Soul Crystals (Spoilers)

[Zyne]

I've quite a few questions about them and honestly all my research into official threads, item descriptions, and quest text has only provided me with this information

Soul Crystals impart abilities on their carrier

Not everyone resonates with them. I'm assuming this is either done by ones resolve or similer Aether

They can be crafted by those with the knowledge (Machinist gave us this bit of information)]

The knowledge apparently isn't that secretive. Ninja's have soul crystals and they're on a different continent.

Experiences can enhance them

But WHAT are they. I've an idea they're a type of meteria, but how exactly do these little rocks work?

[Belhi]

I think your partially on the right track mentioning Materia though I don't think they actually are material. I think more likely they absorb Aether from those who carry them and to people suitable they resonate back that absorbed knowledge and essence.

Its interesting to note with the Machinist example that we don't actually learn anything from the Soul Crystal. When we get new skills its ones that have been taught to us, that we have figured out through practice or through devices provided to us like the turrets.

[JeniLinsky]

I wonder if the soul crystals are related to tome stones. We know that tome stones are basically USB drives; could soul crystals be a further advancement of that tech, which specifically stores and then transmits skills from generation to generation of practitioners? That would explain why MCH don't get skills from theirs... the new job is recently invented, and there hasn't been time to build up that level of stored experience.

[Kaiser-Ace]

I've always thought that they were simply a special type of crystal that works in a similar way to an FF10 recording sphere. When the job class is first made (Like Mechanist) some one makes a crystal with their insignia on them. Then over time their memory is imprinted in the crystal which is then passed to their successor. Then the successor passively starts to inherit their master's knowledge while also imprinting their knowledge. Then rinse and repeat ad infinitum.

Then after a few hundred years the knowledge imprinted into the crystal gives it a mystical semi-sentient property all its own as its compiled knowledge of past wielders give it a pseudo-personality thus allowing it to "Choose" who it resonates with based on an imprinted set of prerequisites it has developed since being made by it's 1st wielder.

And like any crystal, the stored knowledge (in aether form ala lifestream) can be drawn out of the crystal in order to learn from it though the methods would vary by the crystal.

The Dark Knight Crystal being exceptionally unusual imo due to it's very nature of tempering the inner darkness of its wielder. Thus why even despite its comparatively short existence it seems to be one of the more powerful and inherently dangerous crystals simply because of its basic nature.

[Belhi]

We know materia is the crystallisation of the Aether imbued into items from continual use. Demimateria is similarly Aether imbued into an item by a crafter during the creation. In both cases we see items take on Aether from the souls of those who use them.

My guess is like all artifacts Soul Crystals absorb Aether from their carriers. The difference is that this Aether is able to be accessed by individuals that have a strong affinity for the type of Aether the Crystal has already absorbed. These crystals are attuned to a particular discipline meaning that they may shaped to absorb only particular types of Aether. Interestingly the Crafting Soul Crystals gotten from Specialisation touch on this. The guy who gives you the crystal comments that the crystal has to be inscribed for a particular discipline as a Soul Crystal that was too 'general' would be too much for a individual to safely use without being harmed.

[fm_fenrir]

Aren't soul crystals functionally identical to atma? If you read the fluff for atma during that sequence of the relic quest, they're basically super-materia that you attune to the relic to improve its performance--sound familiar?

Edit: Also, mahatma are synthetic atma, so you can clearly make these things similarly to soul crystals...

[willibra]

I wonder if the soul crystals are related to tome stones. We know that tome stones are basically USB drives; could soul crystals be a further advancement of that tech, which specifically stores and then transmits skills from generation to generation of practitioners? That would explain why MCH don't get skills from theirs... the new job is recently invented, and there hasn't been time to build up that level of stored experience.

If you take that one step further, it would mean the WoL (and maybe the WoD) is a direct descendant of the Allagan empire. Maybe not royalty mind you, but you would think that if only certain people can access the aether in these devices, they must have been constructed to only attune to something specific to the Allagan genetic code.

That's my 2 cents.

[Cilia]

As far as I can tell, Soul Crystals are the memories of techniques, crystallized to be passed on to future generations. Originally I'd have said they're limited to martial techniques, but now we have DoH soul crystals (though I've not managed to get my mitts on one yet...).

You could say they're like X's spheres, containing the memories of previous holders, but unlike those they're able to impart combat (and crafting) abilities instead of just being watchable memories. The sole exception to this is the MCH crystal, which was newly minted - but that can be waved by saying Stephanivien taught you basic marksmanship before you took off to La Noseca in search of Rostnstahl.

[Kallera]

This is speculation, but it kinda makes sense that the drk crystal be able to tap into the user. Not only are dark knights not an organized group, the abilities of the DRK are a part of the spirit(the "natural darkness of the user"), tapping into that may need something "unlocked" to start with.

[Kaiser-Ace]

This is speculation, but it kinda makes sense that the drk crystal be able to tap into the user. Not only are dark knights not an organized group, the abilities of the DRK are a part of the spirit(the "natural darkness of the user"), tapping into that may need something "unlocked" to start with.

That's getting into your Persona 4 levels of Jungian Psychology there. Your inner darkness (Especially in the WoL's case) is the shadow, or inner self, that's kept lock up. Again especially in the WoL's case who puts their feelings aside for the good of the people and realm at large.

So the crystal, upon 1st contact, (Physical contact specifically) unchains our darker, selfish, and more primal desires that are kept locked up on a day to day basis. Thus the Persona quote "I am the Shadow, the True Self" because that's the side that's not lying to it's self about what you really want. So that physical double of our selves that possessed the corpse we looted the crystal off of was a physical manifestation via the Dark Knight Crystal of our inner self that's completely sick of having to tip toe around corrupt individuals because it's not being the Paragon of Light we are to just Lance/Stab/Shoot/Crush/Incinerate people just because they aren't "Good Guys". Where as our shadow is the kind of person (Being the opposite reflection of our Paragon Nature) would have no problem killing people like Lolorito, The Heaven's Ward, or just about anyone else that was more trouble than they should be and couldn't be legally punished because they are the law.

Thus, Dark Knight quest line of coming to terms with your inner vigilante. <Cue Batman Theme Music>