The ending... don't click if you don't want spoilers

[Akarhogy]

So ugh, I've just finished the game after almost playing it for two weeks, gotta say, I'm really not satisified with the ending.

What are you opinions?

The source temple and it's puzzles:
- I've played thoroughly, tried to find everything thats possible, and I still missed some Blood Stones/Star Stones, so the gate wouldn't even open at all. Had to backtrack every location where I could have left some stones. Well that was a bummer and huge waste of time.
- The other was the puzzles. The source temple one (Trial of Ascension) was okayish, but the one in the Phantom Forest. I had to cheese my way through it real bad. Could've been a lot better, and after searching for some videos, I heard many people mention it was even worse before Enhanced Edition? Don't know if that is true or not.

The last three boss fights:
- Trife was fairly decent, I actually enjoyed it.
- Leandra was NOT. I managed to bring Zandalar and Icara with me. They helped me out real good, so I could basically finish one of the demons in one turn. The problem was, that the invulnerability they cast was for two turns. So I had to sit through and position my guys and basically AFK... That was a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ thing to do, dragged out the fight to almost 45 minutes.
- Void Dragon was okay. I wiped like three times, after that I started getting all the lucky rolls and basically demolished it fairly fast and easy. It didn't even spawn any new adds after the spiders, just kept on flying all over the place and barraging my team with fire, ice and poison. Still, could've been better.

Well, I don't know about you guys but the ultimate ending was really just pressing on a door and having Zixzax telling three sentences? They probably ran out of resources to do something better. Hell, one of those drawn cutscenes depending on my last choice would've been better.

[bunny de fluff]

The ending is a typical fairy tale good ending, which is actually quite conservative, the writers were not adventurous enough. With these kind of resource they have, they can really do some shocking endings, maybe better to be good than tried to be great but failed.

[Dragon]

I agree:

- The game falls apart after the Phantom Forest. The final puzzles/Dungeons/areas are quite lackluster, especially the Source Temple, which practically bored me to tears.

- The devs seem to have run out of time/resources at that point in the game.

- The ending sucks, and it's not even an ending. It's highly unsatisfying.

I don't agree:

- Having enough Starstones/Bloodstones is no problem, that's easy as pie. I had way more than enough and I never had to backtrack at all. I had acquired them all naturally simply through playing the game. I never even consulted any advice about where to get them, either. The game needed to have more possible ways to use for the extra Starstones/Bloodstones.

- Leandra wasn't hard nor does she take 45 minutes to beat. She didn't give me any trouble and certainly didn't take anywhere near 45 minutes for me to beat. I'm not sure why you had a problem with her. Sounds like a strange anomaly.

- Void Dragon was tough - as he should be. But he was not super duper tough and not dependent on "lucky rolls."

[Dragon]

Originally posted by bunny de fluff:

The ending is a typical fairy tale good ending, which is actually quite conservative, the writers were not adventurous enough. With these kind of resource they have, they can really do some shocking endings, maybe better to be good than tried to be great but failed.

My problem with the ending isn't that it's happy instead of sad, but rather that it: a) doesn't explain anything, b) it barely has any content, c) and what little content that it does have makes no sense.

I.e:

- After the defeat of Braccus Rex, the heroes decided that they had much greater destinies to fulfill and had been elevated beyond their petty role as Source Hunters. Then the game spends the whole rest of itself belaboring that point at great length.

- Likewise, Zixzax promises that after they go to the First Garden, then the heroes may never return to Rivellon.

- So given the previous two points, why on earth are the heroes a) back in Rivellon after the Void Dragon is defeated and b) derping around the Source Hunter Academy as if they are still petty run-of-the-mill Source Hunters?!

- What did they do for the rest of the lives? Where did they live? How were they treated by the rest of the people? Or did they resume their role as Guardians? Or did they go live with Astarte in the First Garden?

- Were they even mortal in the first place? The game goes to great pains to say that their souls are special and unique. So then what happens to their souls after their Source Hunters bodies die (if that's even possible)?

- In my ending, Zixzax implied that the heroes mated together and had kids. So then, what did the kids do with their lives?

