SHADOWBRINGERS

[Mansion]

My bigger gripe about it is that it references a specific (more or less) group of people, while the other three specify events. The rebirth after calamity, the march towards heavens (flying islands) and the storm of blood through war.

Well maybe that's foreshadowing (PUN) an event too, with a Calamity brought by the action of a group of people... maybe the WoL themselves actually.

[kikix12]

Well maybe that's foreshadowing (PUN) an event too, with a Calamity brought by the action of a group of people... maybe the WoL themselves actually.

Foreshadowing an event made by a group of people is not the same as an event. As a comparison, Stormblood would be named The Revolutionaries and Heavensward the Primordial Dragons or the like. A Realm Reborn would be called The Three Leaders or some such.

[CaptainLagbeard]

Shadowbringers doesn't sound like an expansion FF XIV name simply because it means too much.

When was the last time you heard the word "Heavensward" used in any context before the end scenes of 2.0? And "Stormblood" isn't even a word.

[Jonnycbad]

"Heavenward" was a phrase uttered by Kain Highwind in Dissidia Duodecim during his EX Burst "Dragoon's Pride".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2WKvdRhsME

Heavensward is probably a reference to the fact that there are 7 heavens (and 7 hells), and also because Thordan's crew was called Heaven's Ward.

[MicahZerrshia]

"Heavenward" was a phrase uttered by Kain Highwind in Dissidia Duodecim during his EX Burst "Dragoon's Pride".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2WKvdRhsME

Heavensward is probably a reference to the fact that there are 7 heavens (and 7 hells), and also because Thordan's crew was called Heaven's Ward.

It had a triple meaning of Heaven's Ward and the fact that we were going into the sky not only to floating islands but also actually letting our mounts fly.

Heavensward and Stormblood were fantastic expac names, if Shadowbringers is the next one....well like I said previously it sounds like cringy fanfic or a bad 80's fantasy novel.

[Jonnycbad]

It had more than 3 meaning. Another metaphor is that we had fallen from divinity's grace at the end of ARR (lost our crystals of light) and had to spend the whole expansion regaining our powers and reforging our pact with Hydaelyn, thus we were ascending in power and divine favor once more.

"Shadowbringers" makes sense if you acknowledge that we've tipped the scale too far to the light by defeating Ascians and primals and as FF3 and FFXI have shown us, there needs to be a balance, otherwise one side annihilates the other and then void sweeps in to destroy the remainder (the "good job breaking it, hero" trope). It could be in 5.0 we have to start messing empowering the darkness or siding with the ascians. After all, it has been stated before that each Ascian was once a former WoL. There's probably a good reason for that. My hypothesis is they were too once bearers of the Echo and used it to fight for light but then discovered if light overwhelms the darkness, it threatens all existence, so they seek to restore the balance to preserve reality, while we're mucking it up and empowering Hydaelyn who at he end of the day is herself a primal technically. Hell the reason why those with the Echo can't be tempered is perhaps because the echo is itself a form of tempering.

[Iscah]

Ultimately I just feel like "Shadowbringers" lacks the poetic sound of the other titles.

[Iscah]

After all, it has been stated before that each Ascian was once a former WoL.

Has it? Where?

And an actual Warrior of Light or just someone with the Echo?


Also until we get more information about Her origins, it's still only a theory that Hydaelyn is "technically a primal".

[ChaoticCrimson]

Has it? Where?

And an actual Warrior of Light or just someone with the Echo?


Also until we get more information about Her origins, it's still only a theory that Hydaelyn is "technically a primal".

As far as I'm aware, we know the Ascians are typically skilled with the Echo, which allows them to transcend mortal existence in the way they do as well as even allowing two of them to fuse as one. But while(most of) the Ascians are named for the Scions of Light that are in relation to FFXII's Espers, I don't recall the game ever explicitly stating any of them were ever at any time a WoL. I could be mistaken, however.

[MicahZerrshia]

Ultimately I just feel like "Shadowbringers" lacks the poetic sound of the other titles.

This is what I was getting at. It just sounds like, as I said, the title of bad fanfic written by a tryhard. Whether it makes sense or not it hits the ear weird