So I'd love to drop my thoughts about the major lore drops that we've seen in this first section of Patch 5.4, knowing that there's at least a little more to come from the Save the Queen narrative in subsequent minor patches. So here goes:
Lore Dump
MSQ:
Sorrow of Werlyt:
Eden's Promise:
Role Quests/Void Quests:
Aside from the notes I provided above, the main takeaway is that 5.4 really showcases a ton of material from across the breadth of Shadowbringers as an expansion, making it a very cohesive and comprehensive snapshot of the expansion's story beats. It's meaningful that the Sorrow of Werlyt is impacted by the part where Zenos is both a) not in control of the Empire and b) is deemed so uncontrollable by Valens to the extent that even a COPY of him can't be ordered around. It's meaningful that in both the Eden series (which is side content) and the Role/Void Quests (which is mostly side content) we get references to the fate of the Thirteenth AND the future of it, in addition to referencing Ardbert's fight with the Shadowkeeper. Hell, even the element where Ryne and Gaia remark that they'd love to still have Thancred and Urianger's counsel is emphasized by the part where, in the MSQ, Thancred and Urianger exit to Garlemald almost immediately, meaning they're out of reach of the WoL as well.
In terms of what we can tell about 6.0, the weird towers, tempering, and the Lunar Eikons (cuz you know Bahamut ain't the only one) are going to be big features.
But in terms of 7.0, I think another big trip to the World of Darkness is going to be in order, and knowing now that Eden isn't a solution to that world's problems like it was for the First means it's not going to be a retread of ShB. And that's HELLA compelling to me, even if all that's at least a couple years away.
Anyhow, let me know if I missed anything major or what you think of the patch's lore implications.
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Lore Dump
MSQ:
- As a result of their experiences on the First, including the techniques used to allow the Scions to return to the Source, Alisaie and G'raha Tia develop a way to reverse tempering, and proliferate the technique throughout Eorzea.
- Merlwyb, using the cure for tempering as an element of her negotiations, gets both the pirates of Limsa Lominsa and at least SOME of the kobolds on board with giving peace another chance.
- Aymeric wants to pursue discussions with the Vanu Vanu about cooperation going forward.
- Strange towers, supposedly of Garlean construction, are showing up the world over, suddenly and ominously. They MIGHT temper people who approach them.
- Fandaniel introduces himself to the Warrior of Light, stating in no uncertain terms that he intends to destroy the world, but first he wants to let Zenos get his rematch with the WoL. Which the WoL is compelled to ride along with, because if not, Fandaniel will unleash LUNATIC BAHAMUT on the cities of Eorzea.
- As Fandaniel reports his success to Zenos, he mentions that Lunar Bahamut is but the first of several "beasts". Zenos, meanwhile, discards his katana, breaking it under his heel, and proclaims that he requires a new weapon for his showdown with the Warrior of Light.
Sorrow of Werlyt:
- The Emerald Weapon, with Rex at the helm, is at Castrum Marinum, which is otherwise abandoned by the Garlean troops posted there. In the battle, Rex engages the Oversoul, loaded with data mimicking Gaius van Baelsar when he first conquered Werlyt for the Empire.
- The WoL gets an Echo of Alphonse and Rex explaining themselves to Allie, who has put together that they knew about the dangers of the Oversoul system and that it would kill Milisandia and Ricon. The other four orphans were willing to help bring the Weapon project to completion if it meant they had the chance to steal the Weapons and destroy the Empire, and create a new world for Allie to live in. And they were willing to do this if it cost them their lives. This is why Marinum is abandoned, except for the Emerald Weapon and Allie in the holding cells: Alphonse wanted Gaius to find Allie and keep her safe, while he would go off to finish the Weapon project.
- Legatus Valens van Varro is disappointed that Alphonse lost Allie, in addition to the repeated losses of the Weapons themselves to the Warrior of Light, and tortures Alphonse in response. He declares that Alphonse will pilot the final Weapon as planned, but they'll trigger Oversoul themselves to kill Alphonse in order to win the fight, rather than leaving the possibility that Alphonse will either lose or turn his coat.
- It's revealed that the Oversoul data used for this final Weapon is based on Zenos. Valens expresses dismay that he won't be able to control Zenos' personality properly.
