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Episode Ignis – Start
-The XV title screen has changed! The logo now shows Noctis as well as Luna. It’s also daytime, with new music. All neat little signals of progress.
-The Episode Ignis title screen shows Ignis helping Noctis while – quite unexpectedly – Ravus carried a bloody Luna.
Before seeing this, I had assumed this would show Ignis in the aftermath of the game. It looks now like it’ll give more of the strangely absent Ravus story during the Leviathan attack.
[Later note: I also see an option for a multiplayer expansion to XV called “Comrades.” I’ll pass on this for the moment, but may swing back around to it later if folks recommend it.]
-We start at a younger Regis talking to Ignis about helping kid!Noctis: “Please. Take care of my son.”
-Quick montage of Luna and Noctis against Leviathan, with that amazing music in the background.
-In the distance, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio worry helplessly about Noctis. A crashing wave separates Ignis from the others.
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Chapter 1: Callings (A King in Peril)
-Ignis’ interface looks like what was previewed to me at the end of XV. Flamebound, frostbound, stormbound, Total Clarity.
-Flame is good for single-targets. Frostbind deals AoE damage. Stormbind is a gap-closer.
-He’s got two techs so far. High Jump is a heavy damage burst, and Overclock improves my attacks for a time.
-Total Clarity soups up the power of Flamebound and Frostbound, but changes Stormbound to deal high damage to shocked enemies. (I assume using non-TC Stormbound gives an enemy the shocked status.)
-WE’RE FULL ON SEKIRO NOW! Ripped a hookshot from a fallen MT. It’s definitely clunkier than Sekiro’s hookshot, since I often grapple up to a rooftop and immediately fall back down, but still fun.
-He reaches high ground, and see the Archaean fighting the Empire. That’s gotta be frustrating for them since they already killed Titan.
-There’s a city control mechanic in play. Red means Niflheim, blue means Accordo, white means open.
[Later edit/non-rhetorical question: In practice, I never really used this. I just went where each quest told me to kill more imperials. Would there have been a benefit from backtracking and clearing other areas not required by the main quests?]
-Mechanically, the offense and switching between weapons is pretty fun so far! I still don’t really understand the defensive options though. It seems reactive rather than proactive; I get hit, then get an option to hit square which lets me then hit circle for a counterattack.
[Non-rhetorical question: is this right? Does square have any effect at all beyond setting up the counterattack? Like, does it heal me in any way?]
-After clearing out a couple of city sections, I spy on Ravus and one of his subordinates, Caligo.
RAVUS, looking at Titan: “Even the gods are on his side…” Knowing what I know now, this is him thinking that just maybe, Noctis actually can Do the Thing.
-Ravus orders the troops back.
-Caligo on the surface agrees, but basically says “lol fuck that” as soon as Ravus turns away. He seems to sense Ravus’ true intentions, and I’m certain this’ll be a boss fight.
-A few more sector clears and I hop a speedboat to the altar. Titan protects it as best he can, but he eventually fades under the Empire’s assault.
-Whelp, that Caligo fight is happening sooner than I expected.
-noooo, it’s a frigging vehicle fight!!!!
-THANK GOODNESS, I was wrong. Ignis flees from Caligo in a speedboat, but it’s a brief cutscene. The fight itself will be on land.
-Got him! It’s a pretty fun fight. I do like the combat mechanics in this DLC, and the choices of which TC to use depending on the situation. It’s just the defensive stuff I don’t really have a grasp on yet.
-Caligo staggers away when a sword goes through his stomach. Is this where we see Ravus’ turn?
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Chapter 2: Chances (The Two Protectors)
-MTs surround Ignis. Ravus approaches, and in what would’ve been a shocking development if we got this DLC during the Leviathan fight, he stabs one of the MTs instead of Ignis.
-Their backs are to each other, and they fight off the Imperial assault. The way they fight side by side beautiful and elegant. I don’t ship it, but I COULD EVENTUALLY ship it.
-He claims he’s just doing this for his sister. And for his “calling.” Fine, then why were you with the Empire until now?
RAVUS: “I once believed it was I who was destined to dispel the darkness. This [arm] is proof I was wrong.”
So he stayed with the Empire because he believed he could rise through the ranks and… be the Lucian king to fulfill the prophecy? Maybe he just thought anyone who could take the power of Lucis, if they were strong-willed enough.
-He also claims he hasn’t allied himself with Noctis himself yet. Just his sister, and for the moment that helps Noctis by coincidence. It’s not like he thinks Noctis is the rightful king, baka.
-As we move forward, it also becomes clear that Ravus still resents Lucis for leaving Tenebrae to burn. Fair. Or at least understandable.
