Rank 2 – Endwalker
That Endwalker deserves a spot on the winner’s podium is surely undisputed. Especially regarding the story, the saga surrounding Hydaelyn, Zodiark, and the Ascians could hardly have been concluded more aptly. And I also have to honestly admit that it was a very close race between ranks 1 and 2.
While I found the conclusion with Zodiark somewhat anticlimactic, the subsequent story recovered very well from that slump. The entire passage in Elpis deeply impressed me, and the melancholy that Ultima Thule stirred in me, combined with the emotional finale, led to an absolute rollercoaster of feelings.
Throughout the entire expansion, I could hardly take a break because I was so captivated by the setting, the story, and the overall composition. Everything just worked and provided the long-developed story with an absolutely worthy, albeit somewhat predictable, conclusion.
The trials were also a lot of fun, and the Pandæmonium raids delivered some highlights that I truly enjoyed with my raid group. The settings and opponents were so varied, like hardly ever before, which is why they remain particularly positive in my memory.
The areas were also very diverse and invited exploration. Only the passage on Mare Lamentorum fell short of my expectations both in terms of story and design. Another factor that unfortunately disappointed me was the island. I had simply expected more from this, so I eagerly dived into the new content, only to find myself unable to finish it after several upgrades to this day.
Rank 1 – Shadowbringers
Now to my personal favorite and rank 1 of the winner’s list: Shadowbringers. This expansion was for me a true rollercoaster of emotions, and in an absolutely positive sense. The setting, the story with all its backgrounds on the creation of Hydaelyn and Zodiark, the metaphor of the light-drenched world of the first shard, the story surrounding the Crystal Exarch, and the backstory of the Ascians. Everything just felt cohesive and had me looking forward to every patch even after the base story.
The Sin-Eaters felt like a real threat, greatly enhancing the oppressive mood. Emet-Selch is for me one of the best-written characters in the entire game. His development and grounding in the story are so profound and relatable that one finds oneself very ambivalent towards him as an antagonist.
The icing on the cake for me are also the new areas and especially the soundtrack. In my opinion, there is no expansion whose soundtrack I have listened to outside of the game as much as Shadowbringers.
In addition, there are the diverse trials and dungeons with innovative mechanics that could always surprise me. Especially the Eden raid series captivated me from start to finish, and the alliance raid series in collaboration with NieR remains one of the coolest raids ever for me.
Similarly, the Bozjan Front kept me busy for a long time like Eureka back in the day, and in an absolutely positive sense. Even though it got somewhat grindy at times, I always had fun, topped only by the Delubrum Reginae. Let’s be honest, that was really fun. At least the first 20 times.
Overall, I can’t really think of any serious negatives and only many truly amazing gaming hours with Shadowbringers, making it definitely my personal favorite among the expansions.
However, I must admit that a certain type of quest, unfortunately, does not amuse me at all and has unfortunately appeared more frequently in the newer expansions. They are just irritating, steal my time, and especially when you are supposed to be on the trail of someone, it sometimes doesn’t seem to work out right. MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz feels the same way, expressing his opinion on the matter in a post: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail celebrates a certain type of quests that I simply hate
