Reacting to "Thou Must Live, Die, and Know" Venat Cutscene | FFXIV Endwalker MSQ

[@MissLilianae]

This might just be me: but the flashes of Venat/Hydalaen walking with us towards Emet-Selch/Hades is something they included because people were so convinced we were just a pawn to an Elder Primal (which Hydalaen is), but that cements it that she was there for us. Walking with us every step of the journey. Preparing us for what was to come and what we had to do. And it was done in a such a phenomenal way ;_;

[@deth2munkies]

I interpreted it differently. I interpreted it as that being the time when we finally understood her. Facing a foe you can't possibly beat while your very soul is close to breaking is how she's felt for thousands of years and she still pressed on. You being able to do that meant you were ready, you understood, now you must carry it forward.

[@MissLilianae]

@deth2munkies fair, I forgot to mention in my original comment that I believe the flashes of her taking damage on the walk was also her taking damage for us, like when Gaius fired Ultima. That's what made me think it was more about her walking with us, than us understanding one another.

[@bmpk7473]

@@deth2munkies She also explicitly says that our stories of strength helped keep her on the path, and since the entire cutscene is a sort of cinematic retelling rather than an exact accounting it tracks pretty specifically with as her having followed with us in every step taking hits for us as she could, all furthering the goal of keeping everything lined up so both her and our knowledge remains in the closed loop all that to say, everyone here is right because it's intentionally left open to interpretation what exactly was meant by the visuals, but with how she specifically tells us that our stories to her kept her strong throughout her thousands of years, and it shows her taking hits with the rejoinings and then walking "with" us in moments where we were "finding a way to push forward when all strength has left you"~ she's basically saying that we gave her strength and she gave us hers. I think it happening when we were completely filled with light and she was very weak already is all alluding to that TL;DR between her taking hits from the rejoinings and saving us from certain death, it shows her walking alongside both humanity and us specifically to stay strong on the path to allow us to get where we needed to go, so we could put all the pieces in place and take the next steps.

[@Fryz2511]

I never thought they would be able to top the cutscene between Amarout and the Hades fight in 5.0, but this one right here is what did it

[@OmegaGuess]

"What about my WOL's Mental Health" Honestly, this is something I kinda love about the progression. Your friends have gone from ARR's mentality of basically treating you as an anti-Primal cannon to point at the nearest thing that needs to die and leave it to that, to EW having people both checking in with you regularly, and lamenting over the fact that they SHOULD NOT be having to place this burden on you, but have to. It's done quite well, in my opinion.

[@igorchtidtah8050]

I've lost count of how many times I've watched this cutscene, well over a dozen times, and I still get teary-eyed every time

[@Justin-sj5of]

"Hythlo's goodbye", when you talk to Hythlo's shade in ShB 5.0 at the "DMV", you see a cutscene where Emet is walking through Amaurot. He stops to look at 2 shades talking in the street. One of them makes the hand symbol you see Hythlo does in this cutscene. And now you know exactly what Emet was thinking about when you confronted him at the end of Shadowbringers.

[@anonymousxaela761]

I just reached that part, and the shade does not make that gesture.

[@toastee5421]

@@anonymousxaela761awkward

[@MyriadFragments]

It's even better since 'Answers' is playing in the background. With Venat being the previous Azem, she is quite literally 'Those who walked before' leading us, 'who walked after'. The song is incredibly apropriate to pretty much everything we're shown in Endwalker.

[@Lrbearclaw]

It's amazing how after every new expansion, "Answers" got more weight behind the lyrics and now the song hits COMPLETELY differently than it did pre-Shb and again pre-EW.

[@Restilia_ch]

It is as the name says, the answer. The answer to Meteion's question.

[@Dhalin]

And of course how Venat's dialogue goes right with the lyrics, and even quotes the lyrics in some places. And even some of the quest names in Elpis are quoting the lyrics to Answers lol

[@psymar]

Yep. "Now open your eyes as our plight is repeated." What plight is being repeated? The Final Days.

[@st3vorocks290]

Dude, after this cutscene I was like "Venat is my queen, and I am her Paladin. For her sake, I will murder each and every one of you if she bids me to." XD XD

[@mr.mystere4999]

There were two instances in the Endwalker MSQ where I literally had to stop playing so my mind could process what I just witnessed. This was the second.

[@TheImmortalRin]

Zodiark was the first in guessing?

[@absollum]

My break happened after the scene with Matsuya running. They already killed a child, a baby is just one step below.

[@mr.mystere4999]

@@TheImmortalRin No, it was the whole sequence with Matsya and the baby whose parents were killed.

[@TheImmortalRin]

@@mr.mystere4999 oh that's fair yeah

[@jsmth99]

One of the saddest things is, Hythlodeus was supposed to take Hades´ place as Emet-Selch. As a member of the 14 he would not have been sacrificed. So in Emet´s eyes, he is responsible for Hythlodeus being sacrificed for Zodiark´s creation.

[@loomingdeath1758]

That makes even more sense. Once you saw that look in his eyes. You knew his world finally came crashing down. It was at that moment he knew just how screwed up everything was.

[@specialnewb9821]

@@loomingdeath1758 the sorrow carved into his face.

[@loomingdeath1758]

@@specialnewb9821 Yeah like bruh that man whole world shattered. It was one thing for others to sacrifice their lives but it hits home when its someone you can call family, friend, and comrade that it hits different.

[@cynreiusacari3163]

Plus the impact their soul sight has as a guarantee to bring back everyone that was sacrificed. If Hyth took the seat I imagine everyone would have been convinced to rejoin.

