For those who are unsure about the Voices: 1. "If you need a push, I'll be right there behind you." -Ardbert 2. "Do not despair! You are not without allies." -Haurchefant 3. "What we have sown in blood, we have reaped in suffering, and it cannot go on." -Merlwyb 4. "Upon the souls of they who have sacrificed themselves to pave the way for peace, we will never abandon our cause." -Aymeric 5. "While it is true that man succumbs all too often to anger and avarice, he may yet overcome his baser instincts through the forming of bonds with others." -Nanamo 6. "Such victories are rarely won without sacrifice. But the prize is worth the price." -Raubahn 7. "And we for our part our glad indeed to be able to welcome friends both old and new." -Kan-E-Senna 8. "Save your tears for the morrow; you may be sure we'll have ample cause to shed them, be they for joy or despair." -Hien 9. "From tragedy and sacrifice we rise to greet a new dawn." -Papalymo 10. "A future shaped by the choices we made, in ways we could never have foreseen." -Memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps 11. "Yet miracles do happen. So let us pray, and will our friends home." -Beq Lugg 12. "I won't stop praying until I know they're safe." -Ryne 13. "Strong art thou, mortal." -Midgardsormr 14. "Look to the light within, that you may continue to serve as a beacon to others." -Minfilia 15. "Let's finish this." -Ardbert feel free to correct :))
Thanks! Was trying to recall who the WoL was recalling during this moment, showing how far they've come along their journey. The sacrifices they've made, and the challenges they've conquered. No matter what may happen, they will walk ever forward
Thank you! I used to play with Japanese audio but played Endwalker in English, and missed many voices. Some I recognized by their lines, but not all of them.
I love love LOVE how Emet Selch retains his sassy nature, but here, we have a different Emet Selch. One who's voice is softer, gentler, wiser, unburdened by the hatred, desperation and despair that he was condemned to. This is the true man. A man who is arrogant, but kind, harsh, yet gentle. One who complains, but deep down has a great love for his friends and his world. One who is serious to a fault, but ever so willing to bend and break the rules for the ones that he cares about. This, is true liberation. What we see here is an Emet Selch that is free from the slavery of his burden. He does not apologize for what he does and who he is, but he earnestly concedes to what is right and needs to be done. He is a flawed man, a rough man, but in the end, a man willing to give all for his world, his friends, and his loved ones. Notice how he says, "If you want to do something for me, then save OUR star." OUR, not HIS, as was in ShB. With his eyes cleared to the truth Emet Selch passes the torch to a new age. He's not a hero, but he IS a friend.
The fact that Emet was a hero and a good guy that put all that aside for a greater goal.. Finally seeing him as he should have been breaks my fucking heart.
@@TKUltra971 The thing is: it just shows how twisted and fucked up the Final Days was. Hermes, in a moment of great despair acted so recklessly and harshly. His recklessness ironically ruined the very happiness, purpose, and meaning that he dreaded from the answer that he got from Meteion. The happiness, and purpose that he sought by sending Meteion out was right in front of his face all along. He failed to grasp it. It just goes to show how much of a burden the Sundering was to Emet: his "LOOK AT ME! I HAVE LIVED A THOUSAND, THOUSAND OF YOUR LIVES!" compared to how he sounds pre sundering and post memory restoration is night and day. ShB's Emet was drained, defeated, tired, and spiteful.
Emet Selch reminds me of Raistlin Majere of Dragonlance fame a lot. The fact he is primarily a wizard with white hair and golden eyes sells the image too.
and when you talk to Y'shtola right after, she mentions that in Elpis the Ancients called the WoL a familiar, thinking that they were something less than human. but in Emet's phantom Amaurot, the Ancients call the WoL and the Scions children. small, less-powerful, and immature, but still human. Emet spent so long among the sundered that they grew on him
It's a buff - I thought it was a debuff too, but this is basically showing that despite all the despair he/she went through, the WoL wasn't going to let the Scion's sacrifices be for naught
Emet's speech about "Have you seen the world, the reflections? Expand your horizons, go forth and seek discovery. As the bearer of Azem's crystal its the least you can do. I Certainly" Is all the more tragic that he's telling you about his adventures while his long dead and sundered friend Azem only existed to him as a crystal and an incantation etched into it, then he gets to see you, remember you After he died and he tells you that he carried that one crystal to the ends of the earth and after you've carried it to the ends of the universe the least you could do is carry it around your neighborhood like he did all those years ago. One final wish from a friend long forgotten.
On top of that, to wander and explore the world (and to help those in need as one finds them) was, as I understand it, the _role_ of the Seat of Azem. So for us to carry on the tradition is to be true not only to the person whose soul we bear a fragment of, but to the Convocation office they once held. In a way, so long as our adventures continue, there's still a fragment of the culture of Amaurot that yet lives.
I legit cried at this part. I thought the shadows were merely the denizens of the star. But as soon as I stepped forward to greet them, and heard Ardbert’s voice - left me in tears. Our friends had sacrificed their lives to get us to this point. We thought we were alone because they are no longer by our side. Only to be reminded that we are never alone. Such a powerful scene.
As short as Midgardsormr's line is, it still holds some major gravity. A dragon as powerful as he is has stated that you are strong, and getting that reminder now is all that we needed.
@@MrWinczakos THANK GOD. Thought I was the only one. I knew it was quotes from everyone throughout the game but his was the only one I recognized immediately lmao.
Damn Emet, even in Endwalker you still end up being one of the best characters written in this story, even in the end, you smiled at us, knowing that we will live on and continue to live for those lost from our past lives and even to go on and travel the world, carrying out what our past self did in their former life. This adventure had me crying more than the past expansions have, it’s been an amazing journey and I definitely look forward to the adventures that is to come down the road. Thank you Yoshi-P and his team for making this expansion truly worth it (even though it’s been bumpy with servers atm, but the story is well worth it)
@@suliya3371 Not just next expansion, but re-confirming what the 24 man raid is about when he says "Or even the true identities of your twelve!" Yoshi already said that the premise of the 24 man raids will be about the Twelve gods and why they are seemingly absent and ignore their followers.
When the flowers were what was created with the snap and Meteion collapsed, that’s when I truly broke. An act of kindness, not vengeance… to accept her after everything. Redemption no matter how far gone one is.
I agree. As soon as i saw the form we picked for the path.. i was obliterated.. becuase i knew... i knew there was no way she could counter that after seeing the hope in the flowers. I had to stop a moment.. and of course.. after i picked the.. come with us.. i was crying fully at that point.
Technically, Metion never really does anything truly bad. She joins her sisters/endsinger, yes, but never direclty kills anyone until Thancred and the other scions, and that she failed at too. We even learn at the final bit when the twins die, that she was also a helpless being lost with emotion.
@@watertommyz she actually doesnt join she helps you stop them. When they become endsinger she tries to calm them down. After their demise while meteion is her she still deals that she just couldn't find what hermes wanted and more than anything she now is truly alone. She lost all her sisters,hermes everyone she knew except you. Thing i do like to is the usage of Flow. Flow seems like a song of a mentor finally meeting their long awaited pupil well the song plays after you are with meteion. Just like venat was protecting you all this time now its your job to do it for meteion. You will be her guide. well atleast thats how understood it. They may also never bring her back and all im saying here goes into the trash.
Oh I was fully crying the whole time during this particular part of the game but the elpis flowers truly broke me into sobbing. Laughing whilst crying at everything Emet said when he was summoned was a weird feeling all the while Hyth just trying to keep his wild friend in tow 😂 “HALF FADED SOULS OF THE DEAD ISNT IT PAINFULLY OBVIOUS?!?!?!? 🙄”
"Ours is the wisdom to weave the fabric of reality... Ours is the power to create!" I don't know why, but those lines, that snap, just stuck with me hard. It just shows off the amaurotian pride of Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch. After Shadowbringer and the tragedy of their lost people, it feels so powerful somehow.
Places to Visit: Ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty Treasure Islands beyond Blindfrost Golden cities of the New World Sacred sites of the forgotten people of the south sea Isles Meracydia, the southern continent Wherever in Eorzea the identities of the twelve are hidden 4th, 8th, 9th, and 11th reflections
It's so good. It was like Emet was leaking the plans of CBU3 for the future of the game. The very last idea he brought up already being confirmed as the upcoming alliance raid story.
And maybe others no matter small the chance I would love to see hly emet and el and I know that emet and el where evil till the end but when it mattered the most they came to help do what you needed right their
Every single song in this clip hits hard. "Close in the Distance", the triumphant theme when Those Two Guys are given form, and then the peaceful melody as Meteion succumbs to hope.
I am happy and sad his character is still ingame. I love the voice actor and would love to see the devs send him off respectfully but then it would be more respectful to his memory to keep the character around as it was the second character in HW we fell in love with. Me atlease.
