Update on my previous post. Nod-Krai is alright. (Potential AQ Spoilers)

So I made a post several days ago about my less-than-enthusiastic reception to Nod-Krai at that point in time. Having finished the 2nd Act of the AQ, my thoughts on Nod Krai so far have been more positive since.

A few nitpicks out of the way. I can now say why Nod-Krai feels like a yap-fest for me most of the time. Hoyo upped the dialogue count somehow... And with the flat delivery from most of the cast, it doesn't help that I end up "skipping" dialogue. What I mean by this is I'd just listen to the first sentence or two of what a character is saying, before skipping the rest of the dialogue. Genshin was dialogue heavy before, and that was fine as the VA performances were great, but I can't say the same for the Nod-Krai cast most of the time. It feels like a Visual Novel at this point, rather than a cutscene.

With the VN-esque presentation of Nod-Krai this also meant there is a lot of down time on gameplay between cutscenes. Which to me is a bit overbearing as there is little gameplay in my game, inclusive only to the AQ though. There was always some sort of gameplay gimmick to be done within the AQ. The Sumeru Timeloop Samsara, Fontaine's courtroom trials, and Natlan's Tournament Arc in it's Act I for example. It just seems to be absent in Nod-Krai, hopefully at the moment. Though I will give credit to infiltration of the Fatui Lab, as it broke the monotous streak up to that point.

With that out of the way, Nod-Krai Act II was better that Act I. It feels the stakes are evolving. We went from forbidden knowledge in Sumeru, Abyss monster invasion Natlan, to one of the Sinners of Khaenriah. And the threat seems to be real as Rerir is being built up as this impossible foe. The Luna 2 trailer further highlights this as 3 Harbingers are now brought in to contain the threat. There are also some of the Mondstadt crew arriving to reinforce the upcoming battle, including Varka. Varka and the other's presence is interesting as it can allow the existing Mondstadt lore to be put into play. Act II leaves me with a good set up for the next Acts, and I can't deny I am more hook than I was before.

I also said before I wasn't a fan of the characterisation for Lauma, and Flins. I still standby that, though I can acknowledge that Lauma's characterization was a good plot point as her kindness to others aided her in a crucial moment. Which is important since not everyone in Nod-Krai 's Nasha Town gets along. Flins... Also still not a fan of his character. Yet when I tried Flins out in the character trials I got hooked on his gameplay. I managed to pull Flins, and have been enjoying his kit since. Also guess I need a character now with Luna-charge now since Hoyo will adjust the meta for it.

So far Nod-Krai ended up being decent and alright, and can't wait to do the rest of the exploration and maybe quests later... When I get a chance to take a break from Genshin. Still feel a bit burnt out.