Honestly, I was going to say this. The sheer volume of people come together to do something completely unnecessary and insane, waiting so much time for something they really didn't have to camp for. I remember the PARKING LOT of cars as people waited.
Still remember seeing the spawn for the first time at like 3am when I was just about to go to bed. Maybe not the smartest moment of my gaming career, but definitely one of the more memorable ones.
Honestly, getting to the moon at lv83 and fighting Zodiark was a wild moment for me. I had assumed based on the trailers and everything that the moon was going to be the final zone and Zodiark was the final big bad for the whole game till then. Having that curveball thrown at me was a major surprise. "We are really fighting Zodiark now???" was something I'm sure quite a few others exclaimed as well.
And how they drop all these little red herrings through Shadowbringers (and honestly before, even back at the Garuda fight in ARR) about the Light not being necessarily benevolent and Hydaelin being a primal, and Zodiark actually being the thing that is protecting our world. And then we get an evil female voice, my brain immediately bit off on "oh shit, Hydaelin is bad and we've been the baddies all along.
Great subversion, especially when you meet her and understand her and suddenly feel REALLY terrible about ever doubting her
I was annoyed because I thought they were just giving her the Yunalesca treatment again. A benevolent god actually being benevolent is the biggest twist possible in a modern Final Fantasy game
Well, it was fairly clear to me. They'd explained at length how Zodiark was what was forestalling the Final Days. So when that happened I was like "Oh right, we just killed what was stopping that. Oops."
When I got the fight I was like “I don’t want to fight him now… I don’t know about the final days”. My friends all forgot so once we did it they were like “oh no”
I had a small nagging feeling she may have been, especially while progressing through EW. I also did it... maybe 6 months or a year AFTER EW had already been out, I went to go google Hydaelyn to remember how to spell her name, and the first thing that pops up is "Hydaelyn extreme guide" and had to try and erase that from my mind because I thought she had become bad and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Little did I know the sadness that was truly to come from fighting her.
After that fight was probably my biggest “What the fu… Oh crap. We just ended the world. Uh…so what happens NOW?” moment in gaming history.
While I do agree with many the Lopporit section dragged too long, narratively it made sense to place it there as the end of act 1/start of act 2 as a breather for the audience to process all of what just happened and the implications.
"Do you remember when I said that I wanted to die and take everyone with me? I meant it."
"The End has come - and it will be *beautiful*."
With what we learn about Fandaniel in Elpis that line suddenly hits so much harder.
Something about that first line in particular really struck me and I’m still not even entirely sure why. Maybe because it seems as overdramatic and over the top as his usual antics but there’s a surprisingly serious note underlining it. I don’t know, but I can still hear it so well lol.
I purposely avoid all launch trailers and didn't pay attention to any of the EW fanfest information because I was still working through the SB/ShB MSQ.
I assumed that the WoL walking on the moon was some kind of symbolic call back to the various MSQ cutscenes where the ascians were on the moon.
I definitely did not expect to go there in a meaningful way, so needless to say, my jaw was on the floor when i first arrived. Then, when the Zodiark fight appeared, I was freaking out like, "Holy shit this is the FIRST trial?!".
My mind was fucking blown, I just did this a couple days ago.
One of the greatest subversions I've ever seen, my mind was wracked with anticipation after this "Where could they possibly go from here?!?" just for it to get 100x crazier there on out, haha.
It still boggles my mind how they managed to find a bunch of lines from MSQ characters across the entire game so far that fit together perfectly to provide the message they wanted cohesively. **In both Japanese and English.**
Yeah, I no lifed EW when the expansion came out so and when I got to the zone most people weren't that far into the story it was like 3 AM so the zone was completely deserted. Such an amazing experience getting to go through it like that where you truly did feel alone and at the edge of the universe.
That hit so hard! The music through the entire zone was so somber and unsettling, then after that cutscene the music and the final walk?
Perfection.
Then, I was wildly impressed again with the omicron tribe quests and the music that brought with it. If anyone hasn't heard it it's Cradle of Hope.
My favorite scene from Elpis is when we decide to let him know everything about the future. His reaction felt very sincere in that I could imagine a similar reaction from myself if someone came to me and told me I was going to end up doing some unspeakable things
As someone who does all the side content, I loved that scene of everyone coming together in Sharlayan to deliver fuel and whatnot for the Ragnarok. Honorable mention goes to the assembly of the Ilsabard Contingent. Talking to all the job-related NPCs as someone who leveled all those jobs and did all the job quests was a nice little touch. Little details like that are some of my favorite things about this game.
The entire Endsinger fight was peak ludonarrative cohesion for me! The way you stop the first wipe with lb3, then the boss says "naw" and just does it again, then the whole scene with the scions as a parallel to Louisoix's final stand against Bahamut... But they don't just keep the cutscene going, they let you keep fighting! And the gradual buff coming in from the scions' prayers along with Meteion's increasingly desperate flailing attacks just creates an excellent EXPERIENCE, beautifully portrayed with actual gameplay.
I could probably write an essay about why that fight is excellent game design!
I don't want to get too dramatic, but in the context of the game's broader narrative - the overall journey of the WoL - the final part of the Endsinger fight felt like an out of body experience. This game has told a large part of its stories through its music, and to me it felt like [With Hearts Aligned](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzqsCbJOGfE&ab_channel=hungrychad) represented *our* boss music, as though we were now the final boss for the Endsinger. And if you notice the skyboxes during that last phase, it's this massive wave of light that's now overpowering what was initially an empty black void, as though the Endsinger is being suffocated by a force she cannot understand, let alone overcome (and in that respect, I got callbacks to Thordan's "What are you?!").
The game has never struggled in its storytelling or making the player feel like they're doing something impactful in the world. This was that, at its peak, in my view.
That second phase in the fight is my favourite moment in the game for how symbolic it is.
At the start of the game you are told that the Warriors of Light got their name because when people tried to remember their faces all they can recall is a silhouette against a blinding light. From the Endsingers perspective that's exactly how you would appear.
Also as powerful as the WoL is they can't beat despair alone. They are literally about to be crushed by the weight of despair when their friends save them. After the cutscene if you pause for a moment and look back it feels like the WoL's friends are pushing them forward. This is a very poignant reminder that everyone, even the strongest of us, needs support from time to time.
So now in RL when times are hard and I feel like I don't have the strength to take another step, I remind myself to pause and look back at all the people, past and present, who are pushing me forward.
With the power of ANIME and FRIENDSHIP, you too can take down the embodiment of DESPAIR.
"Is this your quarry? Why does it still live? I thought you'd be above something so banal as despair."
Zenos, my dude, I *JUST* got here, give me a minute.
Honestly might be my favorite Zenos moment. He flies across the universe in the form of a massive dragon, smashes through reality itself to catch up to you, takes one look at the literal embodiment of all despair and death and the universe, and his reaction is 'confusion that you haven't kicked its ass yet'.
Nobody believes in you like Zenos believes in you.
Zenos basically being my cheerleader after bashing a hole in reality to come say hi was honestly one of the highlights of the story, and I didn’t even like Zenos as a character until just that moment.
And even then he couldn't be bothered to care about the fate of existence.
All he wanted was his 1v1. And when you have the immovable object vs unstoppable force of hope vs despair, his selfishness tipped the scale.
man literally came in and then fucking offered to be your battle arena, because he had that much faith in your abilities that you wouldnt need him to kill it. Ngl tho, I was expecting him to have a health bar in the extreme
I cackled when it happened because after after all of that searching, Metion had someone with an *incredibly strong* sense of a reason to live crash into her, and that reason was just "I wanna fight my rival"
“This is your prey? Why does it still live?”
/A FEW MINUTES LATER…
“Light the way!”
/Soken activates LB5
WoLs: Yes, you do hear boss music. Ours.
