Hydaelyn and Zodiark

Was going through and rewatching the story CS from 2.0 main story, and came across something that made me think. In the post credit roll CS where Bahamut roars, we undergo a migraine/echo vision of a giant dark crystal, which with the following CS with the Ascians, we all assumed that darn crystal was Zodiark. But we see it via the power of the echo, so what if that crystal isn't actually Zodiark, but Hydaelyn losing her light? Perhaps her losing her light turns her into Zodiark? Are Hydaelyn and Zodiark one and the same being, neither existing while the other does, and so must wait for the power of the other to wane?
The scariest part of all this is that the Echo seems to serve as a direct link to Hydaelyn in our minds....if that is Zodiark and we can get visions of it like that, it doesn't bode well for us since that means Zodiark would have a direct link into our minds as well. O.O

*Runs to grab a darksteel hat before its too late.

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Originally Posted by Kicha

what if...

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What if, indeed. All of those are possibilities.

The only reason I've been leaning toward the interpretation that it was the "dark crystal" (for now) is how well it fits with old school Final Fantasy lore and the fact that we had just spoken to Hydaelyn a short time before and she seemed fine. Not all that much happened between the time we drove out Lahabrea and killed(?) Gaius and the time we celebrated driving out Lahabrea and killing(?) Gaius. Thancred's still so weak he's in his pajammers. Could Bahamut's stirring drive that much power out of her? And why cut directly from that scene to the reveal of Zodiark's name?

On the other hand, the "dying Hydaelyn" interpretation certainly explains why she's been pretty quiet for a few patches...

Indeed, I've been partial to the same idea, particularly as watching the ending scenes to the main scenario seem to basically shout that (the dialogue the Mothercrystal states clearly hints that Zodiark, far from being 'a different side of the same coin', is in fact co-existing with her, and for the player to be mindful of him (spoilered for those just joining us):

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Originally Posted by main scenario quest 'The Ultimate Weapon'

"Hear... feel... think..."
"Warrior of Light. Beloved <son/daughter>"
"The Darkness hath fled before the unclosed brilliance of thy spirit."
"Yet it lingereth still beyond the sight of men, in forgotten corners of the world."
"In the depths of the abyss yet resideth the Dark One, watchful ever."
"Til this evil be cast out, never shall the world know aught but a passing peace."
"Yet for the present, a gentle light shineth o'er the realm of Eorzea."
"With thee at it's heart."
"From sparkling mote shall it swell to glorious sun, and all the world shall bask in it's warmth."
(The Mothercrystal then moves away, and the player's character desperately reaches out to Her)
"Blessings and joy be upon thee."
"Go forth, my child, and be as a beacon of hope for Eorzea and the lands beyond, through all the days of thy life."

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Some interesting ideas were hinted at here. Not only the fact that it seems Zodiark is not actually an 'opposing state' of Hydaelyn - that he in fact seems to already exist, somewhere, and that Hyadelyn was fully aware of that... that also that whole scene indeed seemed in hindsight to be something of a "goodbye and goodluck" gesture by the Mothercrystal - that the player had completed their task and were now being left pretty much to their own devices and she she was wishing them well in whatever the future holds. It would definitely explain Her lack of appearances since then in the storyline in any event.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

that whole scene indeed seemed in hindsight to be something of a "goodbye and goodluck" gesture by the Mothercrystal

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I got that feeling, too.

At first I had the feeling that we were dealing with a Light World / Dark World and a crystal for each scenario, whereby each crystal found the other's existence an abomination but were in fact co-dependent on balance. I was thinking for a while that the Warriors of Light vs. Ascians as the Warriors of Dark would eventually unfold into both sides against the forces of chaos and oblivion folding in on both worlds. With all we've learned since, I've decided against trying to make predictions until we get something more substantial as a clue - that'll be when I come back for these breadcrumbs, lol. Idkwtf to expect anymore :P

I'm gonna stick to collecting stuff about the world and the past for now.

The question in my mind is, Is the echo just Hydaelyn's version of tempering us? And if it is, will we get to have a few dark quest objectives if Zodiark takes over?

Something tells me I might start moving away from the "duality of the crystal" theory a little faster now.

http://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4e5da197.jpg

There also seem to be twelve of those platforms there...

What I find interesting is that the Ascians are all named after Scions of Light from Final Fantasy XII.

I am wondering if Eorzea may be a pre-Ivalice.

