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The Imperial Capital (Ch. 13)
-The train continues to Gralea and the imperial fortress Zegnautus with the Crystal and Prompto. (Supposedly. I have my doubts that Prompto is there. Can’t imagine he was scooped up yet again.)
-If the daemons are averse to the Crystal’s light, it could help.
-Yet AGAIN, the train stops. A daemon attack. And very interestingly, the party can’t materialize their weapons. We flee in the Regalia.
-oh god nooooo, a driving section! At least it’s forgiving. I turn the Regalia into a smoking wreck.
-Noctis looks at his car sadly and flashes back to good moments with it.
Lolol the chibi 16 bit decals take away just a tad from the seriousness of the moment.
-A structural collapse splits the party. I can go with Noctis for normal difficulty or Gladio and Ignis for easy difficulty. I’ll try Noctis.
-Noctis pulls out the Ring of the Lucii. Struggles with putting it on, and finally does. I am worried. Ardyn wanted him to get the ring, and I still don’t know why.
At least he doesn’t burst into flames upon donning it.
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A King’s Struggle (Ch. 13)
-The Ring holds three spells: Death (single-target health drain), Holy (a parry), and an aoe attack.
I’m worried. I love Noctis’ combat and fear this will feel like a mini-game or vehicle section.
[Later edit: I retract this. The ring feels WAY more like XV’s main gameplay than, say, Prompto’s gunplay. Especially the Holy attack that lets me time parries for explosive damage.]
-The solo crawl to the keep is ominous as hell. Lots of dark, empty hallways punctuated by Ardyn’s mwa-ha-has and daemon attacks. The alcoves concern me too. Is a stealth section coming?
-Noctis senses something “off” about the various magitek in the area. They seem jittery, animalistic.
-Magitek bodies line the floor. Creeeepy.
-I see Prompto just ahead of me, and the way he runs makes me certain it’s another of Ardyn’s illusions.
-Okay, this is SUPER eerie. Jump scares, magitek that bite me out of nowhere like a zombie attack, an empty Prompto illusion that just… stands there. (I still don’t believe Prompto is actually here.)
-GOOD LORD THIS PLACE IS ACTUALLY SCARY
The giant spider boss that jumped at me, the way the magitek crawl on the ground like they’re Regan in “The Exorcist,” Prompto’s voice calling out for help as I crawl through a narrow space.
Zombie magitek.
-Through all this, my question remains: why is Ardyn so invested in screwing with Noctis? He must need Noctis to do something to achieve his own end, and be trying to goad him into a particular mindset to commit that action.
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Zegnautus Keep (Ch. 13)
-An iron giant swatted me to a lower level where I see Ravus’ body. His arm severed, the hand still gripping a sword.
It’s “Sword of the Father.” Regis’ weapon.
I’m so confused. I really hope we get to see Ravus’ story at some point.
-The letters around Ravus’ body reinforce the idea that Ravus was always on Team Lucis (I guess?), but just wasn’t sure if Noctis was worthy to fight the Empire.
-Research notes around the facility hint at a project that they tried to dismantle but that keeps repairing itself. I’m betting it’s XV’s Omega. Or wait, Ultima is more likely. Omega is usually a superboss.
-One of my favorite parts of this dungeon is the Foras enemy, an oft-invulnerable monster that stalks me. It’s not super dangerous, but adds great atmosphere.
ARDYN: “The Empire made considerable inroads on the science of daemons. Well, after I showed them the way, of course… we managed to make daemons right here.”
This had definitely been hinted at and makes sense. I’m excited to play through Episode Ardyn (though I hope we get a fuller sense of his origins and goals in the base game and that the DLC just adds some shading).
-Interesting! Daemons used to be beasts and people. Guessing that the “darkness” somehow got to them and warped them.
-More research notes hint at tons of recent disappearances in Gralea. Conversions to daemons?
-It’s fucked up how the magitek were created and used, but Ardyn’s attempts to guilt-trip Noctis for killing what were once people don’t work. It just emphasizes how screwed up the Empire is.
-Yeah, the infection spreading in Gralea turns citizens into uncontrollable daemons.
-More research suggests new tech that’s inhibiting my warping and casting.
-Heyyyyy it’s Gladio and Ignis! Ardyn led them here, for (again) whatever his reasons are. He could’ve killed me a million times, but he’s shepherding me through this. WHY???
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Reunion and Recovery
-We head into a prison area, where dead daemons occupy some of the cages. Must’ve been infected while imprisoned, or research subjects.
-…Huh! Prompto’s here after all, in prison. That’s a legit surprise for me. How the hell did he get captured after his snowventure?
It’s a sweet but brief reunion. This must’ve been a bit frustrating without the DLC.
-Oh, never mind! At least Prompto overtly shares that he was born an MT. This is a huge moment for him, the first time he really tells anyone.
-Is this the imperial throne? All I see are clothes. Maybe this means Aldercapt turned into a boss daemon.
-Destroyed the wave machine and now we’re all set. Weapons back online.
-OH SHIT, THAT FORAS THAT WAS STALKING US IS THE EMPEROR!
His dying words after a quick fight: “The Empire shall span all the lands! By the Crystal’s light we shall flourish. I shall arise as ruler of the world…”
Very much Gestahl to Aldyn’s Kefka, though with far less screen time and development.
-We push on when Ardyn sends another daemon our way. A bubbling, gross, zombified Ravus.
-It’s an awesome but sad fight. He’s clearly an unwilling enemy, begging us to just kill him.
The movements and mechanics are also really sweet. Another time I really wish I had the option to sync down and fight it on-level.
Seemed like he might have been a cool character… but again, I saw him like twice, so not a huge attachment.
-Enemies swarm. It’s up to Noct to go for the Crystal solo while his buddies guard his back.
I get how this is a horrible moment for Noctis, but it’s absolutely NOT the betrayal that Ardyn says.. For all he knows here, he’s leaving his friends to die, but it’s in service of those friends’ goals.
-Noct takes the elevator up. Everyone counting on him, and the Crystal in his grasp.
This is my best theory: Ardyn is trying to get Noctis to chase after the Crystal with some sort of misled intention (due to all his taunting), with an impure heart that will somehow break the Crystal’s power.
-There it is. End of the hall, with that classic FF rising and falling scale playing.
-He reaches his arm into the Crystal. Light starts to pour over him, painfully from the sound of it.
-Ardyn is finally here in the flesh (I think). Tells of a power in the past that twisted people into monsters. The savior of this plague arose in Lucis.
“His body would come to host myriad daemons, that countless lives be spared.”
Whooooa. Wait. Host? So is his power to not vanquish the daemons, but draw them into himself and use them?
-Another jealous king – not chosen by the Crystal – ostracized this chosen healer. Is Ardyn the jealous king or the originally chosen and ostracized king? Gotta be one of the two.
“Ardyn Lucis Caelum is my proper name. You’ll never guess whose name Izunia was.”
There it is. He wants Noctis to get superpowered by the Crystal and strike him down at full power. THAT’S why he was helping Noctis. Couldn’t care less about the Empire, just wants to give vent to his jealous rage.
Still, I feel like a goofus not getting this since the game is treating this like he’s revealed everything, but I don’t quite see it. Was he the chosen king’s brother? Just another high ranking Lucian who wasn’t chosen?
And who was Izunia? The chosen king?
-Noctis disappears into the Crystal. The rest of the party charges in and attacks Ardyn, striking him down but it barely fazes him. He picks up his hat walks away.
-Though when he gets up, his face overflows with purple stuff like that in Ravus.
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Next time: Noctis in the Crystal, and starting chapter 14.
