[Spoilers inclluding 7.0] My "True" Main Character Theory

[Iscah]

Heavensward's credits felt unearned when they rolled after beating Thordan. The story absolutely ends with defeating Nidhogg and saving Estinien; Thordan is a fake final boss like Innocence – looks like the end of the quest but things go wrong afterwards and there's a whole extra act to go.

[RyuDragnier]

Heavensward's credits felt unearned when they rolled after beating Thordan. The story absolutely ends with defeating Nidhogg and saving Estinien; Thordan is a fake final boss like Innocence – looks like the end of the quest but things go wrong afterwards and there's a whole extra act to go.

Yeah, IMO there's a different ending for most of the expansions than what is presented.

ARR: When you finish T13 of Coil, because at that point you've just defeated the greatest threat to the realm, and have basically avenged all who died during the 7th Calamity.
HW: Killing Nidhogg is the finale of HW. Hell, the cutscenes after even show Lord Fortemps closing a book titled, "Heavensward," just to make it a visual end.
SB: This is the exception here, it literally ended with Shinryu.
ShB: Defeating Elidibus and returning from the First at the end of 5.3 is where I call this expansion done, as you've defeated the "light" with shadow. You were the shadowbringer.
EW: 6.0's end was the finale, I don't think anybody can deny this.

[Lyth]

I think this is really only true for Heavensward, simply because the story was a bit meandering and Thordan was a fairly insipid villain. Nidhogg by contrast was a genuine force of hatred who kept the cycle of warfare going. Coil provides some very interesting insights, but it's not at all necessary to the dramatic conclusion at the end of Praetorium. Bahamut Prime is less of a villain than he is a force of nature.

Likewise, it's really hard not to see the final showdown against Emet in Amaurot as the real climax of Shadowbringers. The fight against Elidibus was tragic, but his attempt to continue the fight also was completely pathetic on a lot of levels, so much so that even Emet saw the need to put down the last broken member of the Unsundered. Their fight really ended when Emet died, simply because he was only one of them who was ever actually compos mentis.

[kaynide]

I was always convinced that, were FFXIV a single player experience, Alphinaud would very much have been the player character. A large percent of the drama happens to him directly or those traveling with hiim. He doesn’t necessary have the most focus (like said, Heavansward is arguably Estenien’s story), but Alphi is there in the thick of it.

[RyuDragnier]

I was always convinced that, were FFXIV a single player experience, Alphinaud would very much have been the player character. A large percent of the drama happens to him directly or those traveling with hiim. He doesn’t necessary have the most focus (like said, Heavansward is arguably Estenien’s story), but Alphi is there in the thick of it.

Alphi's definitely the deuteragonist of the entire storyline, that's for sure. The Al to our Ed, the Nashu to our Hildibrand, the Shield to our Sword.

[Rannie]

Alphi's definitely the deuteragonist of the entire storyline, that's for sure. The Al to our Ed, the Nashu to our Hildibrand, the Shield to our Sword.

The ass to my foot.... im so sorry I couldn't resist

[RyuuZero]

That is all vastly understating what we do. We-the-players watch cutscenes and finish questlines in a videogame; the Warrior of Light lives and experiences those events, going through great effort to save the world on multiple occasions. That isn't something to be dismissed as "all we do". And I doubt Papalymo remarked on us watching cutscenes - perhaps you could quote that?

Also, we failed Emet-Selch's test because Emet-Selch kept moving the goalposts, and in any case I don't see how failing an antagonist's so-called test makes them the main character and us irrelevant. If we weren't the main character, there wouldn't be a test in the first place.

And we don't just "witness" Hydaelyn's plan and hope, we ARE her plan and hope.


Edit to add: It's also misleading to say that we "got Emet-Selch killed" as if we made some kind of mistake that led to an ally's death. He attacked us and we fought him.

You kinda make me question the output of the translation teams.. well for my Understanding Emet-Selch offered alliance under the condition that we pass his test, his test was that we be able to bear the light of the First Shard, at the Gulg was last Lightwarden and were we able to bear the light? No. we relied on others to survive, we failed Emet Selch's Test, after that we had to go to Emet Selch's Lair to bring back the Crystal Exarch. Emet Selch only showed up because he was tired of us, all the explaining, walking and the only stipulation he had towards us we failed? of course he was like "GTFOH!", only after Ryne's Help and Ardberd's Decision for Reunion we were able to stand and fight, we're not able to do our mission on our own.

and Papalymo was mentioning that if we would take more responsibility in the endeavors of the Scions that we wouldn't have time for our own Adventures. I never said anything about Papalymo remarking on us watching cutscenes.

