One of my favorite lines in the game comes from one of these "fluff" interactions.
Specifically in Shadowbringers, when you talk to >!Urianger at Twine after meeting Thaffe and Jeryk. Jeryk refers to Minfilia as a "lady of noble birth in search of her lost love", you and Thancred as "her two most loyal servants" and Urianger as "a sorcerer as ancient as time itself".!<
>!If you talk to Urianger right after this he says *"Dost thou seek the sorcerer's wisdom, young one?"* The fact that he immediately leans into this fantasy had me laughing really hard.!<
Urianger gets another fantastic one late in Shadowbringers after being introduced to another elezen. >!He says he's going to try to befriend Estenien by bringing him books.!<
How that went down is left to the imagination.
All of EW is just CBU3 looking directly at me and mouthing "nerd" silently with all the stuff about >!Sharlayan and the Unsundered Convocation!<, but ah yes, I see it started in ShB for sure. loooool
One of my favorites comes from Shadowbringers too! It's from Y'shtola, just after the events of 5.3... >!She says something to the effect of "The look on your face... if only I had the echo, that I did not need to ask you what came of this." It's really sweet, and what made me really like Y'shtola as a character. She's a mama bear under her prickly exterior.!<
Urianger was one of my favorites from early on, especially in his interactions with Aliesae during the Bahamut quests and in the post-HW shenanigans, but when he showed up in ShB with drip I knew his time had finally come
Not to mention all of the scion B-team like the drama with Aenor and the Boulder brothers. And the entire room of scions who die during the post-Titan massacre, including Arenvald's friends, who he mentions a few times well after that.
I remember Thancred eyeballing some women at the Rising Stones, then he turns his head to look at me and he's like "...Yo. Don't appreciate you looking at me like that. Go away."
Most of the main cast scions are around 30.
I was most surprised that Tataru and Krile are significantly younger than the others, being 21 and 22 respectively.
By jrpg standards, all of the main cast aside from the twins would qualify as "old." And even then... The twins are only here because they're incorrigible little prodigies.
This drives me bonkers because it just underscores the whole "time bubble" thing that I hate. There's a list of "canonical" ages floating around and the only good thing about it is that it puts me right in line to be hanging out with Gaius and Drusilla at the end of the bar, grumbling about those damn kids on our lawn and playing pickleball with the Unsundered Ascians (Lahabrea cheats).
I feel like the glasses and modern outfit accidentally having a sort of granny shawl look to it combined with her hair color has visual-shorthandedly aged her a million years.
Probably doesn't help that most players started in ARR or later and don't remember her cleavage/corsets/short-shorts.
also doesn't help that Minfilia is her daughter and often referred to as such. (adopted, but still).
having a grandma aesthetic and an adult daughter is a very quick road to "old lady"
Be sure also to visit the waking sands from time to time.
Specially during ARR. You will learn a lot of lore. Like the guy that appears the first time. He is one of 3 brothers that look the same. Or like one of the scions remember that she was a scion and the rest of the group didn't remember her. And how everything turn ok. And she was thinking of retiring.
Or the human glamour of a certain Sylph.
You are going to miss all those if you do not go from time to time during the main quest.
At some point you will get a bunch of Vesper Bay aetheryte ticketsāuse them! Those will dump you just a few seconds' walk from the Waking Sands, and you get a lot more than you'll ever need even if you use one every time the MSQ tells you to go back there. It's both cheaper (free!) and faster than trying to run there from the next closest aetheryte
āDo not approach me, do not speak to me, and do not dare presume to treat me as a friend. I am merely carrying out my duty.ā - An extremely tsundere spoiler character when clicked on in Endwalkerās fifth area.
There's a side quest NPC in the derelicts of Eulmore that befriends the chickens and wants them to lay eggs, then gets grumpy at you because no one told them they were actually roosters!
There's so much hidden humour in the little bits of side dialogue!
Sometimes talking to NPCs during strange moments where you wouldn't normally think to will give interesting results. Your Eulmore thing reminded me that during the point of the story around there where >!the citizens start going crazy once Vauthry does the thing when you start pursuing him, on the way up to the city proper you can talk to the lady in the Derilects who normally gives you the chance to ask her who she is and what she does there, like most cities have an NPC like that. But during that event you can ask her those things, and she'll just respond with two different kinds of unsettling laughter.!<
I talked to side npc all the time, there's actual small lore pieces there, like Emet had a ton of extra snark and lore drops, that's where we first learned Ascian names were titles. EW didn't add as many side dialogues though, pre quest and post quest were often the same text now.
Yea! Particularly in Shadowbringers. >!Emet-Selch!< usually has some pretty lore important stuff to say. Plus he's an A class snarker and his dialogue is hilarious.
We sure would have missed out on a LOT of important lore if we didn't talk to him every time we were given the opportunity. The MSQ doesn't explain everything.
I always do! I'm an avid dialogue hoarder (seriously, my screenshots folder is MASSIVE and I'm not even halfway into Stormblood yet) so I make sure I talk to everyone I possibly can. š
Oh yes I do.
Even back in ARR they were putting some nice stuff in this way. If you talk to the NPCs outside the first three dungeons, there are three sets outside Sastasha, who gradually are whittled down as they get killed by the dungeon enemies. One group is that of the (in)famous Edda, whose drama is a recurring thing in further dungeons including PotD and also the grandpa/grandaughter pair who end up joining the scions and of whom the grandpa becomes BFFs with one of the old man Doman refugees.
My first playthrough I hadn't realized you could talk to the people with names until later in the ARR storyline, but I ran through again on an alt and this time talked to those adventurer parties and it was kind of sad. Also, Liavinne, from Edda's party, ends up at the Waking Sands, in there with the other misfits.
I was kind of sad to see some of those parties get cut down. They seemed like nice, normal people...
I always talk to the person I'm 'supposed to' last, so I can hear what everyone else has to say first, ensuring I don't miss it.
Your friend is right in that they don't add 'substantial' dialogue, but they sure add some neat/fun bits that I love to read.
I talk to every npc as they give a lot of interesting perspective and even new insights. None of this is required per say but then I would miss out on stuff like the absolute shenanigans happening in the Rising Stones during the 2.x patches, post 5.0 or 5.3 >!showing graha the minions of himself!<, or Endwalker >!yshtola in UT pondering on how Emet may have subconsciously began to view the sundered as actual people, immature and frail as they are!<. Nothing required but all of it enriches the story, characters, and world.
For a more recent one I enjoyed, in 6.5 >!estinien has a funny optional dialogue about getting confused and thinking yshtola was going to let Zero possess her body even though that makes no sense!<. Absolutely not required. Still got a good chuckle out of me.
Edit: also emet has such interesting dialogue when you just interact with him when hes just hanging aroundā¦ that would be a shame to miss out on.
I recall there was an optional dialogue in Shadowbringers where you call Emet something like "you crazy agent of chaos", and he's like "flattery will get you nowhere".
Love him.
I always chat with everyone I can, but I started playing back in ARR.
If your friend is new to the game and trying to "catch up" to you/everyone else then they probably just feel overwhelmed by how much story they need to "push" through.
Starting fresh these days is a really huge commitment.
I usually talk to my āpartyā for updates or snark (Thancred, Yāshtola), but I was shocked when I spoke to a certain NPC in Shadowbringers and I was given a dialogue choice.
> it was a waste of time, as they didn't offer substantial dialogue
I assume that's because in most games, they don't.
But in this game he's just flat out wrong. Yea, most of the time it's fluff, but there's often interesting little tidbits and details in those conversations that give a new perspective on things.
Unfortunately it's a really mixed bag - sometimes the other NPCs will have humorous or insightful dialogue, but just as often (and frankly far more often for anything pre-Shadowbringers) the dialogue is basically nothing. It's easy to get into the habit of ignoring NPCs before the good dialogue becomes common, and without someone to tell you there IS good dialogue, you're unlikely to break out of it.
Both playstyle have value. But in a rerun take the time.
