Y'shtola's "Marketing Armor"

[ElazulHP]

She's pretty much guaranteed to die because she is using her own aether to see ever since she lost her sight in the lifestream. It's only a matter of time. Personally, I think they'll either do it next expansion or at the transition to next expansion and leave it as a cliff hanger so as to entice sales.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Shortening her lifespan by using aether to see is largely meaningless as long as the game's time frame never changes. She might die years sooner than she normally would from age, but we're never gonna actually get there.

[Tsumdere]

Y'shtola has always been my least favorite Scion. Her niche as know-it-all is filled better by Urianger, so most of the time she seems unnecessary.

[SpeckledBurd]

The problem with Y'shtola is they've used her death as a fake out for shock value so many times that whenever she's supposed to be in peril my immediate response is completely discordant with what the game wants me to feel. It's never "oh no, Y'shtola is in danger!" it just "nah she's fine" even if the story is treating her like she's supposed to be dead. When she fell into the hole in Raktika, my immediate response wasn't shock followed by being upset alongside the characters, it was complete disbelief that she was actually dead and annoyance at the characters mourning her supposed death because she was definitely fine. Emet-selch snapping her back from the lifestream just had me nodding my head and going "yep of course she's fine" instead of relief. It's to the point where I can no longer take her being in danger seriously and it completely sweeps the emotional tension out of any scene where I'm supposed to be concerned/grieving for her.

I more or less have the same feelings about Thancred because his fight with Ranji't was pretty much framed as him dying only for Urianger to scrape him off the ground offscreen and put him back together.

[Leareaux]

Why is death the only way for these characters to exit a story? Can't they just simply retire or take on a more passive role? I could see Y'shtola taking on a researcher role like Urianger used to.

Personally, I'd like to see most/all the Scions take a back seat next expansion. I find it hard to invest in them as time goes on because somehow they find themselves at the center of every major conflict on the Source and now even the First. I'd rather see an FFXI approach to characters - where the main characters in the expac are assumed to be close to the conflict at hand way before the player steps foot in it.

Obviously now that XIV is 7 years deep into a linear story arc, that wish becomes a bigger ask with each patch. But when the 'Zodiark Arc' is wrapped up I need a clean slate with a tasteful Scion cameo every now and then.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Personally, my preference would be that the Archons take a back seat role in the next expansion, staying in Eorzea to mind the ship while we venture abroad. Maybe we can bring along Krile and some of the secondary Scions for a while. Riol, Hoary and Ocher Boulder, Coltenet, maybe Arenvald. Have the twins pop in and out as go-betweens, so they're still around but not as central to the plot.

[Vahlnir]

Personally, my preference would be that the Archons take a back seat role in the next expansion, staying in Eorzea to mind the ship while we venture abroad. Maybe we can bring along Krile and some of the secondary Scions for a while. Riol, Hoary and Ocher Boulder, Coltenet, maybe Arenvald. Have the twins pop in and out as go-betweens, so they're still around but not as central to the plot.

Personally, I'd just be satisfied to have one follow me to wherever we're going next, probably Thancred. He could be my Gunbreaker bro.

[StriderShinryu]

I'm guessing they'll split the difference on her. She will die, if not due to her condition then via some sort of noble sacrifice, but because she's so connected to the lifestream and all that they'll find a way to keep her around even just as someone we visit in cutscenes.

Honestly, I actually like her quite a bit but the fake out deaths have definitely made her into as much a meme as a character.

[Gothicshark]

"Who do you think will be the next scion to die?

No. just stop, no more.

[TheMightyMollusk]

Coming in 6.0: Y'shtola chokes on a pretzel. She uses Flow to teleport it out.