Playing a session of tabletop RPG is an unique experience. Be as a dungeon master or as a player, there is so much to appreciate and enjoy that it is really hard to put into words. You see, playing a single session is a lot of fun by itself. You get to pick fights with drunken barbarians, you can smash the skulls of goblins, try to seduce that nice NPC your dungeon master introduced, steal from the rich, mock the poor, do whatever the hell you want and ALSO hang out with your friends eating pizza or some snacks.
A campaign, however, is much more than that. It means picking up dozens of said sessions and adding to that fun a degree of depth. As a player you can see your character evolving, both in statistics and reputation, you can find new items, you can create things, lead armies, and ultimately become a true hero of a region, world, or universe. As a dungeon master/narrator you can feel your world growing with each achievement of the group, your tale walking through unexpected paths that end up being a lot better than what you initially had planned.
Final Fantasy XIV is the campaign equivalent of the videogame RPG genre. It has a lot in its pockets, really a lot. Playing it is like having Square Enix as a dungeon master of a sprawling and ever changing campaign, each divided into smaller adventures that puts you in the role of hero. It is also an MMORPG, so you can add to that formula a chance to hang out with friends, meet new people, and be part of a group. It offers a sensation I haven’t felt in any other game I’ve played and, for that reason, I’ve tried for many moments to understand what exactly I was feeling.
The Protagonist
The Warrior of Light. That is how you are called later in the game, after you finish the story content of the base game: A Realm Reborn. That title may seem cheesy at first, but damn, you really deserve it. Final Fantasy XIV does a rare thing in both RPGs and MMORPGs.
Pick MMORPGs. The majority of them barely has a meaningful storyline to follow, just a husk of lore scattered in random quests or hidden in NPC dialogues. The very few who offer a story-based sequence typically end up making your character look more like a bystander to a greater story than actively taking part in it. In most said games the story can be resumed as deeds of important NPCs, with your character being either entirely absent or playing some sort of “behind-the-scenes” hero.
Pick RPGs. The most successful, story-wise, typically have a crafted protagonist of some sorts, a guy with a established personality who is not really you. It can be awesome, sure, but it is clear that the deeds were achieved by THAT guy, not YOUR guy. Very few games with decent story arcs offer custom-made characters and even the great games that does so typically win more glory for its lore than its tale, like Elder Scrolls.
The Warrior of Light, however, is your character, yet she is part of everything. EVERYTHING. You start as a random adventurer like in any RPG campaign, but you become part of a special organization, start killing summoned gods, tackle the domain of a greater empire, forge the alliance of multiple nations, stage a revolution to throw off imperials, become a renowned slayer of summoned gods, is called forth to ANOTHER world to save their asses. You, my friend, are the most badass hero of the history of RPGs. The Warrior of Light makes short work of the great Commander Shepard. It is as if every Suikoden game has the same hero responsible for the deeds in each tale.
And she is Silent
Old-school RPG fans typically know a lot of great games with silent protagonists. There are games from every part of the world using that specific approach, but the majority of those games are from Japan. There is, however, an inherent issue brought from picking a silent guy and making it lead the story: he or she becomes blank.
Yeah, your guy from Elder Scrolls never make it really feel like a person of his own. You control him, you make his choices, you can play the sneaky thief or valiant hero, but when the story really kicks in, the character becomes just a husk through which you see it unfold. You could even pick Breath of Fire and you get the same sensation, although Ryu’s small gestures give him some sort of aura of his own.
In a way, my experience with this kind of protagonist only really achieved greatness with Suikoden II’s lead, the young rebel named Riou. That game is a masterpiece of picking a silent protagonist and giving him his own story while also working as a way to funnel your vision of the tale and make you feel as if you were Riou himself. It is a slow and delicate work of narrative that ends up making that mute dude into one hell of a war leader.
Well, and so does Final Fantasy XIV.
The Warrior of Light has an advantage over Riou though. He or she is in for the long run. While Riou’s tale ends after his war, the Warrior of Light’s saga is renewed with every patch and expanded with every expansion. Square Enix steadily digs new things for the Warrior of Light to do, to fight, and to conquer, and it seems they get better at the job with each new content.
