The True Nature of The Echo

[Enkidoh]

Personally I think that's just tying up a loose plot line from version 1.0, where the player was always told that Minfilia and the Path of the Twelve really didn't know that much about the Echo and it's true extent (she didn't even know who or what had even given the player it in the first place at the time - of course it's now pretty much assumed (without being stated outright) that the Mothercrystal is the one responsible.

As I've said before in past threads on the subject though, I disagree that those 'woken' to the Echo's power is a form of tempering, simply because the two concepts are very different - tempering strips a person of their free will, their very life and personality, leaving them a mindless shell, and grants them no apparent special abilities other than what that person already possessed. It's whole purpose is to create an army of zealous followers to a Primal, as that's how they derive their strength, through worship. The Echo on the other hand, merely grants those so affected with special abilities (what would be termed psychic abilities in the real world), their personality, memories, and most importantly, free will, remain intact.

Hence, even though the Mothercrystal may guide a Woken (ala, an Echo user), like She does throughout ARR's storyline, how that person uses their power is ultimately up to them - in fact 1.0 showed plenty of Echo users seeming to use their powers for more self-centered/avaricistic ends, such as the lalafell that was at the Waking Sands who boasted that his Echo-given ability to understand language (xenoglossia) had proven to be very 'profitable' for him, suggesting he was making money as a translator.

In any event, yes, the upcoming storyline looks like it's going to be taking things in interesting directions. I can't wait.