What is the extent of the WoL's powers?

[SannaR]

In side story where we have tea with just the lady scions we do learn there that Alisaie does have a small crush on you but also sees you as a mentor. Also I swear Aymeric is bi he ignores his poor 2nd's hints while flirting with the wol. Then I want to say right after the stabbing Alphinaud asks if we can see him and we get denied but poppa Fortemps is in there and soon after Atroirel walks in with a salve and Aymeric comes right on out right as we bring up a good point. Then if you talk to him after Hien cuts those two flying magitek in half he seems more than impressed.

[Gemina]

I'm going to put a spin on this, and bring up the Dark Knight questline. IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE DRK QUESTLINE THROUGH 70 STOP HERE!

The reason why I'm bringing this up is because the questline is the only one that I am aware of that acknowledges your character as the WoL. All the others don't see you as anything more than just an adventurer. It's head canon that the echo plays a significant role in this questline, but also tough to deny its presence as well. This questline further shrouds the extent of our power in mystery.

Imagine if an internal struggle you face in real life could manifest itself in the physical world, and even interact with others. This is the DRK questline. In the 30-50 questline, this takes the form of Fray, who we never actually meet as he died prior to the DRK soulstone speaking to us. In the 60-70 questline, this takes the form of Myste who is a caricature of both Ysayle and a younger version of Haurchefant. The latter manages to conjure forth other manifestations based on the memories of the person being projected onto. One of which causes six figure damage to Sidurgu; benching him for the remainder of the questline. Remember, this isn't Myste's work being done here; it's you. Whether it's the abyss, or the echo, or both, or they being synonymous that gives you this ability; it is unquestionably formidable and would break just about anyone.The ensuing battles that conclude the 30-50 and the 60-70 questlines is you against you. All of it.

The Blessing of Light is a shield. I am welcome to being corrected but up to where I am currently at in the story (4.2), I have not seen anything that would suggest it is anything but that. It's the cliché 'mother's love provides the ultimate protection' in story telling. But we have to remember that we were not born Hydaelyn's champion. We were chosen to be. This needs to be considered when Midgarsormr strips us of the blessing, yet we still prevail over impossible opposition: Nidhogg, Nabriales, King Thordan and the entire Heavensward guard, all whose resolve is on par with our own.

It's at this point where Midgarsormr is like, "Damn Hydaelyn! Your champion is legit."

Our feats and abilities are later recognized by Alexander who chooses to shut himself down after confiding in us to keep the world spinning as it should.

Then you have Omega (up to Sigmascape, I still have to finish this off), who is basically glitching itself out trying to put a rational and logical conclusion to our abilities. It cannot comprehend a power that exists not only in FFXIV, but also in real life. It's the inexplicable intangible factor that is the power of the heart.

Those who have done the SB raids to this point might have wished the WoL would have broken out of Omega's seal, but his/her power is still on display here. Big time! Omega concluded that its assessment of our power was a failure, and that further tests will need to be conducted. But it was actually a success, and right in front of his face the whole time. The power of the heart that extends to others. It makes them love you, believe in you, want to fight for you, protect you, and seal their own fates in your name. Middy, who used to hate us and stripped us of Hydaelyn's blessing in order to expose a ruse sacrifices all that remains of his waking state to protect us. It's there that Delta exhausts himself trying to break us out as well. And Omega can't see any of this at all.

Fordola does though when she tells you your power is too much for anyone. This divine power of the heart does not come without consequences because the WoL harbors so much guilt and walks on a path paved with corpses that stretches as far as her journey goes.

So the extremely short version of this is the WoL on top of having the echo, the blessing, and elite level combat prowess, is also infectiously loveable.

[Iscah]

The Blessing of Light is a shield. I am welcome to being corrected but up to where I am currently at in the story (4.2), I have not seen anything that would suggest it is anything but that. It's the cliché 'mother's love provides the ultimate protection' in story telling. But we have to remember that we were not born Hydaelyn's champion. We were chosen to be. This needs to be considered when Midgarsormr strips us of the blessing, yet we still prevail over impossible opposition: Nidhogg, Nabriales, King Thordan and the entire Heavensward guard, all whose resolve is on par with our own.

It's at this point where Midgarsormr is like, "Damn Hydaelyn! Your champion is legit."

Our feats and abilities are later recognized by Alexander who chooses to shut himself down after confiding in us to keep the world spinning as it should.

Having just gotten an alt through Heavensward MSQ and the Alexander raids, that's not quite correct.

