Is the FFXIV story basically the PURGE?

[Ramesses]

I thought the purge was more about racism and the rich being allowed to go beat up the poor once a year

Exactly this, and its one of the reasons I haven't bothered to watch it till this day... +1 to you Nabian

And to the OP, the foundation for FFXIV has nothing to do with that. There are a lot of nuances added with glaring evidences in the game to support this. I'll refrain from going into the specifics but all the way from 1.0, Nael Van Darnus, Legatus of the VIIth Legion coins a succinct yet basic explanation before he swaggered into the flames...

[Clover_Blake]

Light and Dark are not Good and Evil.

Neither is intrinsically good, and neither is evil. They can both be used for either purpose.

I'm not sure if that applies to this game though. As someone else pointed out, the Ascians are only seen doing purely "evil" things (childish as that word sounds -shivers-), which are always related to causing despair and death, while the warrior of light is always trying to save everyone and make their lives better.

I enjoy the FFXIV story overall, but I'm very lost as to where this game is going with the light and darkness balance thing, for nothing has been actually blurry or subtle here. The "bad guys" who complain about the lack of balance and about how we're ruining it with our good deeds, well, they aren't trying to fix it with a mix of good and bad things; they are doing nothing more than plain bad. If the Warrior of Light wasn't there to save the day (and it's been implied that saving the day is the wrong thing to do), then the world would simply be devastated and full of despair. Is that what balance looks like? I don't get it O_o

[BillyKaplan]

while the warrior of light is always trying to save everyone and make their lives better.

The WoL can also be a Dark Knight, and/or a Black Mage, two jobs who are associated with darkness and the void. Black Magic was used in the ushering of the sixth Calamity, but it was created in the first place in order to save Eorzea from a meteor that would've otherwise created a Calamity on its own. Does it make Black Magic inherently evil that people used it for such purposes after the fact? Absolutely not, and that's been the recurring motif of the BLM questlines since you got your soul crystal.

I enjoy the FFXIV story overall, but I'm very lost as to where this game is going with the light and darkness balance thing, for nothing has been actually blurry or subtle here.

The WoDs being too strong caused their world to be overrun with Light, making it as barren and dead as the Void which was a world where the Ascians were too strong. In our world, the Ascians were the bad guys so long as they stood uncontested, but once we showed up we began standing up to them, and now we're the ones pushing back, which makes us the disturbance to the balance.

[JackHatchet]

I haven't seen the Purge. Just heard of it as an example of 'balance' between two extremes.

So if darkness isn't exactly evil what the heck is the story behind FFXIV? Are you saying that eventually we have to betray Hydalean and side with the Ascians and do good things for them? If darkness doesn't have an allignment, then when can we do benevolent quests for the Ascians?

Or are the Ascians just rotten apples who can't represent darkness truthfully. In which case, wouldn't bring Zoidiark back be like letting daddy back into the house just to find out the dark children been naughty and mucked up everything? That Zoidiark might be good alligned, but with darkness aspect, and then punish the Ascians for being so naughty?

I don't see what the ultimate goal of FFXIV is. What exactly is this balance we have to bring--and why is it important? Why can't everyone just be good. Even if it's half light and half dark.

[BillyKaplan]

So if darkness isn't exactly evil what the heck is the story behind FFXIV?

Our struggle against the Garlean Empire who wishes to take over the world at large, both fighting against the Primals and fueling their existence by proving a threat to the Primals' beast-tribes. And even then, the Garleans seem to ultimately have a good goal - they wish to rid the world of Eikons. But while the Scions wish to do so by reaching peace, the Garleans would sooner resort to Genocide. Therefore, war.
Darkness not necessarily being evil and the Light not necessarily being Good have been recurring motifs in many pieces of media, including SE titles. The most prominent being the Kingdom Hearts franchise, for sure, but it's prevalent in many other titles as well. People like to see the darkness-tainted protagonist redeem themselves, after all.

If darkness doesn't have an allignment, then when can we do benevolent quests for the Ascians?

