Which Dimension is shown in this scene?

[Eisi]

Yoyo!

In Eden Prime, when Eden charges it's maximum ability Eternal Breath, we are shown this:



The whole planet becomes engulfed in some magical ritual. But what planet? The fact is that right before this scene, we are shown this:



No planet to see here, it's just us and Eden in the nothingness of space. What I assume this is is a dimension where there is no Hydaelyn anymore, aka one of the Shards that was destroyed by the Ascians. Then we just clip immediately into another dimension and get shot into a galaxy that gets destroyed as a result. Immediately after the cutscene ends we're back in the entry room dimension on the First.

But the planet we got shot off off before, is that supposed to be the First after the Flood of Light? It doesn't look like it, that's for sure, certainly not after what they made the World of Darkness look like from space. Here's a comparison between the two:



They look almost identical, the WoD just has a more inky look to its clouds. With the WoD so dark you would assume the First to look quite the opposite, light colored and more desaturated than blue. But it is certainly a blue planet, yet bereft of any discernible landmasses. Just artistic choice to make it a blue jewel in space in spite of it's being largely white and bereft of water aether?

No, I think the world we are seeing here is neither the First, nor the Source, nor the Thirteenth.

In case anybody thinks this is just a faithful recreation of FFVIII's Eden summoning, it's not:



Here you can clearly see different non-blue continents that were obviously deliberately omitted in XIV.

credit to Musura 4 the Eden fight pix. I stole em from YT.

[Enkidoh]

It's actually a reference to the Eden Guardian Force's 'Eternal Breath' summoning animation in FFVIII, which is where it originated. It's just for fanservice.

So just another reference to a past FF game with no real deeper FFXIV-specific lore connections.

[Eisi]

It's actually a reference to the Eden Guardian Force's summoning animation in FFVIII, which is where it originated. It's just for fanservice.

So just another reference to a past FF game with no real deeper FFXIV-specific lore connections.

You didn't read the post! Here:

In case anybody thinks this is just a faithful recreation of FFVIII's Eden summoning, it's not:



Here you can clearly see different non-blue continents that were obviously deliberately omitted in XIV.

Obviously it's a reference, the whole of Eden is, but it's clearly embedded into the FFXIV universe.

[Enkidoh]

Alright, it's a basic replication but not a direct 1-1 recreation of FFVIII's version - it's just a fancy magic spell meant for 'coolness' points to reference the FFVIII version without being a direct copy (really, if it was meant to be the First, and that would have been the obvious planet shown, they would have done so.).

One thing I learned a long time ago with FFXIV is you can't pin down every little thing to be 100% lore specific in the game, there's lots of anomalies, references and things in Hydaelyn that are there for meta reasons, and the strange blue planet in Eden's phase change animation is one of them - it is a reference to FFVIII Eden (I mean, back out, the whole Eden raid scenario was actually penned by the very same guy who designed Eden in FFVIII - Tetsuya Nomura - so this is even more specifically 'FFVIII based on').

[Eisi]

But maybe they had fun with it and included it as something more meaningful than that!

It's like being cute: Sure, you can be cute. But why not be cute and sexy and cool?

[Denishia]

Dolyist: It's a Rule of Cool FFVIII reference remade in HD

Wastonian Guess: But wait! what if it is the First, just as it was initially when Eden was created by Ardbert's mistake, and the giant laser beam that we're seeing is the Echo memory of Eden's first attack that started creating the Empty?

[Eisi]

what if it is the First, just as it was initially when Eden was created by Ardbert's mistake, and the giant laser beam that we're seeing is the Echo memory of Eden's first attack that started creating the Empty?

But then why are there no continents to be seen on the planet? It seems devoid of anything but water.

It reminds me more of the Sixth Umbral Calamity. But that would mean time travel, either to the First or the Tenth which was destroyed in the process so that can't be it. Maybe one of the shards is still an ocean world?

[DrWho2010]

sometimes a cigar is just a cigar....

[Eisi]

sometimes a cigar is just a cigar....

Sure, but sometimes a cigar isn't just a cigar!

[Kranel_San]

One of the things I dislike the most in FFXIV is that certain attacks and boss arenas (Like 6.5 trial phase 2) hold no lore meaning behind them because they're just there as a rule of cool. Something only FFXIV I have seen so far doing it but no other MMOs.