[SPOILERS] Revelations from Patch 4.01

[Zohar_Lahar]

Something to note: Exdeath doesn't die the same as O1-O3. He gets sucked into the void. That hints towards him being the ACTUAL Exdeath and not a simulacrum like the others. Means we might see Neo Exdeath later.

Also how does this tie in with WoD, since Cloud of Darkness is supposed to be the personification of the Void itself. The Rift from FF5 was just a fancy name for the Void, wasn't it?

In FF5, "the Void" was something created/summoned by Enuo in ancient times and was sealed away in the Interdimensional Rift.

[Jonnycbad]

V1-V4 normal are all easy for raiders. Very easy.

Its entirely conceivable that the Savage bosses will have 2-5 times more HP (and hit at least twice as hard) as the Normal versions, as well as an extra phase or two

V4 is still a 10 minute fight for most groups, for Savage if they kept his HP the same, then Neo would need to have less HP I would think.

[PArcher]

V4 is still a 10 minute fight for most groups, for Savage if they kept his HP the same, then Neo would need to have less HP I would think.

Remember that A11 had an extra phase after the pyrettic phase in Savage. Definitely had more HP too.

And that was a *long* fight in the DF.

Savage isn't meant for 1500dps DPS, it's meant for 3k+ dps (and that's still on the low side for raiders, with raid tanks pushing 3k or more with str acc right now)

[Dualblade]

Also how does this tie in with WoD, since Cloud of Darkness is supposed to be the personification of the Void itself. The Rift from FF5 was just a fancy name for the Void, wasn't it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE0R3Grgj5g

At the very least it does seem like the Void is similar for them. As well I don't believe the XIV version of CoD is the "personifitcation" of the void, isn't she implied to be one of the WoL from the 13th shard that went mad with power due to auracite and primal energy?

On the multiverse theory here: Exdeath here is not the same as V Exdeath lore wise, that part is still seperate. Whether its Omega itself being one of the ones seen in V or because Exdeath is a fictional character here matters not, XIV Exdeath is a recreation by Omega. Same with any other boss for now. Its fanservice plain and simple (and I like it so much.) One thing I would like to point out is that in the GBA remake of V the bonus dungeon that contained Enuo also contained Neo Shinryu and a room with multiple copies of Omega as well as Omega MK II. I could actually see Omega's plan to get us to go full hero in his tests to "backfire" next raid tier...and then the raid tier after has Omega MK II arrive.

For something I don't think I saw anyone talk about here but I do find interesting: We can't understand Alpha. Everything else on Hydaelyn, including the Ascians, we can understand because of the Echo. Alpha however shows that this power of understanding is limited only to those bearing "Hydaelyn's soul". Now unless we end up facing even more aliens in the actual MSQ it probably won't matter but it is something to think about. Also means Middy and atleast his first brood could probably have secret conversations that we can't understand if he wanted, unless part of his pact with Hydaelyn was making his original language understandable by the Echo.

Oh and for anyone wondering Haukke Manor HM's final boss hasn't gotten a name change. Yet at least. Though given that she was apparently a fictional character yet at the same time a powerful succubus from another shard could actually work in the lore.

[Zetsumei_Tsunarashi]

It's literally

Exdeath

same character, same personality, it's him from Final Fantasy V
Now can people stop memeing? Square went back on their word that FFXIV is its own thing and void or not a character from a FF game that's not part a arguably non canon event showed up.

I don't think this is true. The characters we fight are just copies of the original created by omega. At least that's how I'm understanding it. It's using the information it has gathered from legends and historical documents and creating copies based on that information. It's not as if omega has transported that actual character from another dimension. This is evidenced by the fact that Omega can create copies of even fictional characters. If it was actually transporting a physical being, then it would be impossible to manifest a fictional character.

It's a fun concept because it means that literally any character or monster from past Final Fantasy, or even entirely original characters are fair game to show up as enemies in the omega series. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the raid holds for us. Personally I'm hoping for some old FFXI villains to show up. A fight against our fallen Scion allies would be cool as well. It's fun to think of the possibilities, the sky really is the limit and kudos to SE for making the lore for this.

[Cilia]

While it's easy to assume that, due to Omega's near omnipotence, it is capable of dimension hopping and that's where it got the ideas for Halicarnassus and Exdeath from (literally from visiting V's world)... that remains unknown. According to Midgardsormr, it (like he) is "not of this star," meaning at the very least Omega is extraterrestrial. Whether or not it's extradimensional remains to be seen; until we know for sure it is, I would argue erring on the side of caution and going with what we know: that Halicarnassus and Exdeath are based on folktales on Hydaelyn, nothing more.

Omega states that its goal is to determine what allows us to overcome statistical disadvantages, then incorporate that into its evolution. As I argued before, this is likely a heart / soul, which is not something that can be obtained by simply desiring it or following protocol. It's a common theme with mechanical lifeforms: "What constitutes a soul? Can machines and other artificial lifeforms have souls?" The answer: often, but Omega is unlikely to grow one by following protocols to evolve. (Typically it requires going beyond mere programming, and again, despite Omega's near omnipotence all it's doing is following that programming.)

