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[Illucio]

Just finish my 2nd playthrough.


The game is good but dammn this play-through only reminded me how incomplete this game is... There are so many parts where cutscenes are just harshly cut, actions don't make sense since there is like a good minute of dialogue missing.

I really happy we got the leaks that we did to help explain the story a little more, made the 2nd playthrough make a little more sense. But this game is still a skeleton of what it should had been. :/

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

So is the only way to get Gil through hunts? I'm on Chapter 5 and died once in Fociaugh Hollow because I don't have enough items, and I don't have enough to buy more.

There are quests that give some good gil. Particularly Vyv's quests when you get to Lestalum.

If you guys desperate you can sell your treasures but dont sell Oracle Ascension Coins or Rare Coins.

 

[evlcookie]

Whether you do the quests before or after the game, it doesn't matter. If you enjoy the game, keep playing. If you don't or just want it over, complete the game or just stop. Not sure why some people need other people's opinions to validate how they play the game.

I was more curious if there's anything specific I should try and grab before heading into the final stretch. If there's gear that will help me along the way and so on.

 

[KittenMaster]

Do hunt replays count towards Cid weapon upgrades?

 

[-Horizon-]

I was more curious if there's anything specific I should try and grab before heading into the final stretch. If there's gear that will help me along the way and so on.

Try to upgrade the engine blade to the Ultima blade and get the royal arms. The royal arms themselves aren't that useful. But armiger is useful so get as many of the royal arms as you can.

Do hunt replays count towards Cid weapon upgrades?

I would say yeah.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Do hunt replays count towards Cid weapon upgrades?

Yep.

 

[evlcookie]

Try to upgrade the engine blade to the Ultima blade and get the royal arms. The royal arms themselves aren't that useful. But armiger is useful so get as many of the royal arms as you can.
.

I just got the ultima blades after ~10 save/load restarts of that quest. I'm missing a few of the royal arms, might check which ones i'm missing and go hunting.

 

[badcrumble]

Try to upgrade the engine blade to the Ultima blade and get the royal arms. The royal arms themselves aren't that useful. But armiger is useful so get as many of the royal arms as you can.


I would say yeah.

I dunno, the royal arms have enough unique weapon behavior that they're actually kinda useful in one way or another (and also of course you want to use them for the great stat boosts).

 

[KittenMaster]

I am on chapter 7, and I was already spoiled on a useful bug I want to ask about

Spoiler

I have Aranea in my party now, how do I trigger the bug that causes her to stay permanently?

 

[Fireblend]

So I just went from chapter 8 to the beginning of 12 in like 3 hours. Am I like 5 hours away from beating the game? Haha, thought I was at least 15 hours away from finishing it but I guess this is a really short FF

Really enjoying it so far btw. I like how as soon as I had enough of the open world aspect it completely closed off into a super linear thing. Some really cool scenes in these chapters too.

Spoiler

Sucks about Luna, but really, poor Ignis him dealing with blindness has been heartwrenching

 

[Mentok]

Do hunt replays count towards Cid weapon upgrades?

Yup!

 

[SimpleCRIPPLE]

It's really not that complicated. There are some background details missing sure, but it's a generally well put together story. If you need a synopsis, here it is:

Spoiler

I didn't even watch the film or anime, for context. But it has a fairly simple progression really. Regis sends Noctis away knowing that Insomnia is going to fall and the treaty is a trap. This is revealed later in the story.

Noctis leaves for wedding, finds out what happened, tries to go back and goes a little crazy. He meets up with Cor, who tells him what's going on and has him explore to obtian the power of kings. At the same time as he is getting the weapons, he needs to earn the favor of the Astrals, which Luna is persuading to help him. He needs their favor to reclaim the stolen crystal and all that.

After some of that occurs, they go to Altissia to save Luna and all that, but she is killed during the Leviathan covenant. Also during that, Ignis went blind and the party was in disarray arguing because of consequences and the future. As they proceed with their mission to collect the power of kings and reclaim the crystal, Ardyn shows up and tricks Noctis into pushing off Prompto. More party issues.

Then Noctis reaches Tene-something-or-other and finds out what the empire has done and all that. Nights have gotten much longer and the daemons are taking over. Also learns that Luna was dying and Ravus didn't believe in him completely, but reluctantly supported him as time progressed.

Shit goes down on the way to the capital, the party is divided and Noctis loses his ability. Must travel around struggling to save Promto and find the crystal. While exploring, it is learned that the Empire's tampering with creating daemons led to their downfall as they became daemons themselves. Ravus is found killed, part of his turning point to support Noctis. He and the Emperor are both fought when everyone meets back up, but they have been turned into daemons too.

Then things get bad and Noctis has to risk losing everyone to save the crystal, because he thinks the power will eradicate the daemon problem. Instead it starts sucking him in and Ardyn reveals he was of the royal line long ago. He was denied ascension to the afterlife because he was tainted. He had healed the people of the daemon issue by absorbing them, and it made his soul dark. Noctis ancestor took the royal position instead and made Ardyn alienated and hated. Centuries later he has a grudge against the royal line and wants to end it.

Crystal absorbs Noctis and Bahamut tells him the extent of the responsibilty of the Chosen King. Must sacrifice himself to truly end Ardyn's life and eliminate the starscourge. 10 years pass as he absorbs the light and prepares for the final battle. Everyone else must survive while they wait and they do their best. Then Noctis reutrns and everyone meets up. Then they fight the final astral and Noctis faces Ardyn with his acquired powers from the journey. He wins and then sacrifices himself as needed, and light is restored.

Then there is a scene of Luna and Noctis together, but that is their spirits in the afterlife. Everyone else continues on, saved. But Ardyn still technically won, as the royal line ended with Noctis.

Sorry for that being so long looking, but it really isn't very convoluted or anything. The base of the story is fairly solid. It is just that the overall execution is lacking. A few details not shown well, the side characters aren't fleshed enough, the pacing between the first and second half is a little messed up, etc. I like the story and felt the emotional connections, but I won't deny it could have been done better.

Best summary I've read. Well done.

 

[Geg]

lol wow, I'm going through my new game+ playthrough and it looks like in the last patch they added in a short flashback in the scene at the end of chapter 5 to remind players who Jared is.

