Revelations from Patch 5.3

[Vulcwen]

I just finished 3.0 again, and decided to watch the cutscene following our victory over Thoradin. Might want to watch it again. Before his body dissoves int aether, he reverts back into the Archbishop. He looks up at you while wondering how even with the power of Nidhogg's Right Eye and a millennium of prayer behind him, you still defeated him. He looked at you, and your form darkened.....shadowed in the same manner as the ascians whenever they are shown in post-story cutscenes back then. To which he exclaims the following :

"Who....what are you?"

He recognized us as an Ascian. I want to say this was clever foreshadowing by the writers.

Thoughts?

It's not foreshadowing, but it retroactively fits nicely. Originally it's intended to show the disbelief from Thordan. The effect used is to make you look scary, since Thordan was absolutely terrified.

[RyuDragnier]

It's not foreshadowing, but it retroactively fits nicely. Originally it's intended to show the disbelief from Thordan. The effect used is to make you look scary, since Thordan was absolutely terrified.

I'd be terrified too. We beat a guy who was filled with the 1000 years of prayers from an entire country due to a war, with little effort. One could think we were so pissed we unconsciously pulled forth our old power to destroy him.

[Alleluia]

I just finished 3.0 again, and decided to watch the cutscene following our victory over Thoradin. Might want to watch it again. Before his body dissoves int aether, he reverts back into the Archbishop. He looks up at you while wondering how even with the power of Nidhogg's Right Eye and a millennium of prayer behind him, you still defeated him. He looked at you, and your form darkened.....shadowed in the same manner as the ascians whenever they are shown in post-story cutscenes back then. To which he exclaims the following :

"Who....what are you?"

He recognized us as an Ascian. I want to say this was clever foreshadowing by the writers.

Thoughts?

I'd say it was, especially with the visual effect that accompanied it. But you'll have people swearing up and down it wasn't, so. /shrug

[Iscah]

I'd say it was, especially with the visual effect that accompanied it. But you'll have people swearing up and down it wasn't, so. /shrug

Well, the writers swear up and down that it wasn't supposed to mean anything and they just wanted to be dramatic, so...

[Erendis]

WM during Rising mentioned importance of balance of elements. Now that Elidibus (who tried to keep elemental balance) is gone and Fandaniel is free to wreak havoc as he pleases he might just go and upset said ballance and it would be up to us to restore it.

[Alleo]

I just finished 3.0 again, and decided to watch the cutscene following our victory over Thoradin. Might want to watch it again. Before his body dissoves int aether, he reverts back into the Archbishop. He looks up at you while wondering how even with the power of Nidhogg's Right Eye and a millennium of prayer behind him, you still defeated him. He looked at you, and your form darkened.....shadowed in the same manner as the ascians whenever they are shown in post-story cutscenes back then. To which he exclaims the following :

"Who....what are you?"

He recognized us as an Ascian. I want to say this was clever foreshadowing by the writers.

Thoughts?

Well first we are not an Ascian (Ascians are only those tempered by Zodiark), we are an Ancient. I just doubt that this was the case. I always just saw it as an old man that fully and truly believed that with 1000 years of prayers he would be unstoppable. And there we are a mere mortal putting an end to him. In his last moments, maybe where he is not even able to see us correctly anymore he ask this question.

[WarzonePrez]

Well, the writers swear up and down that it wasn't supposed to mean anything and they just wanted to be dramatic, so...

When did the writers say the effect didnt mean anything? I wasn't aware they were ever asked about it.


And I'm actually a bit taken aback by how many people here believe the contrary. Honestly, if they wanted it to be just a dying old man's vision being skewed, they could have gone many ways, such as blurryness or first person shaky-cam. But they purposely went with the same effect the Ascians were shown in.

And to the person who chastized me for using the term "Ascian" over "Ancient", perhaps my use of the term was incorrect. I tend to use it to describe any post-sundering ancient who's soul has become as dense as this, or whom may be nearly or completely unsundered. Forgive me that inaccuracy.

[Morningstar1337]

Well first we are not an Ascian (Ascians are only those tempered by Zodiark), we are an Ancient.

I think that is presumptuous at current. its more like we are the reincarnation of an Ancient.

[Alleluia]

I think that is presumptuous at current. its more like we are the reincarnation of an Ancient.

I don't think Alleo was saying we were unsundered.

Well, the writers swear up and down that it wasn't supposed to mean anything and they just wanted to be dramatic, so...

Fiiiiine...

Feels so unsatisfying, though. lol

[Berethos]

When did the writers say the effect didnt mean anything? I wasn't aware they were ever asked about it.


And I'm actually a bit taken aback by how many people here believe the contrary. Honestly, if they wanted it to be just a dying old man's vision being skewed, they could have gone many ways, such as blurryness or first person shaky-cam. But they purposely went with the same effect the Ascians were shown in.

Most of us believe to the contrary - that the death of Thordan scene wasn't created to foreshadow the connections we have to the Ascians and the Ancients and all that - because of things where the writers have talked about how they have an sort of weekend retreat (that's really just renting an office space for a weekend) to hash out the story for the next expansion, and how they use that opportunity to both flesh out the general focus and direction as well as begin the process of taking previous events and seeing if they can be connected. From the Gamescon 2019 interview with Yosh-P and Banri Oda they talk about how they get the "topline detail" stuff together right after the most recent expansion has launched (so 2017 for Shadowbringers) and then get together the following year to go much deeper with the story elements and figure out what those are going to be (2018 for Shadowbringers).

The likelihood that a dramatic lighting effect from a scene from 2015 (that was almost certainly decided upon in like 2014) was intended (at the time of its creation) to seed the foundations of story details that wouldn't be created until 2017 at the earliest is simply not there. That it works as a foreshadower now is good for the story, but just based on what we know about how they create the story, it being intended to foreshadow that we are one of the Ancients and connected to the Ascians at the time it was created is just not believable...

And that's without the actual answering of what it was meant to represent, which I too remember was a question they answered but is proving to be a real bear to track down at the moment.