What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[AnotherPerson]

Are you really gonna try that hard to rationalize something in the lore after tonight's live letter? You're probably trying to fill gaps the writers didn't even consider or dropped plot points.

It all feels pointless now. Next patch they'll retcon or create new rules for memories just to fit with the writer's whims on that particular day.

What else was I going to do while I was distraught on how healers got treated in the Liveletter? Live in Copium when the healer question was even reworded and then dismissed by "Just go play Ultimates" - when this doesn't apply to majority of the playerbase? Nah, I'll find something else to occupy my time. At least I still enjoy the story's narrative.

Besides, I always at least invested myself more in the MSQ lore than most. There are times I missed stuff that was mentioned before in an obscure location, so there are hints and pieces of lore all over that actually make sense when I add other stuff together. Doing that lets me figure out what the original intent the developers were originally trying to go in storybuilding. It was mostly consistent throughout the expansions, or answered at a later point in time.

Perhaps they will retcon it, or perhaps they'll add onto what they built on from before. I can't say for sure, but at least it gives me an idea on what direction the story could go towards.

Zenos might be dead, but he was still Enshrouded. Reaper lore indicates the Avatar will most likely possess and takeover Zenos' body. Whether that would be relevant to one day Fixing the Void in the Thirteenth through the Void Quests has yet to be seen, but at least I won't be blindsided when it happens.

[Teraq]

Zenos might be dead, but he was still Enshrouded. Reaper lore indicates the Avatar will most likely possess and takeover Zenos' body. Whether that would be relevant to one day Fixing the Void in the Thirteenth through the Void Quests has yet to be seen, but at least I won't be blindsided when it happens.

Indeed, he was also quite shy about answering that Zenos avatar/RPR lore question...

[Teraq]

Oh right, I just realized.
Emet can pass Zenos memories of the Final Days via Allagan technology. Allagans learned how to basically send memories of their life as a clone to another. It goes to say that Emet, who had a hand in founding the Allagan Empire (and bringing it to its ruin) should be able to do something similar. Allagans are pretty well known in experiments in that regard, and passing DNA is not unheard of (which is how G'raha, even though he isn't of Allag descent, possesses Royal blood through the highest level of Allag Technology). IIRC, the Princess of Allag - Salina - used Allagan technology to infuse her DNA into G'raha's ancestor so that his family could restore the tower as a beacon of hope.

So yeah... it's quite possible Emet was trying to recreate memories using The Final Days as a catalyst for people whose souls were born after the event. He could have failed entirely, but having the powers of the Resonant being so similar to the Echo could have affected the soul to the point where they were able to get his memories of the Final Days by peering through the DNA. A far outcry to be sure, but not implausible based on what we know about the Echo's abilities and how the Resonant is based off the Echo.

This actually makes sense. Fandaniel would pick up on it because, Amon and stuff.

I mean, this doesn't really touch on why they bothered making a "Meanwhile in Garlemald" scene about it just so they would go on to do... nothing about it. But that is indeed an explanation probably better than my "Fandaniel was musing on Emet sexy times" shitposting.

Simply the notion that an Unsundered having offsprings with mortals is confirmed to engender hybrids with oddities like huge stature and this memory stuff has ... implications. What if these hybrid humans turned out to have untold potential? Shouldn't they have been careful about things like this? How many little Emets and little Lahabreas* have been running around these 14 parallel worlds??

*sorry Eli buddy, but I just can't see it with you because I'm projecting my own orientation on my favorite chararacter, and as such I'm quite convinced he's been busy studying the blade for 12,000 years instead of having sex with mortals

[DrForester]

The simple answer for Venat not sundering those three is because we told her they weren't sundered, and she knew that's how it needed to play out.

As for Azem, we're Azem. And as a result, I don't think we'll ever see them, and as a result, only get small glimpses of what they did. That's a story we can think of for ourselves.

[Sicno]

The simple answer for Venat not sundering those three is because we told her they weren't sundered, and she knew that's how it needed to play out.

As for Azem, we're Azem. And as a result, I don't think we'll ever see them, and as a result, only get small glimpses of what they did. That's a story we can think of for ourselves.

Things didn't "need" to play out that way any more than G'raha's future needed to play out in order for him to time travel (by which I mean it totally didn't). So not only did Venat held info that would have helped avert the mass murder of her own kind, she also allowed more mass murder by the hands of those she left unsundered (and this is not even delving into the rabbit hole that is determining if the act of sundering could be considered "murder" or not).

