Living Memory Theme - FFXIV: Dawntrail OST

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[@zuriglass7053]

This pass July a friend of mine died due to a heart condition. He introduced to this beautiful game and he was able to play DawnTrail with early access from his pre order. He was about to enjoy DT but he would have so loved the ending to this beautiful game and to see Living Memory. He only level up his Red Mage to 94 I think. I want to play this game and finish DT in his memory and because I want to remember all the good times we had together with this game. Miss you Sascha, I wish we could have talked about this game together.

[@ethershroud]

Sorry for your loss. I am sure they would have loved it.

[@nogoodatgamez]

By finishing DT you'll be playing with your friends spirit in mind and I know he'll enjoy every minute 🙏🏾✨

[@AgentSilv]

My condolences. Im sure Sascha is watching over you with a smile, getting to experience the rest of this beautiful story with you

[@ladykarababa]

A friend of mine pointed out the irony of this zone's entrance being located behind a tomb and now I'm even sadder ;w;

[@guilhermecardoso2365]

This place is also a tomb, like the one you see at the end of the second dungeon, but this one needs genocide to power it.

[@Megabigfox]

And it is the only place left behind from the Everkeep.

[@kyrxon277]

I would say sacrifice, like what the whole Ja village had been going through, but genocide if still correct

[@LightbladeRiulo]

Turns out finding the City of Gold was the easy part. The hardest part was letting go. Thank you Final Fantasy XIV: Dead Money. Thanks for breaking my heart.

[@jkdragonjk6895]

The only difference was there was no gold bars to cheese to circumnavigate the entire point of the dlc.

[@bigfoxki]

NG+ is just like the Endless system of Living memory.

[@daymanAAAAHHHH]

The quest givers move on and disappear when you help them complete their "unfinished business"

[@G-Manfromhalflife]

​@@xalmor6044womp womp wowtard

[@Diegotototo]

​@@bigfoxkirealizing this made me think I wont touch NG+ ever

[@itsmeyaboy8987]

I lost my dad when I was 16, and my mom just last year. They died 20 years apart from eachother. The feelings this place gave me had me a mess for days afterward. I miss them so much. I'm closing in on my 40s quickly. I'd hoped they'd stick around a lot longer but, they had me late in their lives. Cherish your parents while you have them. Losing them is an inevitibility, you will always have their memories but you will still miss their physical presence no matter how old you get. If you have a good relationship with them, cherish it, if you don't? Your feelings will be complicated but it's still okay to miss them. Also, don't feel guilty if you can't spend their last moments with them, death is often unexpected, both my parents died unexpectedly. But I can only hope a part of them exists somewhere together. You gotta be okay with letting go at some point in your life. Let it go...there's nothing of your loved ones here anymore except memories; cherish those and walk, and make new memories.

[@traytor4320]

I feel that, I lost my Great Grandfather back in March, My little sister back in April and my grandmother on the opposite side of the family 5 days after her. This entire section had me in my feelings for days.

[@revartillery9612]

The section with the kids was pretty brutal on top of all the other stuff. And one of the companions (I think it was Krile?) points out just before you shut down that terminal that because these endless are all shown as their happiest selves that that means that all those kids either died young or only became more miserable as they grew up. I was LOSING it through this whole zone man.

[@amsaa91]

I love that detail when you see Wuk Lamat’s nanny bc she’s at her happiest as a young adult woman raising Wuk Lamat as a kid after living 30 years without her. But as soon as she sees Wuk Lamat as an adult she becomes old bc now she’s at her happiest as an old woman looking at how that kid grew up.

[@jdniemand]

One of the side quest NPCs in Yesterland appears as an unusually intelligent kid looking for his brother... until he remembers/realises his brother was outside the dome when it appeared, whereupon he turns into an older man who'd lived his whole life inside the dome.

[@Pine_Time]

It was Erenville that said it... All the while, he was processing his feelings too..

[@lenaboyer6981]

@@amsaa91 bro I can’t be sobbing at work 😭

[@abririeken95]

@@jdniemand He realizes because we (WoL) tell him that Tuliyollal is still trying to find their way/get accustomed to new Dawnservants, which makes him understand hardly any time has passed outside the dome. Where before, he assumed his brother had grown old and died and was hoping to meet him again in Living Memory, he now knows his brother is still alive and (since he is one of the train engineers we worked with before entering the dome) is doing quite well. That moment when he reverts to his current self at a much older age is so touching. It was but one of many moments in Living Memory where I cried.

[@Nyghtgirl27]

It will be a summer vacation he said, It will be a wholesome expansion he said!

[@Konpekikaminari]

Well, looks like our summer vacation is... over

[@Megabigfox]

The fate of the world is not resting on our shoulders he said!

[@fang4481]

@@Konpekikaminari ROXAS STOP

[@cameronwilsey9334]

Hides a nation's mass grave behind an infant mass grave

[@Tinandel]

I had to give the order to to pull the plug, once, several years ago. After two weeks of holding out for a miracle and then finally having the lead doctor tell me it just wasn't going to happen. It's something I've had plenty of time to make peace with.... but being taken back to that mindset, even if only in a shadowy way, didn't fill me with joy. That being said... I didn't hesitate to make the call in-game. If you wait until you feel ready, you'll be waiting forever.