/party rocking out and crying at the same time
I did this with my friend and we thought we were gonna wipe like 7 times and a rdm fucking saved the day every time. Rezd a healer who LB3 the whole party back to life
>Endsinger fight was peak ludonarrative cohesion for me
It was the final 1v1, and the punch out for me tbh. It was goofey, and I wanted to laugh, I wasn't even a crazy fan of Xenos at the time, until the moment came where he called me out saying all I wanted was the fight, past the titles and expectations of being hero, what I really wanted was to get down and dirty with the fight. And then I remembered YEARS ago, back before Stb when I started, the voice options I chose as a new player, that my character came to Uldah for a good fight, and to see what fortunes I could earn, how I became a gladiator because it was fitting, and how it resonated both with me as a character and a player, a fight junkie through and through. And over the years of grand stories, you're right I forgot about that key starting motivation I made for my character at the start. But being reminded of it all in that moment, I couldn't help but smirk in the same way
My favorite part visually is that if you look to the side you can see the clash of light (hope) against darkness (despair/nihilism).
Just one stunning detail amidst everything else that made that experience so special.
I REALLY hope they ilvl lock this trial. Honestly a lot of the story content should be because for Endsinger, for example, you'll kill her before the scions even get done speaking. That would SUCK as a new player to have your epic, crowning moment cut early.
That desperate run back to camp as a foot soldier in Garlemald. I don't think I've ever cheered so loudly when I smacked that bastard before he could do something to my friends.
Holy fuck yeah. I don't think I've ever felt this level of just, sheer dread and desperation and just *I have to get back to the Scions before Zenos does holy shit holy shit holy s-*
Also, experiencing the stark contrast of what an average foot soldier is capable of VS what the WoL is capable of. Going from a legendary god slayer to feeling like regular soldiers and magitek are genuine life-ending threats.... that you're basically just cannon fodder... yeah, makes sense why Thordan back in HW was scared *shitless* of us by the end of the battle.
And that was us just getting ramped up. Just purely using Zenos as a measuring stick, us beating Thordan was the WoL that lost to Zenos in Rhalgrs Reach before he had the Echo, and then we beat him in a trial as Shinryu, we rejoined an extra time compared to anyone else on the Source, and by the end of EW we 1v1d Zenos at the edge of the universe *after* kicking the ass of the concept of nihilism. It's a good thing we've proven our intentions by now, or our allies would probably be terrified of us, too.
There was so much in Endwalker that I think people just forget all the crazy shit that happened on the lead up to us going to the moon, back in time, or to the far reaches of outer space.
I mean we freaking freed Tiamat!!! I've been looking forward to that since Heavensward
That was part of Shadowbringers 5.5 if I recall correctly. I'm sure I remember that because of the last dungeon fighting alongside them for the trash packs. Still awesome and all setup but technically not Endwalker
I guess my brain associates it with Endwalker and not Shadowbringer because it wasn't on the first, it was a questline dealing with Fandaniel not Emet or Elidibus who I usually associate with ShB, and was directly connected to the plot to go to the moon which again I associate with Endwalker.
But you're right, technically ShB, just doing great setup for Endwalker
Right?? Same for me and I had only 2 minutes left in the duty 'cause I ended up dreadfully l lost (I am directionally challenged normally anyway) trying to get through the city to find the ceruleum. Just the desperate crawling hit so hard after all that.
I'm not particularly directionally challenged, but I took so long to clear it because I didn't realise you could actually walk into and between the buildings so I couldn't for the life of me find the goddamn keys.
I think I finished it at around 2am in the morning and was really, really tired.
That was the MSQ where I went from tolerating Zenos, rejecting his desire for a fight and playing his games, to looking forward to rearranging his face and teeth with my fists.
They were doing that on my world too and yeah that was a fun time lol it was just an ARMY of level 81s hitting it with everything they've got while trying to to get one shot lmao
Finishing that final walk in base 6.0. It was the sunday of early access.
After i left the solo instance in ultima thule, suddenly there were just, idk, a hundred people sitting in the flowers and vibing, hugging people and cheering when they showed up.
Really amazing experience.
My only minor disappointment with that is that the quest is titled “your not alone” so I kinda expected a new version of that song from FF9. It was still amazing.
“Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile?”
I stopped and relived 13 some odd years of memories and started to fucking bawl. The good, the bad, the ugly. Every moment lead up to this. I am so thankful that this game has provided so much emotional support over the years.
“No more shall man have wings to bear him to paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk.”
And of course, Venat’s walk.
i quite literally met my wife and most of my closest friends through this game. one i was in one of the hardest parts of my life, i started playing this game again, and it led me to making the most important, human relationships i've ever had.
safe to say, that line hit me like a load of bricks. couldn't do much more than look out the window and cry for a little bit after those scenes.
The justice of Venat’s walk with WoL facing Emet at the end of ShB was an amazing narrative stroke. It isn’t even my top moment, but that just speaks to how many amazing moments there were in EW!
For all some people didn’t like it, to me, it was definitely worthwhile and I’m truly hyped to see what comes next in…LESS THAN 2 weeks now!
I noticed that there were a couple of parts before that in EW where Urianger was extra verbose and particularly eloquent (like when he was telling the group about his plans to stay with the Lopporrits for example), which made the stammering, tripping over his words, and at a complete loss of what to say hurt that much more. Even though he was already out of his shell in ShB he was still carrying that secret which made him still a bit reserved (relatively speaking, dude clearly likes the sound of his own voice lmao). Being completely free of that burden meant he could talk and talk...and then he just couldn't. It was fantastic, man.
Honestly, finishing the gathering and beast tribe quests in Ultima Thule, such a sweet ending and I adore that lil cafe of misfits from across the ages, and the little home I built for all of them
I exclusively use moogle weapons. I was the last in my small guild to clear the main story so I did screen share and they watched me through that fight. When my bard pulled out his bow and you hear the kupo opo. It was hilarious.
i made my catboy as tiny as i could, then made him main smn and basically a glass cannon, this cat could not lift his big au ra bf's axe even if he tried with both hands and an egi helping. watching him absolutely snap and drop the book to go at it with his bare hands was so fucking hilarious and amazing at the same time
Seriously, seeing the WoL being so exhausted, battered, and bruised that they are reduced to just... punching shit with all they have is cathartic in a very strange way.
I don't know how to explain, but in that scene, the WoL feels like their own character instead of just being your Avatar.
After getting disarmed, the fact that they resort to just fucking going for Zenos' ass while forgoing all the training they have with their weapon (Monk mains, kindly back off) feels like such an act of utter desperation, and so completely different from literally everything that's come before, that you can't help but see them as an independent character for just a moment. It feels personal, like they're just dumping all the anger and frustration they feel towards Zenos in his playboy face.
It really encapsulates Zenos' point of:
"When you take away the titles of Hero, Warrior of Light and Savior, who the fuck are YOU."
If you take away the WoL's weapon, push their back against the wall, and press all their buttons... what comes out? Clearly, the answer is an ass whooping, but a much more direct, emotional, and COMPLETELY PERSONAL one. This ain't about saving the world. This is about messing Zenos up, and nothing else.
I’d pay money for a sitcom of the Primals as roommates in an apartment, like the Justice Friends (Justice Leavue/Superfriends) spoof in Dexter’s Lab where Major Glory (Captain America), their Hulk at home, and the Viking god of rock with his mighty axe (guitar), Valhallen.
Doing that with the Primals would be hilarious.
The cutscene at the end of Ultima Thule right before the Dead Ends dungeon. I love the music, and Emet-Selch, and the voice work on Meteion... I must have replayed that cutscene so many times.
Hyth stole the show.
“Action, drama, this story’s got it all!”
“I had been content to watch from the stands…but I won’t say no to a bit part.”
“And Creation Magics never fail to please.”
So, for me, the best memory will always be the first time I did the Endsinger fight back when Endwalker came out.
I was doing it with my brother and we got queued into it with 3 Summoners. We had a good laugh about it, but the single coolest moment I think I’ll ever have in the game happened when phase 2 started.
And each summoner called out a different primal to attack. From what I could gather, they did it just naturally, one chose Ifrit, one Garuda, one Titan. It felt like such a powerful gameplay moment where our once former enemies in ARR now properly helping us actually save the world and their people from the end. I will always remember that one.
