Endwalker Main Scenario Commentary & Feedback

[Theozilla]

This is where things get really wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey but very simple if you have the right picture in mind.

Our "other self" from the Eighth Calamity timeline does not need to travel back in time at all, and in fact would confuse things for our side of the time divergence if they did. The time loop only happens on our side.

Although the starting point for our time travel trip is after the two timelines diverge, our destination is before the split. What we do there affects "the past of both timelines simultaneously" because they aren't separate things yet.

Therefore it is our presence in Elpis, and ours alone, that is experienced and remembered by the people there.

(Or to look at it another way, if our other self somehow did make it to Elpis prior to their untimely demise, they would be arriving in the same Elpis that we visited ourselves. There is no alternate version of those events.)

I think that’s an over-complicated way of viewing multiverse-theory time travel. It’s far simpler to assume that the 8th Umbral Calamity timeline is now a separate parallel timeline to the main one, instead of a diverging one. That way allows for the 8th Umbral Calamity timeline to differ from the main universe timeline both past and present, since causal loops require both to work.

[Iscah]

I think that’s an over-complicated way of viewing multiverse-theory time travel. It’s far simpler to assume that the 8th Umbral Calamity timeline is now a separate parallel timeline to the main one, instead of a diverging one. That way allows for the 8th Umbral Calamity timeline to differ from the main universe timeline both past and present, since causal loops require both to work,

I don't see that as being either simpler or clearer. It's just an entirely different take on the mechanics, and it makes less sense to me than the diverging paths. It requires a different chain of events to have the same outcome in Elpis, because the WoL dies before they can perform the equivalent actions that are key to the state of the world they currently live in, instead of just having both timelines share a past and then split apart into copies.

I don't see that as simpler at all. It's far more complicated.

[Theozilla]

I don't see that as being either simpler or clearer. It's just an entirely different take on the mechanics, and it makes less sense to me than the diverging paths. It requires a different chain of events to have the same outcome in Elpis, because the WoL dies before they can perform the equivalent actions that are key to the state of the world they currently live in, instead of just having both timelines share a past and then split apart into copies.

I don't see that as simpler at all. It's far more complicated.

I view it as simpler because a separate parallel timeline allows the Eighth Umbral Calamity timeline to have its own past that isn’t dependent on the actions of a casual loop that half-originates in an alternate timeline. Especially when said Elpis causal loop can only exist because of the time travel changes Exarch!G’raha caused to create the new main universe timeline.

[Alleo]

I view it as simpler because a separate parallel timeline allows the Eighth Umbral Calamity timeline to have its own past that isn’t dependent on the actions of a casual loop that half-originates in an alternate timeline. Especially when said Elpis causal loop can only exist because of the time travel changes Exarch!G’raha caused to create the new main universe timeline.

Thats my problem with it too. (I really dont like time traveling, it just dont really make sense to me...and now we have different versions of possible time travel on top) Elpis how we saw it can only happen because we travel into the past. Us traveling into the past is only possible because Elidibus used his soul to empower the crystal tower..also we only do it because Venat gave us a hint with the Elpis flower. We cant do any of those because in the bad timeline we are death and Elidibus still alive.

So for it to make sense (in my opinion) Venat must have done the exact same thing even without us there.

Take the bad future out and everything makes sense. But with that in the picture it just doesnt get in my head how its possible. But thats probably on me.