- I had the imp hunters arrest the criminal imps and remove them from my Homestead and persecute them for their crimes against humanity. Yet at my ending, Zixzax was still talking either to them, or else to another group of random imps. So either: a) why are the criminal imps still in my Homestead? or b) where exactly did the new crop of imps come from? who are they? and why are they in my Homestead?

- What happened to Astarte after the Void Dragon was defeated? Did she start helping the people more now that she didn't have to spend all her time fighting the Void Dragon? If so, how did she help them?

[Akarhogy]

Originally posted by Dragon:

- Having enough Starstones/Bloodstones is no problem, that's easy as pie. I had way more than enough and I never had to backtrack at all. I had acquired them all naturally simply through playing the game. I never even consulted any advice about where to get them, either. The game needed to have more possible ways to use for the extra Starstones/Bloodstones.

I think I didn't have enough stones, because I had low perception on all of my characters and I missed some while adventuring, but I was trying to pick up and finish all the quests. In the end I had some unused stones as well, which I had to use right away.

Originally posted by Dragon:

- Leandra wasn't hard nor does she take 45 minutes to beat. She didn't give me any trouble and certainly didn't take anywhere near 45 minutes for me to beat. I'm not sure why you had a problem with her. Sounds like a strange anomaly.

I don't know either why it took so long. I was literally killing the demons she summoned right away as they became vulnerable but after finishing one up I had to wait two turns so the next one became vulnerable. It really was a long fight for me. And she was also summoning some Death Knights, so the turns were really long as well, waiting to finish like 4 of my main characters, with 4 summons and two friendlies that was like 10 people, and then 4 DKs+2 demons and Leandra herself. It was really slow.

Originally posted by Dragon:

- Void Dragon was tough - as he should be. But he was not super duper tough and not dependent on "lucky rolls."

Yeah, the first time I died because Astarte died. I actually didin't think I would have to baby her. My mistake. The second time I died because the dragon kept barraging and summoning stuff. The third time it stopped summoning and I believe I just got lucky. The fight should've been hard I agree, it was the last big boss after all. Also Zandalor in that fight was really annoying. I had fairly high air resistance, yet he always managed to stun my characters after he attacked or cast an air/electricity spell. It was really demoralising.


As for the other problems you mentioned:
- Yeah, I didn't really get either who Zixzax was telling the stories to. I had sent back the imps as well. Maybe those weren't the same imps? He recruited some or they were orphans or something?

- Astarte said I was welcome to live out my life in the first garden, so why couldn't I choose to live there? Only two options were available, to get some holidays on a beach and chase after source magic in Rivellion. Also that what Zixzax said that I couldn't even return to Rivellion after that and yet there I was.

- Astarte also implied that we were gods/demigods yet when I return to the source academy, I'm just another dude. The captain doesn't even believe me when I tell him the story. A little acknowledgment whould've been good. Maybe getting a piece of the Void Dragon to show it to people or display it so they believe me. Or is that all supposed to be a secret?

[bunny de fluff]

yes it actually did not explain everything fully, but as rpg ending I think it is ok, not great but ok.

[Power]

Originally posted by bunny de fluff:

The ending is a typical fairy tale good ending, which is actually quite conservative, the writers were not adventurous enough. With these kind of resource they have, they can really do some shocking endings, maybe better to be good than tried to be great but failed.

did they remove the lava wand from the enhanced edition, or can you still one shot the void dragon with it?

[Power]

Originally posted by Akarhogy:

Originally posted by Dragon:

- Having enough Starstones/Bloodstones is no problem, that's easy as pie. I had way more than enough and I never had to backtrack at all. I had acquired them all naturally simply through playing the game. I never even consulted any advice about where to get them, either. The game needed to have more possible ways to use for the extra Starstones/Bloodstones.

I think I didn't have enough stones, because I had low perception on all of my characters and I missed some while adventuring, but I was trying to pick up and finish all the quests. In the end I had some unused stones as well, which I had to use right away.

Originally posted by Dragon:

- Leandra wasn't hard nor does she take 45 minutes to beat. She didn't give me any trouble and certainly didn't take anywhere near 45 minutes for me to beat. I'm not sure why you had a problem with her. Sounds like a strange anomaly.

