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Engaging the Empire
-We head over from Fociaugh Hollow to the imperial base where the car is rumored to be.
-On the way over, Ignis describes that Noctis’ power as a “calling,” something loose that Noctis can direct however he wants. His royal blood perhaps?
-Concerning news: the group hasn’t been able to contact Iris.
-The imperials are holed up behind a fort from the Old War. We’ll plot infiltration tonight.
-There’s something weird in the air. Literally. A red miasma.
-We’ll sneak in by night to get a lay of the land. Again, WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE REGALIA SO MUCH?? It’s a car! Unless the crystal is inside it, just get a non-descript junker!
Even the loading screen is like, “Noctis and friends risk everything to retrieve the Regalia.” WHYYYY
-That night, we infiltrate the base. I like how clear the game is with having Ignis tell me when it’s safe to go.
-There’s a new warp-kill system in place here to take out guards instantly. Very Sekiro.
-It doesn’t last too long, becoming a full-frontal confrontation soon enough. (I wasted a bunch of time trying to find ways to sneak around the search lights until I realized I could just run through the search lights and nobody noticed me.)
-I reach a magitek generator powering the base’s defenses. And then the best thing ever happens: Ramuh helps.
Y’all. HO. LY. SHITTTTTTTT. The summon animation for Ramuh reaching his titanic paw down to pick Noctis up and out of harm’s way before slamming his judgment bolt onto the poor magitek generator is a WONDER.
NOCTIS: “This is the might of the Six.”
PROMPTO: “Dude… that… was… hardcore!”
YOU’RE BOTH RIGHT
-we’re about to grab the Regalia and scoot when Ravus steps in.
-He mutters something about “the Chosen King.” Is he referring to himself? Maybe he was appointed puppet leader of Lucis.
-Ravus starts laying a beatdown on Gladio when Ardyn steps in. He’s always handy, ready to puppet us onto our next location.
ARDYN: “We have business of our own with the tutelary deity.” Tutelary? A teaching deity? Not sure which of the Six he’s talking about, but he’s ready to pull his army out and leave us for now.
To be clear: I’m not for even a half second confusing Ardyn leaving us alone with Ardyn being our ally. And as silly as I think our party can be, I don’t think they make this mistake either.
-In terms of chain of command, Ravus clearly answers to Ardyn.
-They leave. Ravus is Ravus Nox Fleuret, Lunafreya’s elder brother.
-Some time passes, and we’re driving out of the base. The radio lets us know that the Empire is pulling its main forces out as an imperial government takes over Insomnia.
-We drive back to Lestallum. Iris is here, safe, but she’s freaking out a bit. The Empire was here.
-Oh shit, it sounds like they either took or killed that kid, Jared! Frigging Empire.
-…nm, Jared’s here still. He’s crying. What happened? Did they scare him or take the old dude? …OHH, the old dude must be Jared. I’d forgotten. Yeah, the old dude is definitely dead then.
-Iris and the kid are going to a place called Caem. We’ll accompany them.
-End of chapter.
-That night, Noctis dreams of fighting the Empire. A LOT of imperial soldiers. It’s him with a white dog, the counterpart of Umbra.
-NOOOO THE DOG DIED??? I mean, it’s just a dream, but I have to imagine it’s a harbinger.
-Chapter 6: A Way Forward.
-OK THAT’S PRETTY COOL! One of the photos that Prompto took during some side quests I just did showed Gentiana right there, next to Noctis and the Chocobo.
Like a ghost.
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All Set to Set Sail
-We all hop in the Regalia to Cape Caem.
-I’ve knocked out most hunts/side quests available here, in case I can’t return for a while. The main exception is an area to the northwest called Vesperpool that’s still blocked off.
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Imperial Infiltration
-Near Old Lestallum, a flying fortress soars overhead and sets down in Fort Vaullerey. We’ll try to infiltrate the fort and bust up whatever action they’re starting on.
IGNIS: “Legend has it that the King once stood beside the Six to banish the darkness.”
NOCTIS: “’Darkness’ seems awfully vague.” Lolol THANK YOU
-At night in the base, I follow commander Caligo in hopes of kidnapping and getting info out of him.
It’s frustrating. I don’t know what the game wants of me. Usually with this sort of thing you stay close but not too close, but any action I take to keep up gets me caught.
-Oh. Lol. I can just WALK AROUND the giant laser security door. That makes it easier.
Stalking Caligo from above.
-So Caligo clearly doesn’t trust Ardyn. He sent a mercenary named Highwind to track him. I don’t remember if I met her back in that throne room cutscene.
-Also sounds like Ardyn is behind a “magitek movement.” Interesting. Something I liked in FFXII was seeing the internal divisions and politics of the empire, and it looks like we may see similar lines here.
-Caught him, but he escaped. We’ll catch up to him later, especially as it sounds like he’s the one who actually killed Jared.
-We’re about to leave when the dragoonest dragoon to ever dragoon dives in. Aranea Highwind.
-She’s a slippery fighter. Lots of bouncing around the battlefield, as expected of a Highwind. Oh and I love her facemask!
Though I can’t help but wonder if some of the rest of her armor is designed to be a bit… idk, fan-servicey. Curious what y’all think.
-She hightails it out when I’m winning. Very “in it for the gil.” See ya later, Aranea.
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Side Stuff – Terra Quest
-After getting my car back, I found a new color of quest in my log, a pink one with no level recommended. “Close Encounter of the Terra Kind.” The description just says to follow a mysterious voice to “an exciting new encounter.”
Weird language, like a DLC advertisement.
-I get close to the quest location, and a mechanical voice chirps out, “Hiso, hiso!”
-There’s a platform with a bullet-headed creature holding a flower. On their chest is “hiso” in hiragana. Is this like a pokemon that says their name?
-uhhhhh “Starting the Terra Wars Event Quest.” I just Googled that because it feels like a reference, and it’s some mobile game.
-A gray-haired woman named Sarah greets Noctis (and only Noctis). She doesn’t know how we got here.
-The environment here is weird. There are blue cubes floating all about.
-She’s kind of adorable. Something about her voice acting. I have zero doubt that she’s the protagonist in the mobile game.
-Y’know what? I’m gonna pass on this for now. It feels like post-game content. I also asked a friend about it and she confirmed it’s not a short-term event.
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Side Stuff
-Picked up my upgraded Engine Blade, and HOLY SHIT it’s “Ultima Blade!”
-While Cid was working on the upgrade, he found something he gave to Regis a long time ago. It’s Cid’s Old Hammer, carved with “Property of Mr. Hammerproof Thickskull.”
The hammer feels like a callback to FFIV’s Cid, whose signature weapon was a big ol’ bopper.
-I found another Cosmogony magazine, about “The Revelation.” Trials by which the Six granted their blessings date back to 2,000 years ago.
-Hee! Found a darts mini game that awarded me 5 AP for getting a bullseye.
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Next time: Continuing towards Caem.
