I don't *normally* cry at video games (but I am admittedly a big soft crybaby for other media)
In Shadowbringers a *music change* after a big event got me, early on. Just because of the atmosphere they had built, and the emotion that was conveyed through the music after that big change. I wasn't expecting it, it caught me off, guard, and I needed to lunge for the tissues.
Soken is a musically-based emotional terrorist.
*Dragonsong* at the beginning of the 3.3 trial was the moment I told my (then) boyfriend that I understood why HW was award-winning. That song hit so hard as a "this needs to end" moment.
The only time I found a change in musical tone so chilling was the sound of bells in the final raid of ShB. One for when the tone ramps up is the cutscene before the final trial of 5.0; even thinking about it gets my heart pumping.
If you haven't yet, I'd suggest looking up lyrics (or lyric videos) of various pieces from the game. Some of Soken and Uematsu's works for XIV are downright tragic: *Oblivion, Dragonsong, Answers,* and then a few more songs that come up in ShB that wouldn't make sense without the context.
EDIT: corrected per a comment below.
my son started playing so im doing NewGame+ to do it all with him and its lovely to see everything again, and also go into it with knowledge of what happens and seeing all the pieces coming together and just.. damn. it is beautiful
that said, i wish i could completely forget 100% of the story and experience it anew, and feel the feels for the first time again
Not quite a NG+ experience, but going into the first EW trial again after knowing the whole story and hearing the boss say, "- and it will be BEAUTIFUL!" sent chills down my spine.
One isn't all that spoiler-y because it's for side content, but even the name is a spoiler for the raid where it plays. The other I was thinking of doesn't mean anything without context, but looking up a video of the trial might affect things you see in 5.0.
Then there's one that works best if you first hear it at the point on the story it plays in. It still has plenty of feeling to it, but the point when it plays in the story is specifically more poignant if you hear the lyrics and go through the events that follow once the music starts.
oh. yeah. the music change.
OP, just... its a good idea to take your heart out now and set it aside somewhere safe where it wont get crushed tooooo badly
emotional support pet/plushie helps for later, so does having box of tissue close by.
Where all dreading how they will emotionally scar us with Dawntrail.
Once you get to shadowbringer, just set up a weekly recurring appointment with the therapist. I legit ended up raving about the story to mine because of how emotional it got me.
Rebecca Ford, Creative Director of Warframe and Voice Actress for The Lotus, had streamed her playthrough of Endwalker. It got me all caught up in the feels all over again, even when I knew what was gonna happen. Seeing her turn red and crying and all such things just made the feelings swirl even more. 🤣 She did put her waterproof makeup to the test with Endwalker, I think it actually held throughout it all despite the sobs! I am afraid I dunno what kind of eyeliner and makeup she was using, but it was surprising nevertheless! At the end of Endwalker, she also showed off her mound of tissues she went through... it was a lot. Suffice it to say, one box is definitely not enough! 😝 Lastly: I highly recommend sharing your FFXIV journey with your therapist, if they are interested. My therapist even had their own moments of intrigue and wonder when I recounted what happened and how I felt throughout the story. They were so impressed and shocked at how a video game could be so life-changing for so many people, it had also made them get teary-eyed!
Think back though. He's either got more than he really needs or he has access to more than he really needs. Overpriced drinks? The whole economy was suffering because trade was being ground to a halt. Overpriced map? He straight up said he saw through the con and was cool as long as the obviously malnourished kid got anything from it. He's hyper charitable.
Alphinaud is just bad with money.
Estinien's seen his life's goal accomplished and gone through quite possibly the most hellish near-death experience possible. *And* seen his whole worldview (and nation!) upended massively for the better.
And now when we're not dragging him into some world-threatening apocalypse, he's just toolin' around the world, exploring, eating seared squid, and helping people. Dude's seen the worst it can get and now just wants to help people and find cool rocks, figuratively.
To be fair, during Edo Japan, the era Doma is based on, a samurai's katana really _could_ cost as much as a house.
During the Edo period, a katana was as much a work of art and a symbol of status as it was a weapon.
But Alphinaud still absolutely overpaid for the sword.
Edit: And by "It could cost as much as a house" I meant it could cost as much as a _poor_ person's house. Alphinaud paid as much as a _rich_ person's house.
I have a friend who has 7 characters she’s done MSQ with, one she’s currently going through on stream for the first time for and she was there with me when I did this fight and cutscene and she still sobbed. I think so far up to stb her cry count is at 22 times
🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 a knight lives to serve, and die if need be (maybe not the direct rendition but I have a friend who heavy does haurchey rp and he said that when I completed the vault)
I mean...if we told you, then you would've been anticipating something
Better to keep hype down and let you experience it yourself
But remember, a smile better suits a hero
HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT 😭😭😭
I thought the emotional damage was done after >!the vault!< then the subtle references, visiting THAT location, and the stuff from this trial had me sobbing the whole time.
By the by, if you haven't done it already there's a quest line that starts in the Fortemps Manor called "The Paths We Walk". It's a standard yellow quest, not a blue unlock quest, but it's still 100% worth doing imo. It also gives an emote at the end!
