The fact that the fabled City of Gold, a utopia land of eternal life and beauty, is hidden behind a mass grave of children conceived to save their civilization is so profoundly upsetting
Should any of this be a surprise? We've been given warcrimes , genocide and more handed out like it was candy for how many expansions now ? Or as Yoshi-p would say ; Making the mother of all omelettes here jack , can't fret over every Eugenics program...😂😂😂
That's Final Fantasy to you. Things are bound to get existential at some point. And they will become even more existential and fundamental. And I sure as all hells am ready for it.
I was the very same. The music, the final boss of the dungeon and the visuals.... i was like: "BRUH this is like.... halfway!? What the fuck is going on in this expansion!! This is AWSOME
I can't stop thinking about the mamool ja mother in Tuliyolal tossing her kid into the air and catching them and just how much that means for them. that simple joy of family.
@@koko-hh2bq it wasn't that they were being killed, it was that only one out of 100 blessed siblings ever hatch live, and survive. most die in the egg. so they take those eggs with unhatched children to the watery grave.
@@LastMinWin Yeah, and the reason why they buried all of them there was to prevent their souls from turning into vengeful spirits since the place is 'blessed' somewhat. Considering you still fight some undead near the start, it wasn't wholly successful.
One thing I want to note is as I went through this dungeon, after we got past the dead baby cave into the Yok Hoy quarry, I took notice that the gear we were getting was recolours of the Ronka set from Shadowbringers and that a lot of the enemies were from the Qitana Ravel. I thought it was just a neat coincidence then I did the Tender Valley.....these world designers are sneaky
Also, this is the second map where we can hear a woman singing in a day theme. Ppl didn't LA HEE to this... Add the ppl we meet at Twine (in shb) and these in Sheshenewezi springs were certainly not there randomly as well. I am starting to think Norvrandt had some bits of the "new world" in it.
The funny part about that is, that it's actually the other way around lorewise, Qitana Ravel is a " split copy" of the sources Tender Valley and Skydeep Cenote, as the Source is the origin. Which makes it just more awesome and the worldbuilding connects. It could be that we may encounter a few more of these similarities in the future, so I am intrigued.
“parallel worlds” Also I forgot their name but there was a Milala that said they came from a place(Conde Petie) where it was custom to greet with “Lali-ho!” and they weren’t from Kholusia.
Not many realise that Zoral Ja finally expresses what was really corroding him from inside in that fleeting moment of weakness, it's so pitiful even Wuk Lamat has to bring him back to reality to fight like he wanted
1:33 when this part dropped during the time Zoraal Ja was already losing his senses after absorbing the souls, and the camera pan to Wuk giving him this look of pity, just not being able to bear seeing how far her brother had fallen. That part really hit hard.
it pains me that most people don't realise what's actually happening in the scene and are only mocking Wuk Lamat for "pointing the obvious" when she's trying to bring back Zoraal Ja to reality for their fight
This theme being a somewhat reoccurring track in MSQ is great but god it really puts in mind how insane the Blessed Siblings being selectively bred in a hope of just surviving, nonetheless being exceptional above the already exceptional. Individuals can’t marry their loves as they have to marry for the sake of blending tribes, try for children, birth, and they die for countless times. And if one lives, they just get put through a trial by fire because they didn’t die before their first breaths just to hopefully prove their ancestor’s points. It’s so much more than “that sucks for those dead babies” it effected everyone so much
@@BunnychanFarabee It's even worse since back in ARR, the Mamool Ja were treated as jokes for their culture's huge focus on breeding. Then we learn their culture is that way here and it saps the humor out of a lot of those old scenes.
@@BunnychanFarabeestormblood handled the topic of collaborators, occupation, and cultural erasure more deeply than most historical and wartorn settings. Its definitely within their capability to go hard on uncomfortable subjects with a lot of grey morality.
There is also a side quest after the final feat, in which you helped a father nearly lost his mind in grief after realizing their babies were sacrificed for nothing.
It's a shame that none of this is given a focus in the MSQ, we spend about 20 minutes on it, it's brushed under the rug in a ridiculous way, then off to the next theme park attraction for Wuk Lamat.
This part was pretty heavy in the story, up until this point it was all Wuk shenanigans and then they pull a heavy gut punch with just how bad things have been for the mamool ja people. When you see all those canisters in the opening cinematic and that haunting melody hits, this place sticks with you, long after it's over.
Not to mentione that the dungeon itself is fucking beautifull too. The empty, haunting halls of forgotten ruins. The entrance area to the golden City. Its such a damn good duty. By far one of my favorites in the game
It makes me so nauseous and heartbroken every time I run this dungeon 😭 it’s awful what the Mamool Ja had to go through, and it feels so solemn. I suppose that’s the intent, but damn 😢
@@miss_kas I ran it with friends the first time and we all just kinda stopped and gasped at the same time 😭 I knew it was a tomb but the amount of urns and the realization was heavy
The melody that kicks in at 1:08 has to be one of Soken's best. This song is fucking incredible, this dungeon was a huge highlight of the expac for me.
