(6.X Spoilers/Theory) Future WOL Content - Everything’s Coming Up…

[Kesey]

I’m not sure, but I imagine the writers have some compelling ideas (:

My suspicion is that each shard we collect is gonna be sort of through happenstance. I don’t think it’s our personal want (as players or characters) to collect shards - but more a “story want” that the writers are pointing toward. In order to get us to a final destination where we eventually become Azem, our character will need to pick up and absorb the Azem shards. The Azem shards (and shards in general) were only introduced as a mechanic because there is intent to use them later on in gameplay. Otherwise why even make “shards” the high concept for your story? They’re in the story because we’ll use them at some point.

The planetary shards seem most likely to be used for expansion/gameplay mechanics. The writers can use them to make up new environments and tell stories about new characters.

The Azem shards (and on a grander level, any people shards) are placed there by the writers to collect. No other reason to introduce them in a story. They’re “Chekhov’s shards.” We’re likely gonna do something with them at some point.

If the writers end up deciding not to go down the route of “we’re Azem because time travel reasons” then I could see the shards of Azem being used more like Ardbert - as a contrast to our character. We’ll meet other people in future expansions who a both likes us, and not us.

But if the true endgame really is that “we are the actual Azem but just don’t know it yet (because time travel)” then it seems very likely we’ve got a lot of shard collecting to get done (but honestly, not that much).

I think before Endwalker this theory would have held some merit...

But the revelations brought on by Dynamis energy and how you need to have an aerthically less dense soul to use it properly, on top of all the moments where we've over come the odds through shear willpower and limit breaks because of dynamis, shows us there isn't a story pull to even have all the shards of Azem rejoined as that would make us weaker than we are now because of our inability to manipulate dynamis as fully rejoined Azem.

[Shookbeast]

I think before Endwalker this theory would have held some merit...

But the revelations brought on by Dynamis energy and how you need to have an aerthically less dense soul to use it properly, on top of all the moments where we've over come the odds through shear willpower and limit breaks because of dynamis, shows us there isn't a story pull to even have all the shards of Azem rejoined as that would make us weaker than we are now because of our inability to manipulate dynamis as fully rejoined Azem.

That’s certainly possible, although we could find out the thrust of the story is to find a balance between the two forces. That also seems possible, since so many of the stories have been about the scales of balance being tipped too far in one direction.

Maybe we collect all our shards, and then learn we still need our friends to help us because of their ability to better manipulate dynamis? This is all conjecture of course (:

[Rulakir]

It depends on how important they consider dynamis now without Meteion. Prior to her existence, the ability to manipulate dynamis wasn't necessary and arguably being a full-fledged Ancient with access to creation magicks would be more powerful.

Why would we even want to collect them all though?

Even if it's just my own headcanon, I like the idea that eventually my WoL becomes whole before 'returning to the star' to be with their two besties as Hythlodaeus described.

[Vyrerus]

My gil's on the 12 being the first Ancients to discover true immortality. They can really take this story in any direction they'd like to go with it, and I'd wager we might even get a 7 Hells type boss that is like, the one douche canoe who didn't want to be a benevolent immortal.

Their worship may have even been verboten in Ancient society or something. They probably drain aether of other stars like a roided up version of how Astrologians power their skills. Either that or they've got hyper efficient bodies that run like a normal person's but at a god level (I mean the WoL is basically this, yeah?).

All that supposition aside, I'm very interested in what comes next.

[Garnix]

That’s certainly possible, although we could find out the thrust of the story is to find a balance between the two forces. That also seems possible, since so many of the stories have been about the scales of balance being tipped too far in one direction.

Maybe we collect all our shards, and then learn we still need our friends to help us because of their ability to better manipulate dynamis? This is all conjecture of course (:

There are 2 reasons for me to believe we will become Azem: Azem's gender, and Azem telling the future to Themis.

