Post about the main Dead Dunes storyline in this thread. :)
##SPOILER WARNING##
This thread contains unmarked spoilers regarding the Dead Dunes storyline. Read at your own risk! Spoilers not related to the Dead Dunes storyline will still need to be marked. For information on spoilers and how to use them, please see this thread.
Completed this one last night. I really liked finally being able to team up with one of the old crew, and despite Fang being one of my least enjoyed characters in the first game, I'm glad it was her. The reason I didn't enjoy her much in the first game was because I felt she had the least interesting story... this is basically the reason I like that she is the one I get to team up with no, because she was the most in need of more 'airtime'.
Loved the Dead Dunes overall. Thought it would be the most boring setting but I really enjoyed the ruins, which is kind of weird because I normally hate dungeons. It was also the most simple of settings (and the rooms in the ruins were almost all the same, but I suppose that is the norm for Egyptian-styled tombs), but it worked very well for the outdoors area. Traveling around was great fun, too. Dunesurfing ftw.
I dunno, I thought this was the weakest of the areas. I liked Ruffian and I liked dunesurfing, but overall the area was far too empty for me to enjoy. Unless there's a couple of areas I've missed, the Dead Dunes certainly live up to their name. Another settlement or encampment or something would've been nice. They made a big deal about the Order's presence but you don't see them at all other than when they waltz in to take the Clavis. Before someone has a moan, yes I know they hid in the Chaos to sneak in, but I'm talking more about maybe a base or something for where their expedition set out from. Dead Dunes is a huge place and a hostile environment, you would logically need some sort of encampment.
The storyline was good, the idea of Fang trying to save Vanille despite the latter not wanting it was a clever one and I liked it. Fang having her own agenda was good, although I still find her utterly bland as a character and not very likeable.
The Indiana Jones style temple raiding was a cool concept, although the timed doors had no impact at all. Just go through the ones that are open even if I have to go the long way around, seemed pointless. I also did not like "Oh here is the door but you need three murals. Oh here are the murals but you need tablets" Why didn't you tell me that to begin with :argh:
It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination though, just the weakest comparatively.
The timed doors matter if you aren't using Chronostasis the whole time. I did manage to once get trapped between two doors because I wasn't paying attention to the time and forgot to Chronostasis. Of course, I had the EP to just teleport out.
I'm sure there is at least one - although I can only say one, I doubt there are more - area that you can't access at all without waiting for the doors to change.
I'm pretty sure you could still get out of that one room, though, by climbing a ladder or something.
There weren't any ladders in the one room I was in. I walked around a bit before I teleported out. It wasn't a big deal at that point for me anyways. I'd already finished the main quest and was just trying to kill skeletons for a sidequest.