Let's make a bet: Does Gaius van Baelsar survive the game's first main scenario?

[Riposte]

We don't know yet and this thread can be considered spoiler-free (which it should remain, even after the game is released). What do you guys think? He will certainly fight him, but will this be the end of him or will he retreat back to his home turf in Ala Mhigo? I'm betting he makes it through, but after being humbled.

[RolandDebreton]

Square has always had a hard time writing a straight super villain. I think Moose noted the possible role of a religious animus from Ishgard's Archbishopric.

I'd like to point to a history of misdirection villains, you get busy watching the latest up-and-coming super-villain like van Baelsar only to have Nero do something like fuse himself with aether in an attempt to create his own Primal thus becoming Alexander, and lo and behold you find yourself in a final scenario fight battling Alexander with Gaius acting as NPC fighting beside us to destroy his former student.

[StarDrake]

I would be *staggered* if we kill Gaius off in the main scenario/in the early endgame dungeons. They've spent far too much time building him up, and Nael got to be a final frickin' boss. There's no way they're getting rid of Gaius yet. Not a chance. He'll survive all the way to the Garlemald expansion, no question.

His subordinates are a whole other matter. I fully expect we'll be killing Nero during the patch cycle. Possibly Rhitanyn too, and MAYBE Livia, though I think she'll stick around for a while.

[Rhomagus]

He's a bit too iconic to be deleted. He may be defeated, but he'll return in some other manner or form in later patches / expansions.

Let's just hope they don't pull a Liquid Snake / Revolver Ocelot possession plot twist.

[radhaz]

I keep thinking back to our meeting with him in Coerthas in 1.0. Didn't seem a bad chap.



OK, I take that back.

[Urthdigger]

I certainly hope not. He's an interesting character, in how he's clearly an antagonist who wants to conquer Eorzea: But he's interested in conquering Eorzea, not a smoking crater, so he's quick to ally with us (In a way) when a bigger evil rears its head.

[Kurenshi]

His subordinates are a whole other matter. I fully expect we'll be killing Nero during the patch cycle. Possibly Rhitanyn too, and MAYBE Livia, though I think she'll stick around for a while.

I fully agree (and hope) Gaius is kept around for longer than the first scenario. However for the minions based on what I've seen of them so far, I think Rhitanyn (only found out the other day his name translates to Right Judge) will get killed off. But I think I would swap Nero and Livia on who is more likely to go first. Nero seems to me to be a person that would be smart enough to have several back up plans when things go wrong (plus I want to see what magitek weaponry he can build). Livia on the other hand strikes me as someone that is so driven down her path, be it determination for her missions as a solider or her loyalty to Gaius could make her blind of everything else.

[Nahaara]

I doubt it, no one could survive that explosion.

[Meliae]

he is gonna be end-boss for the empire, I think he is more of mastermind then just to come forward and fight, I mean he kinda went on to lead white raven into doing something that would put you in fight with him, the way I see it is that he is gonna get close to becoming the next emperor but you will end up having to fight him in order to stop him from doing something like unleashing Bahamut again.

[Evraeh]

***Spoilers there***


Really, I was waiting Final Fantasy XIV for him. (Sorry for my english) Wanted to see what he could be in the story. And what they do of him? We saw him like 5x "only" in the storyline. Even if during the Praetorium we can see him many times. But really we have no idea of what he could be, what he has been. We just knew his goal. I'll be very disappointed if they aren't make him back. He is too iconic to make him die like that. But as Nahaara said, who could survive that explosion.

I guess, can just wait next extentions but really, again, I'm/will be very disappointed to not see him coming back in the next missions. Not sure how everyone found the story. For me it was too short around that antagonist.