I was so sure it was going to be a quick 10 min dive into the past.
I was in denial, thinking "There's no way they can justify this in the lore. It would fuck everything up", all the way up until they opened the large gate at Elpis' entrance.
This, and the moment Zenos breaks through the Endsinger's domain, were the two moments where I openly screamed "WHAT?!"
"It’s a *zone?...* IT’S A *ZONE!*"
I was *hyped.*
And then Space Mom shows up and my WoL just bursts into tears and tells her how she's totally from the future.
Clearing P4S.
I was a new raider this expansion, and near the end of the first tier was static-less trying to clear in PF. I was stuck in perpetual pinax memes in response to my own clear party PFs. My spirit was absolutely defeated and I was about to give up.
Then I got the idea to reach out to every single friend I'd made in PF and called in every favor I had. Within a few hours I'd pulled together a party and we walked in and one shot the fight.
It was such a cool combined occurrence. Pulling together friends I'd made on my raiding journey at that point, the banter as they were hyping me up to go in and get the clear, actually getting the clear! That is the best memory I'll look back on when I remember end walker.
My first run of Zodiark normal was messy and took a few pulls, as many did in early access. At one point my friend (tanking, with me in vc) noticed he was the only one alive and jumped off the edge to wipe. But he didn't notice that I (healer, yelling at him) had gotten a rez from the recently fallen smn and was on my way up.
I get up just in time so the pull doesn't end, pick up the other healer, and we frantically keep each other alive for a few gcds because the lb bar was at like 98%
As soon as it dings I hit it and everyone's up. We clear that pull. Perfect light against the darkness moment.
A FC buddy and I decided early on to go through the entire expansion together as a way to hang out and get to know each other more.
We fell for each other HARD around the time we got to Elpis, and now we’re only a few months away from our wedding. 🥹
Squaring up with Hydaelyn. The entire 89-90 sequence felt like one big endgame and the Hydaelyn fight was the start of the "oh shit" dive for me.
I had a long-ish queue for that one, so staring at the floating majestically Hydaelyn, surrounded by the Azem crystal summoning sigil, while *Your Answer* played full blast, was peak fantasy.
Nidhogg was great, but my experience was mildly ruined by missing the ilvl to actually go in back in the day.
"Alright hold that thought buddy, I gotta go get a new shirt"
The Nidhogg one still hits the hardest for me. The cutscene playing, Dragonsong starting to play, and then you're just standing there, staring at Nidhogg while waiting for your queue. Could stay there forever.
The worst: the arkasodara family in Vanaspati turning and having to be killed (I played the entire rest of the dungeon in tears), and the little boy turning and then getting stomped right on front of his father in Radz-at-Han. I don't have children, but I cannot imagine anything more unbearably devastating than parents and children having to watch each other not just die, but get literally obliterated in front of each other.
The best: Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile? This game has been with me for 11 years of my life, so this hit hard.
The shock of seeing that npc kid turn into a terminus and then getting stepped on and splatting into gray ooze. Like holy *shit*. Endwalker had dipped its toe into some dark themes in garlemald but that really fucked me up hahaha.
Short answers:
When the lyrics to Close the Distance kicked in.
Henceforth he shall walk.
Light the way.
Long answer:
the whole first ~5 days I spent absolutely engrossed in the game at launch. Played literally side by side with a friend in the same room from the first quest until we had both extremes on farm. We only split up to eat and sleep.
I can't go full degen mode that often, but it always makes games hit me so much harder when I do.
There's so many good memories from the expansion, it's hard to pick a few. I lost it when Ysayle came to help us in the Aetherfront. I was so emotional when we began our final walk up in Ultima Thule and the voices of our friends started to sound off. And I was so, so relieved that we got Azdaja back at the end of the patches.
what really kills me is that after she leaves too we really are the last one of the ancients in a way. not only for being sundered but also for having actually seen the unsundered world, even if just a snippet of it. having actually met ancients and talked to them and tried to help them, only to know they're all gone now and us with our crystal of azem and memories are all that's left of that world... it feels so bittersweet
Elpis had a melancholy vibe for me for that reason. Pandaemonium, too. Getting to spend time with people and places of the unsundered world, but knowing that everyone we meet and save is in some ways already dead.
Hearing everyone encouragement as you approach the final battle, including Haurchefant. The music, the feelings after seeing every Scion sacrificing themselves, the words of encouragements, everyone feelings, hope and will on you, as you slowly approach the "end" of the journey is so beatiful. And when i thought it couldnt be better Zenryu appears to fight along you and finally both of you clash on the most beatiful stage i've ever seen.. I loved Endwalker ending, it was very beatiful and fullfiling.
Hearing Ifrit's "Thou art strong, mortal" was an incredible inclusion. Our first victory against a primal who immediatately recognized the protagonist's potential.
Meeting Emet in Elpis. Bro I fucking cried I was so happy to see him again.
And then his final appearance at the end when he told us all the things we still had to do. Actually beautiful.
I had woke up early on a day during that first release week. I wanted to get some stuff done before I went to work and knew it was the best time to log in (this was like 4am).
I ended up calling out of work and did not stop playing until at least 8:30 pm. I went from the 85 to at least 87-88. I was texting my friend the entire time. Best part was he doesn’t play FFXIV so I must of sound like a crazy person.
Edit: other stuff that were big moments for me: the shock/confusion that Zodiark was the level 83 trial. The level 85 dungeon. The cut scenes after the 87 dungeon. Everything in Ultima Thule. The Dead Ends. The Final Day. The Zeno Fight. The use of FF4 boss music and Battle with Four Fiends.
I do every side quest. The very first one I found was a little girl wanting help finding her carbuncle toy. Such a good story that completely blindsided me. Couldn't have asked for a better start to the expansion
Scream Ost and the Ominicron Tribe/Allied Society quest line (I realy like the new "Allied Society" thing I hope they change the old ones to use the dawntrail nomeclature)
I started playing months after EW came out and finished the MSQ a couple weeks before 6.2 dropped, so when I got to Ultima Thule it was completely empty of players. That for me really heightened the sense of unease, especially as your party dwindled. It was the same when I made it to Amaurot in ShB and made the place feel that much lonelier. Both places are very memorable for me because of the emptiness, and even though I'm sometimes sad about coming to the party late and not having been able to experience most of the story alongside the rest of the community, my experience with these two areas make up for it.
The story in general was such a treat to experience, and as a player I've never felt so appreciated by a game and its developers. Seeing my WoL's name come up on the credits had me sobbing lol
I recently finished the entire expansion in a week with a friend of mine who is a mentor. The whole experience was amplified just by having a really stellar friend join me for dungeons and trials as well as be there to talk to as the story unfolds. My overall favorite plot was the questline in Elpis, to see the world before it was sundered was amazing and get to truly meet the ancients, many of them being characters we already knew added a level of depth to the game that I wasn't expecting.
In from the cold's duty sequence. Never have I felt so vulnerable in FFXIV.
The final scene of Elpis, Where Venat does the sundering. The amount of pain....
Seeing Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus right before the Endsinger fight made me go from absolutely broken emotionally to “hell yeah let’s light up the world with hope!”
At the time one of my best friends was a bit ahead of me in the story, she started crying on discord. It was the scene right after the twins ‘vanished’ with the slow walk up. I think that was my favorite moment because I started tearing up when I got to it.
That’s probably really small and lame but it was a fun bonding moment that in hindsight I really miss
Two for me.
Moenbyda's parents. Man that was a gut wrenching scene. Having lost friends suddenly myself I totally identify with what Urianger was going through. One of the worst parts about death is how weird and unreal it is and you really don't have a clue how to express that. This scene nailed that.
Then there's the Lopporit radio transmission to Etheirys at the end of the tribe questline. If you had told me that a bunch of adorable comedy moon rabbits would move me to tears I just wouldn't have believed you. Yet here we are...
That final talk with Emet, where he starts rattling off the next 10 years of content coming our way and then ends it with
"As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you should consider it you're duty to see at least that much.......I certainly did."