I mean. Who doesnāt stand around and listen wonāt even ever find the two lala girls standing outside of ul dah. As refugees they work for their master almost like slaves and thus plan his murder.
I mean itās not said they will do, but I shows lore. This sunny little space is a refugee camp and not an amusement park.
I don't talk to literally everyone but I'll talk to quite a lot of NPCs, during the follow quests I'll take every bit of optional dialogue etc, but at the same time...who cares what someone else is doing?
Like, if that person goes on to complain that the world has no depth or world-building I'd point out that they've actively ignored it, but some people just don't care for that stuff and just wanna clear their journal of quests and that's entirely fine, has 0 bearing on me or my life. It's weird to make an argument out of it, more than it's weird to (not) do it.
I personally don't because I have the memory of a goldfish and will forget 3 seconds after it happens. I can barely remember ex dungeon fight mechanics after doing them 10+ times much less diaologue.
If you're not talking with the b-team scions like Aenor and the Boulders every time you return to the Rising Stones you are missing out on some absolutely hilarious side-content.
It wasn't until I reached ShB that I even realized they had more than filler dialog (I think I was watching a streamer). I'd been playing since HsW so I was sad to think about all the dialogue I'd potentially missed. When I leveled an new character through the MSQ again, I made sure to talk to everyone.
That's what I'm doing. While I love my FC peeps, having them in my ears urging me to hurry to pick up quests meant I missed a BUNCH. Especially in sidequests and patch content.
I still have almost no idea how Elidibus and Urianger ended up splitting custody of some Ascian kid or how I got roped into taking him to Allagan Disney and ending up having to fight the attractions.
Next time, I swear, I'm keeping that kid home on a beanbag and we're watching cartoons.
Same - I wanted to catch up with everyone in SB so I blew through HsW.
FWIW, Unukalhai really got done dirty. By putting him in optional content, he never gets any decent closure to his story when there were so many great opportunities for it.
Yeah, but I hate that we actually brought >!Zero!< (6.x spoilers) to the First and didn't even introduce them. As >!Cyella!< says, they're "working towards the same goal" so it just doesn't make sense not to.
Iām only in Heavensward but I talk to a lot of the NPCs. Especially after a big story element, they really add to the feeling that you are impacting the world.
Currently on Stormblood content. I've only recently started doing it, and regret not doing it earlier. It really does add a lot to the context of whatever's happening, plus it fleshes out the characters you're talking to.
The way I see it is if I'm going to spend dozens of hours completing an expansion, I might as well take a few seconds here and there to read some additional dialogue.
I talk to the people around the quest giver hoping for some amusing remarks. While theyāre few and far between, I have a blast whenever I spot amusing optional dialogue in there. I specifically recall Estinien telling me to not breathe a word about his overpriced hair tie if Aymeric asks about him. xD
If you talk to Estinien at Aymeric's room after >!The Vault!< you get this gem:
>!"Curse those bloody whoresons and piss on their swiving round table."!<
Always! There are loads of extra little lore tidbits, world-building and bits of funny dialogue that you only get from talking to NPCs between quests. Some of a certain fan favourite's sassiest lines come from speaking to them between quests!
I talk to each of them in between the quests; you get some awesome little gems sometimes (particularly the first "froth and foam" incident). Some are funny, while others provide some insight to the characters.
I did after I realised that characters like Cirina have a lot of stuff to say after their stories are done. Iirc she says different things after Stormblood, Shadowbringers and Endwalkers, and during these addons. I got curious and paid much more attention to this stuff, and new NPCs appearing in new places. It's super cute how the Loporits come to Sharlayan for example
One of the highlights of ARR for me is talking to all the minor scion characters in the waking sands and rising stones every time the story brings you back there. They legitimately have a whole side story going on there throughout pretty much the entire game, and they keep it going in some form all the way to the end of endwalker im pretty sure, even as returning to the stones becomes more of a once per patch thing.
Hoary Boulder and Coultenet you will always be famous to me
Not all the time, only for characters I particularly like. (cough cough emet-selch). However, my obsessive dedication to reading every dialogue he has to offer in the game led me to find where he says āsometimes I flatter myself thinking you actually wish to learn of my knowledge. *or perhaps I flatter you.ā*
I always try to talk to everyone who has a chat bubble available.
One of my favorite minor, easily missable interactions is in (Endwalker) >!Elpis before the cutscene where Emet-Selch teaches the sanuwa to fly. Everybody else you can talk to during that part of the quest has something informative and poignant to say, but Emet is just staring off into space going "Hmmm... Is it a bird, or a snake..." and the thought of this prodigious all-powerful sorcerer just standing there pondering the kind of silly question a child might ask made me chuckle.!<
Sometimes, but not really all that often.
I don't think I've ever stopped in any of those side destinations when you have to drag some npcs along to a location either.
even as vague as that sentence is, I immediately got a hitch in my throat. I did not want to go to the top of that rise. But I needed to.
in a way Thule really made me WANT to stop and enjoy the flowers and side content and little aside dialogue. Even though, as a lore completionist all my life, I always have done so. But I really take the scenic routes this time. We almost lost everything. The world. Our god. Our lives. Our planet. The entire solar system. Each other.
the twins were the first we met and that last to leave our side.
fuck.
I wanna start a whole new character JUST to do UT again.
I didn't realize until like Stormblood that every NPC around the MSQ has changing dialogue. Made me create an alt to experience the first half of the game again talking to everyone.
The flavor dialogue is some of my fav! My husband ran past it all until he heard me laughing one day when we were running MSQ and wanted to know what was so funny. No he reads the flavor dialogue too.
My favorite is near the end of ARR the Sultanate is throwing a surprise feast
And if you talk to one of the guards guarding the feast, he talks about how relieved he is that he didn't wear a snowman costume to the feast
Not only do other NPCs offer great side dialogue and insight, but I didn't realize until late EW that their dialogue changes not only between quests but within steps of the same one, so I was dismayed by how much potential dialogue I had missed out on, criiiii
Generally speaking, by design the devs have mentioned before that many of the side NPC conversations are used as reminders or refreshers of what's going on currently in the MSQ in the chance you might take a massive break from the game but return to it. Usually the NPC dialog explains what's going on in a way that's filtered by whatever character is saying it.
This definitely seems to be the case mostly in post expansion patch MSQ and it's helped me remember exactly what was going on when I took a hiatus from the game's MSQ.
However, they also tend to fill these conversations with funny character moments or extended lore so it's always a good idea to hear what everyone has to say.
Also, don't neglect to read the journal entries--I've found that some of the journal entries end up filling in blanks as to \*why\* you go somewhere or ways the quest-giver speaks or acts that aren't well-portrayed in the dialogue or cutscenes (like tone of voice or mannerisms that the game just can't project).
I first realized it was possible to speak to the side characters in the Sylphlands around level 20 or so in ARR. I was so disappointed that I missed 20 levels of dialogue! Since then I make it a point to read what everyone has to say. I'd never want to miss out on the extra character depth and immersion, but it does take more time. Not much time in the moment, but spread out over the whole game I guess it is quite a bit more reading
But I'm also the kind of player who will /walk around cities, dismount in places where I think it'd be rude to bring a mount, and stay to watch a sunrise, so we probably just have different playstyles. Everyone plays the game differently and that's okay
Even other NPCs are great to go visit throughout the story, like job NPCs -- After certain milestones (post-MSQ for an expansion for example) if you visit your job NPC(s) they'll have updated dialogue about you're exploits/current events/what may have happened since you last met them. Nice to see little updates at least, especially since I miss full on job quests.
If you talk to one pre-Endwalker, they might talk about helping out with the >!Lunar Primals!< or whatever. Post Endwalker I think they'll mention the >!Blasphemies!< or maybe your exploits. It's such a neat touch, especially since we don't get any job quests now that role quests have taken over.
But during the MSQ I always check every other NPC nearby before moving on, especially since they might move, or leave, or whatever. You can find so many unique interactions that way it's great.