I’m glad they give him a moment like this in one of the most emotional and impactful parts of the game for me atleast. May he rest in piece i really appreciate what he brought to the game as count edmont thank he will never be forgotten he is forever with the star❤️
@@bainbonic I mean.. Meracydia was known far before. But I get what you mean! :D Even on the "full" map we still have sooo much places we haven't seen yet.
@@kura4062 I know, I've been saying I want to go to Meracydia for years. But they've been recently talking about it more explicitly and in the MSQ like here or when freeing Tiamat.
I didn't have the heart to say anything but "Come with us, Meteion..." because she...Isn't evil, she isn't horrid, she isn't a monster...She's lost, she's desparing and hurting and lost. She doesn't know how to walk and we do. She needed us, needed to be taught how to see past all the suffering and loss.
I was so happy we actually saved her from despair. Technically speaking, she was only being used by her sisters/Endsinger anyway. Yes, she killed the Scions, she did so gently, and in a way with a means that they were able to return from. Also, yeah, I chose that option...it was clear this game was about hope in the darkest hour. She was emotionally disturbed, an innocent child twisted by the fates of lost civilization and failed hopes. I still saw her as the empathetic, stuttering child even when she became "evil." While it was the darkest storyline yet, there waa always a seed of hope.
there were so many times as I was playing through this I just wanted someone to hug the poor girl, she was still a child that in the end was just in desperate need of a friend, someone to let her know that yes the world can be a dark and scary place, but by working together we can make it better
Yeah, what did poor Meteion do, aside from slaughter literally BILLIONS of people? Jesus, I'm so tired of people White Knighting for her. She was Hitler with wings stuck to her head. The thing I hated worst about Endwalker was that I didn't have the option to crush her skull with my sword-hilt.
@@VideoHostSite She didn't, though. It's well established that most of the civilizations she visited were already on their way out, and yes a few headed in that direction after she had visited. The most she actually did kill were a number of people on Etherys. We, the WOL, have killed more people than she has. Venat killed more people than she has. Emet-Selch has killed more people than she has. If you want to hate her, fine, that's your prerogative. But don't start claiming her body count is the reason why when plenty of other beloved characters have a far far higher body count. And before you go claiming "well it's directly caused by her!" because at this point that's really the only argument you have, no. It was directly caused by Hermes, who sidestepped protocol and released an untested creation into the void of space. He's the real end villain, and even his issues were due to what is very obviously clinical depression. Just about ever villain we come across needs therapy, not a death sentence.
What I adore is Emet passing us the Torch and acknowledging/Bestowing the title of Azem to us and what it means. We NEED to explore, we NEED to see everything we can. It's not only our duty but, as the sundered soul of his close friend. We are adventurers, always have been and always will be.
This moment here sparked the first time I shedded tears for a game. I remember arriving to gridania in a carriage to now fighting at the edge of the universe to save our star
hearing Haurchefant's voice here really tore me up. he's been there for us from our lowest moment, even in his death. i love that the WoL will always remember him.
He was the first character we meet who wanted to know us just because he wanted to know us. He didn't want to use us for anything, he didn't ask for anything from us, to help defeat a primal or form a company or rally troops to our side. He honestly was the first person who just wanted to see us safe and happy.
I am simply amazed. So very happy I left the other game, and came here. This is incredible writing, throughout my journey since ARR in June, I have never cried so much for a story, not a movie, tv show or book... just simply amazing. Thank you Square Enix.
To me, an absolute highlight and best moment of Endwalker is Emet-Selch talking about all those wonders of the world we have yet to discover (not to mention that "current affairs of Merecydia" is such a foreshadowing). "I certainly did" - he eventually aknowledges that current world, post-sundering, is also beautiful.
There is more meaning to that "I certainly did". He was the prior bearer of the crystal of Azem, as he was the one who made it. So he made sure to go to all those places to show them to his dearest friend. So we, as both the new bearer of the crystal and the sundered soul of Azem, need to do that ASAP.
My husband and I met in this game right after Heavensward released. I was not actively playing anymore but I sat with him while he did Endwalker. This walk got us. It was emotional to say the least.
Emet to me was already the best written character in fiction. and this only re-confirms it "the future you seek is not in the past... that is why i lost...." man accepted defeat like a BOSS and even in death he continues to be the same character this whole story is perfectly written.. not like... other mmo that i know... "I WILL NEVER SERVE XD"
What really sealed the deal was the " I lost the battle of might but not of ideal ". Even in death he still thinks that he was right, but he does admit than what we did would outdo anything the Ancients would have done if given the chance. " You did better than us, better than any one of us and all of us combined ". Moreover his sassiness is off the charts even in death with his " yes I live again but I will not continue to do so if it's by the hand of Hydaelyn's magick". Finally , for the coup-de-grâce, Emet's jab at the WoL's lack of adventuring was sooo good " You don't shit about X place or Y place ? You don't even know who the Twelve are don't you ? So much to do and yet I gave YOU the crystal of Azem the Traveler, both Venat and MY Azem would have done it twice over already within the same timeframe so how couldn't you ? "
@@randomstreamer2868 I am SO looking forward to our new adventures. We carry that incredible burden no longer and may adventure and experience as we see fit. We may finally walk free.
Oof....and they were in direct counter to Venat's. Hermes couldn't bare to tie a being to the ground, but in doing so that being was unable to learn what it meant to endure hardships. "though I gave you these wings to soar the heavens, I did not teach you to walk the earth...so loathe was I to bind another living being." His intentions were pure, but his reasoning was flawed, as she had no need to learn to walk as he had hoped. Venat forced humanity to learn to walk so they could endure any hardship presented to them. "No more shall man have wings to bear him to paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk."
I never broke from this game since Haurchefant death and calling G'raha Tia by his name. But when i heard Hermes voice in Meteion's mind, and seeing our boys brought back to life, i cried like a baby..
"A flower," combined with Meteion falling to her knees seconds later, hit me like a fucking semitruck. No other game has ever hit me that hard. Period.
What truly destroyed me was when I read "Walking alone unto journey's end, the burden weighing heavy" because it hit me in the one thing I truly feared: being alone
Also, Fandaniel was the most “human” of the ascians. He viewed life differently and it’s value. And how he reacted to the truth was reasonable, after having so much hope for possibilities just to realize it’s all for nothing- it would drive anyone crazy. Sadly he realized it all too late, that others fates do not dictate yours. Amazing game. It’s insane how far we’ve come as Adventurers.
It is amazing how far this game has come from 1.0 barely sticking around and being called one of the worse games. Now look at it. High scores across the board. Q lined to just get in now. Great stories. Great characters
I just have to get the sound track to this. I cried so much in this. When Urianger looked at me and smiled as he dies, and G'rah Tia omg......... All of this was just magical
the fact that the game says that "you sense the presence of another" and it's ardbert there. he's like "c'mon. i told you i'd be here and i'm not leaving."
That. The quest title alone hit me hard because of the FFIX song by the same title, but to really see it in action even more than FFIX represented that sentence…idk it broke me
Endwalker came out when I was in a very dark and worrying place, and I really didn't know how to deal with alot of stuff going on and I needed an outlet, but as I played it just resonated with me so hard, I saw a bit of myself in the characters we met along the way, but it wasn't till this scene where I just let it all out I didn't think games could really truly have a therapeutic effect but this one did, it made me feel like I could keep going, so I started going to therapy, get the help I needed and am in a much better place because of it so thank you endwalker, for helping me keep walking.
@@moonflowlatte this makes me have questions about the southern continent and definitely have questions about the twelve. And I hope he is saying this as foreshadowing!
@@moonflowlatte I wouldn't doubt he is secretly fond of Azem, but I think he visited all of those places in his role as an empire builder. He is a major player in the Allagan empire, and founder of the Garlean empire, as well as others, probably some on other shards to prep them for rejoining.
My wife and I were so distraught and empty inside when the music started playing. Nothing could have prepared you for this walk. When Ardbert's voice kicked in, we broke.
This bit fully did me in. I broke. After seeing G'raha and then the twins, I had held it back for them and then they went and did this and had the beautiful bridges and the dam broke. It felt so final, it felt like the end and it broke my heart. Incredible story.
I broke at G'raha, then a little more at the twins, and then was shattered completely here. By the time we got to the actual fight, I don't think I had many tears left 😂
Cutscene with Emet and Hythlodaeus made me ugly cry. This and Aitiascope cutscene of Amon/Hermes' demise are the ones which broke me the most. I truly felt for Hermes, despite everything. But there's sooo much scenes in EW which broke me had. :'(
a lot of the last half made me ugly cry. I have trouble still now not crying(trying to step away from the game, picking up another game that doesn't have sad parts). I wish they didn't keep the one song playing in the zone.