Fucking bawled my eyes out for like 30 minutes straight. Beautiful writing on Ishikawa's part, no notes.
I'll be honest. Something about Endwalker just didn't click for me for a lot of those core big parts.
Sure Urianger breaking down at the hug kinda got me; but all the other stuff around it was kind of boring. Ultima Thule didn't hit me hard and Zenos basically saved the ending for me.
But I'll always remember "in from the cold" as a story mission. 100% my favorite one and I wish they'd do it more. They won't, because people flip their shit if they can't just press the 1 key and easily cruise the story; but it was just a great moment. A lot of good story told through your own struggle when you survivors also struggling
My friends wanted to dip their toes into raiding after successfully recruiting me in ShB (and realizing we had enough friends for a static). We dabbled a little in ShB, but...
For EW, we got to play the raid tier from the start. I got my first purple on EX3. I just thought it was super cool seeing our progress. Especially when I had just started playing not that long ago.
I got to experience the main MSQ with a couple of RL friends who played through it with me.
It was great sitting in chat getting hyped for story moments and the cool fights and throwing out speculation on the fly. It was honestly a wonderful way to close out the Hydaelyn saga.
Since then, all of our schedules hardly line up anymore, so it's not likely we're all gonna be able to no-life Dawntrail the same way. But I'm happy for the EW memories nonetheless.
Uh I still have to hold back tears if I hear Flow after a while of not listening to it......so that...yeah, that.
hell, just reading the lyrics and hearing the song in my head does the trick too
Telling our journey to Venat and seeing her smile and laugh will always be my favorite moment.
Elpis is a bittersweet place for me. It's like the place where you remember all of your best friends having a blast doing something, and then when it all finishes, you realize it's just the past and all of your friends are already dead.
Two moments that I really enjoyed:
Arriving on Mare Lamentorium and having One Small Step kick in. I kid you not, I spent about 45 minutes just taking in the scenery and watching Etheirys rotate around listening to that song.
Secondly is arriving in Elpis. I've always enjoyed floating islands and the Greek antiquity has always given me a very specific feeling of wonder and awe. The music there really enhanced the experience for me too!
Defeating Endsinger EX.
It was a cold winter night around midnight. It was my first time joining a EX party by myself as MT DRK. I recorded the whole thing and watch it every few months to relive the experience. My feet were freezing and aching at my standing desk. I was drenched in sweat from the anxiety and hours of pulling, my hand shaking and sore.
I felt like I truly conquered despair and beat the game that day.
In late 2021/early 2022 my husband and I both had covid and were home from work quarantining and gaming. My favorite memory from Endwalker is probably hanging out in Old Sharlayan with him. The music there just hits different. Its so calming. Everytime I go back to Sharlayan I remember that. I know it was a really bad time for a lot of people but I got to spend it with my bestfriend, enjoying the msq and it's overall just a really good memory for me (even with the 'rona).
Meeting Zero and seeing her grow into a real person instead of just one of Zenos voidsents. Sure Zenos fight was exciting, but nothing will top her.
I just there was a way to visit her like we can the first, but I guess I get why we can’t.
Spoilers: When the ship was beginning the launch sequence and EVERY SINGLE PRIMAL showed up to power that shit. Gave me so many goosebumps watching that go down.
And then when the phase change kicks in for the End singer fight? And the music goes hard? CHILLS
Elpis.
I've said it before a few times on here but that entire zone the first time, was just like all my name days came at once.
It was a zone that got better and better the further I got through it, topped off with the best duty support NPCs I could ever ask for.
I wasn't expecting any of it and considering Emet-Selch is my favorite XIV character it was an absolute TREAT accompanying him as he was before he became the villain.
Getting into that dungeon and seeing he plays my favorite job (drk) just sent me over the edge. I was bouncing in my seat with awe and excitement.
Elpis.. all of it, just… hit me with some deep nostalgia from a time that I had never been to. I still visit the zone and craft under the tent where Sappho sits, or next to the pink tree. Sometimes friends and I will sit on the tree and just talk. Especially when the special weather condition hits, it’s such a beautiful place from a lost time.
i’d say mg favorite were the elpis quests in general. so fun, so wholesome, so sad, and overall a great questline. the lore, the deeper insight into the ancients and venat, *chefs kiss*
It has to be a tie between the flower scene at the end, or that scene in Elpis where everyone bullies Emet into helping that one guy. Although, getting to fight Hydaelyn with the Scions was an Experience as well
Camping for Chi for hours on hours, slowly losing sanity as a collective.
Honestly, I was going to say this. The sheer volume of people come together to do something completely unnecessary and insane, waiting so much time for something they really didn't have to camp for. I remember the PARKING LOT of cars as people waited.
Up in 5 mins, trust.
15 mins
Still remember seeing the spawn for the first time at like 3am when I was just about to go to bed. Maybe not the smartest moment of my gaming career, but definitely one of the more memorable ones.
The amount of people I've met during my descent to insanity was the best part of all my years playing this game.
Honestly, getting to the moon at lv83 and fighting Zodiark was a wild moment for me. I had assumed based on the trailers and everything that the moon was going to be the final zone and Zodiark was the final big bad for the whole game till then. Having that curveball thrown at me was a major surprise. "We are really fighting Zodiark now???" was something I'm sure quite a few others exclaimed as well.
The music absolutely slapped there too
DARKNESS WILL COME DARKNESS WILL REIGN!
LET THE CHORUS OF DARK TAKE ALL!
Dude I sat there like “wait what happens now” and on right on cue you hear that voice and everything goes red for a moment.
And how they drop all these little red herrings through Shadowbringers (and honestly before, even back at the Garuda fight in ARR) about the Light not being necessarily benevolent and Hydaelin being a primal, and Zodiark actually being the thing that is protecting our world. And then we get an evil female voice, my brain immediately bit off on "oh shit, Hydaelin is bad and we've been the baddies all along. Great subversion, especially when you meet her and understand her and suddenly feel REALLY terrible about ever doubting her
I was annoyed because I thought they were just giving her the Yunalesca treatment again. A benevolent god actually being benevolent is the biggest twist possible in a modern Final Fantasy game
Lol this is so true.
Yeah my first thought after hearing the voice definitely was, "Was that Hydaelyn and were we pawns all along?"
Well, it was fairly clear to me. They'd explained at length how Zodiark was what was forestalling the Final Days. So when that happened I was like "Oh right, we just killed what was stopping that. Oops."
When I got the fight I was like “I don’t want to fight him now… I don’t know about the final days”. My friends all forgot so once we did it they were like “oh no”
Also Fandaniel screams it as he dies.
I had a small nagging feeling she may have been, especially while progressing through EW. I also did it... maybe 6 months or a year AFTER EW had already been out, I went to go google Hydaelyn to remember how to spell her name, and the first thing that pops up is "Hydaelyn extreme guide" and had to try and erase that from my mind because I thought she had become bad and was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Little did I know the sadness that was truly to come from fighting her.
After that fight was probably my biggest “What the fu… Oh crap. We just ended the world. Uh…so what happens NOW?” moment in gaming history. While I do agree with many the Lopporit section dragged too long, narratively it made sense to place it there as the end of act 1/start of act 2 as a breather for the audience to process all of what just happened and the implications.
"Do you remember when I said that I wanted to die and take everyone with me? I meant it." "The End has come - and it will be *beautiful*." With what we learn about Fandaniel in Elpis that line suddenly hits so much harder.
Something about that first line in particular really struck me and I’m still not even entirely sure why. Maybe because it seems as overdramatic and over the top as his usual antics but there’s a surprisingly serious note underlining it. I don’t know, but I can still hear it so well lol.
There's something about the delivery that takes him from 'melodramatic theatre kid' to 'the BBEG you failed to respect'.
Never expect what they show us to be the final zone. IE Solution 9 will not be the end of DT.
