Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 2)

[Anonymoose]

Part 1 went a little crazy due to Fan Fest and is already over 300 posts long, so I suppose we might as well start fresh with the new leads, eh...?

Main Scenario Complete

Starting off with meetings, meetings, meetings, review, review, review. (Couldn't have been an email if you don't have email.)

Laughed out loud at Urianger considering getting Estinien into books. As much as it'd help him pass the time on his wandering, I'm thinking it's more likely Urianger isn't getting all that much better at people-ing, lol.

But the Grand Company of Eorzea, Take II, eh?

Fourchy arriving now I suppose makes sense of why they were coy about naming him despite it being rather obvious. And Mom now has a name! (Ameliance) As someone whose first gaming love is technically horror, hearing who I believe to be Anthony Howell (Vampyr, SOMA, Call of Cthulhu, Alien: Isolation) as his voice got a good laugh out of me, but once the public disowning started, I could see why he was a good choice, lol.

Gonna be fun watching the inevitable breakdown into the camps of the traditional "Dad's a jerk, but he'll come around." and the "Dad's playing 4D chess to bait his kids into doing what he can't or playing a complementary role to his own plan."

"If the Final Days were truly upon us, we would know." G'raha predicts Sharlayan has already divined (perhaps from ancient scriptures, as Louisoix specialized in) how the world will end, and so dismisses Fandaniel's claim as meritless. Krile predicts they know more than they're letting on, and have plans they intend on protecting with false displays of dismissal - to the point of blocking our research into Hydaelyn and the sea.

Cartenau battle was pretty cool; nice open space for a battle without having to make too many new assets and creative mechanics. Funny how no one noticed that confluence, though... Cut to old man scowling at moon.

What is this "dreamer" themology... Gonna spend a hot minute on that. EDIT: I thought at first he was talking poetically about Zenos but the framing seems to imply it's the tower, or what is within the tower. I think either the tower has been programmed with spiritual energy, or has been plugged into someone's spirit, who might be the central hub of the "temper to Garlemald" thing - its dream includes a wish or desire of some kind. Not sure how specific of a guess I want to make here, lol. Either way, drawing the aether from Ilsabard is going to make it "dream deeper" but Zenos believes it will enjoy this.

Surprised they showed Venat in the trailer at all if that was her whole appearance, though.

[MrThinker]

Part 1 went a little crazy due to Fan Fest and is already over 300 posts long, so I suppose we might as well start fresh with the new leads, eh...?


Main Scenario
Dammy

The patch isn't even available to play yet, man. (Note: This is simply a joke)

EDIT:
Main Scenario

I did this first because it was what appealed to me. The final end of Shadowbringers is here and what we learn is.. relatively little. Our protagonists, at the very least, have no idea their duties will take them to the Moon as of yet. Indeed, the first destination appears to be Old Sharlayan to give what for to the codgers on the Forum.

Speaking of the Forum: Forchenault. I didn't know what to think when the twins father was introduced as an Envoy. What little we heard of him through short stories, his EE1 entry, and various anecdotes from the Twins portrayed a contrasting character. I can now safely say that he deserves a punch in the face. Not only did he disown the twins, he didn't even bother to adequately explain his reasons why. The twins are better off without him anyways.

Also the Forum apparently have ways to know if the world is ending, claim that the current battle is simply another petty squabble with Garlemald without listening to the whole story, and are making their own preparations for the Final Days. Time to for some good ol fashion espionage. Krile is stuck in Sharalayan figuring the logistics of transporting us over under their noses. It will take about 6 months by my reckoning.

The Grand Company of Eorzea. So the Alliance manages to convince leaders of the remaining tribes to band together against the Telophoroi and hopefully save the kidnapped beastmen. This grand union of the city-states and the beast tribes gets the honour of being named by us... or Alphinaud if you choose the 2nd option. I am glad that the tribes point out that they still have problems with the city-states, but in face of this greater danger, and the promise of porxies to cure the tempered, such greivances currently matter not.

Arenvald. His injuries have rendered him currently unable to walk, and thus out of comission for battle in the forseeable future, but by gods the flags set by Fordola givesthe mark that he will probably come through in the last moment some time in 6.0. His main reason for appearing in this 2nd half is to re-motivate Alphinaud after his father absolutely shatters his self-confidence, reminding him, and us, of how far the Scions have come in helping Eorzea.

