The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings - Act I & II

[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

I don’t recommend reading this post if you have not yet played through the Sumeru archon quests yourself (or if you plan to)

⟢ The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings

**These are my thoughts only as of 3.0! Archon Quest Chapter III has not yet finished since we anticipate the release of act III. Thus I’ll only be talking about my thoughts playing through the first two acts.

I don’t think I’ve really begun to explore Sumeru in depth, nor have I done any world quests (still working on the teleport waypoints as of writing this, although I got the statues of the seven!!) 

I guess I’m a little overwhelmed (in a good way, of course) with the release of the Sumeru region, let alone the fact that the massive expanse of areas to explore hasn’t even come to an end, so I don’t exactly know where to start— 

⟢ Act I

To be completely honest, I wasn’t actually too interested in the first act, although it was still fun. In a way, it felt a little monotonous, but I think it improved towards the end as the story picked up. Dunyarzad quickly becomes quite a beloved character, and I find her interactions with Dehya really cute~ (*´∀｀*) The first act, though not focusing too much on one thing in detail, is a good introduction to the region and Sumeru’s atmosphere. Port Ormos’ music is also just sooo soooooo soooooooo good (*´∀`)♪ and so goddamn catchy that I can’t forget it (good, because despite being repetitive I don’t find that it gets annoying, at least to me).

Overall, the first act is good to set the scene. It felt a little random at times, but generally I enjoyed it. However, when it’s shadowed by the second act, there’s one hell of a contrast that probably sways my perception in favour of the latter act.

⟢ Act II

This is where things really escalate, and get ready for probably a giant ramble. God this chapter was… really something. I find it unlike any of the other chapters in the fact that, one, it’s uniquely engaging and it definitely breaks the standards that were set by the other archon quests. It really did feel like it went on forever, but that was the whole concept and I was so into it that I didn’t really mind how long it was. 

The mechanic of analysis and association was interesting– Is it perhaps in relation to the Akasha terminal’s effect? Hearing traveller’s voice was unusual and cool, it made it feel as if the Traveller wasn’t just a main character puppet, but rather a relatable template while still holding some individual personality. The Akasha terminal did feel… mind-control-esque? It really makes me curious as to what was going on behind the scenes of the Samsara, at the hands of the Akademiya.

The start of the Samsara did freak me out a little (o_o) The whole deja vu sequence in general freaked me out… Just as I felt I was understanding the story, you’re thrown into a whole other situation. Seeing Dunyarzad’s health deteriorate was painful, and especially with everyone else acting like nothing was wrong… Ahhggh (；ω；) I guess I didn’t really realise how big of a role that Dehya would play, assuming she would just be a side character from the limited appearance in trailers and such. But I’m glad that we were able to learn so much about her, because she quickly went from a character I was sort of indifferent to, to a very beloved one. She is both open minded but also stays loyal to both her instincts and those she cares for. 

Then, Nahida makes her appearance, with a sort of awkward chase scene… Why was she even running away?? Come back you little brat. Jk jk. The repetitiveness of talking to Nahida was monotonous but I think that was a good choice– to really demonstrate the repetitiveness and monotony of the cycle. The memory loss, the thought association (which I admit, was a bit hard to grasp at first with the lack of direction, or maybe I just skipped the tutorial…) and the whole theory thing, it’s different, and I like it! It’s not something we’ve had in an archon quest before, and I think it makes sense with Sumeru being a nation that values knowledge and intelligence. 

Also, and underrated detail, but the camera work and visuals of this quest were great, and really immersive. I’m glad that the archon quests are becoming even more creative, and it makes me excited for what is to come.

Now let’s talk about the highlight of act II, the character who I wish wasn’t actually just an NPC, Dunyarzad. So much potential!! I loved her character a lot. And because I love her, MiHoYo just had to throw all those death flags in to break my heart. Thanks. It really had me worried. Through her deteriorating condition, and the way she talked about it… Broke my sad gay heart, wondering about how Dehya would react to it (girlfriends, after all). 

And finally, Dunyarzad’s death. Broke me. Only to find out she was actually alive and it turned out okay… Scream!!!!!!! Unlike with Teppei, we got to know Dunyarzad a lot more. Teppei’s death also made me sob a little, but Dunyarzad’s had me wailing. Seeing her watching Nilou’s dance of Sabzerus performance, it was so bittersweet. I don’t know how much I saw of Nilou’s cutscene through my tears, lol. But it being Nilou’s dream wasn’t something I’d considered until it was brought up. It made a lot of sense!! And it makes me wonder… Dunyarzad appearing to watch Nilou’s performance in her dream, that's… MY HEART hhhhh… She must’ve wished for that too….wails… I love Nilou SO MUCH.

Okay, okay.. calm…

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Now what is my plan for the characters I’ll be pulling in Sumeru? I’ve got mixed feelings. I’ve saved up for a while now and I’m guaranteed the next exclusive 5 star in about 20 or so pulls, so it’s really a game of waiting for a character I want… Which is harder than it sounds, because I love a lot of different characters. My priorities at the moment are Venti or Xiao, but who knows… I might snap and pull for someone else, although I have to restrain myself from that… Pain

about or almost 30 wishes saved as of the time writing this, so yay~ Wish me luck…