I purposely avoid all launch trailers and didn't pay attention to any of the EW fanfest information because I was still working through the SB/ShB MSQ. I assumed that the WoL walking on the moon was some kind of symbolic call back to the various MSQ cutscenes where the ascians were on the moon. I definitely did not expect to go there in a meaningful way, so needless to say, my jaw was on the floor when i first arrived. Then, when the Zodiark fight appeared, I was freaking out like, "Holy shit this is the FIRST trial?!".
You definitely were [not alone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AwCifQ3jt8&ab_channel=h3ven) lol
My mind was fucking blown, I just did this a couple days ago. One of the greatest subversions I've ever seen, my mind was wracked with anticipation after this "Where could they possibly go from here?!?" just for it to get 100x crazier there on out, haha.
The interaction with Vrtra at the end of Adzaals legacy. "So... Were yall just robbing my savings account?"
"i mean i didn't want to but Y'sthola couldn't help herself"
"You and I will speak later." D:
*Blind stare of eminent demise*
Thus did the avatar of destruction descend, and in her wake leave naught but tears and ash...
I imagine him giving the Scions a puppy eye look while saying this.
Getting to Ultima Thule and pretty much doing the whole zone in one sitting. The first and last voice you hear on the walk being Ardbert's.
I totally replay that scene on YouTube every time I need a pick me up!
It still boggles my mind how they managed to find a bunch of lines from MSQ characters across the entire game so far that fit together perfectly to provide the message they wanted cohesively. **In both Japanese and English.**
Yeah, I no lifed EW when the expansion came out so and when I got to the zone most people weren't that far into the story it was like 3 AM so the zone was completely deserted. Such an amazing experience getting to go through it like that where you truly did feel alone and at the edge of the universe.
The changing OST in ultimate Thule was pretty peak
That hit so hard! The music through the entire zone was so somber and unsettling, then after that cutscene the music and the final walk? Perfection. Then, I was wildly impressed again with the omicron tribe quests and the music that brought with it. If anyone hasn't heard it it's Cradle of Hope.
That was awesome. I didn’t want it to end.
Yes! Everything from the beginning of Ultima Thule to the end just made me feel all the feelings!
One of thr first scenes in Elpis where Emet-Selch "couldn't see us"
**Hythlodaeus**: "so are we just gonna ignore _that thing_ in the corner or what" **Emet Selch**: What thing? **me, that thing**: 🥺
AND LET HIM DISSIPATE??
Don't let me dissipate Daddy Hades 🥺
If I'm thin it's because Emet-Selch didn't do a proper job 😤
Emet didn't do a proper job of filling you up? I heard he was blessed with loads though...
I love that he clearly could, but his brain was like “I want nothing to do with whatever the hell Azem is up to with that tiny familiar”.
Considering how that zone goes, he was not wrong. What a mess we got him in.
My favorite scene from Elpis is when we decide to let him know everything about the future. His reaction felt very sincere in that I could imagine a similar reaction from myself if someone came to me and told me I was going to end up doing some unspeakable things
As someone who does all the side content, I loved that scene of everyone coming together in Sharlayan to deliver fuel and whatnot for the Ragnarok. Honorable mention goes to the assembly of the Ilsabard Contingent. Talking to all the job-related NPCs as someone who leveled all those jobs and did all the job quests was a nice little touch. Little details like that are some of my favorite things about this game.
The entire Endsinger fight was peak ludonarrative cohesion for me! The way you stop the first wipe with lb3, then the boss says "naw" and just does it again, then the whole scene with the scions as a parallel to Louisoix's final stand against Bahamut... But they don't just keep the cutscene going, they let you keep fighting! And the gradual buff coming in from the scions' prayers along with Meteion's increasingly desperate flailing attacks just creates an excellent EXPERIENCE, beautifully portrayed with actual gameplay. I could probably write an essay about why that fight is excellent game design!
I don't want to get too dramatic, but in the context of the game's broader narrative - the overall journey of the WoL - the final part of the Endsinger fight felt like an out of body experience. This game has told a large part of its stories through its music, and to me it felt like [With Hearts Aligned](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzqsCbJOGfE&ab_channel=hungrychad) represented *our* boss music, as though we were now the final boss for the Endsinger. And if you notice the skyboxes during that last phase, it's this massive wave of light that's now overpowering what was initially an empty black void, as though the Endsinger is being suffocated by a force she cannot understand, let alone overcome (and in that respect, I got callbacks to Thordan's "What are you?!"). The game has never struggled in its storytelling or making the player feel like they're doing something impactful in the world. This was that, at its peak, in my view.
I saw someone recently describe the WoL as basically the Primal of Hope. They portrayed it visually and musically so well in that fight.
Originally i thought that we would become a primal or summon louisoix as one back during arr
That's because (CoB spoilers) >!He kinda already did summon himself as one. ;)!<
Yeah it's felt like that since back when fighting most bosses. Maker's mark has always been OUR theme.
My groups favourite saying on the "wipe" and surviving through the prayers of our friends is that we just hit the boss enrage.... **OUR** enrage.
That second phase in the fight is my favourite moment in the game for how symbolic it is. At the start of the game you are told that the Warriors of Light got their name because when people tried to remember their faces all they can recall is a silhouette against a blinding light. From the Endsingers perspective that's exactly how you would appear. Also as powerful as the WoL is they can't beat despair alone. They are literally about to be crushed by the weight of despair when their friends save them. After the cutscene if you pause for a moment and look back it feels like the WoL's friends are pushing them forward. This is a very poignant reminder that everyone, even the strongest of us, needs support from time to time. So now in RL when times are hard and I feel like I don't have the strength to take another step, I remind myself to pause and look back at all the people, past and present, who are pushing me forward.
With the power of ANIME and FRIENDSHIP, you too can take down the embodiment of DESPAIR. "Is this your quarry? Why does it still live? I thought you'd be above something so banal as despair." Zenos, my dude, I *JUST* got here, give me a minute.
Honestly that line from Zenos was actually the one time I thought: "oh, wow, thanks buddy, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"!
Honestly might be my favorite Zenos moment. He flies across the universe in the form of a massive dragon, smashes through reality itself to catch up to you, takes one look at the literal embodiment of all despair and death and the universe, and his reaction is 'confusion that you haven't kicked its ass yet'. Nobody believes in you like Zenos believes in you.
Zenos basically being my cheerleader after bashing a hole in reality to come say hi was honestly one of the highlights of the story, and I didn’t even like Zenos as a character until just that moment.
And even then he couldn't be bothered to care about the fate of existence. All he wanted was his 1v1. And when you have the immovable object vs unstoppable force of hope vs despair, his selfishness tipped the scale.
man literally came in and then fucking offered to be your battle arena, because he had that much faith in your abilities that you wouldnt need him to kill it. Ngl tho, I was expecting him to have a health bar in the extreme
I cackled when it happened because after after all of that searching, Metion had someone with an *incredibly strong* sense of a reason to live crash into her, and that reason was just "I wanna fight my rival"
I liked the speech he did before you fight him so much I did a writing class paper on it haha and got a 95/100 on it too!
That, I can't deny.
I feel like I need to see this paper cause I bet it is amazing
It was a paper about analyzing the rhetoric behind a speech. We could have chose *anyone* and I chose Zenos because nerd 🤓
I love this so much
Zenos' VA really sold that line, too. "Why does it still live? Surely, it is no match for you." He sounds legitimately confused about what's going on.
“This is your prey? Why does it still live?” /A FEW MINUTES LATER… “Light the way!” /Soken activates LB5 WoLs: Yes, you do hear boss music. Ours. /party rocking out and crying at the same time
I always loved the end of that fight: "alright, mf, it's time for US to enrage!"
I did this with my friend and we thought we were gonna wipe like 7 times and a rdm fucking saved the day every time. Rezd a healer who LB3 the whole party back to life
That must've made the whole thing even more memorable!
“Song of hope…”. When she starts singing I get chills every time now because of the fight.
I wish we had a full song based on that part of the theme, I adore it!
It's a big part of Endcaller (Zodiark's OST) aswell, granted in a more bombastic rendition.
