Quote Originally Posted by Iscah View Post
This is an important point, I think. If we look at the way G'raha's timeline-splitting endeavours worked out and apply that same structure to Venat's potential efforts to avert the future we foretold, it is entirely possible that she did succeed and from that point onward time spun off in a different direction that we will never see or have any sense of its existence, because we are living in the equivalent of the 8UE timeline. It won't be wiped out, it won't be altered, but can only hope that the alteration succeeded.




We wouldn't, because it didn't come to pass in this timeline where her efforts failed and things played out as foretold.
And that the timelines where Venat's attempts at sharing what she knew would end in the disastrous annihilation of Etheirys would vastly outnumber any that saved the planet - Hermes learns of his nihilistic conclusion and doesn't discover the problem in the planetary aether currents that a hypothetical Zodiark would patch up, the general populace learns of the Endsinger and wide-spread panic or defeatism ensues or just a revolt and massive down-spiral of trust in the judgment of the Convocation, no longer trusting their wisdom or leadership so even if the Zodiark plan is proposed not nearly enough of the population believes in it to sacrifice their lives. A non-Zodiark plan is implemented. The wrong people die during the Final Days or too many people die before Zodiark is summoned and the primal isn't strong enough. Or Venat convinces the surviving Amaurotines not to trade the present and future life to return those that had just sacrificed themselves for the sake of creating that life.

These are all thought questions that could be interesting for an outside story - but it adds little to no value to the existing game. And those hypothetical timelines have even more gameplay issues than sending our WoL to the 8UE (If they did as a spin-off sequel, it would be worse than The After Years in plot rehash - about the best way to do the 8UE would be as a Dragonsong Ultimate What-if for ShB to work in the Hades and Elidibus fights). The Unsundered World works better as a sandbox farm/management sim than it does an MMO setting, and we already had our 'Play through the Final Days and find the way to stop it at the source in Endwalker'.