[@jacobybarra907]

Me and 2 other friends of mine were peogging the story together, and when we got to this point, we were ALL crying... I was reminiscing of my dearly departed friend who passed away in his sleep, and my friends were reminiscing about their grandparents that had long since passed to.. I've long since come to acceot their passing, but stuff like this just keeps reopening that wound, and it hurts... it just hurts... One of my friends then said that Ultima Thule and Living Memory are parallels to each other, where one is filled with denizens in constant despair, the latter is filled with people who were at their happiest in their lives... He then proceeded to say: "Love hurts more than Despair"

[@noab69]

This shit had me messed up at 5am lol

[@shiranelle]

lol same, it's always in the night

[@NovaVor4380]

this area destroyed me ngl

[@Probably_Gonna_Die]

Bruh it's almost 5 am and I'm bawling my eyes out. :(

[@redcloud16]

SAME

[@pipeisreal]

me arriving here at 3am: surely i can just power through the last zone and finish the msq before the morning needless to say i could NOT, in fact, power through the last zone and had to stop and take a break

[@ellasbian]

i honestly really like that you can't bring back this version of the zone after finishing the msq. it's just a hollow shell of what it used to be, all the buildings still there but drained of color, only populated by robots, monsters and the like 5 or so quest givers. the music is still there but hollow and eerie, the golden glow is replaced by cold daylight. i want to go back to what it used to be but i know i can't, everyone is already gone. but that's how it's meant to be, it's a monument to all these people who used to live. absolutely phenomenal expansion, the second half might honestly put this above shadowbringers in my mind.

[@laerwen]

All of what you said, yes, exactly. The impermanence of it all is what makes it even more beautiful, because that's how life works. We love life and then we let go. I felt like I experienced a piece of art by the time I was finished.

[@MaxLebled]

You can bring it back in the most ironic manner of all: by using the feature that lets you relive the past, New Game +

[@omensoffate]

Sorry but Otis was in the game for 2 hours calm down w

[@aspookyscaryskeleton1474]

I don't like it at all because instead of redesigning the zone to still look interesting and appealing despite the shut down occurring they instead just slapped the exact some 2 fucking textures over the ground and on to every single object making it look horrendously shit and not somewhere I am going to want to spend time fate grinding, hunts or doing treasure chests. The idea was good but in reality the execution was awful and it seems more like they didn't want to make the area look good twice.

[@midgetsnowman]

@@aspookyscaryskeleton1474 thats the point though. It was all an illusion. All a fleeting dream of better times. A haven for an Alexandria that died a long time ago propped up on the work of the Alexandrians of the now. It was never intended to be seen, so why bother decorating it.

[@cocotaem5101]

This really gives Twilight Town our summer vacation is almost over kind of vibes and I love and hate it at the same time 😢😢😢

[@noble7654]

Lol, Twilight Town came immediately to mind. Beautiful tones and has a nostalgic feeling as well

[@kyleb7047]

​@noble7654 Same, as I was questing in this zone last Monday; I mentioned in Shout this had Twlight Town vibes all over, and it was super sad.

[@SagaTuber]

Thought exactly the same!!

[@TheMaxCloud]

So I wasnt the only one who thought about Twilight Town when questing in this place

[@crystalnephesiahawklaw]

My thought exactly. The music and the zone had such similar vibes that I kept thinking about that all the time I was there.

[@ikmkr]

this place gives the same energy as both a nursing home and the last sparks of neuron activity in a brain shutting down and it’s incredibly eerie. this place is essentially palliative care symbolized, and putting it to rest is both cathartic and heartbreaking. good lord i was in tears

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

I actually refused to shut down the first terminal for a while. It was SO sad.

[@blossomlotus2019]

@@Soooooooooooonicable I had such an incredibly big problem with terminal 4, I just couldn't let her go I didn't want to let her go.

[@hellgorama]

@@blossomlotus2019 Of course you couldn;t let her go. She reminded your character of Venat too much.

[@BunnychanFarabee]

This song in particular reminds me of the first part of "Everywhere At The End Of Time", a long-form track/audio project about dementia. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXu6nKaGjKl-hcU

[@sarasnake9954]

⁠@@BunnychanFarabeeI had the exact same thing come to mind! It’s especially haunting to come back later and hear the post-MSQ version of the area theme. The way it distorts, echos, randomly silences, and loops back over on itself… the effect is quite similar to EATEOT imo. Chilling.

[@Mysterious_XIV]

“You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present.” - Jan Glidewell I really love that the zone looks the most beautiful at first. It really teaches you something: to take your time and cherish the now. Deep down, we all know that nothing lasts forever. In the end, you can't go back to what once was. You're only left with the memory of how great it was.

