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Starcaller

Elril Moonweaver

Phoenix [Light]
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[SPOILER] Review of Heavensward 3.1-3.55 [NG+ Run]

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THE CONTEXT

I've recently burnt myself out of reading, again! By setting my sights on reading 6 books in the span of two weeks and wouldn't you know it that approach basically lead to a book burn out. But not necessarily to a story burn out. As a result for the past week I've been going through my longly postponed NG+ run.

I've already finished the NG+ run of the post-HW story a few days ago, but I haven't really had the urge to do anything regarding reviewing it, because I was feeling kinna meh about the whole matter. Now I'm in Kugane in my NG+ run of SB 4.0 and I'm having a blast. With that said I believe it's a pretty appropriate time now to write my thoughts on the post-HW story as seen in a NG+ run.

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The story of the HW patches is really solid, like for instance, we have several plot threads going on simultaneously, and I really enjoy how none of them feels tacked on and dragged out. Efficient writing is the name of the game for HW and I see it in the way characters, scenes, dialogue is written, back when quality was more of a concern for the writers of this story than quantity *coughDTcough*.

I really empathized with Aymeric's quest for peace and was disheartened whenever a new setback occurred. Political intrigue and actions taken by certain characters have the effect of making the peace between man and dragon that Aymeric and others so desperately yearn for that much unobtainable. No one suffers for the folly of their actions more than Emmanelain. We see that his actions throw a spanner into Aymeric's plans and almost get Honoroit beaten within an inch of his life by an angry mob. As a result of his impulsivity, Emmanelain needs to take responsability for his actions and make amends. He does, and it's so freaking heartwarming how all he wants to do after winning the grand melee is to rush to Honoroit's bedside and tell him what happened.

Characters in this story are not over-reliant on the Warrior of Light and it is a really refreshing stance to have towards the main character of the entire story. It's refreshing that people look up to my character, yet all the while ask for my aid, advice and opinions, because my expertise and insight matters to them.

In this story, there's no one character always tailing the Warrior of Light, nor there is a character who gets more screentime than anyone else, save maybe for Alphinaud, but he's the one that oftentimes moves my WoL from one place to another.

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The set up for the Stormblood expansion was also very concise and well done. It sets the pieces in motion and makes it clear what's at stake. Patch 3.5 MSQ also contains one of the best speeches in post-HW full stop, before Ilberd commits suicide to summon Shinryu.

Writing-wise, I believe the introduction of Ishikawa in a few of the plot threads of the post-HW MSQ have made it so that the story feels richer, more all encompassing, more alive and vibrant with characters that have clear and understandable motivations. I mean just look at the Warriors of Darkness, they go from a bunch of would be antagonists, to anti-heroes, doing whatever it takes to spare the First from the same fate that befell the Thirteenth, even if what they are doing in actuality is mercy killing their world.

I love how you can see and hear the desperation in how they speak, how they act, how they justify everything they do as being a means to save their world.

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There's not much I can say about post-HW than I haven't already said in my previous NG+ Run review of HW. The points I made there are the same ones for this side of the story with the added mention that, despite the underwhelming defeat of Thordan at the end of HW, my character's final stand against Nidhogg was awesomeness incarnate - and yes I did also shed a tear.

I'm gonna continue on with the SB NG+ run now. I've just reached Kugane and I'm dying to see this story after what... 3 years of not having seen it? I'm very excited.

That's all I wanted to say for now.

Stay safe, my fellow Warriors of Light,
- Warrior of Light Elril Moonweaver
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