, into crafting, then covid hit and I was going to night clubs and hanging out while streaming DJs on Twitch... It really does appeal on so many levels to me.
Congrats guys, glad everything has been going well. Your dynamics is so fun to watch. Hope you guys enjoy Dawntrail, its been kinda depressing seeing so much hate towards it.
Like I said in the book; I've been here since your hair was short and your view of XIV was even shorter! lmao It's truly been an honor to follow along and I am always telling people to check you guys out. ♥ OH and HIGH FIVE to Garrett for loving Stormblood as much as I do o/ #teamLyse
This part totally caught me off guard, but yes, oh absolutely yes. Gideon the Ninth is an amazing book. Although I totally like Harrow as a character more.
It is interesting looking back at that video where Garrett says he thinks he's done with MMOs. And fast forward to now he's having fun with FFXIV and with other games. I'm happy to see it.
On the one hand, I can't believe it's been 3 years. On the other hand, post-pandemic time is WEIRD, so I absolutely can. Anyway, I'm glad you guys found this game so that we could all find you :-) It was fun watching how far you've come, and here's to many more years!
So happy to see you two enjoying the game as much as you are! Sad that I play on EU DataCenter so it's rare the possibility to encounter each others, but no matter, the important thing is that you two are having fun and being happy.
You got your masters at the same time I did. I was winding down on FFXIV and in the near future, had some major medical issue. But now I'm fine and back and working my way through Endwalker. Can't wait for Dawntrain content!
It is also funny, because he also said the characters were charming like Ocarina of Time Kakariko Village characters but then dismissed that because stuff loaded slowly. Meaning he probably was not necessarily saying they looked bad, or that he possibly thinks their quirkiness offset how they looked, but he really was inured in the WoW style (in addition to not liking the FFXIV style initially).
@@iantaakalla8180yup, despite not having a membership or even having been in the discord for long I'be been around since the last episodes of NGN. It's been a journey
Man, this is definitely a milestone of some sort. Honestly, the only thing I'm waiting for now is the rest of the MSQ patch videos, and also to catch up on the wall of dungeons and trials. But I believe the boys will be on break based for a bit, so I'm excited to see what they'll make when they return.
I have to agree with the comments about how ffxiv helped create a healthy gaming experience. It was the same for me. After years of not really enjoying the toxic environment of WoW, but hoping that it would change, a friend convinced me to give ffxiv a try. I loved the fullness of the world, and the ability to have fun raiding again, made me stick with the game. And I’m glad I did.
The fact you enjoy Stormblood makes you stand out to me, and makes me think/hope your opinion on DT will also be good. People have an idea that if a bunch of people decide something is bad then its objectivly bad despite the fact its completely subjective and a personal experience and if you feel it was good then it was.
This is just a long version of Garrett learning 'never say never'. Also, my man, I loved the story telling in stormblood and HOW they introduced us to information about the world.
Yes. Anger the Stormblood haters. Feed their rage with unbiased joy. On the edge of my seat for stream to return because I legit thought "they'll love this" at some things and hope I'm right.
As a tank main with 2 tank main friends, I 100% understand Garrett's reason for playing tank, Bad tanks suck to deal with (Let's ignore the backhanded compliments I keep getting about being better than most people on Keyboard when I'm on controller lol)
I did like SB, just the whole revolution aspect and seeing the cracks form in the Empire leadership was quite eye opening. I do hope we get some side content eventually really diving into the 1.x White Raven story and another that has to deal with all the political infighting that lead to the Civil War which destroyed the Garlean Empire.
Garrett's hair transitioning into Emetselch in real time people
I’d kill for it to go perfectly stark white. Or a nice white streak.
@@Amovetv It's what I pray for. My mom's hair turned pure white at age 40 and I pray that mine will be just as pure white. Sadly my dad's side of the family just goes bald.
@@Amovetv once you get the sass down then Kyle becomes Hythlodaeus without doing anything
o.o I thought he was aiming for mid-length curly Zenos or possibly a blonde Emeric vibe.
But I can sorta see Emet Selch.
@@Amovetv From what I hear, black and brown hair tend to go more salt and pepper and blond hair tends to turn white.
"I've never had a girlfriend stabbed"
"what!?"'
perfect ending to the video.
