Thread: Revelations from Patch 6.1

Main Story Quest

I was surprised how quickly our next big undertaking is unfolding, but what weirds me out is that the void stuff is kinds of brushed off as '' just another fun adventure for the WoL, not a world-ending threat or anything '' when I can sense several red flags on how things might go horribly wrong and have disastrous consequences for the Source. I'm personally expecting voidgates to start appearing in the Source, and at least one character succumbing to the void and becoming a voidsent. Unsure about Zenos' avatar, but if it truly is Azem's shard from the Thirteenth, that'll be quite intriguing, both to us AND Zenos, albeit post-humously.

Speaking of flags, Y'shtola's eagerness to travel to the Thirteenth and her sudden burst of personality and focus is raising all kinds of death flags for me. With how she smiled at the revelation of the voidgate, I was fully expecting her to go rogue, and I still kind of am. I do expect some manner of disaster to fall upon her, and before that happens, the writers are going to have fun with her character as much as possible, as we saw in the patch content. Either way, I welcome more focus on Y'shtola, considering how she has been neglected recently.

Varshan/Vtra getting such focus and it even being alluded that we are partying up with him makes me extremely happy. I wonder if he is going to create a more... adult sized simulacrum, as we build a big enough voidgate with the artificial Atmos. I hope the writers give him more to do than just pine for his elder sister though.

The humor was on point this patch, and WoL gets to be quite funny and snarky themselves. G'raha is still super adorable, and I don't mind his fanboying/feelings for the WoL.

Lastly, I have to wonder how extensive the void arc will be. Considering we were told Krile and Thancred are supposed to be getting more MSQ focus, yet because they are yet to be really present, it doesn't seem like the void stuff will be all we do in the coming patches, especially since we've already built our dream team of Estinien, Y'shtola and Varshan. Also, because I doubt Thirteenth is habitable, I wonder whether void-related content will be mostly dungeons and trials, or whether we'll actually travel to Thirteenth for a longer visit. I'm expecting a dungeon+trial combo in 6.3-6.5, at least.

Originally Posted by Lyth

MSQ:

This took forever to dig up again, because it wasn't in a cutscene. The line occurs in 'A Brother's Grief' a little while after speaking with Vrtra's Alchemist, and cross-checking it with a different playthrough, it does seem to only show up if you're actively on the Reaper job, regardless of whether you've got it at max level:

G'raha: An ancient mechanism channeled the tower's vast stores of energy to open a voidgate ─ one bound to a covenant made with the Cloud of Darkness.
Once that sovereign entity was beaten back, however, the covenant was broken, and the doorway severed from its connection to the void.
Theoretically, it should be possible to reconnect the gate by forging a new pact with another voidsent... but such deals usually end in betrayal and death.

Y'shtola: You seem to have struck a bargain of your own, <playername>. Though it serves you well in battle, be aware that the beneficial nature of your “arrangement” is the exception which proves the rule.

I like seeing these little flourishes. I really wish that they had fleshed out the lore on the voidsent that you're personally contracted to during the Reaper questline. Hopefully this business in the thirteenth will give them more ways to expand on this.

Honestly, this was my only take away from the MSQ. I never played FFXI or FFIV so the references didn't really have any meaning for me. But this flourish here form Y'shtola...YES! It was so immersive since I'm a RPR main.

Here we are going to the Void and my character draws on a voidsent for power. It's like a picked "the right job" for the story. Similar to how I geeked out the first time my character was referred to as the Lightbringer back in 2.0 since her name is heavily inspired by the Greek goddess Artemis, who was the Lightbringer. It's moments like this that really make me love this game even more from an RP standpoint.

As for the story itself, I was a little surprised to see the Scions have such a prominent role again, but I guess I shouldn't since we haven't met any new characters yet to take their place. I assume that's coming in future patches. At first I thought it might be that professor we have to get drunk to get information from, but don't think he's going to be a main character going forward.

Also, I could be misreading this, but it seemed as though Y'shtola was getting serious death flags (again), or at the very least, strong hints that she will find a way to the First once and for all, and just stay there. But you never know.

Guessing I should go back and play FFIV now .

Originally Posted by Lium

Honestly, this was my only take away from the MSQ. I never played FFXI or FFIV so the references didn't really have any meaning for me. But this flourish here form Y'shtola...YES! It was so immersive since I'm a RPR main.

Here we are going to the Void and my character draws on a voidsent for power. It's like a picked "the right job" for the story. Similar to how I geeked out the first time my character was referred to as the Lightbringer back in 2.0 since her name is heavily inspired by the Greek goddess Artemis, who was the Lightbringer. It's moments like this that really make me love this game even more from an RP standpoint.

As for the story itself, I was a little surprised to see the Scions have such a prominent role again, but I guess I shouldn't since we haven't met any new characters yet to take their place. I assume that's coming in future patches. At first I thought it might be that professor we have to get drunk to get information from, but don't think he's going to be a main character going forward.

Also, I could be misreading this, but it seemed as though Y'shtola was getting serious death flags (again), or at the very least, strong hints that she will find a way to the First once and for all, and just stay there. But you never know.

Guessing I should go back and play FFIV now .

i really hope

she stays on the first. after everything that happened retiring with runar would be the perfect ending.

Originally Posted by Rufalus

Weird that it was billed as a kind of new beginning after the 6.0 grand finale, and a potential alternate starting point for new players in the future.

I don't recall it ever being officially billed that way. Fans have just been latching onto the idea that "they said they were ending the Hydaelyn and Zodiark storyline in 6.0 so 6.1 must be a fully fresh start for newbies" – which simply isn't the case.

Either this is going to be the second starting point but fully throwing newbies in the deep end (making it clear that the rest of the narrative is still important and not abandoned) or this is still the "wrapping up Season 1" stage and the fully new plot starts in 7.0. Though I wouldn't be surprised in that case if it was still the deep end.

Originally Posted by Iscah

I don't recall it ever being officially billed that way. Fans have just been latching onto the idea that "they said they were ending the Hydaelyn and Zodiark storyline in 6.0 so 6.1 must be a fully fresh start for newbies" – which simply isn't the case.

Either this is going to be the second starting point but fully throwing newbies in the deep end (making it clear that the rest of the narrative is still important and not abandoned) or this is still the "wrapping up Season 1" stage and the fully new plot starts in 7.0. Though I wouldn't be surprised in that case if it was still the deep end.

I'm going to go with it still being the "wrapping up Season 1" stage simply because the new story appears to be tying up a previous loose thread. And I'm not sure we are going to spend the next 10 years (or however long the new arc lasts) dealing with it.

But it certainly serves as a jumping off point for whatever comes next.