19:06 The Story of Endwalker has already concluded. The devs have been pretty firm about that. The current patch MSQ is a prologue for the multi-expansion story arc. That's why there was no final boss in patch 6.3, as there was in the other x.3 patches.
she is the final boss of the first arc; which stems from ARR to Endwalker or she would not be the source to all the calamities, also both her and hermes are the reason why the asciens/Zodiark exist. Now that arc is over; the next one begins! was it called the Void arc? makes me wonder if Zeromus will be responsible for that mess...
@@BlakeAustin2011 it wasn't all bad or inaccurate, just maybe not 100% what others might agree with. Not many people realize that the initial ARR story ends in the x.3 patch as well, but Ramuh doesn't feel like a "final" boss to conclude a story. I guess that's why they used Vishap. Surprised the Zenos solo encounter wasn't mentioned though.
@@Guylock There is no name for that arc as far as I am aware. I highly doubt that 7.0 will take place in the void, however. MAYBE in a restored thirteenth, but I doubt even that. I rather think the current smaller arc is there to set up some things, then 7.0 takes it in an entirely different direction.
You could argue that in the endsinger f7ght its not the endsinger who undergoes a phase change but the players. Endsinger basically uses her limit break to kill us thinking "gottem" only for us to stand up with a refilled healthbar and stronger attacks while she is spend of everything, reduced to panicly thrashing at us
OUR song of hope, she dances on the wind Higher, oh higher E'er our vows endure, and remain forever strong Standing tall in the dark do we carry on On wings of hope, you rise up through the night Higher, oh higher Carrying OUR song, cradled fast within your arms So its chorus might ring for all
It's the thing of the battle, her trying to got us into the despair since our arrival in Ultima Thule but we overcame every challenge she threw at us, always keeping the resolves that things can be better and, even if our lifetime is limited, well it's just a reason to enjoy it her fighting us was her last stand, her last try, it failed because, even if she got us to use all our Dynamis to survive her attack and doing it again when we can't defend ourselves only to be saved by our friends, still resolved that we can and we will win she understood that, her most powerfull and only weapon: Despair is unnefective against us and, even worse it backfired she was the one caught into it in the battle when she realized it
Man I would love to see an FF11 video for FF11. I will admit I only knew of FF11 and loved it by coming across a fact that Eald'narche and Kamlanaut were scrapped from Dissidia Duodecim with Shantotto and Prishe chosen as 11's reps instead
oh sweet, i was waiting for this!!! Hades DID NOT disappoint, my advice to new players is always "turn up your music" i recall Main Tanking Endsinger and asking in chat "did she just throw a PLANET at us!?" and one the healers responded with "yes, and she'll do it many, many more times" and i love the fake out and lightly troll new players with "oh no enrage timer..." "what already?" "oops sorry, i meant for us" from a comment on a music video, always love seeing players reactions to that comment :D
Just a note @3:58, Thancred was not mind controlled, he was body-jacked by Lahabrea. He was not focused during his espionage & was already exhausted with other duties behind the scenes, so Lahabrea used that opportunity to take over his body during his tired state.
I do not expect for us to see a proper "end of Endwalker" boss like the prior expansions had -- 6.0 and the Endsinger wrapped up the major plot threads we were weaving from since 1.0... the story of the Ascians and the Final Days, of the way the world was before it was sundered into fourteen parts, of Zodiark and Hydaelyn... While I'm sure we'll have smaller arcs going on, like the events in the Thirteenth, with their own bosses like Golbez and the Four Archfiends, I don't expect another real "Final Boss" until 7.0's launch and conclusion.
I think it should have been added that you had to use tank LB3 to survive against Warrior of Lights Limit Break 4. Then you have to do the same in the Endsinger fight only for her to rewind and repeat the attack this time while the player has an empty LB bar which leads into the fake out. Those moments were so awesome!