3 years ago: "I'm sure as shit not playing Final Fantasy."
2024: [every single person I've seen react to the Husky EW video, including the voice actor for Alphinaud]: "LOOK, IT'S GARRETT!"
3 years of "Sure as shit not Playing FFXIV"
Congratzs guys, to another 10 of those
"I guess you've been having kids for a while..." LOL
Still snickering about this moment. Even after the edit.
"That's not how I learn though."
"I'm not here to teach you."
Me, cackling until I'm in tears.
Kyle's got those zingers here and there 😂
Funnily enough, the original "Sure as shit not gonna play that game" video you said nobody watches was the first video of you guys I did watch. It turned up in my recommended, I watched because I was curious about the ex-WoW perspective and discovered your livestream playlist and never stopped being a part of the vod crew.
Congrats on the third birthday. May many more grace this community.
Yes - was thinking the same thing! And then not too long later we got the "We're a Final Fantasy channel now" video :D Can't believe it was really so long ago and I've stuck with this game that whole time. It's very special.
Garrett seeming to not be able to decide which camera he wants to talk into, multiple times, is so great. Giggle fit each time.
Shaking off the video rust.
I watched history playback in Kyle's eyes vividly when he said " I remember resistance". That zoom was a nice touch. Fantastic editing 👍
I love hearing how people tip from "oh, this is mid," to immersion and belonging. My experience was similar. I played XI for many years, and that was grindy and I remember precisely nothing of the story. It was Shadowbringers that made me lose my mind, and from there, realize how many ways people fall in love with this world (housing, collecting, role playing, raiding, modding, art, fanfic, lore junkies, etc). I'm really glad to be a part of it, myself. I'm so delighted for you both for your success (and for us getting to witness the evolution of Garrett's hair).
PS. Kyle, I main WHM and I too don't get grumpy healers. At all. One of my favorite things is when shit goes sideways and I get to see if I can clean up the mess! Nier raids fit this bill fantastically well!
It was my friends that kept me in XI. I realized this when they all went on "break" for one winter, and I had zero motivation to log into XI ever again. With XIV, I'll log on and play with the dungeon trusts at 3AM even if nobody else is around.
Always thankful for Garrett's appreciation for Stormmblood. The story resonated with me for various reasons, and have loved the expansion.
Such a great cast of adventurers!
Stormblood is arguably 2nd favorite xpac. So good. More grounded and heartfelt story compared to the others imo. Also incredible cast. Don't even get me started on the content aspect like Omega, Ivalice and the Four Lords. Such a damn good xpac 🔥🔥🔥 oh and also Triumph 🤙😎🤙
My annoyances with Stormblood are that 1) it feels like two largely disjointed stories (Ala Mhigo, and then an only _barely_ related one in Yanxia and Othard), and 2) I _despise_ Zenos as a character and as a villain. Grade A terrible writing to me. He's not even a real character, just a cardboard cutout of a person with "EEEEEVIL villain" stapled to the front.
@@KaedysKor not nearly as disjointed as Ishgard/Uldah. We're trying to stop a centuries old war only to randomly whisk back to Uldah for the worst copout in any form of media in existence. That's horrible writing.
The Far East isn't barely related to our liberation in Ala Mhigo. It's there to gain allies, spark revolution on multiple ends against Garlemald and functionally provides a parallel and goal for Lyse through Hien.
Zenos is as shallow as you make him out to be. He's well designed, has a presence and is compelling. He's the prince of Garlemald, who instead of sitting back like a spoiled brat, embraces war, combat and bloodlust. He's so nihilistic and indifferent that only combat excites him. As far as combat goes, even to this day, he's the only one who comes close to WoL in terms of combat.
None of XIVs characters are real. Emet is just moody emo boy who can't move on. Thordan is stereotypical evil pope. Reductions are easy to do. You're embarrassing yourself
@@alpsi285 "Go there to find allies" is exactly what I mean by only barely related. Ok, we need allies. Whole effing world for that, and plenty of it subjugated by Garlemald, but we decided to travel literally halfway around the planet to find some. Ya, whatever.
I would like to be clear, though, that I found the Far East segment quite a bit more enjoyable and rewarding than the Ala Mhigo bits anyway. Hein was a very compelling character, imo. And I think the one thing that actually _did_ effectively tie the two stories together is that _Lyse_ really needed Hein to teach her, through doing, how to be a leader.
