Another raid series, another round of classic Final Fantasy nostalgia!
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0:00 – Introduction
1:16 – QUEST: “Dramatis Personae”
21:32 – QUEST: “A City Fallen”
28:32 – RAID: The Royal City of Rabanastre
58:15 – QUEST: “A City Fallen” (continued)
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Edited by Daniel Floyd
♫ “Pray Return” by Chris Logsdon
https://lnkfi.re/pray-return
#PlayFrame #FFXIV #FinalFantasyXIV #Stormblood
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the trip down memory lane continues.
I think objectively, this might not be the best questline story
But, damn it, I love final fantasy tactics so much
Those music cues immediately get me smiling and this might have been my favorite part of Stormblood overall.
Durmin's new look is very funny to me cause when I reached the end of Stormblood, I was literally in the same exact gear. Its just really good!
Hey everyone how was your weekend?
Ready for Raid week 2: Rabanastre Boogaloo?
Tactics was the first FF game i olayed so im gonna love the music and callbacks here
Can we take a moment please to appreciate that tidbit about Solos Zos Galvus. He was desperate to ensure that garlamald had culture, and did not care to have it fit imperial propaganda explicitly.
It's time for my favourite raid series. XII fans eat good today.
This raid series isn't the only FF 12 reference that 14 brought in.
So, according the background lore of FF12, the Espers were beings who rose in defiance of the gods, and were punished to serve any who commanded them. Each Esper was specifically matched up with one of the gods that they challenged.
Those gods names? Lahabrea, Igeyorhm, Elidibus, etc. Or the names of the Ascians in 14.
I'm actually playing through Final Fantasy XII for the first time right now, so it's super cool to see Rabanastre appear in another Final Fantasy game!
One neat thing is that Lina is a reporter for The Raven, the newspaper that is run out of Gridania. We have seen the Ul'dah newspaper, the Mythril Eye, play a big part in the ARR Hildibrand questline, but there is a newspaper for each of the city states (The Harbour Herald is Limsa's).
Reporters from each of the publications pop up here and there throughout XIV, especially during events. But some of the first reporting done by them were actually as GM run characters during the end of 1.0 as they talked to actual players. Some of those GM run characters have become recurring NPCs since.
Anywho, Lina here is actually new to this questline, so you don't see her before this. Dan is probably thinking of Mujih Mewrilah, her sister who looks pretty much identical who is also a reporter for the Raven. You can't really blame him for thinking they were the same person…
This was the first raid I ever did on content. And hoo boy that was a learning experience. There are so many things in this raid in particular that have less deadly over time, particular Hashmaal, who did many more things that were so much more dangerous.
So, and I may be misremembering, one of the big differences between the original Ivalice lore and the lore of Ivalice as it exists in FFXIV canon, is that FFXII is essentially ancient history of the Tactics setting. Meanwhile in XIV's Ivalice they're flipped and Tactics is the ancient history while the bits pulled from XII are more modern. The timeline is essentially flipped
Oof, it's my least favorite alliance raid series.
I love this series of Alliance raids and it was probably my favorite up until Endwalker’s blew it out of the water. Lots of fun fights and fun mechanics across the whole series. 😀
Having seven friends waiting on you while you debate skipping the cutscenes is the traditional Return to Ivalice experience.
The Botanist Quest for level 50-60 has you team up with this reporter's sister. They both work for the same Gridanian paper (which I cannot remember the name of)
How in the world did Dan hear me ears perk up at the mention of the Prima Vista??? Absolute sorcery!
The Ivalice raids have some of the most interesting mechanics, and reward some of the best-looking gear (in my opinion). The cutscenes, however, are widely regarded as a low point.
Oh hey, I was in this as the Dancer in C! Hope me getting hit by a tower isn't too obvious in this video 😛
Bonus Lore comment! – figured I'd copy down the bestiary entries for all these bosses that showed up in FFXII. You might notice some of these names seem familiar – XIV devs absolutely loved their XII references even before these raids!
Mateus, the Corrupt
Classification: Esper
Meena [Pisces] Ascendant
"Scion of darkness ruling and protecting those who live in the underworld, in opposition to Lahabrea, Abyssal Celebrant and scion of light.
In the course of his rule, he submitted to avarice, and the darkness took his heart, transforming him until he was both evil and corrupt. Then in his cowardice did he bind a Goddess of the Demesne of Ice, and using her as a living shield, he challenged the gods.
Defeated before their might, he fell screaming into the depths of hell, there to be imprisoned for eternity."
