Zenos, while simple, is a glorious character that I enjoyed fighting in FFXIV, lets talk about that!
Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/synodicscribe?fan_landing=true
Channel Art by Catti: https://twitter.com/cattiart
Join the Channel’s Discord: https://discord.gg/YKBu4sQBEk
Follow me at: https://twitter.com/ScribeSynodic
Music: Zodiac Structures by NoMBe
Personal Music made by: Victor McKnight, https://www.youtube.com/c/VictorMcKnight/featured
Disclaimer: The MMORPG known as FinalFantasy XIV Online as well as all its related publications and merchandise are owned by Square Enix. I have no claims to it.
Primary Sources:
Video Games-
FinalFantasy XIV Online
Publications-
Encyclopedia Eorzea Volume I
Encyclopedia Eorzea Volume II
Alternative Sources:
FinalFantasyXIV, The Lodestone/Sidestory
FFXIV, Letter from the Producer
Published FFXIV Brand Art Books
#ffxiv #endwalker #lore
source
My biggest problem with stormblood was how we never go a final 1 on 1 fight with Zenos I'm glad Endwalker fixed that.
Honestly, playing through endwalker and shadowbringers with dark knight made them hit so much harder for me thematically, partly because I picked it up shortly before zenos goes ham in ala mhigo.
I do hope zenos stays dead now, but I'd like to imagine that my wol said to him "I do tire of the charade" at that final fight and have fray right at their side for a moment as they say it. I find it interesting to think about what fray might've had to say about the whole thing, but I don't think we'll ever know
That whole "Zeons possessed his voidsent and is still alive" theory is complete nonsense on the grounds that what would Zenos care about "saviors"? Also, what would he be returning to? He was from the Source. Now if you want a more interesting theory, I am of a mind that the voidsent that Zenos made a pact with is the shard of the WOL from the 13th, and as an additional layer, his name would be Cecil. Though that may be a stretch.
Tl;dr – ZENOS IS DEAD FOR REALS! This second death is equally too thematically and climactically good to undo.
I agree
Ironically, his instigation of the Final Days (with Most-punchable-face's help) is what made me NOT want to fight him. I pitied him. Every time Zenos showed up to try to challenge, I wanted to walk away. Zenos said it himself (though I can't remember the exact line), how our current (Final Days) quarry kept our bloodlust away from him. I simply had no desire to fight him even with the death of Endsinger. Sure I hated him for doing everything that led up to this juncture, but ultimately, I pitied him. A being so lonely that he went out of his way to make everyone else miserable just to satiate his desire to have an epic fight. When I was given the various response choices during his final challenge, I wanted to walk away; I wanted to provide dissatisfaction. Part of it was pettiness, but the rest was just wanting to disprove that not everyone (especially the WoL) wants that epic fight. But also to disapprove his way of living. If all he wanted was a rivalry that didn't result in him harming others, I will happily be that rival. To encourage others to gain strength and to use that strength to help those weaker than us is a much better outlook on life than the dismal existence he placed himself in.
I was actually pretty disappointed when Zenos showed up in Endwalker. I didn't find him to be a very compelling villain in Stormblood, and he certainly is no Emet Selch. They wrote him fine in Endwalker, and all of the plot was well put together, but I just don't find him to be as interesting as other villains have been.
Zenos wanted a sequel sooooo bad lmaoooo…I loved how he came full circle in Endwalker by realizing that as intelligent beings we require others like us in order to enrich our existence…he needed truly understand why we do what we do as the WoL in order to have that encore he so deeply desired
I think the thing I came to realise about Zenos is he is tragically broken.
Zenos is a psychopath in the most literal sense; he is incapable of feeling ANY emotion, sans raw survival instinct. Whether this was a result of him being a literal Garlean experiment, his natural aptitude for anything he put his mind to, or he was just mentally ill from birth, the point was he had become a man filled with absolute ennui. That's why he sought strong enemies; because the only time he could feel anything was when his life was threatened. Which was rarely, since few could challenge him.
A lot of people say he dies content after his fight in Endwalker, but it never came off that way to me. It actually seemed like he was disappointed, and when he starts going on about how droll he found existence, it's like he was begging the WoL to help. Did you find purpose in life? I don't think Zenos was asking for you. He doesn't care about you past the rare glimpse of feeling you can offer him; no, he was asking for HIMSELF. Help me understand how you find enjoyment in the tedium and trivialities. What meaning is there past this fleeing adrenaline rush?
That's why to me I couldn't pick the first option before the final fight. Do I enjoy a challenge and pushing my limits? Sure. But his wording says that you do this for no other reason that the pleasure of overcoming challenge, and I can't honestly answer yes, neither for myself IRL nor my WoL. Seeking emotional highs for their own sake is hedonism, and if you do nothing but indulge in hedonism, you'll both end up disappointed, and end up being a destructive force that cares naught for others, as Zenos did. In the end, my character has other things he strives for, best summed up in the words of another:
'Lands that stretched on forever. Skies one could drown in. The heartbeat of nature, silent yet strong. And amidst it all a people. Beacons of light and life.'
