Thread: Ascians 3.0 [ Spoilers ]

So finaly the reaper came back.
People has being asking for a long time the connection between the ascian 1.0/2.0, some even think that it was an unconsistence that was just left behind but that was not the case.
This reaper is called Ascian Prime and is the fusion of 2 ( or more but i couldnt know ) ascians by using the so called, " the true power of the echo".
I'm surprise no one tried to talk about this, so now that we know more, Why there would be an ascian prime back on 1.0? What things are still unknow to us with the echo? What are your opinions at all about this?

PD: can anyone please put the screenshoots of the ascian prime 1.0/3.0 ? I dont know how to xD

For the sake of completeness, I think it's a good idea to point out early on that Ascian Prime is a heavily-modified version of the "Reaper" Ascian. The original asset lacked both the purple design from the robe on its chest as well as the mask under the hood; it also moved much more slowly and rasped a bit. That's not to say they're different; perhaps it was two merged Ascians in 1.0 (perhaps two of the "black masks").

However, I suspect that the true nature of the Reaper might have been retconned a bit for the sake of re-using an old asset that surely took a good chunk of time to sculpt. In Patch 2.1, Elidibus seemed to write off the 1.0 Ascians by saying that (dependent on your knowledge and expectations) the Ascians can subjectively appear as men without shadows (Travanchet), or perhaps as phantoms (the Reaper), and that even the masked hyurs were a "crude approximation." Likewise, the un-released Titan quest of Version 1 seemed to imply that the Reaper had been terrorizing the beast tribes to make them summon their primals in defense using the knowledge that the divine Paragons (also Ascians, but in disguise) taught them.

I can't really tell what the truth of the matter is as of today. Does Hyur-Ascian + Hyur-Ascian = Reaper because it's slightly closer to the "true form" Elidibus spoke of? Does it mean that the 1.0 Reaper was two Ascians, or just that we saw one in its true form back then? Are both cases incidences of the Ascians distorting their forms to be more terrifying?

The only thing I really got out of it was confirmation that the Echo is the power to "jailbreak" your soul from the flesh and this reality, and that empathy with the souls of others is among the most basic of its uses. I also wouldn't be surprised to see more than one of these fusions by the time the game ends.

What I got out of the Ascian Prime, or rather its aftermath, is that Hydaelyn is the one who sets up barriers between souls. Lahabrea or Igeyorhm (I forget who exactly it was) states that it's Hydaelyn's barriers that prevented them from maintaining the Ascian Prime form after the punishment we inflicted on it. The Echo is essentially the ability to break those barriers and disobey Hydaelyn's laws.

... raises more questions than gives answers.

What Lahabrea says specifically is that the Echo is the "power to break down the barriers of existence," and that we (or our Blessing) have "grown so strong as to deny [them their] power" after the punishment we inflicted on the Ascian Prime. In other words we're reinforcing the barriers of existence by separating the Ascian Prime back into Lahabrea and Igeyorhm.

My take on it (and this is veering into crazy crackpot theory) is that we're all little pieces of Zodiark, which is why the Ascians are intent on killing us all. Hydaelyn divvies up his essence and gives a little to every mortal soul, and when they die it goes back to Zodiark. If the world population dips below a certain number he'll be reborn, and then proceed to rip apart the barriers between mortal souls and kill everyone to regain his full strength.

The Echo, as stated by Lahabrea in Tam-Tara, is an "irksome anomaly in the aether" and then at the Aetheriochemical Research Facility it's the "power to break down the barriers of existence." My best guess is that it's something Hydaelyn only gives to certain souls - perhaps it's a greater portion of Zodiark's power, or just a fluke that just happens sometimes. I doubt it's a fluke though, since everyone with the Echo is one of "Hydaelyn's chosen." Perhaps she gifts certain souls with the Echo (a greater share of Zodiark's power that breaks down the barriers between souls) to guide them to a specific purpose, e.g. Minfilia and Ysayle being our mentors in a way? /shrug

The Ascians can gift it to whosoever they choose thanks to their closer connection with Zodiark, and typically give it to those who will abuse such power. Conversely Hydaelyn only gives it to those who will use it for good, or at least those she intends to use as pieces in the game against Zodiark.

Still raises the question of who created Hydaelyn and why, but again, crazy crackpot theories.

Its like a "Dark side of the force" somehow.

Originally Posted by Cilia

tence by separating the Ascian Prime back into Lahabrea and Igeyorhm.
My take on it (and this is veering into crazy crackpot theory) is that we're all little pieces of Zodiark, which is why the Ascians are intent on killing us all. Hydaelyn divvies up his essence and gives a little to every mortal soul, and when they die it goes back to Zodiark. If the world population dips below a certain number he'll be reborn, and then proceed to rip apart the barriers between mortal souls and kill everyone to regain his full strength.


Still raises the question of who created Hydaelyn and why, but again, crazy crackpot theories.

Could be what they mean by the Rejoining

Originally Posted by Cilia

The Echo, as stated by Lahabrea in Tam-Tara, is an "irksome anomaly in the aether"

Weirdly enough, only English got that line. That whole Toto-Rak exchange was slightly altered in English in order to (I think) make it more ambiguous.

In the other languages, Lahabrea seems to take a time out to channel his inner Bond villain, elaborating on the specifics of what your mysterious powers are and why they're a threat to him before leaving you unattended on the laser-table with all the information you need to escape and thwart his machinations. In English, he doesn't tell you anything you'd find useful, he just tells you how he feels and then leaves.

The fact you can understand the Ancient language makes Lahabrea realize that you have the Echo, and he knows exactly what the Echo is. After he introduces himself as an Ascian, the languages diverge as he goes on a tirade about your other power.

Originally Posted by English

1. Yours is a most fantastical tale. Truly absorbing.
2. It is a tale to tell Eorzea's children before bedtime. And it will soon be dark, Bringer of Light.
3. All that stands between this world and darkness is an irksome anomaly in the aether—the Echo.
4. Yes...yours is a most fascinating tale.
5. Alas, like all good tales, it must needs come to an end. But fear not...
6. For the end of your tale is but the beginning of another... The tale of the Crystal's demise!

Originally Posted by Other Languages (Paraphrased Combination)

1. I am most interested in you. ...Or, should I say, you and the presence within you.
2. It's been a long time since I've seen a "Warrior of Light" ... Your kind is an incidious disease that eats away this planet.
3. Not only the Echo, but the power to interfere with the aetherial realm to manifest crystals of light...
4. Very interesting... I would love to see how you write history.
5. Alas... your power is too close to the realm of Gods.
6. And that is why you'll need to disappear. You and the Crystal!

To be honest, I almost wonder if someone confused the Echo / Blessing and it was too late to clean it up after vocals were recorded...

Originally Posted by Cilia

<crazy crackpot theory>

That doesn't seem to contradict much of what we know, and it gives context to Ramuh's claim that things were different before the rise of man and the binary in his heart, as well as Lahabrea / Elidibus' focusing on the Calamities making our souls "weak and wan." At the very least, I imagine the spirit of this theory is heading towards something accurate.