Thread: The Patch 5.2 Discussion Thread! (Spoilers)

There's a lot in it with no/little context but ...

* Zenos, looking swanky in his Imperial Court outfit, exploring the Amaurot re-creation; does look like they're going to move his plot further, faster. Probably there thanks to his new "friend"/helper and no doubt the ability to traverse the Rift. Does suggest he could be the 5.3 boss.
* Still think Ardbert is linked somehow to Elidibus, possibly in the hopes of restoring the shard to a state where it's ready to rejoin, i.e. reviving the flood. The clouds coalescing over the Crystarium look like regular dense clouds but at the same time there's light bursting through them, so not sure what to make of it... but maybe the early stages of a resurgent flood?
* We see Ryne and the Scions on what looks like the Source; meanwhile, the Exarch is undergoing further crystalisation - connected I guess to returning the Scions home.
* Interesting that the zone of the Empire they show has an Archades feel to it - it's too warm to be Garlemald itself, which last we saw was in snow, but maybe they've begun exploring/reclaiming Goug? Looks like it's set somewhere in Dalmasca's vicinity. Gabranth's Legion is still active there and we see Mikoto from the Ivalice series in the trailer, in what looks like Bozja Citadel to me. Some of the screenshots look like the effects of Construct 7's Tartarus to me.
* At the least it looks like Anamnesis may be giving some insight into how Creation magick worked in terms of the concepts. The "ideal forms" thing is a strong nod at Platonism, but as has been remarked on before, this is probably the basis of the more primitive Primal summoning we know - the god is the "concept". Looks like the Echo itself is also going to be a focal point, probably to do with the MSQs rather than the dungeon itself.
* The Ramuh centaur/Ixion and Garuda/Ifrit combo (which remind me of XV) are interesting; leaves room for Shiva as the third Primal fight, if they implement her in this tier, and what looks like a sin eater to me, but there's a mixture of darkness and light so maybe it's to do with the two Oracles who controlling it one after the other.
* This scene was interesting. Some woman in black, with a depiction of what seems to be the Aetherial Sea/Underworld/Lifestream and the Source? It doesn't jive with the other depictions of Hydaelyn we've seen, so I'm curious if it is her or some other figure of import. I thought the lower body was a squid at first! It looks to be Viis. I'm guessing whatever provides the impetus to go to Anamnesis Anyder might rest in a clue in the (deeper) Ronkan ruins. Also, this image of Hydaelyn (?) is interesting, with the spider legs around it. Very curious to see what goes into that and I wonder if this may suggest some manner of parasite is involved in the whole matter, or just some depiction of how she was worshipped, like the spider having some symbolic significance to the Ronkans. Could signify her link to the shards, even if it does not add up numerically.
* Voice at the end - I'll bet it's Elidibus. Seems like an ironic play on Emet's own words about Elidibus when speaking to Varis, that Elidibus "seldom errs". I think he could be referring to the fact that Emet ended up precipitating your soul's rejoining? Or maybe for not just letting the WoL become corrupted into a Lightwarden? For revealing so much so soon? For not immediately taking the Exarch back to their base as a prisoner? For dying? Who knows.
* Granson is out and about!

Not long to go now at least.

Originally Posted by Lauront

TThe clouds coalescing over the Crystarium look like regular dense clouds but at the same time there's light bursting through them, so not sure what to make of it... but maybe the early stages of a resurgent flood?

Those clouds rolling in is the same visual animation used when the Starshower appeared over Eorzea in 1562 after the Battle of Silvertear Skies. The clouds roll in, then burst open into the Starshower. Which implies that it's perhaps being seen OUT-OF-ECHO for the first time in 15 years. And on the First to boot...

In 1.0 it was almost certainly tied into the derailed Presence of Silvertear Lake storyline, but the Final Days is a great opportunity to tie it all together in a clean way that will easily pass for totally-planned-all-along. Ever since the story changed trajectory, the Starshower has awkwardly just been "that thing that appeared in the sky when the Echo sounded and then now people see it in a vision when they're chosen for the Echo". Leaving it at that was fine, but admittedly awkward and anticlimactic. Attaching it to the Final Days tidies things up a bit. Can you see the stitches? Yes. Is it better? Also yes.

This lore / writing team is too good, lol. I half expect them to go back and use the Presence of Silvertear Lake when all of this is over just to bring it all full circle with no loose ends and do a victory dance on the apex of this story for all the trouble it's given them.

Originally Posted by Anonymoose

Those clouds rolling in is the same visual animation used when the Starshower appeared over Eorzea in 1562 after the Battle of Silvertear Skies. The clouds roll in, then burst open into the Starshower. Which implies that it's perhaps being seen OUT-OF-ECHO for the first time in 15 years. And on the First to boot...

In 1.0 it was almost certainly tied into the derailed Presence of Silvertear Lake storyline, but the Final Days is a great opportunity to tie it all together in a clean way that will easily pass for totally-planned-all-along. Ever since the story changed trajectory, the Starshower has awkwardly just been "that thing that appeared in the sky when the Echo sounded and then now people see it in a vision when they're chosen for the Echo". Leaving it at that was fine, but admittedly awkward and anticlimactic. Attaching it to the Final Days tidies things up a bit. Can you see the stitches? Yes. Is it better? Also yes.

This lore / writing team is too good, lol. I half expect them to go back and use the Presence of Silvertear Lake when all of this is over just to bring it all full circle with no loose ends and do a victory dance on the apex of this story for all the trouble it's given them.

Pretty cool that they're going back and tying in plenty of the newer scenes to the older lore and doing it so seamlessly.

And yes, the presence is something I'm also hoping/expecting them to make use of. Even Koji, when asked, didn't have much of an idea of how they plan to use it, or at least he wouldn't be drawn out to answer, so it'd be a shame not to put that to use in a future plot thread!

Originally Posted by Noitems

That raises a really interesting question. Could the Scions (and those we see in that cutscene) potentially unlock some form of the echo from that sight? I'd assume since the Scions are still stuck and while the Exarch has made some progress on what to do about getting them back to the Source, I feel this could be the same. Also if Zenos is pictured in Amaurot we know that even an artificial echo could allow you to travel to different shards as well.

He's effectively like an Ascian Overlord, but with the Scions un-tethered from their true bodies, it should be possible for them to accomplish something similar to get re-attached to their actual bodies - the thing is they simply pop up in the cutscene in the First bodies, based on the outfits, so it looks like a summoning act. I'm also wondering whether Zenos is possessing a host or there in his actual body (assuming he's actually there), because normally such Rift travel can't bring the body with with the exception of the summoning the Exarch performed on the WoL/D and subsequent summons.

Originally Posted by MrThinker

Or a Viis with the Echo, since everyone we know who awoke to the Echo sees the Starshower, and that mural is depicting it.

Makes a lot of sense, and could explain the the white influx behind her behind her.