This whole thing about teleportation

[Jacien]

It's also unclear to me what the Echo actually is and does. In some cutscenes, it's just like you *view* the past, and the character you're Echo'ing into doesn't realize you have seen their past. In other cutscenes, you view the past, but the character is somehow aware that you're looking into their past. In other cutscenes, it's like you are *actually transported* into the past, to aid or help or something.

Frankly, I don't know what to make of all this, and while I think it has the potential to be cool, it always came off as a storytelling MacGuffin to me.

This is what needs to be explained, I agree.

But the Main Scenario was put on hold, so now we'll find out more about it in 2.0.

And the only characters I remember being the ones that realized you poked into their past was the Rival in the THM questline, and the one Seedseer from a sidequest (She knew about the Echo and was offended by you using it).

[Wolfandre]

[Inaaca]

The echo seems like a plot device that screams, "I don't want to worry about continuity issues ever so I'll create a catch all that can explain anything anytime I make a new scenario that directly contradicts a characters innate psychology or overarching events."

It will be tastefully pulled off if it is used sparingly only to show us what happened in the last five years.

It will be distasteful if they use it to turn a heroic ally into a secret villain.

I don't mind the echo if it's referenced sparingly but it seems like in XIV 1.0 they used it to purposefully tell you backstory that could have been told to you otherwise.

I don't see how being able to experience past events has anything to do with continuity issues.

And I dunno about you, but I think that being able to experience history instead of having to read paragraphs of it is a far more interesting gameplay experience..

[Sleverin]

I was thinking about this being one of the two most important horrible things they could bring out that would irritate me ALMOST to the point of not coming back. WE'VE ONLY BEING VIEWING THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS THROUGH ECHO POWERS. That or teleporting us back in time 100 years to prevent this from happening, creating hokey paradox stuff. Both would suck.

More on topic, I loved the Echo idea. The Twelve blessing us with such an ability made adventurers not just "omg we kill monsters get teh xps and thats why we're better than everyone else" but part of something bigger, better and more important. Of course it does have horrible implications like the ones mentioned by other posters, but since they haven't expanded on it much (and the last scene of the main scenario was extra confusing) I hope they try to make it work a bit more in 2.0. If written with a bit more clarity, it seems like it could be a good lore device, otherwise it is just a hokey way to give us plot without effort, or by being unnecessary.

[Yukagama]

Cant wait for beta Next year. I'm hype to know what happen to those who die if they did or not. Grand Companies Leaders and so on.

[Fatestorm]

[Etheos]

^^ This would have been sig worthy if it were smaller. Awesome, just pure win.