FFXIV Endwalker Reactions! | Part 16: Level 89 Dungeon and Trial

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Endwalker is amazing. Seeing old friends and enemies in the Aitiascope was very well done and the Mothercrystal trial was amazing, especially doing it with trusts! Crystal mommy loves us so much.
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/ tenaciousbree_
/ tenacious_bree

[@MrDoot-hj2ir]

This expansion hits harder if you are a parent: Moenbryda's family, Venat's motherly love and unrest, the Leveilleurs, Hermes and Meteion, the Garlean sisters, Jullus' past...

[@Igneusflama]

I am a dad of a 2yo. When she was born, she grabbed my finger with those tiny hands of hers... I was doing fine during the whole port scene, but hearing that line broke me instantly.

[@TheVivi13]

Not to forget the whole Thavnair sequence with the baby..

[@nebjar9321]

And dango was delivered, never fear.

[@Froggsroxx]

I cried when venat vanished because it was truely the point where I felt "I can never go back" to how things were before. We must now look to the future and walk free

[@tenjenk]

Interesting factoid. All the powers she wields against us are on the umbral side in their association with stasis and thus light.

[@Iymarra]

Relevant to video, spoiler for uninitiated below. "I would hear thy response" to the question she asked in Elpis? Well, the OST for this fight is called 'Your Answer.'

[@BlueDrakk]

This part had me broken; I was sobbing at the end. Especially when we spoke "We will find our way Venat" and she responded "Of this, I have no doubt. For yours is a light beyond measure." The feels man, the FEELS.

[@warlock415]

"... or fly my children, and never look back!" "It won't come to that. I promise. I SWEAR."

[@tashikat9040]

So after we built the Talos in Shadowbringers, the scene near the end of the last vid and beginning of this vid where every single ally, friend, companion, and trusted advisor we made over the course of a decade of MSQ coming in and helping us out was absolutely a requirement. I still, to this day, get a stupid grin on my face with every single person that just wanders in. Just a never ending stream of "Hey remember me! I'm back and I brought treasure!" There's just so much here that only works because it's been such a long form story. And my favourite part is literally Alpha and Omega just hanging around with the Ironworks folk. I screamed.

[@TheRedKnaveLP]

The best bit is this isn't even the bit that made me ugly cry the hardest, that's coming up. Jesus this expansion is amazing.

[@Igneusflama]

Bree: "I Will ay down my life for these twins." Me: :)

[@SpartanMK5]

Venat doesn't have mom energy. She IS mom energy

[@tenjenk]

That 2nd choice where we tell her "We will find a way" directly ties into what she told us back in elpis about why she couldnt return to the star. That she couldnt rest until she was sure mankind would be able to find its own way. We're reassuring her her purpose is accomplished so she can pass into the beyond in peace. That fully encapulates mom energy.

[@crusherjoe8519]

"Flow" is my favorite theme in Final Fantasy XIV. It is composed by Masayoshi Soken, lyrics by Natsuko Ishikawa and Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, and sung by Amanda Achen. Ishikawa instructed Soken to compose something which reminds one of the sea, if I recall? Anyway, variations of it all are heard throughout Endwalker.

[@tenjenk]

It was amazing seeing everything come together from all the expansions and alliance raids. Everyone coming to our support in supply and skill for a GODDAMN SPACE SHIP. Finally WE are the ones who sent everyone on raids, duties and fetch quests.

[@RothAnim]

God, I love how Tataru sings her little "Muahahahaha". Looking forward to playing this again in New Game Plus, and knowing that's how it's performed whenever she laughs.

[@onlylettersand0to9]

Tataru is getting the spotlight for some of the patch content, so we're not done with her yet.

[@RothAnim]

@@onlylettersand0to9 Oh, I know. :) I just like the re-contextualization of old content.

[@kiranfenrir1]

You can't play this game, watch the story, and not be an emotional wreck by the end. So many happy and sad moments in this story

[@omegagilgamesh]

Endwalker is only the second game to ever make me cry (the first was Lost Odyssey on the 360, one of the first games made by the father of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, after he left SE) so I can't wait to see how DESTROYED she gets during the "long walk up that long hill with the twins" part in the final area. If it made me cry, then very, very few people won't go through several boxes of tissue papers and call in sick to work for the next three days.

[@spoonybard4107]

If you take/run the OG crew into that dungeon (Uri, Tola, and Thanc) you get the best dialog with all the souls you meet along the way. I love running that one.

[@ducksplain]

"Long after I have gone, though not even my soul remaineth... my love will be with you forever, my dearest children." Hello, Amazon? I don't remember ordering all these tears. I'd like a full refund please, because they won't stop coming and I need them to cease delivery.

