Lately, I've been seeing a lot of people parroting the sentiment that version 2.3 is a "filler patch." Apparently, it was originally generated by a TikTok post that garnered a lot of attention, and since then I've been seeing it ooze into other media. A sizable chunk of the community seems to agree that "Farewell, Penacony" is a fanservice patch dedicated to Firefly that provided nothing substantial, and to that I say:
"Farewell Penacony" was a fantastic conclusion to a beautifully written, well-paced, and compelling story that in my opinion is leagues ahead of the Xianzhou arc and even Belobog. It is the culmination of our trailblazing adventures with these characters, the information we learned since we arrived in Penacony right up to our departure that implores us to and allows us to recognize the impact, the reasons, and the importance of the deal made between The Alfalfa Family, the IPC, and the Astral Express.
It is precisely because of this that the impact of the story quest was not equal between those who actually paid attention to, remembered the story, and made an effort to understand it... And those that didn't.
It takes a profound understanding of The Family fractions to understand why the proposal of Old Oti, despite being this "new" and "innovative" concept that will alter and shape the future of Penacony is not enough to prevent another disaster from striking. Why the Astral Express is in favor of - and backing up - the morally reprehensible IPC in pressuring Old Oti to agree to this deal where they gain some amount of ownership and influence over Penacony. It takes a profound understanding of who Robin is and what she believes in, the things she went through together with the Astral Express - that she learned about the deceased Trailblazers, to understand why her giving away the ship is so impactful. She - the woman who was blessed by Xipe the Harmony, who cares about the people of Penacony more than anything - entrusted the future of the land of Peacony to us. She - the intergalactic superstar - publically announced the contributions of the deceased Trailblazers. She indirectly undermined Old Oti's plan and cornered him. He could do nothing at that point but make room for the IPC and the Astral Express on the leading force of Penacony to some extent.
This is revolutionary. The Order's protection is gone. The Family doesn't hold complete control over Penacony anymore and can get smacked in the head next time a crisis like with the Oak Family arises.
This quest stars so many characters and showcases their growth in such a wonderful way. Nobody was tossed and forgotten, even those whose arcs had already concluded for the time being (cough, Adventurine, cough) appeared in the quest and exchanged some words with us before we departed elsewhere for the time being. I can understand the thirst for more information - many of us, myself included, have grown attached to the characters whose arcs dominated the story. Aventurine, Sunday, Misha/Mikhail... But their arcs in this part of Penacony story are concluded for the time being. Aventurine is an IPC world-traveler, we will see more of him on future destinations. Sunday will make a grand return, but for now must be tucked away. Misha/Mikhail's story is over. Robin's arc dominated other patches, and made a lovely conclusion in this one. There's one more prevalent character, who accompanied us for a lot of the story, but often had to be tucked to the side... I wonder who it is?
Firefly. It's Firefly.
We got bits and pieces of Firefly's story throughout the entire Penacony chapter. The focus shifted often, to accommodate other characters whose stories are ongoing. At long last, since the 'picture' patch which I'd say was mainly focused on exposition and with that to Firefly (who acted as our tour guide), she gets a dual-focus patch. Where she is the focal point a bit more than half the time.
But god forbid that a character, during their special release patch, has a semi focus-chapter I guess. 'Cause it's too awful and fan-servicey. Hoyo's favorite child check /sar. Forget that 80% of her story there does not involve the Trailblazer (Firefly has personal motivations and a personality outside the Trailblazer??? shocker???), forget that the skip button exists for any unwanted romance you want to omit from the story, and forget the entire Penacony deal plot that takes up about half the time of that quest.
I AM SO SICK!!! SO TIRED!!! 2.3 WAS A GREAT CONCLUSION, ACTUALLY.