I didn't cry at all, only when Emet died in Shadowbringers and Elidibus becoming the warrior light, they made me cry, but I didn't cry a shed of tear in Endwalker, Endwalker kind of dissapointed me. I didn't want Zodiark and Hydaelyn to end....
@@Dwayneff being dissapointed cause an adventure came to an end is not very good tbh I feel they were given a great sendoff, tbh, what with the backstory of Venat and all the sacrifices she had to make. Everything regarding Hermes and Meteoin hit really fucking close home, but like all adventures it eventually ends. Like Emet said, though, there's a lot we don't know still of Etheirys, so that's even more adventures for the future
Another beauty with Emet Selch in this scene is when he talked about the world to the WoL, its like he was talking to Azem himself coz Both Azem and WoL are wonderlust , Travelers and adventurer. He didn't want the WoL to be sad so he birghten him up one last time, this really made me more see How much Emet Selch Cared And love for his Friend Azem despite the continuous irratated and annoyance they shared. He Really was bloody close, also made me realize how much Emet Prolly was Happy and Sad during ShB, coz his literrraly looking at mirror striking similarities from a sundered form (WoL). Square Enix really made the best Character in the FF series.
Remember they recognize us based on the "color" of our Aether, so he basically saw like a faded photo when he saw us, memories that have long past, memories of simpler, happy times with Azem.
The LOOK on Meteions face forone frame when it turns back to her after Hythlodeus and Emet appear is the face of a kid who made an absolute mess of the house and heard their parents car door shut outside, her face is the moment of epiphany that mommy and daddy are home and you're in huge trouble.
This walk was the most painful thing I've had to do in this game. Once the music began playing after the twins made their sacrifice...I broke completely. It took me a few minutes to gather myself to take that walk. Even during that walk, I was crying the entire time. It also reminded me of my IRL struggles. Those whom I lost in my life as well....yet somehow, I find a way to forge ahead.
Keep your chin up, Warrior of Light. You still have a long way ahead of you, sites to see and adventures to have. For those you lost and those that depend on you. Walk free.
Same. After the Twins made their sacrifice I broke down and I even felt the emotions as my Miqo'te said "No! I cannot stand to lose you to!" as she yelled I felt that cause was already to broken up losing the others. Each sacrifice I fret to pick up the controller again and move forwards but did. As a kid I was so depressed and felt so alone that I almost took my life as a kid. Seeing the dead world break apart and open up reminded me as I held that knife the friends and family I had that treated me like family saved me. I was always alone in the house with only two dogs nothing more. Father always gone to work. A broken family cause one brother and my father disowned each other. A controlling father who not let me do much outside the house except school then back to a empty house with no one around. I was only in early middle school out in the country side as well. Thanks for my friends who treated me like a brother and as a son I stand here today cause they were the ones that crossed my mind the hardest. I feel this CS hard and why I hoped so badly that Meteion survived which full glad she did
I cried 3 times here fully. I don't bawl, but I just sit here and let tears just go down my face as I play. When I heard the voices of all the people I met in the game as we walked, I cried. "If we can take another step...Will we do it?" When Meteion finally, FINALLY, remembered Hermes words, I cried. "Can we...Be friends?" When Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus finally, FINALLY, returned to the stars, I cried. "Remember...Remember that they once lived."
There’s something utterly chilling after the twins disappear, and you’re all alone in such a silent universe. I’ll never forget the moments before this part where your character is alone in such a deserted place in the middle of space. There’s a feeling I couldn’t describe in that, but then all I could do was feel tears streaming down my face. I think what struck me was just spending years and years with everyone - your friends, and other warriors of light along the way and you always see them in all areas of the game. And then suddenly that’s it. It’s just you. And it all seems so dark and silent. And then this part happens. And it’s like as you’re walking up the pathways, the tears just came harder and you realize that despite what was once silent, you’re not alone anymore and your memories are guiding and lighting your way to the end.
This walk was one of the most epic moments I’ve ever experienced in any game I’ve ever played. And I’ve been gaming since Super Mario Bros. on the original Nintendo. And that song…wth; it’s better than most music I hear on the radio. Put the two together and you get this moment….this almost indescribable, memorable, heart-wrenching buildup to one of the best endings ever.
Emet-selch's last soft and genuine smile right before he vanishes always gets me. He truly does care for you, not as a shard of someone he knew long gone, or the Azem he wants back, but you as your own person and I just can't Also the way the WoL frowns is just perfect, because how often do we actually see our character act petulant and indignant at a jive! The amount of expressions and emotions the WoL goes through in this expac really matches with how the player feels and honestly helps gives life to our character
Idk why around 1050 hurt more than anything I've ever seen In this game there are so many sad scenes in this game I think maybe it's the expectation of something maybe powerful or great to stop her but yet instead the wol dictates to give her what's she's been missing that help lead her to her despair...the flower that she was promised this whole time
God it hit me so hard, we didn't need a physical bridge, or anything powerful, what we needed was to bridge the way between us and Meteion, and by giving HER hope, we could create a chain reaction and confront despair. Sometimes creating those bonds and sewing seeds is far more powerful any weapon we could wield. Absolutely beautifully written, everything was so beautiful and touching, congratulations and thanks to the team for delivering another fantastic expansion.
This sequence was so powerful I didn’t even realize there was a debuff! I toggled on walk right away because I felt it was appropriate for the sheer weight of the moment. Glad to see it was an actual creative decision.
Meteion story is a reflection of the story of Pandora's. Of Great Pain, suffering, hate, tragedy and death...yet within all of the darkness of every living being is a small yet powerful light. A light called Hope...
A lot of people didn't like him, but I thought he was a well-written tragic character. A man who loved life and hated the way the Ancients threw it away and just wanted to find a reason for living. Only to have his whole life's work destroyed by what Meteion found. It broke him just as much as it did her.
@@KLGChaos Most people hate him because he contradicts himself, he did not only doom his own star for the sins of his race but also countless other stars. For someone who loves live and meteion, he certainly put a lot of pressure on her.
I can totally understand that hermes felt angry how the ancients treaded their own creations and that he wanted to bring change, because he love life itself: but it was his creation that doomed the very planet and many others, which destroyed the very thing he wanted to protect in the beginning: life itself: and what his remaining soul did with zenos, to bring the apocalypse again makes it not better: I think he is really well written and I can understand his feelings, but the way he handeld the truth meteion found... Its not easy to forgive him in the position of my Wol xD
Tbh, this is the quest that made me break into tears, just walking past all the ghosts, hearing old voices of friends long gone and of some still alive. Papalymos hit especially hard for me, since he is my favorite scion. So when I heard him I started breaking down. I'm so happy and glad I found this game, and got to meet so many wonderful people💕 I wish you warriors of light an amazing day/night
I was finishing up Ultima Thule very late at night. So when Thancred was gone I figured he was just kidnapped and we'd go rescue him yada yada. It didn't really fully sink in what was happening until Y'shtola and Urianger sacrificed themselves. From then on I was so hesitant to push forward because Alisaie, Alphinaud, and G'raha are my brothers and sister. From my character's perspective they were everything. When G'raha sacrificed himself I shed a few tears and had to stop playing for a few minutes after Alphinaud and Alisaie did the same. That said. This portion of the MSQ tore me to shreds. It was something I had never experienced from a video game story before. It was so sad yet so empowering. To know the family we had made over the last 10 years were so willing to lay down their lives just to give us the chance at victory and what that actually meant for us. I don't know, maybe im sappy, but Ultima Thule was genuinely one of the best endings to a story I think i've ever experienced in a video game.
i also LOVE that they balance out the tear-inducing sad moment of Meteion collapsing to her knees and curling up in grief after remembering Hermes' promise, and then finally summoning the Scions back to your side after losing them, with Thancred immediately looking down at himself, after being basically erased from existence for at least an hour, and going "aw, not even a scar"
Back when we were setting out, I was dying to ask the gleaners to stock the Ragnarok with the most beautiful flowers they could find. I remembered Hermes' promise to her and I wanted nothing more than to grant her what Hermes no longer could.
I've been a gamer since the early days of the original Nintendo, and before that I was a heavy reader with Fantasy being my preferred genre. My favorite genre has always been story heavy RPG's and I can't count how many I've played that have had some level of impact on me. My greatest passion is the art of the written word, and just how much a well written story can utterly bewitch a person, whether its through a glorious telling of a heroic battle or the way a moment of grief can shatter even the coldest of souls. This is the greatest finale to a story I have EVER witnessed, be it in a game, movie or book. I started playing back in Stormblood, but have played through all of the story, every glorious moment. Up through Stormblood I thought the story was great, but not especially amazing. Then Shadowbringers launched, and everything started coming together, all the loose threads and half-finished stories woven up until then were brought back into the light, and unbelievable revelations took place, one after another. And it was all done so well. The acting, writing, sound, music, artwork, all beyond anything I could have expected. I truly thought Endwalker would flop, because I just couldn't imagine a reality where Shadowbringers would be surpassed, and I have never been happier to have been proven wrong. There is nothing, not one thing, I would change about Endwalker. Not its story, or how it was presented, it is absolute perfection to me, at least as far as every RPG/Story experience I've ever had.
