Fae & Foes | FFXIV Shadowbringers

[@NytingGayle]

Fun fact. The hedge people are STILL fully aware!

[@rllove016148]

That’s disturbing. Lmao

[@IceAokiji303]

The "fun" part is a matter of perspective

[@rampant1apart]

Don't worry, everyone! The hedge people are VERY capable of fear and pain! :D

[@brokencannon9174]

Thanks I hate it!

[@fuadgamer9043]

Can't wait for the new delivery quest npc to delve more about the hedge people

[@siyrean]

Fun bit with Ardbert, if you pick the dialogue option of "You're putting me off my dinner." you two then end up bonding over complaining about fetch quests.

[@Meatallic]

I deeply appreciate how much y'all recognize the sheer horror of the classic fae tropes in Il Mheg

[@ericbright1742]

Kyle said early on in a Shadowbringers stream, "If they don't do hyper-violent faeries, they're doing the fairy tale wrong." I remember hearing that and thinking "Oh, they are in for a *treat."*

[@wildeyoung3943]

@@ericbright1742 Ha! Yeah. That final sequence where the fae are going after the army goes from 1-100 real fast.

[@NytingGayle]

Oh yeah. The Fae are friggin' terrifying!

[@omy2597]

There's a fun fact you might not know: Urangier's Japanese Voice Actor is well known as a star of a Yu-Gi-Oh anime. So him ending up as the card using class and throwing them around suddenly makes a lot more sense with that in mind.

[@pyrrhos8175]

I am so happy that you guys noticed the quirkiness of Urianger playing into the Fae's mindgames as well as learning the Astrology job in a land with no night sky. It's just so...him and brilliant way for the devs to take an established character but one with only a little development and help flesh him out without feeling forced on the main plot.

[@Uldihaa]

One of the things I love about this expansion was how they essentially re-invent Urianger. He goes from being a walking exposition with almost no personality minor character to this much more rounded character with a _very_ dry sense of humor. Before Shadowbringers, he was my least liked Scion. Now, I love the guy. As Jesse Cox has said, FFXIV is excellent in how they don't forget characters and seem to always find a way to bring them back and grow them.

[@Churee]

Also a misunderstanding that you guys have: after being called out by Urianger, Emet is actually using his real body now. Not a hologram.

[@OkamiG15]

Well, “real body” insofar as being one of thousands of Solus clones.

[@millamiqote8827]

@@OkamiG15 Eeh, that's not quite so. He mentions this if you talk to him over the course of the MQ. He went soul-mode in order to move to the First, then grabbed a "hapless body" and fashioned it to his liking. The ascians can't move actual bodies across the rift. Emet mentioned this several times, iirc, in regards to the tower/Exarch having done what even they can't.

[@lathyrusloon]

well...his isn't quite right. He's using A body.

[@pseudonym6387]

@@millamiqote8827 Yes, Emet has a habit of reshaping the bodies he possesses to look like himself (and points out Lahabrea's habit of *not* doing this as part of why he was so... cackling mad supervillain compared to Elidibus and Emet-Selch, by the time the Warrior of Light ever encounters him - Lahabrea possessed Thancred while otherwise leaving him alone, and apparently that was the norm with him).

[@maceofbass9295]

On the topic of Ran'jit: Beware the old man in a world where men die young. Dude's been fighting sin eaters for the better part of a century, and he's mastered a power that nobody else seems to quite understand. BTW his serpent power - Gukumatz - is actually pretty badass; it's named for the Mayan serpent deity Q'uq'umatz, one of the supposed creators of humanity.

[@anotherkenlon]

It's rather like Pratchett's Rule One: "Do not act incautiously when confronting a little bald wrinkly smiling man". He's not smiling, but you don't get to be that old as a front line combatant without some edge.

[@Dharengo]

I don't understand why people think the player should have the monopoly on being strong. You still defeat him later after leveling up some more.

[@Dharengo]

@@Draeckon So only one person ever is allowed to surpass us at any point during our career? The fact of the matter is, as has long since been proven, our god killing abilities only really kick in _while fighting gods._

[@LeafStranger]

If you want to look at it another fae/sidhe way, Feo Ul is a Summer King/Summer Court - a shift towards activity and growth (and darkness) -- while OG Titania was a Winter King, tied to stasis and lack of change. Which then ties in with Urianger's lesson on the balance of Astral and Umbral on the First. :D

[@KountKristyl]

Or as I call Il Mheg: Rainbow Pixie Hellscape. Let's not forget on top of the shrub people being alive, that the "Squirtles" or Fuath are the souls of drowned children.

[@AzurKutsuu]

I love how Emet DOES show you his whole hand... he just doesn't tell you he can re-draw it at any point LOL

[@iantaakalla8180]

I mean, he does also say that. When the Warrior of Light and Scions meet Emet-Selch, he explicitly says that he can always try to join together the reflections later on when the Scions and the Warrior of Light do not exist.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

Just because I think this needs to be pointed out once in awhile, in the worlds of Final Fantasies, the elements of light and dark aren't necessarily tied to good and evil respectively. In FFXIV the element of light isn't the same thing as Hydaelyn's light.