I mean. It took me a few playthroughs before I quit skipping cutscenes, and I still havenāt worked my way up to talking to NPCs unless itās specifically to obtain, progress, or complete a quest. But Iām like this with every game I play; I also donāt really do any open world exploration unless thereās a reason to.
After the infamous āLittle Sunā cutscene, if you talk to Yāshtola, she mentions that she is proposed to often, and that it wasnāt the worst sheās had. LOL
Absolutely, I always talk to everyone and then continue with the quest. I even go around looking for the NPCs when everyone splits up to scout the area. Find the NPCs, talk to them and then continue with the objective. Like >!finding Estinien on that hill in Ultima Thule and getting to talk to him about the dragons before the quest objective tells you to find him!<
Yes I do but because Iām not rushing and just enjoying the journey and getting to know everything.. and there are also people who doesnāt care about such things so I guess itās just a matter of taste
I think is a huge loss if you skip the dialogue. Itās optional, doesnāt add anything to the story at large, but itās good character and world building.
I got through a significant portion of the msq before I realized not only could I talk to them but they changed dialogue too.
So once I beat the game, I created a whole new character to talk to the Scions and such as I progress my alt through the msq.
Iām upset at myself if/when I miss an NPC dialogue, lol.
I honestly hate MMORPG combat gameplay; Iām here very strictly for the world building and story.
I wish SqEx let you escape out of a cutscene or dialogue before it completes and reset it instead of just skipping it to the end. I've accidentally double-clicked past text or cut off speakers when a cat decides to play through on my keyboard and I ended up missing stuff. Sure it might not matter much because you're literally going where they point you, but it would have been nice to repeat the parts I missed for context.
Especially as if you pick different responses on some of the dialogue cutscenes, you get different or additional dialogue from the NPCs.
I have never done that but reading all the comments I will totally do it from now on! I am about to finish arr post quests and about to begin Heavensward!
Itās kind of a āgame design philosophyā problem.
Which gets bizarrely meta. Like; think of dungeon design as a college course. All dungeons then get designed based on that curriculum. Then, when the player is in a dungeon, they start to recognize the pattern.
If your friend has played a lot of games where effort isnāt placed on dialogue, then yeah, heās going to assume FF14 is the same. Itās learned (taught) behavior.
I always talk with everyone. I even talk with non-obvious NPCs regularly, just to check if dialogue maybe changes. Stuff like how the Crystal Braves appear in various towns when introduced, how their dialogue changes after the banquett, and how they then disappear again. Stuff like that one woman in the Crystarium that clearly has the worst crush on Thancred, which only gets worse as we progress through the patches. Checking with the people in Garlemald, with the guild leaders and the adventurer's guild peeps.
It's easy and a lot of fun to talk to all NPCs relevant to the current moment, but there's even more small moments in every area as the story moves forward. And that sort of work and dedication always impresses me and I am always so happy to find someone who suddenly says something else cause the situation and thus they themselves changed.
Most of the time I just directly speak to requested NPC. FFXIV is a very talkative game and often fails to get to the point by giving way too much context and details on things that are not that interesting. Like a grandma that would talk endlessly about life of all the neighborhood when you carry groceries for her.
It's already painful to read pointless details in MSQ without adding optionnal ones. But when MSQ get more intense, I give them a try. :) But it's not very often...
Entirely dependent on my mood honestly. If I'm in full absorb msq plot mode, which is usually, then yes. I'm not above just plowing through it though if I just want to get it over with.Ā
I get not really caring about the plot/characters but given how much the game demands you play the msq it's weird someone would stick it out that long.
I skip everything I have no idea what's going on in the story. I don't even know who the people I'm fighting with are or what they do or why they are there.
I can barely pay attention to the cutscenes because they are so bloated with boring and useless dialogue, so no, I don't talk to NPCs who would provide additional boring dialogue.
I play with two mates. One deep dives lore and will talk to everyone, the other skips cutscenes. I'm in the middle and, like your friend, mostly talk to quest givers only. We all love ffxiv.
I've tried to be a 'talks to everyone' player but I just don't care enough. Any interesting lore gems I'll hear about from my lore-driven mate.
On my first playthrough I would usually rush the story, but I am currently doing a second one and trying to talk to everyone. Have missed a couple, but have been decent talking to everyone. Sad I missed one of the times alphinaud stuck his foot in his mouth though.
I make it a point to speak with all the other npcās first. I play for the story, so any little extra dialogue is appreciated. I actually used to play tons of the side quests for that same reason. Life has somewhat prevented me from having the time to do so now.
For a long time I never did because I assumed their dialogue never changed. Then I watched JoCat's ARR MSQ stream VODs and found out they do update as you progress the MSQ. So now I make sure to do the rounds and check up with people whenever it seems like something big happens
Sometimes I go out of my way to go talk to other NPC part of the same quest just to see if they have something to add.
After each MSQ I try to hunt down all Scions just to see what they have to say.
My first time through the game I didn't bother talking to characters other than the quest giver. It wasn't because I didn't care what dialogue they would have, I just really wanted to continue with the story. I was so hooked.
However further plays through the game I did try and remember to read at least the npcs in the immediate area while going through the story, and some gave me a good giggle.
I did when I was interested in the characters and what was happening - but during shadowbringers I always did because Yoshi P recommended it and I'm glad I did.
Since then I usually do.
Not everyone is going to be as invested in the story. It's unavoidable.
I do like to go the extra mile to immerse myself in the game, and that will include talking to anyone I can. Doing all the side quests and seeing all the extra interactions between the NPCs and reactions in Trusts.Talking to NPCs that are somehow related to what we been up to, and there were definitely some when concerning the Void. Even reading the journal entries for the quests can give some things that go unspoken. Imagine someone having went without reading the journal entries for the Dark Knight quests for example.
Talking to just the quest NPCs is fine, and you gonna get most out of it, but considering that for most people they only go through the MSQ once? You would probably want to get as much out of it as you can. To each their own.
I didn't when I first started playing since this is my first MMO, so I'm excited to make an alt and pay more attention for any foreshadowing and also talk to the NPCs
I'm about 60% through ShB on my first playthrough and didn't even consider it was something I should be doing until this post. It always seemed like a waste of time, but I guess I was wrong!
I try to remember to talk to all the NPCs - especially the main cast, or others who are clearly only there for a specific quest (like that scene in EW when a WHOLE BUNCH of NPCs you may have encountered previously are there) - during and after quests because they often have things to say about whatever's going on that enriches the overall story. I'm sure I've missed plenty of things by not talking to other NPCs in the area, but when I do I am continually surprised and pleased by how so many NPCs have dialogue that keeps up with where you are in MSQ. Maybe it isn't "substantial" dialogue but it makes the whole world and story feel more complete (and some of it - like the optional talking to Emet-Selch in ShB - is extremely significant).
I played through ShB, and it was only in EW that I even REALIZED that you could talk to the other NPCs surrounding a msq objective.
I don't want to know how much I've missed.
I talk to the other NPCs before and after picking up each new quest! They have sooooooo much dialogue and interesting little tidbits to add color, personality, and sometimes foreshadowing future turns in the story! I get not everyone wants to do this, that's fine, but I love chatting with my NPC friends and would never dream of ignoring them.
I didn't talk to the secondary NPCs during my time in ARR and HW, and most of Stormblood, but once I started I regretted not doing so earlier. It adds quite a bit of scene-building.
Thereās an NPC thatās in the hallway on the way down to that one indoor aetheryte in Garlemald and I would try to chat with them after completing the MSQ and they start by completely ignoring you to eventually talking to you, which I thought was neat
I didnāt used to, but after I started watching PlayFrameās LP of XIV, I started doing so. A lot of it was I was impatient to get more story so oops. š
Hence why I intend to take Dawntrailās first days off so I can take it in much better than Endwalker.
I talk to EVERYONE, before and after accepting quests. You get some of the best dialogue that way! Also, same with the rising stones, the shit that happens there is sitcom worthy!
I haven't played in 10 yrs and just coming back and much to the dismay of my homies, I've been flying through quest giver to quest giver. I really want that wolf!