As the story unfolds, your silent character goes from sitting through cutscenes to actively making choices about them. The Warrior of Light also has some quirky reactions to events and, after a few eikon-slaying, every choice you make ends up with an emote that sounds like “leave it to me, I’ll handle it” or “let’s kick some ass”. Every time an NPC needs help he remembers that you were the guy that killed a certain monster, or who helped some nation to win a war, or who simply single-handedly kicked the ass of the villain’s most powerful allies. There is a lot of detailed work going on to give this sensation of power to the Warrior of Light:
Number one is the link your tale shares with every NPC you meet. At first it is the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a group of skilled people running around after summoned gods to slay and keep the balance of Eorzea. They, however, stand no chance against these entities, and so they always look for your help, the help of the fucking Warrior of Light. You kick their asses, because that’s your job, and next thing that happens is all those NPCs praising you, chanting your deeds, and you watching that quirky smile and emotes from your silent avatar. It is amazing.
Number two is the depth of side-quests. The main quest sends you to free nations and slay elder beings, but the side-quests deal with no lesser topic. Although many start as small fetch-quests, some of those evolve into intricate collaborations to save the economy of a region, change the fate of a weakened tribe, or simply recover an ancient seat of power to its glory. You don’t simply waste time as an errand boy, your actions seem worth it and when you trace back your steps you always remember “oh, I helped this poor guy to become the most successful merchant of this map!”. These small, yet meaningful side-quests give even more glory to the deeds of the Warrior of Light.
Number three is your sheer power. You know you will beat the shit out of anyone. When you have the chance to meet some of your allies and even control them, it gets obvious you are way more powerful than they are. The villains also fear you for your deeds, they fail against you, and they know things are bound to go sideways when you enter the picture. The most amazing thing is that these stuffs happen naturally, going from your somewhat “lucky streak” of beating primals during the A Realm Reborn chapter to one of the major villains of the game kinda “joining your ranks for the sake of survival”. They know you are a virtual monster of unprecedented strength, charisma, and skills.
Number four is the development of optional jobs. I mean, when you stop hunting foes to slay and dedicate a few hours to crafting or gathering, you end up making quests that puts you in some more “mundane” problems such as growing crops, weaving charming robes, or crafting jewelry. These quests are not wasted too. Many of them have the participation of major NPCs and they have clever and amazing reactions when meeting you “Oh, the might slayer is also a master blacksmisth!? Gods!”. In these quests you show how you are not only a source of physical and magical power, but also a masterful artisan.
This also reaches quests for other main combat jobs such Astrologian, Dancer, and Samurai. When you pick these classes, it is required that you have finished certain major story arcs and this has influence on the scripts of their quests. As a dancer, for example, you end up investigating some weird disappearances with the dancing troupe, but all the guards of Ul’dah and Gridania already know you. You are their savior, the most powerful living entity in Eorzea, and that matters! Instead of questioning you, they simply take a step back and allow you to do whatever the hell you want, so your simple presence is already a green card to follow up with the investigation along with the dancers.
Shadowbringers
The Shadowbringers expansions seems to be the zenith of this development. The Warrior of Light is extremely powerful by now. You have achieved so much, you are no longer just a random hero everyone doubts of your skill. You are the embodiment of power. You are literally called as the most powerful hero of Eorzea. No one question your ability, they simply try to put you in the place where your abilities will be used at its highest.
The new plot-line puts you into another world where you are just as unknown as any traveler, yet your power remains. Your very first deed in this new world is clearing up the skies from the never-ending light, something that was blocking the view of the stars for one hundred years. Yeah. You just stumble in this new world and you are already making what no one else could in decades.
Every new quest offers more of that, and in Shadowbringers your choices are much more significant, with a lot of dialogues requiring your input and giving interesting follow ups in form of dialogues and small consequences. It makes the spotlight shine even more upon the Warrior of Light, and this naturally translates into making he or she even more of an impressive hero.
Yeah. My friends, the Garlemald empire will be so fucked up when the Warrior of Light walks in. Can’t wait for more story content to see how this god-like silent protagonist will beat the shit out of major enemies and finish the scene with the emote “leave it to me!”.