[@elixwhitetail]

It also speaks to the difference between folklore and science. ARR: Hydaelyn is mommy, Hydaelyn is light, light is good, darkness bad. ShB: Actually, light is not automatically good because cosmic science.

[@proy3]

GG continues to have the best thumbnails in all of FF14 KZbin.

[@gateauxq4604]

That thumbnail is straight fire

[@NatyaVT]

When you become a Sin Eater and *especially* a Lightwarden, you'll transform without fail. Titania is very much the exception to the rule here, because as the Nu Mou tell it, she was *so powerful* in life that she retained her form and the playful nature of the fae folk even after being transformed. Notably, she is also the only Lightwarden who isn't thematically named, which goes with what the "Capybara People" told you.

[@clangauss4155]

Rhymes with the echo/resonance, which I like. Those with stronger souls have the ability to overpower such things, but in this case not entirely unscathed.

[@aaronlefebre5060]

@@clangauss4155 It's also an excellent bit of hidden foreshadowing...

[@NatyaVT]

@@clangauss4155 Yeah, and the fact that Tesleen the Forgiven still had her face really speaks to her strength of character. Even though she was not an amazing warrior or a great mage, the transformation still didn't quite take her before the end... made all the more impressive if you went to Alisaie first (which is why I still espouse that Alphinaud first is canon., for all of her strength of character I cannot believe she could hold on *that* long.)

[@cynthiahembree3957]

@@aaronlefebre5060 Most definitely. Can't wait to see their reaction to a certain someone

[@tyty8484]

20:44 Thancred and Minfilia's relationship is a little more complicated than you realize. Another part of Thancred's struggle here is being unable to keep the promise of protecting her after the tragic event that brought them together. There's a part in HW where he talks about it briefly where you're looking for F'lhaminn. Also the 1.0 Uldah opening cutscenes are those events.

[@SuperHexer123]

Shadowbringers single handily took Ardbert from one of those characters I groaned to see, to one of my favorite characters. I felt a little sympathy for him after thier departure in HW, but after ShB I really felt for the guy and really understood why he seemed so desperate. Man was the hero who was turned into the villain for just doing his job, lost everything, and was desperate to try and fix what he created.

[@RockR277]

They do a great job making him feel like a friend with what few interactions we get. And that scene with him after the second Lakeland instance never fails to make me tear up...

[@Uldihaa]

@@RockR277 Doing the Role quests really fleshed out all the of the "Warriors of Darkness", to the point that I still get choked up remembering _That_ bit of the expansion's credits.

[@nyminenemine]

Fun fact about the Dancing Plague: It is named for an actual event that happened in actual history. Cliff notes of the event: In 1518 in Strausberg, a woman began dancing uncontrollably, doing so until she collapsed. People who attempted to assist her eventually found themselves dancing as well, and it went from one person to 30 people to 400. This lasted for two months and ended as mysteriously as it began, and the dancing resulted in injury and death. Today, no one really knows what caused people to dance. Theories go from a fungal infection from eating bad bread that produced spasming to a psychogenic disorder. The other thing to note is that the 1518 event isn't the only instance of this happening; just one of the best documented and one of the last outbreaks. Back then, instances like this were often blamed on fairies. And as a folklore and weird history enthusiast, I squealed so loudly when I saw the name of this tria. What Angel Wakes Me is one of my favorite tracks. With the history of the event that this was based off of, the playful lyrics take on such a more sinister meaning and I freaking love it.

[@samniel]

Wait, so the Dancer questline actually happened?

[@nyminenemine]

It totally did! You can look it up its really interesting.

[@DifunctedReble]

This makes me think of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" music video.

[@tarultoyarto]

19:20 Thancred, Urianger, and Y'shtola all picked new, inverted jobs to go with your "Warrior of Darkness" flip: Thancred went from rogue (assassin) to gunbreaker (bodyguard), Y'shtola went from White Mage to Black Mage, and Urianger went from Scholar (who studies the past) to Astrologian (who predicts the future). And what is the future Urianger predicts? Stars on the First.

[@elenhin]

It's so funny how Garret is like "the fights are the important thing" while I'm so into the lore and the story and the quests that I would be happy with just entering a dungeon and get the msg "You killed Titania" and then continue on my journey. XD It's funny how different things matter to you and this game has everything for everyone.

[@laxxboy20]

They are dog people. The Words of Power are fetch, roll over, and heel. They are dog people.

[@WoWRefugee]

You got the Thancred motivation backwards... in a fashion... ;) Thancred loved Minfilia and lived his life as her protective big-brother. Thancred is/has come to love mini-filia too! He is grumpy because his emotions are all fucked up because there are 2 people he loves and he doesn't know which one is gonna come out of it. He's trying to not get too close to Mini-filia because she could be gone any moment if she chooses to allow Minfilia to manifest. Thancred dilemma: Who do choose to live? Your Sister or the little girl you now also love and are responsible for protecting... mirroring your entire life-relationship wit Minfilia. Don't be so hard on Dadcred!!!

[@ericbright1742]

It's an unenviable dilemma. Do you let things play out, and let Minfilia stay gone? Or do you switch the metaphorical trolley to the other track, and sacrifice Mini-filia so that Minfilia can live? And probably the worst part is that Minfilia told him: It's not his choice to make. It's Mini-filia's.

