History YMMV / EXALTED

** The 3E Lunars corebook, in describing Lilith's feelings towards her new husband, segues into flowery descriptions of his attractiveness that sound both ridiculously out-of-place in a franchise that has never placed much emphasis on romance or physical appearance.
** One of the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Yozis]] is Kimbery, embodiment of toxic love and abusive relationships. She's just as terrifying as her fellows...except that the name is extremely similar to ''Kimberly'', leaving the poor GM one slight mispeak away from giving the demonic invasion of Creation a [[TomTheDarkLord disarmingly mundane feel.]]

** The setting and storytelling chapters of Infernals has this in spades. People hated certain passages and felt they tainted the entire chapter. The setting chapters in particular-- while the storytelling chapter isn't usually viewed too badly, chapters 1 through 4 contained such things as mandatory Primordial sex sessions and open statements that all Infernals were inhuman monsters who saw nothing wrong with solving disputes through sex sessions with Lilun, which really didn't go down very well.

** 2e Lunars had a combo based on Appearance Charms (specifically Perfect Symmetry)[[note]]a charm that allows for high Appearance scores to essentially reduce an opponent's mental defense to zero[[/note]] that turned them into rampaging social monsters. Appropriately, this acquired the FanNickname of "Pretty Kitty Revolution." (Despite the awesomeness of the name, it is ''not'' a well-liked mechanic and will not be around for 3e.)

* OldShame: ''Scroll of the Monk'' and the much-reviled Void Avatar Prana for Ink Monkey Dean Shomshak.

** ''Abyssals: Sworn to Death'' followed up with the Deathlords, who were viewed as edgy and immature takes on villains to all being potential {{Big Bad}}s of a chronicle, and from the start of crowdfunding, the fans were quite pleased, especially with [[MadScientist Eye in Seven Despairs]], [[BloodKnight Walker in Darkness]], [[VillainWithGoodPublicity the Silver Prince]], and [[SerialKiller Black Heron]]. Eye in particular was much loved from going from a ButtMonkey stalker to a GibberingGenius with AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder who is an endless source of plot hooks with their inventions, a hilariously hands-on approach to their deathknights, and [[BewareTheSillyOnes legitimately competent at both]].

* RunningTheAsylum: In a case of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, the addition of the Ink Monkeys and Errata Team Prime has led to a general increase in the quality of the rules and has been very well received on the White Wolf forum (seriously, saying you dislike them is FandomHeresy there now)- but see also BrokenBase. They have their detractors, some of whom get as vehement as the fans.

* WinBackTheCrowd: Part of the reason the Ink Monkeys were hired, why they browse multiple online communities--both the official White Wolf forums and elsewhere--and why some of them have become the developers and writers of the third edition. As with all things, whether or not they succeed depends on the viewer. Or even the individual book or article.

* MemeticPsychopath: The 3E version of Eye in Seven Despairs, [[LoveToHate with high praise]]. While in-universe Eye is a bit of a BrilliantButLazy InsufferableGenius, fandom takes their tendency to [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace show up unannounced around their deathknights]], eager desire to sell prototypes on the cheap to test them, and MoodSwinger tendencies when bored to portray them as a LaughablyEvil CloudCuckooLander who is completely oblivious to how uncomfortable/maimed the people around them are.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: ''Lunars: Fangs at the Gate'' aims to do this with the elders of the Silver Pact, and seems to have done a fairly good job of redeeming Ma-Ha-Suchi from a cruel, fairly generic madman into a more noble BrokenAce who wants to rebuild the First Age as he remembers it, and making Raksi from an AxCrazy PsychopathicManchild into a [[EvilIsCool ruthlessly effective]] EvilOverlord without changing her being a ''monster.''

* GameBreaker: Some authors don't seem to even try maintaining some mechanical balance when they write cool powers for Exalted. Some authors don't possess the necessary skill for it, but soldier on anyway. Some authors deliberately do not try, stating that the demigod status of the Exalted gives them carte blanche to wield unbalanced divine power. However, Exalted was created as a TCG-like roleplaying game - thus necessitating a careful and intricate balance for powers and effects -- and the latter two attitudes can and have lead to a BrokenBase.

* EvilIsSexy: While they can start out looking normal, as the Abyssal Exalted grow in power they must choose whether to spend experience to raise their Appearance to as high as it can go, or [[EvilMakesYouUgly allow their bodies to decay hideously]].