Hashmal, Bringer of Order
Classification: Esper
Simha [Leo] Ascendant
"Scion set by the gods to wield and manipulate the laws of this world, and with holy power lead mankind to order. Created in opposition to Fandaniel the Protector, scion of light.
Desiring to bring order to all things, he joined with Ultima in her battle against the gods. He gave his body to the Thousand-Years War, and when his strength was spent, down into the burning inferno he fell."
This, I assume, is where normal alliance raids get hard. At least it's what I felt while doing these alliance raids.
I also assume these are only gonna get harder.
IVALICE!! This raid series is so much fun, can't wait for you all to see the rest of it. Was so excited to join for Rabanastre (was the Machinist in C). You can see me flipping, shooting and nya-ing throughout the raid x3
argath talks mad smack for someone in LB range !
I have been wrecking my brain trying to figure out why the word "auracite" sounded so framiliar, since I haven't played any FF game where it was a thing. Turns out I was thinking of "Uracil", which is an IRL thing I use for my job
This miqote is the sister of the one from the botany quests hehe. She told me all about how her sister had told her all about me when I did these quests.
My biggest observation from this raid specifically was "wow eorzea has a LOT of cavernous underground spaces with lost cities in them. Amazing those caves havent collapsed."
The Dantalus Theater Company finally meets the Tantalus Theater Company.
Man, there's so many references to tactics I want to point out but the raid itself explains a lot of it even if in a 14 context
ARGATH SUUUUUUCKS
Playfriends, it's time to visit references to my first Final Fantasy. It's time to Return to Ivalice. I'll try to keep things spoiler free, but the very nature of this questline means that there will be spoilers for Final Fantasy Tactics. This is your lore comment!
The world of Ivalice was first created in the Final Fantasy spin off game Final Fantasy Tactics. The development team included the dev team from the Tactics Ogre franchise, influencing the game's design. This world would later be revised by a similar, but tonally different (and non-canon to the Ivalice world) Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced, for the Game Boy Advanced. Both of these games would be pulled as influences to the next game set in the world of Ivalice, Final Fantasy 12.
2:34 – This haunting tune is from FFT's Character Creation menu.
As Dan notes, the Prima Vista is the name of the airship used by the Tantalus Theatre Troupe in FF9, and is going to be the primary hub for our adventures this week.
6:00 – And this tune is FFT's data/save menu.
6:50 – This is the Hero's Theme from FFT, which usually plays over lore and emotionally heavy cutscenes.
8:35 – The Zodiac Brave Story is the in-universe name for FFT's campaign, used in the game's framing device of a story being written years later.
I would say that Dan's pronunciations of the Tactics names are entirely up to him, as the original game had no voice acting, but that's not quite true. While the PS1 release didn't have voice lines, the PSP re-release of Tactics, called War of the Lions, added animated cutscenes with voice acting. The pronunciation used is Del-lee-ta.
Alma and Ramza are references the to FFT's protagonist and his sister, who plays a key role in the story. Both of their appearances & color palettes are similar to their namesakes, but their personalities are adjusted. Alma was a member of a convent, and had some backbone to her in Tactics, but was fairly sensitive, similar to Alma here. Ramza, on the other hand, resembles nothing of his protagonist namesake. The fact that the Zodiac Brave Story is central to Jenomis' quest, the reason the Prima Vista is here in Kugane, and the the protagonist of that tale's namesake is on the Prima Vista shows that Final Fantasy Tactics will be our primary references on this week.
Rabanastre and Dalmacia are references to the locations in FF12. Dalmacia was ruled by King Raminas, and was invaded by the Archadian Empire. Dalmaca and its capital, Rabanastre, are portrayed here similar to in FF12, but with some key differences. As Ramza states, the city of Rabanastre is antedeluvian, meaning it predates the flood of the 6th Umbral Calamity. The fact that the city is still inhabited makes it one of the few surviving settlements that weathered that storm. Rabanastre has been under Garlean occupation for some time, but recent resistance movements have led to the 4th Imperial Legion under Noah van Gabranth (a reference to FF12's Judge Gabranth, the Imperial general) to raze the capital. The prized Dalmascan wines produced in the area are just a memory now, with the few bottles left being hoarded by collectors.
25:55 – The backing track, which will come back with an orchestral vengeance during the Alliance Raid, is FFT's Trisection. The very presence of this song launches The Royal City of Rabanstre into one of my favorite duties in the game.