[@Renaise]

Definitely this honestly

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

I have a different view on Thancred as a result of my replay through the zone but spoilers. I'll post my thoughts when we get to the end.

[@karis_rfl]

This ^

[@siyrean]

let them figure it out on their own

[@lookingforcraft6319]

Your comments about Thancred being too controlling has merit but you gotta consider the factors as to why. His previous job was as a rogue in espionage where he had to control his emotions and the situation to not screw things up, in the past when he didn't control the gooboo he managed to kill Minfillia's father, he was possessed by an ascian and had NO control, the event with the lifestream that has stripped him of his control of aether, and now he's having to control his emotions in regards to old Minfillia and mini Minfillia so he doesn't cause even more issues. He defaults to controlling what he can because in his life he has lost the ability to control damn near anything but is still trying to be respectful of the situation which is causing a conflict and results in him being stiff.

[@pseudonym6387]

He's also overcompensating because he's had a literal replacement/surrogate for his adoptive daughter who he "failed" and "let die" (in quotes because she very much made that choice of her own free will and agency, and was successful in what she set out to do). Now that he has this miraculous second chance to "save Minfilia" (especially one who's a lot younger and does seem to see him as a father figure) he's not going to let anything stop him.

[@BananaMellor]

Lots of good conversation here. To touch on just a couple things - the head pat thing I think really hits different between JP and western cultures. Folks who get more into anime and such probably see that, and so the head pat is seen as more of an affectionate gesture. That doesn't take away from how patronizing Thancred is, of course. But you might see his controlling behavior as slightly less negative from the perspective of "now that my OP WoL is here, we can sit you on the bench and keep you safe while he does all the dangerous stuff". It's a fine line between that and what Eulmore wanted for her. On Titania, of course they noted it was just a title for the one individual to hold the throne. But holding that position has very tangible benefits in the form of collected magical power from each of the fae tribes and the elements of nature. All of this was in quests in the zone, I'm sure, though I'm not sure how many were sidequests vs MSQ. So yeah, her having a fire fist isn't really that odd when you also see her calling on the elements of ice and water, and of 'growth' and plants. Shamans and druids don't exist here like they do in WoW so I guess they're a bit of all of that.

[@SticktheFigure]

My reading on Ranjit's strength has always been that this dude is the leader of the strongest surviving military faction in a world of horrific nightmares. Not only is he good enough to be in that position, but he's managed to survive to a fairly old age in it. I think that speaks to the sheer power he possesses. Even if that is me coping a little that just some dude is able to kick the ever living snot out of me despite overcoming zenos last xpac.

[@Riplee86]

Fear the old man in a young man's game, as it were.

[@ericbright1742]

Beware the elderly in a profession where men die young.

[@hounddog5]

The dude has just been grinding out lvl 71-80 trash for literally his entire life, he's got a huge pile of XP.

[@arathain2]

He's got some pact-with-a-very-magical-creature stuff going on, which is apparently a pretty big deal. A lot of it is just that he's been fighting all his life and is really, really good at it. He knows what you'll do before you do it because he's seen it a hundred times before.

[@OtomostheCrazy]

I mean, you never actually beat him 1v1. You had 3 others with you in Ala Mhigo. The Trial is a toss-up, though, on whether 7 adventurers/soldiers/mercenaries decided to help or if it was a hallucination

[@KMCA779]

I thought the stalling before Emet was hilarious. Chat got impatient and we paid for it... Although when you were about to go back into it and Kyle just shut it down, I thought chat was going to have a collective aneurysm. You couldn't have pulled it off as well if you'd known.

[@komurmaldeb]

I'll be honest, I don't think that if at any point before Il Mheg you'd told me what the first trial of Shadowbringers was going to be that I would have believed you. Monarch of the fairies in a giant Disney castle as the first trial of an expansion that opens with Tesleen. And yet by the time you get there, it feels perfectly reasonable.

[@dafire9634]

Respect for the doge profile pic

[@mortythreekings3131]

In regards to the magic table, Urianger was simply pointing out how we associated light with growth and activity when it’s actually the opposite and vice versa. (Astral Era vs Umbral Era) AKA light is Lawful while Darkness is Chaotic. So less M:TG and more D&D/Pathfinder. Also if you play THM/BLM you can see this passive/active dynamic in play. When you’re actively hurting people with fire you’re in [ASTRAL] Fire. When you’re halting your outgoing flow of magic, like shutting off a tap, you’re creating an aetheric vacuum in [UMBRAL] Ice mode and since nature abhors a vacuum it fills you with Aether and recharges you - you even learn how to freeze and store pockets of extra aether via Umbral Hearts. Neat, eh? Also there’s a theme with the jobs in SHB - Urianger being an astrologian is the ‘dark’ healer as stars can only be seen at night. (Plus Astro, like Sage, is a sharlayan job so it fits.) Y’shtola is a BLM, a job associated with Taboo and Astral Darkness/Chaos/Activity. Alisaie as a RDM represents both the conflict - light vs dark - as well as your goal of balance. Even minifillia represents this with how rogues are dirty fighters and who fight in the shadows. Thancred is of course the scion who job-changes to one of the new jobs (like alisaie in STB). Heck it’s fitting how an Ascian, associated with Darkness, is also helping you out in ‘Exterminating the light.’ Like a black hole or an eclipse swallows and smothers the light.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

I think you missed the message from our Minfilia to Thancred. There's going to come a point when Mini-filia is going to have to make a choice. Either way, one of them is going to effectively die. Dadcred is staying distant because he can't bear to have influenced that choice, because no matter the outcome, Thancred looses.

