Zenos: The Big Bad (The Feedback Thread, Part 1)

[Vyrerus]

Ooh - how about Zenos as EVERY BOSS OF 6.0!
81 Dungeon Boss: Zenos
83 Dungeon Boss: Zenos
84 Trial: Zenos sitting on his throne
85 Dungeon Boss: The dungeon has nothing to do with Zenos, but when we reach the boss, Zenos descends from the sky Sepihroth-style, slays the boss, then we fight Zenos!
87 Dungeon Boss: Zenos and Fandaniel tag-team
89 Dungeon Boss: The whole dungeon is a mystical Journey to the Center of the Mind inside Zenos's head.
89 Trial: Zenos possessing Zodiark

The level 90 dungeons are optional, but somehow also involve Zenos, in spite of the fact that we wiped him out along with Zodiark.

SE Devs: So, we heard you all can't get enough of Zenos, so here you go - all Zenos, all the time! Our best villain EVER!

I think over half the playerbase would have an aneurysm. The remainder would have embolisms from being unable to leave their Zenos paradise.

[Rymi64]

Ooh - how about Zenos as EVERY BOSS OF 6.0!
81 Dungeon Boss: Zenos
83 Dungeon Boss: Zenos
84 Trial: Zenos sitting on his throne
85 Dungeon Boss: The dungeon has nothing to do with Zenos, but when we reach the boss, Zenos descends from the sky Sepihroth-style, slays the boss, then we fight Zenos!
87 Dungeon Boss: Zenos and Fandaniel tag-team
89 Dungeon Boss: The whole dungeon is a mystical Journey to the Center of the Mind inside Zenos's head.
89 Trial: Zenos possessing Zodiark

The level 90 dungeons are optional, but somehow also involve Zenos, in spite of the fact that we wiped him out along with Zodiark.

SE Devs: So, we heard you all can't get enough of Zenos, so here you go - all Zenos, all the time! Our best villain EVER!

Don't tempt me with a good time

[Corsinus]

I think it’s no coincidence that we’re going to Garlemald precisely when the origin, backstory, creation, etc. of Zenos is suddenly important to the MSQ. While Garlemald was always gonna be important, the fact we’ll have seemingly easy access to whatever skeletons are in the Garleans closets (seeing as how the whole place is a ruin) makes me think we’re in for a nice, plot-twisting reveal. I don’t think whatever they’re revealing will “redeem” Zenos in any form, but it will definitely give us more context on who he is and why he’s doing the things he’s doing. Both of which have been simplistic so far.

I think there's a few passive hints going toward that idea.
Heavensward and Stormblood's trailer had no voice narration, so we can't really use them as an exemple.

Shadowbringer's trailer was narrated by Best Boy and we know the impact he had on the story.
Endwalker teaser trailer is firstly narrated by Emet-Selch talking about the past, then followed by a silent tower, then by Zenos when we look at Garlemald and he himself is looking toward the moon.
We knows the trailers are more symbolics than factual, so I feel like who's talking an in what order is more important that it might appear.

I therefore strongly agree with the Anima's theory being the missing link between Emet-Selch and Zenos, so either Zenos' mother or grandmother and it'll be one of the focus of our trip to Garlemald.
Plus, the elevator in the creepy tower kinda look like a weird umbillical cord and it lead directly to a room housing Zenos and only Zenos.
Given the general elevated form of Anima and the organic nature of the tower, I wouldn't be surprise if the tower we see in the trailer " is " actually anima, ready to birth a transformed Zenos into the moon.

I strongly feel like there's more to that tower than it's architecture.

[Veloran]

I think there's a few passive hints going toward that idea.
Heavensward and Stormblood's trailer had no voice narration, so we can't really use them as an exemple.

Shadowbringer's trailer was narrated by Best Boy and we know the impact he had on the story.
Endwalker teaser trailer is firstly narrated by Emet-Selch talking about the past, then followed by a silent tower, then by Zenos when we look at Garlemald and he himself is looking toward the moon.
We knows the trailers are more symbolics than factual, so I feel like who's talking an in what order is more important that it might appear.

I therefore strongly agree with the Anima's theory being the missing link between Emet-Selch and Zenos, so either Zenos' mother or grandmother and it'll be one of the focus of our trip to Garlemald.
Plus, the elevator in the creepy tower kinda look like a weird umbillical cord and it lead directly to a room housing Zenos and only Zenos.
Given the general elevated form of Anima and the organic nature of the tower, I wouldn't be surprise if the tower we see in the trailer " is " actually anima, ready to birth a transformed Zenos into the moon.