The Ending. The final battle was pretty enjoyable, Fandaniel's plan to cause a super calamity by doing exactly what Y'shtola tried very carefully not to do back in 4.4 with the Burn and the aethric dam was a bit out of left field, but in the end it doesnt matter not, The first plan may have failed, but he has more in store, and the guys know it. I feel like the end only works because we who have watched the trailer and kept up with info, in which that every just randomly decides to look up at the Moon after the battle before the credits roll. Must admit was blatantly confused by the decision for that cut.

Zenos and Garlemald. Apparently Zenos is the 'dreamer' which allows him to somehow acquire an aetheric source to power Fandaniels "gateway to the gods" as he calls it - the remodelled Imperial Palace. This gives off major FFIV vibes with reference to the Tower of Babil, which served as a space elevator/teleporter to retrieve a giant WMD from the Moon's core. Is this how they will free Zodiark? Well apparently Zenos himself is gonna head to the Moon. His gunscythe looks wicked, and is marked with Garlemald's symbol, maybe the scythe was Emet-Selch-as-Solus's weapon? We also see him straight up killing a bunch of no-names, so uhh yeah. Also there is a roar heard very briefly. As KageTokage notes, maybe this is the sound the tempered hear when they near the towers? I'm just gonna guess it's Anima because why not.

The Women in White. Okay, come on guys, this is pretty obviously Venat, and she is really pinning her hopes onto us to prevent the end. Also Crystal Mom loves you and tried her best, as Moose will say. I adhere to the theory that Hydaelyn choosing us to be her champion was a Horizon Zero Dawn style Hail Mary (for those who understand the reference). I am mostly miffed our PC just sees a giant white robed women and tells no-one. Again. But the PC being a passive character is hardly new at this point is it? As for why she only manifested for e brief amount of time, I can only hazard a guess. Still too weak? Her hands are tied elsewhere? Deliberate vagueness? Hard to say.

Also the Towers are apparently absorbing the aether necessarily for their summonings directly from the land's aetheric flow, i.e. the Lifestream.

The Moon. Apparently it is red now? It was in the after credits cutscenes, but I didnt check if its in the actual game. A sign of Zodiark stirring to events on the Source?

EDIT*:
YorHa

That ending was just about as vague as the entire storyline. Some will say it is classic Yoko Taro storytelling. All I can say is that the raid aesthetics and music were nice, but when it came to actually engaging with the characters, we did not have enough interaction with them. I feel this in particular was a major pitfall of the quest line. The twins were intersting, but we honestly never got to know enough about them. All I can say is that they are the devola and popola analogues of the story simply due to their hair and eye colour.

Epilogue summary. Dig Site chief receives word that dwarven automata of Gogg make is being circulated in Eulmore, he deduces that Konogg is the creator. We go check and recieve confirmation that it was indeed him, and get pointed to where he was staying. As we approach, we switch to an actual flashback, not an Echo one, of Konogg after his last message, where he researches ways to use the machine tech to bring his sister back, to apparently no avail and him subsequently falling into despair. Except something he does (we never see him do anything besides researching to be honest) allows for Anogg to seize the chance to return and reunite with him. They then walk off hand in hand to "see the world", whether that be the First or the FFXIV-Nier world the machines came from is left vague. And this is all a flashback, meaning it happened before we got there. All the PC sees is an empty workshop and a bottle of mead they take back to the Chief.

EDIT**
Save the Queen

Okay, managed to clear the last CE with 7 people (wooo!). Let's start shall we?

The Premise: Having given up Lacus litore, the IVth legion have made their flagship, the Dalriada, their new base of operations, bound in the area known as Zadnor, which carries some effects from both the 4th Calamity and the Bozja Incident. With airships in their command they are able to rain down artillery fire on the Bozjans and prevent them from getting close. Thus enters Cid and Lilja, who create mini-shield generators based on the allagan ones powering Seiryuu's Wall to establish new staging points as the Resistance moves forward. Thus comes the main meat of the story quests: use Lilja's D.A.Ms to redirect the flow of aether in Zadnor so that Cid can set up more shield generators, and then pushing forward towards the IVth. While we do this, the IVth legion is excavating a new Allagan relic from ruins beneath Zadnor, while our captive Misija is reflecting on what the shade of her ancestor told her: "Bozja is nothing without it's children" or something to that effect.

Also; we get to see some more Blades that weren't part of Misija's tempering spree, and at least one who was, but was spared the transformation fate in DR, and some new players from Nagxia. Also my boy Oboro (Ninja trainer) is getting off his rear from Eorzea and follows his own little plotline in the skirmishes tracking down another Doman traitor.