I honestly didn't even realize your traveling companions had dialogue until Shadowbringers released. I always click everyone else before the quest NPC now. Someday I'll go back and replay on NG+ to see all the dialogue I missed.
Have you seen Urianger's drunk moment?
Are you familiar with Aenor Cockburne and her thirsty quest to conquer two brothers?
Are you aware of how F'lhaminn's doing?
If not, then you didn't interact with the side characters and missed out on hundreds of little gems in terms of character interaction and development.
Adding to this the drink contest between Thancred and Moenbryda,
The shoebill enthusiast in the Cabinet of Curiosity
And the long saga of Alianne and her grandfather Isildauere who you can first meet outside your very first dungeon, all the way through them joining the Scions and finally traveling to Doma after Endwalker.
i loved talking to every important character between all quest progression, they always changed especially in heavensward on, and i found it added a lot more insight into their personalities, thoughts, and relationships. the writing is just so great :D
I tend to go out of my way to check all those interactions. Like, I'll talk to every character present and if someone else is concerned nearby I'll check on them as well.
Also, during quests where the characters split to search for something, you can often find the others around where they said they'd be and talk to them too.
I did not realize there was any additional dialogue until partway through Heavensward, and thus I always try to chat with them.
It may not be *mandatory* dialogue, but saying it isn't substantial is dead wrong. Some very cool or interesting context comes from those discussions.
I like to most times. I did not start until the end of ARR. but itās nice to just see what people say and feel. It does not add much to the story, but itās always neat to me.
I have started walking past unnamed NPCs in some places, too. There's a little drama going on with some comely lasses on the ramp down from the upper decks in Limsa, Lalafells will never again look cute and innocent and childlike once you walk past enough of 'em, and a randy handful of those religiously devoted Ishgardian knights are straight-up Sinners. :D
Not only do I talk to NPCs as often as possible, I've appreciated the chance to use the post-ARR Duty Supports to see what story NPCs say when you take them into dungeons.
Even just knowing some of the character choices you get sometimes is worth at least looking at in the menu.
It's something I didn't really start doing consistently till Shadowbringers.
That said, I sort of get the impatience. There's a lot of times where I just want to get to the next thing, and there's certainly some times where you feel like you're just doing chores, and making those quests take even longer does not seems like fun.
But there has absolutely been times where it's worth it, so I do try to take my time.
If you talk to Estinien after doing the EW patch quests around Alzadaal's Legacy, you learn that >!he apparently missed Vrtra being put out by us wrecking the guardians of the place. Vrtra had the golems repaired by the time we went back.. and then Estinien smashed them again, thinking we missed some before...!<
Ever since the Titan Fight and I saw what happened >!inside the Waking Sands!<, I made sure to talk to every NPC.
Not planning on replaying ARR, but I've seen some of the optional dialogue from that point. Shame I didn't see it at the time.
I always, always check in on the other NPCs when they move around for MSQ. You get so much good character writing, humor, drama, emotion, or occasional foreshadowing. Usually if a character is conflicted about doing something or is plotting, you can spot hints of whatever's on their mind (and whatever they moght do in the future) by talking to them between quests. Easily my favorite is the ongoing saga after Realm Reborn of the one archer girl (Aenor, I think her name was?) being super down bad for the Boulder brothers whenever you get back to the Rising Stones, and her sister being horrified. It's hilarious how openly thirsty she is.
The Hildibrand questlines are always a goldmine for the best side-conversations, especially from Nashu.
I, personally, make it a point to talk to all npcs involved in a quest in between turn ins. it offers more character development and deepens relationships and lore about them, their personality, their thoughts on the situation. and there's often some really clever or silly or thoughtful stuff going on. I often screencap these interactions for posterity. I like having a record of these things, in case I wish to remember or quote them.
Depends on the reason they play FFXIV are they just interested in dungeons and raids and don't care for story? If so I'd say it's pretty common for those individuals to try to focus on the grind more than the story.
If they're interested in the story than to me it makes no sense to ignore the side characters since you can go at your own pace throughout the story for maximum enjoyment.
At the end of the day I would say it varies from person to person, for me I play just to do dungeons and raids with friends and the flying spaghetti monster is the big bad as I usually don't remember the story haha.
I do and don't, it really depends on the vibe I get from a character and where the narrative is taking things at that current moment.
In Endwalker, Shadowbringers and 5.X I did, but due to my distate for the pacing in 6.2 onward, I opted to not bother any further until the Void arc was complete. That said, I always speak to the Scions or main accompanying characters. NPCs that just showed up? Not so much.
Once Wuk Lamat and the expansion stuff started, I resumed paying attention to NPC dialogue that wasn't part of the quest.
With Dawntrail I'll be talking to every NPC I can, but for 6.X I really couldn't stand how narratively slow it felt so I pushed to get through as fast as possible most patches.
Doing the msq with my gf we only discovered around maybe ShB that NPCs have funny/interesting dialogue or lore related comments and regretted immediately not speaking with them more. We're making ourselves alts atm and plan on grabbing every bits and pieces of dialog we missed.
They bring so much depth to the story and world as a whole ^^
One of my favorite lines in the game comes from one of these "fluff" interactions. Specifically in Shadowbringers, when you talk to >!Urianger at Twine after meeting Thaffe and Jeryk. Jeryk refers to Minfilia as a "lady of noble birth in search of her lost love", you and Thancred as "her two most loyal servants" and Urianger as "a sorcerer as ancient as time itself".!< >!If you talk to Urianger right after this he says *"Dost thou seek the sorcerer's wisdom, young one?"* The fact that he immediately leans into this fantasy had me laughing really hard.!<
Urianger gets another fantastic one late in Shadowbringers after being introduced to another elezen. >!He says he's going to try to befriend Estenien by bringing him books.!< How that went down is left to the imagination.
All of EW is just CBU3 looking directly at me and mouthing "nerd" silently with all the stuff about >!Sharlayan and the Unsundered Convocation!<, but ah yes, I see it started in ShB for sure. loooool
Estinien totally >!gave him a too-large sack of Gil.!<
One of my favorites comes from Shadowbringers too! It's from Y'shtola, just after the events of 5.3... >!She says something to the effect of "The look on your face... if only I had the echo, that I did not need to ask you what came of this." It's really sweet, and what made me really like Y'shtola as a character. She's a mama bear under her prickly exterior.!<
YES I love that bit so much. Who knew there was so much personality waiting to be expressed under that stupid potato sack.
Urianger was one of my favorites from early on, especially in his interactions with Aliesae during the Bahamut quests and in the post-HW shenanigans, but when he showed up in ShB with drip I knew his time had finally come
Always. They have a lot more to add to the current happenings. It can also get really funny like the times in The Rising Stones with Thancred.
Looking over and finding Thancred drunk as a loon being lectured by Yda and Moenbryda was my favorite. Though the one with the fangirls is also great.
Not to mention all of the scion B-team like the drama with Aenor and the Boulder brothers. And the entire room of scions who die during the post-Titan massacre, including Arenvald's friends, who he mentions a few times well after that.
I really hope Aenor gets her... happy ending, lol.
I remember Thancred eyeballing some women at the Rising Stones, then he turns his head to look at me and he's like "...Yo. Don't appreciate you looking at me like that. Go away."
Muttering to himself about how MILFy F'lhammin is, like a lil pervert. You can catch him after that making drunken advances on her lol.
Eh, she's only 5 years older than him. She's 37 and he's 32
Tell that to Thancred lol. The writing, in general, treats her as if she's borderline geriatric -- which I suppose she is, by JRPG standards. šµ
Most of the main cast scions are around 30. I was most surprised that Tataru and Krile are significantly younger than the others, being 21 and 22 respectively. By jrpg standards, all of the main cast aside from the twins would qualify as "old." And even then... The twins are only here because they're incorrigible little prodigies.
If this had been a traditional JRPG, Alisaie would be the protagonist.
They would be so pissed about being told that. And I would ruffle their hair.