They also removed the sad music from the background of that scene, but knowing this game I don't know if that's intentional or some kind of glitch caused by adding in the flashback

 

[Sagely]

Finished chapter 9 and some of chapter 10. Thoughts on those:

Spoiler

Entering and exploring Altissia was mind blowing. That beautiful fantastical city, the political meeting, Leviathan sequence and finally the Luna farewell scene made me think, now THIS is a big, dramatic FF story

. I enjoyed chapter 9 very much and am spurred on to focus on the main events now (but for sure will be returning after finishing for post-game content).

More specific thoughts on chapters 9 and 10:

Spoiler

I know that as an audience we weren't given much time with Luna, but I liked her a lot and was really sad when she died. This was aided by the displays of emotion and grief shown by Noctis - I think he's a wonderful and very human protagonist. The cutscenes with him are all really effective IMO. But the (sparse) flashbacks and cutaway scenes with Luna, combined with the ambient story bits about her from NPCs and whatnot, painted a picture of her as a lovely person who shared a deep bond with Noctis. I won't deny that the game probably would have benefitted from more Luna-centric scenes, but I enjoyed the ones we got.

Ignis being blinded hit me so hard :'( Poor guy. He'd been cooking and organizing things for such a long time and the consequences of his injuries are devastating. The scene where Noct wakes up and asks, "you're hurt?" and Ignis is so graceful about it...what a guy. Gladio, on the other hand, was really lacking in empathy not to consider how Noct must be feeling after all that's happened. I understand it's because he cares, it was weeks after the events and he used a tough love approach that seems to be effective, but it was still difficult to watch.

Now the camping and resting scenes are much more sad...Prompto is so quiet and he was timid about showing his photos. Every time Ignis stumbled in the dungeon and Prom helped him up it gave me a twinge of sadness. After all those hours of light hearted adventuring, the change of tone has hit me like a truck.

Overall up to chapter 10, I can say that pacing has been an issue, some sequences have been light on player control and there's a lack of finesse and context to the narrative presentation. But I'd be lying if I said any of that bothered me when I'm so enthralled; it's amazing how invested I am in these characters and their story. This game is hitting all the right notes in terms of being an enjoyable and effective personal experience.

 

[Probity]

Best summary I've read. Well done.

Ha, I didn't even put that much work into it, but thanks. It's not the easiest to read but I wrote it in a sort of anger. I've been reading all over these threads about the story issues and I fundamentally disagree. I think the story is good, and I felt most of the emotions I was supposed to feel (with notable exceptions). I probably shouldn't get worked up over the overreactions and melodrama of some players' rants though, even if I feel differently.

 

[Back-In-Black]

It's really not that complicated. There are some background details missing sure, but it's a generally well put together story. If you need a synopsis, here it is:

Spoiler

I didn't even watch the film or anime, for context. But it has a fairly simple progression really. Regis sends Noctis away knowing that Insomnia is going to fall and the treaty is a trap. This is revealed later in the story.

Noctis leaves for wedding, finds out what happened, tries to go back and goes a little crazy. He meets up with Cor, who tells him what's going on and has him explore to obtian the power of kings. At the same time as he is getting the weapons, he needs to earn the favor of the Astrals, which Luna is persuading to help him. He needs their favor to reclaim the stolen crystal and all that.

After some of that occurs, they go to Altissia to save Luna and all that, but she is killed during the Leviathan covenant. Also during that, Ignis went blind and the party was in disarray arguing because of consequences and the future. As they proceed with their mission to collect the power of kings and reclaim the crystal, Ardyn shows up and tricks Noctis into pushing off Prompto. More party issues.

Then Noctis reaches Tene-something-or-other and finds out what the empire has done and all that. Nights have gotten much longer and the daemons are taking over. Also learns that Luna was dying and Ravus didn't believe in him completely, but reluctantly supported him as time progressed.

Shit goes down on the way to the capital, the party is divided and Noctis loses his ability. Must travel around struggling to save Promto and find the crystal. While exploring, it is learned that the Empire's tampering with creating daemons led to their downfall as they became daemons themselves. Ravus is found killed, part of his turning point to support Noctis. He and the Emperor are both fought when everyone meets back up, but they have been turned into daemons too.

Then things get bad and Noctis has to risk losing everyone to save the crystal, because he thinks the power will eradicate the daemon problem. Instead it starts sucking him in and Ardyn reveals he was of the royal line long ago. He was denied ascension to the afterlife because he was tainted. He had healed the people of the daemon issue by absorbing them, and it made his soul dark. Noctis ancestor took the royal position instead and made Ardyn alienated and hated. Centuries later he has a grudge against the royal line and wants to end it.

Crystal absorbs Noctis and Bahamut tells him the extent of the responsibilty of the Chosen King. Must sacrifice himself to truly end Ardyn's life and eliminate the starscourge. 10 years pass as he absorbs the light and prepares for the final battle. Everyone else must survive while they wait and they do their best. Then Noctis reutrns and everyone meets up. Then they fight the final astral and Noctis faces Ardyn with his acquired powers from the journey. He wins and then sacrifices himself as needed, and light is restored.

Then there is a scene of Luna and Noctis together, but that is their spirits in the afterlife. Everyone else continues on, saved. But Ardyn still technically won, as the royal line ended with Noctis.

Sorry for that being so long looking, but it really isn't very convoluted or anything. The base of the story is fairly solid. It is just that the overall execution is lacking. A few details not shown well, the side characters aren't fleshed enough, the pacing between the first and second half is a little messed up, etc. I like the story and felt the emotional connections, but I won't deny it could have been done better.

Alright, I just beat the main story and boy is the story a hot mess. I don't know how you can look at what you typed and call that a "simple" or "easy to follow" story. A simple story can be summed up in one or two sentences. But, answer me this:

Spoiler

-Why did Noctis HAVE to be the one to defeat Ardyn and bring back the Light? Why couldn't his father do this? What made Noctis so special to defeat Ardyn (whatever his true name was)?
-Why did Noctis have to do everything he did to get the crystal to then defeat Ardyn? Why after he loses his city does he inexplicably have to gather his ancestor's weapons and then awaken the Gods to receive their blessing?
-Why are the Gods so hostile to Noctis? Do they want the crystal to stay stolen and the darkness to come?
-What was Luna dying from? What is the role of an Oracle? If she communes with the Gods then why does the Leviathan try to kill her?
-Why are the Gods asleep? What is their purpose?
-Who was Galataea (however you spell it, chich who kept closing her eyes)?
-What happened to Arcanea (mercenary chic)? She shows up working for the Empire, then she helps us, we board our train and never see her again.
-What is Umbra?
-Who the fuck is Jared?

