[Spoilers] Is Hydaelyn a primal?

[Daralii]

Are we even tempered? The blessing of light is distinct from the Echo. The blessing may be why we are told we are "claimed" but the Echo may very well make us completely immune to tempering even from ancient primals.

When we fought Garuda, she said that we had been claimed by another but couldn't tell who. Once we took the Crystal of Light from her and completed the Blessing, she was able to identify it as Hydaelyn. Ifrit had similar dialogue in both 1.0 and 2.0, but was less explicit about it.

[Lozza]

When we fought Garuda, she said that we had been claimed by another but couldn't tell who. Once we took the Crystal of Light from her and completed the Blessing, she was able to identify it as Hydaelyn. Ifrit had similar dialogue in both 1.0 and 2.0, but was less explicit about it.

That doesn't make it tempering though, which is my point. The blessing of light is distinct from the Echo. The Echo supposedly makes us immune to tempering, but the blessing of light comes solely from Hydaelyn. The claim Hydaelyn has on us could simply be the blessing of light, not tempering. Remember the WoD had the Echo on the first, it was the only way they could travel to the Source. They also had the blessing of light. They switched sides. If they were tempered then could they even do that?

[TheUltimate3]

Tempering by another name is still tempering. Assuming Hydaelyn isn't malicious with her gifts and allows us to act freely, we still spend the vast majority of our time doing her will.

If she really is an Elder Primal, then perhaps the very idea of tempering that we see the current Primals do is simply a bad imitation of what Hydaelyn does with her blessing.

[Enkidoh]

Pfft, please... the one saying that is an Ascian who are Zodiark's flunkies, their spiel is never truly to be trusted - they may not blatantly lie through their lying Ascian teeth, but they're still half truths at best, and it's Solus at that. Of course we don't have the full story, but yeah, don't take it at face value, there is more to this than meets the eye.

[Lozza]

Tempering by another name is still tempering. Assuming Hydaelyn isn't malicious with her gifts and allows us to act freely, we still spend the vast majority of our time doing her will.

I don't know if the WoD could do what they did had they been tempered. The Echo may very well give us free will. The blessing may mark us, but it doesn't appear to force us. Up until now the game has pretty much referred to the tempered state as lacking choice. While some tempered have exhibited higher functions, being able to plan, deceive, etc, they are ultimately carrying out the will of the primal.

[Kaedan]

Tempering by another name is still tempering. Assuming Hydaelyn isn't malicious with her gifts and allows us to act freely, we still spend the vast majority of our time doing her will.

If she really is an Elder Primal, then perhaps the very idea of tempering that we see the current Primals do is simply a bad imitation of what Hydaelyn does with her blessing.

But it's not "tempering by another name" at all. Tempering completely removes your free will makes you obsessed with the primal who tempered you. Plus, the Blessing of Light was suppressed by Midgardsormr, who himself admitted he couldn't do anything to help those who had already been tempered. So if he can't suppress or remove being Tempered, then the Blessing of Light is not a form of Tempering.

[TheUltimate3]

I don't know if the WoD could do what they did had they been tempered. The Echo may very well give us free will. The blessing may mark us, but it doesn't appear to force us. Up until now the game has pretty much referred to the tempered state as lacking choice. While some tempered have exhibited higher functions, being able to plan, deceive, etc, they are ultimately carrying out the will of the primal.

Hence my thought that tempering (as we currently know it) as a bad knockoff of Hydaelyn's blessing.

But to have a bit of fun with it, what if the difference between the two was just by the nature of how the Ascian's Primals worked in comparison to Hydaelyn. What if, despite believing everything we've done up to this point was our free will but we were actually moving in the way Hydaelyn wanted us to from the very beginning, our minds shifted ever so slightly so that we'd never actually notice.

[Lozza]

Hence my thought that tempering (as we currently know it) as a bad knockoff of Hydaelyn's blessing.

But to have a bit of fun with it, what if the difference between the two was just by the nature of how the Ascian's Primals worked in comparison to Hydaelyn. What if, despite believing everything we've done up to this point was our free will but we were actually moving in the way Hydaelyn wanted us to from the very beginning, our minds shifted ever so slightly so that we'd never actually notice.

Honestly I'd give either side a 50/50 chance at this point. My view right now is more that there are a lot of people in my FC and LS losing their minds over this, those who are excited and those who are devastated. People are taking the view primal == tempering. I merely wish to offer the view that that may not be the case. I've even offered up the idea that Hydaelyn might be a primal in the first as the real (non primal) Hydaelyn is completely restricted to the Source. Remember she sent Minfillia rather than going herself, maybe because she couldn't. The trailer is very ambiguous, and while that excites me with many possible angles for the story to take, others seem to have honed in on this one thing and that's it.

Could they pull a Bioshock, certainly. Do I think they will? Not so sure. If they do they might need a whole primer for those who have forgotten early story stuff or just completely skipped. Like I said earlier I give this one 50/50 to go either way.

Frankly the thing that is more interesting to me about this revelation is the idea that the sin eaters are basically executing people to steal their aether. Could it be that they are just mouths for Hydaelyn, since primals need aether and all.

[Naoki34]

I know this has been talked about before, but the last discussion I found was from 2.2.

Basically, I don't trust Hydaelyn anymore. Of course I have a deep seated distrust of authority in general, but in Hydaelyn's case it seems awfully justified. We can't be tempered, which seems to be something unique to primals. She takes crystals for power, and she grows in strength through prayer. ARR's ending showed us that people DO pray to her. Furthermore if the "Warrior of light" could be seen as a proxy for Hydaelyn, so praying to them, or having faith they will succeed, is the same for praying to "Hydaelyn".

Next you have the effect of what happens when Hydaelyn WINS. In Heavenward we meet the "Warriors of Darkness" which actually were the WoL from another 'star' (universe/dimension?). In their world they beat the bad guys and all the primals, which if any stated primal would do would lead to the end of the world. Which, surprise, is exactly what is happening to a world where the light wins.

Finally there is the echo itself. The gift of the echo seem to be able to take stress that would break normal people. Non-stop combat and saving the world? Well if our character shows any signs of straining...I haven't seen it. Even when someone was put through an insidious 'experiment', she seems to bounce back relatively quickly. But someone granted an echo through artificial means? She is on the verge of breaking down already. So something besides the echo itself must be getting imparted, something that wouldn't LET someone with an echo break. Something like...being tempered.

So basically, I feel there is significant cause for concern that the force we have been working for may in fact be the very thing we are working against. Or at least it needs to have some more screen time to explain exactly why Hydaelyn is any different from the primals or 'gods' that we have been going around slaying since day one of the game.

You mark spoil and you spoil in the title ...?
[Spoil] Hydaelyn
is enough

[Delily]

Consider the source of the reveal. Solus has more than enough motivation to misdirect us and play on our dislike and distrust of primals. This could be an attempt to sow seeds of discord.