I to hope Zenos stays dead this time.
But yeah, in Stromblood he had my attention from the first encounter with him, and his first death was great, cause even back then he was pretty easy to understand, so yeah, Lyse calling him a coward was eye rolling, just one more thing Lyse failed to understand i guess…
Zenos was kinda just what ever for a while after that. His little adventure to reclaim his body was just … there … to me, and really only his initial annoyance at not being dead like he wanted was amusing. He didn't really start to become interesting again until my favorite duty for 'showing but not telling', "In from the Cold", don't see many villains come at the hero with a 'form of you and i aren't so different, monsters the both of us' in such a tangible, and intense way, and kind makes me wonder if the WoL walked away from that effected at all from being shown, in visceral detail just how ABYSSAL the gap between them and everyone else is.
After that I was legit expect things to go as they seemed …. THEN they didn't. Yay for Fandaniel being THAT into his own death and taking everyone with him I guess? But I was, for a long time wonder what they where going to do with Zenos after that. I was EXPECTING him to merge with Zodiark, much like everyone else I assume, so when that didn't happen, and then we didn't really see him for a long while, i wondered why he was even here at all at this point.
Then Alisaie snapped at him. Then a few quests later he's back in Ala Mheigo, thinking about what she said, and I was like, 'oooooh … ok … your doing a thing here.' and while I can't say i was expecting him to show up and the edge of creation it self, it was over the top and silly in all the best was imo to fight the final boss on the back of a giant dragon, that also want to kill us, but for different reason and is willing to wait till were done here to do it.
Then we got to his final speech, and it was just great stuff. It was clear he'd spent a significant time thinking on Alisaie's words, what he wanted, what we wanted, and then he started talking to the player directly, and I was like 'welp, you got me you glorious son of a bitch. let do this' Everything with him after the Endsinger was just SO GOOD for so many reasons that if they brought him back again, i think it would destroy any impact his death at the end of everything had.
honestly it's a strange feeling to mourn for someone, a character in a story even, that you know is a monster. someone you know is so twisted they'd sacrifice a nation, if not the entire world just to get what they want and that thing they want isn't some grand objective or a cause like has been the case with someone like emet -selch or many of the other people we had to face but was instead the same kind of basic selfish desire to please themselves you might expect from a bandit or a thug, all without being some two bit thug.
it's strange but when I think of the send off zenos got in endwalker i can't help but feel kind of sad. I wonder what might have been if circumstances had been different. I wonder if there was ever any hope for a better path for him. even sad that with him dead, well and truly dead this time we won't see more of a character I liked and honestly wasn't tired of yet but it's good for the story that he stays dead. it's good that his death sparks up this strange sadness and I feel a resurrection would only cheapen this feeling. it's also strange to on the one hand feel upset but on the other glad he went out on his own terms.
lil annoying that you call ilberd and idiot and leave it at that and then deep dive into the shallowest character in the game
4:50 because everything was so boring, all he had left was seeking his own limits and surpassing them
I kinda hope we meet with his avatar and it confirms that yes, Zenos is dead-dead, soul eaten or something, not coming back.
For most of his screen time I wrote him off as a 2D combatsexual. But it wasn't until he responded to other characters demanding an explanation for his actions that I started becoming more charitable with him as a character. I mean, we're talking about a blood soaked maniac here. How do you justify that to anyone except yourself? And what good would it do for anyone? Most would try, but he doesn't even bother.
It isn't that he's obsessed with fighting the player character, it's that he's utterly disinterested in everything else.
My thoughts on Zenos are really conflicted, but, mostly, I just see that rage and loneliness reflected in how I write my WoL; how that void he fills with conflict and bloodshed she also did, at one point, before it steadily became filled with the love of the Scions. She would have wanted to be that person who try to fill his heart with someone other than what he'd seen his whole life and give him a chance to see what else the world could offer, especially now that, after stopping this latest calamity, all that she wanted was to see the world and hear the people's hearts, like the Azems before her. His death left with me an odd sense of mourning that I still can't really place, even if he'd never be satisfied if we did, indeed, walk away.
Yeah no.
If yshtola gets to keep coming back, then zenos gets to.
I don't agree about Zenos' thoughts around his first death. He didn't want to die at his happiest point, he knew full well that he was going to jump to another body. If anything he knew that if he didn't die there, he would probably be executed or imprisoned forever and if that happened, he would never be able to relive the moment so he took an out, planning to go get his body back later but Elidibus stole it before he could.
