Opinion: Shadowbringers Plot

Based upon on the information I have relating to FF14 Fanfest, here is what I consider the plot for FF14 Shadowbringers.

1. A Ascian/something corrupts Hydaelyn.
2. As such we will be on a mission to purify her with the help of the Ascians to quell a rebel from their group/someone who choose to use Hydaelyn to take ultimate power for themselves.
3. This is the reason why we ally with them or someone from their group and "embrace the darkness".
4. The individual who has done this to Hydaelyn comes from the empire or even someone close to us.

Again, this is merely opinion and please do not attack. If you have a differing one, I would love to hear about it.

From the last WoD plot line, we know that Hydaelin isnt in complete control of the influence light has on the world
Its not necessary for sonething to corrupt her, only for the balance to tip in her favour.

The trailer seems to imply some kind of time travel, it implies its been 'years' since we fought Zenos. Seems like the voice we've been hearing is an alternate reality WoL (us) from the future, attempting to 'rewrite history'.

Whether it is supported by the clues or not, I'd like to kill Hydaelyn in good faith and uncorrupted. It would be extra nice if everything she has ever told us has been a lie.

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Originally Posted by PondHollow

Whether it is supported by the clues or not, I'd like to kill Hydaelyn in good faith and uncorrupted. It would be extra nice if everything she has ever told us has been a lie.

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There's always going to be conflict between Hydaelin and Zodiark. The only way for the world to escape this conflict is to kill both of them.

Interesting trailer. Another two part expansion? One part dealing with Garlean Empire and Zenos and the other part traveling back in time to Amdapor and the War of the Magi (hence the 7 city state banners fluttering on the battlefield) to become the darkness to counter the influx of light. Stoked regardless

Heh, 6 city state banners. Math not strong point

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Originally Posted by Llysander

Heh, 6 city state banners. Math not strong point

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One of the banners belongs to Doma, I doubt we will be travelling back in time.

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Originally Posted by Llysander

Interesting trailer. Another two part expansion? One part dealing with Garlean Empire and Zenos and the other part traveling back in time to Amdapor and the War of the Magi (hence the 7 city state banners fluttering on the battlefield) to become the darkness to counter the influx of light. Stoked regardless

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I can only see six banners: red (Limsa), black (Ul'dah) dimly in the background, yellow (Gridania), green (???), purple (Ala Mhigo) and blue (Ishgard) - and then it shifts to a Garlean banner. (or is that the seventh you were counting?)

That can't be taking place during the War of the Magi - 1500 years ago in the Fifth Astral Era and long before any of the modern city-states existed. (And in any case both the WoL and Zenos-probably-Elidibus are there, so unless they both went time-travelling then it's definitely happening 'now'.)

The known states at the time of - and involved in - the War of the Magi are Amdapor, Mhach and Nym.

More like...
Haedelyn has fallen dormant, the scions have been betrayed once again, the ascians have won, and Zodiark has risen as the beastmen rejoice. However like Promathia of ffxi, he is not the revenant he was thought to be. AS the Eorzean alliance makes moves on a weakening Garlean Empire, behind friendly lines the 12 are stirring to life at the bidding of their faithful. However something is strangely wrong with the goodly primals, as Eorzea comes under the thrall of the 12 the warrior of Darkness must ally with the beast tribes and the untempered to stop the ravages of the 12. They must defeat the Scions... they must defeat... Minfillia.

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Originally Posted by Rosentretter

One of the banners belongs to Doma.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

I can only see six banners: red (Limsa), black (Ul'dah) dimly in the background, yellow (Gridania), green (???), purple (Ala Mhigo) and blue (Ishgard) - and then it shifts to a Garlean banner. (or is that the seventh you were counting?).

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The green one is from Doma.

My money is on freeing Garlemard from Ascian influence, siding in it's civil war with the anti-ascian faction, Zenos-in a new body-assumes control of Garlemard under a new name that only the scions know and he joins the alliance not because it's right but because he thinks how hilarious the whole thing is and can't wait to openly skewer you like a bunny in heat in broad daylight when the time is right.

As we can see in the trailer, Thancred? will get his second eye back, but he don't use dual wield style in combat anymore. So, from this, we can put few Theory :

1) We well go back in the past because the balance between Light and Darkness is crumbling. We are constantly growing stronger and stronger. So for preventing the world to be consumed in the Light, someone summoned us back in the past to become the Warrior of Darkness and retablish the balance. But, by doing so, we'll change the futur. Like a Futur where Thancred wasn't send in the Aether and was able to keep his two eyes and even got a gunblader combat style.

