The Road to 5.0

[Anonymoose]

Wonder if it ties in to Thordan's view of us just before he dies? The whole "What are you?!" moment he has as shadow blocks our face.

This comes up a lot, but the people who made the scene just wanted a dramatic anime-esque angle where you were seen from the perspective of Thordan - a delusional zealot who thought his path was righteous. If, in retrospect, you choose to perceive this as foreshadowing, cool ~ it just wasn't intended by the cinematography of that cutscene.

Ramuh certainly has some interesting things to say

Apparently some of this is going to be coming back, eventually. But I think this fits well with the Gerun Oracles. The mortal world succeeds the world where Light and Dark were one. Question 1: Could the mortal world still exist if this distinction were in anyway unmade? Question 2: If Hydaelyn had wanted to make us creatures without Darkness, could She have? If so, why did She not? Yet, even Ramuh points out that Light is generally our best ally.

I really don't think wielding Darkness is going to mean we turn on Hydaelyn. I think it just means we're prioritizing the mortal world over the supremacy of Light. And if She loves us as much as She claims, I think She'll understand. I don't think the universe can exist without Genesis and Entropy. Creation cannot continue forever unchecked. Valar morghulis. And if we need to bring destruction to, say, empyrean horrors like in the trailer? So be it.

However, at the end of the day, if the world of man is to survive and grow and prosper, it needs continuous resources. Genesis needs a slight edge most of the time.

is Ramuh reliable in his knowledge of Light and Dark?

I can't wait to find the answer to this question. We can now be relatively confident that memory is an aetherial phenomenon in FFXIV (hence why "mind" and "spirit" are so frequently interchangeable in translation, it's a Japanese thing, I think, lol). We can also surmise that aether has memory. What was the being that has become Ramuh that he recalls such things? Or were such things infused into him because the sylphs believe him to be intelligent?

My pet theory is that the being we now know as Ramuh was once a man - a Bearer of the Light - who retired and lived in the wood and gained a reputation as a wise and powerful sage. In time, he befriended the sylphs and left them with memories of the old man in the wood and the god he served, the god many would claim he was the representative of on Hydaelyn: Rhalgr. He would leave them his Crystal of Light in death, and over the years things just...merged. A friend to the sylphs became a divine messenger, and in time the sylphs would take up this god, this "Ramuh," as their own.

I remain unconvinced for now that, even if we do become Warrior of Darkness, it's what we are supposed to do.

To a degree, me, too. However, I'm a big fan of recursion; when an adventurer doesn't happen by happy coincidence to fight their enemies in ascending order or strength, but that fighting problems without addressing their origin merely moves the imminent threat to a higher order. Every victory sets the stage for a greater battle.

Hypothetically, let's say fighting Zenos!Elidibus, for example, saves Ala Mhigo, butp ushes the threat to a higher order - beckoning the fatal supremacy of Light. Say by wielding Darkness, we can save the world of man, but say this pushes the threat to a higher order and sets the stage for the resurrection of Zodiark Himself. The world of man forced to finally confront (whether it be Zodiark or his Agents or what have you) the final threat in terms of the war between Light and Dark. Good.