Something I notice on the recent Live Letter

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Originally Posted by Laili

If 3.3 is really gonna be the big final showdown with Niddy it just strikes me as a bit anticlimactic if it was gonna be relegated to a 4 man instance is all.

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It depends on how it's pulled off. I'd love a lengthy, flashy fight and ideally as 'Minstrel's Ballad' retelling so we get to fight him as 'intended'.

Extra points if he kills Aymeric because we need a major NPC to actually die and stay dead for Nidhogg to feel like a threat - especially since his 'plan' conveniently involves him staying back and not assaulting Ishgard directly. To be honest I wish they'd have made it so that Nidhogg tainted Ishgard's water supply with dragon blood to turn numerous elezen into crazed dragons who caused chaos from within Ishgard. Yet that didn't/won't happen now.

I think a hidden trial is quite likely. That said there could be some major curveballs that change things and frankly due to the nature of Estinien's possession our final fight against Nidhogg could quite likely be inside Estinien's soul, kind of like in a dream scape. We have the echo so I wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if we use it to dive in there and separate them.

The fact he is on the Steps of Faith makes sense. The Steps hold the wards which protect Ishgard and even if it hasn't been repaired the final seal is still intacted and would need to be removed.

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Originally Posted by Theodric

It depends on how it's pulled off. I'd love a lengthy, flashy fight and ideally as 'Minstrel's Ballad' retelling so we get to fight him as 'intended'.

Extra points if he kills Aymeric because we need a major NPC to actually die and stay dead for Nidhogg to feel like a threat - especially since his 'plan' conveniently involves him staying back and not assaulting Ishgard directly. To be honest I wish they'd have made it so that Nidhogg tainted Ishgard's water supply with dragon blood to turn numerous elezen into crazed dragons who caused chaos from within Ishgard. Yet that didn't/won't happen now.

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Why do you want any of those things to happen? Just for the sake of drama?

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Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

Why do you want any of those things to happen? Just for the sake of drama?

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Its a valid concern that the Horde could have its final battle end up underwhelming. I mean this is supposed to be a force that has tormented Ishgard for a thousand years.

That said I'd prefer something more grand and I don't really like the idea of killing off Aymeric. That's not because I have an issue with them killing characters. Its because narratively Aymeric is the linch pin that holds Ishgard together currently and they don't really have characters that can fill in that role. I want a conclusion to Ishgard's current situation, even if it isn't a permanent one, so the MSQ can start to move on to other things apart from Ishgardian politics. Aymeric represents what keeps Ishgard's internal conflicts from overflowing. Ishgard's issues aren't going to vanish overnight and their needs to be a narrative explaination on why we don't end up tied down there. Aymeric managing the fires fits that bill.

I also think a more direct attack would be better. Perhaps a weapon that started to effect the essense in Ishgardians bodies, crippling them or driving them mad. I think after a thousand years of conflict things like the Water supply would be very heavily guarded as the dragons have used agents plenty before. Hell, the times Ishgard has been infiltrated before in several cases been allowed by the Holy See to incite fear and encourage religious fervour.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

SE confirmed that was actually a mistake though - it really was meant to be actually Nidhogg in the Heavensward opening movie and not Hraesvelgr. Apparently Square Enix Visual Works (who made the trailer) were given the wrong concept art and thus rendered Hraesvelgr in that scene by mistake, and by the time the FFXIV Development Team discovered this error, it was too late to change it, so they just handwaved it away.

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Handwaved and turned red, which I believe was their way of salvaging it.

"See, totally not Hraesvelgr, cause he's a different color." :p

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Originally Posted by Belhi

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Oh I'm sure something is gonna happen within Ishgard or near it when 3.3 lands, but whether or not it will be underwhelming is up in the air. After all, Steps of Faith was pretty epic before the nerfs came, but then people couldn't clear it reliably, so the conclusion to the Dragonsong War may be an easy mode. What I was getting at previously was there has to be meaning behind whatever new conflict/problem you introduce or it's going to not hold much meaning, which is why I questioned what good is killing Aymeric going to do. I just don't like characters dying just for the sake of tension or drama. Death needs to have meaning and have lasting impact (something you see in the WOL where they're still hung up over Haurchefant, Estinien, and Yasayle dying in 3.0) not be reduced to a cheap $5 filler from McDonald's.


And speaking of stuff like tainting the water to turn everyone into dragons, Nidhogg would never do that. He's all about making people suffer forever, so him using an instant "I win" button would go against it.

Maybe getting rekt and having to bodyjack a mortal to come back from the grave changed his outlook a bit, who knows. I mean I doubt it'll be that way myself but they could easily explain it if they did decide to go that route.

Is this the Live Letter lore opinion thread now?

I hope for more Hraesvelgr before we head to Estinihogg. I feel like we didn't get enough of him, like there was more planned that was eventually cut for time (which is what I get a lot from Heavensward lore, really). I also agree that the Horde never really felt like much of a threat; the biggest time they were threatening was Steps of Faith.

I think the way it'll work is, we'll face Hraesvelgr so he can test us to see if we can withstand a fully-powered Dragon Lord and then he'll send us off to Nidhogg and we'll face Estinhogg in what'll be a two part battle.

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Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

Why do you want any of those things to happen? Just for the sake of drama?

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No, not for the sake of 'drama'. For the sake of antagonists actually being a genuine threat and succeeding from time to time. War isn't pretty - and that's a theme that the game is hinting at. Matoya's speech springs to mind. I just hope they're going to follow through with it this time around rather than pull another 'Ul'dah' where the status quo doesn't change.