Hypertuned/Resonant

[Cilia]

Still catching up, but I want to point out this wrong--Ala Mhigo isn't the first time he uses these attacks against us. "The Time Between the Seconds" i.e. our match vs Zenos in Yanxia, he displays all of these characteristics. In fact the very first thing he does after unsheathing Ame-no-Habakiri is use "Art of the Sword!" His illusory copies are even called "Dark Reflections" and can be defeated in this solo instance.

You're right; it's been a long while since I did that fight, so the fine details escape me. Thank you for jogging my memory. (I'm not perfect, c'mon...)

Ehh... well, Zenos' ability to use magicks at Yuzuka Manor may be attributed to the original intent of Aulus' research: imbuing Garleans with the ability to wield magicks. Fordola specifically notes that such a treatment would be useless on her since she's not a Garlean, but Zenos explains that's not what was done to her and that the ability to wield magicks pales in comparison. We don't see anything else.

Ultimately there's not really enough information to draw a conclusion. Did Zenos have Aulus modify him so he could wield magicks prior to our bout in Ala Mhigo? (Probably, because I faintly recall some lighting swords raining down on us back in Rhalgr's Reach.) Was the Resonant Echo responsible for his ability to wield magicks? (Unlikely.) Why did they need an Echo user to make Resonants? What's the connection between Hyptertuning and the Resonant Echo, if any? What is Hypertuning?

I hope all these questions are answered at some point.

[Okamimaru]

I don't think the sword arts used by zenos are magic really but unique to the swords themselves... otherwise why use multiple swords? They made a huge deal about finding the one sword which was a power up of sorts for zenos and his abilities... the resonance let him overcome shinryu and merge with it (perhaps exhorting his will over the primal which in turn fused with zenos on command)... also why.didn't we take the damn sword with us after he killed himself? As a Sam main I was like... ma new sword, awwww...

[Anonymoose]

I don't think the sword arts used by zenos are magic really but unique to the swords themselves... otherwise why use multiple swords?

Ame-no-Habakiri is all but assuredly a magicked sword, though I question whether a normal Garlean could bring out its potential. If a Garlean could make use of enchanted items, would their aetherial limitations be such a major obstacle? They'd theoretically only need to conquer one aetherially-adept culture and force them to churn out magicked equipment for them to harness. Though, in 1.0, when Darnus channeled magicks through Bradamante, the VIIth was flabbergasted.

As for why so many swords, Yoshida addressed this in a LIVE Letter not too long ago. Zenos gained an appreciation for the katana while fighting in the eastern theatre. However, real katanas in actual combat degrade very quickly. Zenos carries several katanas so he can endure prolonged combat; when a sword dulls or breaks, he tosses it aside and takes up another. He also joked that the multi-scabbard is designed primarily to look cool but maybe there's a little switch Zenos flicks to make it spin.

[PArcher]

We don't even fully understand the limits of the Echo yet. Maybe Garlean superscience will give us some more details in the coming patches. I find it odd that no one seems to be studying the Echo. Even the Scions seem content to just use it rather then try and master it.

Well, those on the Isle of Val were researching the Echo...before the Isle was blasted into oblivion, with only Krile surviving. They definitely found something that made the Ascians throw an Ultima-like spell at it.

I do agree that it seems like the Echo is going to be a prominent feature in the coming patches

[Okamimaru]

Upon looking at the skill meditate it seems that's what zenos does before unleashing certain attacks so he's building up kenki for those attacks... and probably sen too if any kinda logic is to be followed... and kugane castle shows us even inanimate object can use kenki as an offensive measure... zenos is probably doing the same

[Singularity]

I think Zenos is a resonant from the first moment you see him.

"But when I read van Baelsar's reports, I immediately saw the boundless potential of the Echo. I saw how it could be instrumental in binding an eikon to one's will. Hence my research and the Resonant - and oh so much more!"
- Zenos

It's made clear through dialogue that Aulus started out as a geneticist - his original proposal was to "modify the Garlean genome" to correct what he sees as the one flaw in the otherwise-superior-in-every-way Garlean race - their inability to wield aether. He was unable to find anyone in Garlemald willing to support his work, until he met Zenos.

Now, why Zenos chose to support Aulus is not 100% clear - either he had read the reports already by the time they met and presumably saw an avenue to achieving his goal of conferring the Echo upon one who was not born with it, or he supported Aulus simply as a path to greater strength and then read the reports later and changed the focus of the research.