THANK YOU! Nobody seems to get this with Zenos other than his fans. So many people get annoyed with him or say his is horribly written, when he's probably the most interesting, well written, and most real character I have encountered in game. The most interesting aspect to me is that Zenos himself is essentially the game writers holding a mirror up to our characters and ourselves. Zenos is a flat character arc like the Warrior of Light, only Zenos is a negative one while we are the positive one. It showcases what happens when someone like us comes around and has the worst case senario. ultimately Zenos is essentially the exact same as the warrior of light, its just that our end games are different. We both seek challenge, adventure, but the difference is we like being the hero or savior, and being friendly because it make us truly, "feel real and alive". Where as with Zenos its just the combat itself because of his upbringing and honestly his fate to be like he was. The only reason that the WoL isn't seen as bad even though we are as equally selfish as Zenos is, its just that this selfishness is targeted in a positive manner rather than a negative one. We both kill, we both desire to fight and push our limits. We want those accomplishments for ourselves and no one else, and yet we are still seen as the hero while just because we help and Zenos is the villain just because he doesnt(I'm not saying he isn't inherently bad, the man is a psycho murderer, its just that I want to highlight how if Zenos was in a different position he could have ended up like us and vice versa). What I'm trying to get at is that its ok to not like Zenos as a character (in fact in a lot of ways hes meant to be that way) but for people that say that he's not needed/poorly written, or etc. then frankly those people don't understand how the entire story and world works (even when its literally smacking them in the face and they refuse to see it). To say that Zenos is poorly written and bad is to automatically call yourself the same. Zenos represents the inherent want and desire to cast aside all rules and to live logically and for yourself (which every human has, don't deny it or you're lying to yourself) its just that his methods and actions/ behaviors while doing so is just so evil and wrong that he needs to be stopped. Sorry to gush, if you cant tell he's one of my favorite characters. Also Thank you Synodic Scribe. Love your vids as always, you put so much passion and care into these videos that its palpable in the air, and not to mention you make this world we share online a much more colorful and whimsical place with what you do! It adds so much more you wouldn't believe! Keep up the great work and stay safe my friend 🙂
This is an interesting perspective to me since I am increasingly noticing that I might be in the minority in that I actually don't like Zenos. I understand his motivation in a distant sense but I actually don't relate to it at all and so I don't think he was actually right about me or even all that much else philosophically speaking.
I tend to favor roleplaying games, generally played on the normal difficulty. I can enjoy these games on multiple levels and for multiple reasons, and I even think that a high difficulty can work in harmony with a game's other elements (such as the story) to create a unique experience that would be undermined if the game was easy.
I can enjoy challenging recreation, but not for the sake of challenge in itself. "Being challenged" is not a terminal value to me, rather what I try to get out of games is interesting experiences and inspiration for my own creative endeavors. I get more satisfaction from analyzing, learning, and creating than I do from fighting or adjacent competition-based activities. I'm more cooperative than competitive and would rather play something like Planescape: Torment or Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines than stuff like Fortnite or League of Legends.
As a result I just never connected to him on an emotional or even intellectual level. Some players may share at least some values with him, but I just didn't.
I did the final fight with Zenos a Dark Knight because I thought it was the final justice he deserved after all the shit he had done. No mixed feelings, no conversation, just me killing him flat out.
I personally denied Zenos. Sure, challenges are great, but they aren't a goal by themselves, and are only worth it for a good reason, or an "excuse" sa he would dismiss. That's why I interpret his final moment to be a bit empty in contrast to the WoL, lying not far, who still yearned for exploration.
I wanted to fight Zenos because the game kept saying I lost when as a White Mage I was never below half health >:( So I wanted my victory.
And maybe being his friend would make him less evil.
Lucretia (my main) at that point was fed up of Zenos, it wasn't so much that she wanted to fight him, it was more like she had had enough of him.
A TEST OF YOUR REFLEXES
I also adored a challenge, and the 1v1 instance by concept was fantastic. HOWEVER, ever since the battle at Ghimlyt Dark and the events of ShB, that thrill I had of wanting to square up to Zenos one on one washed away over time.
I got more and more tired of him as EW went on and by the very end, that fight just wasn't what I wanted anymore. I was legitimately annoyed at him in the final instance. I wish I could've enjoyed that grand rival vs rival moment the dev team intended to set up, but Zenos just wasn't the one I wanted to see by the end of EW
Personally
(sorry if my english writting is bad) I've been a Dark Knight since Heavensward, it was my dragon slayer designated class. But I've decided to start stormblood as a red mage in homage to those who tried to defend themselve from the garlean invasion,
but I've soon been crushed by Zenos at Rhalgr reach.
Next up I decided to explore and freed Domas as a traditonal samurai of thoose land but then got stomped once again by him during that event with Yugiri in Yanxia.
So once I've finally get to the Loch and getting ready to freed Alamingo, I've said to myself that I've had enough of this nonsense and took on my great sword to slay the shit out of this annoying garlean. Oh what was my surprise when he transformed himself in a great dragon, the one thing I called my DRK specialist at slayin (as well as primals but thats more general wichever my class is).
That fight was truly ecstatic in every sense and I could agree with Zenos that I would much enjoy another experience in the like.
I later on walked through the whole endwalker expansion as a Paladin willing to give hope and safety to the people. But once the threat lying in ultima thule was no more, and Zenos ask me for a duel, I once more took on my Dark Knight mantle fight him with the whole spectrum of my emotions infused in my blade.
All of this to say that I've really enjoyed battling against this character through pretty much all of the story, I've found really compailing.