[spoilers]3.2 MSQ Discussion/Reaction thread

[Fenral]

Unikalhai has the same essential flag as Urianger. He won't be going anywhere while he's holding on to those EX Primal unlocks. Makes me wonder how Eldibus could possibly betray us now that one of his servants (or he himself in disguise) is a permanent fixture in the Rising Stones.

I'm hoping they don't copy FFVI too much more, actually, but if anyone's getting shoved off the edge of Azus Lla, it'll be Regula so we can keep a pattern of one Legatus per game.

[CyrilLucifer]

On one hand, you're right. Totally-not-Elidibus-or-his-servant is essential at least until 3.4.

On the other hand, I'm a pessimist and I think SE is going to tear Cutest Ascian from me. What you're overlooking is that SE is cheating.

Unukalhai is writing a book about our exploits, it's sitting right there. And the Ex primals? They're just simulations, triggered by a Tomestone. He could just put the Tomestone in his little book as a gift to us once he's gone. In fact, the book itself is precisely the reason why I do think he's going to kick the bucket or leave us.

I like your option better, though. Please be right.

[Theodric]

-snip-

Honestly, I think this might be for the best. Hopefully they'll do it with every character from now on - not because they need to get rid of a character but...because at some point, in the future, it might make sense to do just that. I don't really like the amount of NPC's that 'cannot' be killed just because they happen to be tied to a quest. I feel like something like the ending to 2.0 may have been much longer lasting and in-depth had it involved a different set of characters.

[CyrilLucifer]

I agree that less plot armor for the 1.0 characters would be nice, and absolutely agree about how things could have potentially gone differently in 2.55, but on the other, it's Cutest Ascian. I can't just give him up so easily.

[Fenral]

Honestly, I think this might be for the best.

Seeings as the alternative seems to be using a proxy questgiver and shoving all related characters in a box, dropping it six-feet under and throwing away the key the second the questline ends, I think they just need to be less deathy in general and stop seeing it as their one source of dramatic impact. Mostly that's the players calling for blood, but still. There are other cards that can be played for drama, and the death card has not been used responsibly.

I was happy seeing Briardien show up again in another questline, and needless to say there are a lot of characters like that with potential outside their origin story. (Was not happy to see Krile magically able to use Allagan tech like it's no big deal, unless that's foreshadowing a meaningful connection to our long-forgotten other Student of Baldesion...)

Does this actually matter?

Krile, Y'shtola, and Urianger are in that quest as well, so the Hard Mode Primals come to mind. I suppose it's 50/50, honestly, between getting folded back in before the finale or simply buried in a ditch and forgotten like it never happened, in which case Cutest Ascian is yet another "major" character doomed to be completely irrelevant to anything, never to be referenced when we start asking Urianger what he's been up to with Eldibus.

Makes me wonder why they insist on making new characters for these stories at all. Binding Coil is still the best raid story.

[Nalien]

Unikalhai has the same essential flag as Urianger.

Does this actually matter? Kidibus hasn't shown himself in the main scenario, has he? He can show up in the Rising Stones for anyone starting the Triad quest after 3.5, and disappear in the conclusion. Since he never showed up in the main scenario, it wouldn't be that jarring for him to be there after we've dealt with whatever we're going to deal with beyond Nidhogg. Ultimately no different than the Summoner questline; The final quest can just make reference to the main scenario, the same as the Twelfth Chalice Ascian referenced Lahabrea.

Given he is part of his own questline, Kidibus can expire at the end of it. Urianger is immune to such things because he is part of several questlines, if they kill him off in the main scenario he'd still have to be there for Primals/Coil. Though they could still write him out, and not in the way Nanamo was written out. A Last Verse quest, which ties together the main scenario, Primals, and Coil could spell doom for Urianger. Future main scenario content would then just not include him; If you've yet to do the Primal story, he is still there, but he isn't in any of the new main scenario quests because reasons. They just need to make a concluding questline to tie everything together. Unless I'm forgetting something though, Kidibus is essentially the same as G'raha, sadly.