[@icefox94]

venat is so beautiful as hydaelyn, i can't even!

[@noppornwongrassamee8941]

Funny thing about Hydaelyn's design: because of the huge wings and other decorations on her head combined with her looking down most of the time, I always had the impression that Hydaelyn's head was about to fall off because of how heavy it looked.

[@Blackwind_Legacy]

It just felt right for my first run thru the Mother Crystal to be a trust run with the scions.

[@GunBlade666]

58:00 thancred probably said under his breath “My Turn”

[@kiranfenrir1]

I think because of Shadowbringers and this, we shouldn't be called Warriors of Light anymore. We are Warriors of Hope!!!

[@necroxisz]

There are so many good moments in this part of the story, I think the two things that broke me the most was when the original FF14 theme plays when you realize the thing powering the ship to Meteion will be the literal Mothercrystal that we've been seeing/hearing for over 10 years. I donno why that got me as much as it did, but the second the piano started, I lost it. As if the game itself is sending us off for one last fight. And then when you call her Venat at the end, showing that despite literally everybody she's ever known and loved have completely forgotten about her (By her own hand, no less), but not you. You still remember. Also Flow playing doesn't help the tears from not falling! Ishikawa and Soken LB4ing us all over the place in Endwalker.

[@TarundiMC]

The song's called Prelude (often known as the Crystal Theme) and a version of it has been in every main line FF title and is associated with "the" Crystal(s) of the particular title or similar. For long time FF fans it's an EXTREMELY FF moment that screams "This is Final Fantasy". This whole expansion leading up to the end has the biggest "This is Final Fantasy" vibes they've done in a very long time. It managed to weave all the tropes and themes of older FFs and give those same vibes but in a modern context in a way that isn't (too) cheesy.

[@necroxisz]

@@TarundiMC Yup, been a fan of the series since I was a little kid. Played every single mainline title. Hearing the Prelude basically guiding us to the end of the Endwalker was something special.

[@TarossBlackburn]

I am so happy to see another completionist going through this part with the 'absolutely everything unlocked' scene :D

[@TarundiMC]

OMG, I love that you did a countdown for the Scions, and it was PERFECT that Thancred pulled early!

[@LK.Cynric]

I was ready to slip the table when they asked me to go into duty finder for this trail I am so glad I could do it with them. I dont deslike they give a choice but honestly think the first time should be mandatory to do with them. There is simply no other way. They were part of our journey since day one and I am so glad they were with us still in this moment, even if not all of them. The trial was amazing, though people died so much...your poor husband Urienger & Alisae slept 3 or 4 times, but we still managed to pull a victory from the brink of defeat. Also the damn music and how they incorporate answers lyrics... just damn! Also flow at the end < 3 ♪ ♫

[@kevenmonge1390]

“Follow your light or fly my children and never look back” How am i supposed to fight with all these tears

[@tenjenk]

19:36 this scene and pose between fourchenault and his children is a callback to the exact same one between their grandfather and them back in Coils when he was freed of the tempering.

[@HillbillyArchmage]

I *loved* Alphinaud giving all of Eorzea and half of Othard a massive fetch quest, with one linkpearl call.

[@Xardion55]

Heh, a new look to the phrase, 'I know people'.

[@Sheepdog_Alpha]

Thancred doing the Leeroy Jenkins move was great

[@TenaciousBree]

I was so mad at him 😂😂

[@Jayzgame]

Crying my eyes out all over again

[@BroadBoulders]

Flow just reading like a lullaby hits SO HARD 🤧

[@warlock415]

I still remember saying out loud "so you're having problems with your ship... has anyone thought to call in Cid?"

[@TenaciousBree]

I SAID THIS TOO

[@willanrac]

i didn't really get to say it during chat, but i really like your waiting and end cards.

[@jamescollier2456]

Alphi got that Amazon Prime XD

[@Bagahnoodles]

Endwalker: Everyone Annoys Fourchenault for 10 Levels (and also saves the world too I guess, idk)

[@EdgeGilid]

in the recent live letter, yoshi-p and the team confirmed the "reserve" hydaelyn talked about was venat's soul used as aether....and you thought this scene cant hit any harder T_T

[@castoputa]

Omg 😿

[@omegagilgamesh]

"...so...all that just happened..." That summarizes this expansion pretty well.

[@robikkupegasus7039]

I love our crystal mom - I was so wrong to ever doubt her! ;w;

[@seanaugust]

Venat best character.

[@dale7326]

Waste not is actually a crafting ability btw. There are a lot of details in each dialogues in EW.

