6.0 Story Speculations

[KageTokage]

It would be really neat if they actually broke out of the established "six zones per expansion" format partly for the sake of throwing us off because at this point it's painfully easy to tell exactly how close you are to the end just from the quest levels and zones explored.

Though the ultimate bait would be making the quest called "Endwalker" not actually be the final quest.

[Yuella]

The area with the white path in the void looks like the final part of the lunar core leading up to Zeromus in FFIV. Also Old Sharlayan and Thavnair are far. If we go to Old Sharlayan first and Thavnair is a level 81 zone, that's a bit weird. I think there could be a serpent road linking Old Sharlayan and Thavnair. Then we can still have the early zone split between Labyrinthos and Thavnair.

[Wiz33]

I feel like you're extrapolating a lot with what you think I think of Emet? I never even implied I didn't like him so I don't know why you're snapping at me about how useful he was in ShB. I never did anything close to calling him out, just asked where you got the impression he was still alive.

But him being secretly alive ruins the entire final scenes with him in Amaurot. He entrusted the world to the sundered and told us to remember that he once lived. The sequence was about letting go of the past and the dead and moving on. It ruins the whole thematic of the story if he didn't actually die there.

Sorry, not really singling you out. Just that a lot of people still look at Emet as a villain. Have you watch the live letter? When Yoshi P was recapping the launch trailer, he pretty much admits that it's Emet but it a secret they can't talk about. Since most people thought that Emet was dead and it's his lifeforce from the lifestream that snapped you out of the void in SOS, What's so secret about that unless it's something totally different.

He is entrusting you with the future, he's just not getting himself killed in the process. I think he's ready to go back to his slumber once he find you worthy of their legacy and just happily retire in the void unless you stray. But events put into motion by Zeno and Fandaniel in the launch trailer are getting out of hand and forcing him to take a more active role.

[Sathona]

I get the feeling the aerial zone is the -actual- Ruined Amaurot on the Source.
Seen some comparison images too and it aligned quite well, i could be wrong tho~

[JeanneOrnitier]

Not the moon.

Are you implying

That you think we're going to go down the Ridorana Cataract and reach the core of the planet? An interesting idea, especially because that shot of Hydaelyn is centered on the Valnard Sea which is where Ridorana is located. I don't understand including the Sirensong Sea screenshot though.

[Wiz33]

The title of 6.0 ("Shadowbringers" or "Jet-Black Villains," depending on language) has a double meaning. On the one hand, it's obviously a reference to how the Ascians are considered to be villains associated with darkness and chaos ("shadow") by contemporary people. On the other, it's also referring to the Scions, as on the First the relative morality of light and dark are flipped due to the Flood of Light - the Scions act as "shadow" bringers by restoring the night, while Vauthry labels them villains for opposing his tyrannical rule (an epithet they wholeheartedly embrace). It's all designed to play into the morally grey narrative.

Personally while I do sympathize with them, I can't agree that the tragedies and misfortunes they've suffered even come close to justifying the things they've done. But that's just me.



Saying five words while mortally wounded doesn't constitute a conversation; and Emet-Selch was trying very hard to kill the PC and Scions at the tail end of Shadowbringers after they failed his bad faith arbitrary test of worth. Other than that, this is "can't be disproven" territory and thus not worth arguing against.

So you're saying it's sloppy writing?

As to trying to kill everyone. Did he? Who snapped Y'shtola out of the livestream? Why did he not simply kill you while you're overwhelmed with Aether at the end of The Crown of the Immaculate if he really consider you a failure at that point? Did you considered that Graha/Exarch would have died if Emet did not shoot him when he managed to absorb all your Aether? Did you notice that the arrows lands in a circle around Alphinaud and Alisaie instead of on them? Did you notice that a perfect killing shot on Ryne didn't even leave a scratch? If Hythlodaeus's shade can see that you have a fragment of Azem's soul and have another fragment walking beside you (Arbert). Emet certainly did much earlier and have alluded to it in his conversation with you. If he intends to kill you, why leave the trail of crystal to help you against Elidibus?

