Ivalice Raids. I still don't get it

[Alaeacus]

How much you want to bet OP skipped half the raid story dialogue. It's a pretty straight-forward story.

[JeanneOrnitier]

I think the question of how, if at all, Ultima (being) is related to Ultima (spell) has a real chance of being answered soon.

Since this image from the trailer never showed up in any of the 5.2 quests so far:

Then unless it's in Ishgard Restoration for some reason we can safely assume it's from the relic quests and therefore depicting her, since the relic quest will require completing the Ivalice raids.

[Nightsword]

I think the question of how, if at all, Ultima (being) is related to Ultima (spell) has a real chance of being answered soon.

Since this image from the trailer never showed up in any of the 5.2 quests so far:

Then unless it's in Ishgard Restoration for some reason we can safely assume it's from the relic quests and therefore depicting her, since the relic quest will require completing the Ivalice raids.

That may be an image of the first Hrothgar Queen given the coloring and crown are completely different from Ultima's.

[Zohar_Lahar]

I would like to add that some of those Lucavi were probably images of elder Primals that the auracite was used against; Belias was previously mentioned in the SMN quests by the Ascian of the Twelfth Chalice (who explicitly called it an elder primal), and gave Tristan the ability to summon Belias-egi (which is identical to the Gigas adds). I'm guessing Mateus, Hasmal, and Famfrit were likewise from a now forgotten era.

As for Ultima and Zodiark, note how Ultima has the same pose as the recurring statue of Zodiark.

[MikkoAkure]

That may be an image of the first Hrothgar Queen given the coloring and crown are completely different from Ultima's.

That looks like a stylized version of FFXII’s Ultima to me. In that game, she had blue skin, a white dress, horned crown, and a bunch of wings.

[JeanneOrnitier]

Alma was saying earlier than 4.5 that she heard a voice coming from the Auracite, so her getting taken by Ultima wasn't completely out of nowhere. Ramza's shift still seems to have been a change in direction though.