[@LK.Cynric]

They did the impossible and made us like Fourchenault! I hated him so much I wanted Dulia to travel across time and space to kick his ass. But this was not only such a sweet moment it was completely understandable, who wouldn't do anything for the safety of their children? beautiful moment.

[@bloodclaw123]

Remember what Amon and Hythlodaeus said, about remembering after death. Now remember the fight with Elidibus, when whom we think is Emet Selch saves us from oblivion. I think it WAS Emet Selch who helped us. He may have been our foe so recently... But in death, he remembered.

[@TenaciousBree]

i mean they 100% confirmed it with the wave as he walked away, so yeah it’s definitely Emet, and it is definitely interesting that he had memories of us in Elpis during that scene. so good

[@uservenny84]

Margit and Tanith from Elden Ring were loving parents this whole time.

[@snackyboyTV]

oh boy, i was waiting for this one T_T

[@atraxos]

Spoilers for an event shown in the video! It's probably only tangentially-relevant to what's going on here, but when Fourchenault was making his apology speech to the Scions I couldn't help but be a massive Trekkie nerd & draw a comparison to Ambassador Sarek's words to his son, Spock, near the end of the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home about how "Your associates are people of good character".

[@ystin]

it really paid off doing all the raid content in the end didn't it :D

[@danh8804]

It's odd, I've just started playing NieR:Automata and I can't help but think of the opening monologue of that game in the context of FFXIV up through this point. The answer was 'yes', apparently

[@dale7326]

2E gang

[@grahamc3963]

So many Captain Ginyu's. Are you Hermes or Fandaniel or that FF3 boss?

[@Slydaa7]

What Paladin Sword is used during the Trial fight? looks pretty cool

[@TenaciousBree]

I wanna say I was using the crafted Seiryu weapon!

[@sadi5713]

shouldnt the title-zone of the trial be "the aetherial sea" instead iof the "sea of stars" ? hmmm

[@lavenderrain3379]

my WoL still doesn't trust Fourchenault not to pull some shit in the future, tbh xD

[@evanczthehunter57]

Not gonna lie, the cutscene after the 89 trial broke me. Legit, I cried like a fucking baby. Still weakest trial in the expansion, imo though. But GOD this hurt so bad.

[@Igneusflama]

Have you done extreme? Because Mommy WILL step on you. Repeatedly.

[@evanczthehunter57]

@@Igneusflama I NEVER count extremes for the quality of an expansion trial. Unless it's the ARR trials.

[@Igneusflama]

@@evanczthehunter57 I agree with you most of the time, but the extremes for the EndWalker trials feel more appropriate. Maybe you're right and it it is because the regular trials don't stack up, but when I'm facing a god... The harder version seems right.

[@grimm4927]

@@Igneusflama I can't agree with this considering how simplistic Zodiark's trial was, both on normal and extreme. It was like being a toddler and putting shapes in their respective slots in a toy lmaooo. Mommy was decent though!

[@Chrisfragger1]

And people refuse to play this game because it's "Weeb"... What a sad way to miss out on one of the greatest stories ever told.

[@normalmighty]

To be fair this is a pretty anime-esque power scaling of going from helping normal people on the street at the start to killing gods at the end. It's an incredible story, but it's also very anime in the plot direction.

[@Chrisfragger1]

@@normalmighty And other games aren't? Wow? You kill gods in that game...

[@normalmighty]

@@Chrisfragger1 WoW is pretty anime too lol. It's a western game, but it has does the thing pop anime is famous for.

[@coolman5242]

@normalmighty While the flow of the storytelling heavily draws from anime, calling it "a game for weebs" is pretty insulting when the developers want you to take it's plot seriously.

[@normalmighty]

@coolman5242 I'd very heavily assert that you're insulting anime with that argument instead. There are some incredible stories told in anime, and the plot of this game can slot perfectly right alongside them.

[@totalmadness3561]

I do have one question that I ask every time I see this set of scenes: why do people like Fourchenault? I can't really feel during his scene with the Twins because he's... an idiot. He also barely apologizes for doing something I think many parents would consider too far in disowning them, his wife barely comments on it, and his sole non-negative interaction with his children comprises of 'but you were babies and I refuse to let you suffer so I disowned you anyway'. IDK, maybe I just don't get it. The rest of the scenes covered in this video are a lot better, IMO.

[@TenaciousBree]

I still 100% do not understand the disowning. I feel more in that scene bc I’m happy that the twins finally have their dad back tbh. I mean.. it redeems Forchenault for me a little bit yeah his justification is still weird.