(My DLC hours are because I play primarily on PS5, with Steam as a backup. I have been playing since late ARR.)

This is the better A Realm Reborn expansion, or what A Realm Reborn could have been had the developers been given 10 years to hone their craft. The story is a well-executed reset, where we put down our "main character" hat, and instead get to be party to someone else's trials, triumphs, and failures, mentoring them along the way. Conversely, going into this expansion wanting even higher stakes than the previous one will lead to disappointment. The writers have decided that they want to shelve the old, and slowly grow a fresh new take on what it means to be a Final Fantasy 14 story, and do it in world in a way that respects the legacy of those that came before.

The work they've done on the technical side of the game to improve quest design makes this expansion easy to enjoy. The artists took full advantage of the new graphics update, featuring a high level of detail in the outfits, facial expressions, and foliage. Prior to gaining flight, the zones feel even larger and more real than they did before, because they're able to use the denser foliage to make it feel as though you're actually winding through a forest, or a mountain region. And while a lot of maps have already featured impressive verticality, the new foliage means that those long-distance vistas are full of interesting things to look at, with different perspectives giving new appreciation for the map design. A tower set among a set of trees simply looks impressive from its base, but then its function in the nearby community becomes obvious when you're up high on a cliff, and see it set into the wider landscape.

The combination of low (or localized) stakes and the wide variety of music, landscapes, and cultures, makes it feel like this is a summer vacation, where we were invited by the locals to come hang out while nation-wide cultural events take place. It's such a refreshing change of pace from being constantly in fear of the world-ending problems, and possibly losing any companion at any moment.

The new raids have yet to release, but the existing selection of combat encounters have also been extremely creative. It's nice to see the developers try completely new things, even if they don't stick long-term. It's also nice to see that the new combat encounters give you much stronger negative feedback when a puzzle isn't solved correctly. It all adds to the thrill of exploration, discovery, and learning!

If there is one thing they could have improved, it would be that they could have done a better job integrating the "long-term" plot points into the individual side moments. There are many moments which are ultimately essential to the story, but in the moment feel like they are not yet connected. It requires a small amount of patience to take everything in, even as earlier teases tempt a rush to the end.

(My DLC hours are because I play primarily on PS5, with Steam as a backup. I have been playing since late ARR.) This is the better A Realm Reborn expansion, or what A Realm Reborn could have been had the developers been given 10 years to hone their craft. The story is a well-executed reset, where we put down our "main character" hat, and instead get to be party to someone else's trials, triumphs, and failures, mentoring them along the way. Conversely, going into this expansion wanting even higher stakes than the previous one will lead to disappointment. The writers have decided that they want to shelve the old, and slowly grow a fresh new take on what it means to be a Final Fantasy 14 story, and do it in world in a way that respects the legacy of those that came before. The work they've done on the technical side of the game to improve quest design makes this expansion easy to enjoy. The artists took full advantage of the new graphics update, featuring a high level of detail in the outfits, facial expressions, and foliage. Prior to gaining flight, the zones feel even larger and more real than they did before, because they're able to use the denser foliage to make it feel as though you're actually winding through a forest, or a mountain region. And while a lot of maps have already featured impressive verticality, the new foliage means that those long-distance vistas are full of interesting things to look at, with different perspectives giving new appreciation for the map design. A tower set among a set of trees simply looks impressive from its base, but then its function in the nearby community becomes obvious when you're up high on a cliff, and see it set into the wider landscape. The combination of low (or localized) stakes and the wide variety of music, landscapes, and cultures, makes it feel like this is a summer vacation, where we were invited by the locals to come hang out while nation-wide cultural events take place. It's such a refreshing change of pace from being constantly in fear of the world-ending problems, and possibly losing any companion at any moment. The new raids have yet to release, but the existing selection of combat encounters have also been extremely creative. It's nice to see the developers try completely new things, even if they don't stick long-term. It's also nice to see that the new combat encounters give you much stronger negative feedback when a puzzle isn't solved correctly. It all adds to the thrill of exploration, discovery, and learning! If there is one thing they could have improved, it would be that they could have done a better job integrating the "long-term" plot points into the individual side moments. There are many moments which are ultimately essential to the story, but in the moment feel like they are not yet connected. It requires a small amount of patience to take everything in, even as earlier teases tempt a rush to the end.