[Lore Discussion] Heroes of the First

[EdwinLi]

It seems the Role quest will focus on what happened to Arbert and his companions after events of 3.X and what they are doing now in current events for 5.0 in the new Role Quests.


This is a very interesting lore to experience because we can expand more on Arbert and his companion's lore now.

What do you think may have changed for Arbert and his companions along with how may the story develop with these characters?

[Jaywalker]

I'm very sorry but I think it might be implied that they're dead because their soul crystals got used up. They killed their original bodies on the First so they could travel Ascian-style to the Source. The soul crystals were basically drained in that trip. Their last request was for Minfilia to bring them home so they could die on their own world.

[EdwinLi]

I'm very sorry but I think it might be implied that they're dead because their soul crystals got used up. They killed their original bodies on the First so they could travel Ascian-style to the Source. The soul crystals were basically drained in that trip. Their last request was for Minfilia to bring them home so they could die on their own world.

The Job Role Quest is said to bring Arbert and his companions back alive.

As for how, it can be easily implied their souls have been reincarnated since by the First timeline, Arbert and his companions caused the Flood of Light 100 years ago but enough time has passed since their return to be fully reborn into a new body.


https://www.novacrystallis.com/2019/...ducer-live-52/

"The Heroes of the First have previously appeared in the main scenario. The Shadowbringers expansion will tell the story of their return to the First after the events of Patch 3.4. These stories will be told through new Role Quests that include battles."

[Iscah]

They are almost certainly dead at this point. I expect we're getting Echo-visions of their past deeds and how it lead to them becoming the Warriors of Darkness in the first place.

[ObsidianFire]

In all of the revealed images of Arbert and Co. from ShB, you can clearly see they are tinted with the Echo sepia tone. It's also interesting that while Minfilia is clearly seen in the pictures of how the Flood of Light was stalled, the WoD never show up.

Given how bad the Flood of Light is, I can easily see the people of the 1st Shard not seeing Arbert and Co. in a positive light either. Depending on how many people knew about how bad Ascians are, I can easily see Arbert and Co. becoming the scapegoats for being the cause of the Flood of Light.

[MrThinker]

I think this was also stated in an interview somewhere recently but we will actually be following Arbert's companions and how they saw events unfold.
Tanks get to follow the galdjent Knight "Blanhaerz"
Physical DPS get to follow the mystel Ranger "J'rhoomale"
Magical DPS follow the elf Magus "Naillebert"
Healers follow the dwarf Devout "Lamimi"
Most likely getting to see all 4 role questlines to completion will give a full picture of "Arbert"'s own story as well.

[LineageRazor]

As for how, it can be easily implied their souls have been reincarnated since by the First timeline, Arbert and his companions caused the Flood of Light 100 years ago but enough time has passed since their return to be fully reborn into a new body.

I'm not sure what shenanigans will allow the WoDs to still be alive - but I don't think simple reincarnation will be the reason. According to what we know about the Lifestream, the souls of the deceased are broken up and dispersed into the Lifestream, blending together with all the other souls and eventually producing entirely new souls for new living things. Reincarnation doesn't happen, because the soul is essentially destroyed upon death.

I think that it's much more likely that when they returned to the First, Minfilia and Hydaelyn were with them, and did something to preserve their souls.

Of course, reincarnation isn't TOTALLY out of the question. The Dotharl Xaela believe that their souls are reborn into another Dotharl upon death (or, rarely, into another tribe, or another tribe's soul is reborn into theirs). They may have unique circumstances that allow it (perhaps their traditions have "trained" their souls in ways that regular people have not), or they may simply be mistaken and it's just a traditional belief. It's also possible that the Lifestream simply works differently on the First - but that seems unlikely, given that the Lifestream there started out as a copy of the one on the Source. Going by what the Scions have told us, however, reincarnation simply isn't a thing.

[Seraphor]

I'm not sure what shenanigans will allow the WoDs to still be alive - but I don't think simple reincarnation will be the reason. According to what we know about the Lifestream, the souls of the deceased are broken up and dispersed into the Lifestream, blending together with all the other souls and eventually producing entirely new souls for new living things. Reincarnation doesn't happen, because the soul is essentially destroyed upon death.

Except for those with the Echo...

[Kirisu]

Nova Crystallis is not an official site and isn't managed or policed by SE Staff, its third-party database and its information should always be considered fallible, if not false. When the bullet points concerning Role Quests was brought up in Live Letter LI, in the background was a screenshot of Arbert and J'rhoomale in low-intermediate armor level armor. Fledgeling adventurers in what looked like the basement of the marauders guild, so likely a flashback in Eulmore, not warrior's of light in shining AF1's as we know them.


http://www.novacrystallis.com/2019/0...er-51-summary/ Here is NC's news article on Live Letter 51, you can see the screenshots I'm talking about here as well.
and here is a direct quotation of the Role Quest summary, which they later contradict in the article on Live Letter 52.
— Role Quests will retrace the journeys of the First’s fallen heroes and there will be four sets. Their roles are physical DPS, magical DPS, tank, and healer. One quest line must be completed to advance the main scenario. The team has put a lot of effort and cost into these quests.

"Retracing their journey." The way this is worded does not seem to imply tracking them down in the flesh, rather we are most likely going to see the full extent of their adventure as The First's Warriors of Light up until the Flood of Light and their desperate exodus to The Source seeking a way to save their doomed world, through echo visions.

[IntrovertAnt]

I've been watching a youtube video that complies all the WoD cutscenes.

Here it is for anyone that wishes to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtulRvaMv0o

The WoD were already dead. They died in order to make the journey to the source world. It was a point in the MSQ that they sacrificed their lives in order to attempt to save their own flooded world, therefore asking the question about what our own characters and scions would do to save ours in comparison. Even Alphinaud after coming out of the meeting with the Mother Crystal and her representative infers that by giving up their lives to travel to the source, to return to their own world would mean that they don't exist anymore. He does not finish the thought because of fear of what it means, so here is the quote for all of you to see it if you don't want to wade through the video.

"I cannot help but wonder what awaits those wayward souls. If they gave their lives in order to travel to the Source, then in returning to the First, would they not...?"

Does that mean they can't come back if the First world is restored? Don't know, but as it is right now they are dead.