I Love Leitmotifs: The Endsinger - Final Fantasy XIV OST

[@MarcoMeatball]

this ended up turning into a jam fest. I mostly wanted to celebrate the culmination of everything that had come before. Also, analyzing this in any sort of way scared the crap out of me because it matters so much to me and definitely to you. So, sorry it wasn’t super in depth❤

[@Spectacular_Insanity]

We're all happy to jam along with you. Sometimes nothing needs to be said, and less is more. :)

[@mr.mystere4999]

No need to worry! The themes need no analysis. They did what they set out to do perfectly.

[@CaptainBrawnson]

If the emotions a song conveyed could be better conveyed in words, we wouldn't need music. Sometimes the best way to communicate what an experience is about, at its core, is just to experience it again together.

[@karaiyamoon237]

I loved everything you had to say. Obviously, we all share in the of love video game music and is a game, the last expansion and this expansion, that is so interesting to unpack especially from the musical perspective. Just a little anecdote as I don't want dump all my stuff on your thoughtful wonderful commentary. I've been dealing with grief depression and some PTSD from military service that I really in the last few years come around and consistent part of that journey was playing this game. I've had some breakthroughs in my personal life that were happening while playing Endsinger. This song is so impactful for me at least because of the cinematography. When the music begins in this particular video the way Meteion swoops and how beautifully imposing she is just made me reflect on how it felt when I face mental illness she seemed to be and literally was honestly a visual representation of the despair and as your defeating and you see her flayling at you I just felt that the game was so in sync with what I was going through and I like think that others felt the same way. This song made me feel like I was confronting myself and my own depression and I'll even que up for the fight when I'm struggling with thinking that maybe , I might be be helping someone else in that que that might be struggling to confront whatever is hurting them. I hope that makes sense. Thank you for analysing these songs both phases are so dope and even more so, hope inspiring. I've totally subscribed and I love your content Marco.

[@siencrosse3400]

this ending hit me hard ive played this game since 2.0 during the playstation 3 beta test

[@Fgtr4Life]

I will never get over how Zenos' persistence even pushes Stormblood's portion of the song to the first spot in this otherwise chronological medley.

[@theegocollective2695]

Allow me to blow this up even further. Soken and Ishikawa admitted that Endwalker Footfalls and the final fight with Zenos were basically written as some of the first things solidly for Endwalker, that scene + that music was one of the first things they had in mind. Now let's extrapolate that. When we get into the fight , some of the first lyrics we hear are: As we ride again (As you turn your eyes to the stars) To another end (Oh, I'll be there) Where it all begins (With my chorus guiding you) Forge ahead (Forge ahead) "With my chorus guiding you" When we go into the Endsinger fight, what's the first thing we hear as we're guided on Shinryu's back to battle? A chorus specifically singing Shinryu's theme. HIS chorus. ;)

[@CasualCoreK]

@@theegocollective2695 ...oh my god you're right, and the only other time the full song has backing vocals is not only during the StB segment, but they start RIGHT when Zenos's throne appears in the cinematic trailer. Our dear supportive friend!

[@Exel3nce]

A shame all that is wasted on a shitty thing that is zenos

[@theegocollective2695]

imagine having the need to come out to the ass end of some niche video on the internet two months after the fact into the comments of people who obviously enjoy a character to comment on how you dislike them. Did you gain some temporary warm fuzzies in the spectrum of otherwise boring humdrum to total disappointment that must be your life?

[@Owl90]

@@theegocollective2695 That's just your interpretation. That verse fits more with Meteion.

[@Silverthorns11]

My absolute favorite thing about when Phase 2 starts, the Scions each have a cutaway that parallels with the praying scene during Bahamut's end with Answers (Alisaie and G'raha taking the place of Yda and Papalymo.) But then the Scions have a phrase. To push their prayers to you. You can hear them and it sends you forward. Empowered by them. Right as G'raha's phrase ends is exactly when Hearts Aligned starts and it is just so, so powerful in its delivery.

[@MenrvaS]

I can just imagine countless time Ishikawa asked Soken to make the song fit the timing of those lines perfectly for extra impact.

[@saric0]

it's also a massive ff4 reference when the entire party is wiped out by zeromus and then everybody on earth prays for your safety and for you to win and slowly everybody gets to their feet and the final battle begins, its easier to watch a video than for me to explain it xs

[@Larannis]

The first time I did this fight when phase 2 hit I was shaking

[@gateauxq4604]

ITS MY BOSS MUSIC! Feels so amazing to experience

[@woodenmetal2977]

It's the ultimate power of friendship move. I believe Persona 3 did the same thing for the final fight when the protagonist fights the final boss. He's about to go down but is strengthened by the voices of his friends.

[@LiefTheBeef]

Leitmotifs are a damn drug, and Soken is the dealer. Never gets old

[@Jadenyoung1]

I can stop whenever i want. Endwalker piano starts... Oh... oh no

[@Spectacular_Insanity]

And given the Free Trial, the first hit is free. If you want more, you gotta pay up. XD

[@ugxsan]

@@Spectacular_Insanity What's crazy about that is the later in you go, the better the leitmotifs get because there's so much more to reference. A song like this simply wouldn't work if it didn't have a decade of leitmotifs to draw from. And that's how they get ya.

[@megamage911]

@@ugxsan Idk about that... The music sounds great enough in an of itself, it's simply elevated when you know the context.

[@ugxsan]

@@megamage911 I mean, it'd still slap, but it'd feel kinda schizophrenic. I mean, literally it'd sound like it's referencing songs you haven't heard. Would just be pretty weird.

[@MenrvaS]

The cutscene that the scions are praying is a major callback to the prayers that failed to save Eorzea from the 7th umbral calamity. The same prayers help save the whole universe a decade later. Man, what a journey. FFXIV made me appreciate good story and music in MMORPG so much that i find it frustrating for other games to fail their own stories and how they cannot find their very own Masayoshi Soken.

