Quote Originally Posted by Rulakir View Post
The previous Fandaniel hadn't stepped down yet and I doubt he'd return to the star knowing there was an impending global crisis on the horizon. Hermes also wasn't the only scholar in his field. The game didn't provide sufficient proof that he was at all integral to the creation of Zodiark. Elidibus only credits him with discovering the stagnation, which Venat could have told them to look for instead.

As a result, we don't know if Zodiark was needed because they didn't know or have the opportunity to prepare. They could have come up with an alternate solution and, even if not, Zodiark could've been created before the Final Days had decimated the world to the point where the only aether to use for him was from Amaurotine sacrifices.

Also, the Final Days wasn't a test, it was a condemnation. No one was ever going to or arguably even meant to pass that test. Had the Final Days 2.0 been given more time to ravage the sundered world I'd guarantee you it would've ended up similarly to the original with the remaining inhabitants willing to do whatever it took to make it stop and return to normal. People act as if Meteion was ever going to be swayed by the people of Etheirys changing. It'd been 12k years and they were still turning into blasphemies. Sundering and millennia of suffering and despair had done jack to save Etheirys. It was always going to come down to the WoL, groomed and given every advantage possible, to defeat Meteion or flee the star.
Well.. that's the problem. In the quest "The Greatest Contribution" Emet states that in the Fourteen, there's no one who specializes in the Celestial. That means the previous Fandaniel has no knowledge or skill in aetherology or dynamis like Hermes does. In that regard, the previous Fandaniel would not have been able to forestall the Final Days as they couldn't pinpoint what was causing it. Only Hermes was able to deduce the effects was a result of stagnant aether currents by viewing the aether currents based on his research in the study of aetherology.

So no, the previous Fandaniel wouldn't be able to do anything that the current Fandaniel could have in relation to figuring out how to Forestall the Final Days.

It's easy to say Venat can come with an alternate solution - but the alternate solution is to really go and stop Meteion - who already flew outside of Etheriys and the ancients had no way of actually approaching her due to the lack of technological advancement as the Ancient's sole focus & concepts was always been developing life on the star, not travel to distant stars, and definitely not to the corner of the Universe.

You are right to say it is a condemnation - but that's because the means to pass the test was beyond the Ancients due to being too stubborn to change their ways and accept that their world wasn't perfect, which was why they failed. Meteion has already seen civilizations similar to theirs heading towards the same route, which would render their 'life' meaningless. Accepting their flaws is the first step to creating a new answer for Meteion, which can lead to a new solution. However, the precursor requires the ancients to not go down the path that other dead civilizations have tried - trying to achieve perfection & bliss of the star.

A calamity like this happened to the Eorzea in the present, but rather than be condemned, we looked at it as a way to prove to Meteion that our right to exist is just as valid during our time. For us, we took on all the failures of other stars and still overcame her despair. This is the difference in outlook to the question "What gives meaning to life?"

And in the end, Meteion did get swayed by the people of Etheriys changing. It was pretty much the plot point of the Endwalkers cutscene when the WoL shares their experience to her.. she learned death and suffering will come to everyone and no one can live a life free from sorrow, but it's how we make the most of our lives during our time, which is what gives the meaning to life. Thus, did she decide to sing a final song to give birth to new life instead of singing the song of oblivion.