** And then, are the ''[[GreyAndGrayMorality deliberately]]'' ambiguous bits. Vision of Bronze, anyone?

** Lunars are perhaps the ultimate case of this. Not because people don't like them, but because no two fans can agree ''why'' they like them, and get into huge Internet knife fights over which traits should be emphasised. On any given day, if you go to the Exalted forum on the White Wolf site, you will most likely find at least one Lunar-related FlameWar, possibly several.
** Infernals, if the White Wolf forums are anything to go by, are either the best or the worst thing to happen to Exalted. The dislike probably isn't helped by the fact that Infernals were released fairly late into the line and as such proceeded to have a stranglehold on the game books after release (To the point that Abyssals, the other "antagonist" splat present since 1st Edition, were subject to OutOfFocus).
** And recently, it was confirmed that third edition would have new Exalt types. Plural. The fanbase immediately split into "hell yeah more Exalts" and "no this is a bad idea" factions.

** The massive success of the [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deluxe-exalted-3rd-edition 3rd edition Kickstarter campaign]] resulted in the book's length doubling, with some sections being rewritten entirely, which pushed back the release date by over two years. This has lead to dissent among some of the fans.

*** And Infernals who survive long enough begin to turn in Primordials.
* CreepyAwesome: The Infernals are the Exalted of the Yozis, whose Charms can warp their minds and bodies, and are slowly turning into Primordials, yet are still loved by the fans.

* {{Narm}}: The 3E Lunars corebook, in describing Lilith's feelings towards her new husband, segues into flowery descriptions of his attractiveness that sound both ridiculously out-of-place in a franchise that has never placed much emphasis on romance or physical appearance.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Due in part to TooBleakStoppedCaring, there's a non-negligible amount of people who prefer to cheer for the Deathlords or the Yozis instead of the majority of the people living in Creation. Things can only get so terrible before people start to think that yes, perhaps the world would be better off sent into the Underworld, swallowed up by Oblivion, or (most commonly) reclaimed by the original creator deities, despite all their cruelty and alien whims.

** However, some 2nd Edition publications worked hard to drive home alternative perspectives: the Incarnae are interesting and not just distant divine losers, Infernals sure are capable of [[AntiAntichrist a rebellion]], and Autochthonia presents a fascinating world in which the [[WhatMeasureIsAMook mortals]] clearly matter as more than just scenery. The newer vision has set off more than one debate, and writers with strong opinions on exactly where Exalted belong on the scale have nicknamed the darker trends "shitdark".

* NamesTheSame: Just to be clear: the Void that afflicts Autochthon isn't the same Void as Oblivion. Autochthon's Void is a manifestation of his [[FanNickname robo-cancer]].

* MagnificentBastard:
** Szoreny, the Yozi of Mirrors, has this as the ideal he hopes to achieve. [[spoiler:As of Return Of The Scarlet Empress, it turns out he's not just talking the talk -- he's running a game of XanatosSpeedChess on ''all the other Yozis'' since he realized he and his HeterosexualLifePartner Isidoros are the only ones to remain halfway sane. Bonus humor points for being a glorified prison snitch.]]
** The Ink Monkeys revealed Prince Laashe, a [[TheFairFolk Raksha]] who, through the clever usage of ExactWords, a ([[OnlyMostlyDead not-really]]) ThanatosGambit, and sheer chutzpah, managed to [[spoiler:play the ''Unconquered Sun himself'' [[UnwittingPawn for a sucker]] and become a pseudo-Incarna]]. Were it not for the [[BigDamnHeroes timely intervention]] of [[GuileHero Luna]], he probably would have gone on to become the Exalted Lucifer.[[note]]Exalted already has a Lucifer (and it's not the Ebon Dragon). Technically, it's the Sun himself -- he rebelled against his near-omnipotent Creator because he wanted to do what he wanted. And if you go with the Exalted-as-OWOD prehistory, [[spoiler:this is consistent with Hunter: the Reckoning, which says the Solars are the old version of Hunters and Demon: the Fallen's statement that Lucifer created the Hunters. So the Sun is actually Lucifer in a very literal sense.]] It's implied that [[spoiler:even [[ManipulativeBastard the Ebon Dragon]] was impressed.]][[/note]]

