Yea I’m not going to lie, this part of the story is what solidified Shadowbringers as the most impactful expansion to me so far. Granted Endwalker has just began, but what I have seen so far hasn’t quite done what Amaurot did for me (although that last part in Endwalker was something special)
@Boa-Noah From a purely "outcome" point of view--one which is itself always wrong, because we never have all the information, and therefore can never really project the outcomes. Utilitarianism is the ultimate arrogance of the ignorant.
I remember when i first saw FFXIV ads around SHB launch with Tom Holland and thought it was nothing more than a stupid weeb game. I started playing 6 months ago and when I got to this point 2 months ago I remember being so angry at myself for writing of such a masterpiece purely due to preconceived notions. Can’t believe I was stuck doing islands and coping with BfA while this was current content. Safe to say I won’t make that mistake twice.
Preach...PREACH! Couldn't agree more. I ended it with Shadowlands 2 days in and didn't look back. WoW and the cringefest it's story has been lately can't even compare to this in the slightest. As someone who used to adore that universe and lore and spent years playing I'm just disgusted at the thought of what I've missed the entire time while grinding rep, AP and whatever resources were current at the time. FFXIV was so cleansing and I can finally see how shit things have been in WoW for so long, it's baffling.
@@hudomi1687 One of the best things about people abandoning the fetid mess that WoW is is that more and more are finding out that there's some really top notch MMOs out there. FF14 is truly amazing with the wonderful story and writing. It reaches highs few games - nevermind MMOs! - reach. And if you wait for sales, you can catch Guild Wars 2 for cheap, and pick up Elder Scrolls Online on sale on Steam for like $10-$20. Neither of those games require a subscription. So, for the cost of 2 1/2 months of WoW's grindy crapfest, you get two amazing, free MMOs to explore, as well as the joy that is Final Fantasy XIV with only one subscription fee needed between the three.
Final Fantasy is a series with a lot of villains who are iconic, cool, and memorable, but none of them touch Emet-Selch as a character. You really come to understand who he is, what drives him, but also why he cannot be allowed to get what he wants, even though you end up having a lot of sympathy and even pity for him. Supremely well done villain.
my thoughts exactly... my favorite gaming villain growing up was always Kefka from ff6 because he was so insane and vicious in his pursuit of power. sephiroth was just so edgy and cool for that era of gaming with his black clothing and huge sword. plus he killed Aries and was just the most Iconic Villain of all the FF games But Emet-selch by leaps and bounds takes the top spot as my favorite villain. you really learn so much of his story and his history and you realize that BOTH of you are fighting for your loved ones and you BOTH feel you deserve to be the Hero of their own personal story...so so well done Square Enix! what happens in Endwalker only deepens my love for this awesome character!
I like the part where Emet talks about how noble his people where, to sacrifice themselves to Zodiark so the others could live, but then you find out that they weren't noble. They were just to weak to endure a bit of suffering, they would rather die than live without a perfect world. It plays a good parallel to the usual fascistic rhetoric of the mythologized past, how people were so much better back in the day, and current day are filled with degenerates that need purging to reclaim the former glory. As it turns out the ancients were weaker then us, and we succeed where they have failed, much like in real life.
Emet-Selch: "The victor shall write the tale, and the vanquished become its villain!" Also Emet-Selch: "I also take offense to my portrayal as a megalomaniacal madman."
I wish we could have seen Emet's immediate reaction after entering the Lifestream. I bet upon getting his memories back, he was like, "Motherf*cker! Hermes!"
I loved the way they animated Emets Walk in SHB. Its lumbering and tiring. He just oozes depression. The saddest part of his arc he is he realizes his peoples time is over long before this conflict. It's not this spat he's having right now that's it. He's been depressed all these thousands of years because deep down he knows it's truly over and its no longer his peoples time.
What's even more depressing is that, by their own admission, the Thirteenth is FUBAR and cannot Rejoin. They're pursuing an outcome that simply cannot happen--but they are not allowed to stop anymore, because Zodiark hungers.
the scene after the final fight with him really just drives home that this was about him and his glory. It's not about winning anymore, he keeps fighting because if he stops his world and his civilization are gone and forgotten.
I loved that you wrote this bc for the sprinkle on top, despite knowing that his people’s time has ended, he still fought till the bittersweet end for them. Like he says, “I would never abandon my brethren.” And he didn’t.
Praetorium, aetherochemical research facility and ala migo had cool visuals, but amaurot is where they really kick it up a notch with the final dungeon vibes.
To be fair, Amaurot is closer to the end of the story. Personally, only ACF is close to Amaurot. ACF was a banger from start to finish. The adrenaline, the feeling of closing in on your prey (Thordan). Felt good man.
