Disappointed in one Endwalker Aspect [SPOILERS]

[Rosenstrauch]

Well in that case, I hope you enjoy it. And the rest of them. The Tales from the (X) short stories are all quite good. New ones are added every year during The Rising, I believe.

[Cilia]

Except we later learn from Argos that we're in a causal loop, so even if we don't have a "script" so to speak one is still in play and the outcome of events on Elpis have already been determined as far as our ability to perceive time goes. There could be other timelines but our objective was not to create new timelines or try to save the World Unsundered; it was to learn about what set the Final Days in motion and why, and in so doing figure out a way to stop the apocalypse on Etheriys as we know it. We found what we were looking for and entrusted the past to Venat, who in some tessellation(s) of time's infinite pathways was able to change things in ways we can only speculate... but our Venat was not.

[Vexander]

We found what we were looking for and entrusted the past to Venat, who in some tessellation(s) of time's infinite pathways was able to change things in ways we can only speculate... .

Headcanon Time: New Game + is a result of our meeting of Venat in Elpis.

[Listrella]

i'd always called that she was good, there was never any hint that she was evil, this story decision makes sense.

[Kizawa]

Literally this

[Lium]

I wasn't disappointed that Hydaelyn didn't turn out to be "evil." I was disappointed because I kind of went into EW hoping we would end up exploring a "third option" that I felt was hinted at back in Shb since we know Azem left the convocation and also did not respond to Venat's group. It would have been interesting for the writers to touch on something like that. My headcanon right now is that Azem didn't agree with either side and was trying to find a 3rd option.

If this was a single player game then I’m pretty sure the third option would have been the past Azem gaining the memories of the future Azem (us) in a way reminiscent of Nebula in Avengers: Endgame, which also featured time travel shenanigans.

Past Azem would have then begun a mission to track down Meteion and end the whole thing outright.

But this is an MMO so it has to be fairly linear.

[Shookbeast]

If this was a single player game then I’m pretty sure the third option would have been the past Azem gaining the memories of the future Azem (us) in a way reminiscent of Nebula in Avengers: Endgame, which also featured time travel shenanigans.

Past Azem would have then begun a mission to track down Meteion and end the whole thing outright.

But this is an MMO so it has to be fairly linear.

It’s possible we’re still working toward a third option with Azem. They’ve dropped so many clues - and it would be very easy (both story-wise, and technology-wise) to handwave our/Azem’s inclusion. It’s very likely we either meet Azem - or actually are Azem through time travel shenanigans.

My guess is the game will simply use our model, and explain that Azem prefers this form (which is why we got physical transformation plot points in Endwalker for Hermes and the Ancients).

Or, we may actually enter a loading screen - to create an Azem of our liking in the character creator.

Either is possible… Although I’m leaning toward them just using our character model. It may fit in lore-wise regarding a connection to the “new life” meant to be sacrificed to Zodiark, and the creation of the playable in-game races. Azem’s “third option” may have to do with defending the new life, while the Venat and Zodiark factions fight it out. Makes sense for Azem to defend the defenseless.

[Lium]

It’s possible we’re still working toward a third option with Azem. They’ve dropped so many clues - and it would be very easy (both story-wise, and technology-wise) to handwave our/Azem’s inclusion. It’s very likely we either meet Azem - or actually are Azem through time travel shenanigans.

My guess is the game will simply use our model, and explain that Azem prefers this form (which is why we got physical transformation plot points in Endwalker for Hermes and the Ancients).

Or, we may actually enter a loading screen - to create an Azem of our liking in the character creator.

Either is possible… Although I’m leaning toward them just using our character model. It may fit in lore-wise regarding a connection to the “new life” meant to be sacrificed to Zodiark, and the creation of the playable in-game races. Azem’s “third option” may have to do with defending the new life, while the Venat and Zodiark factions fight it out. Makes sense for Azem to defend the defenseless.

This is an interesting point.

The third option actually is Azem.

[RyuDragnier]

It’s possible we’re still working toward a third option with Azem. They’ve dropped so many clues - and it would be very easy (both story-wise, and technology-wise) to handwave our/Azem’s inclusion. It’s very likely we either meet Azem - or actually are Azem through time travel shenanigans.

My guess is the game will simply use our model, and explain that Azem prefers this form (which is why we got physical transformation plot points in Endwalker for Hermes and the Ancients).

Or, we may actually enter a loading screen - to create an Azem of our liking in the character creator.

Either is possible… Although I’m leaning toward them just using our character model. It may fit in lore-wise regarding a connection to the “new life” meant to be sacrificed to Zodiark, and the creation of the playable in-game races. Azem’s “third option” may have to do with defending the new life, while the Venat and Zodiark factions fight it out. Makes sense for Azem to defend the defenseless.

There's the possibility of us seeing Azem wearing a mask, look away, cut back to them wearing a different one, and the gag continues while with him. Make Azem somewhat of a gag character who does that sort of thing but is dangerously competent in battle. Then probably have them looking like us at one point and saying, "Yeah, I can see why I'd choose this form, something about it just...screams me."

[Shookbeast]

There's the possibility of us seeing Azem wearing a mask, look away, cut back to them wearing a different one, and the gag continues while with him. Make Azem somewhat of a gag character who does that sort of thing but is dangerously competent in battle. Then probably have them looking like us at one point and saying, "Yeah, I can see why I'd choose this form, something about it just...screams me."

I wouldn’t mind an Azem storyline that’s one part dramatic - and one part Hildibrand (:

This is an interesting point.

The third option actually is Azem.

Maybe this is why the whole Venat/Zodiark debate is well, debatable? Eventually we’ll get to weigh in through an Azem storyline, and pick some (likely not too important) dialogue to voice how we feel about it - once we get the whole picture through Azem.