** What the Christ are you talking about!!!?[[labelnote:Explanation]]The result of signature Zenith Caste Panther's AngryBlackMan status; to lampshade it, a fan on the official forums went through all the official comics and [[http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/exalted/732904-i-m-just-going-to-leave-these-vandalized-chapter-comics-here made photoshopped versions]] that replaced Panther's lines with "WHAT THE CHRIST ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT", leading to the fanbase treating him as if his entire character consists of shouting this line and punching people in the face.[[/labelnote]]

** 2e Lunars had a combo based on Appearance Charms (specifically Perfect Symmetry)[[note]]a charm that allows for high Appearance scores to essentially reduce an opponent's mental defense to zero[[/note]] that turned them into rampaging social monsters. Appropriately, this acquired the FanNickname of "Pretty Kitty Revolution." (Despite the [[AwesomeMcCoolname awesomeness]] of the name, it is ''not'' a well-liked mechanic and will not be around for 3e.)

** [[FoeYay Lyta X Peleps Deled, OTP.]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Lyta is a Solar who burns Realm Dragon-Blooded to death with giant mirrors as sacrifices to the Unconquered Sun; Peleps is a Dragon-Blood, TheFundamentalist and ArrogantKungFuGuy dedicated to a belief system that wants as many Solars as possible to die right now.[[/labelnote]]

* MoneyDearBoy: Revealed to be the reason why the Ink Monkeys stopped making new material -- they got greenlit to actually be paid for things.
* NamesTheSame: Just to be clear: the Void that afflicts Autochthon isn't the same Void as Oblivion. Autochthon's Void is a manifestation of his [[FanNickname robo-cancer]].
* OldShame: ''Scroll of the Monk'' and the much-reviled Void Avatar Prana for Ink Monkey Dean Shomshak.
* ProtectionFromEditors: Second Edition had an extremely hands-off approach, the Developer concluding that the writers would have better ideas without him interfering.
* RunningTheAsylum: In a case of Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, the addition of the Ink Monkeys and Errata Team Prime has led to a general increase in the quality of the rules and has been very well received on the White Wolf forum (seriously, saying you dislike them is FandomHeresy there now)- but see also BrokenBase. They have their detractors, some of whom get as vehement as the fans.
* ShoutOut: ''Exalted'' was initially promoted as the prehistory of ''[[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness The World of Darkness]]'' (the old version), and references to this connection were made (in the form of shared terminology and some thematic overlaps) in gamebooks of both settings for a while, but the idea was dropped, especially with the 2nd Edition of ''Exalted'' and the end of the Old World of Darkness. Even prior to that, it was specified in the Storyteller's guide to be an optional possible interpretation, not a hard-and-fast fact. Some shared terminology, such as Stygia or Neverborn, also shows up across ''Exalted'' and the [[TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness new WOD]], thanks to the [=nWOD's=] inheritance of some [=oWOD=] terms.
** The parallel groups were: Solar Exalted - ''TabletopGame/HunterTheReckoning'', Lunar Exalted - ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'', Sidereal Exalted - ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'', Abyssal Exalted - ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'', Terrestrial Exalted - ''TabletopGame/KindredOfTheEast'', Fair Folk - ''TabletopGame/ChangelingTheDreaming''.
** Other shared ideas include:
*** Malfeas - home of the ''Werewolf'' BigBad. The ''Exalted'' version bears more resemblance to ''Kindred of the East'''s Yomi, however.
*** The Scarlet Empress/Queen/Phoenix and the Ebon Dragon - prominent in ''TabletopGame/KindredOfTheEast'', and, according to some subtle references in ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'' and ''TabletopGame/HunterTheReckoning'', they were the ''Hunter'' Messengers.
*** The Deathlords and the Neverborn - both prominent in ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion'', though (typically) working on opposite sides of the divide there.
*** The Dragon Kings - name that the dinosaurs are remembered under by the Mokolé in ''Werewolf''.
*** Autochthonia - one of the ''Mage'' Technocracy's favorite places.
*** In the optional metaplot of ''Return of The Scarlet Empress'', the Ebon Dragon creates an enormous infernal artifact. The name of this artifact: [[TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse the Black Spiral]].
** Although showing up much later, 2e's Green Sun Princes use much of the same terminology as ''TabletopGame/DemonTheFallen'' (Torment, the names of their castes); 3e's have different names for their castes, based mainly on the spherical coordinate system.
** In 1st Edition, the Neverborn were referred to as Malfeans (another term for them from ''TabletopGame/WraithTheOblivion''). This confused people, because you had dead Primordials called MALFEANS and imprisoned (but still very alive) Primordials who lived in MALFEAS. They dropped the Malfean term in 2nd Edition to avoid that confusion.
** A few NWOD-specific references have slipped in, too. For instance, the mortal creators of the Alchemicals are known as demiurges (the name for those mortals who create [[TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated Prometheans]]), and according to WordOfGod, the Liminal Exalted are inspired by ''Promethean''.
*** Not to mention that ''[[TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters Geist]]'', the NWOD successor to ''Wraith'', features the Underworld heavily, and even talks about the Deathlords' iron rule over the world of the dead, and how the Sin-Eaters have no real chance to defeat such beings save in a battle of wits. On the other hand, there's no proof these are the same Deathlords, just that a similar concept is in play.
*** Liminals also have a Dark Mother, like the Beasts of ''TabletopGame/BeastThePrimordial''.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** The Yozis. Not only do they choose their Infernal servants from [[MyGreatestFailure failures and cowards,]] they actually punish them for resisting the MindControl powers of their enemies, because they want them to follow orders no matter what. And how do they make the Infernals atone for their mistakes? By putting their enemies in {{Death Trap}}s, playing CriminalMindGames, and giving JustBetweenYouAndMe speeches. No wonder the chances of the Yozis actually winning are rated as slim to none by WordOfGod itself.
*** To top it off, they're on at least some level trusting the Ebon Dragon to handle the Reclamation. Yes, they're ''trusting'' a being composed ''entirely of treachery and vice'' -- but, then again, the Ebon Dragon controls the Scarlet Empress and without her there ''is'' no Reclamation. Not much choice in the matter. [[spoiler: In Return of the Scarlet Empress, he betrays them completely and utterly, dooming them for all time.]]
** Autochthon's idea to trap himself in an infinite void without the resources his sickly body needs to survive is... ''interesting.'' He had plenty of non-idiotic reason to leave, but why oh ''why'' didn't he go somewhere comparatively hospitable, such as the Wyld? And what he did ''afterwards''... Let's just say there's a reason ghosts are kept around after he eats the po soul for fuel, [[PoorCommunicationKills but the Divine Ministers quarantine them because they don't know what a ghost is]].
*** On [[FanNickname Autobot]] going to the Wyld: Wasn't he fleeing the Solar Exalted? 'Cause they can go through the Wyld. Don't they have a Charm that lets them impose Creation-standard physics anywhere?
*** Solars can -- and have in book comics, albeit not in a very smart manner -- reach Elsewhere and thus Autobot, too, and he left a gateway to himself in Creation that Solars poke with a stick every so often. He probably thought he'd have a better grip on solving his void-sickness issue before the soul economy wound down as far as it did, and we are talking the Patron Saint of Wonderful Design Poor Execution.