[Cilia]

Did he? Why did he not simply kill you while you're overwhelmed with Aether at the end of The Crown of the Immaculate? Did you considered that Graha/Exarch would have died if Emet did not shoot him when he was trying to absorb all you Aether? Did you notice that the arrow lands in a circle around Alphinaud and Alisaie instead of on them? Did you notice that a perfect killing shot on Rynedidn't even leave a scratch? If Hythlodaeus's shade can see that you have a fragment of Azem's soul and have another fragment walking beside you (Arbert). Emet certainly does and have alluded to it in his conversation with you. If he intends to kill you, why leave the trail of crystal to help you against Elidibus?

Emet-Selch doesn't kill you after the Crown of the Immaculate because he doesn't want to. His plan was to see if the PC could absorb all the Lightwardens' primordial Light and still retain their self; if they succeeded he'd acknowledge their worth and continue trying to sway the PC and Scions to his side, while if they failed he'd just wait for them to become an uber-Lightwarden and usher in the Flood of Light. Either way, he wins - but he knew from the outset the PC succeeding was a long shot (at best).

He shoots G'raha (and thus stops him from doing his heroic sacrifice) not because he wants G'raha to survive, but because his sacrificial plan would have stopped the PC from becoming an uber-Lightwarden like he wanted.

All his shots at the Scions not killing them could also be interpreted as the typical Ascian arrogance - why bother when the PC is moments away from turning into an uber-Lightwarden and killing them anyway, or restarting the Flood of Light which would also kill them? Emet-Selch can see "soul colors" but refuses to believe the PC is anything more than a "broken husk" of Azem, which is why he goes so hard into denial prior to the final showdown (since if the PC is Azem, his best friend is telling him what he's done is wrong). He does start trying to kill the PC after Ardbert's soul willingly merges with them because at that point his plan is in disarray due to an anomalous factor he did not foresee (Hythlodaeus actually has better "soul vision" than Hades, and thus saw Ardbert's soul where Hades did not).

It's unclear who planted the Ascian soul crystals, but that doesn't mean it was Emet-Selch, and he helps you in the final showndown with Elidibus both because your defeating him convinced him mortals have some potential (or at least deserve a chance to forge their own futures), and as a service to Elidibus (so he wouldn't be forced to continue the Ascians' mission while his memories and identity slowly but surely degraded).

[MikkoAkure]

So you're saying it's sloppy writing?

As to trying to kill everyone. Did he? Who snapped Y'shtola out of the livestream? Why did he not simply kill you while you're overwhelmed with Aether at the end of The Crown of the Immaculate if he really consider you a failure at that point? Did you considered that Graha/Exarch would have died if Emet did not shoot him when he managed to absorb all your Aether? Did you notice that the arrows lands in a circle around Alphinaud and Alisaie instead of on them? Did you notice that a perfect killing shot on Ryne didn't even leave a scratch? If Hythlodaeus's shade can see that you have a fragment of Azem's soul and have another fragment walking beside you (Arbert). Emet certainly did much earlier and have alluded to it in his conversation with you. If he intends to kill you, why leave the trail of crystal to help you against Elidibus?

Cilia said that he tried very hard to kill us at the "tail end of Shadowbringers", which is true. Up to that point he just wanted to watch us and wanted us to gather up all the light we could for his plan B, which also involved us turning into a super light warden and killing everyone ourselves before dying. Plan C was "we hold back the light and agree with everything Emet-Selch says, show that our sundered selves have worth, and join the Ascians to bring back the good old days". When plans B and C failed, he pulled out the big guns and tried to kill us and all our friends. As for why he doesn't after, we can only assume, but it probably has to do with the fact that he'd been killed and sent to the lifestream, which could have removed his tempering. More importantly, he accepted both his personal loss, and the loss of his people at his end. And while not necessarily siding with Hydaelyn, he at least sided with us over Elidibus/Zodiark.

But a lot of that writing exists because of the format it's being told in. The meta reason why he didn't kill us and all our friends at the beginning is because this is a video game and as an MMO, our character can't die and that the writers wanted us to sympathize with Emet-Selch for the end of the story. Which wouldn't happen at all if he killed one of the Scions.



Sidenote: you may want to turn off your phone's auto-correct but I did get a chuckle out of Y'shtola being a streamer.

