Revelations from Patch 3.56

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

I will say, the more I think about it, the more I wish there had been some indication that Garlemald took Ilberd's assault as an act of war, rather than just assumptions from everyone. Having Zenos himself come to Carteneau would have done nicely - show up, tell us that "our" attack will invite swift retribution, etc. I'm willing to live with what we have - it wouldn't be the first time the story has asked us to fill in the blanks a bit ourselves, and it didn't ruin it then and it won't now - but the decision to "secure Gridania's borders" *did* come off as a bit impulsive, given the lack of any Garlean activity. I'm just gonna assume there was a discussion about it without us present

[Belhi]

The Castrums we attacked in 2.X were manned by the XIVth Legion. Gaius and his troops were acting independently of the Empire with their attempt at conquering Eorzea, so it didn't have the same oomph as Baelsar's Wall. After Gaius' defeat it sounds like Oriens was staffed by the XIIth Legion maybe? Anyways, it's different definitely I think for a lot of reasons, not the least of which like you said it was attack on the border of the Empire as far as Garlemald is concerned.

The more I think on it, the more I've grown fonder of Yugiri in this little mini patch. Not exactly sure what it is....

Oh and their was the giant primal that was clearly not summoned by a beast tribe. This might be the first open example of a non-beast tribe summoning that Garlemald has witnessed. Even if the Garlean Powers that Be knew before and kept it under wraps, I think this will let slip that pretty much anyone with enough aether can summon a Primal. And with the power of the Primal summoned, that makes Eorzea a threat. It doesn't even matter if we will. The point is that we can.

[KageTokage]

The more I think on it, the more I've grown fonder of Yugiri in this little mini patch. Not exactly sure what it is....

I liked that she wasn't willing to head back to Doma on a moment's notice due to still feeling indebted to the people of Eorzea and reasoning it's what her master would want.

She still seemed rather torn in the final scene, so I'm expecting that she'll stick around through the early parts of Stormblood before we end up going along with her and Gotetsu to Othard.

[Kai_Lee]

I liked that she wasn't willing to head back to Doma on a moment's notice due to still feeling indebted to the people of Eorzea and reasoning it's what her master would want.

She still seemed rather torn in the final scene, so I'm expecting that she'll stick around through the early parts of Stormblood before we end up going along with her and Gotetsu to Othard.

I would like SE to actually give us the reason why yugiri was needed back in Doma instead of having us speculate what is going on and why we as the WoL need to go to Doma. The whole hiding information or withholding information doesn't cut it anymore. It's just seem to be so overdone by now.

[Berethos]

I would like SE to actually give us the reason why yugiri was needed back in Doma instead of having us speculate what is going on and why we as the WoL need to go to Doma. The whole hiding information or withholding information doesn't cut it anymore. It's just seem to be so overdone by now.

You want them to tell you the story before showing you the story?

The reason behind why she's been sought out and called back to her home should remain a mystery for now (it's good writing to not reveal too much too quick, and this would qualify as it's not relevant to the more immediate events on the other side of Baelsar's Wall), and it adds a small element of tension (for us, the audience) and possible conflict (emotional/mental for the character in this case)...all good things in writing. It's a set-up moment - reveal too much and you spoil the set-up.

[Belhi]

I would like SE to actually give us the reason why yugiri was needed back in Doma instead of having us speculate what is going on and why we as the WoL need to go to Doma. The whole hiding information or withholding information doesn't cut it anymore. It's just seem to be so overdone by now.

We are told her master needs aid. I find it curious that she has a master.

I think our reasons for going to Doma will be different to hers. I think we head there to learn more about Zenos. I bet that he was at one point Governor of Doma, perhaps even in charge of the putting down of the rebellion.

[Ceasaria]

2 directions : Ala Mhigo and Doma
2 Primals : Omega and Shinryu

I watch the cinematic again, and I think Omega will crash in Gyr Abania, and Shinryu will crash in Othard.
It would be a good reason to go there.

[Cilia]

In regards to Zenos being the real Yda: possibly? It's foolish to rule out possibilities, but there's nothing linking the two beyond both having blonde hair. (Despite some popular notions, Garleans can have hair colors beyond white - Nero, for instance, is also a pale blonde like Zenos.) They'd need a very, very well-done explanation on how and why an Ala Mhigan refugee who became a Sharlayan Archon would fake her death and defect to the Garleans, becoming both a tyrant to her homeland and heir to the Garlean throne.

If Yda is Zenos, I will melt my armor into slag.

As for my opinion on "obligations," it's the same thing Spider-Man has beat into everyone's heads since childhood: "With great power there must also come - great responsibility!" or, as Uncle Ben puts it in the Amazing film, "[I]f you [can] do good things for other people, then you [have] a moral obligation to do those things." The problem is... sometimes that "good thing" means doing something morally questionable. If we'd apprehended or killed Ilberd back in Halatali, he wouldn't have been able to form the Masks, assault the Wall, and summon Shinryu. Countless lives on both sides would have not been lost, and we wouldn't have had a war with the world's superpower foisted on us. (Granted I do believe a war with Garlemald over Ala Mhigo was inevitable, but even so.)

In another context...

In Skyrim, one sidequest is clearing out a ruin of zombies so you can lure a priest in there for a group of cannibals to eat, you included. Even though it stops me from getting 100% completion, I refuse to do this quest on moral grounds. I clear the ruin, then assassinate all the cannibals because the fact this is an initiation ritual into their cult means they've killed and eaten at least four other people and will continue to do so, and are liable to end up contracting a neuro-degenerative disease that will eventually kill them anyway. (There's a reason cannibalism is not a good idea, and it's not just because of social taboos.)

In any and every game where it's possible, I avoid killing unless I absolutely have to. I have perfect stealth and pacifist runs on Deus Ex: Human Revolution, don'tcha know? Sometimes though, killing really is the right choice. Refusing to kill someone too dangerous to be left alive isn't being noble or heroic - it's selfishly prioritizing your own innocence and conscience over the greater good. Does this mean you operate out of your own private court of law? No - you kill only in self-defense and as a last resort. But you don't get to tell the countless soldiers that will die in the war, and the families who will be shattered, and the innocent people who will have the horrors of war visited upon them something like "Sorry about all this, I just didn't wanna kill the guy responsible for it." and still consider yourself good.

It's not fun, fair, or clean. You'll get your hands dirty, but sometimes bein' a hero means doin' the things nobody wants to do...

With all that said... we're going into a war a fanatical Ala Mhigan resistance leader sparked, as the aggressor, against the world's superpower which is known to be highly oppressive and aggressive in conquering territory. I think the people crying for more "moral greyness" got what they wanted.

[Anonymoose]

They'd need a very, very well-done explanation on how and why an Ala Mhigan refugee who became a Sharlayan Archon would fake her death and defect to the Garleans, becoming both a tyrant to her homeland and heir to the Garlean throne.

Everyone knows that if you die in Japanese fiction, there's 10% chance you'll respawn as an amnesic masked bad guy.
(Upwards of 25% if it has the word "Gundam" in the title!)

In Skyrim <...> I refuse to do this quest on moral grounds.

But did you support Ulfric? It's all void if you supported Ulfric.

[cbwriter]

Considering that this IS a Japanese MMORPG, it's completely normal that a martial artist would have a master, 'master' meaning one who is supremely skilled enough that they are asked to teach their skills, as in 'master and apprentice'. Most all martial artists have their 'masters' that they learned from. Since an apprenticeship in Japan, as in old Europe, is a multi-year commitment, the student -teacher (apprentice-master) relationship becomes close to being family.

So Yugiri having a master and going to his aid is completely normal.