Echoes of Vana'diel FFXI Alliance Raid

[SeverianLyonesse]

Hey, what if it's both a FFXIV version of Vana'diel that happens to live on another shard?

I think this is just the natural conclusion Vana'diel wants to be in XIV.

It can't be a region in the Source because that would just be weird. But it would likely be a "XIV Version" of Vana'diel just like Ivalice is. So putting the "XIV Vana'diel" onto a shard just makes sense.

Not to mention, the game is somewhat begging to explore other shards after 6.x wrapped up the First and the Thirteenth. I would be very surprised if we did not end up checking out other shards, I think isolated side stories like alliance raids are the perfect venue to do so, and it seems XI is the perfect introduction to that concept.

[MsMisato]

I think this is just the natural conclusion Vana'diel wants to be in XIV.

It can't be a region in the Source because that would just be weird. But it would likely be a "XIV Version" of Vana'diel just like Ivalice is. So putting the "XIV Vana'diel" onto a shard just makes sense.

Not to mention, the game is somewhat begging to explore other shards after 6.x wrapped up the First and the Thirteenth. I would be very surprised if we did not end up checking out other shards, I think isolated side stories like alliance raids are the perfect venue to do so, and it seems XI is the perfect introduction to that concept.

i mean, its been shown in the event from 2.0 that there is a connection as shantotto from windhurst made her appearance her in Eorzea.

[RitsukoSonoda]

I think this is just the natural conclusion Vana'diel wants to be in XIV.

It can't be a region in the Source because that would just be weird. But it would likely be a "XIV Version" of Vana'diel just like Ivalice is. So putting the "XIV Vana'diel" onto a shard just makes sense.

Not to mention, the game is somewhat begging to explore other shards after 6.x wrapped up the First and the Thirteenth. I would be very surprised if we did not end up checking out other shards, I think isolated side stories like alliance raids are the perfect venue to do so, and it seems XI is the perfect introduction to that concept.

Funny thought that crossed my mind is that since it seems the shards draw inspiration from previous FF games, and we're getting an FF16 crossover, and the 2 primary influences responsible for maintaining the shard balance are gone, does that mean shards are potentially breaking into additional shards? I mean they could have 1 be based on FF6 and say the 16th shard was created when a certain mad clown created his own catastrophe brining ruin to the world to rule as a mad god.

[Enkidoh]

Funny thought that crossed my mind is that since it seems the shards draw inspiration from previous FF games, and we're getting an FF16 crossover, and the 2 primary influences responsible for maintaining the shard balance are gone, does that mean shards are potentially breaking into additional shards? I mean they could have 1 be based on FF6 and say the 16th shard was created when a certain mad clown created his own catastrophe brining ruin to the world to rule as a mad god.

There never was more than 14, and it was Hydaelyn's power that created them in the first place, so, really if anything they'll just remain as is under inertia, there is certainly no indication anywhere that they'll fracture further (because if that was the case, wouldn't the already rejoined Shards also fracture from the Source?).

And the Shards were never literally other FF worlds (as said repeatedly) - they're simply copies of the Source where things went slightly differently (of course there are some oddities like Baron and Troia in the Thirteenth despite the Thirteenth being based on the Void from FFIII and the Rift from FFV). The other FF games are set in their own independent universes seperate from XIV, they are not the actual Shards at all.

Really, the old 'the Shards are the other FF game worlds!' idea needs to just fade away already as it was never anything more than headcanon based on wishful thinking and coincidence (and was debunked anyway long ago). We're already getting a FFXVI crossover event in a few months, which would probably be the same as the others and underline that fact (that each FF game is a seperate world in a different universe, and will treat the event as such).

[Pablomaldito]

It should feature exp loss and deleveling. Really bring back the true dread of dying in game.

This sound is forever etched into my soul.
https://youtu.be/iTIwBDNDO4M

[Brixy]

I played FFXI for right at 15 years so maybe I can break this down in an easy to digest format without spoilers for those that want to go back and play XI before this raid hits. The simple fact that Atomos exist is all that's needed to allow XI into XIV. Atomos has full control over time in XI and is used as a primary means for the player to time travel. The raid name itself could be a hint to Atomos as well. In XI, Atomos is an idle watcher of time that floats in the sky of an area called the Walk of Echoes, which is pretty much a limbo area between time. Atomos is responsible for watching over time itself, as well as devouring it if it chooses lol. Atomos was also used in multiple different expansions to set up "what if" scenarios (trying to word that without spoilers lol).

How does this tie FFXI into FFXIV? The simple answer is that Atomos has already been used multiple times in the story for XIV as well. Atomos had to come from somewhere, and my bet isn't on the 13th like the story wants you to think. The Atomos that are in the 13th were most likely just idle watchers like they were in XI and actually originate from the Walk of Echoes. They basically act like a set of linked wormholes capable of moving through every timeline and dimension. Shantotto most likely used Atomos in some way to travel to XIV years ago for the event and she specifically references it in XI as "dimensional travel" while unlocking her trust. Y'shtola (also based on an extremely smart Black Mage similar to Shantotto) found a way to harness Atomos into a gate for Endwalker as well. I couldn't paint a clearer picture of what they are trying to set up if I tried lol.

