Quote Originally Posted by RyuDragnier View Post
If this was a single player game, I'd want the crystal to summon every ally we've met and fought alongside (still alive) on the Source and on the First to join us in one giant war-ish cutscene. But since this is an MMO and such a thing would be outside their budget (most likely), I'd settle for it summoning the souls of those we've lost on the way to help do the final blow. Moenbryda, Papalymo, Haurchefant, Ysayle, Ardbert's crew, Yotsuyu, etc.
This is most likely going the FFIV route, where in the moment just before our defeat, all of the characters we have met and changed their lives over the course of the story will become aware through some strange means (the aether will feel different?) and all of them will start to pray for our protection (either directly empowering us or charging Hydaelyn to empower us) which will lead to a changing of the tide and the final trial where we can deal with the final incarnation of the big bad on equal footing.

Regarding budget, this is easiest scenario to recreate because the minor characters will be in there places already. Yoshi-p even said they were going to try to involve as many characters as possible. This path makes it so they don't need much story time over 6.0 just the moment when they are really needed.