Warrior of Darkness: alter ego or something completely different?

[Iris_BP]

SInce the introduction of WoD at the end of HW main story quest I always thought that it's WoL alter ego. Which made sense for me, because it would've deepened the character portrait. During the MSQ you're so absolutely lawful good, never do anything wrong (even if you'd like to), aureole of saint shines above your head all the time so I thought it would be only natural to show the other side, that you have some darkness in you too. Alas I was wrong and we see a midlander warrior and his "CGI team" in the preview painted in black. This made me a little bit sad, because honestly the personality of WoL is still shallow. Granted, they made you less of an errand girl/boy for scions in HW, but that's not enough! I guess it's just my wishful thinking, but the introduction of WoD and Bishop's words "What are you?" made me think that we're not so onesided of a hero and now my hopes are definitely fractured if not shattered to pieces.
On a side note I'm interested how will they deliver the "CGI team" as servants of the dark side? It seemed like they were always the incarnation of WoL team (hence my thoughts about alter ego). We don't have much time to speculate since it's only two weeks before release of 3.1 but I'm still interested in peoples opinions.

[Anonymoose]

I've been staying in Please Look Forward To It™ mode, myself.

Still, I'm surprised to see the theories so focused, mostly clustered between, "It's you as a dark doppleganger," and, "It's the CG Party; they're evil". It could be neither. I mean, if it is the CG Party, who usually represent "us" (not you or me, but the general idea of adventurers on Hydaelyn's path), they no longer can unless we "free" them, or something, right? Who'd star as "us" in the next trailer? Until there's any evidence to add to their appearance, my baseline assumption has been that they're just the Warriors of Darkness - period; nothing deeper implied - and that they "just happen" to look like the CG Party in order to drive home the idea that they are adventurers, like us, but on a different path.

I guess I've developed a fondness for playing it safe on lore futures, lol.

[Iris_BP]

they're just the Warriors of Darkness - period; nothing deeper implied - and that they "just happen" to look like the CG Party in order to drive home the idea that they are adventurers, like us, but on a different path..

I think thats what people hope the WoD can be, not merely a villain , cause we simply plow that away. Something that explores what the WoL is, the possible consequences of our countless victories.

Tis true, but this resemblance to a "standard" party is what bugs me a lot. Just why from all people they'd choose this look and those characters?

[Kallera]

Tis true, but this resemblance to a "standard" party is what bugs me a lot. Just why from all people they'd choose this look and those characters?

Your guess is as good as mine. I hope it has something to do with either the adventuring community or what we are becoming.

[Nalien]

I'd guess they're just doppelgangers of the trailer party... Derplander is currently running around playing Dragoon, as per the trailer, meanwhile his evil twin is showing up in 3.1, and the two just don't encounter each other, meanwhile we do. Perhaps we'll even get to encounter our own doppelganger...

If the Warrior of Darkness, and his Paladin friend, just look the same as the End of an Era party without there being some connection... That just seems misleading to me... If they're just the Warriors of Darkness, why make them visibly identical to the games poster boy? Either it is Derplander, and something went wrong (we called him Derplander one too many times), or there is a reason for the similarity...

I imagine they're just copying Wings of the Goddess, and this is all building up to "and the final Spitewarden (Warrior of Darkness) is.... YOU!", either that or Derplander is still the Warrior of Light, but being called the Warrior of Darkness, because we're not... We are effectively working with aliens at this point... SomethingSomethingTheTruthAsciansKeepMentioningSomethingSomething... The final line in the trailer has quite a telling tone, and I assume Mr.WoD is the one delivering it; "So you are the Warrior of Light, the savior of Eorzea", everyone calls us the savior, everyone calls us the Warrior of Light, but what if that's not true? Derplander became the Warrior of Darkness only because consensus deemed us to be the Warrior of Light, the name was taken, and applied to something he stands against for whatever reason, so they go with the opposite.

