So What is Elidibus Planning (4.56 Spoilers)

[Cirdan-Faust]

So what do you all think Elidibus is up to? He says he has to kill you to maintain balance but why? Is the source at risk of a flood of light?

Before it was revealed we were going to the first I honestly thought the flood of light was coming to the Source so it made more sense but now I can't make sense of Elidibus' motivation. Wouldn't he want us to restore balance to the first so it can be rejoined and isn't lost?

Solus just seems to be working towards another calamity on the Source as per usual so his motivations make sense but I'm confused by Elidibus.

[Daralii]

It's been suggested periodically since Elidibus first appeared that the WoL's continued actions and growth would tip the balance too far toward the Light, and suggested for most of the StB patch cycle that there's an incoming Calamity and that there's excessive Light on the Source. His primary goal is maintaining the Source's balance, and for almost 6 years we've rebuffed his requests to listen and stopped his plans that would tip the scale back. The possible Flood is only getting closer, which means Elidibus is desperate to stop it at this point.

[Kalise]

So what do you all think Elidibus is up to?

Nefarious things.

He says he has to kill you to maintain balance but why?

I suppose we're an incalculable factor.

Elidibus can make all the plans he wants, put into place all these specific events that will a series of specific repercussions like some grand Rube Goldberg machine.

But then we show up and mess everything up in a way that he could never predict. Even if he tries to factor in what we do, we show up with some new thing that he could never foresee and screw his plan up.

Is the source at risk of a flood of light?

Quite possibly.

It was hinted at by Arbert that merely quelling primal threats inevitably leads to a flood of light (As that's what happened on the First).

In addition, we also have some hints that the flooding of light on the First is actually affecting the Source (Though, I'm unsure of if there was ever a noted period of the Thirteenth having an affect on the Source during its flood of darkness)

Of course, Ascian intervention as well as things like Varis' decision to develop and utilize Black Rose are ways to bring the levels of light down. So it's not particularly certain about how much risk there is of the source being flooded (Unless we stop Varis before Black Rose can be used, but given that we believe it's been shut down and all of the commanders in Gyr Abania are all talking about how they're trying to keep all of their soldiers conveniently at the frontline in nice big clustered groups suggests this won't be the case)

Before it was revealed we were going to the first I honestly thought the flood of light was coming to the Source so it made more sense but now I can't make sense of Elidibus' motivation. Wouldn't he want us to restore balance to the first so it can be rejoined and isn't lost?

Well, I don't think that a flood necessarily prevents the ascians plan. Otherwise they'd have stopped the flood on the Thirteenth. One more shard that is lost this way seems to be just one less shard they need to rejoin.

That, and as far as Elidibus is concerned, we have no way of travelling to the First. Aside from forgoing our mortal bodies and becoming Ascian ourselves (Though, I'm not 100% sure if this can be done ourselves, or if like with Arbert and the WoD, we'd need the guidance of an Ascian or the knowledge they used in the first place, in order to do so)

[Belhi]

There is a lot of hints and suggestions that the Source is at risk of a Flood of Light. Solas makes a comment on it, Mr Enigma outright says that if we win that is what will happen (which makes sense from what we have heard from Albert) and Elidibus says we have to die to redress the balance. I suspect the thinning Aether is a sign of it as well.

The First has already suffered a Flood of Light though something has stopped it from finishing off the small part that remains. The key for us is that it is on the First that we can learn how to stop a Flood of Light happening which is probably why we become the Warrior of Darkness. The interesting thing is we have Minfilia around as well and as an ally which means we have a representative of the Light and a rep of the Darkness working together. This is how I think we will be able to defeat the Ascians. We will basically steal their role out from under them and usurp their position thus making their involvement no longer necessary.

The curious thing will be how Zodiark works into all this since we are likely going to have to deal with him directly soon.

[soliquidsnake]

Continuing on the conversation after the comments above....I wonder how we will be viewed as by Elidibus once we return from the First. That is... If he's still alive. He has both Gaius and Elezenos after him with Gaius capable of killing Ascians somehow and Zenos having the Echo would probably be capable as well.

[Anonymoose]

The narrative certainly wants us to believe that we're risking a Flood of Light on the Source, and it's a logical possibility.

However, the evidence for that it's something we're actually causing of isn't exactly scientifically persuasive. Solus acknowledges that, to paraphrase using content from the 4 languages, "Since the Flood of Light began on that side, the effects have been felt on this side, as well. Could it have a synergistic effect with Black Rose, I wonder?" That doesn't sound like our fault, at all. We seem to be walking a tight-rope between spillover Flood and 8th Calamity, wrecking two worlds at once and ushering in a bleak future. (Note also that Elidibus doesn't yet suspect that Solus has gone rogue, but has rather found a way to further their shared goal. Solus is clearly, for all his flaws, trustworthy in Elidibus's eyes.)

Moreover, history suggests that the Ascians actually had to intervene to affect the First and Thirteenth worlds. This supports the idea that unequal Light and Darkness is not inherently problematic, and that in such an event the world will still eventually settle into a steady state. The problem is a sudden and severe tipping of the scales.