[@mr.incredibilis8722]

I cried at pretty much every section of this map, letting go of old faces and new faces alike, saying goodbye to people we'd just met and yet felt as if we'd known all our lives, Namikka, Otis, Robor and Alayla, Cahciua...One by one, peeling away the facade of memory and nostalgia, leaving only the blank, darkened outline beneath the colour. Until we were left with nothing but the sound of gentle winds. One by one releasing the souls of those who had lived for so long in an eternal dream, letting them sleep forever...even after Sphene was gone, it became even more sad, even as the golden glow of the city faded and the true sun rose over the lifeless skyline, this beautiful music now muffled, distant, like playing from somewhere else we can't reach, echoing through the barren streets like one final memory of the lives of those who inhabited this city, a ghost of a memory...what a beautiful place, i only wish I could have stayed there just a little longer...

[@yamchayaku]

It became the complete opposite of Ultima Thule. The music almost gave the place an almost haunting vibe after all was said and done.

[@jpnakashima1224]

"I only wish I could have stayed there a little longer" The true embodiment of Living Memory: what would you give for one more day with those you love? What price could you pay? And how long until you fall from it.

[@fionnmaccumhail76]

That was even the worst part, going around, knowing that you are going to shut it down, and meeting people loved for some of your companions and knowing they are going to go. That killed me.

[@Mik-hn7vh]

If you like to see old look of the city again, you can use New game+ and see it again as it was

[@lulkaku]

The moment I heard and met Otis in living memory.... my heart broke into a million pieces. Why do I have to watch this man "die" twice 😭😭😭😭.

[@ladyrhea444]

Coming here after beating dawntrail broke my heart, the song still plays but now it sounds like you’re in an empty mall.

[@Harufloof]

I need the full version of this one..

[@AnotherOpinion695]

I wish we didn't do what we did it was such a glorious sight to see and i was hoping it would become this huge amusement park esc type of hub that was a "secret reward" some how for getting to the end of the expansion but nope 🥲

[@Abyss0fDelta]

It was an amusement park for the dead that was fueled by the souls of the living. We had to shut it down ​@AnotherOpinion695

[@AnotherOpinion695]

@@Abyss0fDelta I know it was just so pretty but I understand that it was time for the place to be at rest

[@Abyss0fDelta]

@@AnotherOpinion695 letting go definitely hurt

[@Jenkins247-94]

I was sobbing the entire zone. Brought up a lot. I hope I’m not the only one who was affected so.

[@redcloud16]

every section broke me. there was a point where I wasn't sure I could even continue. I had to stop and wander around a bit more before hitting that button.

[@castoputa]

The conversation you have with G’raha in the gondola…..

[@Aradhel84]

I've felt the same, some bits have been too much and I literally had to take short breaks from the game because I had to process what I've seen, heard and felt... in particular for the last two meetings. I thought that there could have been nothing sadder than Ultima Thule in this game and well, I was wrong.

[@Tygaera]

I, too, sobbed in this area quite a lot, there are dear family members I lost when I was a child and this zone brought it all back.

[@sonnyson01]

Reminded me when i had to say goodbye to my father when he passed from cancer... Saying goodbye is painful, but the memories you make with others are what make you live on forever

[@Max58183]

"Are you certain you wish to shut down the terminal?" (Yes) | (No)

[@manesium]

"i'm not crying, you are!"

[@Smallville619]

Literally have not been able to for four days... lost my uncle recently i saw him literally hours before he died this area rips your heart out

[@leaflemon1765]

Having lost loved ones before, I’m constantly plagued by dreams where they remain, constant and endless much like this. Knowing they’re gone but they still haunt and remain. As much as I wish these dreams would stop haunting me, to have it shown so clearly like this was even more painful to bear. To shut it down for everyone, ready or no. And I can’t say even I am ready. But even in dreams, they’re just our memories, and not themselves.

[@Konpekikaminari]

I feel this I still see my grandparents in my dreams sometimes

[@Cptn-Coconut]

This is the area that broke me. Everything about living memory is so devastatingly sad, and this song captures this feeling so perfectly well that I can't help but tear up every time I hear it. I can't think of any piece of media or fiction that captures the emotion of grief so strongly as this. As someone who has lost people dear to me, without ever having the chance to say goodbye, this area resonated so much with me, that I couldn't stop crying for the entirety of my time in it. The beauty and melancholy of this dying paradise, getting there and meeting these Endless living in innocent bliss in a such a beautiful environment, in full knowledge that their fate is sealed. To see Namikka, Cahciua and Krile's parents in full knowledge that they'll be gone is soul crushing. It's the pain of saying goodbye to a loved one on their deathbed, even if the circumstances around them are peaceful and you know they have accepted their end, it still hurts so much. And then you shut it down, and the empty shell of the what used to be is even worse. The silence, the emptiness and dullness that comes afterwards makes the feeling of loss really sink in.

[@castoputa]

Beautifully articulated ❤

[@menwish135]

私はこの世界を壊したくなかった

[@VioletNightmare]

Neither did I my friend. Neither did I....

[@ryudooo]

I dont think anyone did.

[@icathianPLD]

This zone is such a brilliant subversion of expectations, considering tural is based on the americas you'd probably be inclined to believe the golden city would be based on el dorado, and i really am glad that square went with this approach

[@Leafsw0rd]

And at the same time, it makes perfect sense. Because of course the America continent would have its own Disneyland.