I'm glad that garrett agrees with me that Stormblood is so good when you don't have people in your ear telling you its mid.
How can I hate Stormblood when it gave me the most hyped trials
No matter what, we'll always have Stormblood music which absolutely slaps. STORM OF BLOOD
I feel the same way about DawnTrail. I just liked talking, exploring. Was totally okay with the slow burn and me and the scions not being the main attraction. I did treat it like a new book to slowly read through and didn’t rush it. Was so fun. Also the trials are so good.
WILD AND PURE AND FOREVER FREE@@clymacs9241
Right lol. I had a harder time getting invested in the story at first, but i loved the characters, and it's honestly the most fun I had in an expansion. Raubahn ex was infuriating at the time, but it's something that players who were there all suffered in solidarity, lol. Loved the dungeons and trials, and the areas are still some of my faves to just chill and fish in.
"That's why his hair is so big - it's full of MSQ"
I want to thank you both for all the great memories and fun time you have shared with us! I have been there since the end of HW, and was there on the edge of my seat the entire Shinryu night. I saw you finish EW... I have never enjoyed any streamers more than the two of you! I wish you many good times and adventures ahead, and I promise to be here to like, share, and comment as you do!
Aw, thanks for the VERY kind words.
“My initial try… there is no child” is such a funny way to put it
If I had a nickle for "14 haters who end up looking like Emet because they love him so much" I'll have two nickles which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice 😂.
As someone who traveled the real "Azem Steppes" Stormblood has such a special place in my heart. I am not a Stormblood fan but I REALLY enjoyed parts and when I see all the SB references in Endwalker I end up loving the expansion more. I think that writers respond to the fanbase, if people think something is frustrating they try to fix it later. It's honestly so rewarding.
I mean your last point is honesty the entire game lol, they could have let the base game fail but they fixed it and even made it a part of canon, fixing their mistakes is definitely a huge focus
Who is the other past-14-hater-that-loves-it-now-and-looks-like-Emet-Selch?
This campfire chat with Garrett and Kyle goes crazy 🤭😌
Let's be real these years have been about our journey together with Garrett's hair
I'm a Stormblood enjoyer, appreciator and enthusiast. The story and its themes resonate DEEPLY with me because I see my own country's past and present played out in its story. Occupation, exiles, eventual liberation and clashing ideals between those that left and preserved a kind of "pure" culture with them, and those that remained, had to adapt and bend and change - and even collaborate. And in this change of generations, the new generation may well feel that no, they ARE in the wrong, their oppressors DO want better for them, and if only they proved themselves as the "good ones", then surely, one day they might be accepted...
And likewise, the exiles return, with their lofty ideals, having breathed an air of freedom and... cannot understand the oppressed at all. Why aren't you fighting? Why aren't you rising up? Why are you just accepting it? It's very easy to retain ideals to a naive degree when you live in the free world and are surrounded by people that espouse, foster and live those ideals. It's very much a "well-fed cannot understand the hungry" situation.
And then, I enjoyed all the other cultures along the way. Originally I had made my Au Ra character as a kind of writing exercise for my own novel, and I saw that you can give them horns and red skin and yellow eyes as the people in my setting, cool! But then, the story kept echoing so many beats featured in my own novel, to the point where the Azim Steppe was so close to how I had envisioned my own character's culture... that it felt simply astonishing. I did every single side quest in that zone, I absorbed all of its lore, I loved the nods towards Mongolian culture and took a detour in learning about them, too.
It's a shame that so many malign the expansion as bad or boring, because it is anything but. Among other things, it is also very clearly a confession from Japanese writers, because the way the Garlean Empire acts and behaves in Stormblood echoes very strongly with their own history's darkest pages... so this is a kind of metaphoric story about rejecting that kind of legacy and embracing one of cooperation, understanding and respect of many different heritages. It's very subtle, and I don't see many folks talk about it either. After all, a rather historical-inspired, human story just doesn't stand out much between high fantasy epics of fighting hordes of dragons and single-handedly saving the world from an ancient super-wizard. But I'm glad to see a Stormblood appreciator among you guys, and I deeply appreciate how you guys look at stories and what they try to do.