-Much of their back-and-forth focuses on Noctis. Ignis, confident Noctis will grow into the role of Chosen King, and Ravus, skeptical (but not denying it outright anymore).
-We head to the Altar of the Tidemother.
-The spirit puppy is here (not Umbra, the other one). She grants Ignis a vision of (I think?) Bahamut, describing Noctis’ need to sacrifice himself for the power to defeat the darkness.
It shows a montage from the end of the game, and I get why the guide recommended I come back to Episode Ignis only after finishing XV.
-This has gotta be devastating for Ignis, given his promise to Regis.
-They push ahead, seeing Noctis and Luna lying next to each other, presumably both dead. Ravus is more pissed than anything else.
“First Lucians stole my mother, and now they make a sacrifice of my sister?” Not sure you’re tossing blame in the right place, but again: I get where he’s coming from.
-Boss fight time against Ravus. And it’s a DOOZY. I have to again complement this DLC’s combat system, especially in light of my dissatisfaction with Episode Prompto’s mechanics.
The bladework feels fast and fluid, like a dance.
I’m starting to get a slightly better handle on the defensive options. If I’m hit, sometimes I have a VERY brief window to hit square and then circle to counterattack, but other than that, I just have to watch where attacks are going to be and run out of the danger zone.
Ravus has kind of an Emperor Palpatine thing going, blasting lightning at Ignis.
-Defeating Ravus just kind of wakes him up. His anger dissipates into grief, sadness that Luna had to die fulfilling her role as oracle.
And yeah, it sucks! And sorry to keep harping on this, but I just wish like 90% of Luna’s screen time weren’t posthumous.
Grumble grumble.
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Chapter 3: Sacrifices (A Retainer’s Resolve)
-Gladio rejoins us. No Prompto in sight.
RAVUS: “…Ardyn.” OH SHIT. Yup, you’re right.
It’s just as disconcerting to hear “oh dear” from Gladio’s mouth as it was to hear “dude” from Ardyn’s.
-Imperial soldiers pin down Ignis, and Ardyn prepares to drive a dagger into Noctis. Until Ravus tosses a sword Ardyn’s way.
LOLOL, on his slow walk up to Ravus, Ardyn casually places his hat on an imperial soldier, like a hatstand.
Some of Ardyn’s trollishness annoys me. Specifically, when it feels like he’s just begging for a particular reaction from the party. But the moments when he’s casually trollish or goofy, like this, are glorious.
-He then extends one of the worst “temptation” attempts I’ve seen, bad enough that it can’t be real. Basically says, “Ignis, rather than stay with these people, why not join me?” The options afterwards don’t even give Ignis the option of saying anything like “yes.” Just “Fight back” lol.
-!!!!! HE PUTS ON THE RING OF THE LUCII! That is totally unexpected. This must be how he lost his sight.
-Ardyn starts laughing, assuming Ignis’ll burn up.
IGNIS: “I may not be of royal blood, but if a Glaive can harness its power, then so can I.”
-In a fantastic touch, we even see the first-person perspective as Ignis’ sight burns away.
-Boss time again, against Ardyn now.
-Ignis does a damn fine job fighting off Ardyn, especially given the ridiculous amounts of power I now know that Ardyn wields. But it’s short lived. The ring’s borrowed power burns out.
-Ignis stumbles over to Noctis’ body and collapses. Ravus stands over both of them.
RAVUS: “That was rather reckless.” Lolol he would know, after all. They’re now brothers in short-time wielders of the Ring. They both get rooms in the Gray Havens.
-The real Gladio and Prompto charge in.
-Ravus now shows legitimate and unhidden respect for both Ignis and Noctis. Wishes him well as he goes off on his own. In hindsight, he probably should’ve tried to join the squad full-time.
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-And the credits roll! The closing montage shows Ignis adjusting to his blindness as Prompto helps out.
-As Noctis rests, Ignis offers Noctis a chance to stop and turn back. He’s definitely thinking of his newfound revelation that this journey will kill Noctis.
“Do remember that we will stand with you always and help us bear your burdens. Don’t be afraid to let us share the load.”
What a good guy. See, this is the kind of thing that helps mitigate the overwhelming dudeliness of FFXV. It frequently shows a fairly supportive and non-toxic version of masculinity. When I first heard about FFXV from my friend as “traveling boy band simulator,” I feared that the party would be full of early-game Snows.
I’m delighted with how wrong I was.
-The final clip shows Ignis and Noctis together before the final assault on Insomnia. Both now clearly aware of Noctis’ death.
Ignis protected Noctis as much as he could. He’ll walk with him as far as he can go.
That was awesome! Really sweet and lovely. My favorite DLC so far. Comparable to Prompto’s story with far better mechanics and comparable to Ep Gladio’s mechanics with far better story.
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Next time: the Extra Verse mode.
