I’m about halfway through the story at this point, but I’ve really been enjoying these new starting zones.
Something that I never really did with the previous expansions is try and do a lot of side quests as I go. It’s been fun to learn more about these new characters and their cultures.
I really loved that you can get full flying in the first two zones before you enter the third. Compared to, eg. Kholusia, Labyrinthos, etc. where you don't get it until the end of the MSQ.
Yea, it made going through the story with people easier because I could go fly and gather waiting for them. I really had a blast with how the zones were designed. It didn’t feel too tedious walking around.
Reviews are certainly mixed (and having beat it, I agree a lot could have done better) but those zones are quite nice. I kept telling my Chilean friend that it's Chile, and apparently not too far off-- although the upper parts are probably more modeled after Peru because of the ruins.
I didn't mind that either. A friend complained but ultimately admitted she's a bit of a crisis junkie; she's not happy unless the fate of the world is at stake at every turn, lol.