tamago

My friends have done the AQ before I have, and they have all shared the same sentiments that it was a mixed bag. Not gonna lie, I approached the Natlan AQ with trepidation and the expectations that it would be horrible through and through. Alas— I stand corrected. I actually have some nice things to say.

Capitano

I liked Capitano the moment he started making sense. His first entrance was cool, and I was both wary and excited, wondering to myself what role he will play here. His drip is flawless, and I'd ask how he managed to be in that dark attire in a tropical country. But I suppose he's used to that, since he's been there for centuries. ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*)

Ever since acquiescing (or being convinced?) to Mavuika's plan, his appearances in the cutscene have been essential to me. The main reason for this is due to how I enjoyed his fight with Mavuika and wanted to see him in action again. Upon revealing his roots, I've begun to equate his cameos as lore drops.

What I think about his death is that he deserves it—and I mean this in the kindest way possible. He said so himself that he's been seeking it. As a Khaenri'an who was cursed to immortality, it was something he did not even want. It can be attributed to his long-time role as frontline warrior, and how death is expected and natural. Immortality, then, was something defiable. Furthermore, having witnessed the horrors that plagued Khaenri'ah and his fellow citizens, it's no surprise that he was at his wits' end and wanted some eternal peace.

I agree with some sentiments that his death would have been more impactful had we known more about him. It makes me wonder how this choice would appear, if the AQ was revised… perhaps the tribes where he stayed at would have spoken anecdotes. Ancestors would pass down oral stories about an outlander named Thrain who stood by Natlan's side. I found it lacking that Mavuika casually dropped his real name like that, when she could have been that very conduit of allowing us to get to know Capitano more.

But what I'm thinking as to why he never really opened up about himself, is the attachment he no longer wants to commit to. Especially if these are comrades whose deaths he will witness, and house in his heart.

The domain towards the boss fight was exhilarating!!!

Like!!! Wow!!! The saurus changes the moment you get closer?? That part was my favourite out of everything. The past heroes appearing—they actually do see you off!!! It gave me goosebumps. When the Natlan main quest also showed up was great! Paimon and our baby saurus companion (whom I named Walnut!!!) also showed up!!

Traveler receiving the pyro element is good introduction

I'm glad that it all came together that they get their pyro element. The cutscene, and the subsequent showing of their C6 constellations were hella cool.

The rescue assignments special domain was immersive. It raises the stakes with the increasing casualties & Abyss corrosion.

It was only after playing the entire game that a friend confirmed the numbers of casualties do vary per player. The minimum amount of casualties was apparently one thousand. I sustained over two thousand deaths. It was fucking crazy, and a great portrayal about the consequences of war—because NPCs and saurians were lying about, having passed away, as I roamed across the land to take part in rescue missions. It devastated me.

It also frustrated me that the hot air balloon could not go any faster, because a Natlanese could be dying any second. I suppose it also sends an implicit message that ultimately, the Traveler cannot save everyone, even if it was a joint effort with the locals.

Ororon's brief stint as Capitano's aid

I found that interesting, and stimulated conflict within the ranks. For me, it was necessary for Ororon to do that, and be there, since he was figuring things out for himself. He was, of course, bound to fail; fucking around and finding out does that to a person. Furthermore, it's not like he meant badly. It was grounded on the desire to help his tribe and Natlan as a whole. The questionable nature of his decision is part and parcel of that.

That he was presented an alternative was a relief; he does not need to play martyr to do what he can. Capitano, after all, was speaking from someone whose world fell apart, where sorrow, anger, and desperation toiled against each other for centuries.

Importance of family and community

Natlan's cohesiveness is a strength. The Abyss plaguing it showed as to what will happen if that unity is threatened. Fear lingers in a society that does not have the necessary knowledge to face the unknown. Fortunately, they have a rich history, culture, rites and customs they have preserved. It's something they take advantage of, and maximise to the fullest, when the war came, in spite of its own burdens.

They are warriors, through and through—it means facing the inevitable truth that not all enemies are defeatable.