The Finale: Cid devises a plan to ground the Dalriada, by causing some sort of aetherochemical resonance with Lilja's D.A.Ms and the Bozjan crystal focus (that's still a thing) to ignite the ceruleum in the airship. It works, and Fran comes in to save Mikoto when the events from her prior vision come to pass. Instead it's Lilja who gets badly injured, but not that badly, she just needs to get the shrapnel removed and she'll be right as rain, but Cid and Mikoto get shelved with her in Doma. We raid the Dalriada (thanks to some very generous Echo buffs, it is passable with 7 people). At the end we face off against Menenius and Lyon in a mech and riding a war beast respectively and beat them... except it's not over. The real final boss is the Allagan weapon they uncovered and basically used to repower the ship, the "Diablo Armament". We manage o deal quite some damage to it, but it goes berserk instead, so all the raiders flee, Menenius gets a full blast of pure energy covering for Lyon (he's dead son) and the Armament breaks out of the collapsing ship to cause chaos on the battlefield.
Thus come the Queen in all her glory. The spirit of Gunnhildr causes Save the Queen to bring itself to Misija, who transforms once more to fulfill her duty to her ancestor, and basically does a suicidal run to destory the machine for good. Misija is gravely wounded, and asks to be mercy-killed instead of healed, because she is still a traitor with her own beliefs. Bajsaljen follows her will. Thus ends the IVth's occupation of Bozja, and another nation is freed with the aid of the "Liberator". Cid has some closure, Bajsaljen is preparing to pre-emptively deal with the issues that Misija brought up and begins drafting a new constituion, with some of the good things the IVth brought with them. Mikoto is sad that Misija is dead and she didnt get to see her off. Afterwards, our allies not associated with the relic return to their homes.

Mikoto: Unlike in the Southern Front and Delubrum, Mikoto did not have as much to do in this final leg of the story. Indeed, even her whole arc on "simply let fate play out" with her visions didn't really go anywhere, and then she is shelved for the last segment, so she is not there for Misija's "redemption" (if you want to call it that) either. If she is brought back for another story-line I do hope Matsuno or whoever is able to see that arc to it's conclusion.

On Fran: She appears as a deus ex Machina to resolve the Mikoto problem we got at the end of the last chapter. She also participates in the Final raid and afterwards essentially says "see you in Dalmasca WoL". More importantly we get her field record. She lead a royal black ops group, and under the approval of one Prince Rasler, she carried out the fake assasination of Princess Ashe, so that the Dalmascan's wouldn't fight to the last man if they knew their royalty still existed. SO yeah the real Ashe is alive, also Fran was basically the one who set Ba'gamman on his path to death, and she is 100% aware of it.

Noah: Again we dont see much of Noah, he simply accepts that Menenius is dead and asks Lyon to take the blame in his stead. Also he may have a condition of unknown significance that limit's the amount of time he has left. And apparently Menenius left some allagan relics as gifts, a wicked looking blade, not "Save the Queen". and an axe, which I was certain we actually can use, but im apparently wrong. But the juicy stuff is all off screen. According to Noah' field record, Lyon staged a rebllion that resulted in the former legatus's corpse being so horribly disfigured that the Dalmascans had trouble identifying the corpse (that's a flag, especially since we know Lyon freely accepted the blame, which was supposedly the mainr eason for his rebellion), and that Lyon himself, as well as few high profile IVth legion members are currently at large as war criminals (that's also a flag.). Accordingly, the IVth legion fell apart off-screen, allowing the Dalmascans to reclaim their kingdom, off-screen (fair enough, we dont need to be a part of every revolution, and the majority of the IVth's infantry were absorbed back into Dalmasca w/o trial, or repatriated to their homes. (I'm gonna say it: "FLAG")

I don't know if it will be in 6.x, but we are definitely getting a part 3 of this Matsuno story.

RE: The Diablo Armament
It is apparently the Allagans trying to bind voidsent in forms that would allow them to use their full power while also keeping them in check. This particular model was designed to house Diabolos, and thus utilises some very familiar mechnics or derivations of said mechanics... mainly his doors and donut AoE.

[Bright-Flower]

I found the YoRHa ending to be

to nobody's surprise pretty underwhelming. Final reward is just an orchestrion roll and the final quest is just one more confusing 'wat just happened' moment.

Unless there's shenanigans hidden away behind new game plus, which doesn't seem likely since they gave us ending E here instead of A, I think it's safe to call the Nier story a dud despite enjoying the raids gameplay wise.

[Rosenstrauch]

Might as well get my post in while we're still on the front page.

MSQ: To be tackled first.