2) We are send in an alternative world, where Thancred is clearly different from the one we know, even to the very basic of the character. And in this World, we see a world, who's about to be swallowed by the Light. And for saving it, we must become Warrior of Darkness.

That's my opinion of the plot.

I'm not confident in FFXIV writing, so I think we're going to end up with a lame plot that mimics Urianger's. Where we work with the Ascians briefly as a reverse mole until we backstab them because their obviously evil and not a real faction that can be sided with.
As for the Empire...ugh, I think we'll have to fight for them, even though their an obviously evil faction that can't really be sided with. I think SE is going to give the WoL the idiot ball and have him/her trust the Empire until getting backstabbed by them again.

I feel like we're going to end up going to the shard that was consumed by light for whatever reason.

We already know the Ascians might be up to some mischief there because Elidibus said they'd be keeping an eye on Minfilia/Hydaelyn's activity (I'm thinking that's who the girl in the trailer and the collector's boxart is, personally).

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Originally Posted by TabrisOmbrelame

As we can see in the trailer, Thancred? will get his second eye back, but he don't use dual wield style in combat anymore. So, from this, we can put few Theory :

1) We well go back in the past because the balance between Light and Darkness is crumbling. We are constantly growing stronger and stronger. So for preventing the world to be consumed in the Light, someone summoned us back in the past to become the Warrior of Darkness and retablish the balance. But, by doing so, we'll change the futur. Like a Futur where Thancred wasn't send in the Aether and was able to keep his two eyes and even got a gunblader combat style.

2) We are send in an alternative world, where Thancred is clearly different from the one we know, even to the very basic of the character. And in this World, we see a world, who's about to be swallowed by the Light. And for saving it, we must become Warrior of Darkness.

That's my opinion of the plot.

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It's a good idea except for one thing. During a conversation in heavensward, Thancred admitted nothing was wrong with his eye. He kept it covered to try to get women.

To the OP...opinion on Shadowbringers Plot?

Get your Dark Knight job class leveled to 70.

True story.

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Originally Posted by Linadae

It's a good idea except for one thing. During a conversation in heavensward, Thancred admitted nothing was wrong with his eye. He kept it covered to try to get women.

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Not quite.

At least, not if this is the quote you're thinking of, shortly after we are reunited with him (and you're most likely thinking "what happened to your eye?").

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THANCRED
I know what you're thinking, but really, you needn't worry. It will only lend credence to my tales of heroism. Besides, battle scars are to maidens what loose morals are to gentlemen. A definite bonus.

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The game seems to tease 'not giving you an answer' several times, but then there's a scene with Thancred and Krile sneaking into Castrum Meridanum - and Thancred isn't wearing his eyepatch. Instead you can see his left eye is intact but seems to have turned pale blue. (Or at least it looks blue in the scene - though his character data indicates that it's white. Either way, very clearly changed from his normal hazel colour.)

We still don't have an explanation for that.

i can see us going back in time for an aspect. using the power of the echo with zodiarks help rather then the mother crystal (i can never spell her name) to restore balance but also damage or stop the asians from corrupting garlamald, turning it into a uneasy ally the idea of the time travel though would be to only stop the 8th calamity by stopping what set it into motion and not undoing any of the previous calamities.


tho time travel is messy plot wise, and writing wise.

It's probably horrible of me, but I kinda hope that Thancred is the only one to wake up and survive...which is actually a shift from my earlier opinion that none of them should wake up at all. He had me at "omg gunblade".

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Originally Posted by Vahlnir

It's probably horrible of me

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How right you are on that.

But in all seriousness, I expect another plot that makes our character do things we have very little input about, trundling along to whatever other characters point us towards and killing what is deemed most evil at the time. It will be more or less just a change to a cooler job description and instead of VOID we will be fighting RADIANCE. The girl Thancred is protecting is some incarnation of Minfillia and if they wanted to throw us a curveball he is protecting her from us.

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Originally Posted by Linadae

It's a good idea except for one thing. During a conversation in heavensward, Thancred admitted nothing was wrong with his eye. He kept it covered to try to get women.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Not quite.

At least, not if this is the quote you're thinking of, shortly after we are reunited with him (and you're most likely thinking "what happened to your eye?").