[@iaminsanity2238]

"fuck im almost crying already and ive barely started this zone is gonna destroy me isnt it" - discord friend

[@pixelbunny0]

Glad to know I’m not alone in having cried throughout this entire part of the game.

[@DavidELD]

Ultima Thule: "I am the *final* zone, I am going to gutpunch you with all these emotions." Living Memory: "Hold my Ice Cream, I'm about to ruin that zone's whole career"

[@SalamiKiwami]

a video game has never made me feel so miserable before

[@Ruzgfpegk]

Fate/Grand Order has some moments like that too, but its "smartphone visual novel" nature makes it less immersive.

[@Fasertox]

U should try ffX

[@SalamiKiwami]

@@Fasertox it is on me list, definitely gonna give it a go

[@wol_-]

Never have I cried over a video game. This area finally got me. It made me feel nostalgic over nothing, made me file through all of the regrets I have in life, and forced me to end a happy, innocent people caught in the mad designs of Preservation. Fuck you, Square Enix. Take my money.

[@coffeelink943]

Square Enix: Thanks! Now we will sell you our overpriced Mogstation that’s ended up being a ripped off

[@wol_-]

@@coffeelink943 I cannot express how much I didn’t ask.

[@PetarBladeStrok]

I applaud you for managing to get through ShB and EW without crying. But yeah, this zone is pure pain. As were the last zones for ShB and EW.

[@wol_-]

@@PetarBladeStrok I’m not a particularly emotional person (most of my emotions are expressed through apathy, toxic masculinity type beat), just the themes of Living Memory resonated with me in particular because I’ve a lot to regret and a few people I miss who are no longer with me.

[@SprDrumio64]

if this is Soken, then its the most Uematsu soken has composed in a good long while

[@khail127]

It has bit and pieces from FF6 (opera song)

[@laerwen]

This oboe solo is used to absolutely devastating effect. I love that instrument because of its pureness of tone and the clarity of its pitch. It adds to the feeling of wistfulness; the Endless remembering their former lives with sadness but acceptance, preparing themselves for their true end. So they live life to the fullest, self-aware that their way of existence isn't sustainable. And then you come to set them free. It's so hard to do the right thing, sometimes, but we're meant to let go. Life is about letting go of every minute every day.

[@UnholyAvenger56]

I see why gold was chosen...those golden days, those happy days. Gold never tarnishes just like thise memories we keep. This zone has been the most final fantasy thing in awhile. The 4 elements each with its own community, and theme. Each sparking something from our lives. Water with its endless flow, though obstacles may block us at times our feelings, and wants will find a way through. To answer that question what I wouldn't give to have one more day, and Raha was right if i could choose let it be a happy one. Fire is always seen as the courageous and bold, the fire within them only as brilliant as the sun. Earth...can be seen as many things but i guess it makes sense that it is one of remembrance. Even if years should go by the earth we walk was paved by the ones before and only fitting we adhere to the mistakes of the past to build a better future. Wind, going wherever the wind takes you the most adventurous element. From a raging tempest, to the calm evening breeze no matter what it goes on. Theres so much to say maybe im getting old, maybe i remember those days I was truly happy. For we are the living memory.

[@DaSaiyanChick628]

Losing this beautiful zone and the happy people in it... Well... I understand what message the devs were trying to portray. Enjoy the moment as long as it lasts. Live in it because time is fleeting and short. The people we hold dear and the things we love will eventually fade. We must come to terms with death and loss. Our beloved memories of happiness can live on within ourselves. That's honestly enough 😢

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

beautifully said ;-;

[@brandohernandez9991]

Oh no, I have a feeling but I don’t wanna share it, cuz it’s affect a lot of people. Pls no SE and YoshiP.

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

This is like the pure, distilled audio manifestation of melancholy.

[@Harufloof]

And I love it

[@SweetyMiki]

Honestly this zone made me cry so much that it took me 4 hours to finish. A lot of it has to deal with how relatable it was to me. Wuk Lammat getting a second chance to say what was left unsaid to her adoptive mother. Especially with Erenville having to kill his mother essentially and spend a final day with her. Then it kind of hit me why it hurt so much, it was like taking your loved ones off life support in a sense, not wanting to let them go despite them being gone. I think thats maybe what the devs were going for, especially when you consider they give you a choice of shutting the terminals down. Once the machine goes out, the lights go out and the flatline, just leaving silence.

[@kaseigunsou]

To let go is the hardest part. Turns out Sphene, out of all characters, is the one who needed the most help to let go. What a story, what a game.

[@FreyaTamiyo]

Never in my life thought a game could make me nostalgic for something being gone that was brand new :') thank you for posting this!

[@MarzBaer]

I think another reason it hits hard is it sounds a lot like the Twilight Town theme from Kingdom Hearts 2, and anyone who has played that game is already going to associate memories of that soundtrack with melancholy and loss. It attacks you from the past and present 😭

[@saskak6069]

Very much this, the Twilight Town feelings came flooding in hard, such bittersweet feeling mixed with nostalgia​ @@MarzBaer

[@TheErryK]

i love the little nod to 'melodies of life' from ff9 at 2:46

[@LysFlowerful]

I don’t really hear melody of life in this … what part of it ?