** [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial There is no such thing as the White Veil Society. It does not exist. It is not an absolutely awesome club, with the most fascinating of members, and unlimited sources of the most sweet, delicious, euphoric tea and ice cream that they use to control the Scarlet Empire. Because that would be incredibly stupid. Nope.]]

** The massive success of the [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/deluxe-exalted-3rd-edition 3rd edition Kickstarter campaign]] resulted in the book's length doubling, with some sections being rewritten entirely, which pushed back the release date by over two years. This has lead to [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment some disgruntlement in some fans]].

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Exalted's had a lot of writers, and [[DependingOnTheWriter different writers]] have different opinions on where exactly Exalted should be on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, [[ArmedWithCanon with individual chapters often reflecting the desired tone of individual writers]], sometimes in the same book.
** 1st Edition started, from the first paragraph of the first chapter of the first book, with the idea that the world was in fact doomed in the default setting, in the manner of a Greek tragedy.
** Hoping to counter the trend, the developer's last outline at the beginning of 2nd Edition urged that SavingTheWorld is neither [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption hopeless]] nor {{p|yrrhicVictory}}ointless. This was [[WriterOnBoard not necessarily taken to heart by the writers]].
** However, some 2nd Edition publications worked hard to drive home alternative perspectives: the Incarnae are interesting and not just distant divine losers, Infernals sure are capable of [[AntiAntichrist a rebellion]], and Autochthonia presents a fascinating world in which the [[WhatMeasureIsAMook mortals]] clearly matter as more than just scenery. The newer vision has set off more than one debate, and writers with strong opinions on exactly where Exalted belong on the scale have nicknamed the darker trends "shitdark".
** Many of the later 2nd Edition publications, in an attempt to diversify opinion on the Incarnae and other topics, accidentally created one true way of interpreting these facts. One especially glaring example is the Daystar: while many loved it, many others hated it so much they swore off Exalted.
*** And the writers have revealed that the Daystar will not be appearing in third edition, out of a general move to shift the cosmic stuff back and refocus attention on Creation itself.