I'm sure there was a good story somewhere in the mess that ended up as FFXV but boy was it butchered. Again, after watching Kingsglaive I have to ask if an entirely different writing team handled that movie? Because it was infinitely better than FFXV's actual story. It had a main character I cared about whose motivations and ideals were clear, a strong supporting cast of characters, and a simple plot that was easy to follow along.
Whereas in FFXV things just seem to happen without anyone tell me why they are happening or how they know that. Cor is just like, "get your ancestors weapons" and nobody is like, "the fuck are you talking about? What does that mean? How does this help us? And, then all of a sudden where waking up old Gods and everyone just acts like that was the plan all along.

Spoiler

I like the idea of Lucius sacrificing himself to bring Light back to the world, I think I like the idea of two lovers who are only ever able to meet and be happy in the after life, I like the idea of a bro adventure. However, none of these come together or are executed well in FFXV and all of them are muddled by nonsense complexity that isn't needed.

Okay, it's late. End rant. Oh and FUCK Chapter 13.

 

[Basomanb]

Sooo I still haven't bought this game, because I was waiting on the Pro 60fps patch. Should I give up all hope on this patch and just play the current version?

 

[sackninja]

So how many times do I have to upgrade the engine blade to get the ultimate weapon. I have engine blade 3.

 

[Sigmaah]

Just beat the game and couldn't even tell you the story lmao.

So now what? New game+ so I can fight everything that I missed?

 

[Dr_Boris_Goltz]

Finally made it to the infamous chapter 13. I didn't know what to expect going in other than hearing it's terrible, but while it is certainly bad, it's not insurmountable.

 

[Vamp]

I am trying to upgrade my weapon with cid but i think something is glitched. I have completed around 15 sidequests and 5 chapters of the main game and cid haven't finished my weapons yet. I dont know if I am doing something wrong.

 

[Probity]

Alright, I just beat the main story and boy is the story a hot mess. I don't know how you can look at what you typed and call that a "simple" or "easy to follow" story. A simple story can be summed up in one or two sentences. But, answer me this:

Spoiler

-Why did Noctis HAVE to be the one to defeat Ardyn and bring back the Light? Why couldn't his father do this? What made Noctis so special to defeat Ardyn (whatever his true name was)?
-Why did Noctis have to do everything he did to get the crystal to then defeat Ardyn? Why after he loses his city does he inexplicably have to gather his ancestor's weapons and then awaken the Gods to receive their blessing?
-Why are the Gods so hostile to Noctis? Do they want the crystal to stay stolen and the darkness to come?
-What was Luna dying from? What is the role of an Oracle? If she communes with the Gods then why does the Leviathan try to kill her?
-Why are the Gods asleep? What is their purpose?
-Who was Galataea (however you spell it, chich who kept closing her eyes)?
-What happened to Arcanea (mercenary chic)? She shows up working for the Empire, then she helps us, we board our train and never see her again.
-What is Umbra?
-Who the fuck is Jared?

I'm sure there was a good story somewhere in the mess that ended up as FFXV but boy was it butchered. Again, after watching Kingsglaive I have to ask if an entirely different writing team handled that movie? Because it was infinitely better than FFXV's actual story. It had a main character I cared about whose motivations and ideals were clear, a strong supporting cast of characters, and a simple plot that was easy to follow along.
Whereas in FFXV things just seem to happen without anyone tell me why they are happening or how they know that. Cor is just like, "get your ancestors weapons" and nobody is like, "the fuck are you talking about? What does that mean? How does this help us? And, then all of a sudden where waking up old Gods and everyone just acts like that was the plan all along.

Spoiler

I like the idea of Lucius sacrificing himself to bring Light back to the world, I think I like the idea of two lovers who are only ever able to meet and be happy in the after life, I like the idea of a bro adventure. However, none of these come together or are executed well in FFXV and all of them are muddled by nonsense complexity that isn't needed.

Okay, it's late. End rant. Oh and FUCK Chapter 13.

I mean it isn't SIMPLE. There are a lot of cogs to it, but is any FF a basic boring linear progression for the entirety? I mean like FF VII is one of the most adored games of all time and can anyone who played it fairly suggest that some of it isn't complicated to explain - even for those who understand it? Like I probably couldn't easily explain the details of Sephiroth's plot without thinking for a bit. (though that may be for other reasons) Literally explain the plot of almost any FF in one or two sentences while doing it justice. Or any good story-based game with twists.

Regardless, I could have given a simpler explanation, the plot isn't complicated. I was approaching it based on the major events the player interacts with, but it could easily be a short summary too. Conveniently, like any good story, there just so happens to be a lot of extra information that could be added to a summary that isn't necessary.

You want a brief summary?

Spoiler

After a failed treaty between the empire and Insomnia leads to the death of the king, the prince must journey to take up his father's mantle alongside his companions. As he does so, the world plunges into further chaos in the midst of the Starscourge, but the Prince learns he is the chosen one from an age-old prophecy. After obtaining the power of kings and the favor of the Gods, he sacrifices himself to end the impending Apocalypse as per his destiny.

It's three sentences, sue me. I could have made it shorter if I wanted. Regardless it doesn't tell the full story for a lot of the nitpickers (which is technically what you're doing with the questions I am answering btw), but at the same time it does tell the full main plot. There just so happens to be a lot of subplots and information about those subplots inside.

Anyways, I will do my best to answer without looking anything up:

Spoiler

-It's simply that he was Chosen. It's not really that big of a deal really. It was basically just his destiny to become the "True King" based on this sort of prophecy. There is a lot on this in the game, and they even have a nice little scene of Ravus telling Luna that he doesn't think that Noctis is the guy. His father wasn't the True King, that's it. Also Ardyn is like the embodiement of the Starscourge daemon apocolypse thing. When he was younger he was saving Eos by absorbing the daemons into himself, etc. I think that there is some extra explanation in the story about it. I'm pretty sure the Crytal holds like the soul of eos or something, like that is what the light is. And the ring that the kings wear is connected to it, and the kings are the protectors of the soul. I think the prophecy says a thing about the True King coming when the ring absorbs all the light from the crystal. I can't remember the details perfectly though.

