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

[Ixon]

I think if they were given the full account of what really was at stake, they may have even re-oriented their philosophy to re-populating some of those other worlds as they took on a custodian role once Meteion was defeated. A lot of these worlds were already barren, but the ancients had a gift in being able to create life.

Would they? I thought the reason why Etheirys was so special was because it was ripe with Aether, unless I am remembering incorrectly. Making the journey to other worlds a moot point since they had all they needed on Etheirys. Besides, whether intentional or not, I think Hermes was really the only one to question beyond their star? Which of course would seem odd given most civilizations expand outward in most cases, but maybe it just wasn't an appealing thought to the content people of Etheirys.

[CrownySuccubus]

This is where I feel they could have dedicated more time to it, instead of just a small bit in a cut scene, to solidify that it had to be the choice. For the game to move forward, Etheirys HAD to be sundered, Zodiark and Hydaelyn HAD to exist, and it had to work with the new threat they wanted to push. This is why I hope we get a little more this expansion in whatever form they want to give it to aid in the narrative. We'll see.

Just wanna say that making the argument “This needed to happen for there to be a story” is like admitting that the story only happened due to contrivance.

Just leaving this here.

[Theodric]

I rather suspect that the writers would always struggle to justify the genocide of an entire species, especially based on a tiny flaw that conveniently didn't exist until Endwalker.

I dislike Venat for the same reason I dislike the treatment of the Garleans. The story treats the original victims of genocide as inconveniences because they didn't just roll over and die. Meanwhile someone so much as looks at one of the Scions the wrong way and it's treated as the worst atrocity ever.

I'd also note, it wasn't unusual for people to attack anyone who had something to positive to say about either the Garleans or the Ascians up until Shadowbringers/Endwalker. To these people, there was never an excuse for genocide no matter how sympathetic. Yet mysteriously when it turned out that Venat was responsible for genocide? Suddenly it's an acceptable cost.

[kpxmanifesto]

they made METEION they could have just easily created a group of 7 brothers just like her to destory her.. they were CREATORS

they could created something could have eat the bird like some kinda anti- emotional energy snake that just eats her in one bite..

This would actually be interesting. Create incorruptible Meteia to counter the Meteia that went insane.

[Xirean]

Honestly the biggest problem with Elpis is that we are allowed to interact with it. When Elidibus was sending us back and we showed up as a tiny ghost I thought we were just going to observe and learn. I was fully prepared to sit there for 2+ hours and just collect information, completely unable to do anything as I view the memories before me. The moment I can talk to the past and it responds to me, I'm changing a lot of things. I really don't like the idea of "the past cannot be changed." We know that it can in this setting and have already done it. But it gets worse. Way worse. After we have defeated Meteion, we can still go back and do so with Pandemonium. We know where she is, what she is doing, how to stop her, and can potentially just do so (hard to say because Elpis technically changes how our power functions), but we don't. We continue to not change the past for "reasons." That's my problem with Elpis, you want to give me a fun map to explore in the past, but you don't want the obvious implications that brings. If you don't want alternate timelines then don't let me shake hands with a memory.

[Caurcas]

We should've visited the ruins of Elpis in the current time, rather than time travel stupidity. Also we should only have found fragments rather than being over explained.

[SpectrePhantasia]

Ruins of Elpis and getting the past through Echo flashbacks was definitely the move, I agree. Though, it again would probably have required an extra expansion, as no ruins of the Unsundered world exist on the Source, and we've already explored what the First has to offer, so it would probably entail going to an entirely new shard. We really needed an extra expansion before ending this...

[BaconBits]

Somewhere out there, there is a timeline where Venat's "plan" failed horrendously because the Warrior of Light decided to be a humble Culinarian instead of an Adventurer.

[Ixon]

This would actually be interesting. Create incorruptible Meteia to counter the Meteia that went insane.

We did, they are called Porxies. Just needed to bring one with us to the past.

[Lauront]

Would they? I thought the reason why Etheirys was so special was because it was ripe with Aether, unless I am remembering incorrectly. Making the journey to other worlds a moot point since they had all they needed on Etheirys. Besides, whether intentional or not, I think Hermes was really the only one to question beyond their star? Which of course would seem odd given most civilizations expand outward in most cases, but maybe it just wasn't an appealing thought to the content people of Etheirys.

I don't see why not. Firstly, let's recall from the Elpis sidequests that they are very open to new perspectives, and to integrating these into their own practices when they appeal to them. Secondly, I am thinking of the scenario where she lays it out all before them: that there are other stars, that are dead due to a variety of reasons, and one of those at least superficially resembles their own, and its people either have or will meet their end. Furthermore, that she's concerned this could happen to them, too, should they not alter their ways. Aside from the fact that I believe this should be their decision to make, given that their primary interest has ever been to act in their star's best interests, I don't really consider it plausible that they'd see their own demise as conducive to that, when their stance to the star is symbiotic/synergistic.

And as tokinokanatae mentioned, they may well take the view that even if they're not all to blame (Hermes is), they at least have a responsibility to help these worlds recover or revive. As these worlds have their own soul cycles, and as the ancients harbour such an abundance of aether that they can create new entities without draining themselves, I could very readily see them taking their perspective and project to new frontiers. What we see in the flash forward scene after Elpis doesn't fit too well with what we're shown in the sidequests, and we have to remember they're still in pain because their star was dying and so many of their people had died, and she was just spitting out platitudes to them.