Predictions for 5.3?

[Morningstar1337]

Regarding Elidibus and his hypothetical demise. I don't think it'll be as simple as killing the head honcho. The faction has been manipulating events for millennia and every oneof them, even those born of sundered souls, likely has the goal of reviving Zodiark and un-sundering the world. As it stands unless Zodiark is dealt with here and now, killing Elidibus won't stop the rest of the Convilcation from being a threat. It would still weaken them however so it isn't totally useless.

[RyuDragnier]

Regarding Elidibus and his hypothetical demise. I don't think it'll be as simple as killing the head honcho. The faction has been manipulating events for millennia and every oneof them, even those born of sundered souls, likely has the goal of reviving Zodiark and un-sundering the world. As it stands unless Zodiark is dealt with here and now, killing Elidibus won't stop the rest of the Convilcation from being a threat. It would still weaken them however so it isn't totally useless.

Considering this is Final Fantasy, expect a Man Behind the Man moment to occur.

[Morningstar1337]

Considering this is Final Fantasy, expect a Man Behind the Man moment to occur.

Woudne't that be Zodiark at the moment. Though I prolly woudne't be surprised if the source of the noise turned out to had been a secret manipulator as well.

[Riastrad]

Woudne't that be Zodiark at the moment. Though I prolly woudne't be surprised if the source of the noise turned out to had been a secret manipulator as well.

You mentioned in an earlier post that you felt that a Chrono Trigger/Cross tie in could be possible.

I feel much the same way. I feel that the downfall of Amourat was echoing the fall of Zeal, even down to the meteors raining down from on high. Minfilia/Ryne = Schala/Kid, Hades being a reference to Magus. I could go on and on.

I`m waiting to hear the sound myself. I'm thinking it will be a familiar one...

[Lauront]

You mentioned in an earlier post that you felt that a Chrono Trigger/Cross tie in could be possible.

I feel much the same way. I feel that the downfall of Amourat was echoing the fall of Zeal, even down to the meteors raining down from on high. Minfilia/Ryne = Schala/Kid, Hades being a reference to Magus. I could go on and on.

I`m waiting to here the sound myself. I'm thinking it will be a familiar one...

Yup, and then you have Lavos and its role! I am hoping they go for something like that at the root of it all.

Woudne't that be Zodiark at the moment. Though I prolly woudne't be surprised if the source of the noise turned out to had been a secret manipulator as well.

There's also the fact that 5.2 led to the revelation that Elidibus is Zodiark's heart. The speculation is whether it's this one or some predecessor in the office, but either way it leaves room for there to have been some other instigator who set off the whole calamity in the first place. That may, in turn, have been what the 14th left to go find in order to avoid the need to summon Zodiark.

[Vyrerus]

More likely it will be a reference to the parasite come to be known as Jenova in Final Fantasy VII. If you did the side content involving Aeris's mom in the original game, you know that this parasite was referred to by the Cetra as, "The Calamity from the Sky."

What this parasite did was take over life on the planet, eventually consuming and mutating a Cetra known as Jenova, giving her the will to dominate the planet.

Which I mean, in itself was a call back to Chrono Trigger with Lavos dominating Queen Zeal's will, but even with the advent of the Black Omen, she did not take over the planet or even adjust history really.

We gotta consider that when Zodiark went up against Hydaelyn, the planet got fractured on the space/time level, splitting into 14 separate instances of the same reality. No idea how a Lavos-like/Jenova-like would really play into that, beyond the initial calamity, given there's been no real sign of them this whole time.

[Iscah]

I'd say Zenos would count as surprising at this juncture, but yes my main guess would be the Exarch. Possibly one of the newly minted WoLs. He's holding what looks like a WoL crystal - I wonder if we're coming full circle on this from the New Year's greetings:

I also noticed that he appears to be holding a Crystal of Light, though I wonder if might happen not as part of Elidibus's scheme but as a contrast in the two possible meanings of the New Year's poem: the reckless (acting without considering the consequence) and the noble (doing the right thing regardless of personal cost). We discussed this as the time the poem came out, but we have another possible application of it in light of 5.2 - the "new Warriors of Light" fitting that reckless interpretation by running off to play the hero without considering the impact of abandoning their original mundane-but-important positions. Meanwhile the Exarch is willing (perhaps too willing) to sacrifice himself if it will get the Scions home... which is more noble, if also reckless for the potential impact on the Crystarium too.

On a somewhat unrelated note, I'm nearing the end of Shadowbringers main game on my alt, and something Ardbert says in our conversation at the lookout during 'In His Garden' struck me as relevant to the question of what Elidibus is trying to achieve with his "creating heroes" scheme:

ARDBERT
But seeing that giant Talos stir to life cured me of any doubts I still had.
Always. Always we took the burden of fighting upon ourselves. That's what heroes do, isn't it?
So we never had the chance to see anything like that - our people, coming together as one.

Proclaiming individuals to be Warriors of Light, calling them to be heroes, encouraging them to stand apart from the rest and take all the responsibility of defending the world alone instead of coming together and supporting each other to achieve something greater... that seems to be what Elidibus is after.

[swiss_Momo]

oh, speaking of the patch art...

[Iscah]

oh, speaking of the patch art...

.......oh.


Though... I had to go back to the 5.2 patch art because that makes it look like the background of the Exarch is part of that image and somehow nobody noticed despite it seeming obvious, but as far as I can see, the 5.2 art was only on the black background.

Which isn't to say that the exact shape of the crystal lining up is coincidence, but we didn't just all look past the background. It wasn't there.

[Sated]

I was just re-doing Amaurot and what Emet said earlier made me think:
"Do you honestly believe that half your number would sacrifice themselves to save the other? No, of course they wouldn't!"

But would they if they thought it was heroic? Isn't that what heroes do?

It's what the WoL's did - we just told them as much. They sacrificed themselves, and then again in order to save their star. I'm not sure how a fight might go down between us and the WoLs, but Elidibus might not need to convince them to fight against us directly, just using them indirectly as fuel for whatever cause he tricks them into believing.