-He has to get the weapons of his ancestors because that is the "Power of Kings." His father did it too, it's this whole thing tying them all together. The descendants get to take advantage of the remnants of their ancestors. I think that's probably what the jounrey was that Regis went on when he was young, but I can't say that definitively. After he learns that his father has been killed, Cor helps with the first one and explains basically that he will need to continue in order to be strong enough for the events of the future. He was basically told long distance by Luna to earn the favor of the Astrals, he just sort of went along with that while he was following her footsteps. She was missing until near the end of her story, if you recall.

-They aren't really hostile, they just have these Trials. Noctis has to prove himself as a part of the covenant in order to earn their favor. This is fleshed out better with the Leviathan bit.

-Luna was dying because of the extent of her communing with the Astrals. It was making her weak and ill, it's not supposed to be a thing really. The Astrals are normally dormant and all that, especially based on Leviathan. I'm fairly comfortable saying that the Oracle sort of just helps people for the most part. It's not heavily fleshed out I will admit but there are examples of her actions. The Leviathan tries to kill her because he is angry and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the Empire disrupting the ritual.

-I am pretty sure the Gods created Eos and lay dormant because they're not needed. I think they're only supposed to be present to assist with the Starscourge, which had something to do with the last astral you fight. I'm not 100% on all that, but I know they created the world and just kind of exist and do their thing. Like for a while I think Shiva was handling weather, that's brushed on a little before you see the corpse.

-I don't know who you are referring to, if I'm honest.

-She was a merc that ended up getting hired by the Empire and joining in their ranks. She did work for them and then realized things were getting bad and dipped out after the Daemon incident in Luna's hometown. She turned to helping the people and you end up leaving her responsible for the people on the train. It's not told what happens when you leave, but it's probably fairly similar to what happened with the others in terms of becoming hunters and all that.

-I don't know what Umbra is, it isn't explained. I pretty much assumed that he(?) was just a well-trained dog or related to the spirit world similar to Luna's use of Gentiana(sp?)

-I think Jared was like some kind of Royal Attendant or something. Like he worked for the royal family and stuff. I know he was one of the people who escaped with Iris when the whole thing happened. He's not well placed in the story, I won't deny that.

I like the dynamic too, I actually wish it was further fleshed out. I wanted like extended storylines in the game similar to other rpg side-stories regarding a lot of it. Though learning more about the other bros and all that is the dlc basically so I guess I see what they did. I like the resolution to the story too, and the afterlife romance, and all that. There are a lot of really well implemented human qualities that are subtle too. Like his father's spirit is extremely reluctant to kill Noctis at the end and it's really cool.

With all that said, I really don't think the story is all that complicated with everything considered. There are questions for a lot of things we could ask, and I am sure that answers exist for a lot of them (as per above). But like I said in the spoiler thread, it doesn't really matter. We don't need to know everything about everything. I made a joke about Lord of the Rings that criticizes it as a story where Tolkein wrote about the backstory of literally everything when it wasn't necessary. Obviously different mediums and different cultures at part here, but in terms of a storytelling dynamic I don't WANT to know everything. It's not that complicated. The fantasy elements can stay fantasy and that's fine.

Also I don't feel like talking about Chapter 13 tonight. Tbh I think the backlash is a little crazy though.

Spoiler

It isn't great and it is a little repetitive overall, but when I played it late at night and tired I actually fell in line with a sense of fear and weakness as it wore on. By the end it was just about as much of a grind as the other dungeons as far I am concerned, and it wasn't much different from the open world side quests in terms of "fun level" for the most part (with notable exceptions). The only difference was the more enclosed corridors and such, which weren't even that bad. The storytelling wasn't bad either for the most part, and the environmental storytelling was probably best here out of every location. Though the whole rest area linear progression was kind of a drag, especially when I got the sword and was able to get through every fight without any trouble. I liked it better when it was trying to make me helpless (which early on was much better than how they made me run from the stupid daemon). It could have been done better and it probably will be if they tweak it enough. We will see.

It's not the greatest, and probably the worst part of the game by far, but it was by no means as terrible as described. It didn't even take me that long.

I suppose at the end I can still agree with your point. I already think the story is good, but it has so much inside that it could have been actually great and well executed. It just left a lot to be desired, which is unfortunate. I liked it regardless. (evidently)

Sorry for the long post.

 

[Probity]

Just beat the game and couldn't even tell you the story lmao.

So now what? New game+ so I can fight everything that I missed?

Spoiler

I'm doing New Game+ myself, but there is a big endgame with secret dungeons and long bosses and fancy stuff like that ranging from levels 80-something to over 100. I'm probably doing a mix of both. You just load up the save you made after finishing the game and it is Chapter 15. Call up Umbra at the rest area it starts you in and go back to the past for endgame stuff.

Sorry for the double post.

 

[Donniewahlberg]

Probity, holding back the starscourge so that we can all bask in the light. I think I agree both that the plot isn't really that complicated & is actually pretty good when you put it down on paper, but is delivered often in a fashion that is confusing or way too late. You often find out the reason for something after you've spent many hours not just wondering about the mystery of it, but actually confused by the opaqueness of it. I wonder if the overly flowery language at times doesn't help. I find it kind of wonderful how Ardyn and Luna choose to deliver everything plot related, but also unsurprised why someone would get nothing from them, and they deliver a lot of stuff that helps make sense of things that way

Spoiler

the prophecy, the covenant with the gods, Ardyn's whole backstory etc

It would help if there were moments afterwards where say Prompto says he has no idea what just happened and it's put very very plainly, also in an adventure log or something. There's enough campfires to recap the plot time to time. Some of the most successful plot dumps imo are from Anarea who tells you quite plainly about a lot of things happening off camera. There should probably be a whole thing given to the player upfront on Kingsglaive at the end of chptr 1 too. Obviously in a perfect world we wouldn't need plot dumps at all but it is what it is.

This is all seperate to the character development which isn't confusing, but does also come really late and with only a few of the characters, so people are already mentally checked out and not really receptive to jumping the game's hurdles.

 

[Gbraga]

To people who played both this and Dragon Age: Inquisition, since I've seen comparisons: How exactly are they similar? Is it in the barren world with "nothing to do" or just the fetch quest design?