Thank you FFXIV for improving Garrett's hair💙
I started watching when Kyle was still on that white and black background and you were NGN. Loved this video - great editing!
Never forget chess board Kyle.
3 years!? It's felt like only a few months. It has been an entertaining journey with you two. Let's Dawn some Trails soon!
I remember starting "shadowbringers", and looking at the TH-cam recommendations I saw a live of you. You were in Limsa and Garret was talking about the minions and how he spent 1 hour looking at people standing still. Somehow listening to you talk about the game made me discover the "emotional vampire" side of the game. So, thank you for sharing your experience.
Greetings from Argentina.
As a fellow Stormblood Enjoyer, when Garrett said he loved it, that was when I knew I had to subscribe to this channel.
I'm a member now so I guess that worked out.
"Don't delete your failed toons"
I didn't completely delete my original FemRoe! I just... turned her into Jean's Retainer. 😅
This is the way.
I did this same thing. My original catboy is now one of my retainers.
Im still playing my original one - though i did change her from cat girl to bunny girl
I still have my old characters (multiple as I can apparently never have just one character in anything) because of a mess involving steam vs PC version, regions, and a friend gifting me time resulting in having to create a second service account (which still gives me headaches to this day for things like buying expansions).
Omg i did the same thing XD started as a viera but got tired of no hats so i fantasia'd and made my viera into a retainer
i kinda remember i sub'd to the channel very early, right around the time just before the release of Endwalker (?) Garret still wasnt 100% committed, but i could see the great chemistry between him and KYle. at this point, they both have done more ingame stuffs than i have lol.
I am legit too early...omg. LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL YOUR FUTURE ADVENTURES!!!
Wow can’t believe it’s been 3 years that’s crazy. Even thinking that ShB was 4 years ago is nuts, but to see your journey is making me super aware of how time has flown :O cheers to putting out great vids guys, love GG x
Will be good to see new people who got in the game through this channel. This community breeds a pretty positive outlook on all gaming stuff.
I am still baffled on how i made it to the end of ARR main story without knowing that flying was a thing in the game
Goosebumps at that opening song
"The one I doubled down on because I started seeing a response"
"Which was?"
"Yoshi-P"
Yep, sounds about right
Love these kind of videos. Found you guys late into your journey (Shadowbringers!) and we met at Fanfest. Vod watcher and heavy lurker but love the community!
the fadeout ending with just “what” is so good
left wow to ff14 july 2000. patch 5.2 iirc. have stayed ever since. bonus: my wife is a console player, first game in 24 years of marriage, we play together!
Happy 3 years! Even after 10+ this is still my favorite game of all time. And of course we stan Stormblood in this house! My dog's name is Yda Lyse for a reason 😊
Aw, give Yda Lyse some scritches for us.
Re: Getting people into the game - I swore off FFXIV after trying the 1.0 beta and despising every moment of it, from an EQ, WoW, and FFXI player. Garrett Sure-as-shit wasn't going to play? That is MUCH nicer than the things I'd say after my beta experience, for many many years~
What got me here in the end? A friend who was visiting showed me Twintania (ARR Coil raid, last boss of the first tier), and I was shocked at how much it reminded me of the raiding I had done in BC - Early Cata. This was during mid-ARR? Maybe ... Patch 2.3? I had been missing this since I stopped after early Cata in WoW.
I gave it a go after that - and of course, the fact that one of my best friends was vouching while knowing my early beta 1.0 experiences helped a lot. Friends make the MMO, after all.
I had been playing RPGs all my life and was obsessed with great stories in them, but at the time any MMO I had played wasn't really about that, or didn't execute it well. It wasn't even a factor in my mind for the MMO experience. Ask me today and of course, I'll be right on board with how great the numerous stories can be in FFXIV. Back then though, I needed to see the raiding content just because that's basically what I had been doing MMOs for for awhile, even back in EQ.
Which is to say - I agree. People may be looking for different things to get hooked on the game, so gotta custom tailor what the main selling point is for what someone needs at that time in their life. The story didn't get me here, but it's been one of the main reasons it's kept me! I might use it as the main reason when talking to some friends interested in playing, or I might use something else like raiding, glamour, or even the music (We all know Soken is a blessing~).
