*SPOILERS* Terrified for the remaining Scions!

[Rosenstrauch]

Final Fantasy games generally don't kill off main characters or party members. Even in FF4

everyone that died either faked it or comes back to life by the end.

This is actually incorrect.

The majority of party members turn up alive later on, yes. But Tellah dies fighting Golbez and, unlike the rest, is only ever seen as a ghost.

Other notable party member/ally deaths in the series:

FF2:

Scott, Josef, Minwu, and Ricard all die over the course of the story. The remake's Soul of Rebirth mode features a new story following the four of them in the afterlife.

FF3:

Aria Benett is perhaps the first character in the entire series of have their own leitmotif, and like several other NPCs joins the party as a guest. She dies shortly after joining, however, after successfully reversing the flood that Xande unleashed upon the surface world.

FF5:

Galuf fights Exdeath alone roughly halfway through the story, desperately clinging to life against the fiend's mortal blows through sheer willpower in order to protect the rest of the party. He expires after driving Exdeath away, and his granddaughter Krile joins the party in his place.

FF6:

Shadow will die if the player chooses not to wait for him on the Floating Continent. In addition, he'll choose to stay behind in the final dungeon as it collapses during the credits, strongly implying he chose to die.

FF10:

Auron is revealed to have already died before the game even began. Tidus, by contrast, is revealed to be something akin to a living meme—he's essentially an idea of a person given form by the dreaming Fayth. The former passes on to the afterlife at the end of the game, while the latter ceases to exist so that the Fayth summoning him into reality can rest.

FF12:

Vossler and Reddas both join the party as temporary allies at certain points in the story. Vossler betrays the party and is killed by them soon after, while Reddas sacrifices himself in the Pharos of Ridorana. Noah (Judge Gabranth) also joins the party in the final battle, and passes on the mantle of Gabranth to his brother Basch in his final moments.

[KizuyaKatogami]

Who hurt you people?

I don’t know, I kind of respect that FFXIV seems to understand a social compact that is lost these days: Escapist media fails at its job when it feels the need to provide more trauma.

Both of your perspectives are valid, which is part of why I’m worried because I can see and understand them… all while hoping the devs continue to respect said aforementioned social compact: “you keep me in mostly happy feels, I keep paying you.”

It’s an rpg with dark themes. We’re not playing a slice of life anime, there’s other games for that. Literally every single final fantasy game has had death and consequences for the protags.I don’t know why some people think 14 should be any different. The playerbase needs to remember that these characters are just pixels in the end. If youre having “trauma” from a fictional character dying….i think that needs to be looked at.

[Omedon]

It’s an rpg with dark themes. We’re not playing a slice of life anime, there’s other games for that. Literally every single final fantasy game has had death and consequences for the protags.I don’t know why some people think 14 should be any different. The playerbase needs to remember that these characters are just pixels in the end. If youre having “trauma” from a fictional character dying….i think that needs to be looked at.

Again I get what you’re saying, and believe me, no actual “trauma” would ensue, I guess I would just be disappointed to go from the burning of Teldrassil and its complete absence of meaningful emotional reparations to “the purging of the Scions.” Like I get that that’s my problem going from one game to another, I guess I was just looking for insights as to the devs’ intent here based on precedent.

Do we think these devs are capable or likely to give us a “red wedding in the rising stones” moment for the sake of gravitas, or do they value that perception of relative safety for the sake of escapism?

[Alxyzntlct]

Who hurt you people?

I don’t know, I kind of respect that FFXIV seems to understand a social compact that is lost these days: Escapist media fails at its job when it feels the need to provide more trauma.

Both of your perspectives are valid, which is part of why I’m worried because I can see and understand them… all while hoping the devs continue to respect said aforementioned social compact: “you keep me in mostly happy feels, I keep paying you.”

I agree with this completely. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t despair if more characters are lost / removed if the story is told well and makes sense, but I’ve lived enough real life that I’m not looking for more loss and carnage in my entertainment, lol.

Good story telling that has solid experiences and in the end leaves a sense of satisfaction and “happy feels” is what delights me the most.

[ViolaLance]

FYI, "risks" doesn't mean in anyway shape or form mean a character has to die to make a story interesting. Nor does "playing safe" mean the heroes always have to win or live.

[Lauront]

FYI, "risks" doesn't mean in anyway shape or form mean a character has to die to make a story interesting. Nor does "playing safe" mean the heroes always have to win or live.

Bizarre approach to an apocalypse.

[ViolaLance]

Bizarre approach to an apocalypse.

Hmm... really, is it really a bizarre approach though?

Seems like many claiming to be fans of FF series suddenly forget many the other risks in the past games have taken have been, having known and loved characters become Villains or antivillains due to situations causing them to adjust their view and insight on the situation. Even during an apocalypse. Even a reoccurring Villain becoming a minor hero / antihero is part of the series.

Again taking risks doesn't nor will it ever solely mean "someone has to die" for it to be impactful and successful.

[Elissar]

Tbh when they tell us about what we lost i never thought about the scions but the world itself during the calamity or Amaurot.
The Scions are part of the marketing already and people loves them. If i had the pen i certainly would kill Urianger. Then Alisaie. Finally Estinien.

[RyuDragnier]

A reminder to you all, we're at the end of the main arc the game has been following up to now, and the Scions won't have much reason to exist after this. It's very likely we may see a lot of them being forcefully retired or killed since this is a literal end of the world scenario. If you were to treat the story from 2.0 up to 6.0 as a single game, we're entering the final act, people are going to die, they always die during the final act. It's Ishikawa writing the finale, look forward to what she'll pull off.

[Elissar]

we're entering the final act, people are going to die, they always die during the final act. It's Ishikawa writing the finale, look forward to what she'll pull off.

I hope so! as i used to say here: we can only wait and see.
An epic death for Estinien would be in a context of battle; Urianger by a plot twist of the ascians; Alisaie by her impulsivity.