First time playthrough and reaction to Endwalker! We conclude our journey in Elpis in heartbreaking fashion.. I hope you enjoy!
Endwalker Part 17:
https://youtu.be/Hx_LGbKFc4U
Endwalker Trailer Reaction:
https://youtu.be/vhqYLOgG-vM
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – 4:41 Intro & Recap
4:41 – 13:22 Searching for Hermes
13:22 – 21:31 Meteion’s Report
21:31 – 30:57 Chasing Meteion
30:57 – 42:17 Meteion Reveals Her Report
42:17 – 58:13 Ktisis Hyperboreia
58:13 – 1:27:11 Post-Dungeon Cutscene
1:27:11 – 1:46:38 Thou Must Live, Die and Know
1:46:38 – 1:51:13 Emotional Thoughts
1:51:13 – 1:57:55 Thoughts & Outro
#2caves #finalfantasy #ffxiv
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These cutscenes – they kick you right where it hurts – that is the truth.
*DRK was better then – Frankly – not really – DRK had issues at the start of EW and they were same as they are now but even worse – it didn't just had basically no sustainability, but Living Dead was also the worst Invuln in the game because it didn't had that insane HP drain it has right now – so in other tanks cases if tank is good, fight might continue with death of healer. With DRK – that meant race against clock when boss will eventually kill DRK – it's still like that today, but at least death is slightly slower now.
"This FFXIV cutscene MESSED me up.."
In other worldview altering news, electrons have negative charge.
This cutscene messed everyone up.
To quote the absolute bossman chad Jecht:
"You'll cry. You're gonna cry. You always cry. See? You're crying."
Venat definitely turned into my absolute favorite character too. She's just wonderful.
But yes. You're still not done. Far from it. It's all gas no brakes from here until the credits pretty much.
Finally, I can tell you something I have waited a very long time to tell you.
Time to blow your mind… 19:45
Take this, it's the last half of a link to a youtube video and play it back at x0.25
watch?v=ZkS1kd-mxxs&t=4586s
Here's the breakdown:
"I" = ..
"t" = –
"’" = .—-.
"s" = …
" " (space) = /
"a" = .-
"l" = .-..
"l" = .-..
" " (space) = /
"w" = .–
"r" = .-.
"o" = —
"n" = -.
"g" = –.
So, the entire phrase "It's all wrong" in Morse code is:
.. – .—-. … / .- .-.. .-.. / .– .-. — -. –.
Which is what Meteon said when she realized something bad was going on.
You can follow along then if you listen closely. Seems some tried to debunk it, but you can hear the dashes and dots clearly if you play it back slowly.
Imagine what it would have been like if the black stuff all over Venat had been red as originally intended before they changed it for T ratings.
An interesting example of their ability to leave small story threads in to pull later: At the end of the crystal tower raids there is a cutscene with Nero standing in front of the canyon near the crystal tower. He had originally been there to look for a previously unknown power source and was using the scanner on his wrist (the same thing he used as a communicator in Praetorium). He said something to the effect of casting aside that path and going his own way, then threw the scanner into the ravine. As he walked away, an echoing Morse code transmission can be heard from the pit as the scene fades out. After translating it, the Morse code said "It's all wrong".
Best cutscene in all of gaming… It's not even close for me. Only some other FFXIV cutscenes come close. And that's coming from me, a 32 years old who's an avid gamer since childhood. This cutscene and ShB & EW in general, genuinely had me changing my outlook on life and changed me as a person.
It’s all fun and games until your empathic bird-probe smacks face first into the Fermi Paradox.
>DEEP breath……
FIIIIIIINALLLYYYYYYY 2caves is here.
Remember everything you learned here as it is VERY crucial to the mirror of you & Zenos. No spoilers… just remember all of this.
I love how twisted Hermes is by his job that even though he's depressed and sees no point in life, no point in anything, he still feels he's going to give mankind a chance to prove him wrong. I think there's still this little shard of hope that he's wrong and that's why he decides to allow Meteion to attempt to destroy them while he'll work actively to stop the occurrence. He's essentially putting the Ancients to the same test they put their own creations through to deem them worthy of life. And he sacrifices his memory of Meteion existing since he'll believe she and her sisters were all destroyed, so he also has no idea what causes the Final Days.
I also love how this shows us why she's gotten weaker over time. Each rejoining was a hit to her strength. Everything she's carried all these millennia. It's not just what's happened with us, but the weight of her decision has been on her shoulders just like the weight of the Ancients' memories have been on Emet's. She's really got no idea what she's doing or how the Final Days/Meteion could be stopped, she's really just trusting mankind to find a way where they couldn't, and that hope makes her essentially carrying the possibility she birthed this world of suffering all for naught. It's like Gandalf said, "There never was much hope. Only a fool's hope." That's the crux of Venat's ultimate Hydaelyn plan – that Zodiark isn't the right path and trusting humanity is the better one…all on hope.
Go back and really listen to how they just recontextualized the lyrics to Answers.
Somehow…. the expansion just keeps getting better from here. And yes… OH YES, it gets more emotionally impactful. On multiple levels.
<3 when it hits you it hits hard and definitely takes time to process emotions, i watched it live when you streamed and definitely you fed us vampires, glad you kept this in and the emotional vulnerability as it shows an epic journey you undertook. I do wonder if it hit like a truck not only because of the story, but people you play raids etc with and followers who have been on your journey as well and the fact you played in a shorter timeframe to the overall original release so its all quite raw.
Thou must live, die, and know. 😭😭😭
Elpis finale is the most impactful piece of storytelling I've ever experienced in games or other media. Incredible how they could tie up lore and story all the way from ARR. Epic.
Oh sweet, you got to this part!
FINALLY
"There are two possibilities, either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. And both are equally terrifying"
-Arthur C. Clarke
How much worse can it get?
FF: "I'm glad you asked."
Edit: nevermind 🙂 And in for some good ones ^.^
When quest names turn into lyrics of Answers you know it will be massive
"It's not aliens, is it?"
"Worse, it's *not aliens*""
"Just Kairos yourself."
Oh God, wouldn't that be great, being able to experience these events for the first time again and again.
The music track that plays when you reappear into the Ocular is called "Now you know the Truth". I thought it was a nice touch.
i am truely enjoying your playthrough. I wish it would be faster. but it is what it is.
In the time I've played this game, there's be very few scenes that have broken me. But this cutscene… this one cutscene is just like incredibly emotionally charged from every expansion. Like, I feel if an outsider were to watch that cutscene, it could still be emotional. But with all the backing of every expansion, with all of the story, it just makes the scene that much more important and emotional.
Has your journey been good?
I’ve been playing video games for almost 40 years and Shadowbringers and Endwalker are some of my absolute favorites. Which is crazy because it’s an MMO and I never would have thought they would be this good.
Or, how one SINGLE MAN destroyed not only his wolrd, but pushed his own people to genocide a massive number of their own surviving kind and 7 other worlds, just because he was depressed.
Hermes did everything wrong.
Just how many "Welcome to Endwalker" moments are there? LOL
"Its not aliens, is it?"
Brother, we've already dealt with aliens.
I had to take a long walk after this cutscene to ruminate.
Venat did everything for us.
Now that's a threatening spoiler alert !
"If we ourselves, are flawed, does it not stand to reason that we too should be discarded ?"
Oh boy I have goosebumps every time 😀
LOL Welcome to the party pal! One of the weebest of weeb games with the most hard hitting emotional gut punches ever. Everybody needed a moment to collect themselves after regaining control in Occular, alone and brain absolutely melted.