- Oh, and Valens is a full-on pureblood Garlean fascist, a sadist, intends to use the Weapons to take over the Empire, and specifically uses children to wield his torture implements for him. Easily one of the creepiest and most repulsive characters we've seen so far.
Eden's Promise:
- Ryne and Gaia discover that the area of the Empty surrounding Eden that appeared to be thriving after defeating Shiva has begun to decay under an overabundance of Light. Gaia theorizes that summoning a primal of Darkness, in the same manner that they'd called the other elements, might help to restore that balance, and they consequently re-create the Cloud of Darkness for the WoL to beat up.
- However, this surfeit of Darkness and suppression of the Light unlocks something: namely, the Ascian Mitron, who reveals that he's been sealed up inside Eden since his defeat at the hands of Team Ardbert. It turns out the voice in Gaia's head her whole life was Mitron, directing her subtly until she had the strength to assault Eden herself. Mitron then reveals the piece de resistance: Gaia is the reincarnation of the Ascian Loghrif, who was partnered with Mitron in their mission to keep the First ready for a corresponding calamity on the Source.
- When Ardbert faced off with the Ascians, they joined together into an Ascian Prime, but Ardbert was able to defeat them using a Blade of Light. The power of this was enough that Loghrif was destroyed, but Mitron's soul was trapped within the Light-mangled body, and warped further by the overwhelming Light aspect of the world, that body BECAME Eden. Eden consequently emitted the Flood of Light, which was only stopped by Minfilia's intercession.
- Mitron attempts to job Gaia's memory by reviewing Ardbert's fight with the Shadowkeeper. After Gaia recalls her past identity, she nonetheless refuses to free Mitron. Mitron then forcibly absorbs her, becoming an Ascian Prime once again, and then manipulates Ryne's memories and summoning ability to bring forth the Fatewalker, an amalgam of Thancred and Ran'jit.
- At last, the Warrior of Light contends against Mitron's complete power, complemented by Gaia/Loghrif's, as Eden's Promise. They struggle to preserve Gaia's memories of her time with Ryne while the Promise seeks to destroy them, freeing Gaia to return to her identity as Loghrif. Ultimately the Warrior of Light triumphs, destroying Mitron and consigning his soul to the Lifestream.
- Gaia, left alone when Mitron vanishes, wanders in darkness until Ryne cuts her way through it (with Thancred's abandoned gunblade, no less) to rescue her. All of the pent-up either within Eden has been restored, re-starting the process of healing the Empty. While Gaia's memory is a little hazy, she's nonetheless committed to making more memories with Ryne, instead of reflecting on her past identity as Loghrif or whoever she was while she lived in Eulmore.
- In the course of all this, Mitron declares that "Gaia" was Loghrif's true name in ancient life (since the Ascians' "names" are actually their offices within the Convocation). As Mitron's soul passes on, Gaia whispers goodbye to "Artemis," which is heavily implied to be Mitron's true name.
- It is suggested that as a reincarnated Ascian, Gaia might have the ability to leap between worlds, as the other Ascians do. Ryne requests that she not leave quite yet, and Gaia doesn't appear to be in any rush.
- Another detail mentioned during Mitron's lore drop was that the surfeit of Light aether on the First was a direct result of the destruction of the Thirteenth, as the creation of the Void had knock-on effects across all of the other shards. Mitron and Loghrif's mission with the Shadowkeeper was at initially intended to SAVE the First, at least by preventing the Flood of Light until they could align it properly with a rejoining with the Source. The main takeaway from this detail is that while the Ascians totally planned to control the Light-aspecting of the First, there may have already been a risk of a Flood occurring that would have ruined the First as the Thirteenth had been ruined. Put another way, it means that if the Ascians hadn't interfered (and in turn caused Ardbert and his team to rise up) then the world might have been destroyed by the Flood anyway.
- Reading between the lines, it means the Flood of Light was never Ardbert's fault in the first place.
- The implication is made that the other Ascians, particularly Emet-Selch and Elidibus, knew that Mitron had survived and was trapped at the heart of Eden, and chose not to release him because a) he'd failed and b) he was sundered anyway, so he could be replaced with another "piece" of the original Mitron. However, knowing that Eden was the source of the Flood AND the source of the Sin Eaters, this tracks with two additional elements:
- In the bargain he made with Team Ardbert, Elidibus may have been able to make good on stopping the Flood of Light, assuming Ardbert succeeded.