Maybe the next main villain will simply "force" us to rejoin, leading to the fatality of us being whole again, and then going back through time, knowing that nothing can be done without the sundering because we cannot manipulate Dynamis anymore. (that would also explain Azem's carefree attitude during the ancient times)

For example: maybe the villain will want to kill and absorb the souls of the remaining Azem's shards to gain more power, and then killing the avatar would make us whole again.

[Shookbeast]

There are 2 reasons for me to believe we will become Azem: Azem's gender, and Azem telling the future to Themis.

Maybe the next main villain will simply "force" us to rejoin, leading to the fatality of us being whole again, and then going back through time, knowing that nothing can be done without the sundering because we cannot manipulate Dynamis anymore. (that would also explain Azem's carefree attitude during the ancient times)

For example: maybe the villain will want to kill and absorb the souls of the remaining Azem's shards to gain more power, and then killing the avatar would make us whole again.

That’s actually a pretty good point. The writers might indeed have plans for Us/Azem because they use pronouns based on our character. If they had a canon Azem in mind (like Azem is definitely Emet’s brother and drives a fire truck to work everyday) then they’d just use the pronouns for that Azem. Instead they made Azem based on us…

And yes, I agree also the writers could speed up our “rejoining” using a villain (or any other plot device) should they want to get this part of the story wrapped up quickly. There were some elements of Endwalker which I thought would take a long time - but the writers made short work of. The same could happen here - and we find ourselves becoming Azem much sooner than anyone thought…

[Cleretic]

Or they could be using our pronouns for Azem because they don't intend them to appear ever, but do want to make 'it's you' as clear as absolutely possible without showing it.

If that's the plan, it's basically the only option. If you just stuck with male pronouns for Azem you completely destroy the illusion for female player characters that they have any connection at all.

[Shookbeast]

Or they could be using our pronouns for Azem because they don't intend them to appear ever, but do want to make 'it's you' as clear as absolutely possible without showing it.

If that's the plan, it's basically the only option. If you just stuck with male pronouns for Azem you completely destroy the illusion for female player characters that they have any connection at all.

That’s possible too. If that’s the case, I’m glad they went to the extra length to make the character work for all players. I do hold out hope however, that they went to the extra trouble because they’ve got something planned for us/Azem (:

[Garnix]

Or they could be using our pronouns for Azem because they don't intend them to appear ever, but do want to make 'it's you' as clear as absolutely possible without showing it.

If that's the plan, it's basically the only option. If you just stuck with male pronouns for Azem you completely destroy the illusion for female player characters that they have any connection at all.

Eden raid pretty much implied that gender doesn't matter: Mitron was apparently female in the Ancient World, and only got a male body in its future lives.
Plus, as I have said, Azem has knowledge of the future, which is odd.
Before discovering this, I was also on the board of "Azem's gender is just there to show a connection".
I don't think so anymore.
They clearly have a plan for Azem going forward.
But only time will tell what the plan is.

[Cleretic]

Eden raid pretty much implied that gender doesn't matter: Mitron was apparently female in the Ancient World, and only got a male body in its future lives.
Plus, as I have said, Azem has knowledge of the future, which is odd.
Before discovering this, I was also on the board of "Azem's gender is just there to show a connection".
I don't think so anymore.
They clearly have a plan for Azem going forward.
But only time will tell what the plan is.

It's not a matter of 'plausible', it's a matter of the actual connection to oneself, which is kinda the whole point of Azem. Especially during Shadowbringers and its patches, remember that nobody was saying we actually were anything like Azem in any way beyond spirit and vagueries; it was only come Endwalker that people actually started drawing more explicit connections.

You play a male character. Can you honestly say that, if Azem was only ever referred to by female pronouns, that you ever would've thought that the game was saying she was you? Especially given that the Eden evidence you give wasn't just subtext based on the name (Endwalker never uses a pronoun for Mitron, FYI), but also came a patch after all of the Azem talk?