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

[Kolsykol]

I would posit Shadowbringers was critically acclaimed exactly because it brought much needed nuance to the boring "Hydaelyn good, Zodiark bad".

I don't think the point was that '' Zodiark bad ''...
That's a matter of pov and context at your disposal, Zodiark wasn't created as an evil entity and I don't think that Endwalkers changed that at all.
In the end of the day Zodiark was more of a tool that was neither good nor bad, the same with Meteion she wasn't good or bad she was a victim of circumstance and of how she was created.
I think the one that the strongest argument for being '' evil '' could be made would probably be Hermes, but both Zodiark and Meteion didn't really have all that much autonomy of their own.

It's fine to prefer more grey characters I tend to prefer them too.
But I also don't think it's somehow inherently better or worse either.
Especially in a game as long-running as FFXIV too I kinda think that you need both otherwise it becomes too cliché when they're all the same.
I actually hope that they keep Lahabrea as more unhinged like he was in ARR for this reason I don't think every Ancient needs to be sympathetic.

[AziraSyuren]

I don't think EW portrayed Zodiark as evil either, but his design is pretty much the most stereotypical "evil god of darkness" design imaginable. The tentacle and the horns are particularly egregious. It's like his design was almost entirely thought up by Lahabrea based on the creations he presided over in Pandemonium.

[Vyrerus]

Zodiark's design actually makes a lot of sense, as does the mask the Ancients put on him.

Remember, that during his design and creation, the Final Days had spread everywhere except to Amaurot's region. We know it affects entire regions. Anyway, the people who made him and the people who gave their lives to him were those who had resisted the effects of the Final Days. Resisted an inimical force that affects their very thoughts, beings, and most importantly creation magicks.

So Zodiark was created under a lot of strain and duress. He carried a lot of monstrous things with the gravity of the powers he would possess, that intrinsically came at the cost of so many loved ones.

Imagine having to create a man like being from the remains of your best friend. Of the remains of your wife. Your brothers.

Now imagine you also have to do that while someone holds a loaded and cocked gun to your forehead.

How do you think your creation is going to look?

[AziraSyuren]

Zodiark's design actually makes a lot of sense, as does the mask the Ancients put on him.

Remember, that during his design and creation, the Final Days had spread everywhere except to Amaurot's region. We know it affects entire regions. Anyway, the people who made him and the people who gave their lives to him were those who had resisted the effects of the Final Days. Resisted an inimical force that affects their very thoughts, beings, and most importantly creation magicks.

So Zodiark was created under a lot of strain and duress. He carried a lot of monstrous things with the gravity of the powers he would possess, that intrinsically came at the cost of so many loved ones.

Imagine having to create a man like being from the remains of your best friend. Of the remains of your wife. Your brothers.

Now imagine you also have to do that while someone holds a loaded and cocked gun to your forehead.

How do you think your creation is going to look?

I never thought of it that way. That makes a lot of sense. It kinda does give off strong "art born from suffering" vibes with that in mind.

[CrownySuccubus]

While that explanation is cool and well thought-out, it's stated in ShB that Darkness-aligned beings (such as Voidsent) inherently take more twisted and demonic forms because Darkness is a force that accelerates mutation and change. As opposed to Light, which represents stillness and stagnation, and thus typically has more serene and angelic forms.

Still has nothing to do with good and evil.

[YukikoKurosawa]

As opposed to Light, which represents stillness and stagnation, and thus typically has more serene and angelic forms.

[Theodric]

I would have liked to have seen Hydaelyn's appearance grow progressively stranger the more desperate she became. Though according to the codex she never even second guessed her commitment to her plan which simply further erodes away my sympathy towards her.

How we're meant to align her act of genocide with never wavering in her judgement is anyone's guess.

[AziraSyuren]

I would have liked to have seen Hydaelyn's appearance grow progressively stranger the more desperate she became. Though according to the codex she never even second guessed her commitment to her plan which simply further erodes away my sympathy towards her.

How we're meant to align her act of genocide with never wavering in her judgement is anyone's guess.

That's consistent with her being light-aspected, at least. Although I think I would've preferred that consistency being ignored in favor of her going through the same kind of degradation of mind and motive that Elidibus did.

[Lelila38]

That's consistent with her being light-aspected, at least. Although I think I would've preferred that consistency being ignored in favor of her going through the same kind of degradation of mind and motive that Elidibus did.

The more I think about it, the more I start getting to the point of how do we know she's not? The game doesn't explicitly state it, sure. But what if, same as Elidibus, she was ultimately reduced to focusing solely on her original goal of protect the WoL and preserve the timeline? It would certainly be in line with her doing seemingly unreasonable things and saying stuff that's objectively not true.
Also the point you brought up with light and dark aspects, stagnation vs change, might serve to make her degradation slower than it was in Elidibus.

Just me musing, feel free to bring evidence to contradict it.

[CrownySuccubus]

What's your point? I didn't think I'd have to appendix my statement with, "there are exceptions" or "angelic and demonic also has nothing to do with beauty", but okay.



To demonstrate, THIS is an angel as described in the Bible: