[Spoilers] Why Zenos is the most important character moving forward

[Edax]

Did it move away from them? I mean it just seems another part of the patch cycle. Set up a future event after the current one may be done. We still don't know EXACTLY what direction this will go? Keep in mind in an interview with Yoshi P - it was mentioned that we're gonna be hitting certain turmoil (as it was described in interview) for patches following.

What exactly is the turmoil? Is it really Zenos, Elidibus? Our eldest Primals? I mean we know it may involve all of them or some of them. While I get that Zenos will be it going forward, we don't know exactly how so I'm going to be "waiting and seeing" before passing judgement.

Hell I thought the Ascians weren't that great till recently.

Well, Elidibus sounded like he was thwarted. His plan to summon Warriors of Light from yet another reflection and tie down the Warrior of Darkness in the First is just a repeat of the plan from Heavensward. It looks like he's just spinning his wheels in the mud from his setback with Zenos. On top of that, we don't know Elidibus that well so I'm predicting that the focus will be on Zenos.

[RopeDrink]

I do however find it disappointing that once the Ascians were developed, the story focus immediately moved away from them.

Say's who? Zenos had 1.5 scenes this expansion, not including Elidizenos. Elidibus' only self-admitted defeat was an inability to physically fight Zenos head-on despite wearing his body (something we as the WoL struggled with numerous times ourself in the past). Heck, even fighting Elidizenos before ShB was a struggle in itself that he could have won. Despite not being able to match Zenos at the time, it gave Elidibus more ideas for the future, as hinted by his dialogue.

Wake up already - he's a bloody Ascian! 90% of their dialogue involves shoving variations of "WE LOVE CHAOS AND PLOTTING" down our necks repeatedly. This situation will, in the end, become preferable for Elidibus, more so as we cannot exactly fly to the moon and give him a stern talking to. Warriors of Light on their own are bad enough. Zenos on his own is bad enough. All of them in combination, whilst also being familiar with the 'will of the planet' debacle from the First and how it relates to the Source? That is not good in any way, shape or form, less so if any of them make an effort to free Zodiark, intentionally or even unintentionally.

Sheesh, Zenos putting the nightcap on the "Road Trip of Estinien and Gaius" doesn't necessarily mean "Hi guys, say hello to your new-old poster child". It's funny how someone (me) who actually likes Zenos is the only one who genuinely suspects he will be a background influencer rather than the main star.

[Nucah]

Truthfully I've always thought that Zenos was a terrible villain and he was and remains very uninteresting to me personally.

I loved Nidhogg as a villain and Emet Selch was absolutely fantastic as a villain too. I was hoping that we'd finally finish off Zenos at the end of Stormblood and really didn't like how that played out.

Honestly, I hope that we kill him off soon (even though I don't think we will) so that we can get back to more interesting villains. A good villain can help make or break a story.

[Edax]

Say's who?

I said it.

we don't know Elidibus that well so I'm predicting that the focus will be on Zenos.

Wake up already - he's a bloody Ascian!

You felt the need to remind me that he's an Ascian? Go back to sleep.

Sheesh, Zenos putting the nightcap on the "Road Trip of Estinien and Gaius" doesn't necessarily mean "Hi guys, say hello to your new-old poster child". It's funny how someone (me) who actually likes Zenos is the only one who genuinely suspects he will be a background influencer rather than the main star.

Zenos is a blunt instrument. He's not a background influencer.

[Iscah]

On top of that, we don't know Elidibus that well so I'm predicting that the focus will be on Zenos.

That logic doesn't make sense. We don't know any character well until they become a focus character. We didn't know Emet-Selch before this expansion, or anyone we met on the First. We barely knew G'raha Tia.

You can't be sure who is important in the future based on where they are now, and Elidibus is in place to play some kind of important role.

[Cilia]

Anyone willing to discuss the quality of a work has the authority using facts. There's no one here that can take that authority away.

Those facts can (and will) be interpreted different ways. There's no right or wrong way to do so, so therefore there is no objective measure of writing quality.

No one granted you authority to say that Yotsuyu was "best written" because nobody needed to grant you authority. We're all allowed to discuss quality, it's not all about your personal tastes.

I didn't say Yotsuyu was "best written." What I said was...

... I hold [Yotsuyu] to be one of the best-written antagonists in the game thus far...

Not that she is the objectively best written antagonist, just that I personally feel she is one of the best. Others may agree or disagree, as is their right. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

... but I'm not going to tell anyone who is and is not well-written, or try to make a literary test determining that for them based on arbitrary criteria I came up with.

[Edax]

That logic doesn't make sense. We don't know any character well until they become a focus character. We didn't know Emet-Selch before this expansion, or anyone we met on the First. We barely knew G'raha Tia.

You can't be sure who is important in the future based on where they are now, and Elidibus is in place to play some kind of important role.

Well we did get a lot of setup with Emet-Selch before he took center stage as main antagonist. Not only did you have his conversations with Varis before ShB, but you also have most of Shadowbringers building him up before he comes the main antagonist. Zenos is known to use, he's been setup long ago. I grant you that an antagonist like Vaultry were introduced and dispatched in the same storycycle, but since the MSQ segments of the decimal patches are quite short that I don't think there's enough time to establish Elidibus that well so that's why I don't think he'll get much focus.

And from a meta perspective, he's the last major chess piece on the board, I don't think SE can put him out front and center yet. If he's taken out, the Ascians lose.

[RopeDrink]

You felt the need to remind me that he's an Ascian? Go back to sleep.

You need a nap more than I do if you're incapable of reading the full sentence for context, or genuinely believe Elidibus speech was an "I'm so thwarted" monologue.

"Whelp, Emet is dead. I'm now the last Plotty McChaos. Nobody could have anticipated that katana-wielding guy Edax hates so much. Oh, woe is me for not being able to take him on. Ah, but this presents some opportunities. Oh yes, we're not finished yet Mrs.HydeCrystal. Imma enjoy seeing how this newfound chaos unfolds while I recruit more WoL-bros. They'll keep the WoD busy while I grab my popcorn and be Plotty McChaos. I'll delete the WoD from existence if it's the last fictional thing I do. By jove, see you in the next expansion, boi."

[Edax]

You need a nap more than I do if you're incapable of reading the full sentence for context, or genuinely believe Elidibus speech was an "I'm so thwarted" monologue.

"Whelp, Emet is dead. I'm now the last Plotty McChaos. Nobody could have anticipated that katana-wielding guy Edax hates so much. Oh, woe is me for not being able to take him on. Ah, but this presents some opportunities. Oh yes, we're not finished yet Mrs.HydeCrystal. Imma enjoy seeing how this newfound chaos unfolds while I recruit more WoL-bros. They'll keep the WoD busy while I grab my popcorn and be Plotty McChaos. I'll delete the WoD from existence if it's the last fictional thing I do. By jove, see you in the next expansion, boi."

Elidibus admitting he could no longer control the currents of time was an admission of himself being thwarted. His plan requires nothing less then to shape history.

[Kobalos]

I like Zenos as a villain yes he is one dimensional and simple but not every villain has to be complex like Emet. I really liked Emet's story line and was nice top have a well rounded villain and one you could show sympathy for even if you did not agree with his methods.

I called out Zenos doing a Kylo Ren on his old man a while ago and was slightly smug that that came to pas however I do feel he is a little over done at this point. We have fought him 4 times and I kinnda felt his story was done in SB. I do hope they have a more original approach to him in the upcoming patches. As fighting him and beating his arse is getting a lil boring.