The clones of Emet.

[Vyrerus]

Calling me daft lmao. Ironic. You realize he’s a primal yes? He could easily just use garlean reverence and gain power from that. It’s common sense. It’s just a major plot hole in the story. We had no auracite on us in that instance either, so again, we’d have no way of slaying him and he has the advantage of both being unsundered and being able to gain power from prayer.

You realize that in order to become the primal that he is, he has to use WoLs, right? What good are tempered Garleans if they can't even enrich their devotion with their aether(not too mention not having the requisite desire to save the world)? I mean, I suppose he could just straight up consume them, but that's a hefty reduction in manpower that would turn the rest of the Empire even more against itself than it already was. Talk about a conflict of interest.

Also, in the hypothetical, since there's no Calling or at least, no Emet-selch, we still get a chunk of white Auracite from Urianger which is still ready for use. If we go as far as no Calling, there's no cutoff from the Scions' normal resource avenues, so it's even easier to believe that we'd be armed and ready with one.

No plot hole as far as I can tell. Just a weaker, more easily offed version of Elidibus.

[kaynide]

…

All a valid interpretation, but it’s not necessarily set fact.

Like electricity, it’s pretty clear Aether does not become lost upon use, it just merely changes form.

Rather than just becoming converted to kinetic energy or heat, generic aether rejoins the life stream to be reformed into new life.

The big question mark for me is if there is a difference between generic aether and Ascian aether, especially since their aether specifically can stay together to be reborn. It stands to reason that even Lahabrea’s released aether could reconstitute given enough time.

The only certainty I can gather is that the unsundered have not been slain before this point, so even if they can return, they are unaware of it.

Were this real world, as a scion or WoL I would push to research this heavily, but again as a game…probably we can trust they are dead until the story needs it to be otherwise. Especially given Emet and Elidabus’s fair well moments.

[MikkoAkure]

All a valid interpretation, but it’s not necessarily set fact.

Like electricity, it’s pretty clear Aether does not become lost upon use, it just merely changes form.

Rather than just becoming converted to kinetic energy or heat, generic aether rejoins the life stream to be reformed into new life.

The big question mark for me is if there is a difference between generic aether and Ascian aether, especially since their aether specifically can stay together to be reborn. It stands to reason that even Lahabrea’s released aether could reconstitute given enough time.

The only certainty I can gather is that the unsundered have not been slain before this point, so even if they can return, they are unaware of it.

Were this real world, as a scion or WoL I would push to research this heavily, but again as a game…probably we can trust they are dead until the story needs it to be otherwise. Especially given Emet and Elidabus’s fair well moments.

I think the implication was that while they're whole and sentient, they can avoid being sent to the lifestream and are free to go and possess another random person when something happens to them. The lore book stated that was due to a "crystal of darkness" which is probably just their connection with Zodiark. In order to get rid of them permanently, they need to have their aether pinned down so they can't leave, and then get blasted with a high dose of aether. I think at that point, they have no conscious ability to maintain their form and their consciousness gets scattered into the ambient aether/lifestream of the world.

Emet-Selch/Hades was a master of the Underworld/Lifestream when he was alive so that could explain his shenanigans during the fight with Elidibus. But he also seemed to be content to help us instead of moving the ascian plan forward and went quietly into the night. That being said, he did voice the Endwalker trailer so I wonder if there will be more of him or if his narration was just supposed to be a parallel to his speech to us in Amaurot about the Final Days.

[vormela]

Emet-Sech as Solus was a dude who had ankhs all over his clothing (and costumes in this game are very carefully designed). We watched his shoes walk around creepily and inexplicably in cutscenes through the whole expansion. I haven't noticed any other characters besides Zenos and Gaia being shown walking as much as he did. Hades could just be the endwalker! I don't think he will but the "deader than dead" stuff is very confusing.

I doubt very much he meant for us to go ask Venat what happened and take her word for it so we could "remember." He could still be an antagonist even after writing such a beautiful poem! He definitely didn't want us to have time travel so we could go back and see how he was trying to alter/curate the past (which is what the Crystal Exarch believed even before Amaurot). And he still seems like he needs to repent somehow, especially with Zenos.

I just love this character and cannot wait for him to reappear in some way, like as a psychopomp. Or maybe he can retire on the island and farm popotoes at our reformed-ancient-cultist recovery communes. Just love him. Every line of dialogue from him, the Exarch, Thancred, and Yshtola in Shadowbringers was especially lovely.

[Cleretic]

I think the implication was that while they're whole and sentient, they can avoid being sent to the lifestream and are free to go and possess another random person when something happens to them. The lore book stated that was due to a "crystal of darkness" which is probably just their connection with Zodiark. In order to get rid of them permanently, they need to have their aether pinned down so they can't leave, and then get blasted with a high dose of aether. I think at that point, they have no conscious ability to maintain their form and their consciousness gets scattered into the ambient aether/lifestream of the world.

Emet-Selch/Hades was a master of the Underworld/Lifestream when he was alive so that could explain his shenanigans during the fight with Elidibus. But he also seemed to be content to help us instead of moving the ascian plan forward and went quietly into the night. That being said, he did voice the Endwalker trailer so I wonder if there will be more of him or if his narration was just supposed to be a parallel to his speech to us in Amaurot about the Final Days.

No, we actually saw the crystals of darkness, more than once. Immediately, I remember that Igeyorhm called hers up and was about to use it before we White Auracite'd her and then lasered her with one of the Eyes of Nidhogg.

They are a literal, physical thing, we're just thorough enough to rarely see them.

[Wiz33]

Well, Guess the Launch trailer and comments in the live letter pretty much confirmed that Emet is alive and kicking. I'm even going to go out and say he's going to have a major impact in the Endwalker story.

[KageTokage]

Just because he's seemingly going to be the one narrating the zone intros and such this time around doesn't necessarily mean he's still alive.

They may simply be the thoughts he had about those places before he was destroyed, or even just mostly unrelated musings that happen to be applicable to them.

[Vyrerus]

He's going to speak to us about Ancient times relating to the present zones through the Azem stone that he created. Doi

[Cleretic]

I'm still banking on him being present in flashbacks or recordings. They'd be stupid not to use the big breakout sadboy somehow, but I also very much doubt they'd undo such a big, climactic death scene.

[GoldStarz]

I'm still banking on him being present in flashbacks or recordings. They'd be stupid not to use the big breakout sadboy somehow, but I also very much doubt they'd undo such a big, climactic death scene.

I think he's dead and dusted, but I mean it wouldn't be the first time they went back on a perfect death scene. *waves in the general area of our current antagonist*