Thread: Revelations from Patch 5.5 (Part 2)

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.

Whole MSQ incoming:

I am not really sure if the amount of quests were really worth splitting up the story line the last few weeks. Other than the parts towards the end I was left mostly disappointed.

It is of course absolute awesome to see all the races of Eorzea working together like that but the whole time at the meeting I was just thinking "can someone bring those beast tribes their own chairs?"

Still I am not sure why Alphinaud is suddenly so immensly unsure of himself. He always was the person that hit himself the most for his mistakes and I do like that about him, but his whole behaviour really was a bit too much. (Especially since the truly world ending events are still not happening)

I guess being disowned by his own father who only seconded before that said how he and especially their mother had missed them can kick a lot of people of balance. I do understand their ways of trying to solve problems without violence and if I could I would choose less violent solutions but not everyone has the luxury to just run away from a conflict and let other countries deal with it. But I guess they really are a lot like Amaurot.

At least they right away point out that this behaviour makes it suspcious. Why would they sent someone into a dangerous zone to just say no? What do they know? And will it in the end nearly be their doom until we come and save their asses?

The solo instance was interesting and tedious at the same time. I am honestly a bit over that role playing mechanic and having to do that for three NPCs in one fight...yeah not something I liked. I also dont really know why somehow everyone just decided to look at the moon.

Of course we then show Zenos and honestly I reaaaaally doubt that this guy would in any way be part of the scions in the expansion...he suddenly has hatred and other negative emotions and I kinda wonder where they came from and I am curious about what Fandaniel meant. In the german version he said that he will have even more dreams but he was standing with Zenos who agreed....were they talking about Zodiark?

Also that Venat (?) tease at the end...come on SE thats all? Damn the next expansion cant come fast enough.

Overall I'm a bit puzzled by how the MSQ seems to bring up several plot threads, then abandons them in favour of more critical events. If this was any other patch MSQ, I'd assume that they'd be resolved in a future patch, but I can't imagine them being done in Endwalker.

At least it's better than 4.55, which didn't provide much forward momentum to the plot. Here in 5.55, we know that Things Are Happening, and Things Will Be Happening, and we have a clear goal to work towards.

I understood the intent of naming the big alliance the "Grand Company of Eorzea", but I did wonder what the very non-Eorzean Hien thought about that. Especially since he should still be busy working on his Far Eastern Alliance.

While I have some minor curiosity on the comments on the former Crystal Braves who left the organization, I admit I'm probably not that curious. I suspect most of the comments are along the lines of "Alphinaud was stupid and dumb", which has been a fairly common sentiment among players going through ARR anyway. Still, I'm surprised we didn't get more dialogue about that in this patch, since I don't think it will be brought up in Endwalker, and so we'll never know what Alphinaud's final report would look like.

We're going to talk to the Sylphs! Except we didn't manage to get more than a few dialogue boxes in before we got the news that the Sharlayan Envoy had arrived. Will we be talking to the Sylphs again in Endwalker, or is this another quest thread dropped?

Fourchenault is almost certainly putting on a performance, as is implied and mentioned by just about everyone in-game and out-of-game. It's as theatrical as Fandaniel.

I tried tossing the "not wisdom but indolence" line at Fourchenault, but he basically ignored me. I was hoping for at least some reaction on some stranger using Louisoix's favourite line.

I have no idea why Fandaniel is bothering to wait for the Scions to arrive on the scene before doing the whole glyph plan. He's obviously not too bothered by the failure of the plan, but it does seem like he's either testing us, or using our reactions to his schemes for some other purpose. If I had to guess, I'd say he's trying to draw Venat-Hydaelyn out by making sure we keep running into his Final Days performance.

I suppose the "dreamer" mentioned in Fandaniel and Zenos's conversation refers to Zenos himself, what with the dreams of the Final Days, but I can't help but remember that one of the names of Lavos was the Dream Devourer.

I admit to some slight disappointment that the lower-ranked Scions are out doing stuff and not in the Rising Stones, and so I can't check if Aenor has yet another horny dialogue to meme on.

Originally Posted by Anonymoose

Main Scenario up to Lotus Stand

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."

