Thank you for the post, Enkidoh. It's all very interesting stuff.

Even taking one facet of the Echo in ARR, it does seem very glossed over. My particular issue is the language barrier. The intricasies of how xenoglossia would work are just too complicated. Does the Echo transform our voice into some panlexical sound that everyone/everything can understand, no matter their language? Does it only work for the person we're speaking to? ie. room full of Garleans, only the one we're directly talking to can understand. Does it work for languages not of Hydaelyn? eg. Case in point: Lightning from XIII.

It's assumed without even a thought, but if you accept there are at least three languages - Eorzean, Garlean and Sharlayan - then, technically, at any one time: Cid shouldn't be able to communicate with 95% of the people he meets. Nor should Alphinaud. Nor should any of the Garlean generals. It's mentioned somewhere back in v1 lore that's this is why the Garleans used Eorzea-born citizens to enter cities and start spreading propaganda, in our native language, during the war 25 years ago.

Too many questions left in the air. Not even beginning to mention some of the Echo's other powers. The Garleans apparently are so hell-bent on trying to understand it, they were prepared to lobotomise Minfilia (it's implied, after she refuses to talk). Why not kidnap and dissect some random adventurer off the street, if that's the case?

I'm trying to fully understand it because I'm writing fanfiction, but I'm also exceedingly stringent on lore. It has to be right, else what's the point? I feel v1 was a LOT more generous and as far as ARR goes it's become a casualty to the rampant "casual appeal" we've had to accept. Would honestly love a dev reply on this, but they're probably all too busy, hah.