What is The Eye doing?

[Nalien]

Can I mention that the Eyes have answered to THREE people at the same time?

Estinien, WoL, and Thordan.

Is this the case? Seemed more like he was just using it... If you have to be chosen in order to use it then I'm even more confused by it, given how Estinien effectively crippled Nidhogg with it... Why give your enemy that much power over you? Heck, the Eye wasn't even meant to be carried around, it was kept in the Vault until Estinien stole it, indicating that the Azure Dragoons never really directly used the Eye...

I'd need to go back and check the cutscenes as well, but I don't think the Eye reacted to Thordan in anyway... It clearly reacted to us when we first met Estinien, but the only animation I recall of it with Thordan was him turning it into a sword and it absorbing Lahabreaether...

[RobinMalvin]

Is this the case? Seemed more like he was just using it... If you have to be chosen in order to use it then I'm even more confused by it, given how Estinien effectively crippled Nidhogg with it... Why give your enemy that much power over you? Heck, the Eye wasn't even meant to be carried around, it was kept in the Vault until Estinien stole it, indicating that the Azure Dragoons never really directly used the Eye...

Haldrath had the Eye until his death, hadn't he? And with the fact Azure Dragoons need the Eye's power to fight Nidghogg on equal footing, and Estinien brought the Eye with him during our journey together, I'd assume that Azure Dragoon would keep it in person when fighting Nidhogg. It was because Nidhogg was thought asleep and thus not an immediate threat that the Eye was kept, until Nidhogg awakens.

I never said the Eye reacted to Thordan. I said that the Eye answered to him, when he reached for it, allowing Thordan to access its power with no apparent difficulty despite Nidhogg's presence in it. Unless you count the Eye's glow as a sign it reacting to someone, then yes, Thordan also qualifies.

But I honestly don't think you need to have the Eye reacts to you in any way to use its power, but you have to beat Nidhogg's will in a mind battle first, which is said to be extremely hard it took Estinien crippled to cripple Nidhogg. With Thordan could access its power seemingly without effort can be adressed to the fact that he was primal when we saw him used it, or that he made Nidhogg's will inside the Eye to submit, making him somewhat one of the chosen and allowed to use it, just like how Azure Dragoons do.

Then, we toss both of Nidhogg's eyes into a chasm... so what happens to the power of the Azure Dragoon? Do the eyes still give someone their power? Shouldn't the WoL be a DRG no longer...? Gaaahh!

Eyes of a dragon can store the surrounding aether inside, so yes, they can still give power to anyone wielding it.

Dragoon's abilities and skills come from training, not the Eyes. It's Azure Dragoons who can tap into the Eyes power, giving them extra power to be able to face stronger dragons i.e Nidhogg. As Alberic has confirmed, an Azure Dragoon can give up their link to the Eyes' power. With Estinien being the last Dragoon to ever bond with the Eyes, I believe his link has been severed when he's freed from the Eyes' grasp, or he simply gave it up when he put down his spear.

[RobinMalvin]

I don't think the Warriors of Darkness are after Nidhogg's eyes to revive him at all. I'm expecting the WoDs to eat them just as Thordon and his knights did to Ratataskr's.

Well since Nidhogg has been confirmed to be dead for real this time, I doubt they'd want to revive him.

No,they must want to use the eyes for their wellspring of aether, maybe to eat them, or to empower something, something...

[Nalien]

Haldrath had the Eye until his death, hadn't he? And with the fact Azure Dragoons need the Eye's power to fight Nidghogg on equal footing, and Estinien brought the Eye with him during our journey together, I'd assume that Azure Dragoon would keep it in person when fighting Nidhogg. It was because Nidhogg was thought asleep and thus not an immediate threat that the Eye was kept, until Nidhogg awakens.

I'd think Haldraths story is a pretty good argument for not giving Azure Dragoons the Eye to play with... It eventually claimed him, and everything we saw of Estinien had the same thing happening... It makes sense to me that they'd keep the Eye out of reach, having seen what it did to Haldrath... We saw what having it did to Estinien multiple times... Even with Nidhogg dead, it was a battle for him to harness the Eyes power for something as simple as breaking into Azys Lla, you don't want your "best" fighter to be burdened in that way during such a crucial battle...

I also don't think Nidhogg would have stood much of a chance against Ishgard if the Azure Dragoons always had the Eye backing them up... Estinien utterly crippled Nidhogg during the Aery, if every Azure Dragoon could do even a fraction of that, I think Ishgard would have overpowered Nidhogg long ago, not the narrative we got, that Nidhogg was holding back every time and could easily have wiped them out... Nidhoggs dialog during the Aery also indicates that Azure Dragoons don't usually use the Eye in that way, if every Azure Dragoon used the Eye against Nidhogg in that way, Nidhogg wouldn't have been so surprised when Estinien pulls it out to counter him...