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

@@LysFlowerful the part of the song they're pointing out sounds a lot like - "and so it goes, on and on" from Melodies of LIfe. Still though, I really wish Melodies of Life was more prominent, or perhaps just played once at the very end :c

[@PatrioticAnarchist]

Theres an npc that mentions a few things from ff9. Quite a frw things in this zone that touch on that.

[@amsaa91]

Doing that play for the kids and seeing Wuk Lamat improvising as Otis broke down was an emotional punch for me

[@invaderzam]

When I saw there were 4 zones, I knew there was going to be a zone dedicated to Wuk Lamat, Krille and Erenville. But who would the last zone be for? G'raha Tia? He doesn't know anyone who would be here. When I realized who that knight was, it hit me. This zone is for us. It gave us the chance to say goodbye to a new old friend.

[@alexccs]

I can think of they wrote this part of story mourning for the many players that passed away since the game started operating, like the "Dad of light"(Maidy and his father Indy) Edit: Holy, I just knew there's really a npc looked alike Maidy's around Solution 9

[@stabegabe]

This zone is absolutely insane, profound and beautiful in what it seems like the devs were trying to portray with it.

[@mgmg-ek8pq]

I played DT with my fiancee and this place totally broke our hearts to pieces. My fiancee, who usually not that much bothered with sad scenes, had to stop from playing several times because how hard the feels hit him. Good job, SE (also we are getting married soon and I'm considering to put this music on our wedding playlist lol its just so beautiful)

[@w061a09]

🥳

[@acadianalien]

The gondola where the couple are holding each other broke me, it was early in that zone too

[@hadesgoncalves983]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

It looks like... my summer vacation is... over...

[@AGuyNamedDan79]

1000% felt the same vibes here, the idea of letting resonate so well with the beginning of KH2. I hope we get a confirmation of it.

[@yusei-9650]

The song REALLY sounds like something Yoko Shimomura worked on. If you listen to this song and Lazy Afternoons off KH2's soundtrack, they're very similar which makes me wonder if she worked on Dawntrail's OST.

[@corbokkur]

The gameplay and narrative work together so well in this zone. Just as the characters have to let go of their loved ones and shut down the memory cores to get to Sphene, we the player have to let go of one of the most beautifully designed zones in the game to continue the story...

[@jlavande]

This area ripped my heart in half, it hit me especially hard considering today, July 5th, is personally a hard day for me, it would have been the 27th birthday of a cousin who was a brother to me

[@JezzaWezza]

This zone was such an amazing experience. It was heartbreaking having to go through stage by stage and then being met by silence after. I said to my friends who I was with it’s a reverse Ultima Thule and this hit so much harder.

[@jacobclemmons4769]

They got the exact same clarinet the guy who did the Twilight Town theme used.

[@RhodeSchaeffer]

sounds a lot more like a double reeded instrument, like an oboe

[@rh666]

@@RhodeSchaeffer I think it's an oboe

[@kaonsume]

omg thats why it reminded me so much of twilight town holy shit

[@CoBud91]

CANNOT UNHEAR WTFFFFFF

[@infinityrocks247]

​@@RhodeSchaeffer Oboe player here, that's indeed an Oboe :D

[@teklaroma9645]

When the Soundtrack started I instantly got a flashback of Twilight Town from Kingdom Hearts.

[@serisothikos]

Did not come into this zone expecting to be repeatedly punched in the emotional gut but here we are. Themes of memory, euthanasia, and (once again) the nature of existence all came right for me. And we had to switch off the lights ourselves. I'm simply not here for the few disproportionately loud voices that say this expansion was a letdown. It's a new beginning and it begins by saying something meaningful about endings. I love it with my whole heart.

[@BladRavenYey]

i didnt realize this sooner but you're right! an expansion whos theme is about passing on and moving forward fits so nice after endwalker!

[@redcloud16]

yea, very frustrated by the loud number of people who disliked the expansion, wuk lamat, think this zone was a rehash of Ultima Thule; etc. Im like....well you skipped half the cutscenes, no wonder you missed the entire point. Every section of this area broke me, to the point I wasn't sure I could even continue. But i had to. T-T Ughhhhhh i was not hyped for Dawntrail, but I ended up really loving it.

[@AuroDHikoshi]

​@redcloud16 this is a further expansion of what you experienced on ultimate thule, something a lot more closer to home and in your time frame (inc. Amurot).

[@xxephon]

i loved this area so much, the MSQ really hit me hard on a personal level, didn’t expect to cry over entirely new characters even worse, it’s sad to see that most people consider dawntrail to be the worst expansion yet. i think otis and sphene may be some of my favourite characters, and poor little gulool ja too

[@AaronWOfficial]

I didn't care for the early portion, but the latter portion more than made up for it imo. Idk why people are saying its the worst expansion, imo stormblood was far more meh than this msq. Only reason people rave about stormblood is it had good endgame.