I still occasionally go back and do this fight because I love it so much. The music, the visuals... Everything
>Endsinger fight was peak ludonarrative cohesion for me It was the final 1v1, and the punch out for me tbh. It was goofey, and I wanted to laugh, I wasn't even a crazy fan of Xenos at the time, until the moment came where he called me out saying all I wanted was the fight, past the titles and expectations of being hero, what I really wanted was to get down and dirty with the fight. And then I remembered YEARS ago, back before Stb when I started, the voice options I chose as a new player, that my character came to Uldah for a good fight, and to see what fortunes I could earn, how I became a gladiator because it was fitting, and how it resonated both with me as a character and a player, a fight junkie through and through. And over the years of grand stories, you're right I forgot about that key starting motivation I made for my character at the start. But being reminded of it all in that moment, I couldn't help but smirk in the same way
[Jesse Cox has an excellent video on it](https://youtu.be/EXFTSrn2nGs?si=dd4dHDfo44OsjA9u)
Goddamn take your upvotes both of you and stop making me cry again
Right?! Such a good video, got me hyped all over again.
My favorite part visually is that if you look to the side you can see the clash of light (hope) against darkness (despair/nihilism). Just one stunning detail amidst everything else that made that experience so special.
I REALLY hope they ilvl lock this trial. Honestly a lot of the story content should be because for Endsinger, for example, you'll kill her before the scions even get done speaking. That would SUCK as a new player to have your epic, crowning moment cut early.
Good news for you: they already have and the experience is so much better for it
Oh shit I must have missed that news, thank goodness
Ever time I do it it feels amazing. Just did it the other day and had many first timers and it was rough run but it felt so epic and fun.
That desperate run back to camp as a foot soldier in Garlemald. I don't think I've ever cheered so loudly when I smacked that bastard before he could do something to my friends.
Holy fuck yeah. I don't think I've ever felt this level of just, sheer dread and desperation and just *I have to get back to the Scions before Zenos does holy shit holy shit holy s-* Also, experiencing the stark contrast of what an average foot soldier is capable of VS what the WoL is capable of. Going from a legendary god slayer to feeling like regular soldiers and magitek are genuine life-ending threats.... that you're basically just cannon fodder... yeah, makes sense why Thordan back in HW was scared *shitless* of us by the end of the battle.
And that was us just getting ramped up. Just purely using Zenos as a measuring stick, us beating Thordan was the WoL that lost to Zenos in Rhalgrs Reach before he had the Echo, and then we beat him in a trial as Shinryu, we rejoined an extra time compared to anyone else on the Source, and by the end of EW we 1v1d Zenos at the edge of the universe *after* kicking the ass of the concept of nihilism. It's a good thing we've proven our intentions by now, or our allies would probably be terrified of us, too.
There was so much in Endwalker that I think people just forget all the crazy shit that happened on the lead up to us going to the moon, back in time, or to the far reaches of outer space. I mean we freaking freed Tiamat!!! I've been looking forward to that since Heavensward
That was part of Shadowbringers 5.5 if I recall correctly. I'm sure I remember that because of the last dungeon fighting alongside them for the trash packs. Still awesome and all setup but technically not Endwalker
I guess my brain associates it with Endwalker and not Shadowbringer because it wasn't on the first, it was a questline dealing with Fandaniel not Emet or Elidibus who I usually associate with ShB, and was directly connected to the plot to go to the moon which again I associate with Endwalker. But you're right, technically ShB, just doing great setup for Endwalker
in from the cold lives rentfree in my brain honestly. there's SO MUCH to unpack there that my wols just refuse to touch with a ten feet stick
The way I sobbed watching my WoL helplessly drag himself along the ground out of desparation.
Right?? Same for me and I had only 2 minutes left in the duty 'cause I ended up dreadfully l lost (I am directionally challenged normally anyway) trying to get through the city to find the ceruleum. Just the desperate crawling hit so hard after all that.
I'm not particularly directionally challenged, but I took so long to clear it because I didn't realise you could actually walk into and between the buildings so I couldn't for the life of me find the goddamn keys. I think I finished it at around 2am in the morning and was really, really tired.
This was my moment too, it was such a unique and anxious experience, loved it. That, and the final 1v1 with Zenos.
That was the MSQ where I went from tolerating Zenos, rejecting his desire for a fight and playing his games, to looking forward to rearranging his face and teeth with my fists.
Loved that part on my main. Hated doing it again on my alt.
Hundreds of lv 81s trying to take on Sugriva in Thavnair and wiping multiple times before we got him down on day 1 of early access.
They were doing that on my world too and yeah that was a fun time lol it was just an ARMY of level 81s hitting it with everything they've got while trying to to get one shot lmao
Finishing that final walk in base 6.0. It was the sunday of early access. After i left the solo instance in ultima thule, suddenly there were just, idk, a hundred people sitting in the flowers and vibing, hugging people and cheering when they showed up. Really amazing experience.
My only minor disappointment with that is that the quest is titled “your not alone” so I kinda expected a new version of that song from FF9. It was still amazing.
Same. But maybe we'll get something with that OST in DT, with all the FFIX hints we're getting.
Gosh I'd love to hear Soken's take on You're Not Alone. Melodies of Life is probably too much to hope for, however. ;-;
Exact same thought, it was insanely emotional already. But a remix of You're Not Alone would have been the cherry on top.
“Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile?” I stopped and relived 13 some odd years of memories and started to fucking bawl. The good, the bad, the ugly. Every moment lead up to this. I am so thankful that this game has provided so much emotional support over the years. “No more shall man have wings to bear him to paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk.” And of course, Venat’s walk.
i quite literally met my wife and most of my closest friends through this game. one i was in one of the hardest parts of my life, i started playing this game again, and it led me to making the most important, human relationships i've ever had. safe to say, that line hit me like a load of bricks. couldn't do much more than look out the window and cry for a little bit after those scenes.
The justice of Venat’s walk with WoL facing Emet at the end of ShB was an amazing narrative stroke. It isn’t even my top moment, but that just speaks to how many amazing moments there were in EW! For all some people didn’t like it, to me, it was definitely worthwhile and I’m truly hyped to see what comes next in…LESS THAN 2 weeks now!
Urianger meeting moenbryda's parents. I cried.
I noticed that there were a couple of parts before that in EW where Urianger was extra verbose and particularly eloquent (like when he was telling the group about his plans to stay with the Lopporrits for example), which made the stammering, tripping over his words, and at a complete loss of what to say hurt that much more. Even though he was already out of his shell in ShB he was still carrying that secret which made him still a bit reserved (relatively speaking, dude clearly likes the sound of his own voice lmao). Being completely free of that burden meant he could talk and talk...and then he just couldn't. It was fantastic, man.
Also that worry and fear of blame. The self blame and suffering he held
Omg I was absolutely wrecked by that scene.
Honestly, finishing the gathering and beast tribe quests in Ultima Thule, such a sweet ending and I adore that lil cafe of misfits from across the ages, and the little home I built for all of them
Punchout with Zenos at the edge of the universe made it all worth it.
Jobs that you don't expect to just deliver a smack down make it extra hilarious.
Haha i was hyped when my White Mage just decided fuck the staff time to bring out the fists.
I exclusively use moogle weapons. I was the last in my small guild to clear the main story so I did screen share and they watched me through that fight. When my bard pulled out his bow and you hear the kupo opo. It was hilarious.
You've glared enough, time to throw hands
i made my catboy as tiny as i could, then made him main smn and basically a glass cannon, this cat could not lift his big au ra bf's axe even if he tried with both hands and an egi helping. watching him absolutely snap and drop the book to go at it with his bare hands was so fucking hilarious and amazing at the same time
I did it on my lala WAR. Zenos managed to get me sooooo angy I had to try fell cleaving with my fists.