[@megamage911]

Fr though, this game spoils us so much, it becomes hard to play other games that just aren't up to the same standard xD

[@Exel3nce]

A shame ew was a dissapoinment. Could have been a fantastic end to this whole Story

[@Lightna]

Only this time, they had Alphinaud, Alisaie, Estinien, and G'raha Tia there. The missing ingredients, you could argue.

[@leonarduskrisna4588]

"We Rise , Fall and Rise again"

[@cherrydragon3120]

​@@Exel3nce why would it have to be an end? Its a MMO. There is no end until the servers are put down mate.

[@ericbright1742]

The moment Phase 2's music hit, I could feel it: We just *won.* She was running, scared, because she just realized she was wrong. We just shattered her entire worldview. (And if you look back to just before The Dead Ends, we LITERALLY shattered her world). With the theme of the Warrior of Light blaring, triumphant, and the prayers of the Scions at our back, I felt like I was embodying the Hope of the Universe in that moment... so when the lyrics came in, solidifying that link, tears started flowing down my face. The emotional climax of that fight, I'm proud that I kept my rotation going.

[@janstraka8674]

Also Phase 2 her attacks became erratic, she throws everything at the party, her attacks are actually individually weaker (also we are buffed so) but there is more of them. She is desperate, throwing a fit that these tiny little specks dare to defy what she thinks is absolute truth.

[@GearheadPrime]

That moment when you just gotta become .. grossly incandescent.

[@crowdemon_archives]

Endsinger failed the Enrage check

[@crowdemon_archives]

@@GearheadPrime lmao WoL and gang becoming a goddamned flashbang yet again

[@raiyano7436]

Endsinger: hey my second phase music sounds odd WoL: thats cuz it isnt your music

[@XixisII]

Man, I almost yelled at the top of my lungs when the kicked in at the start of the second phase. I gotten into the instance and everyone was new to the fight. We almost wiped during our attempt but man, when that second song started, we legit had that anime moment, you know where you see the cutaway of the character's eyes? It felt just like that, and rest of the run went flawlessly. I've been playing games since I was 5, and this is single-handedly, one of the best moments I ever had.

[@WillKazeOh]

To this day, if I play with people new to the fight, I gaslight them into thinking we failed the mechanic and wiped... to make the phase transition that much more special.

[@nijiru4448]

@@WillKazeOh "Welp, failed enrage." *phase change* "Our enrage."

[@davecarlson505]

One of the best moments in one of the best games of all time. Truly something special!

[@GrimSavant]

@@WillKazeOh My friend group had one of our players lag behind a bit due to IRL circumstances, so when we ran it with him for his first time, we had him pop the LB3 for the first time you have to use it, then told him to use it again. He was so confused.

[@Restilia_ch]

The whole fight is a sequence of anime moments, enough that most games would have that many in their entire run. Enndsinger packs that into a single fight and yet doesn't feel over done it feels deserved! We played for a decade to get to this point, it's heavily implied we are not only the Sundered Azem but the majority of them (Source +7 rejoinings + Ardbert makes 9/14 of the original) and we have come into our own wielding not only Azem's powers but the strength of all those we have helped over the years.

[@Inhaledcorn]

When I hit part 2, I was like, "Wait, *WAIT-* THAT'S OUR THEME SONG?!" My mind was actually blown because I was not expecting to become the boss fight. A literal clashing of Despair and Hope, and Hope won.

[@spiffariffic9754]

Endsinger: Wait, why do I hear boss music?

[@drachepumpernickel7056]

It's also visually represented in the background. As the endsinger health goes down, light fills more and more of the background until we defeat her

[@zecendia]

@@drachepumpernickel7056 Bonus points on the extreme:The extreme OPENS with the part 2 cutscene,but since the prayer fails to overpower her ,the background is much more the shadow of her despair than the light of our hope. (also makes me feel like a lot of people skipped the extreme opening cutscene,since a common complaint i saw was that the extreme doesnt have the phase 2 theme)

[@Jaxter0987]

@@zecendia That's still a valid complaint because the Endsinger Extreme could have been redone just like Hades where there's phases and slowly transitions into the phase 2 theme from Endsinger Normal. It didn't need to be the story of "what if the Scions prayers weren't enough?" The Minstrel could have spun the tale a different way to elevate the overall experience like how Hades EX was elevated by the Minstrels imagination. I still think Endsinger Extreme was the worse of final boss Extremes. Ultima, Thordan, Shinryu, and Hades were all better in capturing the moment you felt in the msq and expanding upon it.

[@barrygeistwhite3474]

13:09 Soken knew exactly what part of Footfalls hit the hardest and fucking went for it here. Ever since I earned the title "The Song Upon the Wind" it has been my character's title and when I heard this part in Footfalls I knew I was never changing.

[@whothewu]

It’s absolutely incredible how the team held those With Hearts Aligned vocals in their pocket the entire expansion until this final phase on the final boss for maximum impact.

[@CasualCoreK]

I finished 6.0 this week. By the time I originally got to Heavensward, the EW cinematic trailer was already out, so I've spent the last year having each piece of Endwalker - Footfalls slowly fall into place. I was THRILLED for this last one to land, and I'm so grateful that the last phase is a victory lap because I don't think I'd have been able to do mechs with tears in my eyes.

[@ExceedProduction]

@@CasualCoreK That is actually an amazing insight. A friend of mine recenty started playing (currently in HW) and I am very careful about spoilers. There's so much I want to show him but just can't, it drives me crazy. However, that also means I can celebrate every step he takes with him, appreciate story beats and music, hinting at things to come and powering him on. For you to have heard Footfalls and then discovered where it comes from is also a super cool way to do it, a whole different context. I love it!

