So What is Elidibus Planning (4.56 Spoilers)

[Iscah]

Elidibus wants calamities but he doesn't want to tip the source too far either way, Solus on the other hand would not care he probably rather trigger all the necessary calamities to bring Zodiark back as fast as possible dooming the source to whatever fate its left with

Stopping the Source (and other worlds) from tipping too far one way or another is the key to causing Calamities. Hold the balance stable while the degree of chaos builds up high enough to shatter the dimensional walls, without setting off a Flood in the meanwhile.

[Kalise]

Even though it's true that he's said we're at risk of causing a Flood of Light if we keep beating Elidibus, that's only half of what he said. "Win or lose, your path leads only to oblivion" - so even if it's dangerous for us to keep beating him, it's not going to be any better if he wins.

I mean, technically, he didn't outright say we'd cause a Flood of Light. It was merely heavily implied.

"Win or lose, your path leads only to oblivion" doesn't necessarily mean "Flood of Light" - Oblivion can mean many things.

For example, I do believe that the "Lose" path is in fact referring to a Calamity. Given that we know that Calamities are caused by the sudden change of light/dark (I still want to know exactly what light and dark are referring to... Is it aspected Aether? Is one low-fat Aether and the other some form of rich Aether? Is Hydaelyn going to at some point remove a mask and be like "Behold, it was me, the Milky Bar Kid all along! I've finally rid the chocolate of all 14 worlds of cocoa beans! Muhahahaha!"?)

The current situation is a high amount of Light, or at least, higher than normal amount. Thus meaning that there is potential for a sudden surge of darkness to then plunge the Source into a Calamity. For example, Black Rose. The death of the Warrior of Light. The sudden expansion of the Garlean Empire retaking control of lost provinces as well as acquiring new ones. Another hail Mary Primal summoning such as Seiryu born from a negative emotion to cause nothing but suffering and death (For example, if someone summoned another shade of Nidhogg)

[Jyera]

Between the two of them, it's actually Solus' motives I find much more enigmatic. He's spoken of the Balance in a way similar to Elidibus, but he also seems to be kind of... a rogue agent. He does speak of bringing about a Calamity on the Source as if that's the next box to tick before he can go back to Ascian naptime, but overall, his intentions are unclear to me.

I think it's interesting that in his soliloquy he speaks of the Flood as if it's already happening, and moreover beginning to leak over to the Source ('slowly but surely, the deluge of light has worked upon the aether here in the Source...')

Elidibus seems more like he's about to snap under the pressure of the situation. As Emissary he isn't supposed to get right up in the offal and mess of the worlds himself, yet he then hijacks the remains of the crown prince, and -then- he wakes up Sexy Grandpa, and THEN he even enters combat. (The fact that waking Solus was apparently one step more extreme than committing bodyjacking and getting directly involved in bloodspilling amuses me to no end, incidentally.) His decisions are increasingly desperate, but still don't ever involve actually explaining why the Balance is so -essentially, inherently- our fault.

[Jennah]

Okay - here's my wild guess, based on FF tropes and Elidibus's characterization.
The next major step of Elidibus's plan is to manipulate the WoL into killing off Solus for him, in a way that leaves Elidibus looking blameless for the deed.
Why? Well, they made a big deal out of Lahabrea, Elidibus, and probably-Solus being the 3 big Ascians. One of them is already gone, in a sequence of events that would not have happened if not for Elidibus and the Warrior of Light.
Elidibus is definitely setting up our trip to the First; would not surprise me in the slightest to find out that for whatever reason, it's the only suitable place to kill Solus; and the whole reason we're going is to off him there, and not on the Source.
As for WHY Elidibus wants the other big-name Ascians eliminated? Maybe for pure power. Maybe because Zodiark does. Maybe because the big E wants to somehow become Zodiark. Or I wouldn't even put it past him to actually be on the side of good.
... damn, I wish we'd learned *anything* in 4.56... 3 more months to throw out wild guesses.

[Sathona]

I'm still of the idea that Elidubus has a part of Zodiark in himself, or he's like a fragment of zodiark, but we'll see.
If Minfilia and Zodiark are the same and Minfilia allegedly has a deep connection to Hydaelyn I think we can assume that Elidubus has the same connection.
Both probably are a vessel in the end





and both shall submit to our Divine rule. For the only one suited to rule...is US!

I kinda agree. He says he is the Emissary of Zodiark anyway,and Minfilia is acting as Hydaelyns Emissary tho i dont believe Minfilia IS Hydaelyn. Just Hydaelyn possesing her to talk

[ObsidianFire]

Elidibus has never explained what he is actually doing. At least, not well. When he is first introduced in 2.1, he says that if Minfilia were to learn... something... then he and the Scions would be on the same side. And then never tells Minfilia what that something is. He never does end up explaining what he is really up to either. Of course, the one time someone (Urianger) did know what he was talking about, Urianger turned the tables on Elidibus and stopped him from influencing the WoD to kill the WoL and kickstart another Calamaity. It's only after that does Elidibus start taking a more active roll in events. I can easily see Elidibus not telling people things because they might want to mess what he is doing up.

Solus is a lot less cagey. He's got a taste for the dramatic and loves monologing about what he is up too. He even goes so far as to explain his reasoning to Varis when Varis gets it wrong. I have a hard time seeing him not explain himself to the WoL either.

[Remedi]

Elidubus has been a manipulator so far, perhaps what he wanted to do was to tip Minfilia to follow him. He's an unreliable narrator and a liar you can't believe what he tells you to, he lays some breadcrumbs so that you can follow him into the rabbit hole.

[Iscah]

Elidibus has never explained what he is actually doing. At least, not well. When he is first introduced in 2.1, he says that if Minfilia were to learn... something... then he and the Scions would be on the same side.

His actual line is that they would be "of one mind" - which is interesting in the context of the Echo and the "breaking down the walls of the soul" thing that seemed to be going on with Lahabrea and Igeyorhm's fusion at Azys Lla.

[LineageRazor]

I do find it interesting and somewhat gratifying to see that Elidibus is clearly on the back foot, now. Up until Stormblood, he was a picture of smug confidence, with everything going (apparently) according to plan. Even since he started hobnobbing with Varis, though, he's been getting increasingly agitated. We STILL don't know what his plans are, exactly, but they're apparently well off the rails, now, and we are somehow to blame. Zenos's body was apparently going to be Elidibus's trump card, but it failed to take the trick...

[Daralii]

I do find it interesting and somewhat gratifying to see that Elidibus is clearly on the back foot, now. Up until Stormblood, he was a picture of smug confidence, with everything going (apparently) according to plan. Even since he started hobnobbing with Varis, though, he's been getting increasingly agitated. We STILL don't know what his plans are, exactly, but they're apparently well off the rails, now, and we are somehow to blame. Zenos's body was apparently going to be Elidibus's trump card, but it failed to take the trick...

I think his plans went off the rails a while ago. 4.4's cutscene in the throne room made it seem like he felt forced to bring Solus back into the picture and push Varis to war because the WoL has become such an overwhelming threat to the balance.