The game seems to tease 'not giving you an answer' several times, but then there's a scene with Thancred and Krile sneaking into Castrum Meridanum - and Thancred isn't wearing his eyepatch. Instead you can see his left eye is intact but seems to have turned pale blue. (Or at least it looks blue in the scene - though his character data indicates that it's white. Either way, very clearly changed from his normal hazel colour.)

We still don't have an explanation for that.

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I'm on part with Iscah, Something is wrong with Thancred's Eye. When Y'shtola came back, she get White Eye too, but she was blinded but can "see" using surrounding Ether. Thancred probably wouldn't be able to do something like that. And for me, he's Half blinded.

So why did he came back with his two eyes intact ? That's a mysterie

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Originally Posted by TabrisOmbrelame

I'm on part with Iscah, Something is wrong with Thancred's Eye. When Y'shtola came back, she get White Eye too, but she was blinded but can "see" using surrounding Ether. Thancred probably wouldn't be able to do something like that. And for me, he's Half blinded.

So why did he came back with his two eyes intact ? That's a mysterie

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i know this is a weeb comparison but like kakashi with the sharingan? where if he looks though it it drains his chakra?

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Originally Posted by DracotheDragon

i know this is a weeb comparison but like kakashi with the sharingan? where if he looks though it it drains his chakra?

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No, nothing like that. Going in the Aether can cause trouble on the organism. Y'shtola loose her sight in totality, but with her magical masterie she can sense Ether of people surrouding her so she can "see" but at the cost of her life span.

For Thancred, he was luckier, he just loose one eye, but we don't know if it get a function, it's unknow at the current time. So we suppose his left eye his blind.

I'm really hoping this expansion doesn't end up like SB's MSQ in that it feels rushed due to splitting it between two different regions.

I have this hunch it's going to be split between Ilsabard/the first shard.

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Originally Posted by TabrisOmbrelame

I'm on part with Iscah, Something is wrong with Thancred's Eye. When Y'shtola came back, she get White Eye too, but she was blinded but can "see" using surrounding Ether. Thancred probably wouldn't be able to do something like that. And for me, he's Half blinded.

So why did he came back with his two eyes intact ? That's a mysterie

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For Thancred, he was luckier, he just loose one eye, but we don't know if it get a function, it's unknow at the current time. So we suppose his left eye his blind.

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I'm not sure if he's blinded or if it's something else entirely. It doesn't look clouded over like Y'shtola's eyes, it's just a different colour - like you can replicate in the character creator with the 'odd eyes' setting.

If you want to have a look at the cutscene, it's the only scene for the Dragonsong quest "As It Once Was".

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Originally Posted by TabrisOmbrelame

Y'shtola loose her sight in totality, but with her magical masterie she can sense Ether of people surrouding her so she can "see" but at the cost of her life span.

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Did they outright state that in the english translation? The japanese version has Matoya saying that using it can become a heavy burden if she isn't careful. Like, with her fixing the burn and being completely exhausted afterwards was probably already deep in "Matoya would scold you for that, foolish girl" territory. Granted japanese tends to be rather indrect most of the time, but I'd like to think it isn't as life threatening as people make it out to be.

Also no one ever said one word of thanks to her for saving Thancred and keeping the WoL alive at the cost of her eyesight.

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Originally Posted by Gun-Cat

Did they outright state that in the english translation? The japanese version has Matoya saying that using it can become a heavy burden if she isn't careful. Like, with her fixing the burn and being completely exhausted afterwards was probably already deep in "Matoya would scold you for that, foolish girl" territory. Granted japanese tends to be rather indrect most of the time, but I'd like to think it isn't as life threatening as people make it out to be.

Also no one ever said one word of thanks to her for saving Thancred and keeping the WoL alive at the cost of her eyesight.

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When you play the game in French, this is what we get.

If you looked at the live letter. The next dungeon is on the battlefield. Yoshi said we will find out why we are becoming the WOD in the next patch. I believe the fight will come to head in the next patch with us facing of with fake Zenos. Everything goes to crap, then the new expansion will start with the time difference forward. I don't think will be doing as much bouncing back and forth like we did in Stormblood.

Seeing Thancred makes me wonder if the other Scions were taken out purposely to save them from this battle. Almost like the Avengers plot. The voice knows they are needed and if they weren't taken out early then they would die on the battlefield.

I'm doubting that there's actually going to be a time skip or a calamity at the source.