Apparently the background Scions are out and about, being useful in dealing with the Lunar Primals. I was a bit surprised by this, until I remembered that these Primals seemingly can't temper people.

The bits about diplomacy with the Beast Tribes irks me just a little bit. There's something to be said for treating people and events with a degree of inertia while offscreen—if things were going well when you last saw someone, then they're probably still going to be going well when next you get back to them. In fiction, at least. But it feels like it being this easy to push through centuries of political strife with Eorzea's neighbors is being reduced to "Well, we never actually tried before". I suppose the end of the world also plays a factor in this, though.

… we're sending Thancred to a meeting in Ala Mhigo. I take it the player won't be attending.

No, of course we're going. Really, guys? Just reveal that Thancred dealt with his aether disability offscreen if you're not going to bother with it anymore. And of course Thancred arrives before us...

Merlwyb suggesting that we just shoot the towers... well, at least someone finally said something to that effect.

… of course G'raha is sitting right next to the player. I know he's firmly in the "everything he does bothers me" territory, which is frankly irrational on my part, but... ugh.

Y'know, I can't help but notice the coloration of the snake lady and bug man's clothing. I suppose it'd make sense that the Grand Companies would pull in potential diplomats from tribes and groups that were already friendly towards them, but I have to say, it takes some of the wind out of their sails here. As does the fact that everyone is talking around the fact that nobody actually has a solution to the whole "towers that temper anyone who gets close" problem.

Thancred takes a moment to rub salt in the "Minfilia is dead" wound. Thanks, Thancred.

Alphinaud points out the elephant in the room that I just laid out, and suggests preventing the summoning of primals in the first place. Uh, how? My thoughts turned towards "we could seal them away with auracite", but history has shown that this among bad ideas, this is one of the worst. Please do not suggest that, Alphinaud.

… Alphinaud instead suggests we cut off the supply of aether to the towers. I suppose it does make sense that they'd have to be getting such aether from somewhere...

So the plan is for the Eorzean Alliance to continue business as usual, while someone (probably us) deals with the towers power supply. OK.
Aymeric, why.

… so there are only two options on what to pick for the name of the combined forces of Eorzea. Only one of them is a real choice, while the other... seems to deflect the choice onto someone else. I picked Option #1, and I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't, lol.
Ah, this is actually a callback to the Crystal Braves. Poor Alphinaud.

Kan-e-Senna wants Alphinaud to form the Crystal Braves II: Electric Boogaloo. And though he more or less says "no", he's still willing to work on something akin to that.

Alphinaud wants the WoL's help in rounding up the former Crystal Braves for some discussion. Alisaie decides to chip in, too. Thancred thankfully does not, but Y'shtola volunteers G'raha for it. Thankfully there, at least, he and Alisaie are given half of the work to keep them away for a while. Though, and this is going to sound funny coming from me, I actually find it a bit odd just how quiet G'raha has been thus far. He's almost as much a mute this patch as the WoL, lol.

Our first stop is Riol and Alianne, and immediately I got a sense of deja vu. Didn't we already do this back in Heavensward, when Alphinaud officially disbanded the Crystal Braves and Riol and Alianne chose to stay on with the Scions?

Ah, we're giving them more reasons. Alianne attributes staying on to the strength of Alphinaud's character, because he took full blame for the Crystal Braves' faults and welcomed her back despite her own perceived failings. Riol, in turn, cites a sense of familiarity between his old crew, the Company Heroes, and the Scions. While also citing their selflessness. I'm putting a pin on this—I feel like the writers may be building up to something regarding Azem and Hydaelyn here.

Interestingly enough, Alianne credits Ilberd with the Braves seeing any measure of success. I did not expect anyone to give the man his due, period. Riol points out that he was very much in it for the wrong reasons, however, and suggests the reason the Scions work as well as they do is down to Tataru screening out bad faith actors. I guess that works for me.

… apparently our first stop is also our last stop, because we're off to Gridania to reconvene with Alisaie and G'raha. Alisaie hands over her report with little fanfare and we're immediately sent off to Little Solace. And just now, it occurred to me that the story has sidestepped any mention of notable EX-Braves Laurentius and the Lalafell whose name I can't recall. I guess they really did get executed.

Just as we're talking to the Sylph Elder, Alphinaud comes running in offscreen, talking about a Sharlayan envoy—Alisaie and Alphinaud's father, Fork and Salt, no less. Interesting...

Apparently there are 99 Members of the Forum, Fortnite here included. Forgive me, I can't be bothered to spell his name right at six in the morning after getting about two hours of sleep. Once more, back to Gridania...