I feel like a major aspect of this scene is how Azem's power is repeatedly and specifically stated to be to "Call others from beyond the rift", not summon. Therefore we need their consent and willingness to do so. Emet talks rough, but he choose to come to our aide despite having to face us and the shame of having been defeated and proven wrong.
I wished out character could've run up to them and hugged them both. Even if Emet profusely protested up to the actual hug only to finally accept it with a smile would've been the icing on the cake. If we could've done that i would've needed a whole new box of tissues
I love the buildup to you summoning Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus. You're staring down Meteion. You *know* that Azem's crystal is only thing you can use to possibly defeat her, but you don't know *how* you should use it. Revive the Scions? You'll revert Ultima Thule to an uninhabitable death world. Summon seven allies to fight Meteion in a trial? You could summon seven thousand allies and it would mean nothing, since the Meteion before you is merely an avatar, while her true body hides away in the safety of the Dead Ends. So you think. You recall every step, every memory that led you to this moment. And then you remember that strange dream you had after your journey into the Aitiascope - and something clicks in your mind. You now know exactly what you need to do.
Thought the walking part is great since you still cant get to the dead star and Venat said "No more shall man have wings to bear him to Paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk."
I think what made me cry less in this expansion (though it was certainly some really heavy stuff) is that, Hermes aside, the endings were welcomed. Hades wasn't fighting against it anymore, he was content and relieved to be free of the burden. Hythlodaeus was released and able to return to the star. And Venat, who'd borne perhaps an even bigger burden than Hades--because the sundering and all subsequent suffering was her doing--she finally got to lay down her mantle. Her duty was finally finished. There were no messy endings here, I feel. Even Meteion was freed and allowed to sing a joyous song after all those years of despair. If there's ONE wish I have, it's that someone could have comforted poor Hermes at the start of it. He felt things so keenly, yet because of his society's rules and ways of being, was made to feel like he was some kind of freak. I think all of us who suffer from depression understand that feeling. It might not have stopped anything, and of course this is all a video game! But he's the one I wish I could bring into a hug and tell him he's okay!
This expansion made me feel so much closer to the community. We walked that walk together and when I did that on my own, I felt like all of you were there with me. All of us, warriors of light. It was a really special moment. I can tell we have more time to spend with Emet-Selch, too. His story is far from over.
"Close in the DIstance" going into full vocals ripped my heart out. And then utter silence as Meteion defied us as we stood alone... And then the triumphant music kicked in at 7:09 and I knew it was going to be all right... And then I realized I'd remateralized none other than Hades and Hythlodaeus, with their memories restored and their... characteristic personalities fully intact, and I just couldn't stop laughing in joy and relief until the *snap.*
The only game that makes me cry when ever I look back on it’s cutscenes one of my favourite games of all time looking forward to the next arc of the story
I love how everyone knew that running was not allowed. You had to walk, to commit this moment to memory. The voices of our allies paving the way to the final battle. Giving us the strength to battle the overwhelming despair that we may have fallen to otherwise. Letting us know that whole physically, we may be alone..... We are never without our allies.
I couldn't do anything but laugh when Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus appeared. The INSTANT Emet-Selch had lips, he started complaining. I was also laughing about how the dialog boxes were labeling them as ???. As if we didn't know exactly who they were.
@@mithiwithi "Come on game, as if I don't realize it is our favorite old married couple." - Me, close to midnight, with my brain unable to decide between laughing and crying.
Possibly one of the greatest story climaxes in gaming. 300 hours, a catastrophe into 5 expansions of a journey, lost friends and lovers but newfound ones as well, a story that wants you to put yourself into it. And in the end reminds you that the end never mattered but your experiences along the way. Goodbye Endwalker, you were the perfect endcap to a story I'll wish to experience again and again.
![[Endwalker Spoilers] You're Not Alone: Voices from the Past, original cutscenes](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1GtiDjMrJ08/mqdefault.jpg)
![Thou Must Live, Die, And Know [LV87 MSQ CUTSCENE]](/img/1.gif)
For those who are unsure about the Voices:
1. "If you need a push, I'll be right there behind you." -Ardbert
2. "Do not despair! You are not without allies." -Haurchefant
3. "What we have sown in blood, we have reaped in suffering, and it cannot go on." -Merlwyb
4. "Upon the souls of they who have sacrificed themselves to pave the way for peace, we will never abandon our cause." -Aymeric
5. "While it is true that man succumbs all too often to anger and avarice, he may yet overcome his baser instincts through the forming of bonds with others." -Nanamo
6. "Such victories are rarely won without sacrifice. But the prize is worth the price." -Raubahn
7. "And we for our part our glad indeed to be able to welcome friends both old and new." -Kan-E-Senna
8. "Save your tears for the morrow; you may be sure we'll have ample cause to shed them, be they for joy or despair." -Hien
9. "From tragedy and sacrifice we rise to greet a new dawn." -Papalymo
10. "A future shaped by the choices we made, in ways we could never have foreseen." -Memoirs of Count Edmont de Fortemps
11. "Yet miracles do happen. So let us pray, and will our friends home." -Beq Lugg
12. "I won't stop praying until I know they're safe." -Ryne
13. "Strong art thou, mortal." -Midgardsormr
14. "Look to the light within, that you may continue to serve as a beacon to others." -Minfilia
15. "Let's finish this." -Ardbert
feel free to correct :))
Thanks! Was trying to recall who the WoL was recalling during this moment, showing how far they've come along their journey. The sacrifices they've made, and the challenges they've conquered. No matter what may happen, they will walk ever forward
Thank you! I used to play with Japanese audio but played Endwalker in English, and missed many voices. Some I recognized by their lines, but not all of them.
@@meowstake sounds like ardbert to me
@@meowstake definitely sounds like Joe Dempsie
I believe the "strong art thou, mortal" is ifrit
I love love LOVE how Emet Selch retains his sassy nature, but here, we have a different Emet Selch. One who's voice is softer, gentler, wiser, unburdened by the hatred, desperation and despair that he was condemned to. This is the true man. A man who is arrogant, but kind, harsh, yet gentle. One who complains, but deep down has a great love for his friends and his world. One who is serious to a fault, but ever so willing to bend and break the rules for the ones that he cares about. This, is true liberation. What we see here is an Emet Selch that is free from the slavery of his burden. He does not apologize for what he does and who he is, but he earnestly concedes to what is right and needs to be done. He is a flawed man, a rough man, but in the end, a man willing to give all for his world, his friends, and his loved ones. Notice how he says, "If you want to do something for me, then save OUR star." OUR, not HIS, as was in ShB. With his eyes cleared to the truth Emet Selch passes the torch to a new age. He's not a hero, but he IS a friend.
The fact that Emet was a hero and a good guy that put all that aside for a greater goal.. Finally seeing him as he should have been breaks my fucking heart.
@@TKUltra971 The thing is: it just shows how twisted and fucked up the Final Days was. Hermes, in a moment of great despair acted so recklessly and harshly. His recklessness ironically ruined the very happiness, purpose, and meaning that he dreaded from the answer that he got from Meteion.
The happiness, and purpose that he sought by sending Meteion out was right in front of his face all along. He failed to grasp it.
It just goes to show how much of a burden the Sundering was to Emet: his "LOOK AT ME! I HAVE LIVED A THOUSAND, THOUSAND OF YOUR LIVES!" compared to how he sounds pre sundering and post memory restoration is night and day.
ShB's Emet was drained, defeated, tired, and spiteful.
Emet Selch reminds me of Raistlin Majere of Dragonlance fame a lot. The fact he is primarily a wizard with white hair and golden eyes sells the image too.
Emet is probably my favourite Final Fantasy "Villian" of all. Loved him in Shadowbringers.
and when you talk to Y'shtola right after, she mentions that in Elpis the Ancients called the WoL a familiar, thinking that they were something less than human. but in Emet's phantom Amaurot, the Ancients call the WoL and the Scions children. small, less-powerful, and immature, but still human. Emet spent so long among the sundered that they grew on him
"Do not despair! You are not without allies."
Oh my HEART.
I am madly and hopelessly in love with Haurchefant and when that was said I stopped and cried for a good 5 minutes before I could continue
I love how the "Debuff" you got there was just named "Endwalker" and made you walk slowly, so good
actually it's a buff* buff icons have a pointed top, debuffs have a pointed bottom
Walking alone unto journeys end, the weight bearing heavy.
