The overall quality feels like it flips between a filler arc (which it practically true in how the larger story stops and starts with this expansion) and an outright boring or bad laundry list of events. The game play feels this way to as it went between fetch quests to actually good Trials and Solo-Duties that had me actually engaging in mechanics. It also feels like there were two smaller drafts using the same concepts in different ways, but they just stapled them together to make the different nations and villains. Both of the villains just come off as empty, delusional, or psychopathic. The only "good" writing was at the very end when Zenos was yucking it up over the hunt and violence for the sake of violence. Also when Nero walked up looking like Albert Wesker, takes off his shades whilst lighting strikes. I really don't know how their going to follow up on Yotsuyu (I cum from killing Doman citizens), Gosetsu, and the nations after how bad they can write war (A "two front" war).
Patch Quests: It does some good and great stuff to make up for Stormblood and some immaculate stuff to lead into ShadowBringers. Covering how Fordola and Yotsuyu became how they were made them make a lot more sense. The political stuff around all the countries made them seem all the more real as places that have issues instead of just "Evil Empire" and "Oppressed Nation". Can't forget, however, how great it is that in the middle of this great political discourse, the plot attacks the main characters and the new villain yucks it up about how dumb everything is. I will note that F&Y only get raised up so much as only so much was shown for F, and Y kinda felt a bit forced for the scene that was her heel turn. Also, the loyal, crazy, gay archetype wasn't really needed.