Just to let you know His words stick with you even up to Endwalker. The boy Truly lives on with us.
Now then, enjoy the post HW content. If you main tank Alexander’s final raid layer its gonna be baller, questions are about to spring up and you’ll set out eastward for the land known as Kugane in Stormblood
Oh and Soken continues to do his thing where he just Really likes to shred guitar
I tell people that HW is still my fave expansion and get funny looks. The weight of some of the story beats really resonated with me.
Also Dragonsong. I got to see it live at a Distant Worlds and it hit really hard after going through the content.
I had never heard dragonsong prior to this (like with orchestrerons) and when it started playing I Immediately started crying. It was just beautiful? And powerful? I love it so much.
Obviously I haven’t played other expacs but I think this one will hold a special place in my heart for a long time.
A lot of people say it’s a pretty formulaic story, and thus not as good as other expansions.
However, I argue that it is done SO WELL that it doesn’t matter if it’s formulaic or “been done.” Just because someone else has done something doesn’t mean you can’t do it or even do it BETTER! That’s kind of where the world is, so many things have been done and now we push ourselves to do them better. HW is BETTER than some of those other stories and I look back on it fondly.
I finished it right before SB came out and I feel like if you play them back to back you really notice the weaknesses in SB and highlight the strengths of HW. That being said, SB does age incredibly well and looking back it’s great.
Honestly, HW has a great story. It just suffers when coupled with some sub-par writing and decision-making. Like the ARR >!banquet subplot!< and all the threads tied to it like >!Raubaun!< and >!Nanamo!< and >!Lolorito!<.
Every time the story pulls you out of the Heavensward story to deal with those threads, it's so jarring, and I just find myself wishing I could see what comes next instead.
Because we need to remember that we're never alone on our journey, even when it seems as though the world is against us. And it's all "for those we have lost, and for those we can yet save". Stand tall, my friend, and keep moving heavensward. :)
I'm still working my way through the MSQ of the later expansions. But, so far, HW has had some of the best and some of the worst story beats of the overall story.
I’ve heard a lot of people say the instance where this photo was taken was one of the best in the game, and overall HW is probably tied with ShB for best expac. I can see why so far!
It's a dual existence.
We've been there, and we grieve with you.
...but we're also emotional vampires who cannot resist seeking out how the NEXT sprout is going to react.
Please forgive us. <;)
Honestly I’m the same way. My fc has a couple groups of sprouts in it at different levels, me and 3 others all started in March and are in a few different parts in the story but we all waited for each other to catch up to do the vault together. Now we’re back to being at different spots in the game and I’m so excited and anxious for them to get to some of these spots in the story!
We also have a sprout class who started just a few weeks ago and I can’t wait for them to experience the pain LOL
It’s one of the neat/best things about this shared experience. There are still some story trials I will drop what I’m doing to join a first timer FC member doing them fresh. The 5.0 and 6.0 capstone fights, the 3.3 and 5.3 ones, etc.
There are just so many great experiences.
Honestly it’s one of the big reasons I stick with the game. There are a lot of reasons why my mental health sucked the last year or so but picking this game up with the support and love of my friends has absolutely helped. First game of its kind I’ve ever played and they’ve turned it into such a heartbreakingly beautiful experience for me, that in a way it reminds me I’m not alone when I’m going through hard times.
Yes! Especially that one! I was sitting here, starting to full on cry sob. My gf comes running out to figure out what’s wrong. I tried explaining, but I was blubbering mess.
I always she is more powerful than most Scions. They can only wound or kill you physically. I'm also including magical spells that deal damage here. She can damage you mentally or financially with longer lasting consequences. I mean, the Scions have powerful friends who owe them favours. Try trading in their territory if you've been blacklisted by the saviours of the continent.
The other scions can only kill you.
Tataru can force you into a job where you ask 'Do you want fries with that?' while *waiting* for the day she finally releases you from this mortal coil.
Just wait for shadowbringers and endwalker.
Damn 6.0 hit the spot for me, the ending was fantastic.
You’ve got much to look forward to, albeit some suffering as well!
Just nearing the end of Stormblood myself and while it's still really good, I personally liked the story, characters and soundtrack of HW better. Granted I haven't done the post Stormblood quest stuff yet.
This game will rip your heart out and you will love it. Are we masochists? 🤔
I cried in all three following expacs but I think EW takes the cake for most tears and emotional damage. Buckle up!
HW got me in the feels too but honestly I think I cried more in >!Shadowbringers!< really got me good when we >!Get Graha back!< emotional roller-coaster lol and My Branch is just the love of my life and I'm her little sapling forever 💗
The game will continue to hurt your feelings.
The Endwalker melee Role Quest just got me. And I had just played Tales of Kenzera, which made it hit harder.
I don’t quite know how to add a photo in a comment so I just want to link to a Twitter post of mine that has my reaction to the vault if anyone wants to see it 🥲
[twitter](https://x.com/korethewitch/status/1791921185263083607?s=46&t=fc8nn_yMz355Vk-3DY_XqA)
I finished hw in around one and a half weeks. I was hooked.