Also apparently, before the Forum was established, everyone of age in Sharlayan had an equal say in the city's governance. A true democracy, rather than a representative one. It was under these circumstances that much of Sharlayan policy was established. Neato.

Sharlayan will not move! Of course. Of course. And the reason is... because Sharlyan has their head in the sand. Oi. Just because meteors haven't started raining from the heavens and demonic beasts the likes of which you've never seen aren't stalking every street and alley... I mean, yes. I understand that "Final Days II" is looking a little underwhelming thus far. But even a modicum of effort spent trying to understand the threat facing you would be better than dismissing it as a petty squabble.

And he starts taking a page out of the Book of Parenting penned by Ran'jit. I suppose I should count my blessings that he hasn't called his children useless or worthless yet.

To be blunt, I feel like he's being set up as a strawman here. The absolute pacifist who won't dare raise a hand to an enemy who can't be reasoned or bargained with, and will stop at nothing to ensure his death. Though from what I understand, this is definitely consistent with how he's been portrayed in dialogue and in the lore books, so it's not particularly egregious. It's just the timing that's giving it that impression, I believe.

… and then he disowned his own children. Wow.

Just as we're discussing why Sharlayan even bothered to send an envoy, Krile calls us. Apparently the Forum did not just refuse Krile's requests, they completely ignored her. This is reminding me a bit of Venat's followers and their attempts to reach out to the Convocation and Azem falling on deaf ears.

G'raha suggests they know more about what's going on than Four Kids let on. And Krile suggests that their secrecy is proof that they do understand the threat the Telophoroi pose, but has no further leads.

Apparently the Forum has also forbidden anyone from helping the Scions, at the very least in matters relating to Hydaelyn. This, even though the Students of Baldesion were the ones tasked with studying her, iirc, and Minfilia was both in their good graces and in close contact with them all the way up to the Isle of Val's disappearance.

Krile invites us to Sharlayan, which I guess is the reason we'll be going to Sharlayan come 6.0. Might even be our first destination.

With the meeting adjourned, we're promptly called to action at Xelphatol to deal with the Telophoroi. There are primals afoot. They only fought where opposed, and otherwise marched towards the Carteneau Flats. Finally, some action.

Hey, Fordola. Urgent business, huh?

Arenvald is alive! And crippled. Poor guy. What follows is a much needed pep talk from him for Alphie. And Fordola waiting until we're gone to give Arenvald a pep talk of his own. The scene ends with Arenvald swearing to find a way to help us. For some reason, this actually felt a little ominous to me. If he pulls a Ysayle/Ryne...

And thus begins the epic single player instance.

So, it seems like this instance is going to be a long one, switching between multiple viewpoints. Fascinating. Our first swap is to Alisaie. Apparently the Imperials are too far gone to save from their tempering, but the Beast Tribes are not. Also, apparently Fandaniel... spawned a glyph. it appears to be pumping purple/dark colored aether into the ground below.

There is an aetheric confluence concealed beneath Cartenau Flats, much like the pillars in the Azim Steppe. I believe the pillars in question are the finger-like ones seen around the center attraction.

The glyphs (there are multiple), if destroyed, could also destroy the confluence. Y'shtola suggests this is what the lunar primals are here for. And from the sound of it, the destruction of this confluence would bring about a minor calamity. Not a rejoining, probably, but certainly a lot of destruction.

Urianger, Y'shtola, and Thancred vs. Odin. G'raha and Alisaie vs. Ravana. The WoL, Alphinaud, and Estinien vs. Lunar Ifrit.

If you hate Roleplay segments, you'll hate this. If you don't, you'll probably enjoy it.

Fandaniel teleports away insisting he'll get us next time, and so we're left to tend to the wounded. Also, it turns out we did actually manage to save some of the Imperial soldiers as well. Neat.

The moon begins to glow a golden yellow-white light. Everyone stares at it. And then... credits.

… so, uh... I didn't skip any cutscenes. There's definitely something missing here. Where, exactly, is the mysterious figure in Mor Dhona? I hope it's after the credits.

OK, there's more after the credits. Talking with the Scions yields nothing of particular interest, save for G'raha pointing that the entire fight seemed more for show than anything else. Reminds me of a certain Unsundered and his trip with us through memory lane.

Whole lot of talking for what amounts to "So dealing with the towers is entirely your responsibility". But that's about what I expected from the beginning. Alphinaud seems convinced that Zenos will come for us if we manage to break his toys. He is giving that man far too much credit. Maybe if this was Stormblood Zenos. Shadowbringers Zenos is the Dragonlord sitting on his throne.

