FFXIV – Part 249: New Allies

Summary: Finishing the 5.5 MSQ. My first run at the Paglth’an dungeon. The purpose of Fandaniel’s towers. The Scions get a new member. Zenos gets a new weapon.

---

The Flames of War

-Team Fandaniel is attacking Paglth’an, and Ul’dah leads the defense.

-One strange piece of news is that despite Lunar Bahamut getting close to the besieged Amal’jaa, he hasn’t tempered anyone. Maybe he’s not a primal the way Bahamut was.

-New dungeon time! Going with my trust NPCs into Paglth’an.



-okay that dungeon was GREAT! I absolutely loved the aesthetic, the sunswept golden fields and orange of a burning battlefield at sunset, and how it all ended with a fight against the aesthetic antithesis in Lunar Bahamut.



I also like that it wasn’t all that overwhelming mechanically. No Mist Dragon-style challenges here, where it’s not uncommon to wipe a couple of times as the group remembers the mechanics when it’s no longer current content.

Oh, and seeing Tiamat wrecking face was BADASS. (yeah yeah, a bit sad too since many were her brood, but STILL)

-It’s so dang strange to see the Amal’jaa praising us for defending them afterward. Square talked about how there’s going to be a huge shift after Endwalker with the main story going away from Hydaelyn and Zodiark, and I see one of the impacts of that wrap-up here.



The beast tribe and primal situation on Eorzea was largely driven by the Ascians, after all. Not solely, and the game has effectively shown the role the allied cities played, but the Ascians poured gas on the fire.

-I’m surprised that we’re now just walking away from Fandaniel’s tower. (Lol, eating my words two seconds later. I guess I forgot that this was Fordola and Arenvald’s mission.)

---

Some time earlier, inside the Paglth’an Tower.

-UHHH WHAT AM I LOOKING AT??? Fordola and Arenvald are INSIDE one of the towers. The walls are littered with Amal’jaa in stasis, frozen in carbonite or something.

-Arenvald starts trying to pull one out when the tower activates, glowing red.



I was wrong before. It doesn’t feel like the stasis of carbonite. It feels more like a Borg incubation chamber, where things are rewired and assimilated. Or humans cocooned by xenomorphs preparing to explode with new aliens.

-The Amal’jaa on the wall have their cells glow blue and they scream out. This is bizarre and eerie.

-Some sort of pseudo-Ifrit (Lunar Ifrit??) drops from below to stop the fleeing Arenvald and Fordola.



I wonder if this will herald a re-run of the various primals with lunar versions. I personally hope not. The Eden storyline revisited those primals in phenomenally interesting ways, but I’m ready to move on. 

---

When the Dust Settles

-Back in Ul’dah, Arenvald is badly wounded and in the infirmary. [Non-rhetorical question: Alphinaud is especially upset. Remind me – what’s his relationship to Arenvald (if it’s something I’m supposed to know)?]

-Fordola’s also standing watch. She seems to legitimately respect the guy.

-Ouch, Fordola’s got some bite. (This isn’t surprising.) She thinks Alphinaud is being way too sensitive here, mourning the potential death of a single soldier.



…and yet I notice she’s still standing watch here.

[Later edit: I wonder if this concern for his wounded friend and the powerlessness he feels here is going to be the impetus behind Alphinaud’s class change to sage. He’s already a healer so idk if that’ll make sense, but maybe he’ll think sage is a better healer or something.]

-btw I LOOOOOVE Fordola’s voice actress. So much.

-We regroup with the Sultana to debrief. Yeah, that was Lunar Ifrit. The towers exist to force those captives to summon these lunar primals.

-Ohhh of course! The Amal’jaa worshipped Ifrit, and so tempered Amal’jaa who are, like, Double Stuf Tempered to Garlemald end up summoning some pro-Garlemald version of their primal.

-The other towers did the same, summoning variants of local primals. Nothing too bad just yet though.

-The Sultana also confirms that the Amal’jaa are formally allying with us. Personally, I’d LOVE if this opened up the future possibility of making those beast tribes playable races, but I’m not holding out hope.

Just saying. Ququshu may have to race-change to sylph if that becomes an option.

-Back to the Rising Stones. Where Krile proposes going to Sharlayan for aid, despite their non-interventionist policy.

And THERE’S the Endwalker link.

-The conversation turns to Hydaelyn. She’s been quiet for a long, long time (beyond the general “Think, Speak, Spell” broadcast).

So what’s the theory? That Hydaelyn’s being suppressed?



-OH SHIIIIIT ESTINIEN IS JOINING TEAM SCION WOOOO, BOUT TIME

---

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace…

-Weapons litter the place. Zenos seems to be trying them out, seeking the best one. Or maybe the right one.

Fandaniel is playing the sommelier. I already know from the Endwalker trailer that he’ll end up with a scythe, and I don’t see one here.



FANDANIEL: “Speaking of preparations, is it safe to assume that you will be ready to control you-know-what?” Even the frigging Ascian is going to cliffhanger me lol.

-Zenos finally finds one he likes. It’s off-camera, but again – I’ve seen the trailer. And Fandaniel’s right. It does seem apt to go with a scythe if Zenos’ goal (BIG if) is the destruction of the star.

---

Next time: starting the 5.55 MSQ continuation.