I can't help but wonder if the entire part of the trailer with the gremlin and the WoL vs. the angel Sin Eater is a metaphor for the struggle the WoL had in dealing with their corrupted aether right before the fight with Emet-Selch. The WoL in the trailer is having Echo flashbacks to important moments from previous trailers. More importantly, some of those moments are from the 1.0 trailer, specifically from the bits of the trailer where the Shadowkeeper (who was in the party with Ardbert) appears. Makes me wonder if the WoL is processing the memories from not just their own past, but also from Ardbert's past.
I saw an interview of Yosh-P saying that it was actually the other way around. The line was written for the trailer first and Ishikawa picked it up and included it in the MSQ.
Literally, the entire time I was like 'Emet I understand everything you're saying but I wanna live thanks, even if I'm only a quarter of who I was' Hurts even more that Emet is saying this all to a shard of his old friend(Azem) who he probably thinks has been turned against him by Hydaelyn : (
i dont disagree with him if i had the choice i would pick emets side and become his best buddy blow up some worlds and die in a big boom... yeah my life would be shorter but man would we have a great time together xD
Remember the conditions for a Rejoining: You unbalance the Aether of the Shard and Source. Tipped towards a shared alignment. Pushed to the point that the boundaries begin to shatter. Then, in a Calamity, the Shard flows into the Source. Your own Aether, unbalanced. Tipped towards the alignment of Light. Pushed to the point that your soul is shattering. Then, in a moment of Calamity, Rejoined. "We fight as one."
When you can disagree iwth a villian but acknowledge that they have good points, that is the moment you know you have a well written villain. It's so much better than the bad big nipple man got the sigils that are more important than any sigils until they are remade in the next patch because reasons you can read when the book comes out.
I was so curious and intrigued by the Jailer until the first time you meet him when he just goes "Puny mortal" or something to that effect. Just the same line that every single WoW villain ever says. I don't get how the WoW team didn't realize how old that has become. I'm sure some of them realized it, but they probably couldn't change that.
@@writershard5065 Which is interesting because Emet's basically calling you a "puny mortal" but because you understand *why* he's saying that and *what* it means it working. It also helps that he's not actually outright saying "puny mortal".
@@bryanadkins6776 Now I’ve been imagining having actual Emet Selch with his motivations as the Shadowlands enemy, and it makes the story so much better. We know WHAT his goals our. That “remaking reality” means remaking our reality to bring back his own. We know him as a character instead of just a plot device.
Seeing it from an outsider perspectiv, I admit i never fully appreciated all the destruction happening during the dungeon when i ran it. "It's really beautiful -in a horryfying way" yes !
Yeah, it took me a couple of runs to realize the first boss was literally dropping building walls on you. Then the collapse of everything after the fight.
I always recommend people use the trust system for their first run if they don't have friends to run it with them, you really need time to just stop and take it all in.
I massively enjoyed CRAWL people having robe glams and RP lines for Amaurot, walking around doing ascian things. The best thing for that place is to be alone, second best is this :D
I've been waiting for you to get here. Easily one of my top three favorite cutscenes in the entire game, and my other two are still in your future. Chills, man, chills.
@@JamesW609 Yeah, I remember he honestly just wanted to do the raid and have fun with his friends. Loot he'd rather give away than keep himself since he doesn't really care
That's a weird take. Plenty of FF14 players care about loot for power or glamour. Mike's just never really been interested in those things in whatever game he's playing.
One of my favourite sequences in gaming right here! The IRONY of everything that Emet-Selch says ("You are no one. Nothing." ...when... we know...) the way he closes his eyes when saying "weary wanderer", as if to deny he is one himself. The sheer tragedy of this confrontation. Love it!
omfg I have been waiting for this moment since I heard Preach was going to try FF14 and move away from WOW.. I was like " Plz plz plz let him play long enough to see this awesome story unfold!!!" and here we are!!! it's such an amazing story I really think the writing and character development in this game is beyond anything that has ever been done before in gaming they really raised the Bar and showed many other studios how a story driven game should be done...They really really had this entire story all planned out since they first started working on Heavensward and you can clearly see all that effort and it shows! cant wait for Preach's jaw to REALLY hit the fucking floor after he starts playing the Endwalker content!
Today's stream was one for the books. Watching you go through all this today for the first time just made me emotional all over again. Amazing, and the upcoming story is equally amazing. I can't wait to watch!
such a great story, like its so good you can't help but want others to experience it, much like a good book or TV show/movie. And you can't help people are hardcore missing out when they choose to skip, like even if you don't play the game for story if you watch TV shows/read books you'll appreciate it if you just take time to work through it. Modern MMOs condition people to want to be at the end game or you're missing out everything before that point doesn't matter, but FFXIV is all about the journey the game is very much not going anywhere and even when you reach end game you'll probably spend 70-80% of your time doing old content anyways so theres no rush, just buckle up and enjoy the ride. People dog on ARR cause its slow but any good book or show always starts from those humble beginnings, you just kind of have to stick it out I never imagined I'd cry over a video game but this game had me in tears and even watching others play through those moments still hit home. I'll never say to let the story delay you from doing content you enjoy, but at the bare minimum set aside time to go back rewatch cutscenes or do new game+ when you feel like you got the time, its worth it.