One thing I loved about the end singer fight was that it didn’t just kill you, it telegraphed a massive attack for you to use your tank LB3 on, then after you barely survive, it telegraphs the same attack again. Great use of mechanics to create a desperate moment. And it’s worth mentioning the phase where you climb on shinryu in his EX fight
Great video! Just a few notes: If you fail the Active Time Maneuver in The Dying Gasp (Hades), it is not a party wipe, the players that fail it simply get KO'd while the rest of the party can continue fighting. It IS a full party wipe if any ONE player fails it in the Seat of Sacrifice (Warrior of Light) however. Endsinger IS the final boss of Endwalker. While the expansion is still ongoing, the story we're currently experiencing has nothing to do with the events of Endwalker, it's more that it's building up to the NEXT expansion (although in my opinion, it feels a bit filler-esque). It's also worth noting that Endsinger is the final boss of the entire first saga of FFXIV (The Hydaelyn/Zodiark saga) which encompasses everything from 1.0 to Endwalker, so the fight's boss music is a combination of each final boss fights music that came before!
Something else to note about Endsinger that ties her to previous final bosses: After her big attack fails, she starts flailing around in a panic like Hades does.
I just recently started playing this game and I have to say I already put in 60 hours in it in the past couple of days I really love this franchise and this game here has sucked me in to the point to where I honestly don’t want to play anything else
Huge Final Fantasy fan here. I'm playing this game religiously since beta of 1.0 and I have to say, Endwalker killed me. I have fond memories with friend about FFXIV in general and even though the story was good, Endwalker was on another level. The built-up emotions bursting out after defeating Endsinger, years after I first step in Eorzea, was overwhelming. It took me a couple weeks after 6.0 to actually be back to my normal self. With normal FF titles, you play the game, you beat it, the story was good, you continue your life until the next title. With XIV, you have to experience the whole story drop by drop (if you played the game since the start, waiting for content patches and expansions), hyping you up more and more until you reach the final destination. FFXI does that too but since technology was far less impressive back in the days, the impact it had on me was way less than XIV. Overall, it was an amazing story and I can't wait to see what S-E will offer us during the next decade.
Pardon me, but in the fight against Hades, the Active Time Maneuver does not wipe the full party should one player fail the mechanic. The player simply remains dead. It's sad, cause I've seen way more players fail that during Warrior of Light, where its mandatory, while here where its not, its easier.
I find it difficult to call the .3 bosses the final boss of expansions knowing full well there were 2 more big patches in each, but narratively, that was historically where the current one ended and setup for the next began, until endwalker, it was explicitly stated that 6.0 is all of endwalkers story, the endsinger is narratively the end of a story 10 years in the making, and every patch is serving as setup to wherever we go from here, which is why I’m excited it’s basically a huge love letter to FFIV for now
tbh it's more like they tying loose ends and preparing groundwork. In one of the live letters devs said that 7.0 hints/plot points would not be revealed at least until 6.5-6.55
Hey Paul, thanks for the comment. We've made the decision to put The Complete History of Square on hiatus at the moment. The whole project just ended up becoming a bit too overwhelming due to the sheer scale. There's every chance we'll return to it one day, but for now we're going to be focussing on Project Historia instead. Sorry about that ~Darryl
@Final Fantasy Union okay.id definitely take that 20 hour ff project. But,maybe u can help?someone, on the,channel did a,ff7 retrospective a year or so ago and sad piano music was,playing. Do u know the song playing?
No. Lahabrea is not the true final boss of ARR. That would be Ultima Weapon. Lahabrea is a post-final boss, such as yu yevon in ffx. Vishap was just a regular trial. It didn't even have an EX version. Basically, if there's a "Minstrels Ballad" of a fight, then it's the final boss of some story arc.
If you haven’t done the revised Lahabrea fight I highly encourage you to check it out. It may not be the most technically complex but it’s so much better in terms of power scaling at 50 and the changes to the story that make it clearer that Hydaelyn has expended a lot of energy helping the WoL.
@@gateauxq4604 I have done it. Zenos viator Galvus serves the same purpose at the end of endwalker, but he isn't on this list. It's not consistent. Both are post- final bosses. Not true ones. There's no lahabrea minstrels ballad, nor is there one for zenos, excepting shinryu on a technicality.