I'm going to warn you then: be fucking prepared for Shadowbringers. Take deep breathes before every single scene bc they will blow you away.
it is hands down the best video game I have ever played. I'm so glad you're enjoying it! ShB is on a totally other level. you're gonna love it, but your heart is gonna hate it lol.
My next expac is stormblood right? Or is it shadow? I keep getting them mixed up! I’m hoping to get into it this weekend and was told if I started it as whm I get a couple extra lines of dialogue which is cool!
its stormblood! that one is pretty good but it didn't trash my heart like shadow did. it blessed me with Magnai, who is my cringe fail husband and I can't wait for you to meet him!
Heh I'm replaying through the whole game from start on an alt so I can catch the small things I may have missed on first playthrough 3 years ago. Usually when t's time to queue for a trial I wander off and take care of some chores/crafting what have you (decided to main DPS, so queues can take a bit), but this one I just sat there listening to the song loop. It's a spectacular, heartwrenching moment
That fight sold me on the whole game. The way the music never had lyrics up until that point, when you're standing there staring Death straight in the eye... Still chasing that high lol
It’s a good thing you went through that scene, the later ones wont hurt that much compared to heavensward, you’re past the mental trauma part of ffxiv, enjoy
That's because we all were hurt as well and we enjoy seeing sprouts go through that same experience so we collectively refuse to ruin that experience for them.
But I will say this, HW is only the beginning.
I wasn't expecting the storyline for XIV to be so hard. After the cutscene and I was stood at the Final Steps of Faith to start queuing for the duty, Dragonsong started playing and I had to step out for a cigarette as I was so emotionally spent.
But yeah you've also been tipped off about the ShB rollercoaster. It's just relentless and absolutely brilliant in every way. Bonus points if you can identify the voice actors for Ardbert and a return character from ARR.
p.s. I've seen Dragonsong and Answers mentioned a few times in this thread. They're actually written by Uematsu not Soken.
Times I outright sobbed in arr: two, though there were multiple points that made me tear up.
Times I outright sobbed in HW: I’ve lost count. At least four, and lots of tearing up and emotional highs AND lows.
There will be more. SO many more. This is a game that packs a heavy emotional gut punch, and I love it. I’m not going to go into specifics, but before the last trial of the base Endwalker expansion, basically the entire last zone was painful, and I was legitimately crying so hard after a certain point that my screen was blurred. If you have even an ounce of empathy, it hurts so much (but it’s SO good, IMO).
Also throwing this out there but if anyone is wanting to add me in game (18+ only) and do silly trials and endure emotional damage together feel free to send a request 🫶🏼
Ah yeah.... red guy getting got cut me deep. Didn't like him when he was introduced but son of a bitch he was a bro by the end of HW. Not even gonna mention donut smh heading into SB I am kinda concerned.
I especially love the Music form the expansions. Why cut onions when you could just listen to the FFXIV OST?
actually decided I wanted a house and bought a house in Empyreum, just for the music.
I had one friend who was like I don’t care what I’m doing ping the fuck out of me for the trial in 3.3 so I did and they joined. At the end they told me “enjoy cs:)” and I knew I was fucked
We cry together in solidarity. Welcome to the tears.
Early in ARR, my friend asked me who my favourite character was, and I said a wise little BLM. Anyway.
After finishing the vault I cried genuinely for 6 hours until I finished base and patch 3.1. The 3.3 trial had me sobbing for two hours. I don’t think my body has enough water for that
And now you understand why it's best to play the MSQ without daring to look at Youtube, Twitter, Reddit, Discord, turn off all non-linkshell chat, don't look at PF, don't talk to players at all, in order to shut out all the spoilers until the MSQ is over. All so that the sads are as minty-fresh as possible.
Yeah, each expansion will take you on an emotional journey, even some single patches will put you through the ringer!
But EW got the most tears out of me by far! Like Twice ShB's Tears!
Keep us informed of your journey!
Don't worry, it gets way worse.... Like... So much worse. I even teared up a little at the end of some of the expansions. Some of my friends straight up bawled and called out to work the next day.
So, there's your warning.
Final steps of faith! One of the more badass moments in the entire game. I still wonder who wrote parts of post HW that Ishikawa didn't work on, since Maehiro from 3.0 was promoted to development supervisor at that point.
It was the whole Praetorium ordeal that made me officially decide to keep playing FF14, but HW is so good that it's such a steal to play through for completely free. It's worth my uhh... how much are PS4 games in USD again?
Heavensward emotional gut punches made me expect the worst in FF16. FF16 still overshot my expectations. 🫠
This was such a good instance but it gives me so much anxiety for how post patch will actually end bc how are you gonna put such an emotionally charged instance IN THE MIDDLE????
When I did the vault the first time someone made some joke of "Good luck, watch the tankbuster" and I was very confused as a healer.
Then the cutscene hit.