[@CptVanguard]

Havent heard many people say Dawntrail is bad, if anything ive heard the opposite, and on a personal level after finishing this zone I would even go as far as to say it managed to combined many previous expansions narratives and pacings together to make it one of the if not the best expansion to date, it sets up so many future stories while also offering us a painful farewell to the past. And it hurt, it hurt, oh god, it hurt. It actually feels hard to go through Living Memory after this, riding through it with the muted soundtrack and eeire music just makes it sad. I do however think, they are going to give us content patchwise that helps revive it again, I cant see this being the end, its too bleak.

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

The flying sequence with Erenville and his mom got me teary eyed because you can just tell that he was watching her from behind and knowing that these were going to be his last moments with her.

[@Veishan]

I lost my mom to cancer 14 years ago. When she died, I would've harvested entire worlds of aether/life force if it meant I could have one more 5 minute conversation with her. Erenville and Cahciua's final moments together had me sobbing hard.

[@alternative_five]

MSQ obiously wasnt going to be as good as Shadowbringers or Endwalker BUT it wasnt bad Either and it ended up really good. i still consider it better than ARR and Stormblood at least haha. HOWEVER fight design has been just super super good dungeon and trials have been so fun and they really tried some new mechanics with some of the fights so thats looking good for the rest of the expansion.

[@Metroidguy94]

As I was playing through this area, I got reminded of my grandma, who passed not too long after I moved to where I am now. I had to take a moment to sit by a body of water to process my feelings - I think it might have been the ocean towards the edge of town, and water typically is a source of comfort to me. Unprompted, someone who had just finished the same cutscene sat down next to me and kept me company while I cried my eyes out. We'd never met before, but they took the time to sit with me while I processed things. We didn't say a word. Looking back, we probably didn't need to, but I wish I'd taken the time to properly thank them. This zone is a *lot*. It really makes you wrestle with death, and loss, and letting go. And it tears your heart into pieces while you do it.

[@acadianalien]

Yeah man same, my grandma was 2 weeks before Dawntrail so the Namika quest was pretty emotional.

[@AzahVT]

Heartbroken to agree. I also lost my grandmother and the Namikka stuff absolutely destroyed my heart. What I would give to speak to her at least one more time.

[@Chobittsu]

Living Memory is the one place that I refuse to go now that I've finished the MSQ. I dont' care if theres important crafting materials to be had there, I don't care if theres FATEs or content or anything there... I'm not going back. Even Ultima Thule isn't this sad.

[@Ron1840]

What I would do to spend one more day with the one I lost and is 24 hours enough time? This zone messed me up but I love it for that, awesome expansion

[@Aethereality]

I feel this soooooooooooo much. The events at the first terminal definitely messed me up. How I wish I could have had one last chat with some dearly departed loved ones.

[@misanthropiclusion]

@@Aethereality it being g'raha the one that makes that talk means a lot too

[@MapleLunii]

2:32 is so beautifully sad

[@Can_O_Crayola]

The opening of New Vegas' Old World Blues expansion really paints a picture about this place and Sphene's worldview. Doctor Mobius: "There is an expression in the Wasteland: "Old World Blues."" Doctor Klein: "It refers to those so obsessed with the past they can't see the present, much less the future, for what it is." Doctor Dala: "They stare into the what-was, eyes like pilot lights, guttering and spent, as the realities of their world continue on around them." Doctor O: "Science is a long, steady progression into the future. What may seem a sudden event often isn't felt for years, even centuries, to come."

[@Xehnas]

The worst joke I have made in recent memory while waiting for the snake to spawn in Shaaloani was when someone said "Maybe the real Snake was the friends we met along the way!", to which I replied, "Nah we lost those in Living Memory."

[@TheChandraraj12]

If this was in mateus then I think I saw that exchange

[@Xehnas]

@@TheChandraraj12 Nah Adamantoise sadly, it was in a party chat cause I didnt wanna spoil it for the bigger group.

[@leaflemon1765]

I am reluctant to run the shared fates here after having finished. To have it so empty…it’s even worse than dead ends emotion wise

[@Wishmaster787]

When you first enter the zone it feels safe and comforting but after shutting down all the terminals the place becomes nightmare fuel.

[@ReveredDead]

I hated this part of the expansion. Wasted entire zone...

[@lulkaku]

To be forgotten is worse than death….

[@crownmemory6945]

the Japanese name for Dawntrail expansion name is 黄金のレガシー (ougon no legacy/the golden legacy) This place is summed that name pretty well. The legacies we bear from all those people we met in this place.......

[@nebula8851]

Please, PLEASE don't revert this, Square Enix. Just let it be. Let this zone serve as a lasting reminder of what we had to do to save our world, and of the people we lost doing so.

[@teyrns]

Oh you KNOW we're going to do just that with an Allied Society quest or some other mundane patch activity. As if they'd waste a map like that.

[@omensoffate]

Ah yes square enix couldn’t think of anything else and just did the same expansion zone twice in a row

[@MetanteiTriforce]

I agree-with one exception. IF this place was returned to Solution Nine, and lit up in its colors, I’d be ok with that thematically. A place that once housed their dead, a conservatory for plants and rides telling them about their pasts, from comforting the dead to being given new life in the hands of the living…I could be satisfied with that. But I want to earn it, hard.