Amazing content as always FFU! I just find it sad that you never mentioned the music in these boss ifghts. For me is what takes them to another level. I think all of the songs, maybe except for Ultima/Lahabrea, use this so called leitmotifs: a recurrent theme that appears in a variety of songs. The theme of the expansion is used in cities, towns, dungeons and boss fights; but when the final boss appears, you know that you are going to get your ears blasted. I like all of them but I remember hearing "Dragonsong" during "The Final Steps of Faith" for the first time and I knew this was going to be one hell of a fight. You can hear the song when you are waiting for a party and even in the loading screen (a first I think?). As you described, the boss evolves between each phase and this is also true to the song into this epic symphony.
Where is my final fight with Zenos :( The grand music, the memeable quotes, dividing the fanbase in half... it has everything of a perfect final battle!
I would like to point out the Vishapp fight was nerffed 4 or 5 times before it becoming a solo instance. I can still remember the dread getting that fight in Trial Roulette and i still have Nam flashbacks hearing the theme
I enjoy your guys work but you can draw direct parallel to what was mentioned to other MMO'S (WoW specifically). All bosses evolve, different, new expanded mechanics. You fight a final boss until the next patch. Once peace is achieved the next xpac comes back with someone who was locked away or someone that awoke from a ice cold slumber. I would have rather seen a video on final bosses in the non MMO iterations.
They pretty much built FFXIV around teamwork, something I am not used to as a "solo player", I have never actually played many MMORPGs, so I'm more used to playing RPGs by myself.
@@MimebladeGMail its more like learning the mechanics and your rotation right, doing everything at the exact moment, but its great and very fun too. Its not so different from old turn FFs. You should give it a try
One important thing you forgot to mention - Endsinger is fought on the back of Shinryu, a PREVIOUS final boss, turned temporary ally, which I think is a first
a previous final boss is something that can only be pulled off in an mmo, or at least a game with direct sequels involved. But the concept of a previous boss turned temporary ally in the hopes of defeating the final boss, within the same game, at least started with FF4
@@kyuven I'd say moreso. Shiva shows signs of being influenced by Ryne and Ysayle in her incarnations, whereas Zenos was straight up possessing and mind-controlling Shinryu. Zenos was also controlling a Shinryu he didn't summon, whereas Ryne's and Ysayle's influences on Shiva were based solely on their preconceptions of who and what Shiva was, and Ryne's addition of tons of light-aspected aether to the summon.
One thing that I think elevates each of these, especially Endsinger’s fight, is the music. With how Leitmotifs of every final boss theme are present in the Endsinger’s battle theme, showing how every step, every final battle, was a stepping stone to the Endsinger.
15:40 no the fight doesn’t wipe you if one player fails the active time maneuver, the patch 5.3 fight does however so I believe that’s what you were thinking about
The fakeout death, I believe, was meant to be a callback to FFIV more than anything else referencing Cecil's fight against Zeromus. You initially lose the fight, but it's the faith and prayers of your friends in Mysida that revive the party so you can win, and with this expansion in particular being so heavily referential of that game, at least for me, that was the biggest callback. Also I should point out for you, the story of Endwalker is complete (since you mentioned seeing what the conclusion of the story will be) Yoshida announced prior to the launch of Endwalker that the post expansion patches this time around are entirely there to help set the groundwork for the next major, multi-expansion story arc.
@@MrWilliGaming the entire expansion was HEAVILY referencing FFIV, and it wasn't at all subtle. The Tower of Zot and The Tower of Babil are both dungeons in the game, the Magus Sisters origially debuted in that game, the lopporits living on the moon are from that game, and the town theme that plays there as well as the battle theme that plays when you get into combat in Bestways Burrow are both tracks from FFIV. Your friends praying to return you to life and their prayers strengthening you in the end is exactly what happens when you fight Zeromus in FFIV. It's okay if you see it differently, but both can be correct. It can be a callback, at least cinematically to the ARR trailer while also being a direct reference to the final boss in IV.
