I have a MSQ question regarding Stormblood and Shadowbringers.

[Jebelios]

I only played up to 5.3. I am confused about the Ascian playing as Zenos and the real Zenos. I remember at the end of Stormblood the real Zenos was in a disguise on the battlefield and promised to meet us again but first he had business in Garlemald. And later on when we are introduced to Emet the Emperor was talking with an Ascian playing as Zenos who I assumed killed him. I thought that was Elidibus in Zenos's body but I guess not. I just finished 5.3 where Fandaniel met with I assume the real Zenos sitting on the throne. My question is, Am I missing something important because I do not know who the real one is or the fake one or how they interact. Or how he gained the ability to use magic/ those red eyes. No spoilers for 5.4 or 5.5, please. Otherwise, just let me know If I will find out later

[SannaR]

The red eyes are the resonate a man made echo. Zenos killed himself at the end of 4.0 gets buried and was thought to be dead. Elidibus dug up and stole Zenos's body. Zenos then stole the body of the elezen resistance member and fixed a magictech flyer and flew back to the capital. Making a pit stop at Ghimlyt right after Estinien saves us from dying at Elidibus's hands while still using Zenos's body to switch into the Garlean soldier's body we see him in during the CS that has Estinien and Gaius figuring their next moves. He then makes way to the throne room and challenges Elidibus to a fight after Elidibus tells them about Hydelean and Zodiark being primals. Instead of fighting Zenos Elidibus yeets himself to the 1st and goes and possess Ardbert's body.

[Tarukaze_Mort]

To expand on this;

One of the story arcs of Stormblood involved Krile being captured and taken to an imperial research laboratory, where a scientist named Aulus was able to study her and from that information artificially recreate the Echo. The artificial version of the Echo is called the Resonant, and as far as I know was given to two people: Fordola and Zenos.

If you then think all the way back to the Leviathan questline back in ARR patch 2.2, it's revealed there that one of the abilities the Echo can grant is that when your body dies, you can persist as an aetheric being long enough to possess another person (sahagin priest).

When Zenos killed himself at the end of Stormblood, his soul lived on and possessed one of the dead resistance soldiers (the disguise you refer to), while his body was buried. Elidibus later dug up the body and possessed it for his evil Ascian schemes, and so Zenos went on a new hunt to reclaim his body.

There's a cut scene somewhere in Shadowbringers (can't remember exactly when) where we see Zenos face off against Elidibus, and it cuts to black before we see the fight. There's then another scene later on that follows Gaius and Estinien in the Imperial Palace and they confront what they assume is Elidibus in Zenos' body, only to find out that it's actually Zenos in Zenos' body, who says Elidibus gave up the body rather than fight him.

[MrThinker]

To expand on this;

One of the story arcs of Stormblood involved Krile being captured and taken to an imperial research laboratory, where a scientist named Aulus was able to study her and from that information artificially recreate the Echo. The artificial version of the Echo is called the Resonant, and as far as I know was given to two people: Fordola and Zenos.

If you then think all the way back to the Leviathan questline back in ARR patch 2.2, it's revealed there that one of the abilities the Echo can grant is that when your body dies, you can persist as an aetheric being long enough to possess another person (sahagin priest).

When Zenos killed himself at the end of Stormblood, his soul lived on and possessed one of the dead resistance soldiers (the disguise you refer to), while his body was buried. Elidibus later dug up the body and possessed it for his evil Ascian schemes, and so Zenos went on a new hunt to reclaim his body.

There's a cut scene somewhere in Shadowbringers (can't remember exactly when) where we see Zenos face off against Elidibus, and it cuts to black before we see the fight. There's then another scene later on that follows Gaius and Estinien in the Imperial Palace and they confront what they assume is Elidibus in Zenos' body, only to find out that it's actually Zenos in Zenos' body, who says Elidibus gave up the body rather than fight him.

There is a third known Resonant

Misija from the Save the Queen quests

As for the Zenos vs Elidibus cutscene, it's just before we activate the giant Talos, the quest where weare resting with the Exarc

[Vyrerus]

There is a third known Resonant

Misija from the Save the Queen quests

As for the Zenos vs Elidibus cutscene, it's just before we activate the giant Talos, the quest where weare resting with the Exarc

S'bout the third known resonant.

She died. We're back to two.

[MrThinker]

S'bout the third known resonant.

She died. We're back to two.

True, but the statement was "the Resonant was given to two people", and the answer is actually "at least three people, maybe more if the team wants to pull something".

[Vyrerus]

True, but the statement was "the Resonant was given to two people", and the answer is actually "at least three people, maybe more if the team wants to pull something".

Aww. I thought maybe you were going to go with the angle, "But is she?" *points at Zenos throughout 4.1 and beyond*

[Iscah]

I don't see any need to raise that there was a third person in a much later part of the game.

For the purpose of the explanation and at that point in the story, there are only two.