Conjecture Question..Any evidence to support/reject this theory concerning Echo?

[Mjollnir]

My personal belief was that it was a developer's oversight.

Certainly possible, but considering the attention to detail so far, I can't subscribe to that theory (unless we get confirmation).

I'm leaning more toward that Y'shtola, Derplander and other members of the Path of the Twelve have the Echo ability, but our character is different. All those folk presume our ability is the same as theirs, but it's a little different due in the main to the intervention of Hydaelyn at the start of the game.

Did our character actually pop into existence at that moment? (certainly possible for the Grid start, easily overlooked in a busy cabin in Limsa's, less likely as one of three on a caravan in Ul'dah's, so perhaps not)

[Kayokane]

My personal belief was that it was a developer's oversight. The city-state quests and events get so convoluted with all the Echo-jumping, it'd be hard to keep plotholes like that at bay.

Maybe when Minfilia says you can interact with objects when Echo-jumping you can also somehow manifest them when you come back? But nothing concrete has ever been stated about it.

Which is why the style of story telling is more direct in ARR and a while back last year it was mentioned that the original city-state plotlines were essentially scrapped (most likely referring to the style of story telling). It's not saying that they didn't happen, it's just that since it literally happened years ago, a good amount of it is no longer relevant in post-Calamity Eorzea.

it's a little to convenient for the devs if we just throw it away as an oversight, as the same thing happens in both Ul'dah's and Gridania's storylines for the Flower and Treant Vine respectivly, not to mention the reverse happens in LL Treasures of the Main. When you get lent the firearm, by an unnamed Corpral, and proceed to take Sthalmann's firing stance provoking an echo jump thorugh Reyner. The gun is then taken away from you by a Roegadyn named Mannskoen. When the echo ends you no longer have the gun... Something is fishy about the Echo, and I think Mjollnir is on to something

[Catapult]

it's a little to convenient for the devs if we just throw it away as an oversight, as the same thing happens in both Ul'dah's and Gridania's storylines for the Flower and Treant Vine respectivly, not to mention the reverse happens in LL Treasures of the Main. When you get lent the firearm, by an unnamed Corpral, and proceed to take Sthalmann's firing stance provoking an echo jump thorugh Reyner. The gun is then taken away from you by a Roegadyn named Mannskoen. When the echo ends you no longer have the gun... Something is fishy about the Echo, and I think Mjollnir is on to something

I agree. The quality of writing is too good for these to be plot-holes and oversights.

[Yrusama]

snip

In that same line of thought, perhaps she's able to cast Blink? It's the same as Utsusemi and the aforementioned Shadow Clone Jutsu, but wind-based. It's been in FF since the original game, though I don't think it ever made it to Eorzea. Perhaps it's a spell learned in Sharlayan?

[Anonymoose]

Yoshida-san did confirm in a recent interview with GE that the planet's lifeforce (aether) has indeed formed "The Mothercrystal." This is the source of the imagery in the recent trailers - "Heed the Crystal's Call" and all that.

Though - in my opinion, Ifrit doesn't seem to be smelling aether on you. He gets defensive and inquisitive - he demands to know the identity of whom left this taint on you and starts listing Primals. If he smelled aether, would he not have just been like, "FETCH ME SOME DIPPING SAUCE FOR THIS ... THIS DELICIOUS... THING."?

I'm curious as all hells to know what he's talking about. Is this just pre-mothercrystal? The lore team seems to have had a lot of this in motion from ages ago, so probably not - then what!? We know The Twelve may not be what the mythology says - maybe they smell tainty? Or maybe there's a primal on our backs after all... (OPEN DOOR: SIREN. BOOM. CALLED IT. /sarcasm) For all we know, seeing as the Twelve seem to symbolize the Greek Olympians and the Primals would thus be the Titans - they might be similar beings and smell alike, as well.

Cannot waaaait to play this storyline.

[Orophin]

Yoshida-san did confirm in a recent interview with GE that the planet's lifeforce (aether) has indeed formed "The Mothercrystal." This is the source of the imagery in the recent trailers - "Heed the Crystal's Call" and all that.