The evidence is in the uniforms of the officials in the Garlean Empire highly resembling that of Judges.

Not only that, but Hunts are being introduced, which was in Final Fantasy XII.

A Belias-egi was summoned by Tristian in the final Summoner quest, and it was confirmed that Belias is an Elder Primal. The Ascian that gave the power of the summon, could very well have been Loghrif.

So much to consider, and so many exciting things on the horizon!

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Originally Posted by Eltaire

I am wondering if Eorzea may be a pre-Ivalice.

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You'll find strands of DNA from several Final Fantasies, but such theories have come up enough times for this to have been said:

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To be absolutely clear, there is no connection between FFXIV’s Hydaelyn and FFXII’s Ivalice.
Likewise there is no connection with FFXI’s Vana’diel.
Each are their own individual world.

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Answer #55 from the now-missing Patch 2.2 Letter from the Producer LIVE Q&A.

Think of it as FFXIV being both its own world and a loving homage to previous installments of the franchise. You'll even see this separation bent a little bit at times, like when the devs nudge you like, "Ehhh? Remember that? EHHH!?" on things like the item description of the Smallshell.

Moose, what the hell am I looking at? I'm sure evoking my very response is why this scene is in the trailer. But seriously. It's been a while since I played any of the ivalice games. Anyone present know if this thing before Eldibs in the trailer resembles anything from previous Final Fantasies?

Its so out of focus, but... I recently read the article for Shinryu on FF Wikia. There's more than a passing resemblance. It's certainly closer to him than the portrayals of Zodiark on the same wiki. Look closely, you can see his wings, his claws, his tail. If it is the case, then we've certainly been given another great threat for a post-Bahamut world.

Closer examination exposes some seeming human features. This gives "him" some greater superficial resemblance to the FFXII versions of some of the Ivalice Espers. Mateus and Zalera in particular, due to their wings and dark coloration. The more I look at the full size of moose's picture, the more I see a dark man on a dark throne... which sounds like a prophecy from a completely different fictitious world. If this = Mateus = Lahabrea... Due to what Eldibs said in 2.1, you can't help but entertain that thought on the basis of what little information we have.

This place, seemingly in the void, has an uncanny resemblance to The Hall of The Gods in FFXI. I once took a pilgrimage to that place. Before I had gotten that far in Zilart. Before I had defeated Promathia. It was just such a big monument to Vana'dielian religion having basis in Vana'dielian history that I had to go see it for myself. To those who had progressed far enough in Zilart, it was merely the gateway to a land of loot pinatas. It always struck me that once the gate had been unlocked, there was no reason to remain in the hall. The statue of Altana was above the entryway to the floating island of Tu'Lia. The statue of Promathia was above the entryway from Vana'diel.

12 great pillars aligned in an oblong formation. A dark creature at one end. Seemingly nothing at the other end. Elidibus stands on a platform at the center of this elaborate edifice, beholding this dark creature that appears to be perched upon a frozen starbust of darkness. If that's just not the definition of ominous. Zodiark? Lahabrea? Something completely different? The next few weeks will have my mind racing with speculation...

Edit: I find whether or not Hydaelyn is pre-Ivalice or not to be highly irrelevant regardless of what The Yoshida said. On the contrary, there are very clear connections in names and likenesses. Which is why people like me speculate on perceived similarities. I believe Yoshida meant to say that XIV is its own game with its own lore and it's own story and it is not bound to play out in any way like any of the previous or future installments in the series. On the other hand... Lahabrea. Zodiark. Elidibus. Crystal fucking Tower. Xande himself. And a Cloud of Darkness on the horizon. Indeed, no connection.

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Originally Posted by Saikou

Edit: I find whether or not Hydaelyn is pre-Ivalice or not to be highly irrelevant regardless of what The Yoshida said. On the contrary, there are very clear connections in names and likenesses. Which is why people like me speculate on perceived similarities. I believe Yoshida meant to say that XIV is its own game with its own lore and it's own story and it is not bound to play out in any way like any of the previous or future installments in the series. On the other hand... Lahabrea. Zodiark. Elidibus. Crystal fucking Tower. Xande himself. And a Cloud of Darkness on the horizon. Indeed, no connection.

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Exactly. If it is indeed that the world bears resemblance to Ivalice, Yoshida isn't going to outright say that's the case - especially if that's part of the behind doors concepts.

I am just really excited to see that we'll get some more Ishgard story, and it appears a visitation with the Holy See, perhaps. :D