Elidibus has a long history of absolute loyalty to Zodiark and manipulation of everything and everyone to the exhaustive and exclusive benefit of His resurrection. Obviously, it may just be the case that Elidibus sincerely believes that the current state of the universe is an abomination and only Zodiark stands for seeing it redressed. But what does fixing it mean for us? Best case scenario, we become a singe, perfect race and lose everything about the world we know, love, and fight for. Worst case scenario, Elidibus enabled Varis to incorrectly assume mortals would have a place in the status quo.

DIGRESSION:
I've been biased against Elidibus since 2.1 (and contend he's a snake. Yet I'm still rooting for him to find out that Zodiark is just as unwilling to accept peaceful co-existence as equals as Hydaelyn is unwilling to accept anything but (if even that), and then try to usurp the whole cosmic war himself. He'd make an excellent ultimate big-bad. Time Compression. New Genesis. Etc. He could claim that our broken universe is vulnerable and will almost assuredly one day fall to Oblivion, and that temporarily destroying it as we know it is the only safeguard against it one day being destroyed permanently. He could be unable to comprehend that mortals, who are so willing to sacrifice themselves for a thousand other ultimately meaningless purposes, would fight so hard against this. Especially if Hydaelyn and Zodiark must exist, and as distinct entities, to maintain the physical world we're familiar with and thrive in, we're going to need a satisfying stand-in antagonist to take the pin and give the chapter closure.
ANYROAD...

if the line Elidibus is toeing is the loss of the world as we know it in any shape or form, he's gotta die. He may have some compelling arguments, but he's gotta die. This is Final Fantasy. If the gods themselves stand against the reins of history in the hands of man, the gods themselves must needs be cast down (or at least barred from interference).

[Remedi]

I'm still of the idea that Elidubus has a part of Zodiark in himself, or he's like a fragment of zodiark, but we'll see.
If Minfilia and Zodiark are the same and Minfilia allegedly has a deep connection to Hydaelyn I think we can assume that Elidubus has the same connection.
Both probably are a vessel in the end





and both shall submit to our Divine rule. For the only one suited to rule...is US!

[Cilia]

So what do you all think Elidibus is up to?

As ever, the resurrection of Zodiark. However unlike the other Ascians he seems quite mindful of the balance between Light and Dark, so he's not keen on (and tries to prevent) Floods of Light and Darkness.

He says he has to kill you to maintain balance but why? Is the source at risk of a flood of light?

Implicitly. We have yet to see evidence the Warrior of Light is personally responsible for a Flood of Light, but Elidibus seems insistent that they are very close to crossing that line. That said I still wouldn't trust Elidibus as far as I can throw him, but it's worth considering - as is that killing the Warrior of Light could trigger a Calamity in and of itself, if what he told the Warriors of Darkness is to be believed.

Wouldn't [Elidibus] want us to restore balance to the first so it can be rejoined and isn't lost?

Logically speaking, sure. But he might already consider it a lost cause, or as per the Warriors of Darkness, be trying to cause a Rejoining before the First is wholly erased by Light. Given how reticent he is it's hard to make heads or tails of Elidibus, but don't forget that all Ascians share the same goal - even if they go about it different ways.

Solus? Well... he appears on Shadowbringers key art, so he probably has a major role to play moving forward. Given a good bit of the expansion will take place on the First, he's probably going to be there too... but well, who knows.

[Iscah]

Mr Enigma outright says that if we win [there will be a Flood of Light]

Even though it's true that he's said we're at risk of causing a Flood of Light if we keep beating Elidibus, that's only half of what he said. "Win or lose, your path leads only to oblivion" - so even if it's dangerous for us to keep beating him, it's not going to be any better if he wins.

[Crushnight]

So what do you all think Elidibus is up to? He says he has to kill you to maintain balance but why? Is the source at risk of a flood of light?

Currently i have no real idea other than he wants Zodiark free and will achieve this by any means even trying to reign in the other ascians from pushing things too far in either direction of light or Darkness.

As for why i have no idea 4.56 portrayed Elidibus poorly, he underestimated our strength, can't see that Solus might be plotting behind him and took a huge gamble on his own existence. As far as Elidibus was aware he was going against the WoL who had a high chance to know there was an ascien inside Zenos's body who has been resourceful enough to permanently destroy 2(maybe 3 as don't know if Elidibus knows Thordan absorbed Lahabrae rather than he met his demise after facing us) asciens. Elidibus is also not aware about the calling that has taken the scions so as far as he is concerned we still had them to rely on. And yet he choose to either hold back his power when his objective was to kill us or he used up most of it during the fight.

Before it was revealed we were going to the first I honestly thought the flood of light was coming to the Source so it made more sense but now I can't make sense of Elidibus' motivation. Wouldn't he want us to restore balance to the first so it can be rejoined and isn't lost?

Yes he would want the 1st to be prevented from becoming blank perfection so it can still be rejoined, its just Elidibus probably sees a calamity is the fastest easiest way to achieve this and he has no qalms with doing so

Solus just seems to be working towards another calamity on the Source as per usual so his motivations make sense but I'm confused by Elidibus.

Elidibus wants calamities but he doesn't want to tip the source too far either way, Solus on the other hand would not care he probably rather trigger all the necessary calamities to bring Zodiark back as fast as possible dooming the source to whatever fate its left with, there is still more to Elidibus that we haven't seen and its probably why this story patch has irked me so much with regards to Elidibus, 4.56 Elidibus feels different to the Elidibus i have known so far.