Anyway still happy as always to have you two as part of the community - hope this video helps some curious people out, and hope you two enjoy your time in Dawntrail!
My current challenge is trying to get my previously WoW player friend whos sworn off MMO's to give it a try lol, i even offered to buy him the game, trying to get him interested little by little lol cause i really think he'd love it
I've found you guys around the start of June and I've been binging the vods starting from Stormblood and I'm just catching up to 6.3 today and it's been amazing to follow your journey and your theory cooking. Feels like I've been watching for years now and I'm glad I found you guys. Excited for Dawntrail.
I was watching you guys LIVE progging Shinryu Extreme and I think I was just as invested as you guys that whole night. I never thought I'd be yelling just as loud as you guys when you beat it. I cannot believe it's been three years.
Okay, regarding Stormblood's ongoing feedback... NGL the reason why I love this expac was because of Red Mage addition. I was about to accept that as a casual player I just suck at positionals and at being BLM Leylines/SMN very long opener and rotation (this was before LEGOS primal, people! XD) when this came out. My friend insisted that I should give this class a shot and ever since then, it had became my main class. RDM during Eureka Boom was one of my favorite moments and getting the REZMAGE tag (Especially the Anemos big boss). While people are entitled to their opinions, I'll always look back and remember StB times fondly.
As one of the old folks thats played since patch 2.3ish, I've had a blast watching the videos you guys put out when you go through the story you drop your theorycrafting and everything. I can't wait to see your takes on Dawntrail. Have fun in Tural you two!
Im sure as shit playing ffxiv and thanks to you guys and your videos I did what Kyle did and annoyed my friend enough to get him into it and he loves playing astro and his card and loves it when I tank because of "so many bad tanks" Love your videos and I cant wait to watch more
The final sting at the end made me bark a laugh, well done~
Love the interview format you guys went after with this!
Makes me reminisce about my journey too, over 3 years of playing as well and my first time being current for an expansion launch, jeez, time does fly lol
Garrett, you should give The Locked Tomb Audiobooks a try. The narrator is top tier and her telling of Nona is a gift to humanity
Wow!! 3 yrs passed! Crazy to think that I started watching you guys during your Heavensward journey! It’s been fun watching you guys play throughout the expansions. Congrats guys!!
Funny thing is when I first tried it a long time ago, I also did an Archer as I usually love Hunters and the early gameplay loop + confusion killed it fast for me too. Came back, went Dragoon (woo) and got hooked. Been a few years loving the game now - always love the content guys keep it rolling :D
I was able to go to sleep, then be video dropped at midnight. OF COURSE I'M WATCHING TO THE END
Weirdly I got big into HotS a few months before they canned it, and I definitely watched some of your content back then. But for a while I didn't realize that you were the same people from back then. Honestly I think this duo format is great for non-competitive gaming. You're kind of tapping into that couch co-op feel that we all miss
Time truly flies, i remember finding u guys trying FF 14 out when i was also still playing it and just getting sucked into the atmosphere u both still bring with u.
I hope u have many fun years ahead together playing tons of games :)
Hell yes Garrett, love to have a fellow Locked Tomb fan!
Great video! Love you guys ❤ You make really unique content. I am grateful to have you guys here! Both of you deserve so much more!! Thank you for these 3 years ❤❤
Honestly one of the things I respect about FFXIV so much is how it has opened my eyes to gaming in general.
I have always bounced around more then the average MMO player, I would say, but there was always still that constant search for "this will be my forever game, the one I return to in between everything else, my second life." I had WoW for a while, I tried many other MMOs like TERA and SWtOR, spent far too much time in and out of Destiny 2, I did some MOBAs with plenty of years sunk in League and I did try HotS for a time as well, but there was always this kind of disappointment when I would "run out" of things to do, ya know? Like I needed those games to continuously provide something for me, to the extent mixing in other single player games would be distractions, just brief distractions while I waited for my "main game" to get more to do even if that "more" was just faction/rep farming like WoW loves to focus on, and now it's pretty clear which of those games were deliberately designed in a way to constantly drag you back and suck you in, make you scared of missing out or even just falling behind. Those were what was constantly bringing me back to most of them, not the game or gameplay itself, but the fear of not being in "relevant" endgame content like everyone else.
