Revelations from Patch 4.56

[Silivrin]

(Main Scenario)
Since I have little to say that hasn't been said, here's some speculation on a possibly inconsequential plot point:

I think Artoirel has been set up to play a semi-significant role in the next expansion's plot (at least as a plot device).
Last patch, Emmanelain's dialogue mentioned that Artoirel would go to fight in the Alliance/Garlean conflict and the Artoirel instance in the Last Vigil disappeared. I think a mention like this would be sufficient for the purposes of making the world seem alive. So the fact that it was mentioned in MSQ dialogue (Edmont) leads me to believe that the setup is being made for a later development involving Artoirel. His voice actor was also at the JP FanFest, but this alone may not mean anything, as other VAs not relevant to the current plot have been guests as well iirc.
The other plot thread that remains in that area is Elezenos, who still wants to fight the WoL at their full power. It seemed to be implied that the WoL/D's involvement in the Alliance/Garlean fighting is largely over, and they are unaware of Elezenos' existence, so it seems likely that something involving Artoirel will be key to bringing us back to the area and facilitate our meeting with Elezenos. (And if we assume that something is going to happen with Artoirel, it would be strange to have two plot threads in the same area stay unconnected.)
As for the nature of that development, I have no idea. It seems a hostage situation would be unlikely, since Zenos would know nothing of the Fortemps family or their relation to the WoL (as far as I know) unless a plot device reveals something. I also don't think Artoirel is significant enough to many players to give something like that the appropriate tension. Perhaps Zenos will body hop into Artoirel's body, though the requirements of that seem still unclear (as well as what happens to the soul of the body). Since Elezenos still seems too weak to take on Elidibus and his old body alone, and since the emperor and ElidiZenos are being drawn away from the area, he might try to force an alliance with us or try to manipulate us into assisting him.
There's very little to go on with this, though, so it's largely speculation.

[Iscah]

My thoughts on MSQ:

Overall this felt very "wait, is that all?"... but also a demonstration of why Previews are Bad (and I hate watching trailers for things I'm definitely watching/playing later).

We'd be freaking out a lot more about Mr Enigma and his confirmation that we're going to the First if we hadn't been told about it in advance, or seen him on the poster. It would be the first time we've seen him. The first chance to recognise him. The first time we'd find out where we're going in the next part of the story, and that it isn't Garlemald but the First.

All the wind has been sucked out of the big reveal of the patch before it ever happened. Mystery guy? Yep, seen him. Off to the First? Yep, they told us last week. Why doesn't this finale have any new and exciting things in it?



If there was any question left about Enigma's resemblance to G'raha, his character data looks rather familiar....

(Enigma is missing G'raha's eyeshadow, and the actual face setting has switched from #1 to #2 - but that seems irrelevant since it's a custom model either way, and based on standard face #3 if I remember correctly. Everything else is identical. If it was meant to be not him but a lookalike, I'd expect a different hairstyle or height setting or something.)

That crystal transformation is very unsettling-looking. I'd assumed it was just his hand and the few patches elsewhere, but it looked more like it could be extending all across his chest, growing upwards onto his neck and face... I wonder what's going on. His left arm and feet seem fine, at least.



Did anybody think our sudden transition to Ishgard was rather.... off? Not just in a mood-shattering way but 'unreal', like it was being faked to us somehow. We survived a seemingly mortal blow, were rescued by someone we never saw, woke up miles from the battlefield, and to top it all off, Edmont tells us that Artoirel is just about to depart for Ghimlyt. Wasn't he there since 4.50?

Maybe it's just a translation error, perhaps a shift in tense that they didn't realise was important, but I was already feeling rather disoriented and it all seemed rather strange. And I kept remembering the New Year's poem - "weave ye an azure lie" - which doesn't quite fit but it's still pointing at some kind of deception involving Ishgard....

Still, everything after it seemed normal enough.



Also, what's up with Tataru's choice of outfit design for us?

"I made you some new travelling gear; I hope you like it!"

"Tataru, why does my 'travelling gear' have a hood with a demonic mask I can't even take off?"

"Does it fit? Is it comfortable?"

...

Re. Zenos

Zenos walking towards the slain Garlean soldier suggests to me that he's going to use the Resonance to possess a different body in order to try and reclaim his real form from Elidibus. I assume that there's a good chance that he succeeds, especially with him showing up in Dissidia NT as a playable character.

Also I guess we're supposed to believe the real Zenos has figured out how to swap bodies with the Resonant and was going to take that Centurion's corpse as his next vessel and return to Garlemald.

Not necessarily, I think - he might just be intending to steal a Garlean uniform so he can infiltrate their base. I'm not sure that swapping bodies would achieve much besides saving him a costume change.

Re. unhelpful messages

Also whoever the voice is, I want to smack him upside the head for being so vague in all his messages. If it was so important tell us something more useful than 'throw wide the gates' you jerk.

From the first "calling" we heard in this patch - the frustrated voice saying "why won't you open?" I got the impression that it may not be a deliberate calling at all.

And when we first meet Enigma, he says that this isn't where he intended to meet us. Suggesting that whatever exactly happened, it wasn't planned to happen like it did.

Perhaps we're simply 'overhearing' his not-quite-successful attempts at some kind of portal-opening spell. The calling of the Scions could even be an accidental side-effect - imagine if every time he tries the incantation and "nothing happens", actually someone else is affected and he has no idea!

I don't know if I may ask this here, but, what is from the game scenario point of view "Light" and "Darkness" ?
What does this mean to "spread Light" or "spread Darkness" ?

Doing "good" things ? Saving people ? = Light ?
Spreading darkness means making them suffer ?

I'm really confused about their definition.

We're all a bit confused at this point!

Although from what they were saying at Fanfest, it sounds like it may not be the Ascian-chaos variety of "Darkness" but a more natural "darkness" of night and shadow. It's still unclear how we do that, but it doesn't seem quite as ominous if that's the case.

There's also Minfilia's previously-stated mission to rid the First of its excess Light.... which presumably has gone askew. (Or is she still just outsourcing all her work to us?)

Though I suppose maybe she's slowed it down enough that we can come to the rescue.

[Rocl]

Re. Zenos

Not necessarily, I think - he might just be intending to steal a Garlean uniform so he can infiltrate their base. I'm not sure that swapping bodies would achieve much besides saving him a costume change.

Oh, yeah.

I've honestly been around Ascians so long I forgot people can also just change clothes instead of bodies. Let's see Elezenos rise through the ranks of the Imperial military and became a Legatus all over again or something.

I can't believe I didn't realize the ole Occam's Razor solution sooner. But honestly, with how convoluted the plot's been getting can you blame me!?