[@cobbil]

My headcanon for the beginning of phase 2: When she asks "What is this defiance?" She also asks "And why do I hear boss music!?" WE'RE the final boss now. WE'VE hit enrage. And it's now time for her to understand why we are called the Champion of Eorzea, Godslayer, and Warrior of Light.

[@jerome6519]

oh my god i love this. she hits us with everything shes got a huge dust cloud appears and instead of her winning all she hears is boss music and goes into a twisted panic. we are the boss now. we are in control and she fumbling to regain it to no avail

[@zaylinth4989]

If you watch her body posture after we hit phase 2 and she throws her first aoe at us, she is actually cowering back in fear. Her face has a frightened expression. You can see that she is desperate but she cannot understand why you haven't died yet after everything she's thrown at you and instead have gotten stronger. Phase 2 literally is us overwhelming A Song of Despair with A Song of Hope

[@roxas485]

….and stealer of pants!

[@theegocollective2695]

I agree with this and I just add that Shinryu just starts cackling when she asks the question "Why do I hear boss music?" Like "Gurl ur #&&@*#'d"

[@ninboy01]

It goes beyond just that. You are Azem, the shepherd to the stars in the dark. The proverbial light to guide all who seek salvation from darkness. With their mission to stop Meteion, they took that mission statement to encompass *all* stars. The Endsinger never stood a chance.

[@owlserah]

Literally started crying when I realized (around HW theme) that all major boss themes were being used. That "guide us o' mighty fury! guide us to victory!" hit so hard when you realize what the WoL is fighting for. Victory or death. And then Emet's theme... the desperation behind it was so potent. A desperation to live and destroy the one thing that stands in the way of the WoL/Emet ruiniting with their loved ones. However, the WoL prevails. Which is why Venat did what she did. Edit: I hope you do a similar video with the theme that plays when you fight Zenos right after this. The motifs/leitmotifs in that song are so powerful. Endsinger's use of motifs (desperation, trying to live, fighting for others) vs. Zenos's use of motifs (satisfying end to a journey, closure, fighting for oneself).

[@danh8804]

I started tearing up pretty much from the start because the whole thing had this real finality to it, the true end of an era that even the patch content are outside of.

[@tickledpickle5671]

Honestly, the Heavenward part hit so hard. Because RP wise, my character was an Ishgardian Dragoon. I love her story so much, I've actually made a macro with those words. And people often get dazzled when I use it. And sparking that interest is something I absolutely love to do.

[@99range92def]

The song of hope is my favourite snippet of music in the entire game.

[@eredkaiser]

Also a great touch that the story chapter achievements are the lyrics.

[@scrapox217]

I don't know how they would make a full song out of it, but I definitely need a full song of the song of hope, with lyrics and everything.

[@celadore]

I was honestly wondering how Endsinger could sound more final boss than the lvl83 trial did. Then we get an immediate Prologue reference and we do this tour of prior expansion themes and it's amazing. THEN Soken brings back Maker's Riun, AKA the unofficial WoL boss theme, for the victory lap phase and ... I just can't describe how incredibly musically satisfying this whole sequence is for me.

[@Ariastyr]

Gotta hand it to Zenos. He literally watches us beat the living daylights out of the bringer of the end, and still has the guts to challenge us to a duel afterwards. 👍

[@MarcoMeatball]

Lmao

[@TheRenoOcarinaTrio]

Tbf he’s tanking all these hits from Endsinger

[@thyrussendria8198]

And the thing is, he nearly gets us. We only survive thanks to the mysterious appearance of the teleporter, his final wish for us perhaps, so our journey may never end, one last pleasure he is willing to give us.

[@Qeshen]

One of the things I absolutely ADORE about all of this is the culmination. The music is telling our story. It puts us where we've constantly been: Desperate, alone, and clawing with every fiber of our being to survive and overcome. We go through Shinryu, Ultima, Thordan, Emet Selch, every single one of them has been a do or die situation where arguably all of existence has depended on us to succeed. And we did. This song is our CV, our Resume, our rebuke against despair itself, that we WON'T be overcome. And then, after a lovely bit of dramatic suspense, the veil's lifted. And it ends, as it ALWAYS has. The reprisal of the Maker's Ruin, the Warrior of Light's Leitmotif, that little chord gets elevated, broadcast, as unlike every boss we've fought before where their song identifies them, the Endsinger ironically has no song. Because we can't hear it, we can't hear the end, all we hear is *us*. Because the boss here isn't the Endsinger. The boss here is the Warrior of Light. And it shows all throughout that ending section - Color returns to the arena, some of it even warming the Endsinger herself, the Endsinger behaves like players sometimes do when faced with overwhelming mechanics, unable to do much more than flail about. As to the lyrics popping up, one of my favorite interpretations of that is that we, the world, and the Scions are so filled with hope made manifest through dynamis that the tiny, singular Meteion that had desperately tried to call out to the rest of the collective of the Endsinger all of a sudden finds her voice, which is such a lovely message. How it takes so much misery and despair collected and built and stacked on top of itself to create a seemingly invincible wall - And all it takes for that wall to begin crumbling is hope and determination. How even the smallest, tiniest voice can be heard so long as there are those who want to help make the world a better place.

[@castoputa]

🙌

[@tciddados]

As much as I loved Shinryu for being the only legit hard MSQ X.0 boss on release (which, not saying that to be elitist/old guard or anything, but I love an endboss that actually wipes you a bit), Endsinger definitely beats him when it comes to just the entire presentation of the fight, from the spectacle of throwing planets/rewinding fate to murder you to the soundtrack melding everything together so well. Great end to the original story, can't wait to see the first expansion of the new one.

[@Sunnyflowers95]

'The Final Day' may be the Endsinger's boss theme, but 'With Hearts Aligned' is OUR boss theme!