[@nameisme9727]

Guy really needs to tighten up some more.

[@Yume03]

I feel for Thancred so much in this part of the msq. 😢

[@Noxissa]

You're telling them plot points that they have not gotten to yet.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

@@Noxissa yes they have. They've seen the flashback that this is in.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

@@Noxissa Thanced never explains himself. It's implied in the one flashback, that they've already seen and never actually put into words.

[@chien5288]

Urianger’s Archon specialty is prophecies and Astrologians specifically map the future with stars. That he could do this in a night less sky is impressive.

[@reyennarhel2505]

The fact that y'all paused RIGHT before the Emet reveal cracked me up - I wasn't mad at all. It was just excellent.

[@siyrean]

it was hilarious, I was cackling watching the chat.

[@seekittycat]

That was legendary 😂😂😂 I loved it so much

[@ramsde68]

Love how you referenced the Superman dilemma with minfillia. It’s why moments of him just punching darkseid are cool but don’t stick with you. But moments like Superman’s and the Elite where he shows why he doesn’t just end every fight with his godlike powers just hits you so different. Very nice call

[@BagginsWulf]

Garrett: "...in a world where he can't even see the stars!" Me: "... ... ... ... huh."

[@Meowlo]

I love the intros where Garrett is saying things and Kyle is just like "wait what?"

[@Amovetv]

So do I.

[@WayofFlowingTime]

A note about Ran'jit's power, since you brought it up around 9:00. Our objective during the battle in Lakeland wasn't to kill all the bad guys, it was to get Minifillia and get out. So although he was holding his own against us, we were more trying to defend Minifillia and try to get out.

[@ericbright1742]

21:52 This conversation reminds me of the Justice League Unlimited episode "For the Man Who Has Everything." That episode challenged Kal-El's moral code, to the point where he is on the brink of breaking his golden rule, where he must not kill, and after all he went through in that episode, _you almost wanted him to._ Also, Inverted-Y for the win. Also also, I did a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in college, and seeing Puck, Peaseblossom, and Mustardseed made me smile so much... and it made me disappointed that we didn't see a donkey named "Bottom" or some variation of Nicholas in the Trial.

[@venabre]

Urianger explaining the magic makes no sense unless you dig deep into the lore, and specifically the Aetherology as explained in Encyclopaedia Eorzea. Quoting directly from the book (page 9): "In addition to the six elements, there also exist two poles - astral and umbral - which greatly influence the nature of the elements - an astral charge bringing more activity, while an umbral charge resulting in more passiveness. For example, when in an astral state, fire exhibits high volatility, whereas its umbral state is characterized by dryness". Basically the story called for light being the passive state and darkness the active state, but they had long defined astral as active and umbral as passive, so they needed to rectify that. Thus astral darkness and umbral light.

[@blackfox4138]

*ahem* AAAAAAEEEECtually, Eorzea is just the collection of the 6 city-states. The continent itself is named Aldinard. ;P

[@josephsheehan6079]

Actually to believe in Eorzea is to believe in nothing

[@Lordoftheapes79]

There's no E in actually.

[@blackfox4138]

@@Lordoftheapes79 right, my apologies. *Æctually. There, fixed it.

[@craigfunk3453]

Hehehe. East Aldenard Trading Company?

[@christianf.5553]

@@blackfox4138 Checks out, since æ is actually pronounced like it is in the excaggerated version. 😜 Norwegian, or Scandinavian, perchance?

[@Avaene]

I love these recap videos. Hot takes during the streams are entertaining, but FF14 lends itself so well to analysis in hindsight so these recap discussions are a highlight of my week.

[@MonosEx]

37:00 Another fun fact, the option where you are a bit "cruel" is the option where you bond with Albert faster

[@RothAnim]

My personal take on Thancred is that regardless of his preferences, he fundamentally knows that "Mini-fillia" has to be the one to make the choice about her destiny, and that either way will be heartbreaking for him. But I think that refusal to choose for her, or tip the scales either way results in an emotional distance that people are interpreting as a preference towards "his" Minfillia.

[@Kataxu]

Thank you Garrett so much, for explaining why Superman is such a great comic book and character.

[@GreatSakuya]

I know you guys are looking for editors to ease your workload but holy shit, its edits like this 0:29 that makes me spit my drink because it catches me off guard.

[@thevoidyoutaite]

honestly though, i really appreciate the fact that y'all say what you're genuinely thinking - sometimes i feel like people kind of decide to kiss fandom's butt for the clout/to avoid issues no matter what, which i understand, but it makes y'all feeling free enough to say "this sucks/is boring" or whatever really refreshing! thank you so much for your honest impressions!