Other good things

• Multiple POVs both playable & otherwise
• Cool cutscenes
• Vichama & Mallko undoomed yaoi!! ◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜
• Lore regarding Khaenri'ah & connection to Heavenly Principles & Abyss
• I love my saurian companion so much (ෆ˙ᵕ˙ෆ)♡

THE SAURIANS DYING

BAHHHHH!!!!! FUCK YOU!!!!! FUCK YOU HOYO FOR REAL!!!!! FUCK YOU I ALSO THOUGHT TOTO WAS DEAD I FOUND HIM LAYING ON HIS SIDE ! THAT SHIT WITH THE GRANDPARENT SAURIANS AND THEIR GRANDSON FUCKING FUCK ! FUCK YOU ! FUCK!!!!!!

"FOR NATLAN!", "No one fights alone!"

Present in all—five—acts. Seriously, how many times did they have to repeat this? Shut! The! Fuck! Up! ヽ༼ຈ益ຈ༽ﾉ It was sufficient to have said the latter sentence one at the start—then justify that with action. And I think they did a pretty good job showing, now stop telling me!!!

Considering "For Natlan" was a battle cry, I'd say it deserves to be said more often, but shit, at this point, they see a singular fucking hilichurl, I bet they'd yell FOR NATLAN before charging at the poor thing.

Little to no integration with the traveler's own purpose for traveling

It was acknowledged that Traveler is a Descender (the fourth, as per Nahida) and the Abyss Highness' sibling. But there was no elaboration on that, which could have provided more lore about the Traveler. What is a Descender supposed to do? How was the Traveler selected as one? Who were the others and what could the Traveler learn from them? If they failed, why? What would this mean for Celestia, and the Heavenly Principles? What would the traveler's assistance in Natlan mean for the future prospects of the Abyss? How will this affect the reunion of the twins?

I was told that there will be more hints upon playing the tribal chronicles. But that's the thing—it should have been the archon quest, which was supposed to be about the Traveler. Side quests are usually focused on the nation and its in-depth lore.

No hints for what Snezhnaya would be

It was customary during epilogues of AQs to give a brief hint about the next destination. So to me, it was disappointing that the AQ just ended Like That. Although, I'm thinking that maybe it's due to geography? Maybe Natlan is too far from Snezhnaya, and the former's citizens have never really left the territory, to make a proper observation. Perhaps Mavuika never left, too, seeing as she focused on Natlan's safety, then was stuck in limbo, before reincarnating as the present patron archon. That would make sense—but I'm still bummed out.

Other bad things

• Wish Iansan played a larger part/had more cameos.. like Ningguang level. Whatever was she in the prologue teaser for?
• The pyro element of the Traveler barely did Anything during the boss fight! All that cool introduction of finally resonating with the Pyro element was for Nothing!!
• Cringe af dialogue - like Mualani's character is earnest, I'll give her that… but the delivery of it is a cringefest to me
• Natlan's cohesion is a weakness (elaborated later)

The boss fight left me confused af

It was frustrating that the Traveler was moving too slow. Added with the small As Fuck damage they're generating, plus the wide scope of the boss' AoE, I was helplessly running around in my two little feet, getting reincarnated again and again, while the boss freely soars the skies. Was this supposed to send the message that no one fights alone, and that's why with them fighting Gosoythoth, their efforts were lacking?

I think it took two, maybe three attempts before the boss can be defeated. The cutscenes in between, the dialogues of the Natlan main cast on top of the battle music, on top of the combat SFX, were all too much to handle. But I was able to catch Paimon's remarks—it made me tear up.

The case of Mavuika as a whole, actually

I watched two video essays with two different stances on Mavuika: one by minsleif, and another by saurusness, to make sense of the Pyro Archon some more. I agree that Mavuika is not a Mary Sue completely; how her personality was presented made it seem that she was on the road to becoming one. She was reckless, with a one-track mind, and possesses high expectations for herself and others. I also find her to be someone resilient and meticulous. A fiery personality, to sum it up.