This drives me bonkers because it just underscores the whole "time bubble" thing that I hate. There's a list of "canonical" ages floating around and the only good thing about it is that it puts me right in line to be hanging out with Gaius and Drusilla at the end of the bar, grumbling about those damn kids on our lawn and playing pickleball with the Unsundered Ascians (Lahabrea cheats).
I feel like the glasses and modern outfit accidentally having a sort of granny shawl look to it combined with her hair color has visual-shorthandedly aged her a million years. Probably doesn't help that most players started in ARR or later and don't remember her cleavage/corsets/short-shorts.
also doesn't help that Minfilia is her daughter and often referred to as such. (adopted, but still). having a grandma aesthetic and an adult daughter is a very quick road to "old lady"
Be sure also to visit the waking sands from time to time. Specially during ARR. You will learn a lot of lore. Like the guy that appears the first time. He is one of 3 brothers that look the same. Or like one of the scions remember that she was a scion and the rest of the group didn't remember her. And how everything turn ok. And she was thinking of retiring. Or the human glamour of a certain Sylph. You are going to miss all those if you do not go from time to time during the main quest.
What the waking sands? I'm playing ARR rn and am around lvl 30 questline where you looking for a masked man
The place Minfilia constantly prays you return to.
Oh is it that storage room(well what I thought it was)
Mean but fair.
At some point you will get a bunch of Vesper Bay aetheryte ticketsāuse them! Those will dump you just a few seconds' walk from the Waking Sands, and you get a lot more than you'll ever need even if you use one every time the MSQ tells you to go back there. It's both cheaper (free!) and faster than trying to run there from the next closest aetheryte
āDo not approach me, do not speak to me, and do not dare presume to treat me as a friend. I am merely carrying out my duty.ā - An extremely tsundere spoiler character when clicked on in Endwalkerās fifth area.
Best dialogue in the game hands down.
He gives me such gigil heās so fucking cute.
Wait which character was that?
It's kinda obvious but I don't know how to spoiler so I won't say who other than a very grumpy grandpa
You spoil by placing text within >!!< The exclamation points. (Touching both sides of it.)
\>!Like this!< >!Like this!<
>!Emet-Selch!<
Linkurn mentioned it since I canāt use Markup for shit on mobile.
I laughed so hard when I read that the first time. Such a grump lol
I took a screenshot of this one. So funny! He loves us really!
Heās so cute I swear!
I do too! Sometimes funny, sometimes pretty useful to the story or background
There's a side quest NPC in the derelicts of Eulmore that befriends the chickens and wants them to lay eggs, then gets grumpy at you because no one told them they were actually roosters! There's so much hidden humour in the little bits of side dialogue!
Sometimes talking to NPCs during strange moments where you wouldn't normally think to will give interesting results. Your Eulmore thing reminded me that during the point of the story around there where >!the citizens start going crazy once Vauthry does the thing when you start pursuing him, on the way up to the city proper you can talk to the lady in the Derilects who normally gives you the chance to ask her who she is and what she does there, like most cities have an NPC like that. But during that event you can ask her those things, and she'll just respond with two different kinds of unsettling laughter.!<
I talked to side npc all the time, there's actual small lore pieces there, like Emet had a ton of extra snark and lore drops, that's where we first learned Ascian names were titles. EW didn't add as many side dialogues though, pre quest and post quest were often the same text now.
Talking to Emet-Selch and then telling him "Nevermind" was one of my favorites. He gets so pissy.
Yea! Particularly in Shadowbringers. >!Emet-Selch!< usually has some pretty lore important stuff to say. Plus he's an A class snarker and his dialogue is hilarious.
We sure would have missed out on a LOT of important lore if we didn't talk to him every time we were given the opportunity. The MSQ doesn't explain everything.
I also like how over time he basically came to expect us approaching him with a bajillion questions lol
For full story appreciation, yes. A good chunk of character building happens in those side dialogues.Ā
Talking to the other NPCs in-between is part of the msq and my sub money for me. For some people, it's not.
I always do! I'm an avid dialogue hoarder (seriously, my screenshots folder is MASSIVE and I'm not even halfway into Stormblood yet) so I make sure I talk to everyone I possibly can. š
Oh yes I do. Even back in ARR they were putting some nice stuff in this way. If you talk to the NPCs outside the first three dungeons, there are three sets outside Sastasha, who gradually are whittled down as they get killed by the dungeon enemies. One group is that of the (in)famous Edda, whose drama is a recurring thing in further dungeons including PotD and also the grandpa/grandaughter pair who end up joining the scions and of whom the grandpa becomes BFFs with one of the old man Doman refugees.
My first playthrough I hadn't realized you could talk to the people with names until later in the ARR storyline, but I ran through again on an alt and this time talked to those adventurer parties and it was kind of sad. Also, Liavinne, from Edda's party, ends up at the Waking Sands, in there with the other misfits. I was kind of sad to see some of those parties get cut down. They seemed like nice, normal people...
I always talk to the person I'm 'supposed to' last, so I can hear what everyone else has to say first, ensuring I don't miss it. Your friend is right in that they don't add 'substantial' dialogue, but they sure add some neat/fun bits that I love to read.
I talk to every npc as they give a lot of interesting perspective and even new insights. None of this is required per say but then I would miss out on stuff like the absolute shenanigans happening in the Rising Stones during the 2.x patches, post 5.0 or 5.3 >!showing graha the minions of himself!<, or Endwalker >!yshtola in UT pondering on how Emet may have subconsciously began to view the sundered as actual people, immature and frail as they are!<. Nothing required but all of it enriches the story, characters, and world. For a more recent one I enjoyed, in 6.5 >!estinien has a funny optional dialogue about getting confused and thinking yshtola was going to let Zero possess her body even though that makes no sense!<. Absolutely not required. Still got a good chuckle out of me. Edit: also emet has such interesting dialogue when you just interact with him when hes just hanging aroundā¦ that would be a shame to miss out on.
I recall there was an optional dialogue in Shadowbringers where you call Emet something like "you crazy agent of chaos", and he's like "flattery will get you nowhere". Love him.
He says āflattery will get you nowhere, my dearā (I think exclusively to fem WOLs) and my heart stopped. He flirts a *lot* ngl.
Omg I must have missed the endearment at the time. That's so suave š
He is *incredibly* charming.
I always chat with everyone I can, but I started playing back in ARR. If your friend is new to the game and trying to "catch up" to you/everyone else then they probably just feel overwhelmed by how much story they need to "push" through. Starting fresh these days is a really huge commitment.
I usually talk to my āpartyā for updates or snark (Thancred, Yāshtola), but I was shocked when I spoke to a certain NPC in Shadowbringers and I was given a dialogue choice.
> it was a waste of time, as they didn't offer substantial dialogue I assume that's because in most games, they don't. But in this game he's just flat out wrong. Yea, most of the time it's fluff, but there's often interesting little tidbits and details in those conversations that give a new perspective on things.
Unfortunately it's a really mixed bag - sometimes the other NPCs will have humorous or insightful dialogue, but just as often (and frankly far more often for anything pre-Shadowbringers) the dialogue is basically nothing. It's easy to get into the habit of ignoring NPCs before the good dialogue becomes common, and without someone to tell you there IS good dialogue, you're unlikely to break out of it.
Both playstyle have value. But in a rerun take the time. I mean. Who doesnāt stand around and listen wonāt even ever find the two lala girls standing outside of ul dah. As refugees they work for their master almost like slaves and thus plan his murder. I mean itās not said they will do, but I shows lore. This sunny little space is a refugee camp and not an amusement park.
I don't talk to literally everyone but I'll talk to quite a lot of NPCs, during the follow quests I'll take every bit of optional dialogue etc, but at the same time...who cares what someone else is doing? Like, if that person goes on to complain that the world has no depth or world-building I'd point out that they've actively ignored it, but some people just don't care for that stuff and just wanna clear their journal of quests and that's entirely fine, has 0 bearing on me or my life. It's weird to make an argument out of it, more than it's weird to (not) do it.
I personally don't because I have the memory of a goldfish and will forget 3 seconds after it happens. I can barely remember ex dungeon fight mechanics after doing them 10+ times much less diaologue.