[@lorennelson2950]

The Golden City is Amaurot if anything. Not Ultima Thule.

[@MetanteiTriforce]

@@lorennelson2950 Tbh I see it being parts of both-the style and weight of Amaurot, and the heavy burden of the task set to you in Ultima Thule.

[@Flashchocobo]

From the team describing this expansion as a "Summer Vacation" and for this to be the end zone feeling like Twilight Town.... man. This hit in the feels, we are 3 for 3 on final zones making me cry, I really shouldn't have expected less.

[@TheMaxCloud]

It was the end of the summer vacation Goddsmnit I never got that wtf

[@malaki7123]

This song turns me into an absolute emotional mess in a way that only Frederick Chopin's Tristesse is able to. I almost want to think this is Masayoshi Soken trying to communicate lingering feelings he might have had while and after he was hospitalized.

[@jeniffer7799]

exactly that. Soken's music is like a language to me. He's trying to express his feelings.

[@lucasdude]

this part broke me. made me think of people ive lost in my life, including a friend very recently. made me feel sad about those ive lost, but happy that i ever had them in my life & have such fond memories of them that i keep close.

[@scarface51393]

The fact that they tell you after shutting things down it can’t be reversed hits different. Now it’s just a cold city looks so odd without the gold hue reminds me of that space world from end walker where everything is dark and distant and the music is eerie. However this was great

[@ryanrushford7918]

I love this song so much and I pretty much always cry when I hear or listen to it. The impact of the zone and story itself but thinking of loved ones and family that are no longer here makes it hit like a truck.

[@Oppurtunafish]

I know some people will hate this area for being like an ultima thule rehash but it elicited a very different feeling from me. Deactivating the sections was really quite depressing. It reminded me of leaving a foreign theme park at the end of a long day of fun, knowing i may not ever return, and having all these memories to cherish. Which is a really unusual feeling to get from a video game, but for that i will remember it differently from previous expansion final zones. A real bittersweet moment

[@redcloud16]

When you get the first message to shut down the water tower and it says you cant go back; i almost couldnt continue. I left and wandered around a bit more; and then when i did it, it broke me. and then it broke me each time after. and im about to break again typing this out. this fuckin area wrecked me.

[@Dras7]

I think this was more interesting than ultima Thule, it's up there with the tempest as best last zone imo.

[@ThingsStuffington]

It's kinda the thematic opposite of Ultima Thule.

[@MonkeyDRicky]

This song has been on repeat all day as I level up my gatherers/crafters. Love this theme.

[@Soooooooooooonicable]

HAYNER!! PENCE!! OLETTE!!!!

[@JC-cv3up]

Looks like my summer vacation is… over

[@月海-w1o]

Good job XIV. You again successfully made me feel like I lost something

[@ReveredDead]

I never want to see Wuk lamat again.

[@lightofthelives]

​@@ReveredDead ?

[@Screensmosh]

For some reason this song reminds me of traverse town from Kingdom Hearts

[@LysFlowerful]

For me it was twilight town, first part of the song is quite similar ! + the golden colour of Living Memory fits quite well

[@aerialdive]

it reminds me of twilight town

[@vipillai775]

Yeah reminds me too much of

[@teyrns]

​@@LysFlowerful Also filled with data-based copies of the original people!

[@camerons.4877]

This zone reminded me a lot of Disney world and of Twilight Town from KH. my sister, who passed about 4 years ago, and I used to go to Disney a lot and were huge fans of KH growing up so when I first loaded into the zone it made me feel a little bittersweet, but overall happy. But man oh fucking man when I saw the first message that it would go away forever after progressing. This zone destroyed me. I walk around for about an hour before progressing just bawling my eyes out

[@TheMaxCloud]

same after that message of it going away forever I started walking around almost crying and tsking photos of places before advancing, and then... It all went away, with no more music at all

[@SA-dm4br]

I feel the most memorable part of Dawntrail for me was the final section before heading into the final dungeon with this track playing. Manly salty tears.

[@wreday720]

For all the shit Dawntrail is getting, this whole section absolutely nailed it. The music, the atmosphere, how temporary it all is. This is going to stick with people for the rest of their lives, just like Ultima Thule

[@21xrocket]

It sounds so melancholic…

[@90sallthewaybaby]

Walking next to every NPC to see their dialogue made this song SO much heavier on my heart. What a masterpiece of emotions that were put into this song. 😢

[@Voidgear1]

Words cannot describe how emotional I was going through this zone full of bittersweet farewells. The music reminds me a lot of Twilight Town from Kingdom Hearts. The city itself is a mixture of Twilight Town & Zanarkand for me, but I am aware that it's mostly FF9 related.

[@FrozenSolid90]

While doing the MSQ, the fact that the music actually stops playing in parts where you've turned the terminals off is a very good touch the zone... They do bring in a new zone music after finishing the MSQ, but just going through the grey lifeless areas in complete silence was definitely something else.

[@BunnychanFarabee]

Yoshi P's ultimate "fuck you" to the gposing community.

[@elbant64]

Activate any New Game + from previous xpacs and it goes back to the way it was Happy gposing!

