Revelations from SHADOWBRINGERS

[Anonymoose]

I don't think we've done one of these in a base expansion before but fanbase interest in the story is suddenly at a fever pitch, so let's do this.


MSQ (WHEW WHAT A RIDE; just finished - will take a few to get my thoughts together)

The Set-Up

The first thing I noticed was that getting a foothold on the First required a veritable cornucopia of "this is unrealistically convenient but please just roll with it". To expect otherwise strikes me as silly, so what I really appreciated was that the lore and scenario teams seem to have harmonized their priorities wisely. The more important it was for the in-world excuse to hold water, the better that excuse was. The flimsiest excuses were made for things that were arguably game mechanics wearing a cheap lore costume, anyway.

For the first few hours, you could really feel the gravity of "prevent another Raubahn-gate at all costs". On one hand, they had good reason to front-load SHADOWBRINGERS with clean-up, anyway...challenging assumptions, explaining the status quo, tidying up the storyline, sending you on fetch quests to get immersed in the new world, etc.. But no amount of narrative potpourri could fully mask the scent of "Man, do we hope enough of you drop out for the day by the first content bottleneck," and I wondered if the pacing was going to recover (it did).

The 100-year side-jack is on my contrived-but-forgiven list. The world's just more interesting with the delay. And since the Scions' bodies are still back on the Source, chances are that they're aging in Source Bubble Time no matter how many years they spend on the First. (I bet the Leveilleur lewders are so mad, rn.) How convenient that their spirits are somehow able to spontaneously generate quasi-corporeal properties. (I suppose we are meant to assume the Warriors of Darkness were a similar case, and thereby do we avoid them having possessed corpses or somesuch, which I'm sure would color perception and raise a few, "They fell for this?")

The Exarch's Calamity PowerPoint was good stuff, but if they're laid out "clockwise", the whole world being simultaneously superimposed with the void and called "the farthest from it" by Arbert is awkward, so methinks that isn't an entirely faithful diorama. (Also, I'm not sure why the "all elements but Astral" was dark pink, but I'm calling the color "dragonfruit" for now because it makes me smile.)

Explanation for the Sin Eaters is solid, but now the confirmation pendulum swings back towards the void. Why do those ones leave behind permanent essences?

Twins

Healer Role Quests

I'M NOT CRYING. YOU'RE CRYING.

[JeanneOrnitier]

I'm not reading anyone's posts because I'm not starting the MSQ until I get DNC to 70, but here's something:

Gunbreaker 60 quest

Hrothgar invented GNB in the Third Astral Era, when the Allagans drove them to barren wastelands. Their queen was Gunnhildr even back then (so are all of them named that I guess?), and gunblade is short for "Gunnhildr's Blades". Allagans invented firearms in the meanwhile, and the name "gun" was inspired by gunblades because they looked similar. And the queen's guard had to specialize in quickly destroy guns since they were extremely devastating, so hence "gunbreaker."

The quest giver, Radovan, is of a clan descended from Gunnhildr's royal guard but he's all that remains.

[Wyssahtyn]

Not particularly a revelation, and I get gameplay needs to be convenient, but some of the explanations they give you in the beginning feel awfully contrived from a narrative standpoint, at least in my opinion.

Like how time is fluctuating randomly, but oh, it's conveniently reaching an equal state of passage between the First and the Source and such. Like, I get it, but it's just.... Meh. I'll probably complain about other stuff when I get back around to the MSQ. The intro felt cinematic and all, but I've already gotten bored from having to run all over the Crystarium.

[EdwinLi]

So....

He saw all of the Scion's naked when he first summoned them and I mean all of them.

also,

The Sin Eater transformation is rather gruesome and nightmarish if you think about it

[Jonnycbad]

When Exarch shows us the elemental aspect of all the calamities, what was the 7th depicting? He said when any one element becomes too unbalanced it causes a deluge on the Source where that element flood the world causing a calamity. Dalamud and Bahamut were man-made clamities however. In otherwords, it wasn't an abundance of water aether causing a gigantic flood. It was people calling Dalamud out of orbit and unleashing a sleeping Primal. So that redish/black aura coming out of that final shard to cause the 7th umbral calamity into the Source...what was that?

[QT_Melon]

Well have to say...

Urianger's discussion about the elemental chart was juicy!

[EdwinLi]

So how about that.....

Strip Club!

Also...

I am curious how First Minfilia will grow up. Considering she is a generation of girls called Minfilia due to their powers of the Oracle of light, I wonder how different she will become as the story progress.

This is literally a clean slate character to become separate from Source Minfilia and one I am interested to see develop over time.

[IlSire]

Snip

Something feels off about it.

I'm curious about that aswell, it seemed like a Darkness aspected calamity...maybe it has to do with the 13th and not with Bahamuth? We learned that the shards which caused past calamities are no more, what happened to the 13th then? Shouldn't it be rejoined by now or close to it since its situation is actually worse then the First?

[Kreyd]

Snip

For some reason I have to write something here, or the spoiler doesn't work...

Iirc the 7th calamity is stated to be "neutral" in terms of elements. Like Bahamuts signature attack is elemental neutral in the games.

Also I think it was said at one point, that the 13th shard isn't rejoined and never can because it is completely turned into darkness, because one of the Ascians literally failed and did his job too good, just like the Warrior of Lights did at the 1st one.

Also...

Shb's story is kinda dark so far (pun not intended). The Sineater transformation is NOT nice to watch. And it seems like Alphinaud finally grew some balls xD

[kidalutz]

Just saying werent you cats asked NOT TO SAY ANYTHING TILL THE SECOND?