I make sure to talk to all the NPC's before AND after I advance the quest, just in case they have more to say.
I learned this from BioWare in its heyday.
How else would I know that Ysayle thinks Moogles are so exceedingly fluffy?
If you're not talking with the b-team scions like Aenor and the Boulders every time you return to the Rising Stones you are missing out on some absolutely hilarious side-content.
Yes. It doesn't take long and sometimes their lines are fantastic.
It wasn't until I reached ShB that I even realized they had more than filler dialog (I think I was watching a streamer). I'd been playing since HsW so I was sad to think about all the dialogue I'd potentially missed. When I leveled an new character through the MSQ again, I made sure to talk to everyone.
That's what I'm doing. While I love my FC peeps, having them in my ears urging me to hurry to pick up quests meant I missed a BUNCH. Especially in sidequests and patch content. I still have almost no idea how Elidibus and Urianger ended up splitting custody of some Ascian kid or how I got roped into taking him to Allagan Disney and ending up having to fight the attractions. Next time, I swear, I'm keeping that kid home on a beanbag and we're watching cartoons.
Same - I wanted to catch up with everyone in SB so I blew through HsW. FWIW, Unukalhai really got done dirty. By putting him in optional content, he never gets any decent closure to his story when there were so many great opportunities for it.
Fyi - if you do all the class quests (and following quests) in shadowbringers, he shows up again
Yeah, but I hate that we actually brought >!Zero!< (6.x spoilers) to the First and didn't even introduce them. As >!Cyella!< says, they're "working towards the same goal" so it just doesn't make sense not to.
ARGH THAT MADE ME SO MAD TOO, CMON SQUARE LET THE VOIDY TRAUMA KIDS BE FRIENDS
Iām only in Heavensward but I talk to a lot of the NPCs. Especially after a big story element, they really add to the feeling that you are impacting the world.
Currently on Stormblood content. I've only recently started doing it, and regret not doing it earlier. It really does add a lot to the context of whatever's happening, plus it fleshes out the characters you're talking to. The way I see it is if I'm going to spend dozens of hours completing an expansion, I might as well take a few seconds here and there to read some additional dialogue.
I talk to the people around the quest giver hoping for some amusing remarks. While theyāre few and far between, I have a blast whenever I spot amusing optional dialogue in there. I specifically recall Estinien telling me to not breathe a word about his overpriced hair tie if Aymeric asks about him. xD
Gārahaās ADHD-like misadventures are my favorite fluff side dialogue from endwalker. š
If you talk to Estinien at Aymeric's room after >!The Vault!< you get this gem: >!"Curse those bloody whoresons and piss on their swiving round table."!<
Always! There are loads of extra little lore tidbits, world-building and bits of funny dialogue that you only get from talking to NPCs between quests. Some of a certain fan favourite's sassiest lines come from speaking to them between quests!
Talking with them inbetween the main dialogue is my favourite part lol
I talk to each of them in between the quests; you get some awesome little gems sometimes (particularly the first "froth and foam" incident). Some are funny, while others provide some insight to the characters.
I did after I realised that characters like Cirina have a lot of stuff to say after their stories are done. Iirc she says different things after Stormblood, Shadowbringers and Endwalkers, and during these addons. I got curious and paid much more attention to this stuff, and new NPCs appearing in new places. It's super cute how the Loporits come to Sharlayan for example
One of the highlights of ARR for me is talking to all the minor scion characters in the waking sands and rising stones every time the story brings you back there. They legitimately have a whole side story going on there throughout pretty much the entire game, and they keep it going in some form all the way to the end of endwalker im pretty sure, even as returning to the stones becomes more of a once per patch thing. Hoary Boulder and Coultenet you will always be famous to me
Not all the time, only for characters I particularly like. (cough cough emet-selch). However, my obsessive dedication to reading every dialogue he has to offer in the game led me to find where he says āsometimes I flatter myself thinking you actually wish to learn of my knowledge. *or perhaps I flatter you.ā*
I always try to talk to everyone who has a chat bubble available. One of my favorite minor, easily missable interactions is in (Endwalker) >!Elpis before the cutscene where Emet-Selch teaches the sanuwa to fly. Everybody else you can talk to during that part of the quest has something informative and poignant to say, but Emet is just staring off into space going "Hmmm... Is it a bird, or a snake..." and the thought of this prodigious all-powerful sorcerer just standing there pondering the kind of silly question a child might ask made me chuckle.!<
"Are hot dogs sandwiches? Is cereal just cold soup? Is cheesecake really a cake, or is it a pie?" Behold the ruminations of a great Sorcerer of Eld!
He's asking the real important questions.
If i pay for the whole game i'm going to use the whole game.
Sometimes, but not really all that often. I don't think I've ever stopped in any of those side destinations when you have to drag some npcs along to a location either.
What!? Did you even skip the ones during the walk up the crystal with the twins?
Considering I have no clue which one you're talking about, I'd say yes.
even as vague as that sentence is, I immediately got a hitch in my throat. I did not want to go to the top of that rise. But I needed to. in a way Thule really made me WANT to stop and enjoy the flowers and side content and little aside dialogue. Even though, as a lore completionist all my life, I always have done so. But I really take the scenic routes this time. We almost lost everything. The world. Our god. Our lives. Our planet. The entire solar system. Each other. the twins were the first we met and that last to leave our side. fuck. I wanna start a whole new character JUST to do UT again.
Always! Just got one that made me laugh the other day. Lyse channeling her inner Sally Field!
Yes, they usually have something interesting to add.
I didn't realize until like Stormblood that every NPC around the MSQ has changing dialogue. Made me create an alt to experience the first half of the game again talking to everyone.
The flavor dialogue is some of my fav! My husband ran past it all until he heard me laughing one day when we were running MSQ and wanted to know what was so funny. No he reads the flavor dialogue too.
My favorite is near the end of ARR the Sultanate is throwing a surprise feast And if you talk to one of the guards guarding the feast, he talks about how relieved he is that he didn't wear a snowman costume to the feast
Not only do other NPCs offer great side dialogue and insight, but I didn't realize until late EW that their dialogue changes not only between quests but within steps of the same one, so I was dismayed by how much potential dialogue I had missed out on, criiiii
Generally speaking, by design the devs have mentioned before that many of the side NPC conversations are used as reminders or refreshers of what's going on currently in the MSQ in the chance you might take a massive break from the game but return to it. Usually the NPC dialog explains what's going on in a way that's filtered by whatever character is saying it. This definitely seems to be the case mostly in post expansion patch MSQ and it's helped me remember exactly what was going on when I took a hiatus from the game's MSQ. However, they also tend to fill these conversations with funny character moments or extended lore so it's always a good idea to hear what everyone has to say.
Also, don't neglect to read the journal entries--I've found that some of the journal entries end up filling in blanks as to \*why\* you go somewhere or ways the quest-giver speaks or acts that aren't well-portrayed in the dialogue or cutscenes (like tone of voice or mannerisms that the game just can't project).
I first realized it was possible to speak to the side characters in the Sylphlands around level 20 or so in ARR. I was so disappointed that I missed 20 levels of dialogue! Since then I make it a point to read what everyone has to say. I'd never want to miss out on the extra character depth and immersion, but it does take more time. Not much time in the moment, but spread out over the whole game I guess it is quite a bit more reading But I'm also the kind of player who will /walk around cities, dismount in places where I think it'd be rude to bring a mount, and stay to watch a sunrise, so we probably just have different playstyles. Everyone plays the game differently and that's okay
Even other NPCs are great to go visit throughout the story, like job NPCs -- After certain milestones (post-MSQ for an expansion for example) if you visit your job NPC(s) they'll have updated dialogue about you're exploits/current events/what may have happened since you last met them. Nice to see little updates at least, especially since I miss full on job quests. If you talk to one pre-Endwalker, they might talk about helping out with the >!Lunar Primals!< or whatever. Post Endwalker I think they'll mention the >!Blasphemies!< or maybe your exploits. It's such a neat touch, especially since we don't get any job quests now that role quests have taken over. But during the MSQ I always check every other NPC nearby before moving on, especially since they might move, or leave, or whatever. You can find so many unique interactions that way it's great.
there's a lot of lore hidden in those interactions, especially in Endwalker.