We had: Realm Reborn: Darth Vader Heavensward: the emperor Stormblood: Darth Vader v2 Shadowbringer: the best final fantasy villain Endwalker: depression
We are here to kill Chaos. We must kill Chaos. My quest is to kill Chaos. Chaos will die. I can't f#cking stand Chaos. Chaos. He pisses me off. Chaos won't escape. Chaos killed my wife and f#cked my dog and recorded it. Chaos. I have the mp4 on my MacBook. Chaos is a loser nerd with no friends. Chaos. This is the shrine of Chaos. Chaos. We're here. Mom said it's my turn to kill Chaos. We are here to kill Chaos. Chaos. That's my mission. I hate Chaos so much, it's unreal. Chaos will be waiting for us. I only know one thing. Chaos. I want to kill Chaos. I can smell Chaos, so I think he's around. This is the shrine to Chaos. I just sh!t my pants. He's here. Chaos. Chaos pissed on my doormat. Chaos. He was trying to draw his own face with his piss. Chaos is the speed-eating champion in Scranton, Pennsylvania- Chalupa division. Chaos. I won't rest until Chaos is defeated. Chaos hates capitalism and yet he participates in it. Ironic. Chaos. F#ckin' piece of sh!t, I hate that guy. I won't forgive Chaos. Chaos. Chaos bought the last Skylander at my local Toys "R" Us. Chaos. Even though he knew I wanted it. I'm going to kill Chaos. Chaos. Chaos can't even bench one plate. I know that Chaos is here. Chaos is team Edward, but I haven't seen Twilight yet, so I don't know if I'll agree with that. This is the end for Chaos. I should have known Chaos was behind this. Chaos won't stand in my path. Chaos will taste my revenge. Chaos does a lot of volunteer work. Chaos. And makes a big impact in his community. Chaos. You b!tch. I hope Chaos doesn't think my shirt is weird. His opinion means a lot to me. Chaos. Chaos downloaded a bunch of dolphin pr0n onto my computer. That's how come it's on there. Chaos. Who are you? I am Chaos.
Hell yes!!! I was waiting for this video! I love the fact that you've included major patch final bosses. It was always mind boggling to me that most people didn't include those when discussing final bosses within FFXIV. Estinien Nidhogg, Tsukuyomi Yotsuyu and Warrior of Light Elidibus are in fact, final bosses. I think you should've mentioned Zenos as a part of the EW final boss streak. Also should've mentioned Hydaelyn & Zodiark, since they were built up since 1.0 and ARR. But it's important to mention that EW story is finished. This is the first time patches are not directly connected to the main expansion story. BTW. Small correction. 1st phase of Hades fight is his true self. 2nd phase is him absorbing the hopes and prayers of his fallen brethren, making it even more heartbreaking. Also, Elidibus wasn't the final Ascian. He's the final of the 3 Unsundered Ascians. Those who are complete. There are still Sundered Ascians around, as we saw in EW and post-ShB patches. And Elidibus didn't absorb the body of Ardbert. He absorbed the partially summoned Warriors of Light from different Shards/Planes into Ardbert's dead body, which he possessed. I also wish you mentioned the story significance of each fight, but I suspect you didn't play through the entire story, so I understand.
7:25 You also missed a bit. They actively nerfed Vishap because people kept failing it. Even before Power Creep made him easier, the devs had to nerf him. 9:12 I think you're over selling Thordan a bit. I love the fight - Extreme especially. But that's a bit more complex than the fight actually is. You just take em down as they spawn. Next set only spawns when the last dies. 10:50 And under selling Phase 3. Phase 3 is what used Akh Morn. Estinien used Ala Morn which was a hefty Tank Buster. Most groups would only ever die to Akh Morn due to high damage, people not knowing how stacks work cuz it was the first one casual content intros you to, or dying to the orb explosions. 14:40 Your wording here implies Emet is manipulating the group by being there, when that part is genuine. Unsure if that matters to your point, but Emet truly was a friendly companion for his stay. Further proven by his final lines before the fight. "Let us cast aside all titles." He sees you for you - rather than the mere insect he's tried to see you as. And then he LITERALLY doesn't have a boss title. 16:19 Less absorb Ardbert, and more . He stole Ardbert's body cuz that's just what Ascians do - and has narrative significant beyond what we can go over here. Here we actually see the calling of allies taken to the logical conclusion - said allies being his literal power. They aren't merely called to help, they empower AND help, being the basis of every single one of his new mechanics in the second phase. Gotta agree with another comment that the lack of mention of Hydaelyn - or at least Zodiark - is missing. Zodiark has been the big, mega, ultra bad since 2.0. Its only through what we learned in Shadowbringers and the story of Endwalker itself that The Endsinger was what caused everything to begin with. Meanwhile, the big bad we've been chasing, expecting a climactic showdown since 2.0 - gets possessed and put as a basic mid-level trial. That's kinda bonkers on its own. Otherwise an enjoyable video that shows how the game has evolved.