I enjoyed the open world in FFXV, but the quest design, even though it didn't bother me that much, isn't good either. So if the similarities are more about the world, it makes me want to play it

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

To people who played both this and Dragon Age: Inquisition, since I've seen comparisons: How exactly are they similar? Is it in the barren world with "nothing to do" or just the fetch quest design?

I enjoyed the open world in FFXV, but the quest design, even though it didn't bother me that much, isn't good either. So if the similarities are more about the world, it makes me want to play it

Witcher 3 is a better comparison, and even then its not a great comparison.

WRPGs dont focus on combat and mechanics the way this game does, and this game didnt focus on story and writing the way WRPGs do.

 

[Probity]

To people who played both this and Dragon Age: Inquisition, since I've seen comparisons: How exactly are they similar? Is it in the barren world with "nothing to do" or just the fetch quest design?

I enjoyed the open world in FFXV, but the quest design, even though it didn't bother me that much, isn't good either. So if the similarities are more about the world, it makes me want to play it

It's probably a mix of both based on the critics that speak negatively about both games. I'm actually a huge fan of Dragon Age personally, and play mostly western rpgs, and I think of both of the games positively. I actually think that they suffer from kind of the same basic issues when it all comes down to the basic problems.

DAI doesn't really have a particularly similar world I guess, and isn't technically open world (it's like sections of open world), but the story is actually more cohesive based on most people's opinions. It isn't as easy to get into without previous franchise experience though. FF deserves a lot of credit for the way it does entries. Though it's not hard to get into, you just don't know as much as someone who played the other entries (if you have never played the others before).

DAI is structured like this: Party based, third person, real time, Mass Effect-style rpg. You have a central hub that is open and can be explored, and can access a wide variety of large open world sections of the world map. I'm having a hard time grasping what you are asking, to be fair, but I think that you'd probably enjoy it if you like that type of rpg and this specific kind of world. Minus outposts and full open world, it's basically the same general structure of exploration and enemy placement. Also the settings are quite large and fairly well designed. As for quests, there definitely are fetch quests about, but I've always felt like they had more to back them up based on the side stories. It wasn't just like "kill these enemies" all the time. It's not quite as action oriented as FFXV, and the combat welcomes more strategy at times, but I don't know what else to say.

If you have specific questions that my rattled brain can understand, I'll definitely try to answer them.

Edit: Above makes a very good point. W3 even has little dots to collect if I remember correctly. It's really hard to make an easy answer here because the subgenres are very different. I'd recommend watching combat gameplay or something to see if you would enjoy that. If so, assuming you would enjoy story, it's not bad. Technically though, I found FFXV's world to be more active and interesting now that I look back at playing DAI.

 

[Donniewahlberg]

WRPGs dont focus on combat and mechanics the way this game does, and this game didnt focus on story and writing the way WRPGs do.

I think that's the first time I've ever saw that comparison put that way round and not the other haha in terms of jrpg vs wrpg

 

[Sagely]

To people who played both this and Dragon Age: Inquisition, since I've seen comparisons: How exactly are they similar? Is it in the barren world with "nothing to do" or just the fetch quest design?

I enjoyed the open world in FFXV, but the quest design, even though it didn't bother me that much, isn't good either. So if the similarities are more about the world, it makes me want to play it

The most similar thing that comes to mind for me is actually the party banter (which I really enjoyed in Inquisition). Of course YMMV and some of them might get on your nerves, but I really liked the characters.

I liked exploring the world, although some of the side quests are indeed unimaginative and you'll usually have to do a few to gain enough "power" currency to tackle main story quests. It's been a while since I played, but I remember avoiding the most mundane sidequests in favour of character-specific quests. If you're at all into social link or dating sim mechanics, I enjoyed this aspect of Inquisition too.

Overall I'm enjoying FFXV more than I did Inquisition, but I still liked that game a lot. Of course the flavour is very different being a WRPG. Sorry if this isn't too helpful...I don't think the games are all that similar besides broad complaints about the narrative and side quest quality. But that's my tuppence!

 

[Gbraga]

Witcher 3 is a better comparison, and even then its not a great comparison.

WRPGs dont focus on combat and mechanics the way this game does, and this game didnt focus on story and writing the way WRPGs do.

It's probably a mix of both based on the critics that speak negatively about both games. I'm actually a huge fan of Dragon Age personally, and play mostly western rpgs, and I think of both of the games positively. I actually think that they suffer from kind of the same basic issues when it all comes down to the basic problems.

DAI doesn't really have a particularly similar world I guess, and isn't technically open world (it's like sections of open world), but the story is actually more cohesive based on most people's opinions. It isn't as easy to get into without previous franchise experience though. FF deserves a lot of credit for the way it does entries. Though it's not hard to get into, you just don't know as much as someone who played the other entries (if you have never played the others before).

DAI is structured like this: Party based, third person, real time, Mass Effect-style rpg. You have a central hub that is open and can be explored, and can access a wide variety of large open world sections of the world map. I'm having a hard time grasping what you are asking, to be fair, but I think that you'd probably enjoy it if you like that type of rpg and this specific kind of world. Minus outposts and full open world, it's basically the same general structure of exploration and enemy placement. Also the settings are quite large and fairly well designed. As for quests, there definitely are fetch quests about, but I've always felt like they had more to back them up based on the side stories. It wasn't just like "kill these enemies" all the time. It's not quite as action oriented as FFXV, and the combat welcomes more strategy at times, but I don't know what else to say.

If you have specific questions that my rattled brain can understand, I'll definitely try to answer them.

Edit: Above makes a very good point. W3 even has little dots to collect if I remember correctly. It's really hard to make an easy answer here because the subgenres are very different. I'd recommend watching combat gameplay or something to see if you would enjoy that. If so, assuming you would enjoy story, it's not bad. Technically though, I found FFXV's world to be more active and interesting now that I look back at playing DAI.

Thanks for the answers. To give a little more context, I actually love DA:O, it's my favorite Bioware game, but II was disappointing. I don't think I hate II as much as I've seen people hating it, but when Inquisition came out and the reception was pretty bad, I just lost interest in playing it. And I was ok with that, it didn't make me sad they ruind it again or anything, so I never tried to learn about the game in detail, and just accepted the complaints I've seen thrown around the most.

