What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Velnora]

The Finals Days themself make no bloody sense. The ancients were dense in aether, so dynamis didn't affect them. And, since Zodiark is gone, and dynamis still exists, people should be still turning into monsters.

[EaraGrace]

The Finals Days themself make no bloody sense. The ancients were dense in aether, so dynamis didn't affect them. And, since Zodiark is gone, and dynamis still exists, people should be still turning into monsters.

Dynamis by itself has no will, it only overwhelms the Aether in peoples bodies if someone or something imbues it with the desire to do so. It’s why the Elpis crew are able to conclude that there is someone causing these events.

[Velnora]

Dynamis by itself has no will, it only overwhelms the Aether in peoples bodies if someone or something imbues it with the desire to do so. It’s why the Elpis crew are able to conclude that there is someone causing these events.

It overwhelms the lack of aether. Even then, it still makes no sense, as the final days were still occuring during their time. And it still should be happening now.

[Alaray]

It overwhelms the lack of aether. Even then, it still makes no sense, as the final days were still occuring during their time. And it still should be happening now.

I mean, the catalyst for the Final Days in their time is one and the same as the one in the Sundereds' time. Difference between the two episodes is, initially, they never pinpointed the actual reason and only Venat (presumably others she informed) knew of the actual source of the problem and Zodiark, despite being a God to rewrite the laws of reality and to bring salvation, ultimately acted more like an aetherial dam for the torrential rivers of Dynamis coming from the Ultima Thule (and, as a result, providing a bandaid solution for temporary relief). His presence was also to strengthen the waning celestial aetherial currents, as originally Fandaniel assumed that those weaker spots were part of the reason behind why things were going to shit.

Ancients were too aetherially dense for the Dynamis to interfere directly with their physical being, so instead their creations - which are made up of a fraction of their aetherial energy - began to turn instead. Whereas, for sundered souls, their aetherial density isn't enough to purely ward off Dynamis (and also leads into the ability to more easily directly channel/manipulate dynamis, ie: Limit Break, Dynamis Dice as gameplay mechanics.)

Dynamis itself just energy affected by emotion, and emotions cover the entire emotional spectrum. It, itself, doesn't have a motive unless it's harnessed by someone who does (the Meteia).

The WoL/Scions removed the catalyst for the Final Days (the Meteia and the overwhelming sorrow/despair/etc... they hoarded for millenia), and so the Final Days ceases.

[Velnora]

I mean, the catalyst for the Final Days in their time is one and the same as the one in the Sundereds' time. Difference between the two episodes is, initially, they never pinpointed the actual reason and only Venat (presumably others she informed) knew of the actual source of the problem and Zodiark, despite being a God to rewrite the laws of reality and to bring salvation, ultimately acted more like an aetherial dam for the torrential rivers of Dynamis coming from the Ultima Thule (and, as a result, providing a bandaid solution for temporary relief). His presence was also to strengthen the waning celestial aetherial currents, as originally Fandaniel assumed that those weaker spots were part of the reason behind why things were going to shit.

Ancients were too aetherially dense for the Dynamis to interfere directly with their physical being, so instead their creations - which are made up of a fraction of their aetherial energy - began to turn instead. Whereas, for sundered souls, their aetherial density isn't enough to purely ward off Dynamis (and also leads into the ability to more easily directly channel/manipulate dynamis, ie: Limit Break, Dynamis Dice as gameplay mechanics.)

Dynamis itself just energy affected by emotion, and emotions cover the entire emotional spectrum. It, itself, doesn't have a motive unless it's harnessed by someone who does (the Meteia).

The WoL/Scions removed the catalyst for the Final Days (the Meteia and the overwhelming sorrow/despair/etc... they hoarded for millenia), and so the Final Days ceases.

But if it doesn't have a motive, then it shouldn't affect Meteia. Dynamis is stupid.

[Alaray]

But if it doesn't have a motive, then it shouldn't affect Meteia. Dynamis is stupid.

Dynamis isn't what affected them, though -- the Meteia are, in FFXIV's version of the word, entelechies, which are basically empaths in this case. Once so many Meteia encountered so many incredibly dense, negative emotions from those civilizations they watched fall/die/etc... those feelings became a part of their emotional state, a constant burden of sorrow born from the ends of thousands of worlds. They could no longer separate their ontological selves from the massive tsunami of these emotions (and part of this is a bit of a design flaw, since they /are/ made primarily from Dynamis, which would mean their Dynamis would change to be aspected to these emotions as they continuously encounter them). To where, their thought went to "everything is destined to die, and so everyone is destined to suffer. The only way to remove the suffering, is to kill everything" (mirroring the conclusions of the dead civilizations, which were conclusions born from the same source of emotional distress) and from there, they harnessed the external energies of Dynamis that was then heavily infused with the sorrow of thousands, thousands of civilizations'. Dynamis is an energy affected by emotion, the Meteia harnessed it with a particular emotional drive and a particular motive in mind.

