When are we supposed to stop fighting?

[Veloran]

We know for a fact based on the in-game text that the Amaurotians can neither manipulate nor be manipulated by dynamis due to their aetheric density. If it was that easy, then they would have simply killed themselves like many of the other civilizations that the Meteia encountered. Their underlying emotions can still be perceived by entelechies, however. We know this from the Elpis bloom phenomenon. The Amaurotians' despair was their own, not Meteion's.

Just before this you said Meteion takes despair and amplifies it. She had the accumulated despair of hundreds if not thousands of dead and dying worlds at her disposal to inflict upon the Ancients. Even if you want to say that she was only amplifying their despair, which is clearly not all there is to it, that's still manipulating them. And we know that in truth they could manipulate and be manipulated by it, as evidenced by Meteion and the Elpis flower being capable of reading their emotions, which is facilitated by a Dynamis reaction.

The Amaurotians themselves tell you that it's quite common to accidentally give form to an altered concept based off of the workings of your unconscious mind.

Yes. When attempting to utilize creation magic. You do understand that you are insisting here that the Ancients created millions of horrific monsters which set to killing them because they were just so stubborn and stupid that they couldn't recognize that "trying to use creation magic = death", right?

[KageTokage]

It's more that the world is attempting to return to its natural state since Zodiark was redirecting aether into the heavens to form a ward against the dynamis. It seems extremely unlikely that such a shift won't have deeper repercussions then simply causing aether sickness in wildlife present in regions where the aether levels are increasing.

The "serpent shedding its skin of old" that the dhyata mentions could be referring to that and it was also mentioned that anomalies were being detected within the Lifestream in the same questline, so this really feels like another calm before a storm.

As for how it could end up leading to future conflict, I feel the source of the problem might be isolated to Meracydia or the New World and we'll inevitably end up getting entangled in their political matters trying to get at it.

[RyuDragnier]

It's more that the world is attempting to return to its natural state since Zodiark was redirecting aether into the heavens to form a ward against the dynamis. It seems extremely unlikely that such a shift won't have deeper repercussions then simply causing aether sickness in wildlife present in regions where the aether levels are increasing.

The "serpent shedding its skin of old" that the dhyata mentions could be referring to that and it was also mentioned that anomalies were being detected within the Lifestream in the same questline, so this really feels like another calm before a storm.

As for how it could end up leading to future conflict, I feel the source of the problem might be isolated to Meracydia or the New World and we'll inevitably end up getting entangled in their political matters trying to get at it.

If not isolated, then cases could end up showing up in both regions as a showing of the Lifestream's changing, perhaps leading to a new world ending threat (if the devs so wished to escalate again). If not, then it'll be a simple case of "go to this region, fix its aether."

[KageTokage]

The prophecy did mention that there would need to be multiple stakes driven into the figurative serpent's back.

That could be the reason for our zone-hopping in the next expansion, or it could be a much longer term process with us needing to scour the entire world for anomalies as the next story arc.

It would be all the more fitting if it turns out that was the mysterious task the original Azem had seemingly devoted themselves to doing in lieu of taking sides in the Hydaelyn/Zodiark conflict, but ultimately was not able to fulfill due to the Sundering throwing a wrench in things.

[SineNomine]

It is impossible to jump into this conversation at this point. I think a few people may be very slightly misremembering some points or are assuming things unsaid...or perhaps I am. I need to go back and rewatch and read some stuff perhaps to narrow down what, EXACTLY, is said but I think it's fair to say that this expansion's story could've been delivered in a more definitive and explained manner for sure.

[Ayche]

I don't know how universal the saying is, but "The world is not yet complete." as I sometimes hear muttered.
"Progress is not linear" might be more common.

[Necrotica]

If you read beyond the title of the question OP put up, they appear to be pointing out how they dislike that the game puts forth as a universal truth that to end suffering is to embrace annihalation.

"One thing that's bothered me since beating the story is the whole we need to suffer to learn and live angle.
Or how the last dungeon and meteon pushed that things got too good and people just gave up.
Our whole deal is fighting to solve issues and make things better, we've traveled through time, space and reality to make things better, to win, to keep marching toward a world where things are better and we're not needed, one where no one needs to fight.
So doesn't that mean our endgame would lead to annihilation?"

And they are right. The path of the WoL would doom all existence to death because they fight to try and make the world a better place without suffering. And per the lore in the game that is bad.

[andrealfus]

And they are right. The path of the WoL would doom all existence to death because they fight to try and make the world a better place without suffering. And per the lore in the game that is bad.

"We should strive to make the world a better place to live" =/= "We should eliminate every even mildly negative aspect of life and ascend to a state of perfection and borderline godhood"

The WoL doesn't have the ability to rid the world of suffering forever, and they never will

[KageTokage]

There are too many factors involved in truly ridding the world of suffering for such a thing to ever be reasonably attainable for Etheriys.

Physical factors like disease and aging would need to be eliminated, as well the myriad sources of strife that divide mankind.

Even the pre-sundering world seemed to have its own share of problems festering beneath the perceived "perfection".

[KariTheFox]

The WoL isn't trying to make the world a perfect utopia either, they just help people with thier small scale problems in between dealing with large scale threats to the stability of the world.