I don't know either why it took so long. I was literally killing the demons she summoned right away as they became vulnerable but after finishing one up I had to wait two turns so the next one became vulnerable. It really was a long fight for me. And she was also summoning some Death Knights, so the turns were really long as well, waiting to finish like 4 of my main characters, with 4 summons and two friendlies that was like 10 people, and then 4 DKs+2 demons and Leandra herself. It was really slow.

Originally posted by Dragon:

- Void Dragon was tough - as he should be. But he was not super duper tough and not dependent on "lucky rolls."

Yeah, the first time I died because Astarte died. I actually didin't think I would have to baby her. My mistake. The second time I died because the dragon kept barraging and summoning stuff. The third time it stopped summoning and I believe I just got lucky. The fight should've been hard I agree, it was the last big boss after all. Also Zandalor in that fight was really annoying. I had fairly high air resistance, yet he always managed to stun my characters after he attacked or cast an air/electricity spell. It was really demoralising.


As for the other problems you mentioned:
- Yeah, I didn't really get either who Zixzax was telling the stories to. I had sent back the imps as well. Maybe those weren't the same imps? He recruited some or they were orphans or something?

- Astarte said I was welcome to live out my life in the first garden, so why couldn't I choose to live there? Only two options were available, to get some holidays on a beach and chase after source magic in Rivellion. Also that what Zixzax said that I couldn't even return to Rivellion after that and yet there I was.

- Astarte also implied that we were gods/demigods yet when I return to the source academy, I'm just another dude. The captain doesn't even believe me when I tell him the story. A little acknowledgment whould've been good. Maybe getting a piece of the Void Dragon to show it to people or display it so they believe me. Or is that all supposed to be a secret?

Couldn't you have just killed leandra? I normally jsut ignore summons and kill the summoners.

[Akarhogy]

Originally posted by Power:

Couldn't you have just killed leandra? I normally jsut ignore summons and kill the summoners.

No, the demons cast invulnerability. You could only damage one. At the beginning of the fight she summons three of those. You have to kill those in order. After all three die, she casts a Fire Elemental IIRC and four invulnerability stones, which you have to destroy as well before you can damage her.

[v0]

Originally posted by Dragon:

I had acquired them all naturally simply through playing the game.

depends totally on playstyle. one needs to explore and game actually rewards it. but those who only go where they're told to... :/

[Truth]

The story of Leandra makes no sense... She is willing to destroy the entire Universe because... why? ... because of a jealous fued years ago between herself and her sister over some boy toy? Seriously. There was no other reason for Leandra to kill hundreds of people, corrupt the lands, penetrate the last garden, and attempt to Thanos the entire universe?

That was the best the writers could come up with? Angry about Zandalar? You would think she would of had bigger... much bigger plans when it came to the end of time and oblivion. Maybe to become a god, or perhaps kill Astrate and the void dragon and do something in order to take control.

But no. Because she was messing around with Zandalar behind her SISTERS back... and cant have him. That justifies the most ruthless villain in the universe?

Writing is so bad.

[Highrule -1]

Originally posted by Truth:

The story of Leandra makes no sense... She is willing to destroy the entire Universe because... why? ... because of a jealous fued years ago between herself and her sister over some boy toy? Seriously. There was no other reason for Leandra to kill hundreds of people, corrupt the lands, penetrate the last garden, and attempt to Thanos the entire universe?

That was the best the writers could come up with? Angry about Zandalar? You would think she would of had bigger... much bigger plans when it came to the end of time and oblivion. Maybe to become a god, or perhaps kill Astrate and the void dragon and do something in order to take control.

But no. Because she was messing around with Zandalar behind her SISTERS back... and cant have him. That justifies the most ruthless villain in the universe?

Writing is so bad.

Uh.

-- When they were kids, they had to watch when source hunters killed their parents.
-- Source is corrupted, and both sisters are sourcerers.
-- Leandra was always messing around with source more than what was healthy.

The events with Zandalor were merely a catalyst, she would've one down the same path sooner or later. During the events of the game she's no longer an independent actor, but rather a tool that void has corrupted for its usage. She claims to want to bring peace to the world by letting void consume it (nonsensical claim lore-wise btw), not because of what happened with Zandalor. In fact, she now sees Icara and Zandalor as little more than obstructions to her goal.


I'd recommend to actually figure out the lore before giving dumb criticism about it.