Fast forward to FFXV, and I see a lot of (negative) comparisons to Inquisition. So I'm thinking, if I love this game and some people consider it "as bad as Inquisition", maybe I'll enjoy that one, too? How's the PS4 version, btw? I have access to a friend's copy, but I'd rather play on PC if it's not that good, even if I have to buy it. I assume there are a bunch of DLCs as well, are they worth it?

About Witcher 3, I actually preordered the game but still didn't finish it. I have 124 hours into the game already, just progressing very, very slowly. I find it to be kind of overwhelming, but I do think it's a good game. I still vastly prefer Assassins of Kings in structure, though. I feel like dividing the game into hubs for each chapter instead of an open world made it a better overall experience. I also think Witcher 2, more specifically Act 1, got the gameplay loop of "being a Witcher" much better than 3. There are mods that try to replicate that in 3, so there's that, but it's not the same.

The most similar thing that comes to mind for me is actually the party banter (which I really enjoyed in Inquisition). Of course YMMV and some of them might get on your nerves, but I really liked the characters.

I liked exploring the world, although some of the side quests are indeed unimaginative and you'll usually have to do a few to gain enough "power" currency to tackle main story quests. It's been a while since I played, but I remember avoiding the most mundane sidequests in favour of character-specific quests. If you're at all into social link or dating sim mechanics, I enjoyed this aspect of Inquisition too.

Overall I'm enjoying FFXV more than I did Inquisition, but I still liked that game a lot. Of course the flavour is very different being a WRPG. Sorry if this isn't too helpful...I don't think the games are all that similar besides broad complaints about the narrative and side quest quality. But that's my tuppence!

It was actually very helpful. I didn't know about the party banter being so prominent in Inquisition. Also good to know that there is some sort of gauge to fill while doing side content, and I can use that to guide my story progress, instead of falling into the trap I fall way too many times of doing so much side crap that by the time I get back to the main story, I'm tired of the game and just want it to end. I'll try focusing on quests that just seem more interesting, and do some fetch stuff if I still need to unlock the main story.

FFXV made it feel fresh with the change to a linear portion with brand new environments for the final stretch of the game. Even though it has flaws in execution, their heart was at the right place, and I hope more games take this approach in the future. It's a great decision.

About social links and stuff, I love it

I guess I really should play Dragon Age: Inquisition.

 

[Probity]

Probity, holding back the starscourge so that we can all bask in the light. I think I agree both that the plot isn't really that complicated & is actually pretty good when you put it down on paper, but is delivered often in a fashion that is confusing or way too late. You often find out the reason for something after you've spent many hours not just wondering about the mystery of it, but actually confused by the opaqueness of it. I wonder if the overly flowery language at times doesn't help. I find it kind of wonderful how Ardyn and Luna choose to deliver everything plot related, but also unsurprised why someone would get nothing from them, and they deliver a lot of stuff that helps make sense of things that way

Spoiler

the prophecy, the covenant with the gods, Ardyn's whole backstory etc

It would help if there were moments afterwards where say Prompto says he has no idea what just happened and it's put very very plainly, also in an adventure log or something. There's enough campfires to recap the plot time to time. Some of the most successful plot dumps imo are from Anarea who tells you quite plainly about a lot of things happening off camera. There should probably be a whole thing given to the player upfront on Kingsglaive at the end of chptr 1 too. Obviously in a perfect world we wouldn't need plot dumps at all but it is what it is.

This is all seperate to the character development which isn't confusing, but does also come really late and with only a few of the characters, so people are already mentally checked out and not really receptive to jumping the game's hurdles.

I can probably accept this as an explanation but I don't like the idea of an excuse for not understanding what I felt was a fairly solid storyline for those staying engaged. It's annoying too because I don't think that the solutions you're suggesting would sit well with anyone considering how much criticism the chapter screens have received.

I'm definitely not here saying the execution was great, I just want to overall dispel the concept that FFXV has a bad story. I've been pretty lost at how people haven't understood the plot - especially given that I haven't seen the extended media. Though your points do help me picture it a bit better. I imagine a lot of people played the game differently than me in terms of a lot of things. I finished the main story in a solid 35 hours over the course of only a few days. I've seen that a lot of people went into the final part of the main story at much higher levels having done far more in the open world than I would have initially had fun doing. So I probably ended up with a more streamlined progression of the story as well, which might impact my perspective.

That said I still agree about things coming late, but I would more accurately say that the second half is too short. Some of the problems make sense as the drama increases, but a lot of it would work better with more time I think. Part of it just feels a little rushed, but I don't think any of those factors really contribute to complications in understanding the narrative.

 

[Exentryk]

The Rock of Ravatogh is a beautiful location.

 

[Caipirinha]

Just bought the game, played before updating and love the vibe but yes, the frame pacing on the Pro is absolutely terrible.

Quick question, does the latest patch fix the frame pacing or are we still waiting on that fix? And if the latter, is that fix due soon?

Just wondering if I should hold out a few weeks before getting stuck in.

 

[AEREC]

Just bought the game, played before updating and love the vibe but yes, the frame pacing on the Pro is absolutely terrible.

Quick question, does the latest patch fix the frame pacing or are we still waiting on that fix? And if the latter, is that fix due soon?

Just wondering if I should hold out a few weeks before getting stuck in.

No fix yet and no idea when. Just play in lightweight mode where there's hardly any framepacing.

 

[Probity]

Thanks for the answers. To give a little more context, I actually love DA:O, it's my favorite Bioware game, but II was disappointing. I don't think I hate II as much as I've seen people hating it, but when Inquisition came out and the reception was pretty bad, I just lost interest in playing it. And I was ok with that, it didn't make me sad they ruind it again or anything, so I never tried to learn about the game in detail, and just accepted the complaints I've seen thrown around the most.

Fast forward to FFXV, and I see a lot of (negative) comparisons to Inquisition. So I'm thinking, if I love this game and some people consider it "as bad as Inquisition", maybe I'll enjoy that one, too? How's the PS4 version, btw? I have access to a friend's copy, but I'd rather play on PC if it's not that good, even if I have to buy it. I assume there are a bunch of DLCs as well, are they worth it?

About Witcher 3, I actually preordered the game but still didn't finish it. I have 124 hours into the game already, just progressing very, very slowly. I find it to be kind of overwhelming, but I do think it's a good game. I still vastly prefer Assassins of Kings in structure, though. I feel like dividing the game into hubs for each chapter instead of an open world made it a better overall experience. I also think Witcher 2, more specifically Act 1, got the gameplay loop of "being a Witcher" much better than 3. There are mods that try to replicate that in 3, so there's that, but it's not the same.