Whole lot of talking for what amounts to "We're going to Sharlayan to learn what's what", too. I am ready to throw hands at Forni—I'll stop there. Gods, I need to sleep.

Meanwhile, at the Legion of Doom's headquarters . . .

... Zenos is killing people with a gunscythe. OK, that makes sense.

So apparently Fancy Dan was not, in fact, trying to blow up Carteneau. Rather, he was trying to redirect the flow of aether there to the Garlean capitol. Also, he's either calling Zenos the dreamer, or he's referring to the unnamed and unseen You Know What Zenos is meant to control.

… he's already taken control of Zodiark, hasn't he? The one thing I did not want from this storyline, and I have the sneaking suspicion it's already happened.

EDIT: After more consideration, and other observations from other people, it does seem more likely that he's referring to Anima. Thank God.

I guess the gateway of the gods is the tower the Garlean capitol building was reconstructed into. And he's still on his "I want to kill everyone" kick. And Zenos is still on his "I want to fight you, my love!" kick. This is looking to be a long journey to an unsatisfying destination to me. But maybe the journey will be worthwhile. It usually is.

Meanwhile, in the place I actually care about . . .

So, the towers draw upon the land's aether. This must was sort of obvious even back in 5.4, what with the way they were animated. But it's nice to see it confirmed in text. And the towers ALSO temper anyone who gets close. Though the first one is obviously the aforementioned gateway of the gods, the rest appeared suddenly and without warning. And in the La Noscean one's case, in far too short a period to actually have been constructed.

Might the towers themselves be akin to a primal? 'cause they sound like they were summoned into existence.

The mysterious lady appears, gives her vague warning, and then disappears. I was hoping she'd have more of a presence in this path, but oh well. Noting her facial features, general stature, and costume, I'd have her pegged both as an Amaurotine (XIV) and a Lunarian (IV). Her eyes are a very vibrant shade of blue, and her hair appears to be platinum blonde. Definitely not Minfilia, and so I am a tinge disappointed. Possibly Venat, or possibly a new, heretofore unmentioned character. Venat seems likely.

Talking to the Scions after the fact, Thancred offers up a nugget of information: Apparently the Amal'jaa kept imprisoned in the tower were executed by it when Arenvald and Fordola tripped the alarm. If saving those prisoners is one of our priorities, I suppose that's a good enough reason to not go guns blazing into them.

YoRHa: I've not read good things about this ending, but...

Dwarven automata have been sighted around Eulmore. Sounds like Konogg.

After a very brief bit of searching, we're sent to look for Konogg in the Derelicts. It seems he's still trying to figure out how to bring back Anogg. Or he would be, if he weren't busy having a mental breakdown. Poor boy.

… and I guess he's hallucinating? Anogg is there. He's talking to her like she's dead, but she's talking to him like she's alive.

…!? I am now completely confused. What the hell was that ending? The Glagg stuff went nowhere. The Konogg stuff went... I don't even know where.

The only thing I can even think of to say about this is seriously a meta observation. We unlock New Game+ for this storyline by completing this quest. This suggests to me that this is the end. The same thing happened with Eden's Promise and the Eden questline. This suggests that, just as someone in the General Forums said, there probably won't be a follow-up involving the festival Ryne was planning at all.

Which has me miffed, but I think it says a lot about how esoteric this ending is that all I can think to say about it is "I guess that's it" for a separate questline.

I guess that's it for this one too, though. Weird how the split between Anogg and Konogg was near universally 65/35. If this is like that Valentione's event and the Konogg version of events is locked behind the server favoring him, it seems like absolutely nobody got to see it.

[Yuella]

MSQ
10 characters

That escalated quickly


Cool solo duty. I expected to have an Alisaie and Urianger fight but in 6.0.

The ending I think shows that Zodiark awakens because he senses that the world is in danger again

[KageTokage]

MSQ thoughts

It was nice to finally to see Eorzea truly united with all of the beast tribes pledging their aid to the cause.

Fourchenault's message being a formal "no" was pretty much a given after what we had seen from the Endwalker trailer, and I'm glad that even the Scions immediately suspected that Sharlayan knows more then they're letting on, though the question of what/why hangs heavy in the air.

Arenvald being permanently crippled seems a touch unlikely to me, and I'm thinking he'll be back on his feet eventually (A magitek prosthetic was the first thing that came to mind).

