I Don't Understand the Light Theme

[ApolloGenX]

I am really enjoying SHB... but I am having trouble understanding what they are doing with the light theme.

No spoilers, I just don't get the "Forgiven" tag on monsters... or the "Sin Eater" taxonomy.

It seems like they are confusing elemental light and religion.... and it is confusing to me.

I don't understand why instead of this they aren't using names like "radiant" and "luminous".

To me, they seem to be confusing "holy" and elemental light, so there is this strange quasi religious connotation to stuff.

Maybe I am not far enough along in the story and they fix this- but I always loved how Secret of Mana kept light and dark as elements and left out that religious stuff.

Hopefully, those of you who are over achievers and finished the MSQ can let me know if it straightens out.... I really like the elemental concept and love the idea that elements are neutral primordial forces. This language and connotation might just be a localization issue.

It just feels like the game is borrowing heavily from D&D on the theme without any of the context. Maybe it's just me lol.... but I also don't want the same to happen with darkness/shade in a future expansion where they have some kid of evil connotation. I was never comfortable with them implying that shade/dark was bad and I don't want that to be a future theme. As both an AST and as someone that happens to love the nighttime and sleep, I happen to feel like darkness can be comforting, relaxing, and peaceful.

[NessaWyvern]

Well, Holy as a spell has always been a Light elemental attack since early Final Fantasy, and Alexander as a summon is also light aspected in earlier final fantasy games too. It's kinda just how it is at this stage.

[ApolloGenX]

Well, Holy as a spell has always been a Light elemental attack since early Final Fantasy, and Alexander as a summon is also light aspected in earlier final fantasy games too. It's kinda just how it is at this stage.

Just to be clear - I get that the holy spell is light aspected.... but they seem to be applying that theme to all of light... when really, I just interpreted it to be a light based attack that was called holy....not that there was really any kind of affiliation between elemental light and any kind of religious concept.

The idea of light and religion or order is fairly D&D.... but I just expected it to be treated as any other element..... which is what is throwing me off. Instead of a theme based on "luminosity" (so far from what I see).... I have seen more of a theme around this quasi religious concept.

[Arrhin]

It's made clear, there's no religious connection that I saw. No good or evil, just balance (I think). And everything borrows from summat, even WoW....

[Krotoan]

but I also don't want the same to happen with darkness/shade in a future expansion where they have some kid of evil connotation. I was never comfortable with them implying that shade/dark was bad and I don't want that to be a future theme.

Is.. this.. not the entire first storyline?

[Daralii]

People on the First refer to one another as "sinner," so naturally the monsters that feed on their aether would be sin eaters. I assume that those that survive the attacks and have their aether overwhelmed by the infusion of Light are then considered to have their "sins" "forgiven". The greater the "sin", I assume based on willpower or strength due to the Cardinal Virtues, the more powerful the eater. It's been stated by the developers that Light and Dark aren't elements, but something greater.

We've also already had an equivalent storyline for Darkness, namely everything to do with Voidsent- the former inhabitants of the Thirteenth Shard.

[ApolloGenX]

It's made clear, there's no religious connection that I saw. No good or evil, just balance (I think). And everything borrows from summat, even WoW....

Let me give another example - There are a lot of white feathered angel-like creatures. I wonder since we are talking about light if we will see prismatic creatures and abilities. I wonder if we will see lucent creatures, gleaming creatures, or radiant creatures. I wonder if we will see refracted creatures and diffused creatures.

So far, the theme has been very one dimensional and light is such a fascinating concept- I just feel like it has been whitewashed (sorry for the bad metaphor).

Just to be clear, I am loving the expansion so far... I am just hoping the theme goes beyond the traditional angelic/quasi religious archetypes.

[Shougun]

I imagine the names are more a reference to how people feel rather than "that being the name it has always had since time immemorial". Like the Warriors of Light went so far, so single-mindedly marched forward, that they ended up bringing their own destruction. Now their sin comes for them, it's forgiven in their death (Sin Eater, Forgiven, Etc).

So it would be a rather recent (~100 years, iirc) naming scheme (made by those who live in the world). I mean this is evident in real life (names are made by humans, they mean/say something), but in games sometimes I think we take names as messages or general descriptions ("fire demon", is made of fire) from the devs and perhaps maybe we should go back to that concept that names are made by the people in the world (or at least that's how I've been reading it lol).

[Arrhin]

Let me give another example - There are a lot of white feathered angel-like creatures. I wonder since we are talking about light if we will see prismatic creatures and abilities. I wonder if we will see lucent creatures, gleaming creatures, or radiant creatures. I wonder if we will see refracted creatures and diffused creatures.

So far, the theme has been very one dimensional and light is such a fascinating concept- I just feel like it has been whitewashed (sorry for the bad metaphor).

I think yer readin way to much into this, though I do share yer curiosity. As far as I can tell they're jus tellin a story about Balance, how a sway too far in one direction or the other, can be catastrophic. Whether the light is good or evil is irrelevant to that end. I also recall a conversation *no spoiler* that how the light and dark is perceived in the First is backwards to the Source, simply in language. So far, as far in as I am...there's no reference to one or the other bein "good" or "evil" specifically. That may change, I just got to the second dungeon

[ApolloGenX]

I think yer readin way to much into this, though I do share yer curiosity. As far as I can tell they're jus tellin a story about Balance, how a sway too far in one direction or the other, can be catastrophic. Whether the light is good or evil is irrelevant to that end. I also recall a conversation *no spoiler* that how the light and dark is perceived in the First is backwards to the Source, simply in language. So far, as far in as I am...there's no reference to one or the other bein "good" or "evil" specifically. That may change, I just got to the second dungeon

Perhaps... but they could possibly release expansions that are all elemental based- and I am hoping they really expand the limits of what elemental means beyond the cliche.