Heck, just from a strategic point of view... While it's possible the Eye can cripple Nidhogg, it's also true that he wants them back... Using the Eye on the front lines is a pretty risky plan, bordering on stupid... You risk letting it fall back into his hands (or... socket?) and powering up your enemy... Given you do not need to be in direct contact with it to be an Azure Dragoon (given we're an Azure Dragoon long before we touch it), it makes far more sense to keep it under lock and key during the battle... The last thing you want is an Azure Dragoon falling in battle and handing the Eye back to Nidhogg as a result...

[RobinMalvin]

I'd think Haldraths story is a pretty good argument for not giving Azure Dragoons the Eye to play with... It eventually claimed him, and everything we saw of Estinien had the same thing happening...

I agree with you that Haldrath's fate was what first compelled Holy See to keep the Eye when it's not used; less exposure, less risk from becoming a dragon's thrall. Maybe they also added some rule, like one can only become Azure Dragoon for period of time, need to be inspected by inquisitors, and so on...

Given you do not need to be in direct contact with it to be an Azure Dragoon (given we're an Azure Dragoon long before we touch it)

But this one I disagree. We were *chosen* by the Eye, true, but the only time we ever being seen and confirmed using Eye's power is when we killed Igeyorhm, and everytime we learn new DRG skills they come from the Soul Crystal/dragon within us not from the Eye. The Eye only reacted to us, *chose* us, but we never use its power save that one and only occasion.

I also don't think Nidhogg would have stood much of a chance against Ishgard if the Azure Dragoons always had the Eye backing them up... Estinien utterly crippled Nidhogg during the Aery, if every Azure Dragoon could do even a fraction of that, I think Ishgard would have overpowered Nidhogg long ago, not the narrative we got, that Nidhogg was holding back every time and could easily have wiped them out... Nidhoggs dialog during the Aery also indicates that Azure Dragoons don't usually use the Eye in that way, if every Azure Dragoon used the Eye against Nidhogg in that way, Nidhogg wouldn't have been so surprised when Estinien pulls it out to counter him...

Nidghogg was crippled by the Eye, true, and crippled Estinien too. Having to draw enough power from the Eye to do so, while simultaneously fighting against Nidhogg from within and without, caused Estinien too much strain that by the time we reached him it was all he could do to keep his hold over the Eye and his mind. The fact that he managed to pull that off for quite some time and still managed to keep his sanity, is likely what surprised Nidghogg; lesser men would've got their mind taken by then.

And even crippled, Nidhogg was still formidable it was all we as WoL could do to weaken him enough for Estinien to strike the killing blow. If WoL can't beat him in his weakened state, can the ordinary soldiers of Ishgard kill him?

Heck, just from a strategic point of view... While it's possible the Eye can cripple Nidhogg, it's also true that he wants them back...

Is it true though? The only ones who claimed 'Nidhogg wants his eyes back' are all Ishgardians, with little to no knowledge of the dragon's intention. They are the same people who claimed 'Nidhogg has been repelled by our mighty nation time and again' while in truth Nidhogg could burn the city no problem, reclaiming his eyes in process.

But he didn't, because that was never his intention to reclaim his eyes. He's got enough power to wage his war and that's all that mattered.

The reason he never tried to reclaim them is the same reason he never tried to burn the city. The eyes were taken from him was a misfortune, but he decided to use that as part of his strategy.

---It makes it sound more like Nidhogg's selecting people

Those three chosen by the Eyes have one thing in common; strong desire for power.

And I say it's true, OP. Nidhogg was selecting people to wield his eye, and he chose those who crave power; those who will use any power whatever it is, whatever the cost.

Azure Dragoon is a chosen one, deemed worthy to use the Eye's power and potentially can kill Nidhogg. For Ishgardians, Azure Dragoon is a symbol of hope in their war for achieving victory.

And Nidhogg played from this hope.

Azure Dragoons are adviced to tread carefully in their dealing with the Eye lest they get enthralled by Nidghogg. But with the Eye's untold power, how long will it take for man to be 'careful', especially if he has ambition he so desires that not even he as Azure Dragoon can achieve? Even if it's just a moment, once he lower his guard, Nidhogg would take his mind.

What do you think would happen if the Azure Dragoon, the people's champion, suddenly became great wyrm's thrall?

It would be a major blow to Ishgardian as the whole, causing untold despair to their hearts, knowing that not even their champion is safe from Nidhogg's influence. They would lose their will to fight, and then Nidhogg would simply harass them over and over, singing his requiem for his beloved sister Ratatoskr with blood of Ishgardians.