One thing that does bother me, would be the Heavensward trailer... OK the dragon model was a mistake, but... Well, it would be very odd for them to just throw in the concept of an alternate reality Eorzea, similar to what Wings of the Goddess introduced, but that could explain a few things... The trailer doesn't show Derplander, it shows the Warrior of Darkness; He arrives at Ishgard alone, where are Tataru and Alphinaud? He joins the defense of Ishgard against Nidhogg, didn't we go on a preemptive strike into the heart of Dravania? The trailer shows the Warrior of Darkness and an alternate Eorzea, one where things went wrong. Again, I really doubt that is the case, but the trailer has just always bugged me for that... It shows events that happen in game, but it shows a different version of those events...

[Kaiser-Ace]

My personal darksteel theory is that they actually ARE Derplander and company, but something went wrong when Louisoix sent them into the rift.

I think Zodiark may have "claimed" them as his own and they've effectivly been brain washed into the Warriors of Darkness. That "Short" five year trip into the void actually showed them how a world that Zodiark wanted them to believe was going to be Hydaelyn fault and then promptly erased their memories until Elidibus (Whom I still believe is Zodiark incarnate) called upon them to "Restore Equilibrium" and thus the Warriors of Darkness went looking for us and, as they did in the past, destroyed any primal foolish enough to cross them.

But to them, The Scions never existed, the Path of the Twelve is Destroyed, Louisoix is Dead, the Archons are with a "False Hero" who's claiming to be the Warrior of Light now, and they are planing to "set things right" on behalf of the Ascians.

Even in FF3 where they originate the Warriors of Darkness were never evil simply the defence against the light becoming to powerful. Which could be the case if Zodiark=Darkness and Hydaelyn=Light. The clash may even result in both deities being awoken or sealed thus forcing an "Equilibrium" between the two.

[Remus]

My personal darksteel theory is that they actually ARE Derplander and company, but something went wrong when Louisoix sent them into the rift.

Funny you say that because this picture got me thinking and i still don't fully understand it but you may have it on the nail...perhaps...



From what you can see they are in it seems the realm where we meet Hydaelyn and their armor appears to be how the colour was before and conjuring a axe of light meaning chances are they were warriors of light before (im sure if they were a warrior of darkness it should be a axe of darkness??? idk) but it seems they are were getting ready to attack something.

Suddenly now in the 3.1 trailer it's black. This might be a echo vision of how it happened I believe and most likely explain how they became warriors of darkness. I could be wrong but that's what I have taken from this one image.

[Enkidoh]

I'm with Moose here... in that we really don't know much at all to go on, other than... the WoD's 'party' just happens to look like Derplander's party in the End of an Era trailer (and apparently 'evil Derplander' is very snarky given by that "So, you are the Warrior of Light, the savioour of Eorzea?" line he oozes out at the very end of the trailer. ).

I have my own personal theories about this (that they are simply a crude dark aetheric copy of what the Ascians think exemplify adventurers like Derplander/the WoL, and created very much like a Primal - after all this very forum debated just such a possibility not that long ago ), but I'm keeping an open mind and waiting to be shocked and surprised when 3.1 finally hits.

Incidentally, a final clue which definitely leads in favour towards the 'evil aetheric copy of the WoL' is the lalafel WHM in Derplander's party - the 'WoD' version would blatantly contradict the fact that the WHM Job is still very much taboo and that the only actual WHM lore wise is the player (the WoL) - the Guardian Tree simply is not lore wise dispensing White Mage Soul Crystals like candy and the one possessed by the player is unique. So, score 1 towards the 'evil doppleganger' theory.

[Kallera]

I'm waiting an seeing too, but I think what people are looking for the WoD to be is more than just a card carrying villain. They want depth and conflict pertaining to us, and the best source of this is our countless gravy train of simple plots. Adventurers, despite being considered sellswords, are almost all on one side of things, with the right thing to do. We are the lawful good symbol of Eorzean dominance....who leaves countless dead in our wake. What if we didn't have the easy choice anymore? What if our actions and victories bave an unintended consequence? Or hydaelyn tells us to do something that conflicts with our mortal allegiances?

Subjects such as the WoD, the DRK, and im sure other things show a sense of complexity in the setting and our role in it, rather than our superior or inferior telling us what to and how to act.

Then again, speculation can get wild. They can always play it safe again...