I always enjoy watching people who truly appreciate the game going thorugh all the things I went through. Heh there will be a few streamers all caught up to the rest of us and waiting for 6.1 soon enough I think. Well maybe, there is still so much to ShB after 5.0.
Yeah. I won’t spoil, but good God…. The end of the world that we’re experiencing in this dungeon… I feel terrible. The weight he said has a lot of meaning
This dungeon and ending is just masterful. I think Endwalker might be ever so slightly better, BUT I think Shadowbringers ending is better. Emet is the best character in ff14.. well there might be one that's better. But that's spoilers and for those who know, yes it is who you think it is that I think is a touch better. Also for anyone who didn't notice it, the little gremlin from the trailer? He says several of Emet's lines from the trailer. "Weary wanderer, no fight left to fight no life left to live."
Endwalker ended with me being satisfied of how things turned out. Shadowbringers 5.0 ended with "Are we the baddies?" But regarding a satisfying ending, 5.3 is the same, hell the game could even end right th...MEANWHILE
@@ADKV95 yeah 5.3 could have been the end of the game for sure. Only thing I had a problem with was ironically lightly touched on in endwalker. Spoiler It bothered me that we didn't see if we let our!g'raha decide if he wanted the Crystal Exarch's memories. I mean, knowing G'raha all you'd have to do is be like "yeah we were super friendly," but still the morality of that bothered me a little. It reminds me a lot of an amnesia story honestly, because the Exarch did some stuff that was a little questionable, so I honestly feel like we should give him the choice. As Ardbert chose to fuse back with the Warrior of Light. The only other thing I have a problem with there is the death fake outs with him in general. But eh at the same time, the guy gives so damn much I don't mind him getting what he wants.
The scene with Arbert and Shadowbringers kicking in is hard to beat. It’s just such a rush of adrenaline all the way through to the end of the trial and leaves you shaking through the credits and wanting to know what happens next. Endwalker was just so emotional all the way through that by the end I was exhausted but so incredibly satisfied. It’s so heavy in themes, stakes, and conclusions, that I felt empty afterwards for awhile. Just both masterpieces in their own right
@@aerieleah533 Spoiler It was said in the quest that our!G'raha might reject the Crystal Exarch, so he pretty much had a choice when we brought the vial there. Since the actual scene at the Crystal Tower is never shown, he either took it after we asked him to or accepted it on his own. Best boy canonically had the option to say no.
There is just something hype about shadowbringers that endwalker can't reach because we know we are marching to the end of the story. But I dont hold it against endwalker. It ended the saga really well considering what it had to work with. There cant really be any what-if moments because it's about tying everything together.
Having just started watching this...I wonder..does anyone point out that the map markers make a poem about the End? Read from the start of the dungeon to the end of it (full map and zoomed in to see the pieces)
I love this dungeon... i just fricking LOVE this this dungeon Altho, for a Tank. 1st timing this dungeon is a damn nightmare. I was panicking as DRK so hard
@45:00 After finishing Endwalker, and you watch this scene again, you know _exactly_ what he saw. Though, they did give you ample hints before this, but they really drilled it home in Endwalker as to what exactly happened here.
5:55 That right there is why Emet-Selch is a good character. You can disagree without hating him. You know you have to stop him and that it will likely end with you killing him. And after all that you will still (probably) have second thoughts on if this was the only way. Could we have found common ground? Could we have worked together? Do we have to fight?
Emet-Selch: "But what was it that you came here to do exactly?" Every-streamer: "We came here for the Exarch" Emet-Selch: "Well you can't have him" Every-streamer including myself loudly "Oh..."
Just as a friendly reminder you’ve no fight left to fight no life left to live should be very familiar. If you don’t remember I’ll let you go back and find it
It’s something that bothers me about shb is how they talk about the ascians not being able to let go of the past and move forward. The wol and all the scions literally died. Our future as ardbert puts it should never have happened.
For those who don't do research on small details like I do, "cthonic" means "pertaining to or concerning the underworld," and looking up the etymology of Riddle, it used to mean "council, conjecture, imagination." So I suppose "Cthonic Riddle" might be an allusion to how it was created by the Ancient's fears, an "imagined beast of the underworld." And Therion is Greek for "beast," specifically the word used in the Bible to describe the creature that comes out of the sea and is given the authority to rule over man by the Devil in the End Times.