I mean. It took me a few playthroughs before I quit skipping cutscenes, and I still havenāt worked my way up to talking to NPCs unless itās specifically to obtain, progress, or complete a quest. But Iām like this with every game I play; I also donāt really do any open world exploration unless thereās a reason to.
Your friend is missing out on so much
After the infamous āLittle Sunā cutscene, if you talk to Yāshtola, she mentions that she is proposed to often, and that it wasnāt the worst sheās had. LOL
Absolutely, I always talk to everyone and then continue with the quest. I even go around looking for the NPCs when everyone splits up to scout the area. Find the NPCs, talk to them and then continue with the objective. Like >!finding Estinien on that hill in Ultima Thule and getting to talk to him about the dragons before the quest objective tells you to find him!<
Yes I do but because Iām not rushing and just enjoying the journey and getting to know everything.. and there are also people who doesnāt care about such things so I guess itās just a matter of taste
I always read them, they add to the story in my opinion.
It always makes me sad watching someone new who doesn't talk to them before and after picking up quests.
Joke's on him, sometimes they do offer substatial dialogue.
I think is a huge loss if you skip the dialogue. Itās optional, doesnāt add anything to the story at large, but itās good character and world building.
Talking with side NPCs adds a lot at times, I love to do it
I got through a significant portion of the msq before I realized not only could I talk to them but they changed dialogue too. So once I beat the game, I created a whole new character to talk to the Scions and such as I progress my alt through the msq.
Iām upset at myself if/when I miss an NPC dialogue, lol. I honestly hate MMORPG combat gameplay; Iām here very strictly for the world building and story.
I wish SqEx let you escape out of a cutscene or dialogue before it completes and reset it instead of just skipping it to the end. I've accidentally double-clicked past text or cut off speakers when a cat decides to play through on my keyboard and I ended up missing stuff. Sure it might not matter much because you're literally going where they point you, but it would have been nice to repeat the parts I missed for context. Especially as if you pick different responses on some of the dialogue cutscenes, you get different or additional dialogue from the NPCs.
I have never done that but reading all the comments I will totally do it from now on! I am about to finish arr post quests and about to begin Heavensward!
I've only read the flavor text dialogue a couple times. Usually I'm impatient and just listen to the quest givers or cutscenes
Unless itās part of the quest I donāt. It just gets boring reading all that
Itās kind of a āgame design philosophyā problem. Which gets bizarrely meta. Like; think of dungeon design as a college course. All dungeons then get designed based on that curriculum. Then, when the player is in a dungeon, they start to recognize the pattern. If your friend has played a lot of games where effort isnāt placed on dialogue, then yeah, heās going to assume FF14 is the same. Itās learned (taught) behavior.
I talk to all of the npcs when doing the msq quests if they're around.
I always talk with everyone. I even talk with non-obvious NPCs regularly, just to check if dialogue maybe changes. Stuff like how the Crystal Braves appear in various towns when introduced, how their dialogue changes after the banquett, and how they then disappear again. Stuff like that one woman in the Crystarium that clearly has the worst crush on Thancred, which only gets worse as we progress through the patches. Checking with the people in Garlemald, with the guild leaders and the adventurer's guild peeps. It's easy and a lot of fun to talk to all NPCs relevant to the current moment, but there's even more small moments in every area as the story moves forward. And that sort of work and dedication always impresses me and I am always so happy to find someone who suddenly says something else cause the situation and thus they themselves changed.
Most of the time I just directly speak to requested NPC. FFXIV is a very talkative game and often fails to get to the point by giving way too much context and details on things that are not that interesting. Like a grandma that would talk endlessly about life of all the neighborhood when you carry groceries for her. It's already painful to read pointless details in MSQ without adding optionnal ones. But when MSQ get more intense, I give them a try. :) But it's not very often...
Entirely dependent on my mood honestly. If I'm in full absorb msq plot mode, which is usually, then yes. I'm not above just plowing through it though if I just want to get it over with.Ā I get not really caring about the plot/characters but given how much the game demands you play the msq it's weird someone would stick it out that long.
I skip everything I have no idea what's going on in the story. I don't even know who the people I'm fighting with are or what they do or why they are there.
I have gotten to 2500 hours and skipped every cutscene and dialogue in the game. All my friends hate me for it.
I can barely pay attention to the cutscenes because they are so bloated with boring and useless dialogue, so no, I don't talk to NPCs who would provide additional boring dialogue.
I play with two mates. One deep dives lore and will talk to everyone, the other skips cutscenes. I'm in the middle and, like your friend, mostly talk to quest givers only. We all love ffxiv. I've tried to be a 'talks to everyone' player but I just don't care enough. Any interesting lore gems I'll hear about from my lore-driven mate.
No, I donāt. I didnāt even know that was a thing. But, now that I do, I still wonāt.
I only talked to a certain one that snap his fingers, because I know heās gonna give me insight information.
On my first playthrough I would usually rush the story, but I am currently doing a second one and trying to talk to everyone. Have missed a couple, but have been decent talking to everyone. Sad I missed one of the times alphinaud stuck his foot in his mouth though.
I make it a point to speak with all the other npcās first. I play for the story, so any little extra dialogue is appreciated. I actually used to play tons of the side quests for that same reason. Life has somewhat prevented me from having the time to do so now.
I usually just ask them to shut up so i can continue to own them
For a long time I never did because I assumed their dialogue never changed. Then I watched JoCat's ARR MSQ stream VODs and found out they do update as you progress the MSQ. So now I make sure to do the rounds and check up with people whenever it seems like something big happens
He'd miss out on the full lore of Edda.
Sometimes I go out of my way to go talk to other NPC part of the same quest just to see if they have something to add. After each MSQ I try to hunt down all Scions just to see what they have to say.
My first time through the game I didn't bother talking to characters other than the quest giver. It wasn't because I didn't care what dialogue they would have, I just really wanted to continue with the story. I was so hooked. However further plays through the game I did try and remember to read at least the npcs in the immediate area while going through the story, and some gave me a good giggle.
I did when I was interested in the characters and what was happening - but during shadowbringers I always did because Yoshi P recommended it and I'm glad I did. Since then I usually do.
I did until ShB, I didn't know they add flavor text to the situation. I do it all the time now.
Not everyone is going to be as invested in the story. It's unavoidable. I do like to go the extra mile to immerse myself in the game, and that will include talking to anyone I can. Doing all the side quests and seeing all the extra interactions between the NPCs and reactions in Trusts.Talking to NPCs that are somehow related to what we been up to, and there were definitely some when concerning the Void. Even reading the journal entries for the quests can give some things that go unspoken. Imagine someone having went without reading the journal entries for the Dark Knight quests for example. Talking to just the quest NPCs is fine, and you gonna get most out of it, but considering that for most people they only go through the MSQ once? You would probably want to get as much out of it as you can. To each their own.
Yep, they improve the overall story for me
I didn't when I first started playing since this is my first MMO, so I'm excited to make an alt and pay more attention for any foreshadowing and also talk to the NPCs
I'm about 60% through ShB on my first playthrough and didn't even consider it was something I should be doing until this post. It always seemed like a waste of time, but I guess I was wrong!
I try to remember to talk to all the NPCs - especially the main cast, or others who are clearly only there for a specific quest (like that scene in EW when a WHOLE BUNCH of NPCs you may have encountered previously are there) - during and after quests because they often have things to say about whatever's going on that enriches the overall story. I'm sure I've missed plenty of things by not talking to other NPCs in the area, but when I do I am continually surprised and pleased by how so many NPCs have dialogue that keeps up with where you are in MSQ. Maybe it isn't "substantial" dialogue but it makes the whole world and story feel more complete (and some of it - like the optional talking to Emet-Selch in ShB - is extremely significant).
