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

[MikkoAkure]

About her tempering capabilities, I do agree that Zodiark was the superior summon by far, but Hydaelyn still is an unsundered primal summoned by unconventional strengthening methods (soul sacrifice) so I still think it's very odd how most primal rules don't apply to her specially in regard to sundered life given the strong difference in aether.

It's much in the same way that the "fixed" primal summoning we do using up the Mothercrystal, aether that Hydaelyn has literally been sitting on for eons, and techniques untainted by Ascians don't temper anyone. The Lopporits say that the primal summoning we had seen up to that point were purposefully designed to temper people. Zodiark tempered because he was built on such a massive scale with his aether deeply aspected to darkness that he couldn't help but make the aether of those around him tip into darkness and thus be tempered. Hydaelyn wasn't on the same scale, though was built the same, and she also doesn't physically roam around the world greeting people in person so there's not really any point where she could have tempered people.

If she could temper people from the Mothercrystal, then literally the entire world is tempered because the lifestream all congregates around where she lives and everyone's aether would be marked with hers when they die and are eventually reincarnated.


Granted, a lot of the explanation of tempering and primals that was brought to light in EW sounded like the writers trying to write themselves out of a hole of their own making, but at least they tried explaining it and didn't leave it completely to wild interpretation.

[Causante]

It's much in the same way that the "fixed" primal summoning we do using up the Mothercrystal, aether that Hydaelyn has literally been sitting on for eons, and techniques untainted by Ascians don't temper anyone. The Lopporits say that the primal summoning we had seen up to that point were purposefully designed to temper people. Zodiark tempered because he was built on such a massive scale with his aether deeply aspected to darkness that he couldn't help but make the aether of those around him tip into darkness and thus be tempered. Hydaelyn wasn't on the same scale, though was built the same, and she also doesn't physically roam around the world greeting people in person so there's not really any point where she could have tempered people.

If she could temper people from the Mothercrystal, then literally the entire world is tempered because the lifestream all congregates around where she lives and everyone's aether would be marked with hers when they die and are eventually reincarnated.


Granted, a lot of the explanation of tempering and primals that was brought to light in EW sounded like the writers trying to write themselves out of a hole of their own making, but at least they tried explaining it and didn't leave it completely to wild interpretation.

I do think that Hydaelyn should be capable of tipping the sundered aether into light since she is able to interact with the player character, possess Krille and even vanish Minfilia. The people that were exposed to her powers should show some signs at least. But it is indeed the truth that they tried to give a reason why the tempering does not happen in some cases. I just found it hard to reason with and very unsatisfying.

In the end, I don't think it would be better if it had happened either, but I also think that making Hydaelyn a primal was a mistake if this was the kind of story they were going with. Because in the end, the game tells you constantly that summoning primals to solve your problems is bad and should be avoided at all costs, but just in this very specific case that they show right near the end of the story arc when the right people do it the right way it is okay.

I would also like to thank you for your thoughtful reply that made me reflect on things that I did not think on too much before.