I wait for the complete set and read it to take a break from the fights. I haven’t deployed yet and probably won’t because I wanna play every match I can, lots of character levelling up to do.
On the note of quests, I just finished my first playthrough which basically stopped story missions around Turn 20. Started a second one with Sabrewulf, Cinder and Arbiter, got the scene with Kan-Ra you mentioned and I was getting character-specific missions for all team members (I switched out Arby for TJ after a while).
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As a story mode, yeah Shadow Lords is pretty disappointing, the in-game engine rendered cutscenes really make it derp out and the narrator is so bland it makes it almost laughable, would at least like to see every character get an Ending after beating Gargos, you allegedly become the Shadow Lord after beating him, what do each of the characters do with this power? Does Tusk rid himself of immortality? Does ARIA do some “DOOM” crap and use the shadow energy as an energy source? Gargos is the only character who gets an ending and even then its pretty bland and ambiguous, overall the mode is fun and very much so replayable, but its story is very Lacking, Season 2 dominates the story execution of KI
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I really wish there was a way to switch your Captain mid play through, as it is really a waste if you are playing just to get the cut scenes, but then find you self with them all around turn 10, and then you have to quit out and start from turn 1 again. I would love to be able to switch captains and start at the same turn count.
Doing that might go against the spirit of the game, but ultimately it is how I’m playing at the moment.
Not to get too off topic, but there is an old Unix based dungeon crawler called “Rogue” from the early 80’s which was never very popular in the mainstream world but was a big favorite among computer nerds. It is one of those “insider” sort of things that wasn’t really all that unique but had a big impact on a lot of important people. Ultimately, it is the source of the “Roguelike” and “Rogue-lite” descriptions. Rogue featured random procedurally generated dungeons, random loot drops and perma-death. It was a hard game (I never played it, I have just read about it). Some features of the game have been adapted in lots of things (Diablo is a good example) but it has become synonymous with procedurally generated worlds and permanent death. Any of the “Mystery Dungeon” JRPGS is considered to be a good example of a Roguelike game.
Many Rogue-like games exist and the meaning seems to apply to anything involving procedurally generated worlds or levels, random loot drops and permanent death. “Rogue-lite” usually (but not always) refers to the same, but where you maintain some elements of your progress in subsequent playthroughs. It’s all very inexact and you can google up lots of various interpretations.
Regarding my interpretation of SL, I really like everything about it except the cheese boss at the end. I know that’s part of the experience but… meh.
I think the level of story details available for certain characters, like Kim Wu, is fantastic and they way they are conducted throughout the game is very cool. It does kind of highlight the lack of these cinematics and story for other characters, but even just the small things like different (even if nearly meaningless) menu choices helps you feel like your team matters at least in a small way.
Overall, I think the mode is very impressive, and I think the story elements are good. The only obvious complaint is that there could be a lot more of those story bits.
What I dont like too is how the devs have been talking about guardians and gargos and other grinding elements but have never talked about what SL offers in terms of story. The novella got me so hyped for character interactions and endings
To be completely honest I’m not a huge fan of the story.
I really do like the mode though.
Oh you know what? Now that you mention it, I do recall them mentioning that the story would focus more on the season 3 characters, and that only makes sense. Season 2’s story mode was the same way. There were bits and pieces of season 1 character stuff in the season 2 character’s stories, but it was mainly centered around those characters. Good call. Thanks for reminding me!
Yeah I don’t expect it, especially given what you said about the team’s focus for this mode, but given that it’s a “living” mode and that they can theoretically keep adding more and more too it, I think it’d be awesome if they did.
I say that because in many games, including fighters, story tends to be a form of reward. You win a match or you beat the game or whatever, you get a cutscene. This mode is chocked full rewards. All the stuff you get at the end of a match that you can spend on new stuff, all the mimic skins, etc.
I’m not saying they have to or that I expect it, but it would be awesome if, down the line, and we’re talking over the course of the next few years, not in a few months or whatever, they could add more story bits for characters along with more skins, more colors, accessories, consumables, guardians, more missions in more cities…
I think that’s one of the things that’s so great about this mode; as good as it is, there’s a seemingly unlimited amount of potential. I’ll still be happy if they leave it as is, but if they bring out a 4th season, I think it’d be really cool if they expanded everything about this mode, including stuff for season 1 and 2 characters now that they have the foundation in place.
Awesome. Good to know! Even without all of the stuff that season 3 characters will have, it’s still nice that they put in some stuff for season 1 and 2 characters. Makes me want to use everyone. 
I just want to know what actually happened during SL.
Seems like the type of thing that a mode with a story in it should convey, I suppose.
I’ll be curious how coherent the story is once I have all of the pieces.
What pieces? The doosiers explain past events and bios. Nothing about the what’s happening now. And it’s not clear what was going on. Example, apparently according to glacius he killed cinder, riptor killed kim, mira and maya fought multiple times and sadira and mira fought.
Though I doubt any of this actually took place.
Yeah I wasn’t aware. I assumed that they were parts to a bigger puzzle. Guess not. 
Guess we’ll find out in a “post gargos invasion” update.
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The intro had information we already and the few character snipets don’t offer much insight into the characters. There really isn’t much story in the mode itself. The unlockable text briefs on different things have some cool info in them, but that’s a pretty horrible story delivery method.
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Better than Inconsistency’s Grimoir Cards. 
SPOILS - ish
After defeating Gargos from - who knows - all the life force/ shadow energy that he stole has scattered all over the Earth ‘in search of new bodies’. AND we have one special Omen who rebels against Gargos and wishes to become the next Shadow Lord; AND Thunder and Aganos finally captures Fulgore; AND Sabrewulf can talk!.. Sorry there are lots more but all I’m saying is there is bound to be Season 4 with so many cliffhangers and unanswered questions. Sidenote we now have Wendigos in the KI Universe 
Maybe want to consider putting a spoiler tag on that stuff? Not saying it’s the most involved stuff ever but still…
But is it canon?
Awesome feedback!
Shadow Lords is a living mode and there’s much more to come. That’s all I’m really allowed to say in that regard. I know that MS has already given some hints to the Eyedol stuff…
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HUGE SPECULATION AHEAD
According to The aliance files, Kan-Ra only joined when he was allowed to set up the Emporium and collect all the materials from killing Gargos army.
My guess: he doesn’t just use it to build the Emporium items: he is using them for something more. What is he doing? Well, it can be something like invoking a surviving Ichorien, or an ancient lovecraftian creature, or a beacon which attracts Glacius species which,upon discovering all the events happened in the Earth, now want to destroy it.
[spoiler]And still, Kan-Ra did nothing wrong[/spoiler]
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Those are things we already knew from the beta. Where is the new stuff ??