That Garlean guy, what was his name? Gaius Van Baelsar

[ObsidianFire]

To be fair, Ultima exploded while he was sitting in it. Right in his face. Then it exploded again while he was laying there on the ground. Right on his face. And then he got up and started shuffling around as the rest of the base started exploding, whereby the camera cut away while he was still standing.

This should honestly have been more suspect in retrospect. The Warrior of Light needs Hydaelyn to survive Ultima and even that burns Hydaelyn out massively. Giaus just needs whatever plating is over Ultima and what the Garleans put in their armor. Given that Lahabrea and Hydaelyn act like another Ultima blast will kill us... Yeah... I really want whatever enabled Giaus to survive that now...

Thanks Moose... I now have a mental image of Nero making sure the Eorzeans don't screw up too badly while his boss is out hunting down Ascians...

[Okamimaru]

This should honestly have been more suspect in retrospect. The Warrior of Light needs Hydaelyn to survive Ultima and even that burns Hydaelyn out massively. Giaus just needs whatever plating is over Ultima and what the Garleans put in their armor. Given that Lahabrea and Hydaelyn act like another Ultima blast will kill us... Yeah... I really want whatever enabled Giaus to survive that now...

Thanks Moose... I now have a mental image of Nero making sure the Eorzeans don't screw up too badly while his boss is out hunting down Ascians...

Same way Rufus survived the head on blast from weapon in FF7/advent children...

[Chewy2nd]

I noticed his left arm is all bandaged up, possible injury from the Praetorium explosion?

[Zohar_Lahar]

I can't believe I'm reply again so soon but this tickled me real good.

Can you imagine? Ostensibly a shard of Zodiark('s power) that was housed in the Ultima Weapon.

Literally deus ex machina.

It would provide a way to eradicate Ascians without Blade of Light or White Auracite.

[Anonymoose]

It would provide a way to eradicate Ascians without Blade of Light or White Auracite.

This aspect is something we'd been considering.

I'd figured perhaps the Ascians reclaimed Sabik (for the Isle of Val), but the irony of killing Ascians with it is attractive, lol.

[SynthielLyrin]

On one hand, I am all for the poetic justice of using a shard of Zodiark to kill an Ascian. Be careful what you wish for and all, except applied with glee to world-enders. It certainly should have the amount of aether required to off one, and if it is a shard of Zodiark then it also doesn't run the risk of running out of steam (any more than our crystals of light can run out of steam and kill us, but if Ysayle could transform into a primal strong enough to perma-freeze a war airship's engines with only that, then we with 6 of them have nothing to fear, or someone else with that particular Heart).



On the other hand, Gaius lacks the ability to manipulate aether. The Heart of Sabik would be nothing but a beautiful and powerful crystal power source, but he has no way to make it work by his own hand and by his own will as a weapon. Had to plug it into Ultima first, after all. And while a Garlean can be possessed by Auracite (and thus... use it? sort of? be used by it?) the Bangaa that turns into the last boss basically made a pact with the soul-form within it to release his desires as a change in physical form, which kills him with a certainty. We were able to rescue Jenomis Lexentale/Arzalam Durai though, so it might rely on the state of the "host" and thus make it 'safe' for Gaius to use provided he doesn't mind trading off his humanity for a wee bit. Garleanity. Spokenness. Whatever.

(And wouldn't that also be fun to use on an Ascian, considering that it anchors their soul there for the duration? A revenge from the 13th could be also interesting to see.)

That said: is Sabik required to -cast- Ultima? Or is it more of a "not even an Ascian has enough MP to pull off an Ultima cast without a bonus" ? Cause having something that can cast Ultima is probably something not left hanging around, considering the amount of damage that thing wreaks. Whoever has it has the Scions by the neck.

[LineageRazor]

Given the sheer number of masks he's collected already, I find it unlikely that he's actually permanently eradicating Ascians as we've seen happen to Lahabrea and Nabriales. He's most likely just cutting down their borrowed bodies. Looks like he's killed Elidibus once, as well; at least, he's the only Ascian we've seen who uses a white mask.

[Okamimaru]

Given the sheer number of masks he's collected already, I find it unlikely that he's actually permanently eradicating Ascians as we've seen happen to Lahabrea and Nabriales. He's most likely just cutting down their borrowed bodies. Looks like he's killed Elidibus once, as well; at least, he's the only Ascian we've seen who uses a white mask.

The white mask is part of Gaius' old helm... Elidibus wears a red mask and white robe

[whiskeybravo]

I started reading this thread not realizing it was so old. Damn. I love Lore.

[LineageRazor]

The white mask is part of Gaius' old helm... Elidibus wears a red mask and white robe

Whups! Misrecalled, but yeah, that's right. Regardless, I still think that he's just been killing Ascian temporary bodies, not the Ascians themselves.