As for Azem, it wasn't a matter of us seeing them and more "what the hell were we doing while the world was going to hell?" To which they were very dodgy and "kind of have an idea" but they really don't.

[TheRod]

One very interesting point about this Live Letter:

It was just confirmed the last civilization of the "Dead Ends", the "Ra-La" were - basically - the future of the Ancients, nonetheless, regardless of outcome.

[Slatersev]

One very interesting point about this Live Letter:

It was just confirmed the last civilization of the "Dead Ends", the "Ra-La" were - basically - the future of the Ancients, nonetheless, regardless of outcome.

I mean, that was obvious, I literally have no idea how anyone could think otherwise. Were the masks, robes and mass conformity not super obvious?

[Theodric]

One very interesting point about this Live Letter:

It was just confirmed the last civilization of the "Dead Ends", the "Ra-La" were - basically - the future of the Ancients, nonetheless, regardless of outcome.

I don't think that it makes much sense since Venat was possessed of information that would have helped the Ancients avert such a hypothetical fate and it would have occurred so far in the distant future that I'm not entirely certain why it'd even be an issue given that the Sundering also resulted in the extinction of the Ancients. Except through genocide rather than free choice.

If nothing else, Yoshi-P conceded that Venat, much like Hermes, abused her power to get the result that she desired. He also pretty much acknowledged the controversy surrounding her character and hard confirmed her permanent death. Let's hope it sticks, eh?

Apparently the story was still being written very close to the deadline and we had a delay as well so I suppose I'll never be convinced that plans didn't change course drastically part way through development.

On a more pleasant note, my question about the Garlean radio music was answered - we're getting it as an orchestrion roll in 6.1!

[TheRod]

I don't think that it makes much sense since Venat was possessed of information that would have helped the Ancients avert such a hypothetical fate and it would have occurred so far in the distant future that I'm not entirely certain why it'd even be an issue given that the Sundering also resulted in the extinction of the Ancients. Except through genocide rather than free choice.

If nothing else, Yoshi-P conceded that Venat, much like Hermes, abused her power to get the result that she desired. He also pretty much acknowledged the controversy surrounding her character and hard confirmed her permanent death. Let's hope it sticks, eh?

Apparently the story was still being written very close to the deadline and we had a delay as well so I suppose I'll never be convinced that plans didn't change course drastically part way through development.

On a more pleasant note, my question about the Garlean radio music was answered - we're getting it as an orchestrion roll in 6.1!

First of all, this is a nice thing about the Orchestration Roll. Congratz, and a nice accomplishment to have a question answered! Thank you.

And further, indeed, we may dislike or like, agree or disagree - Necessary to point, as well, that Yoshida made also a very clear point she "remains" (metaphorically, of course, as her being and soul are gone) with the Warrior of Light, by means of the Blessing of Light, that is "forever" to which Naoki paraphrased: "I'd like to think the Blessing of Light stays forever like she said: 'my love will be with you forever, my dearest children'".

[Lauront]

One very interesting point about this Live Letter:

It was just confirmed the last civilization of the "Dead Ends", the "Ra-La" were - basically - the future of the Ancients, nonetheless, regardless of outcome.

Well no, it didn't. It confirmed it could be if they continued on that path. Not "regardless of the outcome" (e.g. they were given the actual reasons behind her concerns.)

That about sums it up for me. This Q&A has swiftly become FFXIV's Burning of Teldrassil—the event that convinces me I don't want to keep paying to play this game. And it's a shame, too. I really did enjoy Endwalker's story.

I agree partly. I don't think this was the best Q&A ever. The main comfort for me is they did the exact opposite of trying to paint Venat as a saint through comparing her to SHB Emet... but some of those answers are head-scratchers, to put it mildly.

It is a shame that Koji appears to have moved on to 16 and that Oda wasn't really present for this, as I wonder whether he'd agree with some of these questions or go "Hmmm... let's come back to that one!"

I was hoping the Q&A would improve my feelings about certain elements of Endwalker's story, but it kind of did the opposite.

It's not enough to make me completely lose faith in the writers like some other people seem to have, though.

I'm on the same boat. Still very much on the fence about it. Need to see 6.1+ plans in more detail and what comes in Panda and elsewhere.