One thing to note with Hades; because he has aethersight, he *never* saw mortals as insignificant insects; they're cruel, twisted and corrupted visages of people he knew with the WoL specifically being someone who was close to and important to him. That's the reason why he's trying so desperately to convince the WoL to just let him win, and why the payoff of the fight is him finally seeing the shattered fragments as their own people, the inheritors of his civilization, and asking only that they do not forget.
its funny you mention Endsinger as a culmination of many of the previous final fantasy xiv final bosses as her theme is literally a remix of the themes of Ultima Weapon, Thordan, Hades, etc
Correction on Thancred in 2.0. Lahabrea literally POSSESSED his body. Not mind control. Thancred was not conscious throughout most if not all of that final battle
I could not be still through this whole video, ahaha, I kept yelling and bouncing. SO excited to see y'all cover these! I really appreciate how you also included the fights that now don't exist, like the "old" Lahabrea fight; it's a good change and manages to keep the challenge without losing the story impact for those playing through ARR for the first time. As for which is my "favorite" - in many ways the Nid-stinien fight is right up there, I had so much investment in the story by then and the conclusion was so satisfying because of that. Same for Seat of Sacrifice in Shadowbringers (and for those that have played that, if you know, you know: The Snap!). I was quite emotional about that one too, I don't mind admitting. Endsinger was in some ways easier than the dungeon preceding that (Dead Ends, I hate you dearly). But the payoff! So good. And as a last mention, Tsukuyomi still makes me super sad. The conclusion there (and the "loss" of a specific NPC after) just tears me up in all sorts of ways. I didn't even like Yotsuyu, how dare the devs make me care about her death! And every one of these fights has made for great conversations with so many friends, with my brother, my son, and my husband too - all four of us played through Endwalker at the same time, with MUCH swearing and crying. (Well. I cried, anyway!) So thank you - thank you, thank you, thank you! My heart is content
My favorite battle is Seat of Sacrifice, because I think it was pretty clever story-wise and mechanically. I love the fact that the boss uses skills from various jobs against us and multiple limit breaks throughout the fight and how the story plays with the theme of light vs. dark. (Also, the fact he begins the battle giving Living Dead to all party is just so funny.)
Níðhöggr still my favorite followed closely by WoL (even if I agree with the derivative comment you made). . .. ... (A shame I have to turn off bgm at my favorite fight.)
I can't play XIV, I remember the time sync that XI was and I can't do that to myself again.... But this video is really... REALLY... making me want to abandon all responsibilities!!!!! lol
Should have included the raids because IMHO Bahamut is the real final boss of 2.x, and Omega is the true final boss of 4.x. Also the Hydaelyn Saga is over as of 6.0, everything after 6.01 is a new plot going off in its own direction.
No spoilers!!!! Dude I’m jk here, but in my 1st month back in this game after a 5 year break, I’ve never seen a group of people act more precious about spoilers in my life. I mean that in a bad way btw. I said something vague af and people are /tell info me how I’m so close to spoiling something. Tf? If I didn’t do something don’t get in my /tells to say that I almost did something THAT I DIDNT DO ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM THE ONE FURTHEST BACK IN THE STORY! Ok, I’m done ranting. I’m having a great time with the game, but could do without these self appointed chat police. Jeez.
Everyone is here talking about Endsinger. King Thordan has always been the BEST final boss to me personally. Yeah, now he's a push over but back in 3.0, fighting him for the first time was a treat. The awesome voiced dialog, the music, the spectacle of having to fight him, withstanding the onslaught of the other 11 knights. That second phase is literally the player trying to survive the "Knights of the Round" attack from FF7. Seeing him realize he got more than he bargained for and end up just swinging wildly after expending all his power was just so satisfying. Not only that but we finally get to avenge our bud, Haurchefant. The Warrior of Light fight at the end of ShB was dope too. I liked how he was pulling WoL from other worlds to help fight us. To him, he is the hero and we are the threat that needs to be removed. That crazy push button quick time event was absolutely crazy too. If ONE person doesn't push fast enough, you all die. Lol.