Either way, under Zenos, it's clear that specifically the Echo rather than merely the ability to wield aether became the goal of the research. At some point after beginning work, Aulus invents the soul transfusion concept and abandons genetic modification as a path to achieving this goal. His early work lives on however (and possibly continues to progress under a different research team), and while he was not able to genetically confer magical ability, some of his modifications were found to be useful in... other ways, the hypertuned being the result. The magitek implantation may be a later development of the hypertuned or it may be another of Aulus' abandoned research paths. Certainly it's conceivable that magitek implantation would be a potential path to explore with regards to making a Garlean able to wield magic.

Rewatching the cutscene where Fordola wakes up after receiving the resonance treatment, it's clear that Aulus' laboratory is not substantially integrated into the surrounding structure, and it's also not something Gaius would have allowed when he was viceroy (i.e. up 'til the end of 2.0), so it definitely looks like it was constructed in or moved to Ala Mhigo recently.
On the other hand, there are dozens of bodies of presumably failed test subjects placed around the floor, so it seems equally unlikely that all of these are a result of attempted transfusions using the recently-captured Krile.

I would conclude that the laboratory was set up shortly after Zenos became viceroy and has been operating for some time, Krile merely being its newest Echo source. Echo users are not all that rare, and certainly some would have been born in the annexed territories of Ilsabard or Othard, being far more accessible. It's also well noted that the Echo manifests in multiple ways and conceivable both that Aulus would want to collect as complete a set as possible and that Krile's form was not one they had already.

As for Zenos himself, if the lab has been around for some time (and the research itself even longer), then I'd doubt he only becomes a Resonant after capturing Krile. His strength doesn't really appear to change throughout the course of Stormblood (yours simply grows to match his) whereas we would expect a significant jump in power if he suddenly gained Echo-like abilities. The specific way in which he is described as having (effortlessly) slaughtered anyone who tried to fight him during the Doman campaign is also reminiscent of an Echo user.

[Anonymoose]

[snip]

I can see the possibility that Zenos had these powers longer than it seemed like, as well; that the narrative was just holding back the surprise by beating around the bush. There are just a few things I can't make work with it (yet) and thus prioritized (Occam-wise) the interpretation that it was more recent for the time being. In order from least problematic to most:

First; I don't recall any precedent for Echo-blessed originating outside of Eorzea in this Calamity cycle (YET). What little lore we have about Echo-ex-Eorzea suggests that its appearance is relatively localized to the area being used to create the Calamity; the Zodiac Braves consolidated within Thavnairian legend, for example (assuming this wasn't itself a Thavnairian account of an Eorzean event, which is too big a leap to take unbidden).

The Echo sounded right around the Battle of Silvertear Skies, where there were many witnesses to a starshower over Eorzea; this same starshower is seen in a vision when someone new is awoken. The farthest away we can make a case for so far is Sharlayan, where the Echo was identified in Krile in 1567 (5 years after Silvertear Skies and the exodus from Eorzea). Even then, she was in an orphanage off the mainland at the time and we have no idea where she came from. Counterpoint, we have Ascians working in the Far East; She should choose Far Easterners to combat their influence.

Second; Lahabrea seems to have been the one that clued Gaius van Baelsar into how the Warrior of Light consistently fared so well against primals, seeing as it was Gaius who dispatched Livia to capture the Warrior of Light for study and Lahabrea who teleported her into the Waking Sands to complete her mission (where she failed, but took Miniflia, a different Walker, as a consolation prize). If so, that provides us a clear time-table for when Gaius's reports would include the information that sparked Zenos's interest.

Except Gaius was rogue; would he have been sending reports home or just keeping his own records? Given the timeline as we know it (war of succession, Doman rebellion, consolidation of Varis's power all completely finished before 2.1 was over), it's possible that the Emperor died earlier and Gaius just didn't know; that his notes were found by Zenos after arriving in Ala Mhigo to take over (making you wonder just how long Elidibus and Varis had been speaking, but that's a whole other can of worms).

This would not give Zenos very long to comprehend all the facts on the ground, realize the Echo's potential (which is interestingly in line with his father's way of thinking since 3.0; primal enslavement rather than primal annihilation), tap Aulus for advancement, get functioning prototypes up and running in Gyr Abania, and capture his first Walker all before 3.57.

Third, and most problematic, if Zenos was already Resonant, I don't understand the rush to kidnap Krile Baldesion. The best I can tell so far, the capture of Shinryu sped up his time-table. After Yugiri's botched assassination, Zenos is informed that Shinryu has been found - helpless, shacked by Omega. He immediately deprioritizes Doma (claiming that is "obligations" have been fulfilled), leaves Yotsuyu to fend for herself, and heads off to claim the primal prize. While the Warrior of Light wins command of the Xaela and lays siege to Doma, Zenos specifically and deliberately orchestrates the abduction of Krile, yet he doesn't offer Fordola transcendence until after the Scions return from Doma and press past Castellum Velodyna. What then was the rush, if not that he wanted to be able to control Shinryu for himself as soon as possible, but couldn't do so without a Walker to receive a transfusion from?