[@Jon0001]

I find ppl forgot ranjet has been fighting sin eaters for 100 years, somehow he lived that long and trained most if not all the orales of light. So it makes sense that this man is strong considering his battle experience and life experience. He is effectively the eulmore version of the crystal exarch (a being that is lived for 100 yrs)

[@moodudable]

reminding you guys again that every questions will be answered in game and i can’t wait to see your reactions to it :D also please go easy on poor dadcred the dude went through a hell lot please hug him when you can

[@kiriuxeosa8716]

Its funny how so many of us just want to see them get to these points and at the same time are screaming at the screen going "Its because of this and due to that and they acted on this which is why those..." etc.

[@LazyLame666]

Its interesting that you see Thancred as this, I saw it as complete opposite. Thancred wants Minifilia to be Minfilia, but he also wants to respect Minfilias wishes. It felt like he is trying to be distant and closed of, so his own feelings and wishes would not influence her decision. Minifilia needs to make the decision, if she will become the Oracle or her own person. Thancred wants to stay out of it. To be honest this "If she will love me, will she choose what she wants or what I want." is great. I don't know how I would deal with it, I think Thancred doesn't know how to deal with it. It actually give Thancred character and personality.

[@Noxissa]

Let them learn things in the game themselves.

[@pseudonym6387]

My personal explanation for Ran'Jit's ridiculous power? Based on the Monk Job questline, the Monk Job literally unlocks new, greater power through facing opposition in life-or-death combat (at one point you open up an entire new set of chakras you didn't even know existed this way), with theoretically no upper limit. Prior to Vauthry's decree on living in peace with the Sin-Eaters, *Eulmore* was leading the charge in the fight for the world's existence, and Ran'Jit was personally leading Eulmore's military, the entire way. That one man has been the tip of the spear in an existential war for the world's survival for decades on end. You've seen what living that kind of life has done for the Warrior of Light, and the player character has only been at this "Hero of the Entire World" business for a few years; Ran'Jit probably has like 60 chakras opened by now. His power level, purely in terms of monk abilities, *should* be absolutely nonsensically high, and it makes total sense to me that he can go toe to toe with the Warrior of Light with their multiple layers of Blessing of Light and Echo power and everything else by now. Ran'Jit learned different techniques from areas of the First that no longer exist (having been consumed by the Flood of Light), so who knows what else he can do on top of whatever Monk-analogous skills he has. It honestly made more sense to me than Zenos (whose ludicrous power level does get explained eventually, but in background stories added to a lore website during Shadowbringers, back when he first shows up in Stormblood he was just "this huge Garlean dude who can personally take out entire armies and also Eorzea's greatest champion no sweat but has somehow never been mentioned despite being this well-known massive threat when The Garlean Empire has been your main antagonist the entire time). But I confess that almost entirely boils down to "have you already done the Monk job quests and can you extrapolate based on what's in there". If you *didn't* already happen to do Monk quests and know their associated lore, he's just this big scary punch guy who can kick your ass somehow even though you're Big Hero Guy who reliably singlehandedly saves the day with your unrivalled combat skills (to the point where a literal continent-conquering god was terrified by your very existence, back during the climax to the 3.0 Heavensward questline). But again, this is at least a completely different world, with *its own* world-saving heroes (like Ardbert and his crew, back before the Flood), so who knows what crazy things people from here can do. And that's also the reason why he didn't get any buildup or foreshadowing before this expansion, unlike with Zenos.

[@lethargicwizard]

26:55 the Nu Mou probably remind you of Jim Henson characters because they look so similar to the Mystics from The Dark Crystal, just miniaturized

[@TorrentTBolt]

Them speculating on how fun it would be if Emet was just chilling in the bg of certain duties as an easter egg has me riled up lmfao

[@YokoshimaXChronicles]

"Get over it." You say to the man who has lost everyone he considered family.

[@Elidan1012]

just because it is understable does not mean you want to watch it.

[@TheoVorster]

The other thing about Ran'jit is that besides being a "mini-boss" for Eulmore is that he's a foil/parallel to Thancred's current arc/conflict (which arguably one of my critiques of ShB is that it could/should have pushed this element further). As when first introducing/learning about Ran'jit in the Crystarium we learn that Ran'jit (before Vauthry came to power in Eulmore and decided to "make peace" with the Sin Eaters) had previously been the one to train (and effectively raise) the previous generations of Minfilias/Oracles of Light in the fight against the Sin Eaters. Ran'jit was basically the "Thancred" to all the previous Minfilias before the current one was reincarnated and found. Also another part of the reason why Emet-Selch (which he mentions) is happy to accompany the party to the Rak'tika Greatwood but not Il Mheg is because the Rak'tika Greatwood provides greater mitigation/cover/protection of the effects of the Eternal Primordial Light in the sky than other areas (and being an Ascian, Emet-Selch is discomforted/weakened by it to a degree).

[@clangauss4155]

It's nice to have everyone back and sorted and to have an episode of real progress again. I look forward to next week!