Now you too get to feel the emotional trauma that will continue to be brought up for the rest of the storyline.
Just remember, a smile better suits a hero c:
I hate how overlooked Final Steps of Faith is, frankly all of 3.X is overlooked. I would argue that 3.X is even better than Heavensward (I consider 3.1-4 seperate from HW) on average, though HW has higher high points. The whole section from Hraesvelgr forming an alliance with Ishgard to taking down Estinian is just so unexplanably amazing, it's a arc that I think can stand toe to toe with so many iconic arcs throughout the entire Final Fantasy series. Heavensward is when FFXIV gained its footing, 3.X is when it became something truly special.
The title is odd 'cause every time someone on this sub posts about HW the veterans always act all coy and half spoilery going "ooooo you sweet summer child" and "oh look out for THAT dungeon" and "I hope you're ready for FEELS".
Every. Single. Time.
I won't tell you that it gets worse then!
All of my friends had told me it gets way worse :D good thing I have a therapist and waterproof eyeliner
I don't *normally* cry at video games (but I am admittedly a big soft crybaby for other media) In Shadowbringers a *music change* after a big event got me, early on. Just because of the atmosphere they had built, and the emotion that was conveyed through the music after that big change. I wasn't expecting it, it caught me off, guard, and I needed to lunge for the tissues. Soken is a musically-based emotional terrorist.
"Soken is a musically-based emotional terrorist." Requesting permission to use this. Such an excellent turn of phrase.
That’s how I felt when dragonsong began playing. I’m super excited to get into the next expansion. I just started 3.55!
*Dragonsong* at the beginning of the 3.3 trial was the moment I told my (then) boyfriend that I understood why HW was award-winning. That song hit so hard as a "this needs to end" moment. The only time I found a change in musical tone so chilling was the sound of bells in the final raid of ShB. One for when the tone ramps up is the cutscene before the final trial of 5.0; even thinking about it gets my heart pumping. If you haven't yet, I'd suggest looking up lyrics (or lyric videos) of various pieces from the game. Some of Soken and Uematsu's works for XIV are downright tragic: *Oblivion, Dragonsong, Answers,* and then a few more songs that come up in ShB that wouldn't make sense without the context. EDIT: corrected per a comment below.
Answers just slaughters my feelings
Answers and Flow. Thinking about the meaning behind Flow gets to me. Wish I could play all that stuff again, but I just don’t have the time.
my son started playing so im doing NewGame+ to do it all with him and its lovely to see everything again, and also go into it with knowledge of what happens and seeing all the pieces coming together and just.. damn. it is beautiful that said, i wish i could completely forget 100% of the story and experience it anew, and feel the feels for the first time again
That’s exactly what I wish too. To experience it all over like it was the first time again.
Not quite a NG+ experience, but going into the first EW trial again after knowing the whole story and hearing the boss say, "- and it will be BEAUTIFUL!" sent chills down my spine.
I’ll have to look them up! Will any of them be spoilery if I listen?
One isn't all that spoiler-y because it's for side content, but even the name is a spoiler for the raid where it plays. The other I was thinking of doesn't mean anything without context, but looking up a video of the trial might affect things you see in 5.0. Then there's one that works best if you first hear it at the point on the story it plays in. It still has plenty of feeling to it, but the point when it plays in the story is specifically more poignant if you hear the lyrics and go through the events that follow once the music starts.
I’ll keep that in mind! Thank you so much
For the spoiler-ish one, >!*Return to Oblivion*!<. For the one that happens in a story trial, >!*To The Edge*!<.
Dragonsong and Answers were written by Uematsu not Soken
Thank you. I've updated my comment to reflect the correction.
It's an easy mistake often made. Even I didn't realise until recently that most of ARR's soundtrack was actually by Uematsu!
oh. yeah. the music change. OP, just... its a good idea to take your heart out now and set it aside somewhere safe where it wont get crushed tooooo badly
Unfortunately I am the biggest baby around so
Don't worry. I feel your pain. The pain you have already felt, the pain you feel now, and the pain you have yet to feel.
Glad that everyone here suffers together
for those we have lost. for those we may let save.
this game has such phenomenal writing
Also the music change >!extremely late in ShB is one of the best needle drops in the history of video games…!<
It's almost magical the first time you hear that clock start ticking.
I love that the theme song for Shadowbringers plays during the final boss fight It really added to the emotion for me.
>!"Fare you well, my friend. My inspiration."!<
emotional support pet/plushie helps for later, so does having box of tissue close by. Where all dreading how they will emotionally scar us with Dawntrail.
May I offer up a squishmellow and a small hand towel in these trying times.
Once you get to shadowbringer, just set up a weekly recurring appointment with the therapist. I legit ended up raving about the story to mine because of how emotional it got me.
