fate of emperor varis at the end

[Absimiliard]

Yet for the Eorzean Alliance to reach the heartland is very much a case of extreme aggression on their part, cutting through any and all who stood in their path. That is, logically, a lot of bloodshed - and Garlemald only deployed Black Rose as a last resort. For it to be presented as 'unforgivable' isn't realistic at all, since the Eorzeans have resorted to similar extreme and dubious methods of their own when cornered with no other alternatives. That is why Hien's antics and Omega were brought up.

I would say freezing, burning, electrocution, slowly decaying from the inside out, etc. seems a far more heinous end to me than the sort of death the Black Rose brings. And that's not even getting into Eorzeans having individuals powerful enough to drop meteors on their enemies. Dropping a meteor even the size of a car would be absolutely catastrophic to the surrounding area, likely killing every living thing over a rather significant radius. Some of their people are literal walking natural disasters waiting to happen.

Given that Hien is one of my favourite characters, it isn't a case of bias. I simply find it disappointing that the story only portrays brutal weaponry as 'unforgivable' when it is embraced by the antagonists, but not the protagonists.

Agreed. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander.

The Eorzeans have the luxury of being able to manipulate aether and they have a walking weapon of mass destruction to call upon in their time of need that conveniently saves them from having to resort to extreme measures. Other nations do not have that luxury and as such should realistically be viewed with that in mind.

Just think; Zenos would've been the Empire's own "walking weapon of mass destruction" if not for the fact that he has been completely off his rocker seemingly from the very beginning.