Personally I'm combining the two into "Dad is playing 4D chess to bait his kids into doing something, which makes him a jerk". As in, only a jerk would come up with a plan like this. I'm pretty sure once Endwalker releases and we find out what Sharlayan are hiding, I'll be able to come up with an alternative plan for Fourchenault that didn't require him to make a public show of disowning the twins. He did that just because he's a jerk by nature, and so it's the first plan he thought of.

MSQ Anger (But not like because it's bad or anything)

Well, well, well. It seems they wrote Foruchenault's introduction specifically to piss me off (I suppose I mean it feels that way). He condescends in broad strokes on all three of us, and goes as far to say, "What could possibly be worth the sacrifices inherent in war?" *inhales and counts to 10* The bloody answer is staring you dead in the face, you egotistical, ethnocentric reprobate! If I had direct control of my WoL, I would wring your scrawny neck. You go to war for the future of your children, so that the people you love do not have to bear the burden and trauma. I say this as a military veteran. War is horrible, but when there's a malevolent force threatening you and yours, you don't stick to your platitudes and sophistry! You take up arms. You sacrifice so that your children and your children's children might not have to. This wretched sperm donor didn't even deign to ask his children where they'd been nor what they'd experienced.

Fourchenault needs a swift kick in the ass. A solid punch to the face. A knee to the gut. His entire demeanor and expression is contemptible to me, and by the time he disowned his children that was barely a consideration in the vitriol stew that was brewing in my beating breast. That man is no father, though they may call him such. And if he is a reflection of the other 98 members of the Forum, then they are no better. I really hope they let us have a little more than, "words" with him, by the end of Endwalker. I have never hated a character so totally, and never so immediately.


The battle at Carteneau Flats was actually a bit lackluster for me. I understand why. They don't wish to upset the player base by making it too hard, but honestly it was very boring from a gameplay point of view. I did very much enjoy taking the wheel behind all three of the Scions that they let us pilot. I very much enjoyed G'raha Tia's OP as the stars are far BLM WHM hybrid. Not too mention Break... which they coded to the fight by making its icon a butterfly. At least it felt epic. Particularly WoL/Estinien portion (talk about some Ifrit nails, huh). Also the dicing up of teams, two three man, and one two man team... reminiscent of the Battle of Narshe against Kefka... though narratively quite different. After all of the cool Lunar variants, Lunar Ifrit was really lackluster. He didn't even breathe fire. Oh well. Cool Estinien Mega Nidhogg Roar Flex was wicked cool!

Supposition: I couldn't help but think that it was Venat who came about after the credits were all over. After the meanwhile at Garlemald for the... umpteenth... I should go back and count. I have the means to, with my LP and all. She's quite pretty imo. A bit taller than my Highlander too, if the angle's not too skewed by the camera. My personal thoughts were, "Is this the only time we will see her?" And then I thought about Sharlayan and the zones they've shown us. I thought about the Tower of Zot and the musical similarities in certain zones we were shown. We don't have a Rosa to go rescue, though any character man or woman in our team could get taken hostage... but then an idea struck me. Being so close to the Aetherial Sea, I really wonder if perhaps the Sharlayans have Hydaelyn's Core in the bottom of their pit. All chained up, rife to give them readings and knowledge. Abusing her so they may safely bask in their pacifistic rituals. Where apparently defending those you cherish most is tantamount to the most brutal savagery.

I mean, perhaps it was once thought and still thought to be a necessary measure. Hold her in check with the inheritors of her will. But how easily such control can be twisted. I had the briefest fleeting memory of the Man in the Iron Mask too. It's just imagining, I know. But we're in for a waiting spell now. November can't get here fast enough. I'm taking time off work for the first week or so of the expansion. First time doing that.

Yorha

I guess we're supposed to care more about the dwarf twins? I can't even remember which one I picked though, I do remember at the time I was still religiously playing my raiding alt, so I chose opposites across characters. Now though, I haven't touched that character since Titan Savage so... no idea if the ending is different if you chose against the grain. I imagine not?

It was kind of like, "Oh, that's nice. Anyway, I'm going to go back to throwing darts at Fourchenalt's picture."

Zadnor so far

Area looks cool as heck. Cid involvement. Only did the preliminary walk in and intro. Lilija seems super confident in herself. I smell scriptwriter's doom, I think? I'll get my rank ups later. Have to calm my blood for now, cause I was supposed to go to sleep 4.5 hours ago