Now That I've spent so much time in FFXIV and the mentality that game is designed on, I really just feel more freedom in the games I play. I have fully quit any other long form games and now mostly play either single player games like BG3 and Nioh 2 or I spend more time with friends in shorter form multiplayer games like Helldivers 2 more recently but also still games like Stellaris. But all the while I still repeatedly return to FFXIV without feeling pressured at any point in time to do so, I play it when I want and when I CAN, I do what I want for as long as I want and I stop when I want as well, and it never punishes me for it and I never feel like I've "fallen behind" cause the game doesn't go anywhere and parts of it don't get removed or locked away by devs or lack of player involvement.
So now if I'm looking at a game and I see fomo, I see those same old tactics to try and just keep me stuck, to suck me into something again, I just turn away from it cause I now know what I actually want and when I find it I know I won't ever have to worry about FFXIV going anywhere without me. I mean that's precisely why I literally don't touch ANY Blizzard games anymore, the fomo isn't even disguised at all, so put that on top of the sexual abuse allegations forever souring my opinion of the company and it not being something I will ever just be able to overlook like so many others it seems, and Blizzard might as well be a dead company to me now.
This kinda thing is what im trying to explain to my previos WoW player friend whos sworn off MMO's due to not wanting to commit the time, i know he'd love it if he gave it some time
Eeeey, is that already 3 years ? Time flies and so are you ! (yes, you are fly :D)
I love how you both talk about that 'tipping point' so many people seem to have with XIV, the point where you go from just playing this game, to actually being a part of the world. I started... gosh, about 7 years ago now?! Where does the time go! I love it because of the Gold Saucer. I'd get on with friends, we'd all hang out in Discord and take turns streaming movies or shows or something, and every time a GATE came up in the Saucer, we'd pause and do the GATE together. But then I started getting into the story on my own, into crafting, then covid hit and I was going to night clubs and hanging out while streaming DJs on Twitch...
It really does appeal on so many levels to me.
Congrats guys, glad everything has been going well.
Your dynamics is so fun to watch.
Hope you guys enjoy Dawntrail, its been kinda depressing seeing so much hate towards it.
Been following since NGN and love you guys. I hope you continue to hold your inspiration and forge ahead forever.
this has been an amazing vid to hear in downtime
lots of good exposition and lots of good advices
Like I said in the book; I've been here since your hair was short and your view of XIV was even shorter! lmao
It's truly been an honor to follow along and I am always telling people to check you guys out. ♥ OH and HIGH FIVE to Garrett for loving Stormblood as much as I do o/ #teamLyse
This part totally caught me off guard, but yes, oh absolutely yes. Gideon the Ninth is an amazing book. Although I totally like Harrow as a character more.
It is interesting looking back at that video where Garrett says he thinks he's done with MMOs. And fast forward to now he's having fun with FFXIV and with other games. I'm happy to see it.
Post-FF14 Garrett looks like Urianger passed him some of the Dankest Kush on the journey 😅
I'm glad you all have enjoyed your time in Eorzea, but honestly every time I watch your videos my jealousy for y'all's hair is off the charts. Lol
On the one hand, I can't believe it's been 3 years. On the other hand, post-pandemic time is WEIRD, so I absolutely can. Anyway, I'm glad you guys found this game so that we could all find you :-) It was fun watching how far you've come, and here's to many more years!
Excuse me while I send this to all the people I'm trying to get to play FF14. Also to watch you two, because you're hugely entertaining
I did watch the first video, crazy how much you guys have been through already!
Perfectly cut "what?"
That, said, my next SO can say their bf has been stabbed 🫡
Its been 3 years.... Holy shit how fast time flies. For it felt no longer that a little over a year.
Meeting the game as it is, and not how I wanted it to be, is how I learned to sit back and enjoy games again too. GG!
Congrats on nearly 3 years, guys! Here's to many more!
So happy to see you two enjoying the game as much as you are! Sad that I play on EU DataCenter so it's rare the possibility to encounter each others, but no matter, the important thing is that you two are having fun and being happy.
You got your masters at the same time I did. I was winding down on FFXIV and in the near future, had some major medical issue. But now I'm fine and back and working my way through Endwalker. Can't wait for Dawntrain content!
Glad to hear you’re good. And a way late congrats on the masters!
