Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 2)

[Tensaihime]

MSQ about Sharlayan

Hear me out. I know I've made my bias clear, but uhh, no Fourchenault is not doing any sort of advanced play to protect the children he readily disowned. He doesn't even care or know what they've been through, and was happy to let them wander and risk their lives in what he considers savage lands. That hash piped, pointy-eared son of a gun doesn't give one single damn about the twins. I bet you 500 gil that he didn't even want them to be born. Another 500 that he doesn't have a good relationship with his wife. He's garbage.

I had thought that

he and his fellow Forum-ites had been tempered, but I also like your take on it. Gives me a better excuse/higher chance of beating on him like he owes me money. F this guy. WE are the twins’ family. I bet Count Edmont will welcome Alph back, and Alisaie too.

[Tensaihime]

MSQ musings

I had been considering leveling a healer so I could hang with Giott, but that stint as Urianger has left me with newfound respect, awe even, for everyone who plays one. Never realized before how crazy it can get trying to keep yourself plus everybody else alive.

Oh, and if Venat can come talk at me, then surely she can say something a little more helpful than a reminder that everyone dies if I flub this. I really hope she tells me more about why/how she chooses people and why/how she’s been growing weaker. I also continue to hope she or somebody else finishes Zenos so I don’t have to.

[YianKutku]

MSQ musings

I had been considering leveling a healer so I could hang with Giott, but that stint as Urianger has left me with newfound respect, awe even, for everyone who plays one. Never realized before how crazy it can get trying to keep yourself plus everybody else alive.

Yeah, as a Healer main (SCH), I felt the Urianger section to be a relaxing break from the fumbling of the Alisaie and G'raha DPS sections. The only problems I had playing Urianger was that I generally have my own instincts and habits for where certain abilities and spells are on my hotbar, and I kept messing up the keys due to being too used to my personal setup. But keeping everyone alive and doing DPS was pretty smooth.

Conversely, I'm certain I'd be in the lowest percentile of DPS if such a thing was done for the G'raha Black Mage segment. So much panic, focusing too much on mechanics to press buttons to DPS.

I think it's fun to share the different experiences everyone has to these segments, and see the different viewpoints.

[Iscah]

I had thought that

he and his fellow Forum-ites had been tempered, but I also like your take on it. Gives me a better excuse/higher chance of beating on him like he owes me money. F this guy. WE are the twins’ family. I bet Count Edmont will welcome Alph back, and Alisaie too.

Depending on which way they take this...

I was wondering what name they'd go by if they're (at least for our trip to Sharlayan) officially unable to use Leveilleur, and now that you mention this it would definitely be cool to see Alphinaud pick up the Fortemps surname if he's allowed to do that.

[Vyrerus]

Depending on which way they take this...

I was wondering what name they'd go by if they're (at least for our trip to Sharlayan) officially unable to use Leveilleur, and now that you mention this it would definitely be cool to see Alphinaud pick up the Fortemps surname if he's allowed to do that.

Now that would bring a big smile to the hero, I'm sure.

I could also see them using the player surname, unless they have plans of having them voice act their temporary ones. Alisaie Moonsong kinda has a nice ring to it, don'tcha think?

Though inevitably this would lead to memes, because a lot of folks have really whacky/not thought out names... I think I'd love the Fortemps idea the best. Though I suspect their first choice would be their mother's maiden name, maybe? If they have those in Sharlayan/FFXIV world.

[JeanneOrnitier]

Regarding post-Zadnor stuff

You can get a second field notes for Lyon saying that some time after Dalmasca's liberation he suddenly appeared with Sicinius, dropped him off in Valnain for the Dalmascans to arrest, and then left before anyone could grab him. He also had Pagaga with him. So for whatever reason Lyon and Pagaga are rounding up the IVth's other on-the-run officers and turning them over to the authorities.

With this, Fran saying "Maybe next time you can help us in Dalmasca" to the WoL at the end, the reveal with Ashe's deal in Fran's field notes, the weapons Sicinius delivered to Gabranth in the last scene, and Gabranth very obviously faking his death, this doesn't feel like a "maybe we'll come to this, maybe we won't." Square very much seems to have set plans for continuing this story.