Possibly... When the credits rolled, he pointed at the screen and said it was the top video game story he's ever played. So looks like it topped Divinity on his list
@@specialnewb9821 i think it was during the credit when he was talking to Emma, mentioned he cried twice too (saw one during the Rapture whale part, but idk the other one tho)
Not one time have I ever fought Therion and thought "we got this". It always feels like we're behind on DPS, but I've also never failed on that boss. Its trippy.
I just realized something: Pint is a Black Mage, Pyromancer is a Black Mage, and Preach is a Black Mage... wait, is Rich also a Black Mage too, right? Then Asmon is Dark Knight. Do they love being Black or Dark as well?
I noticed the dungeon weather is identical here to the weather in the 90 MSQ dungeon. It's a nice touch. None of us knew what was happening to cause the end of the world - not us, not the Ascians, neither player character nor NPC alike. And then after EW, knowing what we know as both players and WoLs, watching this dungeon is like a huge "oh. Yeah, that'd do it."
As nice as this was, I wish more party members followed with and waited for the streamer, letting the streamer trigger events and take in the dungeon at their own pace. Especially when the party members are from the streamer’s own audience and have done the content before.
@@thebigandlazyguy246 I love that they implemented it. I've always gone into new dungeons with the Trust system first to take in the environment and dialogue at my own pace. It's a shame it's not the most "efficient" way to complete a dungeon, and I don't see many streamers use it. Either because of pressure from their audience or frustration with the Trust AI.
So, that summoning spell that the Exarch uses. I head-canon some real shenanigans with that. SPOILERS FOR 5.1 TO THE END OF ENDWALKER, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! The first summoning acts out like: 7 WoL appear. WoL-5: Someone called out for a champion, and I hee-where the fuck am I!?!?! WoL-2: Dude, I've had to go to the bathroom for like three hours, this better be important! Emet-Selch does his "I am Hades" act. WoL-2:...Okay, Ascian, that's all you had to say. Second summoning: WoL-5: Someone called out for a champion, and I hee...oh hey [insert PC WoL name] WoL-3: Damn it, my date had just invited me up to her room! You owe me for this! WoL-2: So who are we fighting this time? PC WoL: Big pale dude over there, as powerful as Emet-Selch, then became the heart of the God Darkness, now has absorbed the prayers of half a dozen doomed worlds to empower himself into an overpowered Primal/Ascian. WoL-2:...Christ, I need to learn to say no when people ask for help. Third: WoL-5: Someone called out for a champ...uh... PC WoL: Everyone, that's the God of Darkness himself, now possessed by another Ascian who wants to usher in the apocalypse. WoL-5: WoL-2.5: Whoa, where the hell am I? WoL-4: Oh hey new fish, I guess the other guy learned how to say no. 4th summoning: WoL-5: Someone needed help, yadda yadda, how ya been, [PC WoL]? PC WoL: Well, since I last saw you after we killed the God of Darkness, it turns out THAT caused the apocalypse, (my bad) and I went to talk to the ghost of the Ascian/Primal hybrid, (real cordial fellow, all things considered) I ended up 13,000 years in the past, befriended two gods before they were famous, encountered a grandfather paradox, killed the Goddess of Light, and now we're here at the literal edge of the literal universe after chasing down a monochromatic little girl with cute little wings on her head, then we stepped into a teal colored pimple sticking out from a dead star, and now we're riding on the back of my bestest frienemy about to fight the physical embodiment of the collective despair and pain of a thousand thousand dead worlds WoL-5:...Okay...how are you gonna top this the next time you call us? PC WoL: I've been wondering that myself for two expansions!
While this was a nice video, i stopped watching his streams...he is absolutely allowed to have his own opinion and takes, but the way he is ranking, disparaging some Scions...i am sorry, it kinda hurts me! But I still like this Amarot playthru, yepyep. Stream snippets are good :D
All good but wish these former WoW streamers would play a normal looking character for once in FFXIV lol. They all made badass and cool characters in WoW and then they jump to this game like "LOOK AT ME, I AM A MEME HAHAHA" like they don't think FFXIV deserves the same respect and give it a subtle putdown by memeing on it. I guess that's what the WoW players who follow these guys want to see so can't blame them it's just funny how their idea of characters changes hard in this game. As least Asmongold made his character similar to what he uses in WoW. All these great scenes and they are ruined by dumb meme outfits and silly character designs lol.
Pretty much everyone memes in this game regardless of if they are from WoW or not. It isn't dissing the game by any means its just playing the game how it's intended.This is the norm for the ff14 community it's just for fun and to make other players laugh when they see their character Also there isn't even anything wrong with his character she looks fine little yellow but it works with the character's colors
@@RopeDrink I am insulting the english VAs because they suck. trying to twist my thoughts into something that makes your cognitive dissonance go away, now that is cringe
