Quote Originally Posted by Iscah View Post
Ardbert might have been without his "real" body in Heavensward but he still seemed to be in a different state to what he is in Shadowbringers where he has become an intangible ghost only we can see.

So far as we can tell, the Warriors of Darkness are physical beings at the time they are in Eorzea -- having been brought over by Ascian methods, it's likely they have taken over other bodies as the Ascians do (and because that was the only possibility the writers had introduced at that point) or elsewise they may have spontaneously formed aetherial bodies like the Scions do in the First. Whatever the exact case, we know that everyone can see them and physically fight them. Those bodies would have been lost when they returned across the rift.

As for Alexandrian souls getting joined up with their shards in the Lifestream... if they do chance to come together, so what? That soul gets a little denser than a standard Source one but otherwise continues to function no differently to any other soul. We already have both the WoL and G'raha as examples of what happens when someone gets more soul density than is usual for their world, and the answer is basically nothing.
Taking her at face value, we’ve just had eutrope’s master plan being “eat an abnormally dense soul”. Even if it’s not being 2x or 7/6x or 9/8x as strong there clearly is some tangible difference. We can also think back to elidibus not koing exarch and commenting on his soul being dense.
The expansion has fixated on souls and inheritance. Why wouldn’t the long running plot thread also involving souls and inheritance be a consideration, especially since it is seems to be in the writer’s mind - see the focus on key and convocation stone.

I’m currently unable to check, but fairly convinced the involuntary ardbert fusion was just before bismark/after vauthry.