Not only that but you can't use shout chat, anything you type won't be seen and you can't see what others type either.
It's a buff - I thought it was a debuff too, but this is basically showing that despite all the despair he/she went through, the WoL wasn't going to let the Scion's sacrifices be for naught
Emet's speech about "Have you seen the world, the reflections? Expand your horizons, go forth and seek discovery. As the bearer of Azem's crystal its the least you can do. I Certainly" Is all the more tragic that he's telling you about his adventures while his long dead and sundered friend Azem only existed to him as a crystal and an incantation etched into it, then he gets to see you, remember you After he died and he tells you that he carried that one crystal to the ends of the earth and after you've carried it to the ends of the universe the least you could do is carry it around your neighborhood like he did all those years ago. One final wish from a friend long forgotten.
wish we got a grumpy companion, I guess there Estinien but he not that grumpy.
On top of that, to wander and explore the world (and to help those in need as one finds them) was, as I understand it, the _role_ of the Seat of Azem. So for us to carry on the tradition is to be true not only to the person whose soul we bear a fragment of, but to the Convocation office they once held. In a way, so long as our adventures continue, there's still a fragment of the culture of Amaurot that yet lives.
I legit cried at this part.
I thought the shadows were merely the denizens of the star. But as soon as I stepped forward to greet them, and heard Ardbert’s voice - left me in tears.
Our friends had sacrificed their lives to get us to this point. We thought we were alone because they are no longer by our side. Only to be reminded that we are never alone.
Such a powerful scene.
Hades spent the last moments he had cheering his friend up.
Emet- That said, we DO have a score to settle.
Meteion - “Sweats profusely”
As short as Midgardsormr's line is, it still holds some major gravity. A dragon as powerful as he is has stated that you are strong, and getting that reminder now is all that we needed.
not gonna lie, its the only line i knew and who was speaking it immediately
I was holding it together until this one, and then it immediately broke me.
Being acknowledged by the strongest of Dragonkind makes you feel a certain way lol.
Learning that he was the dragon that escaped with a clutch was honestly heartbreaking.
@@MrWinczakos THANK GOD. Thought I was the only one. I knew it was quotes from everyone throughout the game but his was the only one I recognized immediately lmao.
Damn Emet, even in Endwalker you still end up being one of the best characters written in this story, even in the end, you smiled at us, knowing that we will live on and continue to live for those lost from our past lives and even to go on and travel the world, carrying out what our past self did in their former life.
This adventure had me crying more than the past expansions have, it’s been an amazing journey and I definitely look forward to the adventures that is to come down the road. Thank you Yoshi-P and his team for making this expansion truly worth it (even though it’s been bumpy with servers atm, but the story is well worth it)
Emet-Selch was already a good villain, but this expansion made him even better. He took his defeat with such grace.
18:17 he also revealed some clues for next expansion ?
@@suliya3371 Not just next expansion, but re-confirming what the 24 man raid is about when he says "Or even the true identities of your twelve!" Yoshi already said that the premise of the 24 man raids will be about the Twelve gods and why they are seemingly absent and ignore their followers.
I was sooooooo wrong about him, so wrong about so many things, this expansion is impossible to describe! The greatness impossible to quantify.
@@smward87 Eorzea Encyclopedia said 'they left the world for mankind' but never told us exactly why
@@hermespymander9167 Indeed. We will know the reason come 6.1.
When the flowers were what was created with the snap and Meteion collapsed, that’s when I truly broke. An act of kindness, not vengeance… to accept her after everything. Redemption no matter how far gone one is.
I agree. As soon as i saw the form we picked for the path.. i was obliterated.. becuase i knew... i knew there was no way she could counter that after seeing the hope in the flowers. I had to stop a moment.. and of course.. after i picked the.. come with us.. i was crying fully at that point.
I was doing just fine, till that damn snap. It broke me.
Technically, Metion never really does anything truly bad. She joins her sisters/endsinger, yes, but never direclty kills anyone until Thancred and the other scions, and that she failed at too. We even learn at the final bit when the twins die, that she was also a helpless being lost with emotion.
@@watertommyz she actually doesnt join she helps you stop them. When they become endsinger she tries to calm them down. After their demise while meteion is her she still deals that she just couldn't find what hermes wanted and more than anything she now is truly alone. She lost all her sisters,hermes everyone she knew except you.
Thing i do like to is the usage of Flow. Flow seems like a song of a mentor finally meeting their long awaited pupil well the song plays after you are with meteion. Just like venat was protecting you all this time now its your job to do it for meteion. You will be her guide. well atleast thats how understood it. They may also never bring her back and all im saying here goes into the trash.
Oh I was fully crying the whole time during this particular part of the game but the elpis flowers truly broke me into sobbing. Laughing whilst crying at everything Emet said when he was summoned was a weird feeling all the while Hyth just trying to keep his wild friend in tow 😂
“HALF FADED SOULS OF THE DEAD ISNT IT PAINFULLY OBVIOUS?!?!?!? 🙄”
"Ours is the wisdom to weave the fabric of reality... Ours is the power to create!"
I don't know why, but those lines, that snap, just stuck with me hard. It just shows off the amaurotian pride of Hythlodaeus and Emet-Selch. After Shadowbringer and the tragedy of their lost people, it feels so powerful somehow.
Places to Visit:
Ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty
Treasure Islands beyond Blindfrost
Golden cities of the New World
Sacred sites of the forgotten people of the south sea Isles
Meracydia, the southern continent
Wherever in Eorzea the identities of the twelve are hidden
4th, 8th, 9th, and 11th reflections
Me: I never been there befo-
Elmet-selch: Then when you finish save the star, OUR stars, go explore and discover it.
I loved it how they set up a open ended way forward for stuff like a reincarnated emet
It's so good. It was like Emet was leaking the plans of CBU3 for the future of the game. The very last idea he brought up already being confirmed as the upcoming alliance raid story.
And maybe others no matter small the chance I would love to see hly emet and el and I know that emet and el where evil till the end but when it mattered the most they came to help do what you needed right their
We know the Twelve one will be a raid questline, they announced that a few months ago.
this walk.... I was crying the whole time everyone died, to light my path to the bringer of despair... was so fucking good.
This song. It HITS so hard.
Anybody know the name of this theme???
@@demmerri The theme of the zone? Close in the distance. Enjoy!
Every single song in this clip hits hard. "Close in the Distance", the triumphant theme when Those Two Guys are given form, and then the peaceful melody as Meteion succumbs to hope.
The line by Count Edmont is especially poignant since the VA has returned to the Star.. T_T
I am happy and sad his character is still ingame. I love the voice actor and would love to see the devs send him off respectfully but then it would be more respectful to his memory to keep the character around as it was the second character in HW we fell in love with. Me atlease.
OMIGOD, I started crying after reading this, bless their soul
He is and forever will be the voice of Heavensward.
I just read what happened my bday is in September 21 =(
I’m glad they give him a moment like this in one of the most emotional and impactful parts of the game for me atleast. May he rest in piece i really appreciate what he brought to the game as count edmont thank he will never be forgotten he is forever with the star❤️
Emet out here teasing like 6 different expansions and raid quest lines
"The true identities of The Twelve" is our alliance raid, actually.
I really hate when MMOs just pull new threats and locations out of thin air *cough*WoW*cough* so I LOVE that they set up so many here.
i eat rocks
@@bainbonic I mean.. Meracydia was known far before. But I get what you mean! :D Even on the "full" map we still have sooo much places we haven't seen yet.
@@kura4062 I know, I've been saying I want to go to Meracydia for years. But they've been recently talking about it more explicitly and in the MSQ like here or when freeing Tiamat.
I didn't have the heart to say anything but "Come with us, Meteion..." because she...Isn't evil, she isn't horrid, she isn't a monster...She's lost, she's desparing and hurting and lost. She doesn't know how to walk and we do. She needed us, needed to be taught how to see past all the suffering and loss.
I was so happy we actually saved her from despair. Technically speaking, she was only being used by her sisters/Endsinger anyway.
Yes, she killed the Scions, she did so gently, and in a way with a means that they were able to return from.
Also, yeah, I chose that option...it was clear this game was about hope in the darkest hour. She was emotionally disturbed, an innocent child twisted by the fates of lost civilization and failed hopes.
I still saw her as the empathetic, stuttering child even when she became "evil." While it was the darkest storyline yet, there waa always a seed of hope.
there were so many times as I was playing through this I just wanted someone to hug the poor girl, she was still a child that in the end was just in desperate need of a friend, someone to let her know that yes the world can be a dark and scary place, but by working together we can make it better
Yeah, what did poor Meteion do, aside from slaughter literally BILLIONS of people? Jesus, I'm so tired of people White Knighting for her. She was Hitler with wings stuck to her head. The thing I hated worst about Endwalker was that I didn't have the option to crush her skull with my sword-hilt.