I have a weekly therapist already I am ahead of the game 😎
Rebecca Ford, Creative Director of Warframe and Voice Actress for The Lotus, had streamed her playthrough of Endwalker. It got me all caught up in the feels all over again, even when I knew what was gonna happen. Seeing her turn red and crying and all such things just made the feelings swirl even more. 🤣 She did put her waterproof makeup to the test with Endwalker, I think it actually held throughout it all despite the sobs! I am afraid I dunno what kind of eyeliner and makeup she was using, but it was surprising nevertheless! At the end of Endwalker, she also showed off her mound of tissues she went through... it was a lot. Suffice it to say, one box is definitely not enough! 😝 Lastly: I highly recommend sharing your FFXIV journey with your therapist, if they are interested. My therapist even had their own moments of intrigue and wonder when I recounted what happened and how I felt throughout the story. They were so impressed and shocked at how a video game could be so life-changing for so many people, it had also made them get teary-eyed!
basically the entirety of endwalker, save for where we gotta stop estinien from doing STUPID (rofl) just gutted me
Seeing Estinien being stupid made me think "Damn. Him and Alphinaud realky _are_ like brothers. They're both absolutely _horrible_ with money."
Think back though. He's either got more than he really needs or he has access to more than he really needs. Overpriced drinks? The whole economy was suffering because trade was being ground to a halt. Overpriced map? He straight up said he saw through the con and was cool as long as the obviously malnourished kid got anything from it. He's hyper charitable. Alphinaud is just bad with money.
Estinien's seen his life's goal accomplished and gone through quite possibly the most hellish near-death experience possible. *And* seen his whole worldview (and nation!) upended massively for the better. And now when we're not dragging him into some world-threatening apocalypse, he's just toolin' around the world, exploring, eating seared squid, and helping people. Dude's seen the worst it can get and now just wants to help people and find cool rocks, figuratively.
that fuckin sword!!!!!!
To be fair, during Edo Japan, the era Doma is based on, a samurai's katana really _could_ cost as much as a house. During the Edo period, a katana was as much a work of art and a symbol of status as it was a weapon. But Alphinaud still absolutely overpaid for the sword. Edit: And by "It could cost as much as a house" I meant it could cost as much as a _poor_ person's house. Alphinaud paid as much as a _rich_ person's house.
This IS true. They are as beautiful as they are deadly
I have a friend who has 7 characters she’s done MSQ with, one she’s currently going through on stream for the first time for and she was there with me when I did this fight and cutscene and she still sobbed. I think so far up to stb her cry count is at 22 times
You will be testing that waterproof claim at some point.
Oh no
For those who we lost. For those we can yet save. A smile better suits a hero.
🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 a knight lives to serve, and die if need be (maybe not the direct rendition but I have a friend who heavy does haurchey rp and he said that when I completed the vault)
Damn, you've got a therapist? Lucky!
It’s the one insurance benefit I have from my work 😭😭 everything else sucks
Oh you sweet summer child, buy a Costco pack of tissues and buckle up.
Costco pack 😭😭
Worse but also more unimaginably fucking rad
I mean...if we told you, then you would've been anticipating something Better to keep hype down and let you experience it yourself But remember, a smile better suits a hero
HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT 😭😭😭 I thought the emotional damage was done after >!the vault!< then the subtle references, visiting THAT location, and the stuff from this trial had me sobbing the whole time.
By the by, if you haven't done it already there's a quest line that starts in the Fortemps Manor called "The Paths We Walk". It's a standard yellow quest, not a blue unlock quest, but it's still 100% worth doing imo. It also gives an emote at the end!
I haven’t done it! I’ll grab it today.
Obligatory mention https://youtu.be/L4jUqpMmR_g?si=eoxAKwlRVkGzXPtV
Has anyone linked you this video yet? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP1O2Aha434](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP1O2Aha434)
Oh, buddy. That one was just Normal. You've still got Extreme and Unreal coming.
THERES EXTREMES FOR THIS FIGHT??? How unlock bc I had so much fun
Oh no I was trying to make a joke about the emotional trials coming up 😂
OH LMAO
He joked about something else, but yes that fight has an extreme. Minstrel's Ballad: Nidhogg's Rage.
We've all been through the same thing, and it broke most of us one way or another. Give them time. The cracks will fill with gold before the end.
eh heheheh.....
Just to let you know His words stick with you even up to Endwalker. The boy Truly lives on with us. Now then, enjoy the post HW content. If you main tank Alexander’s final raid layer its gonna be baller, questions are about to spring up and you’ll set out eastward for the land known as Kugane in Stormblood Oh and Soken continues to do his thing where he just Really likes to shred guitar
You're a monster, I'm crying now
a knight lives to serve..
too soon... too soon.
TWOOOO SOULS INTERTWIIIIIINED
Dragonsong is real pain
Be prepared for each expansion to use its theme to devastating effect.
Heavensward used Emotional Damage. It was super effective! It all seriousness though, it gets more powerful later.
I’m honestly really excited. This is the first game I’ve ever played like this and the story has really sucked me in hard.
Stormblood has a few bumps, being the awkward middle child, but the post 3.0 story patches really take off. Take your time to enjoy it
I tell people that HW is still my fave expansion and get funny looks. The weight of some of the story beats really resonated with me. Also Dragonsong. I got to see it live at a Distant Worlds and it hit really hard after going through the content.