26:53 – This track is FFT's Enemy Attack, which is appropriate for a group planning our demise.
27:25 – Let's introduce a new non-playable people! These men are Bangaa, a people who come from Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced. Their depiction here is based on their presence in FF12. The Bangaa have long muzzles and scales in some places, but in FF12, and almost certainly here, calling them "lizard" is an ethnic slur. That being said, there is a key difference between the games Bangaa, with FFXIV's being distinctly mammalian. They don't lay eggs, and usually do have fur, but when the fur falls out, none grows to replace it. This leads to patches of dry tough skin, resembling scales. Much like in FF12, the Bangaa live roughly twice as long as Hyur, and were a significant fraction of the population of Dalmasca prior to the Garlean occupation.
The first boss is Mateus, the Corrupt. Mateus is a summon/esper from both Tactics Advanced and FF12, and is associated with the zodiac sight of Pisces (there's going to be a lot of western zodiac references this week). Mateus is himself a reference to Emperor Mateus from FF2.
The second boss is Hashmal, Bringer of Order. Hashmal is an Esper form FF12, but dates back to Tactics. There, Hashmal was a Lucavi, a demon who corrupts souls to take them over. Hashmal was one of the last Lucavi confronted there, and is associated with the zodiac Leo. Interestingly, the origin of the name in modern Hebrew means "electricity", instead of being associated with the ground/earth. The root, Hashmalim, is a name for an order of angels.
40:50 – Let's introduce another non-playable people in these enemies, the Seeq. The Seeq originate from FF12, and are second class citizens compared to the Bangaa and Humans. They have pig like snouts and move quickly despite their size. This all holds true in FFXIV, but there is rumor that some Seeq have allied with the Garleans, and some have risen in rank in their legions.
41:55 – Dan has, in fact, not been pulled the wrong way. Each alliance is forced on a path here, and there are some lore notes along some of the paths. This is very fun, considering this is just an elaborate transition to the next fight. This helps show off some of the art environment, making the world feel bigger and more complicated, even without any fights.
The Royal City of Lesalia or Lesalia Imperial Capital was the capital of Ivalice in Tactics. Its depiction in that game was around castle gates where Ramza encounters some trouble. Its presence here means that Jenomis was right, Ivalice is Dalmacia.
The third boss is Rofocale. Rofocale, or Rophochehe, is associated with Sagatarius, but is not fought in Tactics, although they are named in the lore. The attack "Crush Weapon" is an attack with a less fancy, but similar, animation, and is associated with Divine Knights. The attack has a chance to destroy the target's weapon in Tactics, but here it's just a lot of damage. Rofocale also has other Divine Knight attacks, like Crush Helm. It's notable that the only playable Divine/Temple Knight in Tactics, Meliadoul, bears the Sagittarius crystal.
50:55 – This boss music is from the end of FFT, a track called Ultima, the Nice Body.
Our final boss is Argath Thadalfus/Algus Sadalfas, Tactics's fan favorite punching bag. Why? Remember when Alma said that King Delita's sister was killed, leading to the split between him and his friend? Argath, an ostensible ally of Delita, is her killer. She was taken hostage by a group of dissatisfied unpaid veterans, mistaken for a noble girl. Delita and Ramza, brothers in arms and raised alongside each other, launched a rescue attempt. Their own reinforcements, led by Ramza's brother, betray them, and Argath fires the bolt that ends Teitra's life. All because she, like Delita, is a commoner.
Here, Argath is influenced by the Lucavi associated with Taurus, Duma. Duma was another one of the enemies in Tactics' data, but never fought. The Encyclopedia Eorzea states that FFXIV's Argath followed a similar path to that in Tactics, and that during his duel with Delita in Lesalia, Argath used the Duma crystal after suffering a fatal wound. Delita would never know that Duma would seek to kill him, only to be put down and laid to rest by Ramza.
59:30 – As Dan says, Ba'Gamnan is a character from FF12, a bounty hunter who is a rival of Balthier, one of the protagonists. In that game, he sports a circular saw polearm rather than a double-barreled pistol. We will learn more about Ba'Gamnan's FFXIV incarnation next time!
1:01:40 – This line is a reference to PS1 Tactics first mission. There, Delita tells a knight "Don't blame us. Blame yourself or God". While there are big issues with the original PS1 localization of Tactics, it had a charm that was undeniable.
