Revelations from Patch 4.4

[Iscah]

Nymeia isn't the moon goddess, Menphina is.

...indeed she is. My character's patron deity and everything. I was up far too late last night.

[ko_]

What is the name of the music that plays when Solus appears in the throne room?

[Kusanagi7]

is the music in the burn dungeon a remix of praetorium?

[Mieck]

is the music in the burn dungeon a remix of praetorium?

Yes, it is. The original track is called Penitus.

[Rosenoire]

Varis and Zenos:

We learned from Thancred that Zenos is important for him (strange how he still showed no remorse for his death) because of infighting.

For me, Varis' callousness about his son's death makes so much more sense now than after the end of 4.0, because my take away was that Zenos hasn't truly been his son for a long time. Whenever Elidibus decided that Zenos would be an "irreplaceable test subject" and gave him the artificial Echo, I think it drove him insane. It makes perfect sense that Varis stopped thinking of him as his son when he realized that he was a monster, and as he noted, "monsters don't belong on thrones". As I mentioned earlier, it also makes me wonder about the circumstances of Zenos' birth. Did Solus suggest that Varis might make a better choice of heir if he had an heir of his own, fully anticipating that a child would be a useful tool, or potential host for another Ascian?

Its just way to early to give him a white vest just because he might be controlled now (and it really depends if he is even that much controlled).

I'm certainly not ready to call Varis a good guy, but I do have some sympathy for him that I definitely didn't previously. Yes, he's ruthless--he'd have to be to claw his way to the top of the Empire. But then he finds out that his grandfather was a meat puppet for an embodiment of Chaos and that everything he thought was true about the founding of the Empire was probably a lie. At some point his son is given an experimental treatment that turns him into a maniacal killing machine. His only real friend gets killed. I'm thinking censoring artists was largely out of spite and a desire to damage something his grand-Ascian liked. That's still not good, but it is understandable.

I liked the idea that the Empire's problems were due to human failings rather than shadowy manipulation from evil overlords. But I do appreciate that Varis now feels less like he came from the Generic Final Fantasy Evil Emperor factory and more like a character with some depth and shades of grey.

[Kallera]

About Zodiark:

I have a feeling that this is Zodiark, the game seemed to make clear(in the journal text and musings of them going back home)that the WoD were going to their deaths, that through the 70drk quest the WoL believes Arbert among the dead. As WoL working under Eldibus, nothing seemed to suggest the WoD had any particular insight regarding this, or any talk with Zodiark at all. (Not that we’d be able to ask...)
Note that at times even Hydaelyn has had trouble contacting us without the crystal of light we get on occasion, and Zodiark is effectively doing this on the scions for the first time, specifically plucking people away.

While we are well aware that the flood is something both sides do not want, the notion of Zodiark not wanting a calamity(or this calamity at least) as well as the global phenomenon of aether going down throws something new into the mix.

Is the Ascian form somehow unable to be called in such a manner?
Is the draining aether in the land related to his want to return as an intervention, which gets interpreted by the Ascians first?

[Alleo]

My answers about Varis and Zenos (10 character limit ftw)

Varis and Zenos:

For me, Varis' callousness about his son's death makes so much more sense now than after the end of 4.0, because my take away was that Zenos hasn't truly been his son for a long time.

Do we know that Zenos was not mad before he got the resonant? Because for me it seems like he was already quite battle hungry in the echo cutscenes and Fordola at least only got it in SB after they got Krile and used her echo. I did read up that Zenos was the only one that was for the exerpiments in the court but wouldnt Varis as the emporer be able to just end it if he had big doubts about that? Also if it was Zenos that was for this experiment wouldnt it make more sense that it was him that used himself as a test subject? Elidibus might have influenced them a bit but we saw that he does have to ask for permission to do something, even in the body of Zenos, and before Zenos death he had no body that we know of thus should have not been able to force anything. So imo we dont know if Varis was fine with the experiments but he at least should have known about it (otherwise what kind of emporer is he if he does not know about such things happening) and should have been able to stop it (just like he did not start the next part of the war even with Elidibus right there). Thats why I am also quite skeptic about giving Varis any sympathy. Maybe he was fine with all of it until he saw that they might go behind their own words or maybe after Elidibus wore his own sons body. And as long as we dont know this I still see him as part of the problem. If SE goes another way fine, then I will have to eat my words (and nothing wrong with that because we are always just speculating on a story that are not shown fully) but right now he is still the person that restricts the freedom of speech, that allowed experiments to happen under his rule, that sent out troopes to kill the opponents and that had nothing against the Ascians plan until they summoned a primal, so he just does not create much sympathy in me.

Also since we learned that Zenos was important because having a heir stopped any fighting inside Garlemald so him being untouched by his death is still strange to me. No matter on how he saw his son, if Elidibus had not worn him as his new suit the message of his death would have gone out somewhere in the future thus could have created more unrest. Thus my surprise.

(And just to be sure: I never said that Varis could not have some good points but at least for me the bad thing that we know of [we will see if they are true or not] always were worse for me thus he was evil in my eyes. But being evil does not mean imo that he does not have the ability to feel doubt or have any nuance just that he was never someone that I would side with and that should be gone for a better future for the world. And as long as we dont get to see truly good things from him or learn that he never wanted anything bad for anyone, I will continue to believe that way. Because SE had shown that they are completely fine with making Garlemald as a country into being evil by letting it only exist to create chaos. Thus I remain skeptic if Varis wont just be another villian.)

[Remedi]

If I recall correctly, he was using Gaius-approved indoctrination techniques, showing a group of children what the world could become if the primals were not stopped and riling them up to take the fight to the beast tribes. I love that speech because it totally holds up. You could rally a Garlean legion with that today and it's still true.

I don't know all details of that situation, but at least in the cutscene that echo flashback is not commented upon

considering recent events, I wouldn't remove ascians involvement from it, especially since it essentially leads to chaos and war with the tribes

[NoblePigeon]

Regarding Omega’s fate

Is there anyone else who was really disappointed that Omega died *right* as they understood what Cid was talking about? I almost see Omega’s tale as tragic. I was hoping it would end with Omega and Alpha gong on sick adventures to understand more of the “human element”. But instead Alpha gets a toy version of Omega, which isn’t actually the original at all.

[Kuroka]

Yes i was, to me it was a waste... >_>