FFXIV: Omega, Hildibrand, and Revisiting Older Content Anew
Posted on July 11, 2022 by Aywren
Before Endwalker launched, the player were told that it would be a good idea to make sure to go back and do all the side-quest content from the past. This includes things like optional raids, alliance raids, trials and other quests that unlock content in general.
Due to that, I did go back and finish the Four Lords trial series and finished up the Eden raids along the way. I’m glad that my main has pretty much all of the story content swept up in a neat pile because FFXIV has been reaching back into the story vaults and bringing the past into the present.
Starting with the last sub-patch, we got new storylines revolving around Omega in its plight to learn about the human condition and further adventures of Hildibrand. Both of these were great short story experiences, even if they were at the opposite end of the spectrums.
And they also both required you to have done previous content to even be able to access the new quests. Of course, Omega requires the Omega raids and Hildibrand requires the past Hildibrand patches.
As we know from the last live letter, we’re also looking at Manderville relic weapons this expansion, which will require the past Hildibrand quests to have been completed. This apparently came with a bit of a controversy – even though skipping through these quest lines don’t really take too long. There’s a few trials involved, and that can be annoying, but nothing you can’t knock out in a day if you sat down to do it.
Now, I enjoy Hildibrand quests. But I also know it’s an acquired taste. Whether the look of the new weapons will appeal to me is up in the air right now, but I’ll give the new relics a whirl.
We also know that the next Tarutaru’s Adventures tales will require you to have done the Heavensward expansion alliance raids due to the inclusion of the Sky Pirates. I like the Sky Pirates and I approve of bringing them back for more story. But I also completed all those raids years ago, so none of this content is gated to me.
This isn’t new, to be honest. Last expansion, if you wanted to the culmination of the role quest lines in Shadowbringers, you had to have certain hard mode trials unlocked (you didn’t have to run them, just have them unlocked). This was to ensure you’d seen bits and pieces of story that was relevant to characters in the role questline.
Now, some folks might be a little miffed at all this. I, however, see it as another way that FFXIV is instilling the fact that it’s a story-based RPG in MMO trappings. Many of the tales told around raids, trials and side stories aren’t necessary, but are quite good and worth the time to do.
Since FFXIV has earned a wave of newer players that came in after most of these stories have already been out there for years, I don’t think it’s a bad thing that they point arrows back to older content to lead folks to them.
I mean, FFXIV has made it abundantly clear to those who are not along for the story at this point, it’s not about to change its ways to please them. And for those of us who have done the older content, we’re more than happy to loop back around and revisit old friends.
The follow-up story about Omega was actually one of the best parts of that pocket of content. Just in my opinion. ;)