The battle at Carteneau was not some huge set-up like I was thinking it would be, just the source of another "Oh no, foiled again" moment from Fandaniel and a smaller non-essential scheme. The fights with the Scions were fairly entertaining, though Lunar Ifrit was the dullest of the bunch by a fair margin.

I can only assume that roar in the post-credits scene with Zenos was the same one the tempering victims have been hearing, which would suggest it's also the primal behind the towers and the one siphoning aether from across the world to power this "gate of the gods" Fandaniel has created. I am curious as to how Zenos is factoring into the equation, though the mention of him being the "dreamer" suggests his memories of the Final Days are somehow key to this whole process.

I can't see the figure we encounter at the very end being anyone but Venat, but her words weren't exactly as enlightening as I might've hoped.

But yeah. Overall, I was kind of hoping the MSQ would enlighten me a little more as to just what is going on with the world, but it ended a touch more anti-climactically then I was expecting.

As far as Zadnor goes, I've yet to get far, but you're presented with a choice that will supposedly affect things later storywise, namely...

What you think Misija's fate should be.

I normally would be against adhering to the cries of a rabid mob, but I personally didn't feel like she deserved to live after all she had done, either.

War is war, but it hardly justified her sadistic treatment of people like Mikoto and others who had nothing to do with her personal grudges, and I was honestly afraid they might go the route of giving her a total pardon without giving her any real punishment whatsoever with one of the other choices, just as an extremely heavy-handed way of demonstrating what this "new Bozja" would be like.

[Theodric]

Main Scenario Quests:

As expected, a lot of it was simply placing some of the pieces on the table in preparation for Endwalker. Arenvald survived, though he's bound to a wheelchair. I had been predicting that he would either die from his wounds or be forced to retire from combat. I don't mind him sticking around since he's one of the more likeable Scions as far as I'm concerned and plays off of Fordola rather well. Fourchenault showing up was pretty neat. Reading between the lines, he seems to be a little conflicted despite his words - and there's clearly great secrets to be uncovered within Sharlayan itself. Whether that's because they have a grand plan to enact or they're being coerced in some form remains to be seen.

The solo duty was decent. I like the style of character models on the map as the equivalent of chess pieces. With all the hopping around we'll be doing in Endwalker, I expect that style to continue. It reminds me a little of games such as Fire Emblem. I appreciated that the Scions attempted to cure the Tempered Garleans as well as the others. That's a step in the right direction when it comes to forging peace.

Fandaniel didn't appear to be too upset about his plans being foiled in Eorzea. He's certainly plotting something - and goading Zenos into doing his bidding. On the subject of the latter, though, he didn't do much at all.

The mysterious figure is likely to be Venat and/or Hydaelyn, though the words put forward were as vague as ever and the timing of speaking right around the same time as being doubted is curious.

Personally, I'm expecting a lot of twists during Endwalker to rival the reveal of Amaurot and combined with Yoshi-P's statements in various interviews I don't doubt that we'll see plenty of nuance. Perhaps we'll even work to somehow get Hydaelyn and Zodiark to merge for the sake of equilibrium, have them work together or put both of them down.

[WhiteArchmage]

Short bit on MSQ before gathering my thoughts

Urianger uses "wherefore" CORRECTLY! The number of times I've seen Juliet's "wherefore art thou, Romeo?" as "Where are you, Romeo?" is ASTOUNDING. It means WHY, not WHERE

MSQ for real this time.

Poor Arenvald came out better than expected, all things considered; although his leg wound doesn't seem that bad, perhaps there's a worse spinal problem we just don't see? Still, fordola doesn't seem like she'll just let him quit; he's still her partner whether he likes it or not (he does).

Fourchenault was... about what I expected. He started more warmly than I believed he would but his disownment of his twin children... yeah, that's the guy from the trailer. Something WRONG is going on in Sharlayan. Also, agree with Fenral, it's so entirely satifying to shoot Louisioux's words at him.

The 4 fights at the end were really good from a thematic PoV. I know some people don't like the "Role-playing" battles, but it's nice to see what our fellow Scions are doing. It also made it feel like an actual battlefield. Everyone was playing their part, trying their best.

Also, that explains a LOT about the towers. They weren't BUILT, they were SUMMONED. The TOWERS are the Primals, that's why they can temper. Though considering that we're certainly going inside one in 6.0, with Trusts, it means we'll find a way to prevent said tempering while in there.