I really wish this was the motif for dawntrail and not that annoying one we got. Takes me out of whatever song the game is playing when I hear "tAkE a BiTE!!!11" this song is mindblowing and is incredibly catchy.
It’s literally one of this game‘s leitmotifs reused - again. Slightly altered, of course. Soken does this in nearly every piece he creates for this game. Not sure why, it gets boring after a while.
@@Zephhi I feel like this expansion's start could've been the best X.0 ever with what they had, but for some ungodly reason they invested into exclusively the worst parts possible. The skeleton of a 10/10 is here but oh my god the final product story-wise, character-wise, and theme-wise (phase 2 of trial 3 is a terrible song) its all just downright rotten The content itself is peak though, best ever
"It's been three years since my brother left us..." I can imagine a lot of us probably figured out the Head of Reason was gone, but was I the only one who hoped he was still alive and would finally talk to us when the contest was over?
Gosh, this song did play during that, didn’t it…. That had me actually crying a little for w/e reason. Felt like finding out a dear friend had suddenly passed.
man, I was in total shock. I can't imagine what it must feel like... this is even worst than loosing a twin. It's litteraly a part of himself. Having your dead brother near you CONSTANTLY may be some next level torture. Gulool Ja Ja is such a chad
Knowing there's thousands of childs resting here gave me chill. I felt not comfortable during this dungeon and this feeling will surely persist. This music is borh gracious and terrifying.
I loved when they used this right as we see Zoraal Ja out of his mind barely holding in all the souls he has devoured in a mad attempt to succeed his father. I really think we needed a Villian like him, ultimately one who was short sighted beyond comparison. Gaius, Thordan, Zenos, Emet and even Metieon resolved to do grand yet horrible and understandable things. Zarool Ja could have at any time stopped his decent into madness. He could have sought more help in the contest, he could have had more trust worthy allies, he could have accepted his loss to Lamat, he could have tried to walk a new path, not based in conquest, he could have used his half of power to rule Alexandria to force Sphen to listen to talks about a peaceful resolution. At every moment his pride and short-sightedness cost him. I hope this doesn't become a running trend for villains, but honestly it was a refreshing villain for the lot we faced. And honestly Sphen felt more like a consequence of his choices rather than a true villain, like Eren's mother said.
A running trend? I feel like you're worrying too much, sir :P XIV has had a stable of amazing and diverse villainous mentalities xP. Sure, the ones you listed had grand ambitions, but I'd say they were all sufficiently different enough in many ways. I'm very excited for the future of XIV.
@@narius_jaden215 Im not really worried about it, just saying I wouldn't want that to become the new norm. And yes I love all the villians motive up till now and it gave great range. The reason I am saying Zarool Ja was a nice counterpoint to that is that he was so incredibly short-sighted and basically was his own worst enemy the entire way through his story.
Wasn’t expecting to find some of the best DT comments in the comment section of RU-vid. Must be the power of music bringing together people touched by it.
@@zeblith i swear i just hear the song and tears come up (and its been days, now!!) and they also used it later before one of the trial and i really felt bad for that boss .. like omg let me help them!!
Soken absolutely knocked it out of the park with this expansion. He and the other composers definitely took a lot more creative liberties with this expac and Im loving each track.
"Of course you knew..." I had already guessed by this point in the story, but I liked Gulool Ja Ja so much that I was still holding out hope. I really would have loved to meet the Head of Reason, even just once.
Hearing it play in a cutscene after the dungeon hurt me so, so bad. Even hearing it now has me emotional all over again, fuck lol. Definitely my favorite dungeon theme in this expansion (so far).
The entire Mamook arc was so unsettling and depressing. Even now that I've finished the MSQ, whenever I go back to the Mamook, I'm just filled with sadness.
I didn't think anything could make me go "dude, what the fuck?" after the horrific transformation sequences of Shadowbringers but this part of the story did it.
This piece is masterfully done. All the pain and sadness that revolves around this place is beautifully displayed in this works. The tone, the tempo, the key, and the way it is performed as a whole is absolute perfection.
This dungeon is my favourite this expansion, one of the most beautiful tracks and that walk up the corridor to reveal the golden city in the distance, I was in pure awe and filled with excitement.