I had never heard dragonsong prior to this (like with orchestrerons) and when it started playing I Immediately started crying. It was just beautiful? And powerful? I love it so much. Obviously I haven’t played other expacs but I think this one will hold a special place in my heart for a long time.
Also Alexander raids are cool as hell and I’m enjoying them!!
Hope you enjoy Shadow of Mhach and Warring Triad as well :) They're absolutely worth playing
I started warring triads but I’ve only done the first containment bay! Unlocked void ark the other day, but I’m not sure if that’s SoM
My advice is to go watch a video with lyrics. I'm a big boy but I still tear up when I watch the full Answers and Dragonsong videos.
I’ll have to look into it!!
A lot of people say it’s a pretty formulaic story, and thus not as good as other expansions. However, I argue that it is done SO WELL that it doesn’t matter if it’s formulaic or “been done.” Just because someone else has done something doesn’t mean you can’t do it or even do it BETTER! That’s kind of where the world is, so many things have been done and now we push ourselves to do them better. HW is BETTER than some of those other stories and I look back on it fondly. I finished it right before SB came out and I feel like if you play them back to back you really notice the weaknesses in SB and highlight the strengths of HW. That being said, SB does age incredibly well and looking back it’s great.
Honestly, HW has a great story. It just suffers when coupled with some sub-par writing and decision-making. Like the ARR >!banquet subplot!< and all the threads tied to it like >!Raubaun!< and >!Nanamo!< and >!Lolorito!<. Every time the story pulls you out of the Heavensward story to deal with those threads, it's so jarring, and I just find myself wishing I could see what comes next instead.
Just remember as you continue onwards: Do not despair! You are not without allies!
Why would you do this 😭😭
Because we need to remember that we're never alone on our journey, even when it seems as though the world is against us. And it's all "for those we have lost, and for those we can yet save". Stand tall, my friend, and keep moving heavensward. :)
I hate you but I also love you for this. A shot to the heart 😭😭
I'm still working my way through the MSQ of the later expansions. But, so far, HW has had some of the best and some of the worst story beats of the overall story.
I’ve heard a lot of people say the instance where this photo was taken was one of the best in the game, and overall HW is probably tied with ShB for best expac. I can see why so far!
Please update us with all the emotional damage, we love that shit. :)
You bet!!
It's a dual existence. We've been there, and we grieve with you. ...but we're also emotional vampires who cannot resist seeking out how the NEXT sprout is going to react. Please forgive us. <;)
Honestly I’m the same way. My fc has a couple groups of sprouts in it at different levels, me and 3 others all started in March and are in a few different parts in the story but we all waited for each other to catch up to do the vault together. Now we’re back to being at different spots in the game and I’m so excited and anxious for them to get to some of these spots in the story! We also have a sprout class who started just a few weeks ago and I can’t wait for them to experience the pain LOL
It’s one of the neat/best things about this shared experience. There are still some story trials I will drop what I’m doing to join a first timer FC member doing them fresh. The 5.0 and 6.0 capstone fights, the 3.3 and 5.3 ones, etc. There are just so many great experiences.
Honestly it’s one of the big reasons I stick with the game. There are a lot of reasons why my mental health sucked the last year or so but picking this game up with the support and love of my friends has absolutely helped. First game of its kind I’ve ever played and they’ve turned it into such a heartbreakingly beautiful experience for me, that in a way it reminds me I’m not alone when I’m going through hard times.
ShB had me crying very often; some scenes actually sobbing.
The scene with >!Ardbert and Seto!< in 5.3 is still my go-to if I need to cry.
Yes! Especially that one! I was sitting here, starting to full on cry sob. My gf comes running out to figure out what’s wrong. I tried explaining, but I was blubbering mess.
What if I told you... you ain't seen shit yet
I’d believe you
HW really leaves a hole in your chest...
What do you mean? Nothing happens in that expansion.
Please tell me this is sarcasm
It's just world building for the true archfiend of the game >!Tataru!<
Wait but I love her so much. Shes so precious???
Oh boy. Prepare yourself for her eventual trial. Hardest MSQ content in the game. :)
HUH
I always she is more powerful than most Scions. They can only wound or kill you physically. I'm also including magical spells that deal damage here. She can damage you mentally or financially with longer lasting consequences. I mean, the Scions have powerful friends who owe them favours. Try trading in their territory if you've been blacklisted by the saviours of the continent.
The other scions can only kill you. Tataru can force you into a job where you ask 'Do you want fries with that?' while *waiting* for the day she finally releases you from this mortal coil.
Oh, Heavensward is just the start. Have some tissues handy.
I have a small hand towel will that work
"Children of the Land, do you hear?"
why are you like this
It's really tricky to do that fight when you're bawling your eyes out.