[Seraphor]

You kinda make me question the output of the translation teams.. well for my Understanding Emet-Selch offered alliance under the condition that we pass his test, his test was that we be able to bear the light of the First Shard, at the Gulg was last Lightwarden and were we able to bear the light? No. we relied on others to survive, we failed Emet Selch's Test, after that we had to go to Emet Selch's Lair to bring back the Crystal Exarch. Emet Selch only showed up because he was tired of us, all the explaining, walking and the only stipulation he had towards us we failed? of course he was like "GTFOH!", only after Ryne's Help and Ardberd's Decision for Reunion we were able to stand and fight, we're not able to do our mission on our own.

and Papalymo was mentioning that if we would take more responsibility in the endeavors of the Scions that we wouldn't have time for our own Adventures. I never said anything about Papalymo remarking on us watching cutscenes.

This is definitely a misunderstanding.
Emet-Selch never intended to from an 'alliance', he never had any intention of abandoning his plans to rejoin the First. His 'test' was purely out of curiosity, to see if half the worlds now being rejoined made us closer to the unsundered than to the 1/14th wretches he despised. If we were capable of keeping the light at bay, then he believed there would be potential for us to stand beside him, to see his side and join him. He wanted to recruit us as a pseudo-Ascian to destroy the first for yet another rejoining, nothing more.
And as far as I'm concerned, we did prove his theory right. With one more soul-rejoining, namely Ardbert, we were able to harness the light as a weapon against him. This proved to him in his last moment that, while we were still diametrically opposed to his ideals, we were capable of opposing them, not merely the fragmented 1/14th excuse for a sentient being he originally took us for, and thus worthy of living in his eyes.

[Iscah]

his test was that we be able to bear the light of the First Shard, at the Gulg was last Lightwarden and were we able to bear the light? No. we relied on others to survive, we failed Emet Selch's Test

Even assuming he was totally honest that he wanted to form an "alliance" with us... what sort of alliance, and with what goals? Why should we care that we failed to pass a test he inflicted upon us and which we made no active effort to engage with (seeing as it was what we planned to do anyway), and why should we have wanted to pass?

Charming or not, sympathetic or not, his goals were never going to align with ours unless he somehow convinced us to join his side and turn our backs on our friends and everyone we've ever known for some alleged glorious past we don't even remember.

[Alleo]

You kinda make me question the output of the translation teams.. well for my Understanding Emet-Selch offered alliance under the condition that we pass his test, his test was that we be able to bear the light of the First Shard, at the Gulg was last Lightwarden and were we able to bear the light? .

When we all went to Amaurot he gave the whole group the final test which was the Amaurot dungeon. Afterwards he is like "well you prevailed but..." and bascially moved the goalpost again because we still did not live up to his standards. Next to all of that he was still tempered by Zodiark. What would he have done if we could contain the light? The only thing that would make sense is to try to get us on his side which we would never do. Heck we do find out that Azem themselves went against the Zodiark plan so why should we, the ones that grew up in this sundered world with their own loved ones agree to take it down?

No in the end it would always end up in a fight to the death. Its either we let us be killed and the world with all its people be destroyed or stop someone that has gone so mad with grief (and tempering) that he would destroy it all for a chance to get the past back.

About this topic itself: Why should our character not be the true main character? Yes we have important NPCs on our side and each expansion there is a another one that has a big role to play but in the end all of the victories are only possible because of us. Not only that even in story you notice us being the main character by having so many NPCs loving us or wanting something from us. We are the star of it.

I also disagree with the notion that the WoL is purely a blank slate. Yes you can still form some part of the person who is behind the name but a big part of the story is still written by SE. If you dislike Emet your character still reaches out to him or look sad at the end of Endwalker. Likewise if you dont like the Scions your character is still acting as if they are friends with them. You cant choose your own path or even make decisions. You are mostly just in it for the ride.