Okay so... This whole temple gave me ronkan vibes unlike anything else. Which is kinda neat. Also the later reveals imply that our adventure in the first took place in the first's equivalent of Tural. Even more neat. And the fact that the Mamool 'ja have been, for centuries, enduring selective breeding practices just to get a singular 2 headed mamool'jaa for hundreds of dead children is heart-breaking. No wonder so many of them sell themselves as mercenaries across the Salt. That kind of existence is hell. And the fact that the solution is as simple as "Use seeds that will grow in this otherwise inhospitable, but fertile environment". This whole area solidified how much Tural needs leaders like Koana and Wuk Lamatt. Also it made me like Bakol ja ja
The thing about the first is wildly incorrect. Lakeland is where mor dhona is, Il Mheg is where Coerthas is, Kholusia is where La Noscea is, Ahm Araeng is where Thanalsn is and Rak’Tika is where the Black Shroud is. Point being Shadowbringers zones 1-5 are the Firsts equivalent of the ARR regions with Il Mheg being the only difference in that it isn’t snowy
Dude the qitana ravel gear from the shop, the ronkan armor from the dungeon, the ronkan golems... the inca/aztec architecture.... I knew instantly this was related somehow to the ronkan empire in the first. I just didnt really exactly know how. But damn i knew there was NO coincidence that so much was the same.
So, so many emotions while listening to this song. It just goes so many places and hits so many notes (metaphorically). As others have mentioned, it truly addresses two big revelations found in this dungeon: the countless urns and the entrance to the golden city.
Excellent and personally for me, this was one of the top three best tracks of the entire album. Very fitting, has a haunting sadness to the vibes and brings home the sheer gravity of the place-- the way the camera shows you the vases at the very beginning hits like a truck-- I remember whispering to myself "My dear God-- so so so many"
Yup... The CS before the dungeon that revealed the story behind blessed siblings already mentioned that it has been hundreds per generation, but seeing that one pool already being filled with tons of urns... I was on voice chat with friends and could only say something like "THAT many in there, and there's several other pools..."
When you stop to think about the amount of pain that happened over some vain dream of blessed siblings. All those pots are DEAD CHILDREN, not to mention the agony the women must have gone through to keep churning out babies in the hopes that JUST ONE of them would be blessed...
Bakool Ja Ja was an arsehole in the 1st half of the story, but when you get to this part, you realise that underneath all that bravado and nastiness is a child in pain. Pain from knowing that he was "produced" to be a living god for his people and that dozens if not hundreds of his siblings died in infancy as the "failures". Survivor's guilt in other words.
Bakool ja ja was indeed such an asshole i wanted to end him so badly. 😮💨 i feel a bit guilty for wanting that now knowing his story. Dude had so much pressure on him, so much hopes and dreams to fullfill, so much sacrifice to "justify" and he failed. Even after all the nasty things he did.
let me tell you, when i saw there was gonna be another cave crawl dungeon in the trailer i said something along the lines of "i want to like cave dungeons but they're so one tone. i really hope they spice it up." hoo boy... the story... the atmosphere and the music. I still can't put into words how it made me feel the first time but good god. hell of a mid-way dungeon i'd say lol
Running up that incline after the second boss was such an awe inspiring scene. With duty support NPC's the timing was just right that the music managed to crecendo right as the pyramid came into view and it was amazing.
This music has me in a chokehold. You can hear vibes of music from The Tempest here, it feels ancient and mystical, horrifically sad, but hopeful at the same time. Absolutely beautiful. Easily my favourite so far (not completed msq yet).
My saddest moment this expansion was actually when Bakool Ja Ja lost the fight and then was actually cast out by his father. Especially knowing it was not only his pride that driven him, but a lot of fkin expectations. Hope to see my boy more during the expansion.
Survivial's guilt + extreme expectation from his people + being revered as a god-like being in his culture create a inflated-ego Bakool Ja Ja who is reckless and willing to do everything to get the end results, even though he would've likely had no problem to overcome feats in a normal and fair way, like some NPCs telling you, considering he has both strength and wisdom. When he lost to Wuk, someone who he deemed to the the least-threatening contender, he finally faced a reality check. Everything about him was about him winning: winning so that his dead siblings' death won't be in vain, winning so that he can bring his people to outside of the seemingly inhospitable forest, winning so that there will be no more blessed siblings. Then he failed. The shock made him bawling and running like a baby. When he faced his father and told him his failure, you would expect him getting angry and attacking his father for insulting him. Nope, he just quietly accepted being kicked out and left. When he was brooding in the Skydeep entrance, his mother revealed that he cried among his dead siblings everytime something bad happened. You no longer saw a haughty and scheming cartoonish villain. It was just Bakool Ja Ja being himself, when the shackle of having to win at all cost was no longer on his shoulder. He even realizes his actions were wrong and didn't expect forgiveness, and threw away his pride if there was any left to asked Wuk to help his people. Because even after everything horrible he did, he did for his people's future. It is not an excuse for him to do those horrible things against other Claimants, but it shows that he has an another side which you can sympathize with.