As far as what I'm expecting from the raid:
Shadow Lord or riot. He is easily the most recurring plot device in many of the expansions. Shadowlord was the boss of base FFXI, Dynamis final boss as the Dynamis Lord, Shadowlord [S] fight via the Fiat Lux battlefield as well as a core part of WotG storyline, Apoc Nigh used him as a plot device, Technically used during Ark Angels story... dude is a very core part of the FFXI story to say the least lol. I think it would be interesting if one of the raids was based on the BCNM Ranked missions from base XI. Ahriman + Dragon for 1 fight, Archlich + a bunch of skeletons for the 2nd fight, then Shadowlord for the final fight.

If they wanted to go above and beyond:
First fight would be ShadowLord and immediately be sucked in by Atomos to the past, 2nd fight would be the spitewardens + Lady Lilith, final fight would be Shadowlord [S].
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If they really wanted to shoehorn XI's story into XIV I think they have enough bullshit to pull from tbh lol. We know that the Ascians lead the source to become shattered with the creation of Meteion (And thus dynamis) which caused the Zodiark + Hydaelyn fight to happen. This also caused the ancients to split into the different races that we have in XIV. Something similar happend in XI as well. There was an ancient race called the Zilart that lived in the gate of the gods that posessed the "Whisper of the Souls", allowing them to communicate telepathically. Sounds almost like the echo huh? However, over time they started becoming overcome by the emptiness and those that lost this ability became known as Kuluu. tl;dr is that the Zilart cause some big boom booms to the primary crystal in Vana'diel and it gets split into 5 weaker crystals. Each crystal created a different race with it. Sounds very similar to what happened with Dynamis and the ancients demise right? Now pair that with Atomos watching over all timelines and tada... you now have FFXI and FFXIV being ripple dimensions.

[Calysto]

...

I agree with most all of that, just concerning the Zilarts I kind of remember a different story (but it's been a while)

They wanted to open the Gate of paradise but not because of the emptiness ; they used the crystals for that but I don't remember there being a single crystal at some point

Also concerning Atomos, I wasn't there myself but I think at the end of 1.0 some appeared above aetherites ; had Louisoix not been here, it may have devoured the world I guess (I don't have the full story - if there is one)

[Enkidoh]

I think players should take better notice of the FFXIV story as 6.1 revealed the FFXIV version of Atomos is actually a type of non-sentinent voidsent, specifically it's an odd kind which possess a Voidgate within it's body that allows other voidsent to enter the Source (Y'shtola creates an artificial one in 6.2's main scenario, that the Scions use to brute force the hidden voidgate in Alzaldaal's Legacy open to allow multiple people to enter it at once). Several show up in the Crystal Tower raids earlier in the game as well (again fitting because that also involves the void).

FFXI's Atomos is something completely different, so that would be the clue that this new raid is even less likely to feature the 'real' Vana'diel... and simply be more Hydaelyn-based areas referencing Vana'diel areas in names and themes.

[Calysto]

I think players should take better notice of the FFXIV story as 6.1 revealed the FFXIV version of Atomos is actually a type of non-sentinent voidsent, specifically it's an odd kind which possess a Voidgate within it's body that allows other voidsent to enter the Source (Y'shtola creates an artificial one in 6.2's main scenario, that the Scions use to brute force the hidden voidgate in Alzaldaal's Legacy open to allow multiple people to enter it at once). Several show up in the Crystal Tower raids earlier in the game as well (again fitting because that also involves the void).

FFXI's Atomos is something completely different, so that would be the clue that this new raid is even less likely to feature the 'real' Vana'diel... and simply be more Hydaelyn-based areas referencing Vana'diel areas in names and themes.

For the XIV lore, they are considered voidsent , but maybe because most on them connect to the void
Atomos does exists on the source and the first, and a similar concept exists in the ancient world.

With that I mainly see 2 options to fit the XIV current lore :
1-Atomos was an ancient concept, it's why it appears in the shards.
2-Much like Dymamis, Etheirys aether was too dense for the Atomos concept to fully manifest, but it already existed.

I'd go option 2 as :
-That would explain why there is a similar concept, yet different from the "complete" Atomos that appears identical in shards.
-The fall of Zod's shield would also explain it's resurgeance in 7.x
-Plainly more interesting than 'the ancients did it' (that also doesn't means it's the XI version, but it's an option)
-The "non-sentient voidsent" explanation still works if you apply primal logic : you get too close to a rift and fuse with it, becoming a primal -> what is the "primal of rifts" ? -> you become an Atomos

[Kathleen612]

I'm excited about doing this Alliance Raid. I don't know if I'll make it that far because I'm redoing alts over and over again and starting (almost) at the beginning (I buy the item to skip the story to the start of Heavensword), but I would really like to find out! I don't know FFXI well, I just fell in love with the Memoro de la Stono song, I didn't know it was an MMO at first. So I can't wait to see what it turns out to be!