Nael Van Darnus

Tribute video to Nael Van Darnus... to all those who missed out on v1.0. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4UtKf_sSX8

P.S. This video is not mine. I do not own the rights to it.

More Cutscenes from 1.0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU5N24_5VIk

Truly a magnificent villain. I was just thinking about the new villains and Darnus. He was so much more intimidating. More in your face and his moves more effective through out the story line. It was like a game of chess with him.

Best part was how his plans were so complete, they continued on after his death bringing forth more chaos, horror and devastation to the land. It's not every villain that becomes even MORE of a menace AFTER he's already dead. Now that was impressive.

I don't really care for the story (and most of 2.0 is a direct combination of 1.0 echo/gc) but I really liked Darnus and I don't feel anything in 2.0 compares to that.

Come back to us, Nael! I never got a chance to play 1.XX, so I'd love a chance to fight him at least once!

Clearly Sting from the original Dune movie. #that is all :P

Picture this.


We inherit the power of The Echo, which allows us to relive past events. Square Enix uses this an excuse to bring back 'Riven Road'.

We relive the fight through the echo.



~MY ENTIRE WALLET IF THIS HAPPENS~


(I can understand this isn't even considered, it's just a wishful open thinking)
(I just really loved that fight, and that music....THAT MUSIC)

Took a whole year to beat him.

Meanwhile, in ARR, we beat 3 Legates in 15 min :\

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Originally Posted by Churchill

I don't really care for the story (and most of 2.0 is a direct combination of 1.0 echo/gc) but I really liked Darnus and I don't feel anything in 2.0 compares to that.

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I rather agree.
The buildup leading to Van Darnus was amazing and as a villain he was not only fun and challenging to face, but gave a sense of completion to everything I'd done in 1.0 thus far.

*spoiler alert from here down*

Gaius however was anticlimatic I felt. The story went quickly and suddenly this big bad challenging menace from 1.0 simply fell.
Don't get me wrong, The fights were epic, what with gaius himself, ultima weapon and the primals, and so on and so forth, but it felt like they pushed Gaius out of the way quickly so the story could give us the ascians/paragons as a "true enemy"
There's very little encountering between your character and Gaius until the end when you fight him. Further, he goes down so easily...

It's possible this was simply a result of me moving through the story missions quickly, but I don't feel I rushed anything. The conflict with the empire as a whole had a somewhat more appropriate build up through the story and while I expected it to culminate with gaius, I also expected a more personal development between Gaius and the player character.

I dunno.

Nael is one of the reasons i admire and want to join join the empire ( i hope in a future patch or expansion, playing hero all the time gets old quick) he was indeed a great villain (didn't play 1,0 but watched all cut scenes ).

edit: there are supposed to be harder version of the current dungeons coming. anyway i dont have ARR but i dont mind spoilers and was disappointed when i watched the gaius fight they made him to easy even for a story dungeon i do hope in the future they add a separate gaius van belsar fight where he is a REAL challenge and it takes players months to beat him even once. I mean he is supposed to be a big villain heck even went super sayain and he was a push over

*spoilers, obviously*

If you look at it Lore wise, it kind of makes sense. Gaius is just following up after Darnus. Darnus went it blind to the kind of power that we correctly had and had to have a stronger strategy and was stronger himself. Gaius just followed up after an unexpected course. There were already strongholds established, troops deployed, enemy strategy logged. Gaius had all the ambition but none of the strength. Gaius also had to relied on an ancient weapon rather than the power that held Bahamut. While Ultima Weapon could handle three primals, I doubt it could stand up to something with enough power to leash an Elder Primal.

I just found this topic and was happy to see my AMV in the first post, thank you Mfor ! Nael van Darnus really was a great villain and the last fight was just so epic and difficult, it took me a lot of time before I beated him with a random party, I was so excited, my hands were shaking. He gave us a great fight and this is why I'd like to see this fight back in ARR even if there is no rewards, I just want to do this fight again, also I'd like new players to try it too and see how Nael was powerful ! This is really my best memory from 1.0. :D

(And sorry for my english, my native language is french. :p)

I got such a nostalgia rush from those two videos posted by the OP... I really miss 1.0's much higher quality animations, graphics and cutscenes...

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Originally Posted by Klefth

I got such a nostalgia rush from those two videos posted by the OP... I really miss 1.0's much higher quality animations, graphics and cutscenes...

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Yeah.. The cutscene quality really did die in 2.0. :<

I think one of the reasons Nael Van Darnus was such a challenge in 1.0 compared to Gaius (at least Lore-wise) in 2.0, is because Nael had somehow become possessed by the power of Bahamut and was given control of it so long as he followed "his god's will."

Even in 1.0 Gaius had to rely on an Airship cannon to escape a battle with 4 Scions of the Seventh Dawn, while Nael strolls in late to the party just after you defeat Ifrit, fully intending to have taken him out by himself. He then attempts to kill you with power that even surprises his subordinates and, even though you manage to escape, he completely destroys the Aetheryte you were using and floods the area with aetheric energy.

Later, Nael is fashionably late to Garuda, and basicly says something along the lines of "Struggle struggle little rat, in the end, all your effort is meaningless before Dalamud."

... Such an epic boss, and a really climatic fight for 1.0.


For anyone who is interested in the possibility of fighting him in 2.0, I'll just say that he "technically" wasn't killed in the final battle, his presence was "offered up" to Dalamud.
This leads me to believe that SE wanted an "out" for him, so that he could possibly make a return if it was shown he was popular enough. =D

*Very-very big spoiler* As those, who bugged Twintania, say, Nael isn't done and we get to meet him once again. But after he learned the truth, his character has changed, a lot.

P.S. And yes, I would join Empire just to be on his side, whatever his intentions were.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Atamos

I just found this topic and was happy to see my AMV in the first post, thank you Mfor ! Nael van Darnus really was a great villain and the last fight was just so epic and difficult, it took me a lot of time before I beated him with a random party, I was so excited, my hands were shaking. He gave us a great fight and this is why I'd like to see this fight back in ARR even if there is no rewards, I just want to do this fight again, also I'd like new players to try it too and see how Nael was powerful ! This is really my best memory from 1.0. :D

(And sorry for my english, my native language is french. :p)

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I've said it before, Atamos, but I LOVE your AMV you made and I have it saved to my computer! :) I did see you in-game and waved to you before, but you were on Chocobo. I wish we could relive Nael van Darnus in an Echo-specific fight. I never got a chance to battle him, but I would love to see his battle in ARR's style.

Thanks again Naraku, I'm sorry I didn't saw you ! :p

Thanks Vantol, this is some exciting informations !