[@freshfella1337]

let's not forget in one of the tribal quests we learn that all the music is actually in our character's head, which makes it awesome thinking about how the WoL thinks back on the previous expansions during p1

[@giladandguy1]

do you know which tribe quest is it? i might have missed out on that part

[@kuroganekaze]

@@giladandguy1 the one in raktika, forget their name. They say that an ancient civilization dwelled there but fell to ruin (the day song is also called Civilization) and they say that some people (ie, you WoL) can still hear the spirits of the ancients singing in the forest.

[@giladandguy1]

@@kuroganekaze ah, i was just gonna start that one too, great! Thank you

[@ericbright1742]

I more interpreted it as you hearing the music of the universe. This makes it more poignant. Out here, at the edge of the universe, in a realm devoid of Aether, the only thing able to make the universe sing like that is Shinryu, and us. The Endsinger doesn't truly have a song, because this is coming from us. And it is more triumphant than the original incarnations of these leitmotifs, because we are starting to win.

[@kuroganekaze]

@@ericbright1742 That's kind of the explanation the tribe quest gives you. That "some people hear the spirits sing." So what I think is all zone themes, battle themes, boss themes, etc. Are the spirits/aether there, singing to you/of you/of the boss. There are exceptions of course like in King Moogle Mog where the moogles are literally singing the theme song but yeah.

[@UnavailableDesuNe]

Thank you for doing this Marco. Before this, I didn't really noticed about the first phase song much, but after watching this video makes me think that, the song is like we(WOL) are telling Meteion about our journey and hardship (Each boss theme chronologically, except starting with the Shinryu since he is with us now), and ends with "with heart's align" to finish it up with how we overcame each hardships with our hope. Thanks again for doing the video Marco. I really love your content, especially with FFXIV and AKs stuff, because I love those games. PS. Sorry for the bad english. not really my language

[@CruxisDeathAngel]

To this day I can’t make it through wings of hope without tears. The culmination of the story and defying the personification of the end just hits me to hard

[@or10nsharkfin]

“Welcome to the enrage phase ;)”

[@Abysswalker8220]

This fight, this music, gods…I remember going into it after the ugly cry festival that was Ultima Thul, I thought “that’s it. I’m finally done crying” and then phase two hit. The pure rush of emotions combined with the music and the atmosphere, if it was possible to be moved to something beyond tears, it’s was then. Simply put, this game is a masterpiece.

[@nahuel3433]

Phase 2 didn't make me cry, but it did give me POWER. I felt like I did my rotation perfectly thanks to the music.

[@laxxboy20]

I remember screaming ARE WE LOUISOIX-ING?! and then barely surviving the AoEs through my tears

[@saitoXamaterasu]

this, i cant saw shit in the battle because tears

[@castoputa]

That song of hope gave me back my Shadowbringers blm damage!

[@GreatYamatanoOrochi]

Honestly, you know how other MMOs use basic, already-seen-before mechanics to make fights difficult? FF14 really innovated on it and made it difficult to see through tears. This is my favorite piece of music because it's the ultimate culmination of the whole journey, from the beginning to the end, and it gave this chapter a really satisfying ending.

[@laxxboy20]

We will stand against fate. No matter the cost! We've been here before. Many a time. Thus do we know... To never give up. For hope will shine again!

[@beatrixkaelin5120]

There's something you wouldn't notice about each section from each of the Final Battle Themes, Unless you've listened to the Symphonic Orchestral Versions of each of the songs. Each of the Final Boss second phase songs gain lyrics in the Symphonic Orchestral Releases (written by Koji Fox, the Localizing/Lore lead in English). Each section of the Final Boss themes used have very poignant lyrics: "Witness! Witness! Ultima!" "Guide Us, O' Mighty Fury!" "Lasciate, Ogne speranza/ These memories ache with the weight of fate." Are lyrics from each of leitmotif used, and they perfectly describe Meteion/Endsinger, She is the Witness to the End, whose song Guides the stars to final death, so abandon all hope, for the memories she carries are the weight of fate. I can't wait for this to get a Symphonic version like the other boss fights so they can use clear vocals unlike what we've got in game as of now.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Oh I had…no idea?!

[@beatrixkaelin5120]

@@MarcoMeatball I'm replying to an old comment, because the Eorzean Symphony Orchestral album Volume 3 is out now, and the full Blu ray version comes with The Final Day. I was right about the lyrics! The lyrics of each section are perfectly fit for their original boss, but together ever still point to the Endsinger.The Lyrics in their entirety are: Come, Don the mask of Blind Betrayal E're does the Head devour its Tail As iron bends to steel O'er my rivals I prevail! Beat, the Heart of Sabik, The Heart of Sabik, the Heart of Sabik Beat, the Heart of Sabik, The Heart of Sabik, the Heart of Sabik Witness Ultima Witness Ultima Witness Witness Witness Ah, Rise, Ultima Guide us, O Mighty Fury Guide us, to Victory! Justice, No Forgiveness Vengeance, No Deliverance Witness to their Trespass Pass this Final Sentence! Dys an sohm in (Our Slumber Disturbed) Rhos an kyn ala na (All my Brothers wake) Now Breathe deep of the darkness beneath the flood Where all of the Proud Angels drink to their Deeds of Blood Their lies, twisted and torn, into dreams they're spun Yet Ever we still stand tall Never we Fall Invincible Ecce Venio (Behold I am come) Ego Primus (I am the Beginning) Ego Novissimus (And the End) Novissimus (The End) Ecce Venio (Behold I am come) Ego finis (I am the Last) Ego Principium (I am the First) Et Principia (And the Origins)

[@untemperance]

I was so excited for the "Song of Hope" bit ever since the Endwalker trailer that I felt a bit cheated when I'd played the whole game and hadn't heard it once, not even the night version of the Sharlayan theme like they'd done for Tomorrow and Tomorrow and the Crystarium. Only when I got to the very last thing in the expansion I understood how much restraint it must have taken Soken and how hard it paid off.