[@danielkallman8614]

@@elbant64wait really!?!?

[@captaine-niscookie3406]

@@danielkallman8614 just be sure to unlock flight beforehand lol

[@danielkallman8614]

@@captaine-niscookie3406 omg it actually works!!!

[@captaine-niscookie3406]

@@danielkallman8614 3 of the travel NPCs don't work in NG+ though, just a heads-up

[@Ridley369]

To the people who never played FFIX, half of this entire expansion will be completely lost on you. Especially this.

[@lanisolfire5692]

This place solidified dt as my favorite expansion

[@splashgaming2143]

Made me cry more than endwalker and shadowbringers. What I wouldn't do to see my loved ones again...

[@ゆび-d6t]

これクリア後行くとBGMが残響しててとても好き

[@pawrsley]

Listening to this choke me up. It hurts that I can't revisit the place and see it as it once was; vibrant and full of "life". And knowing that I'm responsible for it being so gray and lonely feels a little like I'm being kicked while I'm down.

[@Xarale]

If you go into New Game+ and pick any previous expansion (ie. Stormblood) and then come back to this area, it'll be completely reverted back to its old, vibrant state. It's obviously only a temporary solution, but it will at least let you revisit the place the way it once was!

[@fusioncaliburthelast2261]

even the name has meaning. bygone serenity, to say goodbye to the peace and past we once held

[@debrucey]

This really sounds like a classic Uematsu theme

[@gmb3682]

Living Memory and Amaurot are the best zones in the game

[@AuroDHikoshi]

Living memory is the WoL's amaurot

[@Yokai_Yuri]

Honestly, this area had so much feel in it. It was beautiful but super sad at the same time.

[@LargeToastie]

Genuinely incredible execution of story themes through a zone. I was sad whenever I had to shut down another zone, but things won't last forever. Things must die. Life was one of the major themes of this expansion. Whenever you go through this area for crafting you may feel sad, but you will remember. Remember that they once lived.

[@CallMeNoa]

Heavy Twilight Town vibes, I love it.

[@VioletNightmare]

This one hurts so much...

[@castoputa]

Fucked me right up, I love this game

[@Rakka5]

What a profoundly melancholic and beautiful song and zone.

[@Scionofgreyhaven]

This zone destroyed me, it was so beautiful in every way

[@Krysta1Rose]

Feel like shit just want my old Living Memory back 😢

[@Will-sb4hf]

Messed me up really good like Amarout did.

[@NotTheWheel]

There had to be another way. Dynamis. Something. The people there didn't get to choose to go. I understand it is wrong to trap them in purgatory away from the aetherial sea as saved digital copies and assimilating worlds for more storage. I just feel like we could have done more, so much more.

[@Sonnabend00]

We cannot live on in memory..pale ghosts of who we were. Those that pass do live on, in our hearts and in our souls., But what we saw was a travesty..and in the end its preservation would come at a cost of thousands of other deaths. The living must not be sacrificed to give eternal existence to those who belong in the aetherial sea. We had no choice.

[@NotTheWheel]

@@Sonnabend00 Very true these remnants need to be returned to the Aetherial sea. And Living Memory is a purgatory of sorts. Even still there could have been different ways to approach it.

[@setzstone]

@@NotTheWheel There could have narratively, but this is the narrative the writers wanted to tell. They wanted the player to feel this sense of loss and saying goodbye and giving them a way to deal with perhaps unresolved pain they were harboring. They did the same with despair in Ultima Thule. How do you move forward when you feel like you've lost everything? Living Memory asks you to do something similar- let those you love go and remember the beautiful things they brought to your life.

[@JCRXV]

The second half of Dawntrail up to this point was what really kept my interest. For me, I lost interest in Lamatyi. But the key takeaway from this whole experience is remembrance. Everything and everyone you've met along the journey to this point is about honoring their legacies but never truly to the point that it becomes your focus to keep those people alive in a metaphysical manner. I think it really hits home that when you're helping all the Endless lingering behind to help them realize their true purposes in life and that by helping them you've helped them be at ease knowing that their legacies are preserved. Though the Alxeandrians are a reflection of Allag, these people truly had a good heart in mind and a ruler who wanted nothing more than to keep her people alive and happy no matter how justified. Thanks, Square, for an emotional journey and rest in peace, Otis and Cahciua ❤

[@PKRocking90]

Both my grandmother and grandfather passed away a week apart in July. So reaching this segment of the MSQ did a critical hit on me. Kudos to the team.

[@bryanstillman2125]

So gorgeous. I'd first picked out this melody from the launch trailer and had been waiting the whole msq to hear it. I broke down when I got to Living Memory, and there it was.

[@RisfelVT]

Was this theme composed by Yoko Shimomura??

[@Cloudeusz]

Definitely nailed the nostalgia feel. Reminded me of the first time I played kingdom hearts on my DS

[@jeniffer7799]

God. I would LOVE if you could somehow restore this area. But at the same time... no, it would be wrong.

[@AgentSilv]

Technically you can if you activate NG+ with any of the older expansion stories This also brings back the Everlasting Light in Shadowbringers