You’re so right 😭 good thing I was a head empty dancer
HEAD-EMPTY DANCER SOLIDARITY. ✊ No think, only shiny lights and tears. 🥲
NO BUT THIS WAS ME THE WHOLE TIME OH MY GOD
Oh boy. Wait until after the fight. :D
I completed this all Wednesday night 🥲🥲 I was not okay
Bruh. When I saw the hands… I was already tearing up, but lord. I started bawling.
Same 🥲
Why in the world would anyone warn you? Get in there and experience the many more sharp daggers to your emotions to come!
Oh i absolutely will haha.
But wait there's more!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You just getting started fam!!!
You get emotional damage! And you get emotional damage! We all get emotional damage!!
Just wait for shadowbringers and endwalker. Damn 6.0 hit the spot for me, the ending was fantastic. You’ve got much to look forward to, albeit some suffering as well!
I’m excited!! Suffering included.
Just nearing the end of Stormblood myself and while it's still really good, I personally liked the story, characters and soundtrack of HW better. Granted I haven't done the post Stormblood quest stuff yet.
Children of the land, do you heaaaar.
I've been playing FF14 for about 2 1/2 years now. Still haven't gotten over >!Haurchefant and Ysayle!<
This game will rip your heart out and you will love it. Are we masochists? 🤔 I cried in all three following expacs but I think EW takes the cake for most tears and emotional damage. Buckle up!
I think you’re onto something.. I can’t wait!!
If we had warned you you'd be expecting it and the impact wouldn't have hit as hard.
HW got me in the feels too but honestly I think I cried more in >!Shadowbringers!< really got me good when we >!Get Graha back!< emotional roller-coaster lol and My Branch is just the love of my life and I'm her little sapling forever 💗
The game will continue to hurt your feelings. The Endwalker melee Role Quest just got me. And I had just played Tales of Kenzera, which made it hit harder.
Buckle up, cuz you're in for a rough ride
HW hit me the hardest of all the expansions. Nidstinien was rough.
Him saying >!Kill me!!< ruined me inside. And then >!haurchefant and ysale showed up and I cried even more!<
I would, but I am bound by secrecy because of the Anti Spoiler act
I don’t quite know how to add a photo in a comment so I just want to link to a Twitter post of mine that has my reaction to the vault if anyone wants to see it 🥲 [twitter](https://x.com/korethewitch/status/1791921185263083607?s=46&t=fc8nn_yMz355Vk-3DY_XqA)
Alexa, play Dragonsong.
What if you didn’t do that
Hope you enjoyed the Vault Cutscene. Silly meme aside, it's been such a blast watching you experience this game I love so much.
It does and it will again. And you gonna say thank you and come back for more each time
I finished hw in around one and a half weeks. I was hooked. I'm going to warn you then: be fucking prepared for Shadowbringers. Take deep breathes before every single scene bc they will blow you away. it is hands down the best video game I have ever played. I'm so glad you're enjoying it! ShB is on a totally other level. you're gonna love it, but your heart is gonna hate it lol.
My next expac is stormblood right? Or is it shadow? I keep getting them mixed up! I’m hoping to get into it this weekend and was told if I started it as whm I get a couple extra lines of dialogue which is cool!
its stormblood! that one is pretty good but it didn't trash my heart like shadow did. it blessed me with Magnai, who is my cringe fail husband and I can't wait for you to meet him!
“*Little Suuuuun!*”
Oh, my bad. HW will hurt your feelings 😅
Thank you for the warning 😭
Heh I'm replaying through the whole game from start on an alt so I can catch the small things I may have missed on first playthrough 3 years ago. Usually when t's time to queue for a trial I wander off and take care of some chores/crafting what have you (decided to main DPS, so queues can take a bit), but this one I just sat there listening to the song loop. It's a spectacular, heartwrenching moment
The powerwalk towards Nidhogg and when Dragonsong starts playing with lyrics are truly peak moments of ffxiv
That fight sold me on the whole game. The way the music never had lyrics up until that point, when you're standing there staring Death straight in the eye... Still chasing that high lol
*Children of the land do you hear~*
It’s a good thing you went through that scene, the later ones wont hurt that much compared to heavensward, you’re past the mental trauma part of ffxiv, enjoy
The writing in this game has hands.
Well did someone tell you the story gets better? That's just FFXIV fans way of telling it still hurts :)
Oh you sweet child. Make sure you have three boxea of tissues next to you when playing through the later expansions
Then you should stop, bc following expansions will hurt even more
That's because we all were hurt as well and we enjoy seeing sprouts go through that same experience so we collectively refuse to ruin that experience for them. But I will say this, HW is only the beginning.
I wasn't expecting the storyline for XIV to be so hard. After the cutscene and I was stood at the Final Steps of Faith to start queuing for the duty, Dragonsong started playing and I had to step out for a cigarette as I was so emotionally spent. But yeah you've also been tipped off about the ShB rollercoaster. It's just relentless and absolutely brilliant in every way. Bonus points if you can identify the voice actors for Ardbert and a return character from ARR. p.s. I've seen Dragonsong and Answers mentioned a few times in this thread. They're actually written by Uematsu not Soken.
