What is canon and what is not (Spoilers)

[Enla]

Another thing that I had been thinking of was the fact that a lot of people subscribe to the 'only the Hyur in the trailers is the true WoL'. However, I do wonder if he is just meant to be the placeholder/stand in for our own PC characters.

I tend to RP the WoL as a nebulous, agendered and non-racial being just to keep things fluid between RP encounters. Better if they never come up, but if they do I'm comfortable using the most basic and non-identity confirming details just to keep things easier across the board. About my only rule is that if my characters meet someone actually claiming to be THE WoL they're going to laugh themselves into a stupor and I'll likely immediately cut the scene. I don't have many rules with my RP but I don't enjoy RPing with people who play as either NPCs or as the big, bad hero of the whole story. It breaks my immersion five ways to Tuesday.

Nothing against NPC roleplayers, but I've been to one too many RP events where one has absolutely gone off the deep end and ruined the experience. Such as Nanamo showing up to an RP fight club and then proceed to try and order everyone around and tried to take over the event. It sadly was not a troll.

Beyond that I feel people can RP whatever they want, so long as they accept that not everyone will agree or want to RP back if it breaks their definition of the lore.

[kaynide]

Pretty much echoing the above, but truth be told I would say any content that involves the Scions or Ironworks is Canon for the WoL/D.

I would specifically state any of the Minstrel versions of trials are obviously not actual events but “retellings”.

To Rp, all one need do is:

A) assume you are not involved with any of it aside from hearing about it. Here you can just hook into anything really.
B) assume you were in the WoL/D’s group for a particular battle by chance (like being taken prisoner by Amal’ja before Ifrit)
C) assume you are a rank and file adventurer, involved in Grand Company operations/battles/events often overlapping with MSQ battles like Praetorium.

Regarding interacting with the First, the only real option is being a fairy at this point, or seeing visions via fairy..even then it’s...ehh...

That said I fully expect Y’shtola to full speed ahead in working out how to make a more permanent solution for planar travel.

[Iscah]

The optional stories are still canon - it's just that canon will twist itself sideways to refer to a non-canon version of events if you didn't do it yourself.

For any version of the story that comes from outside of your personal view within the game, such as the lore book's summary of events or the "Tales From The..." series, the side stories have definitely happened. There is no question that they have.

Even when they are not enforced, everything points to them happening. Alisaie sets off on a journey at the end of the Binding Coil and her re-entry to MSQ in post-Heavensward mentions that she's been on one.

Even pre-Shadowbringers, CT was a piece of Cid and Nero's ongoing story - and the first time we'd encountered Nero as an ally, not an enemy.

Alexander and Omega are critical to the background of Shadowbringers, even if the game doesn't force you to do them here and now.

Warring Triad gives more detail on Meracydia, Allag, the Thirteenth and a little more insight into Elidibus. Certain details tie into what we learn in the Lv70-80 role quests.

Eden is heavily linked to the MSQ, to the point that they had to note the Scions' departure from it before the final act.

Not everything ties into MSQ, but there is a clear precedent.

TL;DR: All side stories are canon and happen at the point in the MSQ where they are unlocked. This is the writers' intent, even if they won't actually force you to complete them unless it affects the current state of something MSQ-related.

[Stepjam]

The trailer WoL is just a stand in for our character. The WoL is "canonically" whoever the player plays them as. And yeah, anything that happens in game is canon. Personal RP stuff is less so, though that doesn't mean you can't do it.

[Jennah]

If you're RPing, *You* haven't been to the First. You've probably heard rumors by now though, especially with the Scions waking up.

Exceptions:
1) You are RPing as the Warrior of Light herself (do not do this)
2) You are secretly an Ascian (also do not do this)
3) Your character can shift to different dimensions at will (there's a term for that, and it rhymes with Larry Blue)
4) You were a big enough deal as a hero to be summoned to the climax of 5.0 or 5.3. (Chances are, you immediately went back home. Or died.)
5) Your entire group is based on the First (in which case you haven't been to *the Source*, but you probably know about the Source by now.)


If you aren't RPing, then of course it's canon. Duh.

[RitsukoSonoda]

Canon is a company that manufactures decent quality affordable printers. :P

[Gula]

There is no such thing as soft canon here. Either it exists or it doesn't.

It's not like, say Kingdom Hearts with its novellas and manga. Is it 1.0? Then it's canon. Is it a side quest? It's canon. Is it a minion description? It's canon.

Did I player theorize that something is possible because of circumstance X Y and Z? It's not canon.

BUT!

That's the point of RP. To play a role. And you can always find someone down to share your ideas.

[NanaWiloh]

Canon? Ya I use those over at Limsa to fire Lala's off into the distance.

[Gemina]

Virtually everything is canon, and it would be easier to mention the things that aren't. Even all the little fetch quests are part of the WoL's demeanor, and that even most menial and mundane tasks are not beyond their helping hands.

Even if I was to use the Omega raids which do not tie into the MSQ directly, Omega itself has a massive role in the game's lore, and affiliation with the characters within the MSQ. But the whole 'tournament' and eventually owning the robot? That's what the WoL does when they are told to go and rest for a while. The MSQ stops acknowledging Omega, but all those events still happened.

So yeah, like 99% canon. Including the oil rubdown you gave Godbert, which he will never let you forget.

[Bright-Flower]

I treat basically anything as canon except for the crossover promotional events.

That said, very few people actually roleplay being the Warrior of Light/Darkness in the RP community because that whole idea falls apart very quickly, and also beholdens you to a linear story instead of RPing whatever you want for your character's story. If everyone 'is the Warrior of Light' or even just five people in the same room, it gets ridiculous because the story is written very clearly with a singular protagonist in mind, and having everyone say they experienced the same events is very limiting.

As for people going to the First, it's not exactly an easy task to do but I believe Yoshi P in an interview basically gave his blessing for people to do that if they want to in their RP as non WOLS but I'd have to go looking for the exact quote. But in the context of the msq it doesnt' really make much sense because it's a pretty big point that only the WOL is able to freely make that journey. On the other hand, I don't blame anyone for not wanting to cut an entire expansion worth of zones and story out of their RP so I have no issue with people RPing ways to do it.