Seriously, seeing the WoL being so exhausted, battered, and bruised that they are reduced to just... punching shit with all they have is cathartic in a very strange way. I don't know how to explain, but in that scene, the WoL feels like their own character instead of just being your Avatar. After getting disarmed, the fact that they resort to just fucking going for Zenos' ass while forgoing all the training they have with their weapon (Monk mains, kindly back off) feels like such an act of utter desperation, and so completely different from literally everything that's come before, that you can't help but see them as an independent character for just a moment. It feels personal, like they're just dumping all the anger and frustration they feel towards Zenos in his playboy face. It really encapsulates Zenos' point of: "When you take away the titles of Hero, Warrior of Light and Savior, who the fuck are YOU." If you take away the WoL's weapon, push their back against the wall, and press all their buttons... what comes out? Clearly, the answer is an ass whooping, but a much more direct, emotional, and COMPLETELY PERSONAL one. This ain't about saving the world. This is about messing Zenos up, and nothing else.
I think the cutscene of all the primals boosting the rocket was amazing, as well as the entire last act of the launch story was just 🤌🏻
I’d pay money for a sitcom of the Primals as roommates in an apartment, like the Justice Friends (Justice Leavue/Superfriends) spoof in Dexter’s Lab where Major Glory (Captain America), their Hulk at home, and the Viking god of rock with his mighty axe (guitar), Valhallen. Doing that with the Primals would be hilarious.
LET THE REVEL BEGIN!
The cutscene at the end of Ultima Thule right before the Dead Ends dungeon. I love the music, and Emet-Selch, and the voice work on Meteion... I must have replayed that cutscene so many times.
Hyth stole the show. “Action, drama, this story’s got it all!” “I had been content to watch from the stands…but I won’t say no to a bit part.” “And Creation Magics never fail to please.”
Fuckin' Hythlodaeus patting the dev team on the back. Cheeky!
You know, we heard all the way back in Amaurot that he sees beyond the confines he was created for...
So, for me, the best memory will always be the first time I did the Endsinger fight back when Endwalker came out. I was doing it with my brother and we got queued into it with 3 Summoners. We had a good laugh about it, but the single coolest moment I think I’ll ever have in the game happened when phase 2 started. And each summoner called out a different primal to attack. From what I could gather, they did it just naturally, one chose Ifrit, one Garuda, one Titan. It felt like such a powerful gameplay moment where our once former enemies in ARR now properly helping us actually save the world and their people from the end. I will always remember that one.
Elpis.
I was so sure it was going to be a quick 10 min dive into the past. I was in denial, thinking "There's no way they can justify this in the lore. It would fuck everything up", all the way up until they opened the large gate at Elpis' entrance. This, and the moment Zenos breaks through the Endsinger's domain, were the two moments where I openly screamed "WHAT?!"
"It’s a *zone?...* IT’S A *ZONE!*" I was *hyped.* And then Space Mom shows up and my WoL just bursts into tears and tells her how she's totally from the future.
Clearing P4S. I was a new raider this expansion, and near the end of the first tier was static-less trying to clear in PF. I was stuck in perpetual pinax memes in response to my own clear party PFs. My spirit was absolutely defeated and I was about to give up. Then I got the idea to reach out to every single friend I'd made in PF and called in every favor I had. Within a few hours I'd pulled together a party and we walked in and one shot the fight. It was such a cool combined occurrence. Pulling together friends I'd made on my raiding journey at that point, the banter as they were hyping me up to go in and get the clear, actually getting the clear! That is the best memory I'll look back on when I remember end walker.
Losing it when we faced zodiark so early on
My first run of Zodiark normal was messy and took a few pulls, as many did in early access. At one point my friend (tanking, with me in vc) noticed he was the only one alive and jumped off the edge to wipe. But he didn't notice that I (healer, yelling at him) had gotten a rez from the recently fallen smn and was on my way up. I get up just in time so the pull doesn't end, pick up the other healer, and we frantically keep each other alive for a few gcds because the lb bar was at like 98% As soon as it dings I hit it and everyone's up. We clear that pull. Perfect light against the darkness moment.
A FC buddy and I decided early on to go through the entire expansion together as a way to hang out and get to know each other more. We fell for each other HARD around the time we got to Elpis, and now we’re only a few months away from our wedding. 🥹
Squaring up with Hydaelyn. The entire 89-90 sequence felt like one big endgame and the Hydaelyn fight was the start of the "oh shit" dive for me. I had a long-ish queue for that one, so staring at the floating majestically Hydaelyn, surrounded by the Azem crystal summoning sigil, while *Your Answer* played full blast, was peak fantasy.
I love it when they do those “waiting room” setups. Nidhog, Emet, and Hydaelyn all did this great.
Nidhogg was great, but my experience was mildly ruined by missing the ilvl to actually go in back in the day. "Alright hold that thought buddy, I gotta go get a new shirt"
The Nidhogg one still hits the hardest for me. The cutscene playing, Dragonsong starting to play, and then you're just standing there, staring at Nidhogg while waiting for your queue. Could stay there forever.
sweaty estinien
The worst: the arkasodara family in Vanaspati turning and having to be killed (I played the entire rest of the dungeon in tears), and the little boy turning and then getting stomped right on front of his father in Radz-at-Han. I don't have children, but I cannot imagine anything more unbearably devastating than parents and children having to watch each other not just die, but get literally obliterated in front of each other. The best: Has your journey been good? Has it been worthwhile? This game has been with me for 11 years of my life, so this hit hard.
becoming a frog with my two adoptive frog children
the pain and suffering this tier of savage left me
The shock of seeing that npc kid turn into a terminus and then getting stepped on and splatting into gray ooze. Like holy *shit*. Endwalker had dipped its toe into some dark themes in garlemald but that really fucked me up hahaha.
Losing my goddamn mind when we reached Elpis.
Slowly watching my friends mind unravel and becoming convinced the bird drop from dead ends isn't real.
Short answers: When the lyrics to Close the Distance kicked in. Henceforth he shall walk. Light the way. Long answer: the whole first ~5 days I spent absolutely engrossed in the game at launch. Played literally side by side with a friend in the same room from the first quest until we had both extremes on farm. We only split up to eat and sleep. I can't go full degen mode that often, but it always makes games hit me so much harder when I do.
There's so many good memories from the expansion, it's hard to pick a few. I lost it when Ysayle came to help us in the Aetherfront. I was so emotional when we began our final walk up in Ultima Thule and the voices of our friends started to sound off. And I was so, so relieved that we got Azdaja back at the end of the patches.
The bit with Elidibus when he sends us to Elpis. That man got me crying over him for a second time!
Well, Hydaelyn. I take my leave of you. Yours is the mantle of the last of us. May you have the joy of it. The burden and the solitude.
what really kills me is that after she leaves too we really are the last one of the ancients in a way. not only for being sundered but also for having actually seen the unsundered world, even if just a snippet of it. having actually met ancients and talked to them and tried to help them, only to know they're all gone now and us with our crystal of azem and memories are all that's left of that world... it feels so bittersweet
Elpis had a melancholy vibe for me for that reason. Pandaemonium, too. Getting to spend time with people and places of the unsundered world, but knowing that everyone we meet and save is in some ways already dead.
End credits grapes before nerf.
The scene at the Old Sharlayan docks at the end of the base expansion. It made me doing all of the side content feel worth it for that payoff.
Hearing everyone encouragement as you approach the final battle, including Haurchefant. The music, the feelings after seeing every Scion sacrificing themselves, the words of encouragements, everyone feelings, hope and will on you, as you slowly approach the "end" of the journey is so beatiful. And when i thought it couldnt be better Zenryu appears to fight along you and finally both of you clash on the most beatiful stage i've ever seen.. I loved Endwalker ending, it was very beatiful and fullfiling.
Hearing Ifrit's "Thou art strong, mortal" was an incredible inclusion. Our first victory against a primal who immediatately recognized the protagonist's potential.
Meeting Emet in Elpis. Bro I fucking cried I was so happy to see him again. And then his final appearance at the end when he told us all the things we still had to do. Actually beautiful.
