Thread: 3.4 speculation

Originally Posted by Velhart

I....have a feeling that Minfilia is going to be herself again down the road.

If you talk to Matoya right now (I don't know if it was the same before finishing 3.3, it didn't occur to me to check), she talks about how Alphinaud was frequently visiting her cave to research, and from what she gleaned from his mumblings it was related to how untangle merged sources of aether.

It could be just related to Estinien...but given the means by which we did that didn't seen to involve any dice rolls for scholarly knowledge checks, it's either one heck of a random piece of conversation or it's hinting at SE's current plan moving forward regarding Minfilia.

I'd actually prefer Minfilia's fate to be sealed and tragic. Imagine how deliciously dark it would be if - after the situation with Estinien - the Scions grew overconfident and believed that they could save Minfilia as well...only for it to go horribly wrong.

It'd also help mitigate the issue of there being a little too many 'close calls' where both major and minor characters are concerned. Death for the sake of death is very cheap and not very desirable but on the other end of the spectrum where death is cheapened by bringing the bulk of characters back from the 'dead' or similarly grisly fates is just as dubious in my eyes.

Originally Posted by Theodric

I'd actually prefer Minfilia's fate to be sealed and tragic. Imagine how deliciously dark it would be if - after the situation with Estinien - the Scions grew overconfident and believed that they could save Minfilia as well...only for it to go horribly wrong.

On the flip side, assuming your Hydaelyn is evil theory, they could rescue Minfillia's body, but that isn't the head of the scions behind her eyes. Let the Characters work their asses off to save their friend. It's not like it'll stop Moenbryda, Iceheart, Hauchefant, anyone that was in the waking sands when the Livia showed up, possibly Doga and Unei... I'm probably forgetting a few more... from still being dead.

Originally Posted by Theodric

I'd actually prefer Minfilia's fate to be sealed and tragic.

Which, to be fair, is a possible result of the direction SE is possibly hinting at anyway. Assuming that it is related to Minfilia (while I don't think it's related to Estinien for the reasons I gave above, it's not something I'm 100% certain about), it realistically only hints at what Alphinaud plans on doing...

Not that he'll be successful.

Originally Posted by Theodric

I'd actually prefer Minfilia's fate to be sealed and tragic. .

This is something I'd like to see. Epecially with how much we've seen Alphinaud mature. I don't he needs any humbling, 2.5 did all that for him, but it could serve as learning lesson to another--maybe to Alisaie? Probably more likely to Y'shtola. I think Thancred already suffered enough from Lahabrea's possession to really get over confident--and he's more pragmatic now. I'm also feeding into Cilia's points about Hydaelyn being malevolent but also have the mind that it may have been unintentional consequences. Also, if were talking about evil!hydaelyn, I would also like to bring up tataru. She's definetely and ascian guys....calling it now.

Originally Posted by Berethos

If you talk to Matoya right now (I don't know if it was the same before finishing 3.3, it didn't occur to me to check), she talks about how Alphinaud was frequently visiting her cave to research, and from what she gleaned from his mumblings it was related to how untangle merged sources of aether.

Huh. So... It isn't a theory I follow, but it IS one I've heard around. That being that Lahabrea will be back. What would be the difference between pulling Minfillia out of Hydaelyn, and pulling Lahabrea out of Niddhog's eye? Beyond his Aether having been used up during Knights of the Round, possibly?

Originally Posted by ChazNatlo

Huh. So... It isn't a theory I follow, but it IS one I've heard around. That being that Lahabrea will be back. What would be the difference between pulling Minfillia out of Hydaelyn, and pulling Lahabrea out of Niddhog's eye? Beyond his Aether having been used up during Knights of the Round, possibly?

As far as I know, the distinction would likely be that Minfilia and Hydaelyn are apparently merged but with aspects of both being present (unless WOTM was lying, which is still a possibility), as that is what the dialog with her after Antitower suggests.

What happened to Lahabrea seems to be the same that happened to the Sahagin Elder, in that in both cases their aether was essentially deconstructed to a more base version of aether by another.

Originally Posted by Berethos

What happened to Lahabrea seems to be the same that happened to the Sahagin Elder, in that in both cases their aether was essentially deconstructed to a more base version of aether by another.

Lahabrea was a slightly different case... He was specifically shown being absorbed by Nidhoggs Eye in the Ascalon rather than by a Primal, which Thordan was indeed using as an aether battery, but last I checked batteries don't spend their charge instantly...

It's a slim possibility that he survived, and for me the window has passed... Well, one of my theories for his return has... A Nidhogg/Ascian fusion, similar to the Ascian/Ascian fusion we faced at the end of ARF, would have resulted in Shinryu and brought Omega into the plot, but Nidhogg is gone now...Lahabrea could still be sitting in the Eye we threw away like dummies, in which case his potential ambitions (which I'll admit, is conjecture based on minor dialog with Elidibus) could still come to fruition. After he spearheaded Ysayle becoming Shiva, and Pope Thordan becoming King Thordan, I expected Nidhogg to do something similar (maybe even becoming Bahamut... Que Omega...) at Lahabreas urgings, then Lahabrea to sneak off to become Zodiark, which is not the revival Elidibus wants. That would give us justification to actually buddy up with Elidibus and give Lahabrea a real send off...

I do think Elidibus has an interest in the Eye, but I do not think Lahabrea returning is anything more than a slim possibility now... After Nabriales was so keen to get his hands on Tupsimati, which wasn't powerful enough to one-shot an Ascian without throwing a sacrifice into the mix, I would imagine Elidibus has every reason to want two Wyrm Eyes... If Zodiark is going to be a Steps of Faith style final boss, I think it is somewhat fitting to give him Nidhoggs Eyes... I'd prefer having Lahabrea be the final antagonist, but I acknowledge it's very far fetched at this point...

Now that I'm reminded of Nidhogg though, we still haven't really gotten anything out of the news in 2.1 that he'd flown off to "skies unknown"... I would expect that to come to something eventually, I imagine the Eyes will come back into the plot and we'll get an Echo cutscene explaining what that meant, unless other translations spell an entirely different message for that 2.1 cutscene...