FFXIV: When Quests Mess With My Head
I’ve always been a fan of stories that put a psychological twist to them. It doesn’t have to be horror, per say, but just something that jolts you awake, and leaves you feeling thoughtfully uneasy.
There’s a tone associated with the majority of the quests in FFXIV – somewhat fluffy and feel-good. There’s a few tragic moments where characters die, and there are moments of plot tension, though that’s mostly reserved for the MSQ. But usually, with event and job quests, with a few exceptions, you know things are going to be okay.
I’ve been going through dutifully trying to finish up leveling jobs and clearing out job quests lately. Dark Knight has been my final job, and I admit I had not been paying a whole lot of attention to the quest line for it. It seemed like the typical dark-side wants to consume you type of story, complete with an edgy mentor, Fray, whom I didn’t always agree with.
So, this weekend, I realized I was level 51 and had never finished up the level 50 quest for Dark Knight. I had no idea how much this job quest was about to mess with my head. …and I loved it!
I don’t know who wrote the quest, but dang, they must have been in touch with the writer of the Edda quests. Or maybe it’s the same writer.
All I know is that I went into this thinking I was just going to be cleaning up my last job quest for Dark Knight and walked out of it completely thrown for a loop and invested.
There’s been a number of fantasy quests over the years that try to make you feel like you’re at the edge of losing control to a powerful, dark force. They try to instill a feeling of unease, as if any moment, you could be consumed. Up until the last quest, this series felt like that typical trope.
Then, suddenly, everything you thought you’d experienced was twisted around, and you find out none of your point of view was accurate. And wow, yeah. Now that gave me an unsettling feeling, like I’d lost control of my own perception, and was really at a risk of being consumed by this void.
Well done, writing team! I’d love to see more like this in the future.