[@MalandrosNyclo]

This was the most satifying videogame boss I have experienced since I was a child and everything was new. It was so impactful because it was like reliving the past decade and a half of my life. Remembering it almost has me crying again.

[@grimmsleyjordane3910]

I love how all the other themes come into play because all your previous fights lead up to this climax of a battle. You the character are remembering each time you were driven against the wall and pushed back, and you're using that strength to face even more impossible odds. This game truly is amazing.

[@zombiesxaliens]

I can't explain how ELECTRIC the phase 2 drop makes me feel. The first time I played it and it happened, I was actually shaking with hype adrenaline and genuinely sobbing happy tears of joy. I was SO AMPED, so emotional, to hear the old battle theme play and then for the song of hope lyrics to hit... it's the peak of human emotion, honestly. I couldn't have been more overwhelmed and elated.

[@smoothregular6918]

man endwalker was a trip. can't be understated how big the payoff is when you've been playing through it all, step by step. Through A Realm Reborn, through Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and then finishing Endwalker. All the real people and characters I met in the game are all my friends. Having gone through the thick and the thin with both and coming to the end of the journey. For those we have lost, and for those we can yet save.

[@BL33NB]

And all the loose threads we took up, like the sidequests at sharlayan letting us meet friends or relatives of the scions... or Uriangier's closure...

[@MarcoMeatball]

editing error at 3:05 pretend I didn't do that.

[@unlimited971]

It was emet.

[@Yilue]

What editing error ;)

[@arkaedra5074]

Fun fact- square enix actually changed their tos right before endwalker to ban specific ost vids from KZbin, such as answers and the main chapter boss themes…only to reverse it a few months after endwalker’s release. My guess is they were doing a massive anti spoiler so people wouldn’t accidentally be linked to endwalker content

[@arkaedra5074]

Separate note, whenever Emmett selch’s theme plays, I can’t help but play in my head the cutscenes and narration “the light within her champion grows dark…”

[@anickslife]

This video is everything. I can't even tell you how much joy your enthusiasm spreads!!!

[@jesuisradmusic]

I remember getting this trial in roulette when Endwalker first came out, and like every single time somebody on their first clear would accidentally run off the edge when Of Hearts Align started playing cuz they were crying so hard.

[@kosetsuoshiimaru3908]

Excuse me. AAAAAAAA. This song, this fight, it is epologue of the whole journey, of the realm reborn, of heavensward, of everything. Sometimes you cant really recognise the boss theme, you just dont remember it because yoi forgot, it was a lot of time since fight or whatever else but THE MUSIC. It is made from themes not just bosses but by the endings of the expansions. It is ENDING MADE FROM ENDINGS. And then second phase of the Singer. It is no longer their stage. Jt is no longer domain of pain and dispair. It is now our stage, our moment, OUR HOPE FOR THE BRIGHTER MORROW. For every dark hour there will be light hour. For every sadness will be found happiness. It is a final "mandatory" fight, the one that we must take to save everyone. It is last foe that we need to defeat. And with our friends, the ones that fight it, the ones that pray for us, we are nor breaking the limits, we are destroying them, we are breaking through all that despair, just to touch little meteion, to show her that death and dispair is not yet the end. And we make it.

[@vaidenkelsier7757]

Look, I'm a simple man. Every time I hear The Maker's Ruin in any form, I get weepy. I don't know why. There's something just so *powerful* about that song.

[@ZeddPlay]

At this point i just vibe along Marco. Seeing him enjoy a song so much is just too contagious

[@MarcoMeatball]

🥰🙂

[@Tobeh]

Shinryu's opening for that song is everything I could have wanted. That second phase of Shinryu's theme is by far my favorite boss music (Omega 12S final form is a VERY close second). I had goosebumps the moment the song started and they didn't go down until we were dropping into the void.

[@IslandFenix]

When I tell you that my goosebumps had goosebumps when I ran this trial for the first time... My mouth was grinning, my eyes were tearing up, my body was trembling with excitement. And then when the second phase hit... let's just say there was a lot of headbanging. 🤣 Man I love this game.

[@ayandarial4874]

I personally found one of the core themes of Endwalker being about finding meaning in your journey not your destination, so having every last boss theme come back during the final battle of the expansion felt special, it was this neat moment of remembering all the steps that got us where we are now only to follow up with a remix of our our own theme was amazing. I also can't help but take the line "on wings of hope you rise up through the night" to be a reference to Meteons original purpose?

[@prismfireproductions3772]

|No it is not, it is a reference to US, the Warrior of Light because of the Venat cutscene when she sunders Elpis: "No longer will man have wings to carry him to paradise, we must Walk" The whole point of "On Wings of Hope" shows that WE are the Last Ascian (thanks to us canonically being on Elpis before it was sundered into Obliveon), the last one to have thier wings. The one to pierce the darkness and bring about Hope.|

[@lordboopyzoop2406]

I enjoy entertaining the idea that hearing this music is a subtle reminder that this is something we've done countless times before: Faced down seemingly impossible odds before, and we've always triumphed. This all sets you up for the bit with the Scions, cheering you on, giving you the strength to move on, reminding you that "you will stand against fate, no matter the cost. You've been here before many a time, thus do you know to never give up for hope will shine again." Also, literally cried for most of the fight XD

[@Irish_Ian17]

Thanks for posting this during Matience so I can get my FF14 Fix before bed, Love your work!

[@PetarBladeStrok]

I think that Soken inherited his love for the leitmotifs from his hero Nobuo Uematsu. And that's honestly the best I could ask for since I love both of them to death! Man, the Endsinger music makes me tear up, especially 2nd phase. So, SO beautiful & emotional!

