The Relations Between FFXII and FFXIV Universes

I just finished the main story of FFXIV reborn, and maaaan it's the best story I've ever played in a MMO game. However, there's something that's been bothering me for quite some time now. See, I also finished playing FFX-II via Xbox game pass, and a lot of elements from that game is in the FFXIV as well including the viera race(Fran is in the game too) and etc.

In fact, a lot of elements from FFXI are also pretty prevalent in FFXIV too, and the five races of Eorzea are obviously based on the races of that game too.

My question is; is the world or the universe of FFXIV are connected with FFXI and FFXII, or is the universe of FFXIV is it's own thing while the devs using elements from other FF games instead?

The XIV universe is it's own thing while devs use elements from others. The only connection between the worlds of those games is the Rift, which connects all FFs.

However, there is a Dalmasca/Rabanastre/Golmore/and more XII things in XIV, even some characters, but are rewritten counterparts that were born in Hydaelyn (in the original XII, Ashe and Rasler weren't brothers for example).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Con_Carne

The XIV universe is it's own thing while devs use elements from others. The only connection between the worlds of those games is the Rift, which connects all FFs.

However, there is a Dalmasca/Rabanastre/Golmore/and more XII things in XIV, even some characters, but are rewritten counterparts that were born in Hydaelyn (in the original XII, Ashe and Rasler weren't brothers for example).

---

The..Rift? Meaning that they all exist in the same multiverse or something?

Basically yeah, it's been implied that the same Gilgamesh is in both FF V and VIII etc. (Though I suspect Type 0 Gilgamesh is his own thing.)

There's an implied sort of loose multiverse. (The 13 shards are NOT the first 13 FF games, those are all FFXIV related, but there is a sort of general implied multiverse going on. Which is a little weird when you look at it too closely but best not to think too hard about it.)

The Ivalice stuff in FFXIV is heavily inspired, of course, by Tactics and XII but the actual events do not line up even close to near enough for them to be the same. Not the least of which being that XII takes place way before Tactics in the OG Ivalice, but in FFXIV the Tactics part of the plot is ancient history and the XII stuff is currently unfolding still.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

Basically yeah, it's been implied that the same Gilgamesh is in both FF V and VIII etc. (Though I suspect Type 0 Gilgamesh is his own thing.)

There's an implied sort of loose multiverse. (The 13 shards are NOT the first 13 FF games, those are all FFXIV related, but there is a sort of general implied multiverse going on. Which is a little weird when you look at it too closely but best not to think too hard about it.)

The Ivalice stuff in FFXIV is heavily inspired, of course, by Tactics and XII but the actual events do not line up even close to near enough for them to be the same. Not the least of which being that XII takes place way before Tactics in the OG Ivalice, but in FFXIV the Tactics part of the plot is ancient history and the XII stuff is currently unfolding still.

---

So, I'm guessing that the Rift is the multiverse that connects all of the FF games together, and that the FFXIV devs had invited the guy that is the father of the Ivalice universe that XII and Tactics belong to bring the elements from his own universe to the FFXIV universe despite that they're two completely separate universes, right?

Correct. Take every reference in XIV as just that, a reference and a nod to a previous Final Fantasy game without actually saying they're connected. The only characters that have canonically crossed over were Iroha for the Rhapsodies of Vana'Diel event (oh, and Shantotto for the first XI cross-over), Noctis for the XV event, and Lightning for the FFXIII event. All with the same "interdimensional portal" justification that isn't quite canonical to either game.

Of course, when you reach Stormblood and Shadowbringers you might want to throw the Encyplodaedia Eorzea at someone...

As an extra bit of knowledge, apparently a lot of the dev team actually worked on FFXII, so it's no surprise they took a lot of what they enjoyed from the game and put it here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WhiteArchmage

The only characters that have canonically crossed over were Iroha for the Rhapsodies of Vana'Diel event (oh, and Shantotto for the first XI cross-over), Noctis for the XV event, and Lightning for the FFXIII event.

---

Actually, Gilgamesh and Omega are also from beyond XIV's existence, with the only difference that they stayed. Midgardsormr as well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Con_Carne

Actually, Gilgamesh and Omega are also from beyond XIV's existence, with the only difference that they stayed. Midgardsormr as well.

---

This Omega seems to be from the same universe, just coming from a planet far far away traveling through space after Midgarsormr to get here.

The whole situation with Shinryu also makes me doubt that it's the same Omega because Omega and Shinryu fighting has been a thing with their prior appearances, but we have a very short time span of FFXIV shinryu being created, having one brawl with Omega, and then dying. And no hints of Midgar hopping around different worlds either other than coming from his homeworld to Hydaelyn.

Gilgamesh might well be the same character from V and VIII etc, but I don't think it fits with Omega. Feels more like FFXIV has its own Omega and Shinryu, similar to how I'm pretty sure Type 0 has its own Gilgamesh.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

This Omega seems to be from the same universe, just coming from a planet far far away traveling through space after Midgarsormr to get here.