@@VideoHostSite She didn't, though. It's well established that most of the civilizations she visited were already on their way out, and yes a few headed in that direction after she had visited.
The most she actually did kill were a number of people on Etherys. We, the WOL, have killed more people than she has. Venat killed more people than she has. Emet-Selch has killed more people than she has. If you want to hate her, fine, that's your prerogative. But don't start claiming her body count is the reason why when plenty of other beloved characters have a far far higher body count.
And before you go claiming "well it's directly caused by her!" because at this point that's really the only argument you have, no. It was directly caused by Hermes, who sidestepped protocol and released an untested creation into the void of space. He's the real end villain, and even his issues were due to what is very obviously clinical depression.
Just about ever villain we come across needs therapy, not a death sentence.
@@VideoHostSite herp derp people doesnt share my view, they must be white knights
Shadowbringers had me really like Emet-Selch.
Endwalker made me love him.
What I adore is Emet passing us the Torch and acknowledging/Bestowing the title of Azem to us and what it means. We NEED to explore, we NEED to see everything we can. It's not only our duty but, as the sundered soul of his close friend. We are adventurers, always have been and always will be.
I think that, at that point, we weren't the sundered soul of his close friend anymore. We were the third incorregible Azem he had to endure.
Such a simple thing as forcing you to WALK, absolute masterpiece. Chef's Kiss.
Storyskippers gonna mald cause how long this scene is.
I walked from the Omicron settlement to the top, just to enjoy the moment and the music. Most people won’t do that of course
literally endwalker
@@Deadestest yep that's the name of the debuff, genius really
I tried to rp walk then was surprised when I was walking very slowly
This moment here sparked the first time I shedded tears for a game. I remember arriving to gridania in a carriage to now fighting at the edge of the universe to save our star
Same here
hearing Haurchefant's voice here really tore me up. he's been there for us from our lowest moment, even in his death. i love that the WoL will always remember him.
He was the first character we meet who wanted to know us just because he wanted to know us. He didn't want to use us for anything, he didn't ask for anything from us, to help defeat a primal or form a company or rally troops to our side. He honestly was the first person who just wanted to see us safe and happy.
I am simply amazed. So very happy I left the other game, and came here. This is incredible writing, throughout my journey since ARR in June, I have never cried so much for a story, not a movie, tv show or book... just simply amazing.
Thank you Square Enix.
To me, an absolute highlight and best moment of Endwalker is Emet-Selch talking about all those wonders of the world we have yet to discover (not to mention that "current affairs of Merecydia" is such a foreshadowing). "I certainly did" - he eventually aknowledges that current world, post-sundering, is also beautiful.
There is more meaning to that "I certainly did". He was the prior bearer of the crystal of Azem, as he was the one who made it. So he made sure to go to all those places to show them to his dearest friend. So we, as both the new bearer of the crystal and the sundered soul of Azem, need to do that ASAP.
Everything about Ultima Thule was a tearjerker, but this quest was utterly soul destroying. And it was fucking great.
My husband and I met in this game right after Heavensward released. I was not actively playing anymore but I sat with him while he did Endwalker. This walk got us. It was emotional to say the least.
Emet to me was already the best written character in fiction.
and this only re-confirms it
"the future you seek is not in the past... that is why i lost...."
man accepted defeat like a BOSS and even in death he continues to be the same character
this whole story is perfectly written.. not like... other mmo that i know... "I WILL NEVER SERVE XD"
What really sealed the deal was the " I lost the battle of might but not of ideal ". Even in death he still thinks that he was right, but he does admit than what we did would outdo anything the Ancients would have done if given the chance. " You did better than us, better than any one of us and all of us combined ".
Moreover his sassiness is off the charts even in death with his " yes I live again but I will not continue to do so if it's by the hand of Hydaelyn's magick". Finally , for the coup-de-grâce, Emet's jab at the WoL's lack of adventuring was sooo good " You don't shit about X place or Y place ? You don't even know who the Twelve are don't you ? So much to do and yet I gave YOU the crystal of Azem the Traveler, both Venat and MY Azem would have done it twice over already within the same timeframe so how couldn't you ? "
@@randomstreamer2868 I am SO looking forward to our new adventures. We carry that incredible burden no longer and may adventure and experience as we see fit. We may finally walk free.
"Come with us, Meteion"
Pay close attention to her face. I love the subtle changes when the flowers appear and she remembers Hermes' words. T_T
Oof....and they were in direct counter to Venat's.
Hermes couldn't bare to tie a being to the ground, but in doing so that being was unable to learn what it meant to endure hardships. "though I gave you these wings to soar the heavens, I did not teach you to walk the earth...so loathe was I to bind another living being." His intentions were pure, but his reasoning was flawed, as she had no need to learn to walk as he had hoped.
Venat forced humanity to learn to walk so they could endure any hardship presented to them. "No more shall man have wings to bear him to paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk."
Only thing missing is Emet-Selch's dismissive wave as he walks off. Just like he did when saving you from the Warrior of Light.
Instead, we got a smile. That goddamn smile.
@@Sebasu_tan A smile better suits a hero.
TO me way not have seen the Dissmisve Wave, but we get to see Genuine Satisfied Smile, a burden forever gone and lifted
It makes sense why he came to save you there, during the WoL fight. His memories of you came back.
WOL using Creation Magic without supervision: 2-headed Leviathan, Go-Kart Titan
WOL with supervision: This
Excuse me, Go Kart Titan??? Explain further?!??!
@@mastermenthe have you not played the Eden Raids in ShB? :o
To me it was more ATV Offroad Fury 2
I never broke from this game since Haurchefant death and calling G'raha Tia by his name. But when i heard Hermes voice in Meteion's mind, and seeing our boys brought back to life, i cried like a baby..
The saddest part about "The Walk" is that I will never be able to experience it for the first time again. Gave me chills.
I bawled... SO hard doing it... even if the voices were lost to me... the music made all quotes hit hard...
Agreed, but coming back to it every now and then is still very enjoyable.
11:22 Anyone who has ever lived with depression knows the feels from this scene. This expansion was masterfully done.
i never thought Endwalker would reach my deepest emotions in the way it did. Its now my favourite Journey among RPGs i've travelled.
"A flower," combined with Meteion falling to her knees seconds later, hit me like a fucking semitruck. No other game has ever hit me that hard. Period.
@@Dubble77D me to
What truly destroyed me was when I read "Walking alone unto journey's end, the burden weighing heavy" because it hit me in the one thing I truly feared: being alone
Also, Fandaniel was the most “human” of the ascians. He viewed life differently and it’s value. And how he reacted to the truth was reasonable, after having so much hope for possibilities just to realize it’s all for nothing- it would drive anyone crazy. Sadly he realized it all too late, that others fates do not dictate yours. Amazing game. It’s insane how far we’ve come as Adventurers.
It is amazing how far this game has come from 1.0 barely sticking around and being called one of the worse games. Now look at it. High scores across the board. Q lined to just get in now. Great stories. Great characters
I just have to get the sound track to this. I cried so much in this. When Urianger looked at me and smiled as he dies, and G'rah Tia omg......... All of this was just magical
my friend told me you can get it once you are rank 3 in shared fates for like 350 bicolor gemstones!
Can confirm, I think it's called the path forward
the fact that the game says that "you sense the presence of another" and it's ardbert there. he's like "c'mon. i told you i'd be here and i'm not leaving."
If you had the strength to take another step, could you do it?
Such an amazing sequence. It really lives up to it's quest title, "You're Not Alone".
That. The quest title alone hit me hard because of the FFIX song by the same title, but to really see it in action even more than FFIX represented that sentence…idk it broke me
Endwalker came out when I was in a very dark and worrying place, and I really didn't know how to deal with alot of stuff going on and I needed an outlet, but as I played it just resonated with me so hard, I saw a bit of myself in the characters we met along the way, but it wasn't till this scene where I just let it all out I didn't think games could really truly have a therapeutic effect but this one did, it made me feel like I could keep going, so I started going to therapy, get the help I needed and am in a much better place because of it so thank you endwalker, for helping me keep walking.
18:15 ah, what a good friend. rallying their spirit in the most poignant way possible: teasing about cool stuff they haven't stumbled into yet
Ancient grandpa flexing on modern day kid
Man, the way I see it he really loves Azem... He actually went and explore all those places, which is very unlike him, to honor Azem's memory lol
@@moonflowlatte this makes me have questions about the southern continent and definitely have questions about the twelve.
And I hope he is saying this as foreshadowing!
@@wolfofsummerbreeze Pretty sure the twelve are related to the 24-man raids this xpac. Get excited!