[@bauscheusse]

This song has me so hyped and I was like ‘how can this get any more epic?’ And then phase two hits and as soon as the lyrics kicked in I start bawling mid fight because it’s just so powerful

[@Zyrvaria]

this boss's theme is part of the reason why I feel like FFXIV is allowed to say that endwalker is the end of a saga for FFXIV, it calling back to all the adventure we've had is so wonderful

[@saralovelace7219]

When I tell you I BURST into tears when the horns for Invincible started blaring... because in this moment he wasn't fighting AGAINST us, he was WITH us. We were carrying on that invincible legacy and avenging not just our (Azem's) friends but our entire ancestral civilization. Invincible is us borrowing Hades' determination, his righteous rage, a ghost of his presence to witness the downfall of the thing that destroyed him long before we did. It was PERFECT closure for that character and our arc with him.

[@OrochiMarcio]

The first time I fought her, I started crying from the point With Hearts Aligned started playing. I was tanking, and I already had goosebumps of having to LB3 the transition, than, the second part broke me. "Dude, I'm the protagonist - the HERO - of this AMAZINGLY EPIC story, and this music is for ME!" (which, for each one of us in our games, is the case). And I felt so great that I nearly cried nonstop all the way to the end of the credits. To say that Soken is a genius is almost an understatement.

[@Yozora_Jan]

This song, this moment when i was at the end of endwalker cemented itself in my mind as one of the most important moments in my gaming life. The combination of years of conflict and story telling all clashing at once in one song really reminds me of everything my character had faced up into this point and quite literally motivated me to stop the end of the world as i know it. It made me the player feel like the final boss. And man did i shed some tears. Final Fantasy XIV. What a beautiful experience.

[@Izoowoo]

really love how you pointed out each sort of nod to previous experiences that we have heard from the past. its so obvious but seeing it aprpeciated really jusut feels good

[@JunbiHosa]

When I first hear the song when I faced the final boss on launch week, I was so hyped and excited. Then Phase 2 it and I got even more hyped. Then the piano roll into the “Our Song of Hope..” line gave me Goosebumps. It was one of the best fights musically wise I’ve enjoyed.

[@PapaDeusVult]

Hey there, Marco. Thank you for tackling these songs, since they are most definitely some of the strongest pieces of Endwalker-for the simple reason that they incorporate the entirety of the journey from ARR up to this point. One thing I personally did notice is that Shinryu's theme only played at the beginning of the Endsinger's theme. You probably noticed it, but it does bear pointing out that even during the looped section, it goes straight to Ultima Weapon's theme, rather than going to Shinryu first. I think this is meant to convey that the Warrior of Light is remembering all of the battles that led to that moment facing down the Endsinger, and drawing on the experience and resolve that came with those past encounters. But at the same time, they've managed to exclude (or omit) Shinryu/Zenos, because he's presently helping out. Speaking through the language of the music itself, Zenos isn't considered a boss or a hindrance in that moment, but an ally. The leitmotifs pretty much loop to 'remind' you of those past fights, but you don't presently have to worry about Zenos getting in your way-because his power is brought to bear for your benefit, rather than against you. In the arrangement of With Hearts Aligned, I wanted your opinion about something. In the piano section that bridges Maker's Ruin and the 'Song of Hope' lyrical section, I don't know if it's just me that notices it, so I wanted to ask you-and I hope it doesn't color your judgment of it, so bear with me: The notes played on the piano invoke to me a bit of Wayward Daughter from Stormblood, particularly the last bit of the female vocals before transitioning to the male choir. I don't know if it'll be the same for you, but I wanted to get your thoughts on it if you think I'm on to something. And if it is from Wayward Daughter, why do you think Soken snuck that in context-wise? Thanks in advance, Marco :)

[@noshizora]

Reliving these moments with you and seeing how much fun you're having just jamming out to the themes actually reminded me of how my own experience of Endsinger went. The culmination of not only all the expansions but Endwalker itself all being wrapped up during this fight definitely made me (and doubtless everyone too) incredibly emotional to the point of bringing me to literal tears when phase 2 punches you right in the gut!! So thank god they designed the fight the way they did because the twelve KNOWS I was not seeing shit through the tears in my eyes during that fight!! 😃

[@ThatWitchMorri-V]

Of all the stories I've experienced in my life, I don't believe anything will ever take the top spot away from my memory of this boss battle's 2nd phase. My main is a female hyur bard, and when the lyrics kicked in it was like it was about -her-. About my Warrior of Light and all that she's been through and she's still here, bring hope to the literal End. "Our song of hope, she dances on the wind..." hits so hard when you're a bard, dancing through all those AoEs while weaving in your abilities as fast as they become available. Soken is a genius and I'm so thankful I've gotten to experience his work through this game.

[@FloorTankMain]

I cannot BELIEVE I didn’t notice that every expac’s boss theme was in this song, I only ever heard ultima and shinryu! That’s so cool, man

[@apostateCourier]

I can't hear this without crying over and over and over again through the phases

[@NagaTales]

I love that the first theme that takes us into the fight is the Intro to Shinryu Phase 2. Not just because of the logical reasons (riding on him), but for the entirely selfish and nostalgic reason that Shinryu was the first "Current End Game" trial I hit when I started playing in summer of 2017 with Stormblood. Shinryu's Phase 2 theme will always hit different just for that pure nostalgia factor, let alone the raw adrenaline rush it inspires. It's one of the best examples of a genuine Fanfare in modern music, imo, and using it as the Intro/Fanfare into the Endsinger fight is such a perfect pick.

[@karaiyamoon237]

You are so right. Thank you for doing this. I listen to this song every day as I'm learning about music. I'm genuinely obsessed with it and I've recently taken up piano. I feel this song along this fight wasn't about the story, but truly about you. I beleive they really considered the last two years and the state of the world, as well as the last 9 years. But definitely since 2020 and intended to pay tribute to YOU. Everything you've been through in your life. Every triumph, every struggle, every love or life you lost or gained, and every heartache and fighting it with others in a PUG. We were reminded that you regardless of what happens you are never alone and you will never fight alone. Happy New Year.