It was actually very helpful. I didn't know about the party banter being so prominent in Inquisition. Also good to know that there is some sort of gauge to fill while doing side content, and I can use that to guide my story progress, instead of falling into the trap I fall way too many times of doing so much side crap that by the time I get back to the main story, I'm tired of the game and just want it to end. I'll try focusing on quests that just seem more interesting, and do some fetch stuff if I still need to unlock the main story.

FFXV made it feel fresh with the change to a linear portion with brand new environments for the final stretch of the game. Even though it has flaws in execution, their heart was at the right place, and I hope more games take this approach in the future. It's a great decision.

About social links and stuff, I love it

I guess I really should play Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Oh in the case of your history with the franchise I would definitely recommend it. The reception was a little over the top. It isn't the best game of all time but it is definitely better than II in my opinion. The story is fairly good, the game is definitely manageable (not overwhelming like w3 might seem), and the hubs are pretty fun to explore. I remember the OT 1 being called like "leave the hinterlands" lol. It's a nice addictive formula at first, there are just some quests the sort of drag if you have to go out of your way for them. It was never a major issue for me. If you've put that many hours into W3 then you'd be more than fine. DAI has a lot of general variety and a well put together world.

Also the PS4 version is great. I played it on PS4 originally and had no performance issues. The world looks beautiful, and I can't remember ever having a jarring graphical moment. It is a solidly constructed product if you ask me. Also you dont NEED to buy the DLC, they only add story, but they are quite solid overall and answer questions the main game leaves open. Not perfect but if you are willing to go out of your way for them they are all the good things about DAI without the extent of things people complained about in the main game.

Other gameplay notes: yes, the banter is quite good. You should definitely consider having certain personalities in your party at times over skillsets. Sometimes it is much more entertaining (and the game itself isn't especially hard most of the time). Not everyone is the best ever but the character lineup is definitely solid. Also there really isn't an issue of falling out of the main story. The game is actually convenient for the most part in that the sidequests feed very well into the way you would naturally progress. You don't often need to go out of your way to do anything iirc. Most of the time your natural exploring can get things done as long as you start your quests.

Final note: with the new info, you'd probably like the game. DAO is also my favorite bioware game. It's really good. DAI doesn't surpass it by any means for me, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's a pleasant mix of the things that made both games good, but with it's own identity. Not everything works, but it is a better conclusion than ME3 lol. Oh and on that note, make sure to go online and set up the decisions you made in the other games - there are some nice little cameos and things along the way.

 

[N0VAM0D]

I can't get over this soundtrack. Absolutely fantastic score by Shimomura and her team.

Yup. It's so fantastic, though I wish I heard it a bit more often throughout the game! I was getting the biggest Kingdom Hearts vibe from the soundtrack, and wondered if it was Shimomura's work, so it's v cool to find out that it is.

Right now I'm at level 38 and just started Chapter 9. Despite my gripes, I think I'm enjoying this game more than anything else I've played all year. Like, there's so many things that I'm not 100% okay with, but it all just seems to work somehow and I'm totally smitten.

 

[ffvorax]

To people who played both this and Dragon Age: Inquisition, since I've seen comparisons: How exactly are they similar? Is it in the barren world with "nothing to do" or just the fetch quest design?

I enjoyed the open world in FFXV, but the quest design, even though it didn't bother me that much, isn't good either. So if the similarities are more about the world, it makes me want to play it

I actually liked both, but I had a lot more of fun playing FFXV.

DA:I has a better told story (it's hard anyway to tell a story as bad as FFXV), more interesting charaters, at least because they have more dialogues and possibilities to understand and know them a lot more.
But I really disliked the combat system of DA:I... so boring. Really interesting only during main fights, but on all other random fights I hated it. Also the quest are a lot more MMORPG like, longer and tedious....

That said, it's a nice game, just a bit too grindy and MMO like in quests. If you can play Dragon Age Origins, that is a masterpiece (PC/PS3/XBox), DA:I is only a good game.

Oh and I can't find any similarities between FFXV and DA:I... one is more an action game in a open world, the other more a tactical rpg in a open world... one has more classic narration with plenty o dialogues (DAI), the other tell a story and characters just by their trip, and so on

 

[Deku Tree]

Do hunts count towards the do 80 sidequests trophy? Or just sidequests?

 

[BriGuy]

Do hunts count towards the do 80 sidequests trophy? Or just sidequests?

I don't think there are 80 sidequests in the game if you discount the hunts.

 

[sackninja]

Do hunts count towards the do 80 sidequests trophy? Or just sidequests?

Hunts do not count apparently.

 

[Deku Tree]

I don't think there are 80 sidequests in the game if you discount the hunts.

Hunts do not count apparently.

Which one is it?

 

[Donniewahlberg]

That said I still agree about things coming late, but I would more accurately say that the second half is too short. Some of the problems make sense as the drama increases, but a lot of it would work better with more time I think. Part of it just feels a little rushed, but I don't think any of those factors really contribute to complications in understanding the narrative.

I think that's a pretty good point actually. Rather than coming too late, if they were occurring as more towards the middle of the game then it would work a lot better for me. Another reason why breaking the world up a bit and using some of those chapters to *arrive* in new regions, ala the boat ride or getting the buggy in FFVII, chocobo or the train as an example in this game, would have made some sense to me. Then again, I'm on record of wanting to ditch the car and highways entirely towards that end. If the world was a bit more segmented and thus the player HAD to pace their exploration out between chapters 1-13 with the chapter content of 9-13 being locations you journey to on the map, and even adding

Spoiler

some explorable area & quests in the world of ruin

then I agree, it would all work a lot better from a character development and story stand point and so on with the second half much better paced out in length. I mean, they even go to the lengths of mentioning

Spoiler

the Regalia is on the boat and the train hah

.

 

[matrix-cat]

I'm like seven hours into this, which I know is probably just the tip of the iceberg, but at the same time I can't think of any games I've ended up liking after very much not enjoying the first seven hours.