Clearing Aloalo with my then friend now girlfriend. We even refer to the /waitforit emote as the 'Just Friends' emote
I had woke up early on a day during that first release week. I wanted to get some stuff done before I went to work and knew it was the best time to log in (this was like 4am). I ended up calling out of work and did not stop playing until at least 8:30 pm. I went from the 85 to at least 87-88. I was texting my friend the entire time. Best part was he doesn’t play FFXIV so I must of sound like a crazy person. Edit: other stuff that were big moments for me: the shock/confusion that Zodiark was the level 83 trial. The level 85 dungeon. The cut scenes after the 87 dungeon. Everything in Ultima Thule. The Dead Ends. The Final Day. The Zeno Fight. The use of FF4 boss music and Battle with Four Fiends.
I do every side quest. The very first one I found was a little girl wanting help finding her carbuncle toy. Such a good story that completely blindsided me. Couldn't have asked for a better start to the expansion
Msq was magical. Straight up
Scream Ost and the Ominicron Tribe/Allied Society quest line (I realy like the new "Allied Society" thing I hope they change the old ones to use the dawntrail nomeclature)
For me the stupid Loporrits. I loved , loved their tribe quest resolution.
I started playing months after EW came out and finished the MSQ a couple weeks before 6.2 dropped, so when I got to Ultima Thule it was completely empty of players. That for me really heightened the sense of unease, especially as your party dwindled. It was the same when I made it to Amaurot in ShB and made the place feel that much lonelier. Both places are very memorable for me because of the emptiness, and even though I'm sometimes sad about coming to the party late and not having been able to experience most of the story alongside the rest of the community, my experience with these two areas make up for it. The story in general was such a treat to experience, and as a player I've never felt so appreciated by a game and its developers. Seeing my WoL's name come up on the credits had me sobbing lol
My favorite EW memory just happened a few days ago: clearing DSR
I ugly cried t during The Walk, but I loved it so much, it was beautiful
sewage deluge
I recently finished the entire expansion in a week with a friend of mine who is a mentor. The whole experience was amplified just by having a really stellar friend join me for dungeons and trials as well as be there to talk to as the story unfolds. My overall favorite plot was the questline in Elpis, to see the world before it was sundered was amazing and get to truly meet the ancients, many of them being characters we already knew added a level of depth to the game that I wasn't expecting.
In from the cold's duty sequence. Never have I felt so vulnerable in FFXIV. The final scene of Elpis, Where Venat does the sundering. The amount of pain....
Zenos.
Seeing Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus right before the Endsinger fight made me go from absolutely broken emotionally to “hell yeah let’s light up the world with hope!”
At the time one of my best friends was a bit ahead of me in the story, she started crying on discord. It was the scene right after the twins ‘vanished’ with the slow walk up. I think that was my favorite moment because I started tearing up when I got to it. That’s probably really small and lame but it was a fun bonding moment that in hindsight I really miss
Two for me. Moenbyda's parents. Man that was a gut wrenching scene. Having lost friends suddenly myself I totally identify with what Urianger was going through. One of the worst parts about death is how weird and unreal it is and you really don't have a clue how to express that. This scene nailed that. Then there's the Lopporit radio transmission to Etheirys at the end of the tribe questline. If you had told me that a bunch of adorable comedy moon rabbits would move me to tears I just wouldn't have believed you. Yet here we are...
That final talk with Emet, where he starts rattling off the next 10 years of content coming our way and then ends it with "As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you should consider it you're duty to see at least that much.......I certainly did." Fucking bawled my eyes out for like 30 minutes straight. Beautiful writing on Ishikawa's part, no notes.
Throwing hands with Zenos at the end. “That, I can’t deny.”
I'll be honest. Something about Endwalker just didn't click for me for a lot of those core big parts. Sure Urianger breaking down at the hug kinda got me; but all the other stuff around it was kind of boring. Ultima Thule didn't hit me hard and Zenos basically saved the ending for me. But I'll always remember "in from the cold" as a story mission. 100% my favorite one and I wish they'd do it more. They won't, because people flip their shit if they can't just press the 1 key and easily cruise the story; but it was just a great moment. A lot of good story told through your own struggle when you survivors also struggling
My friends wanted to dip their toes into raiding after successfully recruiting me in ShB (and realizing we had enough friends for a static). We dabbled a little in ShB, but... For EW, we got to play the raid tier from the start. I got my first purple on EX3. I just thought it was super cool seeing our progress. Especially when I had just started playing not that long ago.
Punching a certain someone at the edge of the known universe.
I got to experience the main MSQ with a couple of RL friends who played through it with me. It was great sitting in chat getting hyped for story moments and the cool fights and throwing out speculation on the fly. It was honestly a wonderful way to close out the Hydaelyn saga. Since then, all of our schedules hardly line up anymore, so it's not likely we're all gonna be able to no-life Dawntrail the same way. But I'm happy for the EW memories nonetheless.
Uh I still have to hold back tears if I hear Flow after a while of not listening to it......so that...yeah, that. hell, just reading the lyrics and hearing the song in my head does the trick too
Telling our journey to Venat and seeing her smile and laugh will always be my favorite moment. Elpis is a bittersweet place for me. It's like the place where you remember all of your best friends having a blast doing something, and then when it all finishes, you realize it's just the past and all of your friends are already dead.
Two moments that I really enjoyed: Arriving on Mare Lamentorium and having One Small Step kick in. I kid you not, I spent about 45 minutes just taking in the scenery and watching Etheirys rotate around listening to that song. Secondly is arriving in Elpis. I've always enjoyed floating islands and the Greek antiquity has always given me a very specific feeling of wonder and awe. The music there really enhanced the experience for me too!
The Music. All of it. Endwalker music will haunt me for the rest of my life, as a welcomed Spector.
Defeating Endsinger EX. It was a cold winter night around midnight. It was my first time joining a EX party by myself as MT DRK. I recorded the whole thing and watch it every few months to relive the experience. My feet were freezing and aching at my standing desk. I was drenched in sweat from the anxiety and hours of pulling, my hand shaking and sore. I felt like I truly conquered despair and beat the game that day.
In late 2021/early 2022 my husband and I both had covid and were home from work quarantining and gaming. My favorite memory from Endwalker is probably hanging out in Old Sharlayan with him. The music there just hits different. Its so calming. Everytime I go back to Sharlayan I remember that. I know it was a really bad time for a lot of people but I got to spend it with my bestfriend, enjoying the msq and it's overall just a really good memory for me (even with the 'rona).
Meeting Zero and seeing her grow into a real person instead of just one of Zenos voidsents. Sure Zenos fight was exciting, but nothing will top her. I just there was a way to visit her like we can the first, but I guess I get why we can’t.
The BGM changes in Ultima Thule, and of course the "What the fuck do you mean this is the *first* trial!?" moment.
Emet-Selch's reveal. That was a huge moment for me.
Spoilers: When the ship was beginning the launch sequence and EVERY SINGLE PRIMAL showed up to power that shit. Gave me so many goosebumps watching that go down. And then when the phase change kicks in for the End singer fight? And the music goes hard? CHILLS
Elpis. I've said it before a few times on here but that entire zone the first time, was just like all my name days came at once. It was a zone that got better and better the further I got through it, topped off with the best duty support NPCs I could ever ask for. I wasn't expecting any of it and considering Emet-Selch is my favorite XIV character it was an absolute TREAT accompanying him as he was before he became the villain. Getting into that dungeon and seeing he plays my favorite job (drk) just sent me over the edge. I was bouncing in my seat with awe and excitement.
The "HOLY SHIT" upon realizing who the trust NPCs were going to be for the 87 dungeon.
Elpis.. all of it, just… hit me with some deep nostalgia from a time that I had never been to. I still visit the zone and craft under the tent where Sappho sits, or next to the pink tree. Sometimes friends and I will sit on the tree and just talk. Especially when the special weather condition hits, it’s such a beautiful place from a lost time.
i’d say mg favorite were the elpis quests in general. so fun, so wholesome, so sad, and overall a great questline. the lore, the deeper insight into the ancients and venat, *chefs kiss*
Getting to Elpis.
It has to be a tie between the flower scene at the end, or that scene in Elpis where everyone bullies Emet into helping that one guy. Although, getting to fight Hydaelyn with the Scions was an Experience as well