Though - in my opinion, Ifrit doesn't seem to be smelling aether on you. He gets defensive and inquisitive - he demands to know the identity of whom left this taint on you and starts listing Primals. If he smelled aether, would he not have just been like, "FETCH ME SOME DIPPING SAUCE FOR THIS ... THIS DELICIOUS... THING."?

I'm curious as all hells to know what he's talking about. Is this just pre-mothercrystal? The lore team seems to have had a lot of this in motion from ages ago, so probably not - then what!? We know The Twelve may not be what the mythology says - maybe they smell tainty? Or maybe there's a primal on our backs after all... (OPEN DOOR: SIREN. BOOM. CALLED IT. /sarcasm) For all we know, seeing as the Twelve seem to symbolize the Greek Olympians and the Primals would thus be the Titans - they might be similar beings and smell alike, as well.

Cannot waaaait to play this storyline.

The whole five races being associated with a Primal is still pretty sketchy to me. I know Ifrit alludes to there being one, but the Sylphs warn about summoning a Primal as it seems to have a malevolent effect on those involved with the summoning. This can be seen especially in the Ixali and Amal'jaa. That's why I'm thinking there won't be a Primal representing the humanoid races, and instead has been replaced with the Mother Crystal.

[Anonymoose]

The whole five races being associated with a Primal is still pretty sketchy to me. I know Ifrit alludes to there being one, but the Sylphs warn about summoning a Primal as it seems to have a malevolent effect on those involved with the summoning. This can be seen especially in the Ixali and Amal'jaa. That's why I'm thinking there won't be a Primal representing the humanoid races, and instead has been replaced with the Mother Crystal.

Ahhh, but wouldn't that be the crux of the drama? In order to summon your primal you have to know you have one. For instance, if we compare the Amal and Ixal to the Sylphs, it's clear which ones have been getting primal "blessings," as you say. But the Sylphs clearly know they have a primal as well - they just don't do its bidding and thus receive no "blessings" like murderous and obsessive control issues and intimidating physiques.

It's likely that a primal chooses a community (like a tribe) and tries to coax them into it slowly - talks to them, shares arcane and sage knowledge, gives them comfort ... then it starts asking for things... break this alliance, move into that area, disregard the balance ... over time, this slowly conditions the dependence and obsession that leads to, well, look at Garuda and what she's done to the once feathery and peaceful ixal! She goes from being nothing to being the Queen of Birds to a race of sylph-like birdmen and then BAM. Lady of the Vortex is throwing entrails everywhere and the naked birds have to build dirigibles just to fly and all they can use them for is bombing the hell out of whatever Garuda tells them to.

Wouldn't it be an interesting sub-plot if a primal entity from the void took an interest in the Woken races? We don't have to summon them. Ever. They'd just try their damndest to tempt us; you could have an entire storyline built around The Warriors of Light trying to stop another group of Woken from making a huge mistake.

[Catapult]

Wouldn't it be an interesting sub-plot if a primal entity from the void took an interest in the Woken races? We don't have to summon them. Ever. They'd just try their damndest to tempt us; you could have an entire storyline built around The Warriors of Light trying to stop another group of Woken from making a huge mistake.

For a minute I thought you were talking about the voidgate...

......

.........

...oh crap!

/atomos

[Adelle]

The Echo is not based on time travel, its based on seeing things in the past, when you arrive in uldah and the light shown on you, that was the echo, the time you spent between arriving in uldah and meeting the path of the twelve was all roughly the same day/week. 10 years hadnt past, you just saw visions of what had transpired 10 years ago

[Enkidoh]

The thing is, the beast tribes didn't even know how to summon their Primals until the Paragons instructed them in the technique - the slyphs mention this repeatedly. They even suggest that they themselves had also been instructed in how to summon their Primal by the Paragons (sylph Primal = Ramuh?), and that they considered it to protect themselves against the Garlean invasion, but decided against it due to the corrupting influence the Primals were seeming to have on the other beast tribes (ala, Amal'jaa and Ixal).

And don't forget there is also the revelation that the player character is capable of summoning their own Primal too, as it's why Ifrit gets so standoffish during Lord Errant - he reveals this when he forces your character to feign fealty to him alone and swear against 'the summoning of another' - he almost seems insulted that a mere mortal member of the races of people is also capable of summoning without even requiring the intermediary of a Paragon.

But I'm just flapping my gums here.