1:08:45 – Arazlam Durai, and Jenomis' account of the Durai Papers, is how the framing device for Tactics operates. What we experience in that game is the "true" story, supressed by the Church of Glabados (in part because it accuses the Church of summoning demons). Ramza encounters a character named Orran Durai during his travels, and Orran pens the Durai papers and is burned at the stake by the Church. The game is a retelling of this long-lost story by Arazlam to correct the historical record. This all holds the same in FFXIV, with one notable question: what "church" conducted the dealings? No Church of Glabados exists anymore, although it could have been destroyed by the 6th Umbral Calamity. The way the characters talk of it, this "church" is of common enough knowledge that no one must ask what they mean.
Next time: How good is your arithmetic?
There's a massive derft in 9 references.
I love that the blasted red chocobos get referenced. Running into a pack of them in Tactics as a random encounter was basically a death sentence.
So to kind of get people up to speed about Tactics and the info dump at the start…
Tactics is a story within a story. On the top layer, it is a historian Arazlam who finds the truth about The Zodiac Brave Story, a historical tale about a peasant boy Delita who became king. Arazlam, through his research, finds a parallel story of a young noble named Ramza who was friends with Delita. This is the bottom layer of the story of Tactics: going through Ramza's story and seeing how it deviates from the commonly known history from Delita's perspective… And why Ramza's story would eventually be censored and lost to history for its true telling of the tale of Delita and the politics of the time.
You probably see the connection to what is happening here. The Zodiac Brave Story is again a tale from ancient history (though in XIV now more thought of a fairy tale than historical tale) having its telling be disputed by a competing retelling of events from Ramza's perspective. Jenomus cen Lexentale, in this case, is a stand in for Arazlam (a stand in that also named his kids after his favourite story. Kinda like naming your kid Sephiroth, Jenomis. Cringe.)
Anyway, Auracite in Tactics appear in the Zodiac Brave Story as holy stones wielded by knights of legend and a core tenant of the church, but Ramza's telling shows them for what they are: demons named Lucavi in crystal form that communicate with and can transform the weilder into them.
Considering the auracite is talking to Jenomis should be alarming given the Tactics connection.
We see this transformation in the raid itself with its final boss.
💙
There are very few Garleans who don't have punchable personalities. The boy here is not one of them
That new red mage outfit is really nice, but I feel like it's missing something: a big fancy hat. Can't be a red mage without a big fancy hat! Other mages might wear hoods, but the red mage is too much of a fashionista to be content with such sartorial simplicity.
28:14 waves to self :3
I have…feeling…about how this story portrays Delita.
The Dantalus troupe does the Argath mechanics correctly, avoiding certain consequences…if you fail the Divine Commandment mechanic, you get afflicted by a debuff called Unnerved, which increases damage taken. You also can be afflicted by this by being hit by Unrelenting, or if you fail the mechanic for Trepidation. For Trepidation, the number of stacks of Unnerved you get is equal to the number of meteor circles that went off without anyone standing in them. Three stacks of Unnerved turns you into a chicken for seven seconds, and sends you running away from wherever Argath is.
This is a reference to Tactics mechanic involving two stats called Bravery and Faith, which determine the strength of certain physical and magical attacks respectively. The higher your bravery, the stronger damage you do with knight swords and also with your bare hands. It also increases chance of counters and other reaction abilities to trigger. Lower bravery, meanwhile, lets you find better treasure on the battlefield with the Treasure Hunter ability. Faith mainly deal with magical accuracy and magical power. The higher your Faith, the more damage you do, with better accuracy, but also the more damage you take from magical attacks, and the better the chance that said magical attacks will hit you.
Having 0 faith or being afflicted with the Atheist status makes you immune to magic at the cost of not being able to use it. Having 96 Faith or higher, on the other hand, causes the character to dedicate themselves to worshipping God, and as such they permanently leave the party. Having too little bravery, however will cause a character to threaten to leave the party, or, if their bravery is 5 or lower, to actually leave the party. Like with Faith, this is permanent. In both cases, this does not apply to Ramza. If a character on the battlefield's bravery is reduced to 9 or below (or if they start the battle with 9 or less bravery), they are physically transformed into a chicken, which cannot do anything but run from enemies. This can also be inflicted by certain abilities.
By the way, being a chicken is dangerous not only because you can run into AoEs, but also because you can run into the arena wall. This is only an issue after the boss uses Dark Ultima, though. Hitting the wall will turn you into a zombie for 10 seconds, after which you will explode, killing yourself and dealing AoE damage to those around you.
38:43 "everything is fine"
except for that one guy…