What are the crystals you collect in the main story from primals?

[JelloMold]

Forgive me if this is stupid and/or painfully obvious.

It's pure conjecture, but the pattern the crystals make in the cutscene (as well as the glowy columns of light) is awfully reminiscent of Louisoix's spell that *almost* worked in the log-in screen movie. Looked like containment for the big fire-screaming superbad from the center of the not-a-moon whose name escapes me Dalamund. Maybe a 6 Billion Gil Man deal? We can rebuild it. Better. Faster. Stronger. With sparkles.

[Viridiana]

Forgive me if this is stupid and/or painfully obvious.

It's pure conjecture, but the pattern the crystals make in the cutscene (as well as the glowy columns of light) is awfully reminiscent of Louisoix's spell that *almost* worked in the log-in screen movie.

I think it's more that circles are a mainstay in magic in general, I'd say. I mean, it could be that it's meant to be a reference to that, but I think it's more that there are only so many "fundamental" shapes, and the one most closely associated with magic seems to be the circle.

And honestly, the first time I saw it I was more reminded of Cardcaptors >_>

[DragonSlayer45]

Yeah, we get no crystal from Siren if I remember.

Water - First
Fire - Ifrit
Lightning - Sylphs
Earth - Titan
Ice - Stone Vigil
Wind - Garuda

[Enkidoh]

There are in fact 'Crystals of Darkness' in ARR - you first see one on the ground briefly after defeating the 'Masked Mage' and his gargoyle during the level 15 story quest (it soon disintegrates), and Minfilia directly confirms their existence much later just prior to

Operation Archon being undertaken, where she shows the synthetic one the Students of Baldesion gave her to free Thancred from Lahabrea's control.

So they definitely exist.

EDIT: I just looked through my screenshots and Minfilia mentioned in that above scene that the Crystals of Darkness are the specific means the

Ascians use to take host bodies, like what Lahabrea did to Thancred

- there's no mention of them being used as part of a summoning process, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was also the case. In any event, this is the dialogue from the scene in question (spoilered for those who haven't yet reached this part):

Minfilia: "Thancred's fate weighs heavily on my mind. I cannot bear to think of him in thrall to an Ascian."
Minfilia: "Mayhap you know this already, but the Ascians are immortal beings without physical form. Since time immemorial, they have fanned the flames of chaos from the shadows."
Minfilia: "That they might work unseen, the Ascians entrap and possess mortal men by means of malign artifacts known as Crystals of Darkness."
Minfilia: "One such Crystal may yet be the key to saving Thancred." (she hands over a purple crystal)
Alphinaud: "This is a Crystal of Darkness?"
Y'shtola: "A mere replica, created using data obtained from anomalous crystals found across Eorzea."

So yeah, this showed the Crystals of Darkness pretty much do exist, but are used in ways by the Ascians different to how the player makes use of the Crystals of Light.