As for why we can't understand Alpha... well, we've never been able to understand beasts. That's Krile's shtick. More to the point and in regards to the whole soul business, I'd argue that Alpha presently lacks a soul for us to communicate with. He is, after all, nothing more than a cartoon chocobo created by Omega to lure us into its testing process. If we do gain the ability to speak with him using the Echo, that just proves Omega's creations can grow souls and move beyond their designated purpose. (Making Alpha the perfect counterpart to Omega: one weak and helpless, but possessing the one thing the nigh-omnipotent other cannot obtain.)

... mostly hypotheticals. Mostly. Sorry if I ruin the fun for everyone.

[Dualblade]

I wouldn't exactly call Alpha a beast. It very clearly understands what we are saying and is trying to communicate with us, but only Middy can actually understand it. Which if we go by that means Middy can also understand all beasts like Krile. That said the point about its lack of soul stands and thus we might be able to communicate with Alpha ourselves sometime later.

[Daralii]

Middy suggests that Alpha has a soul, and he presumably gained plenty of knowledge about Omega's creations in the "conflict across eons and stars" between them.

[Theodric]

I have to wonder if Midgardsormr will be incriminated somehow by Omega. Did Midgardsormr serve Hydaelyn as a means of atonement, perhaps? Given that very few aspects of this game's lore are black or white combined with the general vagueness and refusal of Midgardsormr to reveal key information I can't help but feel that there's much more to the conflict between them.

[Anonymoose]

Throwing in some leftovers from a deeper reading (including each client language).

I haven't really organized my thoughts on any of it just yet, though, lol.

The journal specifies that Omega's rift is between the dimensions.
As dimensions beyond the fourteen (and the aetherial sea) remain speculative, Occam says (for now) that it is in a similar position as the Chrysalis: between Source/Shard/Sea. In Japanese, the same kanji are used when referring to the "pocket dimensions" where the Ascians reside and where Louisoix tossed the Legacies.

Halicarnassus and the Dimension Castle are from a novel, where she was defeated by a band of young heroes. Nero chides Cid for thinking he's too good for cheap entertainment and explains that the author claimed the novel was based on historical events from the Fourth Astral Era, but - that era being a dark, forgotten age - nothing ever surfaced that corroborated his claims and now most regard the book as pure fiction. (Then again, the same was true of Allag until Coinach.)

Exdeath is similar to Halicarnassus, but ostensibly from a different story. He was said to wield the power of the void, which Nero assumed was a metaphor when he read the story but assumes will be taken literally by Omega. He is disconcertingly interested in what Exdeath's powers might accomplish, knowing that void is said to undo the laws of reality and lead to chaos (recall that Lahabrea once threatened such a thing if Hydaelyn remained unchecked).

Nero also muses outloud that he has a very wild imagination, which is conceptually worrying in a comedic way. Silly though the idea is, Nero could conceivably Stay Puft Marshmallow Man us in later turns if Omega chooses to browse his imaginings, somehow.

Midgardsormr on Omega
"We met in other skies, in other times." / "from a distant star" / "from time eternal and distance infinite"
Fashioned by an "advanced civilization" on a "distant planet" whose heights our world has yet to reach.
Access to "many thousands of years of history" from "all of the mirror worlds"
Does not draw distinctions between concepts based on whether they existed in reality or in imagination.

Midgie isn't willing to discuss particulars at the moment, but it seems like he might on his own terms (Please look forward to Patch 4.4).

An Aside: Allag had interstellar tech ... but for what? Maybe some are still out there. Maybe they went in search of whatever made Omega.

Midgardsormr is from a "time before time". Is this pre-division of the Source? Could Omega be from this far back, as well? It seems unlikely, seeing as civilizations are usually mortal things and we've been lead to believe Hydaelyn made those later. There's also the possibility that Omega made Midgardsormr in the first place, and lost, and that's why they've been pursuing each other ... but that ... that is a big house of cards I can't make structurally sound at all, just yet.

Farther Aside: Just how much of our cosmos was copied into the mirror worlds, anyway? Does the entire universe exist in multiple dimensions?

Further Questions from a Closer Inspection
Why does the Echo fail on this chocobo? The easiest assumption would be that because Omega is without soul, so must be its creations - life in biological terms alone. Yet Midgardsormr refers to its soul in EN, and calls it pseudo-life in JP. It's not like we can read the minds of regular chocobos anyway, however.

Does Omega's focus on aether prove that it's limited it to Hydaelyn's cosmos? Aether is unique to XIV, not confirmed to be identical to or synonymous with, only similar to, other franchise mediums (such as mako or mist). ("But Y'shtola uses aether to cast magicks! She can cast magicks in Dissidia can't she?" ... Hrrrm.)