@@moonflowlatte I wouldn't doubt he is secretly fond of Azem, but I think he visited all of those places in his role as an empire builder. He is a major player in the Allagan empire, and founder of the Garlean empire, as well as others, probably some on other shards to prep them for rejoining.
My wife and I were so distraught and empty inside when the music started playing. Nothing could have prepared you for this walk. When Ardbert's voice kicked in, we broke.
This bit fully did me in. I broke. After seeing G'raha and then the twins, I had held it back for them and then they went and did this and had the beautiful bridges and the dam broke.
It felt so final, it felt like the end and it broke my heart. Incredible story.
I broke at G'raha, then a little more at the twins, and then was shattered completely here. By the time we got to the actual fight, I don't think I had many tears left 😂
Cutscene with Emet and Hythlodaeus made me ugly cry. This and Aitiascope cutscene of Amon/Hermes' demise are the ones which broke me the most. I truly felt for Hermes, despite everything. But there's sooo much scenes in EW which broke me had. :'(
a lot of the last half made me ugly cry. I have trouble still now not crying(trying to step away from the game, picking up another game that doesn't have sad parts). I wish they didn't keep the one song playing in the zone.
I didn't cry at all, only when Emet died in Shadowbringers and Elidibus becoming the warrior light, they made me cry, but I didn't cry a shed of tear in Endwalker, Endwalker kind of dissapointed me. I didn't want Zodiark and Hydaelyn to end....
@@Dwayneff being dissapointed cause an adventure came to an end is not very good tbh
I feel they were given a great sendoff, tbh, what with the backstory of Venat and all the sacrifices she had to make. Everything regarding Hermes and Meteoin hit really fucking close home, but like all adventures it eventually ends.
Like Emet said, though, there's a lot we don't know still of Etheirys, so that's even more adventures for the future
@@Dwayneff they had to go so we don’t need to worry about them in the next expansions. They were just primal anyway
Her eyes rapidly and subtly shifting, when she remembers Hermes' words hits hard.
That last head turn and smile that Emet gives us... uhg, my heart.
Another beauty with Emet Selch in this scene is when he talked about the world to the WoL, its like he was talking to Azem himself coz Both Azem and WoL are wonderlust , Travelers and adventurer.
He didn't want the WoL to be sad so he birghten him up one last time, this really made me more see How much Emet Selch Cared And love for his Friend Azem despite the continuous irratated and annoyance they shared. He Really was bloody close, also made me realize how much Emet Prolly was Happy and Sad during ShB, coz his literrraly looking at mirror striking similarities from a sundered form (WoL). Square Enix really made the best Character in the FF series.
Remember they recognize us based on the "color" of our Aether, so he basically saw like a faded photo when he saw us, memories that have long past, memories of simpler, happy times with Azem.
The LOOK on Meteions face forone frame when it turns back to her after Hythlodeus and Emet appear is the face of a kid who made an absolute mess of the house and heard their parents car door shut outside, her face is the moment of epiphany that mommy and daddy are home and you're in huge trouble.
Endwalker is a masterpiece of storytelling.
This walk was the most painful thing I've had to do in this game. Once the music began playing after the twins made their sacrifice...I broke completely. It took me a few minutes to gather myself to take that walk. Even during that walk, I was crying the entire time.
It also reminded me of my IRL struggles. Those whom I lost in my life as well....yet somehow, I find a way to forge ahead.
Keep your chin up, Warrior of Light. You still have a long way ahead of you, sites to see and adventures to have. For those you lost and those that depend on you. Walk free.
I feel this 100%
Same. After the Twins made their sacrifice I broke down and I even felt the emotions as my Miqo'te said "No! I cannot stand to lose you to!" as she yelled I felt that cause was already to broken up losing the others. Each sacrifice I fret to pick up the controller again and move forwards but did. As a kid I was so depressed and felt so alone that I almost took my life as a kid. Seeing the dead world break apart and open up reminded me as I held that knife the friends and family I had that treated me like family saved me. I was always alone in the house with only two dogs nothing more. Father always gone to work. A broken family cause one brother and my father disowned each other. A controlling father who not let me do much outside the house except school then back to a empty house with no one around. I was only in early middle school out in the country side as well. Thanks for my friends who treated me like a brother and as a son I stand here today cause they were the ones that crossed my mind the hardest. I feel this CS hard and why I hoped so badly that Meteion survived which full glad she did
Emet proving he is still the GOAT.
Midgarsormr and Ardbert at the very end. Man, that was powerful.
I cried 3 times here fully. I don't bawl, but I just sit here and let tears just go down my face as I play.
When I heard the voices of all the people I met in the game as we walked, I cried. "If we can take another step...Will we do it?"
When Meteion finally, FINALLY, remembered Hermes words, I cried. "Can we...Be friends?"
When Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus finally, FINALLY, returned to the stars, I cried. "Remember...Remember that they once lived."
"Go forth and seek discovery." Reminds me of "Go forth. Conquer. Rule." The emperor has made a command. Now go forth and fulfill it.
There’s something utterly chilling after the twins disappear, and you’re all alone in such a silent universe. I’ll never forget the moments before this part where your character is alone in such a deserted place in the middle of space. There’s a feeling I couldn’t describe in that, but then all I could do was feel tears streaming down my face. I think what struck me was just spending years and years with everyone - your friends, and other warriors of light along the way and you always see them in all areas of the game. And then suddenly that’s it. It’s just you. And it all seems so dark and silent. And then this part happens. And it’s like as you’re walking up the pathways, the tears just came harder and you realize that despite what was once silent, you’re not alone anymore and your memories are guiding and lighting your way to the end.
This walk was one of the most epic moments I’ve ever experienced in any game I’ve ever played. And I’ve been gaming since Super Mario Bros. on the original Nintendo. And that song…wth; it’s better than most music I hear on the radio. Put the two together and you get this moment….this almost indescribable, memorable, heart-wrenching buildup to one of the best endings ever.
Emet-selch's last soft and genuine smile right before he vanishes always gets me. He truly does care for you, not as a shard of someone he knew long gone, or the Azem he wants back, but you as your own person and I just can't
Also the way the WoL frowns is just perfect, because how often do we actually see our character act petulant and indignant at a jive! The amount of expressions and emotions the WoL goes through in this expac really matches with how the player feels and honestly helps gives life to our character
Everything about this scene touched the depths of my soul. I cannot even describe how beautiful and profound the feeling this gave me.
Idk why around 1050 hurt more than anything I've ever seen In this game there are so many sad scenes in this game I think maybe it's the expectation of something maybe powerful or great to stop her but yet instead the wol dictates to give her what's she's been missing that help lead her to her despair...the flower that she was promised this whole time
God it hit me so hard, we didn't need a physical bridge, or anything powerful, what we needed was to bridge the way between us and Meteion, and by giving HER hope, we could create a chain reaction and confront despair. Sometimes creating those bonds and sewing seeds is far more powerful any weapon we could wield. Absolutely beautifully written, everything was so beautiful and touching, congratulations and thanks to the team for delivering another fantastic expansion.
My heart shattered when she falls to her knees
To me, this was the most powerful moment of the entire game.
This sequence was so powerful I didn’t even realize there was a debuff! I toggled on walk right away because I felt it was appropriate for the sheer weight of the moment. Glad to see it was an actual creative decision.
Meteion story is a reflection of the story of Pandora's. Of Great Pain, suffering, hate, tragedy and death...yet within all of the darkness of every living being is a small yet powerful light. A light called Hope...
The thing is, Hope can be viewed as evil too. Especially false hopes.
God...I got here this morning and I had to stop at the base of the path up and cry for a good five minutes. It was that intense >_
Came back to re-watch this before dawntrail and it still makes me ugly cry.
Hahahaha DT is hot garbage. I feel sorry for me and u
Hands down my favorite MSQ/cutscene of the entire FFXIV story.
The Elpis glowing in a hopeful light shows Meteion that her conclusion to Hermes’ question was wrong. Despite despair, there will always be hope.
I honestly think that Hermes / Fandaniel and Meteion are the best characters in this story... Man their story is so heartbreaking and well written...
100% agree. Amon/Hermes death brpught me to ugly tears in Aitiascope.
A lot of people didn't like him, but I thought he was a well-written tragic character. A man who loved life and hated the way the Ancients threw it away and just wanted to find a reason for living. Only to have his whole life's work destroyed by what Meteion found. It broke him just as much as it did her.
@@KLGChaos Most people hate him because he contradicts himself, he did not only doom his own star for the sins of his race but also countless other stars. For someone who loves live and meteion, he certainly put a lot of pressure on her.