[LineageRazor]

Ame-no-Habakiri is all but assuredly a magicked sword, though I question whether a normal Garlean could bring out its potential. If a Garlean could make use of enchanted items, would their aetherial limitations be such a major obstacle? They'd theoretically only need to conquer one aetherially-adept culture and force them to churn out magicked equipment for them to harness. Though, in 1.0, when Darnus channeled magicks through Bradamante, the VIIth was flabbergasted.

While possible, I see this more of an example of a combination of ignorance and arrogance than definitive proof that Garleans can't utilized enchanted items. Few in the Empire even believe that savages would be capable of creating such items - and for those in the know, why would they bother with these trinkets when Garlean technology can provide all the benefits and more? It wouldn't be the first time in history that a belligerent nation has turned away a technological advantage due to prejudice and racism.

Zenos, on the other hand, is a bit more pragmatic when it comes to magical items (at least, when they are katana), and has no pride issues about using their magic in combat.

As for why so many swords, Yoshida addressed this in a LIVE Letter not too long ago. Zenos gained an appreciation for the katana while fighting in the eastern theatre. However, real katanas in actual combat degrade very quickly. Zenos carries several katanas so he can endure prolonged combat; when a sword dulls or breaks, he tosses it aside and takes up another. He also joked that the multi-scabbard is designed primarily to look cool but maybe there's a little switch Zenos flicks to make it spin.

While Zenos wields katana because he thinks they're neat, it's also stated that he's a COLLECTOR of rare and interesting katana. While he carries several at once, each katana does have special properties that he makes use of in combat. While he no doubt like to have several at hand so that he's never without a weapon when his katana breaks, I don't doubt that he also likes to stock a variety of katana with different effects for different situations.

And yes, everything is better with spinning!

[Enkidoh]

While possible, I see this more of an example of a combination of ignorance and arrogance than definitive proof that Garleans can't utilized enchanted items. Few in the Empire even believe that savages would be capable of creating such items - and for those in the know, why would they bother with these trinkets when Garlean technology can provide all the benefits and more? It wouldn't be the first time in history that a belligerent nation has turned away a technological advantage due to prejudice and racism.

Zenos, on the other hand, is a bit more pragmatic when it comes to magical items (at least, when they are katana), and has no pride issues about using their magic in combat.


While Zenos wields katana because he thinks they're neat, it's also stated that he's a COLLECTOR of rare and interesting katana. While he carries several at once, each katana does have special properties that he makes use of in combat. While he no doubt like to have several at hand so that he's never without a weapon when his katana breaks, I don't doubt that he also likes to stock a variety of katana with different effects for different situations.

And yes, everything is better with spinning!

Ah yes, but also remember, when things spin, science happens!

Hence, I still believe the drum he kept his katana in was some kind of magitek device for infusing the blades with aether, which enhanced their effects, thus in keeping with that trope, and not simply a fancy scabbard for them.

As for blades breaking, although that is indeed true of katana in real life (and even in the FF series itself - it's actually a gameplay element of the SAM Job in FF Tactics using the 'Draw Out' ability, using the ability would often break the katana destroying it completely (thus FFT's SAM was a very expensive Job to use) - I think in this case it was not something that Zenos actually ever had happen to him.

The first time we fought him in Rhalgr's Reach, when he defeats us his katana breaks, and the way the scene was framed, it seemed that it didn't break because of normal wear and tear, it specifically broke because of our power as the Warrior of Light.

The result was that it appeared to hint that we were the first to actually deal damage to him (he defeated a whole unit of Doman samurai during the Doman Insurrection after all apparently without damage to his weapon), and thus he realized we were not like any other enemy he had faced, that this person could actually be potentially a worthy challenger to him (the next battle we faced against him outside Doma we instead broke his helmet).

So Zenos's breaking a blade was not about Garlean superiority over Othardian weapons, it was simply a narrative device to show our potency with the Echo and the power we wield as Hydaelyn's champion.

[Belhi]

One of the things that makes me believe there is echo outside of Eorzea is the very first time you meet Hydaelyn. You see many people circling the Mothercrystal, and they have said these are other agents working for her. Since having the echo seems usually a prerequisite to seeing her like that and we aren't literally tripping over hundreds of her agents, I would expect she has them across the world. Certainly it would be strange for her to localise her influence to Eorzea only since the Ascians certainly aren't similarly limited.