- In the work he did to create Vauthry as a Sin Eater and through him maintain the world's delicate balance of Light, Emet-Selch almost certainly interfaced with Eden at some point.
Role Quests/Void Quests:
- Cyella makes a request of the Warrior of Light, asking if she can be allowed to hold onto the crystals of Ardbert's companions, which the WoL had recovered after defeating each of the Cardinal Virtues. While Ardbert's was given to Seto, the WoL had held onto the rest. The WoL consults with the Virtue Hunters individually, and all of them ultimately agree that the companions would likely want to be kept on the world they gave their lives for. Thus, Cyella is granted the crystals and the Virtue Hunters toast the memory of the Warriors of Light.
- Cyella comments offhandedly about how nice the camaraderie of the Virtue Hunters is, and how it reminds her not just of Ardbert and the others, but also of the various champions on the Thirteenth who attempted to stop the Flood of Darkness, but failed because they never came together, or fought one another, instead of joining forces. She mentions Unukhalai, another of those champions saved from the Thirteenth by the Ascians, and wonders if he's in search of new purpose himself now that his patron Elidibus is no more.
- Back on the Source, the WoL goes to talk to Unukhalai about exactly that topic (he's just hanging out at the Rising Stones). Unukhalai agrees that he's in need of purpose, and believes that with the knowledge of how the First had been saved from a Flood of Light, perhaps studying it would allow them to reverse the destruction caused by the Flood of Darkness on the Thirteenth. With Urianger's help, Unukhalai is able to have himself transferred into a soul vessel, just as the Scions were brought back from the First, so that the Warrior of Light can ferry him to the Source. With Beq Lugg's help, he is given form (and, y'know, clothes) on the First, and reunites with Cyella.
- In discussing what they can do about reaching the Thirteenth to see what the situation even IS there, the WoL recalls that Taynor, of the Virtue Hunters, has extensive experience with voidgates. At first, Taynor is worried about the prospect of trying to open such a hollow on his own (remember that he was trapped for over a century in one when the experiment went wrong with Nyelbert). However, Unukhalai persuades him by remarking that their similarity to one another (and Unukhalai being able to download Nyelbert's memories from his Lightning Crystal, provided by Cyella) gives them a much better shot at success.
- Under protest, Beq Lugg agrees to send a porxie through a hollow created by Unukhalai and Taynor to determine the state of the Thirteenth. The Warrior of Light aids them in dealing with the fiends that attempt to pass through the hollow into the First, and ultimately the porxie returns. Beq Lugg says it could take a long time for him to properly analyze the data the porxie collected, but Unukhalai says he's willing to wait.
- In the meantime, Taynor invites Unukhalai to join him and Cerigg as virtue hunters, helping the people of the First to survive the remaining dangers of the world. Unukhalai looks at it as an opportunity to become stronger, so that he's more ready to save the Thirteenth than he was the first time. Granson, Giott and Lue-Reeq also offer to join together with them as a company, and all's well that ends well.
Aside from the notes I provided above, the main takeaway is that 5.4 really showcases a ton of material from across the breadth of Shadowbringers as an expansion, making it a very cohesive and comprehensive snapshot of the expansion's story beats. It's meaningful that the Sorrow of Werlyt is impacted by the part where Zenos is both a) not in control of the Empire and b) is deemed so uncontrollable by Valens to the extent that even a COPY of him can't be ordered around. It's meaningful that in both the Eden series (which is side content) and the Role/Void Quests (which is mostly side content) we get references to the fate of the Thirteenth AND the future of it, in addition to referencing Ardbert's fight with the Shadowkeeper. Hell, even the element where Ryne and Gaia remark that they'd love to still have Thancred and Urianger's counsel is emphasized by the part where, in the MSQ, Thancred and Urianger exit to Garlemald almost immediately, meaning they're out of reach of the WoL as well.
In terms of what we can tell about 6.0, the weird towers, tempering, and the Lunar Eikons (cuz you know Bahamut ain't the only one) are going to be big features.
But in terms of 7.0, I think another big trip to the World of Darkness is going to be in order, and knowing now that Eden isn't a solution to that world's problems like it was for the First means it's not going to be a retread of ShB. And that's HELLA compelling to me, even if all that's at least a couple years away.
Anyhow, let me know if I missed anything major or what you think of the patch's lore implications.
submitted by /u/unlimitedblack
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Continue reading...