* DesignatedHero[=/=]RonTheDeathEater: Due to the Great Curse's effect on their First Age incarnations, many of the Solar Exalted are seen and depicted as this, as they became so jaded and perverse that their "heroic" designation came largely from what they fought against: [[TheUndead Undead]] {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s, {{Demon Lords|AndArchdevils}}, and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s from beyond Creation. This is largely why the Dragon-Blooded [[TakeAThirdOption Took a Third Option]] and deposed them, although they now have kind of a DecadentCourt thing going on, too. That said, depictions in this light can go too far, given repeated emphasis that Second Age Solars will largely not commit the same mistakes their previous incarnations made.
* DesignatedVillain[=/=]DracoInLeatherPants: Similarly, due to their particular patrons, the Abyssals and Infernals are by default on the side of the setting's antagonists, but they can still try (and succeed) to be good, moral people. There is a lot of room to interpret them as sympathetic (if not necessarily nice) people forced into the service of terrible forces, with very nice aesthetics. It helps that they can simply [[BadPowersGoodPeople use their rather unpleasant powers]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil against terrible people instead of innocents]].
* EvilIsSexy[=/=]EvilMakesYouUgly: While they can start out looking normal, as the Abyssal Exalted grow in power they must choose whether to spend experience to raise their Appearance to as high as it can go, or allow their bodies to decay hideously.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Due in part to DarknessInducedAudienceApathy, there's a non-negligible amount of people who prefer to cheer for the Deathlords or the Yozis instead of the majority of the people living in Creation. Things can only get so terrible before people start to think that yes, perhaps the world would be better off sent into the Underworld, swallowed up by Oblivion, or (most commonly) reclaimed by the original creator deities, despite all their cruelty and alien whims.

* CrazyAwesome:

** How the [[HalfHumanHybrid Beastmen]] [[BestialityIsDepraved are created]]...

* DesignatedHero[=/=]RonTheDeathEater: Due to the Great Curse's effect on their First Age incarnations, many of the Solar Exalted are seen and depicted as this, as they became so jaded and perverse that their "heroic" designation came largely from what they fought against: [[TheUndead Undead]] {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s, {{Demon Lords|AndArchdevils}}, and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s from beyond Creation. This is largely why the Dragon-Blooded [[TakeAThirdOption Took a Third Option]] and deposed them, although they now have kind of a DeadlyDecadentCourt thing going on, too. That said, depictions in this light can go too far, given repeated emphasis that Second Age Solars will largely not commit the same mistakes their previous incarnations made.

*** On [[FanNickname Autobot]] going to the Wyld: Wasn't he fleeing the Solar Exalted? Cause they can go through the Wyld. Don't they have a Charm that lets them impose Creation-standard physics anywhere?

** Rune of Singular Hate, a Solar Circle sorcery spell could be seen as this. Once cast, the target rolls the values of his Attributes, Virtues, Abilities, Essence and Willpower one at a time. Each success allows the target to keep one dot of that trait. However the drawback is that the caster loses one dot from every Attribute, Virtue and Ability he has, and that it can only be cast once by a sorcerer. But when used against extremely powerful targets, such as behemoths, Deathlords or elder Exalts, it will weaken them to the point that all but the weakest group of player characters can take them on.

** 3e's backer draft (and to an extent, the final version) had the Solar Larceny Charm Fate-Shifting Solar Arete. While at first glance, a mere 'dice trick' Charm, FSSA turned a fail-number into the equivalent of a 10. On ''any'' roll at all. This could turn dicey rolls into massive successes, and got even ''stronger'' with an E4 repurchase that let you choose a second number to apply the same bonus to. Essentially, the Charm made extended rolls like Wyld-shaping or Sorcerous Actions utterly trivial. The full release nerfed it into the ground, with a once-a-day no extended rolls restriction, but it still remains among the most potent dice adders in the entire book, with the advantage of applying to ''anything''.