I can totally understand that hermes felt angry how the ancients treaded their own creations and that he wanted to bring change, because he love life itself: but it was his creation that doomed the very planet and many others, which destroyed the very thing he wanted to protect in the beginning: life itself: and what his remaining soul did with zenos, to bring the apocalypse again makes it not better:
I think he is really well written and I can understand his feelings, but the way he handeld the truth meteion found... Its not easy to forgive him in the position of my Wol xD
Its the Meteion scene which kills me every time...
"A flower... Yes upon your return I will gift you a beautiful flower"
Me: T ~ T ......
Tbh, this is the quest that made me break into tears, just walking past all the ghosts, hearing old voices of friends long gone and of some still alive. Papalymos hit especially hard for me, since he is my favorite scion. So when I heard him I started breaking down. I'm so happy and glad I found this game, and got to meet so many wonderful people💕 I wish you warriors of light an amazing day/night
I was finishing up Ultima Thule very late at night. So when Thancred was gone I figured he was just kidnapped and we'd go rescue him yada yada. It didn't really fully sink in what was happening until Y'shtola and Urianger sacrificed themselves. From then on I was so hesitant to push forward because Alisaie, Alphinaud, and G'raha are my brothers and sister. From my character's perspective they were everything. When G'raha sacrificed himself I shed a few tears and had to stop playing for a few minutes after Alphinaud and Alisaie did the same.
That said. This portion of the MSQ tore me to shreds. It was something I had never experienced from a video game story before. It was so sad yet so empowering. To know the family we had made over the last 10 years were so willing to lay down their lives just to give us the chance at victory and what that actually meant for us.
I don't know, maybe im sappy, but Ultima Thule was genuinely one of the best endings to a story I think i've ever experienced in a video game.
"We will create for you a new path. Envision that which rejects the claim that all is hopeless - a way to reach Meteion."
"A flower."
i also LOVE that they balance out the tear-inducing sad moment of Meteion collapsing to her knees and curling up in grief after remembering Hermes' promise, and then finally summoning the Scions back to your side after losing them, with Thancred immediately looking down at himself, after being basically erased from existence for at least an hour, and going "aw, not even a scar"
Not just any flower...the one thing that can prove to definitively to her that all is not despair.
Back when we were setting out, I was dying to ask the gleaners to stock the Ragnarok with the most beautiful flowers they could find. I remembered Hermes' promise to her and I wanted nothing more than to grant her what Hermes no longer could.
All it took was ShB to love Emet- Selch, that's what u call a great story writing.
I've been a gamer since the early days of the original Nintendo, and before that I was a heavy reader with Fantasy being my preferred genre. My favorite genre has always been story heavy RPG's and I can't count how many I've played that have had some level of impact on me. My greatest passion is the art of the written word, and just how much a well written story can utterly bewitch a person, whether its through a glorious telling of a heroic battle or the way a moment of grief can shatter even the coldest of souls.
This is the greatest finale to a story I have EVER witnessed, be it in a game, movie or book. I started playing back in Stormblood, but have played through all of the story, every glorious moment. Up through Stormblood I thought the story was great, but not especially amazing. Then Shadowbringers launched, and everything started coming together, all the loose threads and half-finished stories woven up until then were brought back into the light, and unbelievable revelations took place, one after another. And it was all done so well. The acting, writing, sound, music, artwork, all beyond anything I could have expected.
I truly thought Endwalker would flop, because I just couldn't imagine a reality where Shadowbringers would be surpassed, and I have never been happier to have been proven wrong. There is nothing, not one thing, I would change about Endwalker. Not its story, or how it was presented, it is absolute perfection to me, at least as far as every RPG/Story experience I've ever had.
This part is the hardest part of the game, how am I going to walk when I'm crying and can't see the screen
I love how they are the same height as us. It conveys that it is fine to not be perfect beings.
This scene made me cry so insanely much.
God damnit I love Emet so much
Emet-Selch talks a good game, but he and Hythlodaeus chose to return to the lifestream because they've accepted their time being at an end.
Well yes he more or less said that.
And it was beautiful.
I feel like a major aspect of this scene is how Azem's power is repeatedly and specifically stated to be to "Call others from beyond the rift", not summon. Therefore we need their consent and willingness to do so. Emet talks rough, but he choose to come to our aide despite having to face us and the shame of having been defeated and proven wrong.
Leave it to Emet to hint future possible expansions lol!
I wished out character could've run up to them and hugged them both.
Even if Emet profusely protested up to the actual hug only to finally accept it with a smile would've been the icing on the cake.
If we could've done that i would've needed a whole new box of tissues
omg, so fast. Why are my eyes sweating?
I love the buildup to you summoning Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus.
You're staring down Meteion. You *know* that Azem's crystal is only thing you can use to possibly defeat her, but you don't know *how* you should use it. Revive the Scions? You'll revert Ultima Thule to an uninhabitable death world. Summon seven allies to fight Meteion in a trial? You could summon seven thousand allies and it would mean nothing, since the Meteion before you is merely an avatar, while her true body hides away in the safety of the Dead Ends.
So you think. You recall every step, every memory that led you to this moment. And then you remember that strange dream you had after your journey into the Aitiascope - and something clicks in your mind. You now know exactly what you need to do.
I am not one for crying. This had me in floods of tears.
How dare they make me feel these feelings!
When Emet-Selch said "If you would do something for me- Save our star" and Graha's sacrifice both tore me to shreds. I cried ugly for Graha.
Thought the walking part is great since you still cant get to the dead star and Venat said "No more shall man have wings to bear him to Paradise. Henceforth, he shall walk."
I came back to this because I didn't cry enough one time.
*sobs and cries uncontrollably* This game is so fantastic.
"Do not despair! You are not without allies."
HAURCHY!!! *cries inconsolably*
I think what made me cry less in this expansion (though it was certainly some really heavy stuff) is that, Hermes aside, the endings were welcomed. Hades wasn't fighting against it anymore, he was content and relieved to be free of the burden. Hythlodaeus was released and able to return to the star. And Venat, who'd borne perhaps an even bigger burden than Hades--because the sundering and all subsequent suffering was her doing--she finally got to lay down her mantle. Her duty was finally finished.
There were no messy endings here, I feel. Even Meteion was freed and allowed to sing a joyous song after all those years of despair. If there's ONE wish I have, it's that someone could have comforted poor Hermes at the start of it. He felt things so keenly, yet because of his society's rules and ways of being, was made to feel like he was some kind of freak. I think all of us who suffer from depression understand that feeling. It might not have stopped anything, and of course this is all a video game! But he's the one I wish I could bring into a hug and tell him he's okay!
"But though you defeated me, my ideals are inviolate. Invincible."
Invincible (Hades theme after the first phase) will never feel the same now D:
I got some heavy 'you are not alone' vibes. One of my favorite parts of final fantasy in its entirety
The song at the beginning of the video is amazing
It becomes the zone's theme forever once you finish the game.
May you ever walk in the light with the last essence of Venat fading away is my favorite part of this cutscene.
god, rich is gonna fucking melt
This expansion made me feel so much closer to the community. We walked that walk together and when I did that on my own, I felt like all of you were there with me. All of us, warriors of light. It was a really special moment.
I can tell we have more time to spend with Emet-Selch, too. His story is far from over.
"Close in the DIstance" going into full vocals ripped my heart out.
And then utter silence as Meteion defied us as we stood alone...
And then the triumphant music kicked in at 7:09 and I knew it was going to be all right...
And then I realized I'd remateralized none other than Hades and Hythlodaeus, with their memories restored and their... characteristic personalities fully intact, and I just couldn't stop laughing in joy and relief until the *snap.*
Also:
8:10 *Meteion:* what.
The only game that makes me cry when ever I look back on it’s cutscenes one of my favourite games of all time looking forward to the next arc of the story
I love how everyone knew that running was not allowed. You had to walk, to commit this moment to memory. The voices of our allies paving the way to the final battle. Giving us the strength to battle the overwhelming despair that we may have fallen to otherwise. Letting us know that whole physically, we may be alone..... We are never without our allies.
yeah I cried half the walk, happy cried when emet appeared, then sad cried when they summoned the flowers
I couldn't do anything but laugh when Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus appeared. The INSTANT Emet-Selch had lips, he started complaining.
I was also laughing about how the dialog boxes were labeling them as ???. As if we didn't know exactly who they were.
@@mithiwithi "Come on game, as if I don't realize it is our favorite old married couple." - Me, close to midnight, with my brain unable to decide between laughing and crying.
Possibly one of the greatest story climaxes in gaming. 300 hours, a catastrophe into 5 expansions of a journey, lost friends and lovers but newfound ones as well, a story that wants you to put yourself into it. And in the end reminds you that the end never mattered but your experiences along the way.
Goodbye Endwalker, you were the perfect endcap to a story I'll wish to experience again and again.
There was no lover . Chat shi