Thread: The Patch 5.2 Discussion Thread! (Spoilers)

Originally Posted by Lium

I don't understand the Echo now. I need to go back and re-watch the cutscene of Elidibus explaining it. But it seems, just based on what I heard, that we aren't all that important after all. That anyone can be the WoL if they hear Hydaelyn's voice during a starshower. And that the Echo itself is a memory of the Final Days etched onto the souls of all the mortal races. So, from what I understand, Hydaelyn's message, "Hear...Feel...Think" is playing in a loop constantly and that anyone who hears it is taken by Hydaelyn to be her champion and receive her blessing. In this regard, there is absolutely NOTHING special about the WoL. We are, for all intents and purposes, glamorized (no pun intended) grunts. Made to feel special. When in fact, we are not.

Well, something to consider:

The Echo isn't what makes the WoL special. Even before this, there are many people with the Echo, and the WoL is just one of them. Far less people have the Blessing of Light - but even that isn't what makes the WoL special. The WoL makes the WoL special. That was hammered into us by the storyline where Midgardsormr took away our Blessing. The story wanted to make it clear that we are our own person. Our triumphs are our own. The Blessing is a shield that defends us at times, and the Echo can be a useful information-gathering tool - but that's all it and the Blessing are. Tools. Hydaelyn happens to be fond of us, and we're likely the greatest ally she has, but we're special because we're a phenomenally powerful and talented individual, with a penchant for doing great deeds.

I do wonder, though:

Did EVERYONE in the crowd who saw the starshower gain the Echo? Did everyone even see it? I got the feeling that while many have the potential for the Echo, not everyone has that potential. If Elidibert's words are true, Hydaelyn occasionally shows the starshower to select individuals to awaken the Echo within them. Elidibert, on the other hand, awakened the Echo in a lot of people indiscriminately...