In the fight Eden's Verse: Iconoclasm (and the savage version of the same fight) the players are afflicted with the debuffs 'Umbral Effect' and 'Astral Effect'.
Umbral Effect has a darkness themed icon and visual effect, and its description reads as follows:
"Due to a severe disruption in aetherial balance, damage taken from umbrally charged attacks is increased. Damage taken from astrally charged attacks is decreased, and will result in the Astral Effect."
The proper response to this debuff is to avoid being hit by the Dark's Course attack and stand in the Light's Course attack.
Astral Effect has the exact opposite description, visuals and gameplay effect.
The names and descriptions of these debuffs contradict the lore of this game. They equate Umbral with Darkness and Astral with Light. However we learned during the main scenario of Shadowbringers that this is incorrect, Umbral is Light and Astral is Darkness.
If the names and descriptions of Astral Effect and Umbral Effect were swapped it would correct this mistake.
There is a similar mistake in Cyella's dialogue if you speak to her about Eden after completing the entire raid story. She says:
"And a girl bearing Loghrif's soul... I thought I sensed something oddly umbral about the Crystarium of late."
However the Ascians in general and Gaia's powers in particular are darkness themed so Cyella should sense something astral, not umbral.
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06-19-2022, 03:42 AMActionZeroIncorrect use of terms 'Astral' and 'Umbral' in Eden's Verse: Iconoclasm
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06-19-2022, 08:34 AMEnkidoh
That's not true though, ShB didn't change the actual properties of Astral and Umbral at all, Astral is still Light and Umbral still Darkness, all that changed was their effects. Eorzeans and those on the Source believed Astral/Light was the 'active' element, giving life, energy and vitality, with Umbral the 'inactive' element, representing death, destruction and decay.
However ShB revealed the Source had the Astral/Umbral elemental aspects mixed up, and that the correct order was actually the reverse (and this was confirmed in EW); Umbral/Darkness is actually the 'active' element, representing action, locomotion and energy, whereas Astral/Light is 'stasis', stability, order and inactivity. But they are still Light and Darkness as they've always been.
So the dialogue and debuff explanations are actually correct and working as intended lore wise. -
06-20-2022, 01:18 PMBowWowWhy does Hydaelyn's Call drop the Umbral Totem and Zodiark's Fall drop the Astral Totem then?Quote:
Originally Posted by Enkidoh
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06-20-2022, 02:32 PMIscahThat's not the order of connections.Quote:
Originally Posted by Enkidoh
The Source associates the terms "astral and umbral" with the active and passive energies.
The First connects "Darkness and Light" with active and passive, in that order – making astral/dark and umbral/light the two pairs of descriptors. But nobody uses both simultaneously, except for the Scions who have visited both worlds and seen both terminologies in use.
Also I don't recall Source terminology linking umbral energies directly to death and decay, except perhaps in the terming of eras – but in descriptions of aetherology I can only remember it being equated to passivity, the example in the first lorebook being that astral fire energy manifests as flame while umbral fire manifests as dryness.
I don't have the lorebooks on hand right now to check references.
Basically, Shadowbringers' forced flip-about of "astral Darkness and umbral Light" has made a mess of symbolism.