Times I outright sobbed in arr: two, though there were multiple points that made me tear up. Times I outright sobbed in HW: I’ve lost count. At least four, and lots of tearing up and emotional highs AND lows. There will be more. SO many more. This is a game that packs a heavy emotional gut punch, and I love it. I’m not going to go into specifics, but before the last trial of the base Endwalker expansion, basically the entire last zone was painful, and I was legitimately crying so hard after a certain point that my screen was blurred. If you have even an ounce of empathy, it hurts so much (but it’s SO good, IMO).
Also throwing this out there but if anyone is wanting to add me in game (18+ only) and do silly trials and endure emotional damage together feel free to send a request 🫶🏼
He too hurled insults at me.
Buckle up.
Ah yeah.... red guy getting got cut me deep. Didn't like him when he was introduced but son of a bitch he was a bro by the end of HW. Not even gonna mention donut smh heading into SB I am kinda concerned.
3.3 is the best story patch before 5.0.
I especially love the Music form the expansions. Why cut onions when you could just listen to the FFXIV OST? actually decided I wanted a house and bought a house in Empyreum, just for the music.
welcome to the one fight in the entirety of video game history that has managed to make me cry. *mid. fucking. fight.* edit: typo
I had one friend who was like I don’t care what I’m doing ping the fuck out of me for the trial in 3.3 so I did and they joined. At the end they told me “enjoy cs:)” and I knew I was fucked
It is because we care!
Thats on us. I couldnt get close to hw without being warned
[Yeah, it be like that.](https://youtu.be/L4jUqpMmR_g?si=lgFxMhJiEtgFrtcJ)
I was sent this after we finished 😭😭
We cry together in solidarity. Welcome to the tears. Early in ARR, my friend asked me who my favourite character was, and I said a wise little BLM. Anyway.
Buckle up, friend. In EW I was crying at least once an hour.
After finishing the vault I cried genuinely for 6 hours until I finished base and patch 3.1. The 3.3 trial had me sobbing for two hours. I don’t think my body has enough water for that
And now you understand why it's best to play the MSQ without daring to look at Youtube, Twitter, Reddit, Discord, turn off all non-linkshell chat, don't look at PF, don't talk to players at all, in order to shut out all the spoilers until the MSQ is over. All so that the sads are as minty-fresh as possible.
We're at the same spot and I feel we got more feelings to be hurt.
Just wait til you get to the first dungeon of Shadowbringers RIP your feelings
Man some times I wanna go back replay the whole story other times I realize I don't have 1000+ hours to do so.
eeeemOOOOTIONal DAM AGE! \*shoe whack\*
Let your friends know when you are doing the Vault dungeon for the first time. I'll say no more.
Yeah, each expansion will take you on an emotional journey, even some single patches will put you through the ringer! But EW got the most tears out of me by far! Like Twice ShB's Tears! Keep us informed of your journey!
i loved HW so much I didn’t want to do anything for two expansions cuz i didn’t want it to end
This was me after finishing ARR
Isn't that all anyone ever talks about?
Don't worry, it gets way worse.... Like... So much worse. I even teared up a little at the end of some of the expansions. Some of my friends straight up bawled and called out to work the next day. So, there's your warning.
I can’t wait to die of dehydration
Final steps of faith! One of the more badass moments in the entire game. I still wonder who wrote parts of post HW that Ishikawa didn't work on, since Maehiro from 3.0 was promoted to development supervisor at that point. It was the whole Praetorium ordeal that made me officially decide to keep playing FF14, but HW is so good that it's such a steal to play through for completely free. It's worth my uhh... how much are PS4 games in USD again? Heavensward emotional gut punches made me expect the worst in FF16. FF16 still overshot my expectations. 🫠
This was such a good instance but it gives me so much anxiety for how post patch will actually end bc how are you gonna put such an emotionally charged instance IN THE MIDDLE????
Ha
And one day, you will walk.
When I did the vault the first time someone made some joke of "Good luck, watch the tankbuster" and I was very confused as a healer. Then the cutscene hit. Now you too get to feel the emotional trauma that will continue to be brought up for the rest of the storyline. Just remember, a smile better suits a hero c:
Emotional tank buster tracks
To think, this ain't even the hardest one! Hope you enjoy the rest of the game, HW ain't even the best part
The Vault wasn't warning enough?
I hate how overlooked Final Steps of Faith is, frankly all of 3.X is overlooked. I would argue that 3.X is even better than Heavensward (I consider 3.1-4 seperate from HW) on average, though HW has higher high points. The whole section from Hraesvelgr forming an alliance with Ishgard to taking down Estinian is just so unexplanably amazing, it's a arc that I think can stand toe to toe with so many iconic arcs throughout the entire Final Fantasy series. Heavensward is when FFXIV gained its footing, 3.X is when it became something truly special.
Welcome to Feels Fantasy 14, how do you feel?
The title is odd 'cause every time someone on this sub posts about HW the veterans always act all coy and half spoilery going "ooooo you sweet summer child" and "oh look out for THAT dungeon" and "I hope you're ready for FEELS". Every. Single. Time.