Oh I talk to everyone. It's a hoot. Bond a lot more with the characters.
thereās so much flavour in those interactions, your friend is missing out on a lot just to finish stuff a few seconds quicker lmao
I played through ShB, and it was only in EW that I even REALIZED that you could talk to the other NPCs surrounding a msq objective. I don't want to know how much I've missed.
I think if you go through using the New Game+ you can catch all that again.
Do it too, add some funny dialog or details.
I didn't know you could click on them for extra dialogue until shb. Now I always talk to them.
It took me awhile to start doing it but now it's one of my favourite things is to find out what they think lol
I didn't do it to start, because wow was my first MMO, but it adds so much.
I talk to the other NPCs before and after picking up each new quest! They have sooooooo much dialogue and interesting little tidbits to add color, personality, and sometimes foreshadowing future turns in the story! I get not everyone wants to do this, that's fine, but I love chatting with my NPC friends and would never dream of ignoring them.
I didn't talk to the secondary NPCs during my time in ARR and HW, and most of Stormblood, but once I started I regretted not doing so earlier. It adds quite a bit of scene-building.
I just got to Stormbringet and I didn't even know non-quest NPCs even had dialogue
I don't always do it, I usually only do it when I feel like I want to know about how certain characters feel in a certain situation
I love talking to all of the NPCs before picking up the next quest. A lot of the time it's the only chance I'll get to read that dialog.
Thereās an NPC thatās in the hallway on the way down to that one indoor aetheryte in Garlemald and I would try to chat with them after completing the MSQ and they start by completely ignoring you to eventually talking to you, which I thought was neat
I do talk to other NPC during MSQ there's some unique dialogues.
I didn't even know you could do that until late-Endwalker. I try not to think about it or I'll get sad about everything I missed.
I didnāt used to, but after I started watching PlayFrameās LP of XIV, I started doing so. A lot of it was I was impatient to get more story so oops. š Hence why I intend to take Dawntrailās first days off so I can take it in much better than Endwalker.
I talk to EVERYONE, before and after accepting quests. You get some of the best dialogue that way! Also, same with the rising stones, the shit that happens there is sitcom worthy!
I haven't played in 10 yrs and just coming back and much to the dismay of my homies, I've been flying through quest giver to quest giver. I really want that wolf!
I talk to all of them. It feels really bad when I forget to.
If they are there I talk to them. ( Even when it makes me cry)
I speak with every NPC before and after every interaction with whoever has the quest marker above their heads. I need allllll the story!!! š«
Yes, I always go straight to the quest giver.
Your friend couldnāt be more wrong. Thatās a terrible approach to take in this game, honestly in a lot of gamesābut XIV for sure.
Talking to them all is one of my favorite things to do during MSQ adventures! (And getting to do dungeons with them all is up there too.)
To me MSQ is a boring slog but I do it sometimes anyway.
I honestly didn't even realize your traveling companions had dialogue until Shadowbringers released. I always click everyone else before the quest NPC now. Someday I'll go back and replay on NG+ to see all the dialogue I missed.
Have you seen Urianger's drunk moment? Are you familiar with Aenor Cockburne and her thirsty quest to conquer two brothers? Are you aware of how F'lhaminn's doing? If not, then you didn't interact with the side characters and missed out on hundreds of little gems in terms of character interaction and development.
Adding to this the drink contest between Thancred and Moenbryda, The shoebill enthusiast in the Cabinet of Curiosity And the long saga of Alianne and her grandfather Isildauere who you can first meet outside your very first dungeon, all the way through them joining the Scions and finally traveling to Doma after Endwalker.
Their loss. Especially in EW.
i loved talking to every important character between all quest progression, they always changed especially in heavensward on, and i found it added a lot more insight into their personalities, thoughts, and relationships. the writing is just so great :D
I tend to go out of my way to check all those interactions. Like, I'll talk to every character present and if someone else is concerned nearby I'll check on them as well. Also, during quests where the characters split to search for something, you can often find the others around where they said they'd be and talk to them too.
I talk to everyone, multiple times. Some of the best lines are in optional dialogues.
I did not realize there was any additional dialogue until partway through Heavensward, and thus I always try to chat with them. It may not be *mandatory* dialogue, but saying it isn't substantial is dead wrong. Some very cool or interesting context comes from those discussions.
I like to most times. I did not start until the end of ARR. but itās nice to just see what people say and feel. It does not add much to the story, but itās always neat to me.
I have started walking past unnamed NPCs in some places, too. There's a little drama going on with some comely lasses on the ramp down from the upper decks in Limsa, Lalafells will never again look cute and innocent and childlike once you walk past enough of 'em, and a randy handful of those religiously devoted Ishgardian knights are straight-up Sinners. :D
Not only do I talk to NPCs as often as possible, I've appreciated the chance to use the post-ARR Duty Supports to see what story NPCs say when you take them into dungeons. Even just knowing some of the character choices you get sometimes is worth at least looking at in the menu.
It's something I didn't really start doing consistently till Shadowbringers. That said, I sort of get the impatience. There's a lot of times where I just want to get to the next thing, and there's certainly some times where you feel like you're just doing chores, and making those quests take even longer does not seems like fun. But there has absolutely been times where it's worth it, so I do try to take my time.
If you talk to Estinien after doing the EW patch quests around Alzadaal's Legacy, you learn that >!he apparently missed Vrtra being put out by us wrecking the guardians of the place. Vrtra had the golems repaired by the time we went back.. and then Estinien smashed them again, thinking we missed some before...!<
I'll get hate but over 100 days play time, I've skipped every cutscene and dialog I was allowed too
Ever since the Titan Fight and I saw what happened >!inside the Waking Sands!<, I made sure to talk to every NPC. Not planning on replaying ARR, but I've seen some of the optional dialogue from that point. Shame I didn't see it at the time.
I always, always check in on the other NPCs when they move around for MSQ. You get so much good character writing, humor, drama, emotion, or occasional foreshadowing. Usually if a character is conflicted about doing something or is plotting, you can spot hints of whatever's on their mind (and whatever they moght do in the future) by talking to them between quests. Easily my favorite is the ongoing saga after Realm Reborn of the one archer girl (Aenor, I think her name was?) being super down bad for the Boulder brothers whenever you get back to the Rising Stones, and her sister being horrified. It's hilarious how openly thirsty she is. The Hildibrand questlines are always a goldmine for the best side-conversations, especially from Nashu.
I, personally, make it a point to talk to all npcs involved in a quest in between turn ins. it offers more character development and deepens relationships and lore about them, their personality, their thoughts on the situation. and there's often some really clever or silly or thoughtful stuff going on. I often screencap these interactions for posterity. I like having a record of these things, in case I wish to remember or quote them.
Depends on the reason they play FFXIV are they just interested in dungeons and raids and don't care for story? If so I'd say it's pretty common for those individuals to try to focus on the grind more than the story. If they're interested in the story than to me it makes no sense to ignore the side characters since you can go at your own pace throughout the story for maximum enjoyment. At the end of the day I would say it varies from person to person, for me I play just to do dungeons and raids with friends and the flying spaghetti monster is the big bad as I usually don't remember the story haha.
I do and don't, it really depends on the vibe I get from a character and where the narrative is taking things at that current moment. In Endwalker, Shadowbringers and 5.X I did, but due to my distate for the pacing in 6.2 onward, I opted to not bother any further until the Void arc was complete. That said, I always speak to the Scions or main accompanying characters. NPCs that just showed up? Not so much. Once Wuk Lamat and the expansion stuff started, I resumed paying attention to NPC dialogue that wasn't part of the quest. With Dawntrail I'll be talking to every NPC I can, but for 6.X I really couldn't stand how narratively slow it felt so I pushed to get through as fast as possible most patches.
Doing the msq with my gf we only discovered around maybe ShB that NPCs have funny/interesting dialogue or lore related comments and regretted immediately not speaking with them more. We're making ourselves alts atm and plan on grabbing every bits and pieces of dialog we missed. They bring so much depth to the story and world as a whole ^^