[@Owiion]

I've been waiting for a video like this! This is great. Thank you. Exactly the kind of analysis I was wanting. Thank you.

[@AlishN7]

The Final Day I feel is an echo of the Footfalls, because Footfalls goes through all the major expansion themes while the Final Day goes over the major expansion boss battles. A bit in a different order, because we happened to join forces with one of the major baddies, but still! I think it’s a beautiful interplay between two major themes of Endwalker. And second part is just so beautiful and poignant. I love it to death.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Absolutely!

[@TenochSekrain]

Yay for covering both phases 🥳 I was tearing up at the beginning of that fight, realizing the musical references, all the fights done before and where we as players and characters were... Then second phase starts, and I was legit crying and sobbing out of the message of it, the emotions and story. To this point, almost a year since i first did that trial, whenever I hear Hearts Aligned, i cry a bit and hope fills my heart once more. Thank you for covering this Marco ❤️

[@PurpleSyrup14]

Come for the expert breakdown and analysis, stay for the simple joy of watching a dude air-conduct and mouth the lyrics to some of your favorite bangers.

[@MarcoMeatball]

😂 made me chuckle

[@plutomercuryjones4545]

aahh i love hearing / seeing how they included all the previous music thank you !!!!!

[@metalfingers2129]

Can I just say I love your reactions and your insight on leitmotifs is so on point. It's fantastic to have someone that knows the game and also knows music to a high degree. Had no idea this was just a massive medley of previous boss music. Amazing. I'm so happy I found your channel.

[@godless1014]

I'm tearing up right now just reliving my experience with this fight. This game, this story, these characters, this music, this community, this dev team . . . EVERYTHING . . . Is just goddamned fucking amazing. I didn't think it was possible to be this good and everytime I am pleasantly surprised.

[@Drammoth]

Ah man.. been waiting for you to review this one.. so amazing!! been playing the game for many years, 2500+ hours, this one nearly drove me to tears. the way it culminates and consolidates all the most iconic, nostalgic songs that came before in one grand finale that also just happens to be an absolute BOP. I love how because this area of space is only dictated by Dynamis, through the cutscene playing and your allies praying and channeling all your good hope into you, you can even see the edges of the arena turning into this flood of dark and light, clashing against each other. Soken's made so many awesome pieces in the past and this is him really showing it all off together, just churning out wonder again and again. the man's survived cancer for god's sakes, he should be the first to know the fight between light and dark, good and evil. Soken, Yoshida, Ishikawa and so many other talented staff are truly treasures to humanity and gaming, when this is the result of accumulating a large playerbase of people that love your game, displaying gems like these time and time again instead of corporate greed and malpractise as so many others seem to do these days.

[@MarcoMeatball]

Big hug! :)

[@cailee9820]

Thank you so much for this breakdown - I remember breaking down during this part of the game and the feelings were just overwhelming. It now make so much more sense when I realize where all these themes came from and how all those feelings got mashed together into such a huge emotional ball. Soken and his team are just amazing.

[@applemilk7488]

Thank you for making my day. I woke up to this video and it had me smiling. Your insight, review and positive energy is just on point! Thanks again for your content, please keep it up!

[@EnderJazi]

I have been looking for an analysis video on these songs and as I listen to them again I'm glad someone else broke it down and realized how everything just comes together in this amazing finale. I'm trying not to tear up with this beauty and hopefully Dawntrail gives us lovely music to enjoy!

[@patrickoverstreet2372]

With out fail Soken and his team prove to be masters at their craft. This is just one more notch on their belt proving why arguably no one can match the music in the Final Fantasy franchise, first was Uematsu leading the majority of their titles as lead composer and now Soken seems to be his succesor. May we have many more years with this franchise putting amazing talent front and center through their music.

[@josephryantengco3671]

LET'S GO! ITS THE ENDSINGER! I actually recorded the second phase and looped it for weeks whenever I'm in the bath. Its just so good!

[@isaaclaverne5195]

This is the best game I've ever played hands down. The emotion in the musical leitmotifs is just so universal if you've taken the time to experience all of them

[@Taygon45]

What I love is that this song instills the opposite of despair Hope. And not just hope. The hope we have gained on every step of our journey. And that's the answer Metion was looking for.

[@shadeblackwolf1508]

Gotta love that in this boss fight, we go into phase 2, not the boss. With hearts aligned is our boss theme, like how Maker's ruin was our fight theme.

[@terezii]

THE MUSIC GETS BETTER AND BETTER!!! also really cool listing to you explain things in the song!! simple enough for my smooth brain

[@Ziyanani]

emotional as this song is, I love the cut to phase 2 and the callbacks to the other expansions.. I just.. can't hear the first part without 'big soft tacos' playing in my head in place of the actual words.

[@bighatastrea]

I keep going back to this Trial again and again just for the full experience, it kicks every time Fanservice done right

[@TheOriginalSolicious]

I cried so hard when phase 2 kicked in. I've been playing since the PS3 beta and the feeling that this is it, the final battle after all those years. It felt like I myself had been empowered by the Scions prayer

[@Ajguy]

I've been waiting for someone to make this exact video! So fun to see these breakdowns for all the leitmotifs and where they originally played.

[@Valkyrien04]

Ive been on this journey since 2.0 launched, I'd forgotten literally every one of the songs from the main bosses (if i'm not on my first run through i tend to turn music off so i can listen to podcasts while grinding). Thank you for reminding me why the chorus kicked in for the final day and my heart blasted tears out my eyes on the spot.

[@addieraddie]

So glad you're talking about this amazing piece. It encapsulates the whole journey up to this point. I was totally geeking out when I came to this point in Endwalker and heard all of the X.0 boss themes wrapped in one.