[Wiz33]

Emet-Selch doesn't kill you after the Crown of the Immaculate because he doesn't want to. His plan was to see if the PC could absorb all the Lightwardens' primordial Light and still retain their self; if they succeeded he'd acknowledge their worth and continue trying to sway the PC and Scions to his side, while if they failed he'd just wait for them to become an uber-Lightwarden and usher in the Flood of Light. Either way, he wins - but he knew from the outset the PC succeeding was a long shot (at best).

He shoots G'raha (and thus stops him from doing his heroic sacrifice) not because he wants G'raha to survive, but because his sacrificial plan would have stopped the PC from becoming an uber-Lightwarden like he wanted.

All his shots at the Scions not killing them could also be interpreted as the typical Ascian arrogance - why bother when the PC is moments away from turning into an uber-Lightwarden and killing them anyway, or restarting the Flood of Light which would also kill them? Emet-Selch can see "soul colors" but refuses to believe the PC is anything more than a "broken husk" of Azem, which is why he goes so hard into denial prior to the final showdown (since if the PC is Azem, his best friend is telling him what he's done is wrong). He does start trying to kill the PC after Ardbert's soul willingly merges with them because at that point his plan is in disarray due to an anomalous factor he did not foresee (Hythlodaeus actually has better "soul vision" than Hades, and thus saw Ardbert's soul where Hades did not).

It's unclear who planted the Ascian soul crystals, but that doesn't mean it was Emet-Selch, and he helps you in the final showndown with Elidibus both because your defeating him convinced him mortals have some potential (or at least deserve a chance to forge their own futures), and as a service to Elidibus (so he wouldn't be forced to continue the Ascians' mission while his memories and identity slowly but surely degraded).

So Ishikawa wrote a whole expansion on un-intended consequences? Is that what you really believe? Given that Emet have a big hand in the creation of the light warden. I would think he would know exactly how much Aether you can absorb. You are mixing up his words and his deeds. You have to remember that he's an arrogant SOB that thought everyone is beneath him and that's the way he speaks to everyone. Since he have long seen Arbert walking beside you. Why even give you the opportunity to join? This is not a James Bond Movie where the villain tells Bond his every plan and leaves him alive to come foil his plans.

[Wiz33]

Cilia said that he tried very hard to kill us at the "tail end of Shadowbringers", which is true. Up to that point he just wanted to watch us and wanted us to gather up all the light we could for his plan B, which also involved us turning into a super light warden and killing everyone ourselves before dying. Plan C was "we hold back the light and agree with everything Emet-Selch says, show that our sundered selves have worth, and join the Ascians to bring back the good old days". When plans B and C failed, he pulled out the big guns and tried to kill us and all our friends. As for why he doesn't after, we can only assume, but it probably has to do with the fact that he'd been killed and sent to the lifestream, which could have removed his tempering. More importantly, he accepted both his personal loss, and the loss of his people at his end. And while not necessarily siding with Hydaelyn, he at least sided with us over Elidibus/Zodiark.

But a lot of that writing exists because of the format it's being told in. The meta reason why he didn't kill us and all our friends at the beginning is because this is a video game and as an MMO, our character can't die and that the writers wanted us to sympathize with Emet-Selch for the end of the story. Which wouldn't happen at all if he killed one of the Scions.



Sidenote: you may want to turn off your phone's auto-correct but I did get a chuckle out of Y'shtola being a streamer.

Emet could have wiped out your entire party in The Dying Gasp without a blink. Why didn't he? it's because he already believes that you are worthy. Given that he created Vauthry, he would know what absorbing all that Asther will do to you so everything that happened once you set foot upon Amarout is a setup to save your butt if you're indeed worthy. If Hythlodaeus's shade can see Ardbert beside you. Emet certainly can and did. My theory is that he believes that combining 2 souls (yours and Ardbert's) will allow you to control and channel all the excess Asther but he doesn't know if it can be done (after all, if he knows how to rejoin souls, they're won't have to work towards the rejoining). So he took a gamble that having 2 fragmented soul close to each other under great stress (not unlike a calamity) may make it happen. So all the trails in Amarout are so he can be sure that you will persevere through and to put you under so much stress that your 2 fragmented soul will join.