@@Amovetv Same to you! Getting my masters made me understand more about learning in general, and not just CyberSecurity.
TLT mentioned, hell yeah. Can confirm you should read Nona, especially because the 4th book in the The Locked Tomb Triolgy is set for this fall.
I think it's fair to say that healthy emotional spread and respect for your time really mellowed these two out as they adjusted to the new game
the thumbnail looks like one of those detox photos, you know before and after
2:34 this video is top tier and im not 3 mins in yet.
I've been a DRK main since the later half of Heavensward. This will be the first expansion since then that I won't be raiding as a tank.
14:30 And that's why Kyle is wearing a green top and Garrett is wearing a blue top 😜
I didn't notice, and wouldn't be surprised if they didn't either
If you ONLY based what game you played upon the director... No contest between Yoshi P and Ion Hassacosus.😆
You know what I remember? Garret complaining about how FF14 didn't look good.
It is also funny, because he also said the characters were charming like Ocarina of Time Kakariko Village characters but then dismissed that because stuff loaded slowly. Meaning he probably was not necessarily saying they looked bad, or that he possibly thinks their quirkiness offset how they looked, but he really was inured in the WoW style (in addition to not liking the FFXIV style initially).
@@iantaakalla8180yup, despite not having a membership or even having been in the discord for long I'be been around since the last episodes of NGN.
It's been a journey
Man, this is definitely a milestone of some sort. Honestly, the only thing I'm waiting for now is the rest of the MSQ patch videos, and also to catch up on the wall of dungeons and trials. But I believe the boys will be on break based for a bit, so I'm excited to see what they'll make when they return.
Perfect ending.
Thanks for the 3 years guys and for the more years to come.
With the first hairstyle, I expected the title to say 23 years.
Great vid! To the top of the viewcharts with you!
Nice recap. Been enjoying the journey and looking forward to what the future holds.
I have to agree with the comments about how ffxiv helped create a healthy gaming experience. It was the same for me. After years of not really enjoying the toxic environment of WoW, but hoping that it would change, a friend convinced me to give ffxiv a try. I loved the fullness of the world, and the ability to have fun raiding again, made me stick with the game. And I’m glad I did.
ty Garett!! I love stormblood too. thats where I also got very invested into ffxiv. and I'll say it for you. stormblood is better than heavensward
Stormblood is peak. Dont let anyone tell you otherwize
The fact you enjoy Stormblood makes you stand out to me, and makes me think/hope your opinion on DT will also be good. People have an idea that if a bunch of people decide something is bad then its objectivly bad despite the fact its completely subjective and a personal experience and if you feel it was good then it was.
Dear lord I started out with an archer too!
Moved to caster and healer jobs
That ending. Not often we see Garrett breaking Kyle.
this sure as shit a banger video
This is just a long version of Garrett learning 'never say never'. Also, my man, I loved the story telling in stormblood and HOW they introduced us to information about the world.
Another lesson seems to be how a video game that is not immediately harmful can help rekindle a better relationship with playing video games.
Hey guys where's that Frosty interview? I couldn't catch it live and been looking forward to it
Just checked and it's public. It was a livestream so it's under the live tab.
th-cam.com/video/kcpQpEKrlsQ/w-d-xo.html
@@Amovetv fantastic! Thanks for all the great content! Really loving your journey
Its always weird to see Garrett's old crappy haircut next to his new immaculate man mane.
Yes. Anger the Stormblood haters. Feed their rage with unbiased joy.
On the edge of my seat for stream to return because I legit thought "they'll love this" at some things and hope I'm right.
Short video. I didn't even know it finished until I saw the black screen.
As a tank main with 2 tank main friends, I 100% understand Garrett's reason for playing tank, Bad tanks suck to deal with (Let's ignore the backhanded compliments I keep getting about being better than most people on Keyboard when I'm on controller lol)
They did, in fact, do Sylvanas dirty. Part of when I realized I was never going back to WoW.
"I guess you've been having kids for awhile" lol
I did like SB, just the whole revolution aspect and seeing the cracks form in the Empire leadership was quite eye opening. I do hope we get some side content eventually really diving into the 1.x White Raven story and another that has to deal with all the political infighting that lead to the Civil War which destroyed the Garlean Empire.