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

[PawPaw]

Too late, I looked more deeply. As far as I can tell, the moon is there until you finish the Elpis story; then it goes away.
During Elpis story

Post 6.1

But...why?

[KageTokage]

It doesn't go away.

There's a weird quirk that you can only see the moon while the Umbral Winds weather is active, which I can't help but find suspicious when the same weather is present on the moon itself as well as in Ultima Thule. It's also only visible from around 7 PM ET to 12 AM, as it suddenly manifests then disappears as quickly within that timeframe.

I'd like to think it's hinting at some metaphysical shenanigans that are going to become relevant moving into the future, but who knows.

[Xirean]

I'd like to think there's some deeper meaning to it considering that it's only visible in the umbral winds weather coupled with the same weather being present on the moon itself, but with them seemingly wanting to move away from the Ancient-related stuff going forward, it could genuinely just be a weird oversight.

Wait what? Can you explain further? I'd love to know more about the exact conditions.

[PawPaw]

I am on mobile so can't edit my comments but I have seen the moon quite a lot when in Elpis and that's since finishing the MSQ. So I have no idea why it would be visible at all either during or after the story if it was specifically created to house Zodiark who hadn't been created yet, much less sundered.

[YukikoKurosawa]

Most likely theory is the Moon was destroyed in the Final Days (Amaurot dungeon shows giant fireballs falling from outerspace onto the planet. Entirely possible an Ancient accidentally fear-manifested a meteor large enough to completely destroy the moon). So the moon Hydaelin created both served to imprison Zodiark and replace the moon that got destroyed.

Also to touch on an earlier question about why Venat and co didn't just use the echo to learn the truth from you rather than make you explain it verbally. It was probably considered rude to just peer into people's memories. You know, privacy and all that. The only time the echo is even used is when Venat tells you to use it to learn what Hermes was up to since he wasn't going to explain himself leaving you forced to violate his privacy in so doing.

[HollowedDoll]

Maybe it's just me being overly pessimistic but I think that's way too much thought put into something that's probably just an oversight.
It just seems too subtle to be intentional to me.

[YukikoKurosawa]

I dunno I feel like them not realizing a planet with intelligent lifeforms not having a moon before they themselves created it is not really an oversight just unimaginably bad worldbuilding on a fundamental level that should not be possible. There is no way there isn't an already written explanation for whatever happened to Etheirys's original moon, or that they actually had one prior to the one Hydaelyn created. That would be so batshit insane that I refuse to believe they didnt think that through. Even Blizzard's writers aren't that stupid.

What's more likely to happen, worst case scenario, is they just never explain it because they simply forget to. But I'll mantain my headcannon that it was destroyed in the Final Days somehow, likely by those giant fireballs crashing down from outerspace onto the plaent established in the Amaurot dungeon.

[Rulakir]

Well, if y'all haven't seen this, it's enlightening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQpBEB-bxn4

Text version here.

[HollowedDoll]

Well, if y'all haven't seen this, it's enlightening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQpBEB-bxn4

Text version here.

When a mobile gacha game does more justice for the Sundering than the game itself.

[Lauront]

When a mobile gacha game does more justice for the Sundering than the game itself.

Guess the writing team didn't want to bring about the AU in your sig, after all. Hence shoving this info in some obscure place, where it wouldn't spell out quite so clearly in XIV what 'mommy' did.