I feel like it's more plausible that the first shard was basically a 1-1 copy of the Source in terms of its history, just that time flowed faster there so we can effectively see the future by learning exactly what happened there.

In german he said smt like "i almost lost my eye" but i cant recall where exactly...

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Originally Posted by Seraphor

The trailer seems to imply some kind of time travel, it implies its been 'years' since we fought Zenos. Seems like the voice we've been hearing is an alternate reality WoL (us) from the future, attempting to 'rewrite history'.

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This isn't necessarily true. Elidibus(sp?) says he's been waiting years "for this" [to fight us (again presumably)], if I remember the trailer correctly. Remember-- that's Elidibus in Zenos' body NOT the real Zenos. At this point, we know an Ascian is controlling Zenos, so the Ascian could know this and be talking as himself rather than pretending to be Zenos.

My assumption is we beat up Solus, and defeat the Garlean empire, but in doing so we tip everything too close to the Light at which point someone goes "hey we should've really listened to that warrior of darkness", and so you go to restore the balance. But because we can't be evil and subjugate people, we'll just do what we do best, and kick hyedalyn's butt instead.

I really don't think things are actually going to go wrong at the source with that voice doing all it can prevent history from repeating itself. Just the Scions being spirited away has likely already caused a significant deviation from how things played out originally.

Not to mention it would be awkward as heck to implement an "End of the world as we know it" scenario while still allowing us access to the original world to do other forms of content prior to finishing the MSQ.

I'm still banking entirely on us traveling wherever the Scions have been taken to (Presumably the first shard), learning exactly what went wrong there, then returning to end the Garlean conflict without repeating the mistakes that caused a calamity.

In Final Fantasy III, the Warriors of Darkness were not evil, but helped balance out the world by making sure the Cloud of Light didn't destroy everything while the Onion Knights/Warriors of Light did the same for the Cloud of Darkness.

So I'm glad that they decided to soften up on the Warriors of Darkness just being all "Boy, I sure loved almost killing your sister, Alphinaud. Hahaha." in Heavensward followed by a sob story.

as any story with time travel is even hinted it's tricky to do, take DCs Flash point for example Flash saves his mom but at what cost tot eh world he knew. us becoming the warrior of darkness could be a similar thing, we changed the past to create a different world then we knew. who knows half the fun of a good story is the journey. Lets just see where Shadowbringers takes us.but loving all the plot ideas ppl have suggested.

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Originally Posted by Reiryuu

This isn't necessarily true. Elidibus(sp?) says he's been waiting years "for this" [to fight us (again presumably)], if I remember the trailer correctly. Remember-- that's Elidibus in Zenos' body NOT the real Zenos. At this point, we know an Ascian is controlling Zenos, so the Ascian could know this and be talking as himself rather than pretending to be Zenos.

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In English, the teaser says: "How many years have come and gone since that day?" Not "How long have I waited for this day."

It's a voice from a far more distant future and I doubt very much that it's Xenos/Elidibus. That scene from the trailer is more likely just another flashback, though one we haven't experienced yet.

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Originally Posted by Akonyl

My assumption is we beat up Solus, and defeat the Garlean empire, but in doing so we tip everything too close to the Light at which point someone goes "hey we should've really listened to that warrior of darkness", and so you go to restore the balance. But because we can't be evil and subjugate people, we'll just do what we do best, and kick hyedalyn's butt instead.

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But then the moral of the story would be "You should let evil things happen."

Prediction:

- Hydaelyn and Zodiark will have a conflict.

- We will defeat the empire.

- The world will have a flood of light despite someone trying to prevent it.

- We will have to go back and rewrite history.

- Post game will be the ordinary world as it is, with the effects of the events in 5.0 being confined to 5.0. Everything from 5.0 and onward will be the rewrite timeline.

- It won’t be as complex and difficult to understand as people fear. The ending will be easily conveyed.

- Garlemald/ascians will possibly take all of 5.x to defeat in order to prevent the flood again. Some Garleans might side with us.

- This will feel more like Heavensward did, and have a more western/European feel to the game.

I have a hard time imagining how the zone progression would play out if they opt for the "Source actually gets ruined by a calamity" approach. Would we have to resort to some timey-wimey stuff just to visit the ruined world for casual stuff like gathering/hunting?

It seems more probable that we'll go to a place that's already been ruined by an excess of light AKA the first shard.