[WhiteArchmage]

Finally finished Bozja and I have THOUGHTS.

First of all, I HOPED Gabranth would escape to form part of a further Matsuno scenario in XIV. So it seems I guessed semi-correctly; in a Matsuno scenario, if someone is not 100% confirmed to be dead, they're not. And even when they are, that doesn't mean they won't show up somewhere (looking at YOU, spoiler character from Let Us Cling Together).

Ogre Battle/Tactics Ogre references come back, with Ganpp (showing up in Pagaga's Field Notes) being a Griffin Tamer from Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. His backstory is practically the same as in that game, except for the end, and his griffins Obda and Berda also show up as part of Pagaga's Skirmishes). Also, the final Bozja Quest, The March of the Bloody Queen, is also a direct reference to Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen. I'll probably point more OB/TO references when I catch them. EDIT: Gannp's actual class is BEAST Tamer, not GRIFFIN Tamer, but he always shows up with Obda and Berda so I got confused.

Misija's sacrifice, I think could have been foreshadowed better. I understand where it came from but still feel it was kind of rushed. Gunhildr HAD stayed her hand in DR, but I think it should have been more blatant that she was stopping her out of still thinking of the Bozjans as her subjects instead of her murderers.


Confirmation of what we already knew: Fran's "Princess" is actually Princess Ashe, although having Fran be an elite-spymaster/assassin was an interesting twist. Also this means that our Princess Ashelia is at the very least in her 40s, unless the "deep sleep" ALSO halted her aging. I'm not even sure if it's a retcon because the tease that Ashe was alive happened all the way in RtI, this just opens it up for later appearances.

I am... not going to lie, greatly disappointed that Dalmasca's independence happens off-screen. Although ANOTHER liberation plot would have felt stale, I guess... It does leave Gabranth's fate very up in the air, as I'm sure the scene with Gabranth receiving the weapons is supposed to be a tease of things to come, but WHAT his angle is, I don't know. Especially seeing his motivation seemed to be retaining Dalmasca...or so I thought, at least.

[JeanneOrnitier]

Finally finished Bozja and I have THOUGHTS.

It does leave Gabranth's fate very up in the air, as I'm sure the scene with Gabranth receiving the weapons is supposed to be a tease of things to come, but WHAT his angle is, I don't know. Especially seeing his motivation seemed to be retaining Dalmasca...or so I thought, at least.

I think that

Rather than not needing Dalmasca, it's more like Gabranth realized it was a lost cause. His field notes say that after losing Bozja they were getting attacked on all fronts, so I think he knew Dalmasca wasn't going to stay under his control. At that point it's better to cut your losses and get out while you still can, so he faked his death so he could work on his plan with those new weapons without being hunted and assaulted by the resistances.

Also yeah I'm bummed that this stuff was off screen. They could have made it the ending cutscene. Oh well, it's still a cool development.

[KageTokage]

It did seem a touch weird... (Regarding Zadnor)

That some of the lesser IVth legion members like Clarricle and Daguza just run away hissing that you haven't seen the last of them yet again despite already having a notable presence on the southern front and incidentally are both part of their beast master regiment.

The mage regiment on the other hand was totally killed off with Sartauvoir being the miniboss the top group has to deal with in the Dalriada.

Now I'm kind of wondering if they're trying to set up Lyon being the actual driving force behind whatever is planned next.

[Vyrerus]

I had thought that

he and his fellow Forum-ites had been tempered, but I also like your take on it. Gives me a better excuse/higher chance of beating on him like he owes me money. F this guy. WE are the twins’ family. I bet Count Edmont will welcome Alph back, and Alisaie too.

Yeah, I'm feelin' ya, Ms. Joestar.

Tempering is certainly a possibility if they did strike gold with all their Aetherial Sea dipping. If they do got Hydaelyn chained up in the basement, then I could defintiely see that being the case. Though, I also think it might not be the case... and I absolutely have nothing other than intuition going for my silly post theory on them having her in their basement.