What is the extent of the WoL's powers?

[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!

[LeonTrifang]

I believe the WoL has hidden abilities that aren't known yet and also not hooked to the echo, I feel the echo is just a booster for our natural abilities and even without it because of how much we've been through we'd still be powerful enough to stand against most enemies.

a few places in the story point out that our character is an anomaly, mostly from hw scenes, even if somehow hydaelyn tricked us i'd bet our own inner being has been worked out enough to be its own beacon, which is what alot of our former enemies have been alluding to.

The crystal lady secretly being evil is an entirely different thread of its own lol. However, I’m on the “Crystal Lady is pulling us like puppets and is secretly evil” side tbh.

[LeonTrifang]

But that's just re-staging the fight you see between the generic WoL and Lyse in the opening cutscene - except of course they can't portray the entire choreographed-for-martial-artists thing with whatever class you've currently equipped.

I was more distracted wondering how I-the-WoL was planning to use my spellbook for that close-quarters fight shot. I guess I could hit her with it. It would probably hurt with all the spiky metal bits they keep attaching to the covers.

Lol I thought the same thing! And for us Scholars, our fairies would just get some popcorn and watch the epic fight of us hitting her with a book over and over XD

[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.

[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.

[Iscah]

That's the official line, anyway - but there's nothing in that quote, at least, explicitly ruling out that there wasn't also a deeper story-purpose to it!

[Fenral]

I get the feeling our fearless Producer-Director, Naoki "You weren't supposed to say that yet" Yoshida would have answered that question differently, only to have people rush on stage and silence him.

[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.

[ObsidianFire]

If you're a SMN main, you'll quickly realize that people in FFXIV must feel threatened wherever someone pulls out a really expensive book. Same thing goes for staves since staves are not used for martial arts but magic arts. Really... given the scale of the magic mages can use, pulling out a book, staff or globe is kinda like aiming a rocket launcher at someone...