When it comes to writing character traits, they are best put to the test in two kinds of situations: one that makes the trait a burden, and another a blessing. Mavuika's recklessness and one-track mind could have been shown a burden through the possible factionalism of the tribes. There should have been consequences of her absence pre-reincarnation. However, the most it showed up as was the conflict with Capitano, but even then, he was quick to lend her a hand.

Additionally, through her high expectations and one-track mind, she would have had a temperament. Maybe she hates being challenged; maybe she has a history of snapping, and she hates that about herself, but the pressure was getting to her. Because if Natlan loses to the Abyss, it would be her fault, for this was all her plan. Her resilience would have gone hand-in-hand with her recklessness, and her penchant for having an eye for detail would have assisted her temperament.

Seeing as whatever new thing she does would immediately turn her to an effortless master (evident in her first character story), that would have given way to her apathetic, complacent side; bored because the fun of trying is seeped out of her. In the context of planning for Natlan's future, that would have reinforced the high stakes involved, because she would have been thinking, "Anything I do works out in the end, anyway. So I can gamble as much as I want."

She is too calm for my own liking. I agree that she should have shown more emotion upon meeting Hina for the last time—cried, preferably. A hint of selfishness is something that makes a god, god; a human, human. She is in-between, and the tiniest sliver of an identity crisis would have hindered her, working as a conflict against herself.

I've yet to do her story quest, so that's as much as I can say based on her role in the AQ.

Other things that made me ambivalent

• Where tf was Mavuika going when she closes her eyes
• The ending where the Traveler was praised for far too long! I don't know what to feel about that.

Societal norms

I find Sumeru's norms more complex than Natlan's—in terms of delivery. I think it has something to do with the difference in emphasis: wisdom and knowledge (Sumeru), and courage to the national cause (Natlan). These are their grounds for nationalism; what makes them a Sumeru/Natlan citizen. What I find interesting is their common denominator: something about pursuit. There is security in knowing things, and fighting for what's right. Knowledge contributes to development, which can be translated to policy-making and socio-economic projects. Territorial defense contributes to national security, which can translate to frontline combat. Sure.

In Sumeru, the value for knowledge can borderline to the production of pseudo-intellectuals, anti-intellectuals, conservatives, middle ground thinkers, over-radicals, and elitist thinkers. The amount of conflict in principles is evident here.

On the other hand, in Natlan, the value for contributing to the national cause only goes as far as being able to die for it. The reincarnation seems to be their main incentive that keeps them fighting. But it's not enough to cause a divergence among communities due to differing principles, unlike in Sumeru (i.e. Grand sage, Fatui, and Crewmeru).

There was an opportunity to show some [Natlan] NPCs, at least, to be doubtful—even straight up afraid—of fighting. They could have been shown having an existential crisis (rightfull so), or even ridiculed by their fellow tribe members for being a coward. This would have given way to a reckless sort of nationalism and patriotism that would have made these people malleable into yes-man warriors without incentive beyond "fighting for a greater cause". There could have been reluctant warriors. But from my observation, the primary emotion was enthusiasm. Surely the citizens are much more complex than that. The war should have worn them down. Repeated fighting, the monotony of it all— it will dig into their brain.

Furthermore, something about the lightheartedness of treating reincarnation doesn't sit well with me. This was evident when Kachina was shown to have died when fighting the Abyss, and Mualani lightheartedly remarks, "Oh, don't worry— she'll be reincarnated soon." It's why the temporary incapability of the reincarnation worked, because it made these people tread carefully on approaching the matter of death. But did it really have to get to that point? In other words, you're telling me five hundred years later, or more, they finally realised death is something not to be trifled with? …Exactly.

Natlan AQ had its good moments, and bad ones. Yet it's not my favourite. Ironically, this reminds me of Avatar: the legend of Aang, and their Ba Sing Se arc. Ba Sing Se's pride is there is no war within their walls, at the cost of controlling people through apprehensions and hypnoses if they run their mouths. The pride in Natlan is that they are seasoned warriors against the Abyss. But where is the underlying cost of that, even before the war in the AQ happened?