[@tkOzeki]

"I take it this is your prey? …but why does it still live? Surely it is no match for you."

[@saralovelace7219]

RIP best frienemy.❤

[@codysoo2]

Phase 2 gives me goosebumps every single time. It's so worth it.

[@BeatrixKiddo198]

Higher, Oh Higher my brave little spark

[@ReikoMauve]

Will never not get an eargasm from this theme 😭✨ so beautifully done…! Thanks for analysing it and exploring it with us

[@miocervos]

when the lyrics cut in in phase two, every single time, I get goosebumps and misty eyes ;o; it's so good

[@GhalanSmokeScale]

Phase two, more so than the music, what stuck with me is how the Endsinger behaves. In Phase 1, she's all composed, attacking us while barely moving her body, all things considered. In Phase 2, she's reeling back. She's flailing to attack us. She's desperate to kill us, to get us to stop, because she realizes she's losing. She realizes she's wrong.

[@starlitromance]

It makes me so happy to you enjoying the music so much. I love seeing how it effects you! The music in FFXIV makes me very very emotional, and I love seeing it infect other people, too ;_;

[@rajabuta]

Ya emotional vampire 🤣

[@laerwen]

4:19 THOSE DOUBLE BASSES SAWING AWAY, my gods, so epic! I love your passion and how you've broken down each section and motif reference for everyone. 6:16 that drum part is SO HYPE. Man, Hades' theme wrecks me hard and the way Soken included it here, wow!! Also, phase two is literally the most hype I've ever been playing an MMO or really any video game. I did Endsinger first time during early access and everyone there was a first timer. When we hit the black screen (anybody got another tank LB3??? WELP.) and then phase two everyone collectively LOST THEIR MINDS. I mean, literally screaming with joy in party chat, it was the biggest rush of adrenaline and endorphins. An amazing reward. After all that build-up phase two is this moment where we've traversed the peak of the mountain that is Endwalker. It's the Tour de France and it's just been the tallest, most grueling mountain stage filled with suffering and despair and now we're coasting down the other side on a road at 50 mph screaming all the way, LMAO. It's a moment of feeling those Scion prayers lift you up from whatever despair you might still feel and it washes away with "On wings of hope" - when that part kicks in I think everyone in my party was just spamming WOOOOOOOO. What a rush!! An incomparable experience!

[@billlong7146]

Love this video friend, I just want to add one thing to what you said (which I agree with) the Endsinger (and Endwalker in general) was a love letter to all of the people who lost loved ones in the pandemic, to those of us that survived it all, and for all the struggle we all went through in the ways we did. This big plague on humanity was a big test for us all, and we won. Not without sacrifice, not without loss, but with one another. We will stand against fate. No matter the cost. Weve been here before, many a time. Thus, do we know, to never give up. For hope will shine again.

[@smutserkling6848]

Sokens music makes me feel like I can run through a brick wall with ease.

[@arach6199]

For being the final confrontation of the main storyline it's surprising to find that the final boss doesn't really have her own theme. Phase 1 is just a list of themes of bosses we've fought and triumphed over previously. Phase 2 is basically just our own theme playing sprinkled in with a literal song of hope and perseverance. Looking at it that way, there was no doubt we would overcome this challenge. Our WoL was unstoppable, victory was all but certain, and the music hinted at that fact given that her "theme" is composed of nothing more than previously overcome challenges and our very own boss theme. For an expansion centered around so much loss, despair, and doubt it was such a climactic and refreshing end to the tale.

[@ShadowNight808]

The thing I love about phase two and the "With Hearts Aligned" is that I feel like the lyrics are talking in part about the original hopes for Meteion, like she's remembering Hermes and the pure hope he had instilled in her and her sisters when he sent them on their mission and they failed that she's become the complete opposite, instead just singing destruction and pain. And now WE are the one carrying the song of hope, we rise up through the night, cradling that hope to our chest making sure everyone can hear it. It's triumphant but also makes me sad in a way. (also I'm so dense I didn't realize the first phase music had all the themes from previous expansions. I got the Shinryuu theme for sure, but the first half of this video I was like WHAT?! NO WAY.)

[@RoselynShade]

I very recently finished msq after a year break from the game actually but the boss music really tug some heartstrings. I was waiting to do that fight before watching it. It is really nice how you break it down. Thank you ♥ I like watching how much you get into the music itself. Your passion is inspiring.

[@or10nsharkfin]

Nothing felt so powerful to me as clutching the crystal of Azem riding Shinryu as the Final Fantasy theme swelled in the background. That was it. That was peak Final Fantasy.

[@hansfriedemann4194]

These videos are such a pleasure to watch, thank you!

[@ansreth3622]

Seeing you jam out to this was so freaking fun and adorable XD this song gave me so many emotions as it played out, it’s a wonder I was able to play well during it. I’m so glad you popped up on my recommendations

[@MarcoMeatball]

Awww 🥰🥰🥰

[@Pollocabra]

Yesssss I love that this song is the ultimate tribute and culmination of our journey through the game. It was such an epic medley to fight to. My friend and I were tearing up during our first time running this battle. Absolutely epic experience! Soken and his team were absolute time machines for this!

[@silversflow4469]

Just can’t help but loving Marco having his best time enjoying listening to the music!

[@Raika63]

Music for the whole fight makes me feel things, the end summoning tears still. There's something about the culmination in phase 2 after bringing back those feelings from all the themes in phase 1 that's just incredible.

[@Zologe]

I absolutely love With Hearts Aligned, as a Phase in the fight. Its a BEAUTIFULLY made Victory Lap. You still stand after The Endsinger's tried twice to destroy you utterly. And it shows in the mechanics too. After the scene where your friends shield you, there's nothing really all that threatening coming after. This is your moment. Your triumph. and the music reflects that