[@LadyFidchel]

SO! As a dutiful mentor in the Ultros Novice Network, I recently helped talk a poor soul through the Feo Ul quest on controller. I actually went out to Il Mheg to make sure he was on the right spot, cause I remember Garret didn't go there at first and I was *hoping* that was the issue. Turns out it was just making sure there were no typos. It was torture for the poor dude, with no keyboard and no cutting and pasting text, but we eventually got through it. I gave him a pair of pixie wings afterward for his hard work

[@RockR277]

Man, anytime you guys come out with these videos and I hear all the speculation, I just starting thinking "oh man wait till they get _there_ and _there_ and _there_ " I can _not_ wait for so much stemming from this video.

[@aaronlefebre5060]

LOL That was literally me listening to this whole video! The amount of guesses and extrapolations these guys do, and how many of them are so close, yet so far, is hilarious.

[@specialnewb9821]

That Yshtola and Titania have the same VA always impresses me.

[@cynthiahembree3957]

I didn't know that. Great job to her honestly

[@keithfilibeck2390]

as strong as the WoL is by the start of Shadowbringers, he's by no means the strongest, Ran'jit is a 100 year old man who learned his worlds strongest forms of combat, its perfectly fine that he can match us, though he beat us, he isn't particularly stronger than us by this point in any real measure, unlike with Zenos who was far and away more powerful.

[@TheFrantic5]

I really liked the two illustrations that describes the role of the oracle as well. I need more of that artwork.

[@seekittycat]

Would recommend the anime Madoka Magica!

[@ChrisMorray]

TItania is amazing. The extreme is also very fun. Hope you guys will enjoy that one once you get through the story. In fact, all 3 of the base Shadowbringers Extremes are great. Though... One of them is so easy you can do it with 1 healer and 1 tank.

[@Lordoftheapes79]

I don't think anyone was expecting the first trial of Shadowbringers to be pulled from Shakespeare.

[@uwu-cx2yc]

ShB has so much character writing and Emet-Selch is still getting his boredom enraged timer hit?? 😤 XD I kinda like how it dragged because it makes Thancred's flaws & lack of effective coping mechanisms ever since ARR actually weigh down on us so it's not simply funny jokes (although I love his running gags). He's like an easier to comprehend version of a certain character from Disco Elysium who lost their constant drunk manic smile and just looks sad for now haha Also 10:10 🤝 a g r e e d Zenos embodies both the irrational joy AND the sociopathy of fighting to death, he's so fun AND eerily alien to watch because of that.

[@madhat1212]

I’ve been loving watching you guys play through Shadowbringers. Such great content and so excited for what is to come!

[@DJToMyHits]

Imagine it like this, Emet is showing you his Blackjack hand. In blackjack you always have a card you're not showing.

[@brendonaberdeen9633]

I am so stoked for how far you guys are now!!! Ahhh you are not prepared :P keep up the great streams guys :3

[@RukukuRuku]

I just wanna say, there was a sound effect in the ad segment that sounded like the Raycon low battery sound, and you got me with it.

[@brynphillips9957]

In a way I felt the WoD/WoL's issue with their first fight with Ranjit was unfimilarity with Ranjit's fighting style. That said, he is definately very formidable. Zenos would probably have a blast fighting him.

[@RanRayu]

yea zenos would have a great time, then when he starts winning acts like alucard from hellsing, and is just disappointed ranjit isnt strong enough to keep him entertained any longer.

[@Sarisoma]

Yeah, I always read it as he had some tricks we were just not prepared for. I get that a lot of people would have compared that to our Zenos-through-Stormblood encounters which I think is where a lot of folk soured on him some. There are some other reasons which probably compounded this but would rather not speculate on potential spoilers for him just yet.

[@seekittycat]

Even before I watch the video this TOP TIER thumbnail though 👏👏👏

[@coldrunfinalfantasy5545]

As a Playstation player, I could imagine the fae cackling at me during the typing section. "Hee hee!! No, Yoshi-P, make them type it AGAIN! With even MORE WORDS!!"

[@dec222]

"So when [Urianger] whips it out later..." Guys. Phrasing.

[@ArakDBlade]

They know what they're about 🤣

[@MartinEB72]

It's interesting them discussing the Exarch, but I recognized him almost immediately as that guy from earlier. I realize he is older, but its like knowing a guy when he is a kid, which you babysitted. He will always be that kid to you.

[@cynthiahembree3957]

I think I deep down knew it was him but also thought maybe I just want it to be. Later I realized wow it really is him

[@DayleDiamond]

Awesome video! Not a bit smudged from discussing fetch quests, you still made it 100 percent quality.

[@east3rcat]

When I heard Minfilia being the one girl in all the world to defeat the sin eaters, my mind went to Buffy: the vampire slayer 😹

[@siyrean]

very apt comparison, especially with the once one dies another is steps up

[@idleeidolon]

Art students managing to get a masters, not knowing about the classics like midsummer night's dream is a tragedy. The humanities have failed us.

[@moira4707]

He's in visual arts, not liberal arts... Most art student's I've met (as a literature major) weren't very big readers - some were, but far from a majority of them.