You're still treating them as one and the same, assuming that if Darkness isn't evil, it's necessarily good, but it's unrelated. Darkness itself is an alignment. And us, being Light-aligned, are at odds with the darkness-aligned Ascians.

Why can't everyone just be good. Even if it's half light and half dark.

Human nature.

[MomomiMomi]

Or are the Ascians just rotten apples who can't represent darkness truthfully. In which case, wouldn't bring Zoidiark back be like letting daddy back into the house just to find out the dark children been naughty and mucked up everything? That Zoidiark might be good alligned, but with darkness aspect, and then punish the Ascians for being so naughty?

Not sure if you've been paying much attention to the story.

Their ultimate goal is to restore the world to what it used to be, where Hydaelyn and Zodiark were one. This means the world as we know it would be destroyed. Thus, this is "bad." Not all of them even agree on how to achieve that goal.

[Alleo]

Please show me an instance of an Ascian doing anything other than roleplaying as Darth Vader. You know, like setting up an orphanage, giving a kid a lolly, maybe even helping an old lady cross the street.

While it may be true that light and dark may not be written as good and evil as a mere handwave, the Ascians aren't really written as anything but pretty darn evil.

Thats the problem I have with the concept of FF14 too. Light and darkness are not meant to be good and evil, yet we as the WoL are doing things for the good of the world while the ascians are trying to sow chaos by doing horrible things. Maybe they should not just push us into those categories if they want us to believe that neither is good or bad.

The WoL can also be a Dark Knight, and/or a Black Mage, two jobs who are associated with darkness and the void. Black Magic was used in the ushering of the sixth Calamity, but it was created in the first place in order to save Eorzea from a meteor that would've otherwise created a Calamity on its own. Does it make Black Magic inherently evil that people used it for such purposes after the fact? Absolutely not, and that's been the recurring motif of the BLM questlines since you got your soul crystal.



The WoDs being too strong caused their world to be overrun with Light, making it as barren and dead as the Void which was a world where the Ascians were too strong. In our world, the Ascians were the bad guys so long as they stood uncontested, but once we showed up we began standing up to them, and now we're the ones pushing back, which makes us the disturbance to the balance.

Yes the jobs are the only part where something is not completely good or bad but the WoD are another example of Light being used in the context of doing Good. They said that they were too good at their job of helping their world thus they caused a Flood of Light. So until we get more information about this it seems like WoD doing good things = Flood of Light and the female Ascians doing too many bad things = Flood of Darkness. That for me totally seems like Light = Good, Darkness = Bad.

[BillyKaplan]

but the WoD are another example of Light being used in the context of doing Good. They said that they were too good at their job of helping their world thus they caused a Flood of Light. So until we get more information about this it seems like WoD doing good things = Flood of Light and the female Ascians doing too many bad things = Flood of Darkness. That for me totally seems like Light = Good, Darkness = Bad.

You need to replay that questline, if you think a Flood of Light = Good. The Light killed their world like the Darkness turned the Void into a demon world. Hydaelyn sent Minfillia to the First so she can drain the Light from that world and save it. The bonus is that it will help power up Hydaelyn again because she runs on Light, but that was all framed in the context of saving the First from the Light.

[MomomiMomi]

Thats the problem I have with the concept of FF14 too. Light and darkness are not meant to be good and evil, yet we as the WoL are doing things for the good of the world while the ascians are trying to sow chaos by doing horrible things. Maybe they should not just push us into those categories if they want us to believe that neither is good or bad.

Ysayle was also one of Hydaelyn's chosen, but she wasn't doing good things before. The player character isn't doing good things because they're Warriors of Light, they're doing good things because they're good.

[JunseiKei]

Ysayle was also one of Hydaelyn's chosen, but she wasn't doing good things before. The player character isn't doing good things because they're Warriors of Light, they're doing good things because they're good.

It depends on whose perspective you're adapting. Remember, Ysayle's opposition were denizens much like the Heaven's Ward (people claiming to be good and righteous with less than honest goals). Heavenward was very much 'look at all the grey area we have!'