I was up at 3am completing The Dying Gasp with work at 8am that morning because I was damned if I was gonna stop after the Amaurot dungeon. I didnt sleep that well after id been vibrating in my chair for hours at that point. Way too excited.
Emet Selch is without a doubt the best character in any game I've played. I feel like you could easily make a very interesting video just about his story.
as a long time player vishap was one of the few fights that made me contemplate taking the 30min duty block when it popped up in roulettes cause i hated that fight.
I'd argue that the second final boss of Stormblood isn't Tsukiyomi, but instead the instance that was introduced in patch 4.56 against Elidibus possessed Zenos. Sure, we didn't defeat him there, but neither did we "defeat" Zenos in the Royal Menagerie in 4.0.
The first line, “MMOs are well known for the expansive and intricate stories.” Which MMOs are you referring to? The only real story-based MMOs that are known for the story are LOTRO, FFXI up to Treasures and skip to Rhapsodies, and 14. I’ve never heard someone they play WOW or any other MMO for the story.
More seems like willful ignorance on your end. Many people played and still play WoW for the story. Even if it isn't as good as it was. Before WoD, I'd even say the majority stuck around because of the story and characters. Even going into BFA and Shadowlands. They kind of had to fallback on the stories and characters of the past to hold interest Also, GW2's main content is Story content. Similar to FF14. Living World is the big reason people play GW2 if they aren't into PvP. SWOTOR is also primarily known for its story. Runescape is kind of hailed as the gold standard for story quests. Literally the only reason anyone still plays ESO is because of the fantastic zones and story quests. People still play all versions of Everquest because of the story. Wizard101 is still played today because of its interesting story. I think you kind of get the point. Story plays a big part in the continued existence of most MMO's. It's why many MMO's who do release with a lackluster story fall so quickly like Bless Online and New World. When people saw that Wizard101 made the first Arc free for a month. They went back in droves to play a game they haven't touched in a decade just so they could beat Mallistaire for the first time. The story of FusionFall is why many have worked tirelessly to keep that game alive in private servers and many more games that have "died" have lots of communities working to keep them around so others can experience their stories Seems like you only really play 2 MMO's and are blanketing a misconception on all MMO's. Also, you are hating on WoW because of its current story issues when really. The big reason the game was the biggest MMO during Wrath was because of its story. Many people don't know what WoW is but will still know who the Lich King is
That build-up moment leading up to the fight was the first time I audibly yelled out, "LETS GOOOO!" at my screen. I was so hyped going into that fight for the first time. Been playing this game for 8 years now. 😅
I like to think of the final boss of Endwalker as us, the player aka the Warrior of Light. Endsinger is fighting *us* and she loses. The music in phase 1 is a medley of the previous expansion bosses that *we* the player overcame in the past. And in phase 2 the music is a mashup of the Expansion theme Song of Hope and The Maker’s Ruin which is arguably the WoL’s main theme. So I submit the Endwalker msq final boss is the Warrior of Light themself
As someone who constantly has alts, getting to enjoy the updates 'organically', rather than through ng+, experincing the changes is so interesting. For example, the Lahabrea instance now feels more personal. This is the Ascian that has possessed your friend Thancred, possibly even the one who you fought with in Ul'dah and recruited you to the Scions. Not to mention its a really cool fight. As for Vishap. the instance we get now is insane and really tense. It also gives you a chance to really work with the temple knights and the Scions. A final battle worthy of the end of ARR imo.
I feel really bad for players going through most of these for the first time. Since they don't know about PF much or MINE settings, they just get thrown into a roflstomp roulette which always feels anticlimactic.
When you survive King Thordan's ultimate attack, he suffers a major damage debuff and runs around the area swinging wildly as he is about to be defeated the party.
![The Evolution of Final Bosses [FINAL FANTASY XIV EDITION]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
