The Lore Library

[jesseleewelch]

Way back during the Niko Niko Chogaigi event (spelling?) Yoshi-P had announced that he intended to introduce a "lore library" to the game at some point. While I am not expecting it to be available right at release, it is definitely something interesting for all of us lore buffs to be looking forward to.

How much is everyone expecting from this? Do you think it will be complete and answer all our questions about the Twelve and the Seventh Umbral Era etc... etc... or just the same general information that is out there now? Do you think there will be one in every starting city or just one in a specific and probably remote location?

Tell me what you think!

[Duuude007]

The closest that we had to a lore library was the pile of books in each mage guild, and Erik (MNK quest NPC).

If they add an actual structure full of readable books that you can explore...

...

Sorry, I just had a moment of pure joy there.

What were we talking about?

[radhaz]

A lore library would be EXCELLENT. Maybe have it be a physical building, like a library where you can enter and explore the tomes on the shelves. Of course, each city (and maybe even dungeons and ruins) could have them.

[NoloeTazier]

I think if we get a big library to explore it'll be in Ishgard or Sharlayan. Sure the Thaumaturge guild has an extensive library but I don't think it would offer what Sharlayan would have, especially if there are more books by Lewphon. I'd like to see complete copies of "The Five Ages - An Eorzean Chronology" and the "Divine Chronicles" by Mezaya Thousand Eyes.

[radhaz]

Hmm, a Grand Library? I vote Sharlayan since that is the seat of the Circle of Knowing. Getting into Ishgard would be a great perk for lore too.

[Mjollnir]

Though I think you should only be able to research (ie look-up) the different subjects once you have unlocked them, ie completed certain quests.

That'd be a bit more fun than just turning up to a room and having 10,000 things to click on and read.

[Anonymoose]

How much is everyone expecting from this?

Have you ever known someone that tended to use pronouns without first introducing the noun to the conversation? (Ex. "Can you go get that for me?" without telling you what "that" is?) V1 did the lore equivalent of that on occasion, making references to terms and places without any mention of what they were or why we should care.

Hell, part of the reason the Lore Forum now exists is because when all else failed, we'd sometimes sneak into Localization and say, "Hey, this is too ambiguous. What gives?" and Ferne's responses were always wildly popular when he'd humor us and explain what a soulkin actually is or why we should care if something came from "the Void."

I only expect two things from a lore library:

(1) They use it to tie up accidental loose ends and explain ambiguities in style. Things they mentioned out of context, places they mentioned that have no info, hints about how game mechanics work... They can even use it to foreshadow future lands, magicks, and jobs without needing to pigeonhole the story into an NPC or a quest they didn't plan on.

(2) It's a cool place to hang out. If you make an out-of-the-way area in any zone, city or field, that is unique and interesting, people will hang out there and take screenshots of it.

(Hell, I still hold a few molecules of hope that Rapture Bar will be a thing. (EDIT:) Now that I read it again for the first time since 2011, one of the possibilities on that list is a Lore Library! What if it has the multicolor bricks and potted plants and dim lighting and wrought iron!? There could even be a soothing fountain for ambiance! I'M HYPERVENTILATING. I NEED A PAPER BAG.)

If SE decides to go above and beyond and fill it full of stand-alone information you can't get elsewhere, that's awesome, too! Imagine if some books in the library were "locked" until you found the info out in "the world."

[Xeia]

Though I think you should only be able to research (ie look-up) the different subjects once you have unlocked them, ie completed certain quests.

That'd be a bit more fun than just turning up to a room and having 10,000 things to click on and read.

Imagine if some books in the library were "locked" until you found the info out in "the world."

What if you could "collect" books for the library? There were books in v1 that you could find and read, but it didn't really do anything. What if there are tons more scattered all about the world and as you read them you "pick them up and bring them back to the library" thus allowing for us to have a convenient place to access anything we'd already found without just being inundated with more information than even the Moosiest of us could handle at once.

And maybe special library-only books could appear as a reward for completing a "set." Like you talk to the librarian and he/she says, "Oh, an adventurer brought this book by a while ago. It looked similar to some of the ones you'd brought in, I thought you might be interested." ..And then they hand us the final volume of the encyclopedia we'd been collecting and it drops some crazy lore bombs on us and... and... and...

[Mural]

here is a idea how about since we can build stuff for are house how about a bookshelf that can be built and as you adventure are purchase books from vendors you can put them on the book shelf and it shows how many books you have say i found 5 book it shows 5 books on the bookshelf so when your friends or guildes come to your house they see how many books you have and u can set it to where there allowed to read them or not. just a neat idea :P

[Anonymoose]

What if you could "collect" books for the library?

You know how levequests are marked once you've done them at least one time? What if every time you completed a Necrologos levequest, you were able to recover a few of pages from the destroyed possessed copy, thus helping the Library build a non-possessed, complete version of the text? You could get rewards for completing certain sets of "chapters." Maybe there'd be a low-level set of Necrologos vanity gear... or a Necrologos minion that followed you around like the books in Nier? (Great title, lore-wise, published by SE, if you haven't played it.)