@@trustytrest It's funny, Zoraal Ja has the worst traits of all the other claimants combined, exacerbated because of the weight of expectation and surrounding himself with yes men.
Just did this dungeon, liked the song before this moment, but damn. That final section of the dungeon's visuals combined with this song was just breathtaking. And the cutscene with the "reveal" afterwards was also so atmospheric with this in the background.
Stunning piece of music too. When I got to this dungeon in almost immediately became my favorite. And know that no dungeon has contested The Burn for me in a very long time. But here we are. Skydeep Cenote contesting 1st place for me musically
Running throught this dungeon for the first time as a tank... and make everyone wait 3 whole minutes before pulling the last pack because of the SHOCK of seeing the city. Damn. This game is pure gold ! and get me started on the music !
I love Yak T'el. I love its environments. I love its people. I love it's musical theme and I especially love this dungeon variant of it. It's so sad and magestic which makes sense as you first play through but coming back to it after the end of the MSQ hits emotionally on another level.
There's something about having to pass through the graveyard of unborn children to reach the golden city only to find out that it's the simulacra of those who should have been put to rest a long, long time ago... It hits in such a distinct way from our visit to the First or even the Thirteenth.
What a dungeon theme. I was so surprised and amazed when I was running it for the 1st time. How the dungeon transitioned from a children graveyard to Yok Huy long abandoned quarry and, at last, to an alien-like technology with purple/golden glow. The dungeon was the first time Dawntrail story took a REALLY serious turn after the somewhat relaxing (from WoL perspective, at least) 90-95 level adventure. And the music nails it just right. And when, later in the story, we discover more information about people behind said super advanced technology, it make the said melody even more somber. Damn...
Man... can't say i didn't felt quite sad running this dungeon with this music in the background and the knowledge of what's inside all those pots scattered around, i really wasn't expecting that...
I finished this dungeon last night at 2am with trusts, going down to find the the supposed location of the City. What an atmospheric journey with this music playing in the background. Soon as i heard this, I needed to obtain the music scroll .. and it dropped!
Fuck the summer vacation. It hasn't been a vacation from the start. We're medling with politic affairs and fighting beasts left, right and center. Not to mention the BS bakool ja ja was putting us trough. Yes we took a bit of a backseat during all this as the warrior of light. (Cuz appearently nobody in Tural knows we are the most powerfull individual on the planet but whatever) But we still been fighting with some stakes involved. I barely can call that a vacation
@cherrydragon3120 this. It never was a vacation LOL Not to mention, and this is just a personal gripe, but later on during a certain part. We suddenly lose battle IQ and stand around doing nothing like we haven't saved the star multiple times over. I know it's to tell a story and animations are a thing but I hate when it makes our character look incompetent.
@@cherrydragon3120 Imagine the MSQ being a single quest of “/frolic in the waters at the beach of Tuliyollal 1,000 times.” At the end of the day it’s still a video game. Players need challenging content to do and an engaging story to follow. Granted, this so-called “low stakes vacation” turned into another “Gotta save the world” situation way too quickly, but it was bound to happen some time.
God Dawntrail is peak. This is literally the point halfway through where you wonder, what in the seven hells will still happen?! Not to mention the tragic backstory of the Mamool Ja, Bakool etc.
They could have went the horror route for this. But they didnt. They instead encapsulated just how *disturbing* this mass children grave is in such a *beautiful* way. The song sounds like a *lullaby* sometimes, and i dont know whether i should be depressed, or horrified. Say what you want about dawntrail, but this one dungeon saves me most of it.
Soon as I arrive to this dungeon, I immediately fell in love with this track. So far, my best track. Reminds me a lot of the Worm Mount Sagespire OST from FFXVI.
Ultima Thule got me bad enough, the places and themes in dawntrail had me bawling on more than one occasion, I dunno how much more my fragile heart can take
This music is very different from the usual but it's very fitting. I like this approach of using very different music styles for the dungeons. Though there's no way I can correctly guess who arranged this. I think it's either Saya Yasaki or Daiki Ishikawa.
This dungeon took me forever. Cause I couldn’t stop going to the edge and looking at all the urns….and just taking everything in. This music only made it sooooo much more memorable and heartbreaking
I'm not gonna lie when this theme hit, I immediately got Amarout vibes, and from a lore standpoint, that's not a good thing. However, music wise, it was a great thing. 😭 this dungeon is what clued me in on what was about to happen.
The vocals are SO FREAKING GOOD. This song fits hand in hand with the sci-fi horror in this expansion. It's so dark and gloomy, you can feel the heavy weight it carries; the sacrifice and deaths of children, the uncertainty for what awaits you as you face something entirely alien. Every single time it's played I feel a lump growing in my throat.