[@RBNinja]

I don't understand how people don't find Rhanjit to be the coolest villain in the whole game. Do people not love jaded Kung Fu masters like I do? It's the best. I grew up on Kung Fu movies so I was just all in on his whole vibe and aesthetic.

[@99range92def]

Aesthetically maybe, other than that no.

[@DarkCaedus]

For me it’s the fact that they give us a forced loss fight after an expansion of forced loss fights

[@fabiannarvaezdegarcia619]

A little extra dark in the lore of Fae folk and why they like to play: they are the spirits of dead children and the frog fae are spirits of drowned children

[@Demonmack0]

Good analysis on how Thancred's headpat might be stiff, never thought about it but I think you are right. Regarding Emet's body, he only used an illusion the first time you saw him. After Urianger threw the card, he appeared in full body. he took his advice.

[@21vicroy58]

I can hear garrets body screaming to get to titania while Kyle is just menacingly taking it slowly. Wonderful comedy. Great video xD

[@AkaroXIV]

The only ting off with the daughter sister analogy is that it is actually worse. It is older daughter, and younger daughter. Thancred took Minfillia (source) under his wing after her parents died, she was 18 in ARR. Now he is helping Minfillia (first) grow into her own all over again, and she's just a year or so younger than Minfillia (source) was when she died. It's rough.

[@zamboozle3741]

f'lhaminn's story and her relationship with minfilia hits a LOT harder if you do the 61-70alchemist quests to say anything more is spoilers, so you'll definitely have to check it out for yourself

[@Selene467]

I love watching your takes on these events, it was so much fun going through this expansion myself. But I also have to point out how sincerely happy I am to find someone else who knows those classic tmnt movies. I have watched those so many times as a kid. Makes me nostalgic as hell. 🥰

[@Sephalia]

Great vid as usual. At this point in the story I was thinking along the same lines as you guys ... If Emet-Selch is happy to let us continue, then there's something not good about the current plan. Beyond that, I don't know what he has up his sleeve but it's so cool to have the villain around throwing off the dynamic that we'd expect.

[@Kae-k96]

I think Thancred's storyline in ShB gets lost in translation a bit and so people misunderstand his point of view (although it does get explained a little bit more as you go). A non-spoilery example is that i see a lot of people get annoyed with the headpats and just want him to hug Minifilia, but just giving someone a hug isn't really a thing in Japan even amongst some family members. So he isn't as cold and distant to Minifilla as some people make him out to be and although it can be read as controlling from a western perspective, it is definitely a show of endearment.

[@siyrean]

devs have said they can't just make characters hug, its very hard to animate properly

[@Kae-k96]

@@siyrean There is that too which is definitely part of it, but i feel like that was also just a response to western players saying how much the characters just need a hug.

[@anotherkenlon]

The headpats this is completely due to engine limitations, and anyone who didn't get that immediately was either a) not paying attention, or b) looking for something to be mad about.

[@siyrean]

@@Kae-k96 it's just I've seen "Japanese people don't hug" comments in the past which were then answered by some very miffed Japanese watchers replying Yes, we do.

[@Kae-k96]

@@siyrean Yeah that's fair, i could've worded it better. It's not that japanese people don't hug at all, it's just that in general eastern cultures are a bit more reserved on that front when compared to western cultures. For instance i've heard multiple tales of people from eastern countries meeting western family/friends and being surprised at immediately getting hugged.

[@akkiko]

In regards to Thancred- I really felt the reason why he came off as standoffish and short with Minfilia2.0 was because he knew it would come down to her decision and he didn't want to influence her in one direction or the other. If she chooses to stay the oracle, he keeps his Minfilia but another child dies. If she doesn't, he loses his Minfilia but the child he's come to care for and objectively/morally wants to live gets to survive. Both endings have their ups and downs but neither are wholly correct or evil and, knowing Minfilia2.0 as he does, he didn't trust himself not to push her in a direction of his own bias. So he stayed distant and he refused to coddle or give her any indication of either which way- WHICH SUCKS but he's also human and dealing with his own pain. In the end, his reaction after she makes her decision is most telling of his character, imo. BUT AS THIS VIDEO IS ONLY 4 DAYS OLD, I'll let y'all see that yourself.

[@TheDeliciousMystery]

Its around this point they really start to hit home how the first emulates the source in a warped version. Il Mheg is Ishgard with a different issue than the dragonsong war at its heart, Vauthry is Zenos is he was indulged in everything rather than starved of any stimulation or drive, Ranjhit is Rabahn if he lost Nanamo. Its all a mirror to the things we know not just as "what if good was evil" but more "what if the things that define the people and places you know were absent, what becomes of them then?" and certain things like the final lightwardens name really hit home that just like light and shadow its not all as clear cut as it first appears.

[@TryckSpot]

I don't know if you guys looked into 1.0's lore and stuff but by this point, Thancred's interaction with Minifilia should be conjuring his feelings of guilt and shame to the informed player. Thancred blames himself for not saving Minfilia's parents in Ul'dah from the rampaging Goobbue. He thinks he's responsible for orphaning her (which.... debatable). He feels like he failed her in his mission several times, as pointed about when he was apologizing to Minfilia after arriving "too late" to assist WoL with the Amalj'aa/Ifrit and the whole ascian possession shenanigans. Finally, he feels guilt at her "death" in ARR and HW. That plot with him and his feelings has never been resolved. All of that is dragged to the forefront with Minifilia and her (very young) life contrasted with HIS Minfilia. Its an excellent, excellent, EXCELLENT plot thread that an MMO should not be able to execute as well as FFXIV does.