My initial impression from the Platinum demo that the game plays itself hasn't really changed much. I'm watching cutscenes, watching the characters drive around, holding forward on the stick as waypoints slooooowly come nearer; even the combat is mostly just holding a button and watching at this point. If this combat system is going to open up into something more involving at some point... well, I just hope it happens soon. I'll switch weapons if I spot a weakness, spam the L1 attacks when they're ready, bang out a few warp point -> Warp Strike combos to break the monotony, but it just isn't interesting at all. It feels like they combined a real-time action game with a turn-based system and came up with something that isn't as good as either.

I haven't found any side missions that stray from the 'go to a waypoint and press X on/kill a thing' formula, so my current plan is to not do any of them and move on with the story. These photos of Prompto's that show up when I'm resting feel almost vindictive at this point. I'm guessing they're from an alternate timeline, because he sure as hell isn't taking those photos of all the guys having fun while I'm at the controls. This game has been nothing but schlepping between waypoints and plugging away at spongey enemies, with one brief interlude to follow a big monster around some foggy rocks for like three times longer than could ever have been fun; Prompto's photos feel like the game saying "Look at all the fun we were having when you weren't watching".

Like, throw me a bone here, game. Can't I just have a Chocobo? Why do I have to rent it and have that ticking timer on my HUD at all times reminding me when my big bird friend's going to leave? Did there have to be so many un-climbable cliffs in the open world that force you to jog around until you find an opening? Would the immersion really be shattered if I could just sprint infinitely instead of stopping to wheeze six times when I want to get anywhere? The map is just woeful; it all looks the same, and the 'YOU ARE HERE' indicator gets lost in the noise, so it's a hell of a trick to work out where anything is. It's like they went with the more irritating option on every minor decision in the game's design.

 

[Donniewahlberg]

Like, throw me a bone here, game. Can't I just have a Chocobo? Why do I have to rent it and have that ticking timer on my HUD at all times reminding me when my big bird friend's going to leave?

Haha this reminds me I've been meaning to post: the chocobo is literally my favourite thing in this game. I love customising it, picking g a colour, the medals, riding it, racing. It's like having a big pet and I love it haha and totally my biggest gripe with it is that you can't reach a point where you can outright buy it. It kinda of cheats me a little each time I remember I'm only renting it. I'd love if there were more to it too. I want a stable, I'd customise that. Let me breed and have chicks running around! Different harnesses and stuff.

 

[Gbraga]

Oh in the case of your history with the franchise I would definitely recommend it. The reception was a little over the top. It isn't the best game of all time but it is definitely better than II in my opinion. The story is fairly good, the game is definitely manageable (not overwhelming like w3 might seem), and the hubs are pretty fun to explore. I remember the OT 1 being called like "leave the hinterlands" lol. It's a nice addictive formula at first, there are just some quests the sort of drag if you have to go out of your way for them. It was never a major issue for me. If you've put that many hours into W3 then you'd be more than fine. DAI has a lot of general variety and a well put together world.

Also the PS4 version is great. I played it on PS4 originally and had no performance issues. The world looks beautiful, and I can't remember ever having a jarring graphical moment. It is a solidly constructed product if you ask me. Also you dont NEED to buy the DLC, they only add story, but they are quite solid overall and answer questions the main game leaves open. Not perfect but if you are willing to go out of your way for them they are all the good things about DAI without the extent of things people complained about in the main game.

Other gameplay notes: yes, the banter is quite good. You should definitely consider having certain personalities in your party at times over skillsets. Sometimes it is much more entertaining (and the game itself isn't especially hard most of the time). Not everyone is the best ever but the character lineup is definitely solid. Also there really isn't an issue of falling out of the main story. The game is actually convenient for the most part in that the sidequests feed very well into the way you would naturally progress. You don't often need to go out of your way to do anything iirc. Most of the time your natural exploring can get things done as long as you start your quests.

Final note: with the new info, you'd probably like the game. DAO is also my favorite bioware game. It's really good. DAI doesn't surpass it by any means for me, but I definitely enjoyed it. It's a pleasant mix of the things that made both games good, but with it's own identity. Not everything works, but it is a better conclusion than ME3 lol. Oh and on that note, make sure to go online and set up the decisions you made in the other games - there are some nice little cameos and things along the way.

Thank you! Your post definitely made me more excited to play Inquisition than anything else I've seen, haha. Even if I'm not expecting anything amazing, "better than II" is already good enough and worth experiencing. I know of some returning characters that I definitely want to see. I'll look up this decisions thing.

The discussion also made me want to complete Witcher 3. The amount of hours I have is side stuff enough, I should deal with the fact that not every bit of content needs to be explored and just move the main story.

I actually liked both, but I had a lot more of fun playing FFXV.

DA:I has a better told story (it's hard anyway to tell a story as bad as FFXV), more interesting charaters, at least because they have more dialogues and possibilities to understand and know them a lot more.
But I really disliked the combat system of DA:I... so boring. Really interesting only during main fights, but on all other random fights I hated it. Also the quest are a lot more MMORPG like, longer and tedious....

That said, it's a nice game, just a bit too grindy and MMO like in quests. If you can play Dragon Age Origins, that is a masterpiece (PC/PS3/XBox), DA:I is only a good game.

Oh and I can't find any similarities between FFXV and DA:I... one is more an action game in a open world, the other more a tactical rpg in a open world... one has more classic narration with plenty o dialogues (DAI), the other tell a story and characters just by their trip, and so on

Would you recommend playing Inquisition in the highest difficulty?

 

[lucablight]

I downloaded and installed patch 1.03 but I can't see the nixperience band anywhere in my inventory. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Kamitechi]

I downloaded and installed patch 1.03 but I can't see the nixperience band anywhere in my inventory. Am I doing something wrong?

Download the free dlc from the store

 

[lucablight]

Download the free dlc from the store

Thanks!

 

[Donniewahlberg]

Trying for the sturdy helix horn. Saved right beside them, full armiger and a mother and child bowl to raise drop rate. Anything else I can do here? Hah

 

[Gbraga]

Would the immersion really be shattered if I could just sprint infinitely instead of stopping to wheeze six times when I want to get anywhere?

This has absolutely nothing to do with immersion. Quite the contrary, there's a gameplay mechanic with no proper lore explanation to refill your stamina. Let go of circle (or press L3 again if you use that to sprint) just as your stamina is about to end (if you have the bar off, look at Noctis' animation), and you'll get a refill and can sprint indefinitely. It actually makes it a bit more engaging than just holding the button to run forever.