While there’s a debate to be had regarding whether or not Endwalker sticks the landing (and we hope to talk more about this game’s story once more people have had a chance to experience it), it’s hard not to be impressed with the fact that Endwalker delivers a proper ending for Final Fantasy 14‘s main story as it has been told until this point. It’s a finale that is as epic as it needs to be given the scope of that story so far but is just as much about the emotional investment you have in these characters, this world, and the little moments you’ve experienced along the way.
Few developers would ever be bold enough to end a story that many people once said couldn’t possibly be this good, but Endwalker‘s finale leaves you feeling confident that this team is somehow going to find a way to top themselves yet again.
Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker’s Dungeons and Zones Feel Like Proper Endgame Content
By the end of most MMO expansions, you’ve battled gods, saved the universe, and equipped the sacred sweatband of Grok’leThur. It’s always been a bit strange, then, that the start of most MMO expansions essentially perform a “reset” that suddenly forces you to battle thematically lesser enemies that you’re supposed to believe pose a serious threat to your god slaying player character.
That’s why I respect how Endwalker‘s dungeons and zones feel like a proper follow-up to what came before. Granted, the wildest stuff is still found near the end of the expansion (Endwalker‘s final zone is simply stunning), but even the earliest content feels like a worthy thematic follow-up to what came before.
I don’t know how the Final Fantasy 14 team continues to raise the stakes with relatively few diminishing returns, but the way Endwalker acknowledges and respects your prior accomplishments is simply incredible.
Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker Doesn’t Overvalue New Content
Even some of the best MMO expansions ever made (such as World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King) suffer somewhat from the idea that what matters most is the expansion content. They’re designed to make you grind for every new piece of gear, exist only in the new zones, and, more often than not, devote time to leveling new character classes because they are typically more powerful than everything else.