[@autumneagle]

43:30 One fun fan theory is the stuffy looking pelican/shoehorn that starts appearing and following you around in Shadowbringers is in fact, Emet. Or his familiar.

[@reeplays7616]

Kyle: Can you IMAGINE being on controller? Me: 🙃🙃🙃 Man, that quest on PS4's virtual keyboard was *S U F F E R I N G*. The trial and error... ahhhh....

[@lucalopez9604]

MY BROTHER IN SUFFERING. that was a middle suffering to all of us without a keyboard.

[@fluoritaceles3144]

Let’s join in pain for the typing quests on ps4 😢

[@Churee]

Regarding Ranjit: He is basically one of the strongest fighters left on the First, who has been in countless battles over the years. Compared to the enemies we fought so far (Nidhogg, GigaPope, Shinryu) he is not a massive gigantic primal-like enemy, but instead an expert martial art master, which presents a completely different fight that our WoL is really not used to.

[@lethargicwizard]

Can you rephrase that but in the form of a Dragonball Z analogue, so the boys understand?

[@Amovetv]

Lethe gets it.

[@Eiensakura]

@@lethargicwizard Goku, after smacking Cell, Freiza and Majinbuu around, found himself fighting Bruce Lee, and is out of sorts? LOL

[@RanRayu]

@@Amovetv he is krillin. arguably the most powerful ''normal'' human in dbz. can hold his own against really strong non-humans, but doesnt stand a chance in a straight up fight against frieza. kinda.

[@Churee]

@@lethargicwizard He is literally Tao Pai Pai and we are kid Goku

[@thanatos_kai42]

Everytime they bring up the fact Alisaie or the WoL can breath underwater I wonder why they don't take the rest of the scions to the Ruby Sea and give them the ability to breath underwater

[@jaylee9372]

At this particular juncture, they didn't really have the time. They were too focused on liberating Doma, Ala Mhigo, and rescuing Krile. Or recuperating from a brush with Zenos in Y'shtola's case. Or on a completely seperate continent in Urianger's case. A journey which we're told takes months to traverse lore-wise but there's that whole time bubble fuzzing things up again. Then by the time they actually could try giving it a shot, they were either too busy helping with the war effort or dropping like flies from some clumsy soul snatching.

[@cynthiahembree3957]

@@jaylee9372 or ya know on a different reflection

[@sijrichters]

I love these deep dive videos of yours. Looking forward to watching more of your SHB adventures!

[@CerberusComplex]

37:44 apparently "emet" means "truth" in Hebrew, and "selch" is a bastardization of "your" in Hebrew. meaning Emet's name translates to "Your Truth" or "Your Reality"

[@jacobkern2060]

35:38 May I recommend the Scaevan Magitek Scythe for Reaper? It is literally just a hedge trimmer and I love it for that

[@zefyrisd69]

Next time on this channel : " Do you know La Hee?"

[@VampireNoblesse]

the whole Seto & Ardbert part put me to tears, ... wish you touched on that a bit more

[@thedragon133]

Oh... no wonder chat went ballistic if you pause RIGHT before the reveal :D :D :D Shame that I missed that... Of course you couldn't know but that was unintentionally genius!

[@ArakDBlade]

I was not ready for Tatsu to be brought up. Someone grab a 3 wood

[@Salt_Mage]

Urianger’s Archon status is for his studies in prophecies and portents, which is why he has adopted Astrologian deaing with cards and predicting fate

[@drakelx]

Hmm maybe the head pat thing just didn’t translate well across cultures. Cos I definitely did not see what Kyle was describing, but I do agree on the purposeful stiffness, just for other reasons. Though maybe the Thancred “brooding” parts seemed to drag on cos of IRL time passing. Since you guys took two sessions to do the Il Mheg section across a week, it might’ve skewed your perception a bit. Though despite that I’d even say it’s less of brooding and more of in denial/contemplation in the first place.

[@TGCidolfus0830]

I really do enjoy your predictions and see where your train of thought leads you, some of them are the same as me and my friends had, others vastly different... but therein lies a lot of the fun of taking this story at a slow but enjoyable pace, just the theory-crafting alone is so much fun to do.

[@Valdora76]

You may have been told this already, but the voice actress for Y'shtola is also the voice actress for Titania.

[@ZekeRaiden]

Great video as always. I'm very much enjoying your theorizing--and look forward to your reaction when you learn the truth, whatever shape it may take!

[@TOjJeto]

Just wanted to mention that it's quite difficult to make 2 characters touch eachother in animation (imagine all the clipping!), which is why you see it very little in the game (not to mention the JPs are generally not touchy people, so this is why you barely see any hugging).

[@Sarisoma]

I do like how their comparison to a 'military dad' really works for the dynamic between Thancred and Minifilia too. It adds and fits to what you have said and is what I partially thought throughout ShadowBringers.