I HATE THIS!!! (Massive Raid Spoilers)

[Iscah]

I sense there's going to be a twist coming, and it'll likely just make it even worse for you.

Remember -- we know almost *nothing* about the Lahabrea who died in HW.

But we do know "Lahabrea" is just a title, one that can apparently be passed to family members if they're qualified...

That's what I'm dreading. Erich seems far too nice to have to turn into "our" Lahabrea.

Hopefully people are right with the idea of him being Claudien instead.

There exist three different G'raha Tias across various screwed-up timelines, as well as now four different versions of our WoL.

How are you counting those?

By my understanding there's only one instance in which time has split apart to create multiple timelines and copies of characters. There's only one "screwed-up timeline" (the Eighth Calamity timeline) alongside our own, resulting in a total of two G'rahas and two WoLs.

The other timeline's G'raha woke up in the future of that timeline, travelled back to our time(ish) in the First, became the Exarch, and ended up on our side of the timeline split. "Our" G'raha was in the tower until we let him out again. Those are the only two. (Possibly very theoretically there might be a second copy of the Exarch on the other timeline, depending on exactly where it splits, and if so he likely died when the First was rejoined. The game has not discussed this bleak possibility. Either way, all copies are accounted for.)

The other timeline's WoL dies in the calamity. Our WoL is us. Again, there are no more copies. The events at Elpis and Pandaemonium are simply integrating into our past as it always was.

It's like when watching movies.
Why even watch it when you know that the "good guys" will win in the end anyways?
It's the journey that makes it exciting and enjoyable, not the ending per say.
So enjoy the ride while it lasts and remember it after it has ended.

Knowing that the good guys will win is very different to knowing that the good guys will likely soon be tempered by an elder primal, suffer the destruction of their entire civilisation and possibly spend the next several millennia being very awful people.

Is there any solid evidence that Themis really is Elidibus?
The only thing I'm seeing that even HINTS at it is Elidibus telling us in the Occular that he might have remembered us from Elpis, maybe, and us not having run into anyone who calls themselves Elidibus yet while there.
And I guess his relative age to the Convocation members.

In addition to the other hints mention above, one of the Tales From stories narrated by Emet describes him as a "youth of small stature" and he certainly fits that description.

With new parts for ALL to play.

I took that to mean "all the Scions", but perhaps...

I don't understand this penchant they have for a closed time loop either, an alternate timeline would've made most people happy. Instead we get this contrived mess.

Meanwhile I don't get the animosity people have for the closed loop story. I much prefer seeing it all come together and link up rather than starting new alternate timelines all over the place.

[Rulakir]

Meanwhile I don't get the animosity people have for the closed loop story. I much prefer seeing it all come together and link up rather than starting new alternate timelines all over the place.

Too much in the way of mental gymnastics and suspension of disbelief for me. Plus, I'm not on board with our 'new old friends' being doomed in perpetuity and there's nothing we can do to change their outcome. Pandemonium feels completely pointless because of it too. I can't wait to see the reasoning for helping the Ancients with that when they're still all going to fall to the Final Days.

Alternate timelines are 'set it and forget it', much like the Crystal Exarch's in ShB. I would like to know that we saved the Ancients in at least one timeline even if it happens off screen and is never again mentioned.

[Theodric]

Knowing that the good guys will win is very different to knowing that the good guys will likely soon be tempered by an elder primal, suffer the destruction of their entire civilisation and possibly spend the next several millennia being very awful people.

It's been stated repeatedly both in and out of the game itself that it is all a matter of perspective and isn't a case of 'good guys' and 'bad guys'. Furthermore victory for one side in a conflict generally results in heavy losses for the other, often through circumstances outside of their control.

More often than not, some people seem to simply expect certain characters and factions to just roll over and die out...which doesn't strike me as a reasonable resolution. It's admirable for anyone to do whatever it takes to protect their loved ones, though that goes both ways - not just when the Scions screech and drool about 'hope' and how much they want to go on an adventure and see a 'bEtTeR tOmOrRoW'.

Back in Shadowbringers, the Scions already admitted that if they were in Emet-Selch's position then they would do the same thing that he was doing. Which, again, is understandable - why wouldn't the Sundered do everything possible in order to survive and preserve their kind? However, again, it makes perfect sense for the Unsundered to have the same goal and desires.

[KaTnIs]

Well time travel... but I feel you, it's really sad. The ancients treat the wol really nice and you really begin to like them but in the real time/world they all dead.

[Iscah]

...

Seriously? I wasn't making any deep comment on morality there.

Person A said they didn't like this story spending time being friends with people we knew would go on to have a tragic end.

Person B compared it to knowing the "good guys" (a concept generally considered synonymous to "the protagonists") would win at the end of the movie.

I said it's more like knowing the "good guys" (again, the protagonists we are spending time and being friends with) are going to lose and have horrible things happen to them. That's the dread we're feeling about this, and it's nothing like knowing they'll win.

I'm not making some kind of grand judgement on them. Just using the same terms someone else already used.

[Theodric]

Seriously? I wasn't making any deep comment on morality there.

Person A said they didn't like this story spending time being friends with people we knew would go on to have a tragic end.

Person B compared it to knowing the "good guys" (a concept generally considered synonymous to "the protagonists") would win at the end of the movie.

I said it's more like knowing the "good guys" (again, the protagonists we are spending time and being friends with) are going to lose and have horrible things happen to them. That's the dread we're feeling about this, and it's nothing like knowing they'll win.

I'm not making some kind of grand judgement on them. Just using the same terms someone else already used.

Fair enough! I'm glad to see that we're on the same page.