The raw, conscious emotions affect entelechies (the flower turning black with Hermes and you), dynamis is just an energy that's a blank slate until someone harnesses it with their own emotions (be it Sorrow, as seen from the Meteia, or Conviction, as seen when you LB3, or a mixture of Desperation, Conviction and Will -- like when Elidibus LB1/2/3/4's. Dynamis isn't /always/ sorrow).

[Velnora]

Dynamis isn't what affected them, though -- the Meteia are, in FFXIV's version of the word, entelechies, which are basically empaths in this case. Once so many Meteia encountered so many incredibly dense, negative emotions from those civilizations they watched fall/die/etc... those feelings became a part of their emotional state, a constant burden of sorrow born from the ends of thousands of worlds. They could no longer separate their ontological selves from the massive tsunami of these emotions (and part of this is a bit of a design flaw, since they /are/ made primarily from Dynamis, which would mean their Dynamis would change to be aspected to these emotions as they continuously encounter them). To where, their thought went to "everything is destined to die, and so everyone is destined to suffer. The only way to remove the suffering, is to kill everything" (mirroring the conclusions of the dead civilizations, which were conclusions born from the same source of emotional distress) and from there, they harnessed the external energies of Dynamis that was then heavily infused with the sorrow of thousands, thousands of civilizations'. Dynamis is an energy affected by emotion, the Meteia harnessed it with a particular emotional drive and a particular motive in mind.

The raw, conscious emotions affect entelechies (the flower turning black with Hermes and you), dynamis is just an energy that's a blank slate until someone harnesses it with their own emotions (be it Sorrow, as seen from the Meteia, or Conviction, as seen when you LB3, or a mixture of Desperation, Conviction and Will -- like when Elidibus LB1/2/3/4's. Dynamis isn't /always/ sorrow).

That all sounds like something that shouldn't have been introduced in the second to last zone, lol.

[EaraGrace]

It overwhelms the lack of aether. Even then, it still makes no sense, as the final days were still occuring during their time. And it still should be happening now.

What will is controlling the inert Dynamis post Endwalker?

Oh, so it's only subjective when "the story is bad", but it's objective when "the story is good". Let's face it, you guys also spin your own perspective-based opinion as a fact.

This community is a hypocrite. People bashed SB so much and saying it's good is enough to get you get laughed at, and yet now there are people who dislike ShB/EW, it's all "no, the story is good, you're just haters/it's just your opinion!!1!". People who dare riticize the story are treated like criminal.

I’m not sure who you are grinding that axe for, but I think you’d be better served bringing it up with the person you have a problem with and not random people.

I'm not assuming anything. She wouldn't know, thus holding off on intervening with the First. We know now that she had the knowledge and the power reserves to nip the Flood of Light in the bud had she wanted.

She very clearly didn’t have that power.

[Rulakir]

She very clearly didn’t have that power.

She did, as we learn during her trial, she just didn't want to use it to save the First. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised given her contingency plan was to abandon the shards anyway. Regardless, the problem with knowing the future is she should've had an eye on Ardbert to ensure the Flood never happened in the first place.

Elidibus is definitely shafted in terms of screentime, which is a shame because he likely could have balanced the discussion to not be so skewed in Hydaelyn's favor, and bring back some of the nuance Shadowbringers built up, if he'd only had more scenes.

It makes me wonder what's planned for Pandemonium. He also wasn't summoned back along with Emet and Hythlodaeus, wasn't present during their walk past us during the credits, and wasn't featured in the post-credit art either. Since he "died" sending the WoL to the past you think he'd be seen somewhere along the way.

I loved one of his final lines, "May you have...the joy of it. The burden...and the solitude." Given that he was supposed to be acting as a mediator during the Final Days, I'm sure he had some stories to tell.

[EaraGrace]

She did, as we learn during her trial, she just didn't want to use it to save the First. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised given her contingency plan was to abandon the shards anyway. Regardless, the problem with knowing the future is she should've had an eye on Ardbert to ensure the Flood never happened in the first place.

I think it’s ridiculous to say that she had that power, when using the power you’re referring to would’ve killed her and all life, including the First. And she was supposed to do this, while also knowing that the First would ultimately be saved ourselves, Minfilia (who she sent with her blessing), and Graha?

And when was she supposed to look out for Ardbert? The time between Heavensward and Shadowbringers was equivalent to over a century on the First. Ardbert’s entire life on the First could fall in the period between ARR, where Hydaelyn was drained of Her power protecting us, and his arrival on the Source on the post 3.0 quest line. When was she supposed to intervene?