The Twitch giant Asmongold is normally known for his streams in World of Warcraft. Recently, however, he started playing Final Fantasy XIV and is now comparing the story highlights of the base game “A Realm Reborn” with the classic Lord of the Rings.
The situation in brief:
- Asmongold is currently the largest streamer on Twitch (as of July 2021).
- A while ago, he decided to give the well-known MMORPG FFXIV a chance.
- Now Asmongold has completed the first campaign of the game and finished “A Realm Reborn”.
- He is now drawing a serious conclusion about the base game on his secondary channel on YouTube.
This is what Asmongold says: In his conclusion video, which he published on the secondary channel ZackRawrr, Asmongold shared his impressions of the story of ARR. His overall impression is very positive. The story of A Realm Reborn just feels good and “so much better than I expected.” Especially because the streamer was often warned by fans before starting FFXIV that this segment of the story was boring.
For Asmongold, these warnings did not prove true. Especially a scene within the main story captivated the streamer and was “something very special” for him.
It happens when you climb to the top of the crashed airship. […] There is this huge dragon Midgarsormr. He is wrapped around the flagship and it has crashed […] and killed the dragon. […] So you go up on this ship and see the dragon. The dragon’s eyes just turn red and he starts talking to you. The dragon speaks even though he should actually be dead.
What’s cool about it is that the game takes a story that has a small focus and makes something really big out of it. It’s so hard, especially for a game, to create such a moment. To make it as pure and grand as possible to have such a big effect and to trigger this really emotional reaction. I think they did an incredibly good job with it. […]
Asmongold
Therefore the “Lord of the Rings” comparison: Asmongold emphasizes that the story of FFXIV is significantly more complex and far-reaching than one initially thinks. He compared this climax of the plot of the base game with the resurgence of Gandalf in the second part of the “Lord of the Rings” films. It evoked similar emotions in him and left a similar impression:
I wondered what other story has done the same [as FFXIV], and I found two examples particularly good that underline my point: The first is when Gandalf returns in The Two Towers. He comes back and everyone thought he was dead. He reveals himself, disarms Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas in a second and says: “I have returned. I have defeated the Balrog.” And you just think “Oh my God, I never expected that.” It expands what Gandalf is and makes the entire world so much bigger. […] That’s exactly how [the plot of FFXIV] feels.
Asmongold
The second example that Asmongold brings up in his video as a comparison comes from the acclaimed manga classic “Berserk” by Kentaro Miura. This work is also celebrated by millions of fans for its story and depth. The director of FFXIV, Naoki Yoshida, is himself a fan of it, and the story of the Dark Knight job was inspired by the manga.
Here you can watch the whole video:
What else does he say? In his conclusion, Asmongold seems excited about FFXIV. He mentions that he mostly played the game like a single-player RPG, which he doesn’t mean negatively at all. The game is driven by its story, and he was really captivated by it.
For the first time, FFXIV “caught” him even before his encounter with Midgarsormr:
In the story itself, I really lost myself for the first time when I was in the Bahamut raid. […] When Alphinaud and his sister Alisaie find their grandfather Louisoix below and ask him: “What happened? Why is Bahamut still alive?” […] Then [Louisoix] looks to the side, the screen turns white, and a completely animated cinematic is played where the guy transforms into a phoenix […]. He becomes a Kamehameha ball and pierces Bahamut’s heart. And just like that, the entire world was revived. […]
Asmongold in the video
He understands why so many people would love the story of FFXIV and are very taken with it. Especially for an MMORPG, this is not easy to achieve, but the developers have managed it, and Asmongold thinks it’s great.
The streamer also explains that another personal highlight of the plot is the moral gray area. It turns out that something which seems purely evil at the beginning is actually a good deed at the end. You get to know your opponents and understand the reasons for their actions. It’s not just about revenge and death, but also about second chances and forgiveness. These plot twists make the story of the game great.
He also enjoys the raids
What does he say about the other aspects? Asmongold seems particularly taken with the raids in FFXIV as well. He says that the raids, alongside the story, are his highlight of the game so far. He explains that the raids in the game do the same to him as the story: They offer much more than one would have expected.
Asmongold then discusses the role of the tank, mentioning that as a tank, you typically don’t have to do much except take damage.
[…] It’s funny because as a tank, you usually just sit there and tank. And that’s it. […] In FFXIV, I have to do so much more [than in WoW]. I admit: It was really difficult, and I had to put in effort. To some extent, it’s also about mastering things that other people find difficult. That fulfills me, and I can have fun from it. […] And if I had to say why I really enjoy FFXIV, it would be because of the raids.
Asmongold in the video
In FFXIV, though, a tank has many more mechanics to execute that are specific to the tank role, and that’s exactly what makes the game so enjoyable for the streamer.
What’s next? Asmongold emphasizes in the video once again that he will not stop playing World of Warcraft. He still loves the MMORPG, even though he is currently spending more time in FFXIV. But he is already looking forward to the next story campaign in FFXIV. Next up is the story of Heavensward.
He has also announced that he wants to complete all achievements to get the magnificent Phoenix mount, which he affectionately calls “golden Lugia.” The streamer’s journey in FFXIV is far from over.
He also thanks his community for supporting him so much, even when it’s not about WoW. He also thanks the players of FFXIV who welcomed him so warmly.