I strongly feel like there's more to that tower than it's architecture.

I'm pretty sure it's only Emet's voice doing the narration at both the beginning and the end. If I had to guess, he'll be delivering commentary throughout Endwalker via the Azem stone.

Also the elevator has multiple branching offshoots that, given it appears to be aetherial movement, someone could probably travel down.

[darcstar62]

I'm honestly half-hoping they have another twist like in ShB where it seems like we're at the end due to our fated encounter with Zenos being at hand, but it turns out stopping him and Fandaniel doesn't actually cease the Final Days and the bigger threat that Zodiark and Hydaelyn were simply forestalling finally comes to light.

Except this time make it actually happen at the level cap and after we've visited all six zones to make it less obvious.

This is actually what I feel is the most obvious guess of what the "next story" will be. In 6.0, we resolve the Hydaelyn/Zodiark arc in a giant fight between a Hydaelyn-powered WOL vs a Zodiark-powered Zenos. We just barely win, but both primals are drained to nothing in the process, and now the original cause of the final days is a problem again and 6.1 and beyond is us having to deal with it directly, just like the ancients did.

(For the record, I really hope this isn't true since it's a bit too obvious...)

[Yuella]

We'll deal with whatever left of the Sound in Pandemonium. 6.1 will be a completely new story, either New World or Hingashi.

[KageTokage]

They already mentioned we'd be resolving the story arc in 6.0 so I'd assume that would also include whatever it is that caused the Final Days.

Pandemonium is probably going to be akin to the Binding Coil of Bahamut in that it'll be tying up some additional loose ends and preventing another threat from returning.

[Vyrerus]

I think there's a few passive hints going toward that idea.
Heavensward and Stormblood's trailer had no voice narration, so we can't really use them as an exemple.

Shadowbringer's trailer was narrated by Best Boy and we know the impact he had on the story.
Endwalker teaser trailer is firstly narrated by Emet-Selch talking about the past, then followed by a silent tower, then by Zenos when we look at Garlemald and he himself is looking toward the moon.
We knows the trailers are more symbolics than factual, so I feel like who's talking an in what order is more important that it might appear.

I therefore strongly agree with the Anima's theory being the missing link between Emet-Selch and Zenos, so either Zenos' mother or grandmother and it'll be one of the focus of our trip to Garlemald.
Plus, the elevator in the creepy tower kinda look like a weird umbillical cord and it lead directly to a room housing Zenos and only Zenos.
Given the general elevated form of Anima and the organic nature of the tower, I wouldn't be surprise if the tower we see in the trailer " is " actually anima, ready to birth a transformed Zenos into the moon.

I strongly feel like there's more to that tower than it's architecture.

I'm gonna hafta rewatch and listen to the trailer again I guess. I heard Urianger for the opening narration and Asahi/Fandango for the tower elevator segment. Huh.

[Kesey]

I'm gonna hafta rewatch and listen to the trailer again I guess. I heard Urianger for the opening narration and Asahi/Fandango for the tower elevator segment. Huh.

I heard Fandaniel talking during the trailer.

[Craiger]

I'm not very good at predicting the story of the game, but when it comes to Zenos specifically, I just have a feeling that they will continue to take inspiration from Final Fantasy IV, and instead of Zemus being in the game and transforming into Zeromus, I think Zenos will take the role of Zemus. So Zeromus would be the final boss of 6.0.

At first I had the wild idea that Zenos would take on even more inspiration from Zemus and even become a Psychic (leading into theory on new job), but right now I'm fairly certain the new job will be based on Sice from Type-0, and her whole thing is that she absorbs hatred/malice from dead enemies. If I continue to predict that Zenos will take on the new job we're getting (or a version of it at least), then that could mean Zenos wants to absorb a ton of malice. And guess what, Zeromus was born from Zemus' extreme hatred/malice...

I don't really have any theory on the exact details, but I can easily see different ways Zodiark being involved there too, and at least I think it makes somewhat sense.

Not sure if anyone else agrees, but at this point I think they have made it pretty clear that Zenos will be the main antagonist for 6.0, and since the whole arc is ending with it, I also assume that we will get one final (really final) battle with Zenos, or at least something spawned by/from him, like we had Shinryu.