Confirmation that our mystery lady from the artwork is Venat/Hydaelin. I'm not sure what to think; she says the fate of the star is in our hands, but she's not telling us WHAT to do. Perhaps she trusts us, or she expects us to "Hear, Feel, Think" and come up with the "right" path by ourselves. There's also the thing that she looks so WEAK. She's barely able to manifest, which to be fair, she had never done previously, but even her voice is strained. Not surprising given she's getting so much aether sucked out of her, but certainly a "Help me, Warrior of Light. You're my only hope." moment.

Oh! I forgot! A lot of references to us going to Sharlayan but I counted NONE to going to Thavnair. So heading there will be interesting, to say the least. Granted, they have a Tower, so that's our most obvious reason.

[Fenral]

Patch day! MSQ and the hour long credits first. I always forget about the speed adjuster until 10 or so minutes into the contractor list.

MSQ:

"Grand Company Eorzea." That's one hell of a bookend. The look from Fourchenalt if you quote his daddy is also priceless. So many good callbacks. It's beginning to feel a lot like a finale.

In a macro sense, I actually agree with Fourchenalt. Yep, stand back everyone, we've got a Sharlayan apologist now. As an IRL pacifist, I feel his general stance on war and violence is correct. HOWEVER. There is a difference between pacifism and passivism. If you're taking defensive combat off the table but not using all that learning to save an equal or greater number of people, you're doing it wrong. I hope G'raha is on to something, and that it leads to Sharlayan having a more complicated endgame than watching the world burn around them.

It makes absolutely zero geographic sense for the Sharlayan emissary to deliver a message to Gridania. Ishgard is the nearest city-state to New Sharlayan, which is the nearest coastal settlement to Old Sharlayan. Limsa Lominsa and Ul'dah both have functioning ports. The real reason is probably that at least half the dev team stans Rie Tanaka (same tbh) and they wanted an excuse to give Kan-E Senna more lines.

As finales go, this one was serviceable. Less of a status-quo upset, more of an assertion that we are done with letting control be taken away from us. We'll never get another "The Parting Glass," in the same way Berserk never had a second Eclipse. (And will never have. Thanks for the all stories, Kentaro Miura...)

That's Venat, though. Good of her to finally drop in. Wish she gave us something to actually work off of, but at least now we've met everyone on the Endwalker poster.


Also, holy crap is Mariya Ise now credited for five characters?

YoRHa

Even having been forced apart by all the cruelty and unfairness in this world (and another), Konogg and Anogg were reunited. Isn't it okay to want that? Should we really always require a deeper explanation when a good thing happens?

I believe Anogg had somehow piggybacked inside Glagg, and the latter returned to normal when she regained a body. We'll never really get an answer one way or another, but I suppose that's kind of the point.

That's the best I got, anyway.

Post-patch thoughts complete. Leaving this in tiny font because it's just a small afterthought and I don't like wrestling with PHPBB.

[EaraGrace]

Thoughts!

MSQ:

Watching the beast tribes join with the Eorzean alliance was a really nice bookend to a lot of the plot threads that have existed since ARR.

Alphinaud is having a really hard time in the story rn. The regrets over the Crystal Braves being picked at, Arenvalds condition, his inability to shield those around him, and then of course...

I did not expect to meet Fourchenault this early. It’s clear the Sharlayans are holding onto to their secrets, though whether those secrets are enough to justify the path they’re on, or if it just serves to blind them, is unknown. That disowning, god that hit hard. I really can’t parse what Fourchenault is thinking. Duty over family? Cut off those you feel like you’re likely to lose so as to protect yourself from loss? I really don’t know.

Anyone else get the feeling that the moon shot was trying to communicate something? Perhaps Zodiark is a bit more active atm given all that’s happening. Or maybe not and it’s just imagery.

The dreamer... could be a reference to a lot of entities. Zodiark? Zenos himself or some part of him? (given his dreams and what they seemed to inspire in Fandaniel in 5.3) Varis? Some unknown entity? Who knows! Seems like every piece of info we get on the Telophoroi’s plans just makes it more clear how vile the whole thing is gonna be.

Venat is here! And even though it was short, the moment was really nice. It seems the clear that she and Hydaelyn are struggling to hold things together. Either they’re being actively weakened or just never were able to recover from the events of the sorry so far. It definitely seems like she’s being set up as an active ally, though exactly how her role will play out in Endwalker is of course unknown. Excited!

Yorha:

Uhhhhh. I’m sorry what? I’m so confused. Like after the raids I felt lost, then looked back, connected some things to previous Yoko Taro games, started understanding. Now though. I’m... just baffled. How was Anogg there, did Konogg just hallucinate her? What was that choice at the end? Did those stats have any meaning? What?

Bozja: to be written