Revelations from Patch 6.2: Buried Memories

[Vyrerus]

Main Story

I like the adult body the alchemists surprised Vrtra with. I wonder if this patch is a testing bed for them, to try and gauge how people feel about aging up characters. If there's possibly an age up for the twins coming in 7.0.
Laughed pretty hard at Estinien's between CS dialogue just before entering the void. Saying he did them a favor, because they beefed up their new Alzadaal Ruins protectors, since he destroyed yet more of them last time.

The dungeon was very atmospheric if a bit boring. Dungeon bosses are already very easy, and trash pack dungeon bosses are always extremely easy. So the first boss was ZZZZZ. How about that Ferdiad look alike, huh? Just Troian Bishop. Beatrix could be an FFIX ref as others as stated, but she didn't really feel like it other than the name. She had some really big boobs, though. I guess the big eye = Beatrice having one eye in IX might be sort of a monstrous call? Also her AOEs she draws on the ground look like Morgott's Great Rune from Elden Ring. Just made me think the devs been hip deep in that, and wanting to get it out of their head.

Scarmiglione is such a mouthful. I kind of wish they went with the localization's memory/time saving name of Milon instead. His fight was OK.

Afterwards we interact with Voidsent, who begrudgingly view us as either the new lords of the castle or just too strong to eat. Marking a big difference between them and Sineaters of the First. My guess would be that by being made of active energy, they're closer to living than Sineaters made of passive energy. The Sineaters were also directed by the Ascians into being spreaders of their condition, rather than just eating people. And with the exception of Lightwardens, the Sineaters all die the first time around, I guess because their aether is so stagnate it sinks right into the ground.

Zero is hot. I was fanning myself for the rest of the patch. We're surmising that the Memoria are just Auracite by another name, but they look like elongated Crystals of Darkness to me. It also seemed from that still that the corrupted WoLs of the 13th were actively brandishing them to induce transformation. To me, they seem more akin to Ancient Concept Crystals that can impart their contents onto other beings.

Since the trial was ??? before then, I figured that one of the other 4 would be coming, and I was right. Some people are expressing confusion about her hair, but in FFIV her hair itself is the wind she uses in battle. The only thing I would have liked more is if they could have given her hair a more pronounced wind effect to show that. But I guess Jojo's Bizarre Bayonetta was a lot of fun, anyway. Haven't done extreme yet, but one thing missing from normal was her petrification attack from FFIV.

Azdaja is alive, and had been subdued by Golbez. Golbez is very interesting to me. He's got that vague thing the Ascians had going for them back in 2.0/3.0. He refers to his war a dozen or so times, but at the end after Rubicant and Cagnazzo agree to scheme together, he talks about how no sacrifice is too great for his ambition, but also that it's ironic that the "blessed damned" have thrown open the gate. Then there was a still of him towered over what looked like a white robed Amaurotine. It makes me think he fought Elidibus in the past.

Definitely looking forward to more of this storyline!
Also yeah, I suspect something will happen to Zero to induce a Zeromus transformation, but it's just as likely that it's a red herring. Of course, if it's not, get ready for the jokes about, "Zeromussy." and what not to spiral out of control.

Pandaemonium

Highly enjoyable fights. Tree boss really wrecking some shit. It seemed a little bit hurried though. For all the interesting things going on there was actually very little dialogue. They also up'd the ante quite a bit. We only fight one abominable creation, and that's FFV's Carbuncle. The rest were all Hemitheos of different flavors. I was a little bit surprised that the 2 and 3 bosses were different people.

As far as characters go, loved that it was revealed that basically Lahabrea was a man so blinded by the love of his wife that he never stopped to consider if she was using him rather than loving him until it was too late. That combined with his relenting to Elidibus on the matter of trying to salvage the keywarders and facility, even divested of his emotional side, really just handed us another, "Damn, the Ancients had a larger capacity for love than we do."
There was also the slight commentary of toxic relationships wherein the one seeking to understand/change the mind of the toxic person almost always fails, and continues to be abused.
So Athena's will is so strong that even just a short time melded together, she will usurp his mind, so he had to cut his emotions off. Yet, we still don't know how he goes from being that old, hurt man to being the crazy zealot in ARR. I imagine it's some mixture of recombining with his old self post-sundering along with all the already told to us for years reasons.

It also makes me think though, what if Athena completely took him over after that, and if they'll try to tie that into the Ascian Prime meld at the end of Aetherochemical Research Facility.

And finally, definitely got a wake up slap when Pandaemonium came out of the Aitiascope.

Side Story/Islands

Island questline funny. Island too chill for me atm, though. Not that I don't wanna build a jillion things, but to me it reeks of busy work rather than fun. I have enjoyed going to my friends' islands though.

There's a sidequest related to the Sky Pirates, the Redbills, that becomes available after you start the Island Unlock with Tataru. It eventually leads to another encounter with The Talons, as well as with Leofard's grandfather. Who sells you paintings of the Scions at 20k gil a pop. I bought an Alisaie portrait, and put it up in my FC house.

On another note, it's very weird to me that my portrait isn't showing my glamour over this silly crafted set look.