We're slowly reconnecting to Hydaelyn throughout Heavensward - we start to hear fragments of Her voice again when we regain the fifth crystal, and the connection is fully restored (and the "crystal circle" takes on its more elaborate form) after speaking to Tiamat in Azys Lla. This is the point where Midgardsormr recognises us as truly worthy of Hydaelyn's blessing.

We fight Nabriales without the blessing, and Nidhogg in his weakened state at the Aery (with Estinien's support and using the Eye), but our fight with Thordan and with Nidhogg at his full power both take place after our blessing is restored.

As for Alexander, its decision wasn't just based on leaving us to protect the world, but rather that its own existence was more of a threat than any benefit it could provide.

As explained in the story:

Alexander possesses the power to travel through time and space, and reshape history for the better─but such power comes at great cost. The sheer quantity of aether consumed in the process means that Alexander itself would─mayhap not immediately, but inevitably─bring ruin to this world. This perfect machine, this supreme manifestation of logic and science, deemed its own existence a threat.

And so it chose to do nothing. To leave history untouched, and the future in the hands of man, with all his imperfections. Such was Alexander's divine judgment.

A time will come when the fate of this world is placed in the hands of one warrior. For reasons hidden to me, the future from that day forth remains shrouded in mystery─beyond even the colossus's ability to calculate. And yet Alexander chose to believe in that person, and the light within them.

It's a rather interesting quote. Obviously at an external storytelling level there are particular reasons why Alexander can't calculate our fate, but to make that statement within the story itself is curious.

[Gemina]

As for Alexander, its decision wasn't just based on leaving us to protect the world, but rather that its own existence was more of a threat than any benefit it could provide.

Thanks for the correction on Thordan and the HW guard, but the quote you left about Alexander is exactly as I remember it, and what left me to the impression I put in my last post. It's not inaccurate, you just elaborated it.

[Iscah]

Thanks for the correction on Thordan and the HW guard, but the quote you left about Alexander is exactly as I remember it, and what left me to the impression I put in my last post. It's not inaccurate, you just elaborated it.

It's a matter of which part seems more prominent to you, I guess. It's a good thing we can be here to make Alexander more confident that the world will be in good hands, but even if we weren't, then it seems like it would still conclude that it's better to leave the fate of the world up to chance (maybe good, maybe bad) than to interfere (definitely bad due to its own presence).

I feel like it only becomes relevant if it calculated that the world was definitely doomed without us.

[blackcitadel9]

My head-canon regarding the WoL's power is this - Via the Echo, described as the power to break down borders (or something like that, I need to rewatch the cutscene) by Lahabrea, we are granted an insane amount of power via a wish(prayer) powered by an incomprehensible being that no-one in FFXIV can understand or even suspect exists.
That being is....



...The Player.

In short, the WoL is the Eikon of Protagonism. And we're the pure faith (sub money, greater even than crystals! (also some people use Crysta) ) that powers them. Go us!

[Naria]

^ When I did that scene I was on AST--as we were rushing each other I was thinking "if this was real my globe would be completely smashed". At least the spell books probably wouldn't break if you hit someone with one.

[SuperFlorinjin]

^ When I did that scene I was on AST--as we were rushing each other I was thinking "if this was real my globe would be completely smashed". At least the spell books probably wouldn't break if you hit someone with one.

I mained Scholar for ARR up to Heavensward, and every single scene where you dramatically draw your weapon made me laugh. It works fine when your pulling out a sword or even a staff, but Scholars and Summoners pull out a book and threateningly run their finger across the page. Kind of ruins the mood.

[Levy9]

"How...how can this be? A millennium of prayer and the Eye's power combined--and still you stand? Who--what are you?" -Thordan

I've always wondered if that cutscene was meant to foreshadow something, or if it was entirely an artistic expression. Does anyone remember the way the WoL appeared to Thordan as some grim, shadowy silhouette right before he passed?

I always thought that was odd, considering we're supposed to be powered by the blessing of light. Maybe we've been drawing power from a source other the Hydaelyn this whole time without even realizing it?

[Anonymoose]

I've always wondered if that cutscene was meant to foreshadow something, or if it was entirely an artistic expression.

The day the scene was written? The latter. But if you choose to see it as the former in your own interpretation of the story, have at it; what a happy coincidence, right?

First, the cutscene team wanted to do something really dramatic. You see that a lot in anime—that dramatic perspective. The other half is that you’re literally seeing it through his eyes. He’s convinced himself that the way he was doing things was the correct way and that he was in the supreme right. Then you come in and you break all of that down. In his mind’s eye, you’re the evil one—and the last thing he sees is you in that evil image.