Is the echo artificial?

[Necrotica]

Whenever we have echo visions there is static and distortion. And not like a natural kind where things sound garbled from another room. Like a signal picked up by a receiver is getting interference. Also point out when we have echo visions we don't normally see though anyone's eyes. We have a nice panning cinematic view of events.

Trying to remember what we learned of the echo in Elpis with the retcon and all I can think of is Venat asking if we knew how to use it before providing some simple instructions. I think she took for granted that we even had that power?

Starting to think the echo is something the Ancients created. Like there is some universal surveillance system in place that records information into the aether that can then be reviewed at will if you know how.

[Kranel_San]

Short answer: Based on 1.0, the echo is definitely something natural while Resonance is the artificial echo.

Long answer: Back in 1.0, the player character had echo visions from the very beginning, but those visions lacked static and distortion. Instead, a transition from reality to the vision will occur, and the player will live the moment as if it's happening right now, and even interact and talk with NPCs in those visions but without the ability to change the overall outcome of the events and their details. However, the way the echo was handled back in 1.0 caused a lot of confusion among the playerbase as it was difficult to know reality from a vision. It was a fine mess of events and the devs had to change the way echo visions happen to avoid even more confusion.

[MikkoAkure]

I think the static is more of a thing to show you that you're having a flashback than something that's supposed to actually mean something.

In 1.0, whenever we had Echo flashbacks, we actually moved around and could interact with people but at the same time it wasn't easy to realize we were having an Echo moment and the stories were really confusing. I imagine that switching to this was Yoshi-P's way to make the story clearer.

Considering all cutscenes have panning cinematic views, I don't think that's supposed to mean anything either. The only times we're in first person are for the handful of cutscenes each expansion where we're waiting for and talking to a handful of people who come up to us back-to-back.

[Cleretic]

I think the static is more of a thing to show you that you're having a flashback than something that's supposed to actually mean something.

In 1.0, whenever we had Echo flashbacks, we actually moved around and could interact with people but at the same time it wasn't easy to realize we were having an Echo moment and the stories were really confusing. I imagine that switching to this was Yoshi-P's way to make the story clearer.

Considering all cutscenes have panning cinematic views, I don't think that's supposed to mean anything either. The only times we're in first person are for the handful of cutscenes each expansion where we're waiting for and talking to a handful of people who come up to us back-to-back.

Yeah, it's all this. FFXIV actually does a hell of a lot of things that are basically pure cinematic flair/gameplay conceit, and can't and shouldn't really be read into to that degree. The Echo filter is just one of many.

Especially given... well, we know exactly what the Echo is now, to a very specific degree. And it's not artificial.

[Renathras]

There's a YouTube series "Chronicles of a Realm" (search YouTube for "[FFXIV 1.0] Treasures of the Main |1.0 Limsa MSQ | Part 1 | CoaR" and you can find the four episodes or so they did) that shows 1.0's storyline. You can watch one episode and every time he says "The air VIBRATES" and "The air VIBRATES once again", that's the transition into and out of the Echo flashbacks. As someone that started in 2.2 and wasn't a 1.X player, I could see how that would have been super confusing for people playing the game the first time. You can even interact with characters in the flashbacks, and the Echo would somehow insert you into their memories so they would remember you if they met you later in some cases.

Needless to say, give it a watch and you'll see why they might have changed it.

Though it would be interesting to give a nod to the original form sometime and make some kind of statement about how the Cataclysm somehow changed it...but some retcons are just left hanging like that, and I get it, there's no way to tie up ALL those loose ends in a way that makes sense.

[Carin-Eri]

Whilst (as already mentioned) it isn't artificial, it is interesting that it seems to cause the Warrior of Light some degree of discomfort/pain. I don't recall an instance where the activation of it didn't cause the WoL to place their hand against their head and/or appear visibly pained. And I'm fairly certain I recall my character falling to the ground once or twice.

I'd argue that, whilst not artificial, the fact that it has a side-effect of that nature suggests something about it makes it not quite 100% compatible.

[KageTokage]

Especially given... well, we know exactly what the Echo is now, to a very specific degree. And it's not artificial.

I don't feel comfortable saying we know exactly what it is considering that we still don't know the specifics of how Ancient souls differ from ordinary ones. If all souls are gifts from the star, why they got the special treatment is something I'm hoping we get an answer to.

I'd argue that, whilst not artificial, the fact that it has a side-effect of that nature suggests something about it makes it not quite 100% compatible.

Considering now that we know it's awakened by our soul's crippling PTSD of the Final Days, I think I'd be more surprised if it wasn't an uncomfortable sensation.

[Cleretic]

I don't feel comfortable saying we know exactly what it is considering that we still don't know the specifics of how Ancient souls differ from ordinary ones. If all souls are gifts from the star, why they got the special treatment is something I'm hoping we get an answer to.

I would say that the more useful way to describe that question isn't 'why do we get the Echo', and more 'why does someone like Alisaie not'; we've got a full explanation for our own situation, but one that doesn't adequately explain everyone else. An explanation would be nice, but I think it's more 'Encyclopedia Eorzea territory' than anything else; I don't want to know because it's super-important, I mainly want to know so I can sufficiently explain why my roleplaying character would look at a starshower and awaken to nothing more than a realization maybe she shouldn't look directly at something like that.

As for why the Echo looks painful... I believe it was Futurama that once described an idea as 'a headache, but with pictures'. Maybe that's just how the Echo feels; like a very narratively-dense hallucinatory migraine.

[KageTokage]

I kind of assumed the people who just felt sorrow at the starshower were still possessed of Ancient souls, albeit ones not strong enough to manifest an Echo.

We know there were significant disparities in the "creative potential" of the Ancients, so perhaps souls that were exceptional in that era still possessed the requisite qualities necessary to use it post-Sundering.

I am also left wondering if they'll touch on the fact that the return of the Final Days would've logically led to the awakening of more Echo bearers in Thavnair, Corvos, and other regions where the skies burned.

[SannaR]

Maybe the reason why it seems as though it hurts when we or another sundered person has an echo vision is because we're sundered? Remember we're experiencing a memory of someone or of a moment in time. Exactly how said person experienced it or the overall emotion those seen in the vision had if it's one triggered from a place. At least that's what I'm guessing when it comes to the second way we get echo visions. The only time we know an unsundered sharing a vision with us that I can recall is when we see the conversation Hermes has with Meteion after sending the other Meteia out into space. Of course we don't see if it hurts Venat due to her having told us to close our eyes. I do hope that the WoL starts to have a better time controlling it, but I have my doubts we'll see any improvement.