---

I keep what I say, Omega is from beyond. In his raids he created simulacrums from other existences (enemies and places from V, VI, and I, and the chocobo design for Alpha), which means he visited those worlds prior reaching Hydaelyn. Shinryu is more complicated because we must say there are 2. The Primal is from XIV only, and the interdimensional would be a different entity (and perhaps one of the origins behind the Primal, since Primal "Shinryu" was named by the Domans after another similar creature. Similar to what happened with non-chicken Enkidu, the Primal was based in the interdimensional one. Chickens not included).

What a movie I just explained. xD

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Con_Carne

I keep what I say, Omega is from beyond. In his raids he created simulacrums from other existences (enemies and places from V, VI, and I, and the chocobo design for Alpha), which means he visited those worlds prior reaching Hydaelyn. Shinryu is more complicated because we must say there are 2. The Primal is from XIV only, and the interdimensional would be a different entity (and perhaps one of the origins behind the Primal, since Primal "Shinryu" was named by the Domans after another similar creature. Similar to what happened with non-chicken Enkidu, the Primal was based in the interdimensional one. Chickens not included).

What a movie I just explained. xD

---

Within the raid, his challenges are said to have been based on legends and fairy tales, iirc. So that can possibly account for the other FF characters that appear in the raid.

For Shinryu, that's just a Doman myth, it's not necessarily evidence that another Shinryu exists in the universe.

Omega certainly had access to the rift, but we also have a defined origin and ending for this Omega, and at least from my takeaway the cutscenes going over the journey seemed to be more traveling across vast distances of space rather than world hopping through the rift.

XIV is inspired by other games and has easter eggs from those games. They also take elements from the other games and fit them into the XIV world.

The only thing that is the same in every Final Fantasy game is Gilgamesh. There is only one Gilgamesh. He is a riftwalker.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TaleraRistain

XIV is inspired by other games and has easter eggs from those games. They also take elements from the other games and fit them into the XIV world.

The only thing that is the same in every Final Fantasy game is Gilgamesh. There is only one Gilgamesh. He is a riftwalker.

---

I suspect that Type 0 has a different gilgamesh, because it gives him a defined tragic origin story and IMO he doesn't really feel like the same character tonally as most other apeparances.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

I suspect that Type 0 has a different gilgamesh, because it gives him a defined tragic origin story and IMO he doesn't really feel like the same character tonally as most other apeparances.

---

That's likely Gilgamesh in his original form. His storyline in that game ends with him being stuck in the Rift. Which means the origins of our beloved goofball are soaked in tragedy and sadness. On the bright side, through going to the level of insane he is now, he's likely much happier.

Personally speaking, I don't subscribe to the multiverse. It's fun, but it tends to exist primarily from a place of "this is how we sell crossover products" and not a place of "this is actually our story". For me, Dissidia lore is canon to...just Dissidia. (The Kefka minion description joking about Dissidia does not, in my humble opinion, outweigh the backstory of Omega making it conclusively unique to FFXIV.)

Even in the other games, there are 3 or 4 Gilgamesh that are actually hinted to be the same guy, and then a bunch that are either unique, stand-alone, or make no reference to origin and might just be similar in the way chocobos are similar.

Until Yoshida explicitly opts in, to me, it's not part of the world. He's said over and over FFXIV is an isolated setting, pseudo-canon crossovers and holidays aside.

That said, like Hildibrand, I believe it's as canon as you want it to be. If you like it, good for you! Do so!

...But I don't agree with telling people it's unquestionably confirmed hard canon. It always makes things so complicated, lol. :(

Dissidia is GREAT fanfic fodder, but at the same time it's just... not canon to the rest of the FFs its referencing. One could even argue it's not even taking the canon version of FFI because it makes a WoL that is a composite character with a definite backstory that the WoLs didn't have in the game. It's damn near impossible to take Dissidia canon into their respective FF games because the Warriors are taken at such specific points in their games that it makes no sense when they get pulled back out. Oddly enough, the Dissidia games justify memory loss for the Warriors COMING IN, but then NT has the Warriors back and reference the previous games and it just breaks ANY timeline... and then Opera Omnia has even more problems even if it's a reboot because the XIV characters are introduced but they're part of an on-going narrative so they get memories back but then you have to twist that they're not getting ALL their memories back because ANOTHER expansion will come out and Y'shtola's no longer a CNJ so her skillset makes no sense and Thancred plays like a NIN which he never did in XIV and-sigh, one sec...

*Crosses out "Weekly Dissidia timeline rant" off checklist*

So, yeah, some crossovers are just... "don't think too hard about them"...

Dissidia always takes place in a specific pocket dimension so I never understood worrying about timelines. There outside of time in the Dissdia games anyway, no sweat, simple.

Also, I like how Noctis always starts his crossovers by being asleep. in Dissida and XIV, its hilarious that its his signature.