The Reasoning behind The Sundering? (*6.0 Endwalker Spoilers*)

[Cleretic]

That purple crystal does get a little cameo, it or at least a similarly-colored big crystal is under the Zodiark arena. It was definitely a relic of when they didn't really know what they were doing with the Ascians yet (or even if they were ever doing anything else with the game, period), though. There was a recent bit with Radio Eorzea where Yoshi-P mentioned that; apparently the story bible Thancred's VA got given early on had something completely different, because they only figured out the angle on the Ascians much later. Likely, the same reason Emmerololth has a weird morality status.

And that's not necessarily a problem. Very few stories start and finish being written with the exact same plan persisting, because sometimes you'll just find out you have a better idea. Ideally you'll want to cover your tracks on that in later drafts, but if you're writing a serialized story of some kind, you just need to accept it to some degree. (The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fandom has an 'Araki forgot' meme about all the plot threads the author sets up and drops, that should more accurately be 'Araki Follows the Fun' because he readily admits to doing exactly this, and the series is better for it.)

In fact, while I agree that Elpis was probably where that was centered, I completely disagree about why and how. Because the developers have never spoken about Venat and Hydaelyn in a way that suggests much changed especially late, but they have directly said that Emet-Selch's popularity blindsided them. I very much doubt Endwalker was being written in full at that time, but it was definitely being planned out, and I suspect that the feeling of 'we need to bring back Emet-Selch, he's a hit' was what elevated a shorter 'find the truth in the Ancients' time' segment (maybe an extended solo duty or a dungeon) into a whole zone, which then gave the intended focuses of that segment (Hermes, Venat, and Meteion) some more room to stretch and be fuller characters as well. And I doubt anyone here would say that Elpis was worse because they wrote Emet-Selch into it.

...I'd say I enjoyed it less because of him, but that's different.

Anamnesis Anyder are actual ruins left over on the first from the Unsundered world just like the buildings the Ondo live in in the tempest. The description for the dungeon itself even states they are "Deep in the Tempest-deeper still than the phantom Amaurot of Emet-Selch's design- lies what remains of Anyder's ancient edifices. It is an unexplored corner of this bed of knowledge that the Scions now travel, in hopes that what has long slumbers forgotten may be brought to the surface once more."

It's the truth but it is missing pieces due to it being sundered as well.

I still think it's weird how that recording shows the ethereal Amaurot shades. Again, possibly a rewrites thing--they maybe didn't know they'd be giving the Ancients faces yet--and works to maintain their mystery, but it does mean that apparently Amaurot is just fine with seeing each other as weird ghosts all the time; Emet-Selch and Elidibus' memories could've faded over time, shades made in creation magic might have a reason for that form, and ghosts might just look like that, but the only way I can imagine it also persists to the Anamnesis recording is because the Ancients just want to record like that.

[Vyrerus]

because the Ancients just want to record like that.

They put on their, "we all wanna pretend we're a collective" filter! :3

[Rannie]

They put on their, "we all wanna pretend we're a collective" filter! :3

Resistance is Futile you will be ethereal.