[@melissas4874]

I don't think Hythlo was chosen to be a sacrifice. He said his purpose was to help Emet - I think he chose it to help Emet and the convocation. That's why Emet is upset.

[@jsmth99]

He was chosen to be sacrificed, he is a ghost in Emet's recreation of Amaurot and he is one of the ghosts on the moon when you go to fight Zodiark. The main reason why Hades is so upset is that Hythlodeus was supposed to take seat of Emet-Selch, but he refused and convinced the Convocation to promote Hades. If he was one of the 14 he would not have been sacrificed. So in a roundabout way, Hades becoming Emet-Selch led to Hythlodeus dying.

[@CrashB111]

@@jsmth99 Nobody was "chosen" to be sacrificed to Zodiark, 1/2 of their population willingly surrendered their lives to fuel his summoning. It was all voluntary.

[@specialnewb9821]

Yeah, Emet is trying convince him to stick around and help but you know Hythlo is saying something like "I'm only good at sight, I can do most to help from inside Zodiark! You got this best buddy!"

[@criticaljohnson]

Yeah...remember what Hythlodaeus said in Elpis, when Emet Selch was teaching the charybdis how to fly? That his goal, rather than something he wanted to do for himself or for the world, was to help his two best friends, Azem and Emet Selch, achieve their own dreams. That would be his greatest contribution to the world. So when the Final Days came, he chose to sacrifice himself so that the world and his friends would live on.

[@Dhalin]

@@jsmth99 Remember what Emet-Selch said just before the Amaurot dungeon back in ShB: "Do you think that half of your people would _choose_ to sacrifice themselves to protect the world? Of course they wouldn't!" It was indeed 100% voluntary, Emet wouldn't have said that otherwise.

[@loomingdeath1758]

The scene really hits hard once you understand the Song for Answers, The connection of Venat, Emet, WOL, Azem, and Hythlodeus. To add insult to injury due to him losing his memory of past days you were here. Like many said He would see Venat as the enemy for years to come. Everything being done sunder or not was truly for the safety of the stars. As such is the power of mankind to walk forward to achievement that which the ancients couldn't even do. Mankind has potential to succeed the ancients in every way. Venat actions can be seen as cruel if not down right evil. Yet for her deeds, for her suffering she endured, she has given mankind the mean to fight an even greater evil.

[@nephtys369]

12:16 the pain and disappointment on her face here.

[@stephbenson7340]

"This is what you wanted, Fandaniel!" Yes, but he doesn't know that :)

[@StaceyRPG]

:,)

[@Bikutolu]

While a lot of people commet on Emmet and Hythlo's moment, the thing that makes it more heartbreaking for me is how it paints Emmet alone. He, Hythlo and Azem was so close as friends that they intended to return to the star together. And instead, Hythlo opted to sacrifice himself to Zodiark, which hurts and upsets him. And Azem rejected the plan (and the forming of Hydaelyn) to find an solution that wouldn't need to sacrifice anyone, and didn't return. It's quite understandable how Emmet would be upset on Azem for this, sense not only could it feel like Azem abandond them, but it made light of Hythlo's sacrifice. And in the end, they wound up separated in ways that could not truly reunite for a long, long time.

[@TallWartortle]

*Super dramatic scene happening. Words of heartfelt sorrow yet peeking with hope....* *Meanwhile the streamer* "HEY WELCOME GUYS! YAALL SHOULD TOTS FOLLOW THAT OTHER STREAMER AND STUFF!"

[@AzraelTheGamerCat]

Ive seen this cutscene a hundred times and I still burst into tears every single time.

[@seekittycat]

Everytime "her blessing" saves us all the way from Ultima weapon she tanks another hit for us T_T

[@oliver5491]

No. It's a completely symbolical/methapoircal scene, not directly correlating with real event like "calamities" or her protecting us during MSQ as such. The "hits" as you said; it's her carrying the burden of her actions. Since she sundered the star, the people are more susceptible to pain, sorrow, and despair.

[@oliver5491]

Someone summarized it perfectly; I took i as a metaphor for the suffering she endured as a consequence of her actions. To the ancients, she is the villain. They were trying to restore their precious paradise, and Venat said, "No, from here on out you will suffer for a lifetime and then die whether you want to or not". Her being "hit" and being covered in the dark taint is symbolic of her taking on that pain, the suffering of billions and billions of people, but stills he kept walking forward to see her deed through to the end.

[@specialnewb9821]

@Oliver both physical and emotional. So it is the agony of dooming billions to suffering, and fear as they die but it also is as the will of the star the various hurts the star endures which is ALSO a consequence of her choices. Symbolic of both.

[@Ower8x]

The Beauty of a symbolic scenes is there are always multiple valid interpretation ...

[@oliver5491]

@@Ower8x it would be the case if the "symbolism" showed 7 hits in terms of calamities. This is a stretch and there is much easier explanation

[@Ramotttholl]

the only thing missing from this section is showing where Emet and few others where that they avoided the sundering.

[@jengogonar]

This cutscene still gets me x_x

[@StaceyRPG]

Same :,)

[@vadagget]

She's taking all those hits from the calamities

[@StaceyRPG]

Yeah I realize it now hahaha when I was watching it live it was a lot to take in 😅

[@oliver5491]

No. It's a completely symbolical/methapoircal scene, not directly correlating with real event like "calamities" as such. Actually, WHY would she be concerned by calamities? Its not like they affect her personally. The "hits" as you said; it's her carrying the burden of her actions. Since she sundered the star, the people are more susceptible to pain, sorrow, and despair.

[@oliver5491]

Someone summarized it perfectly; I took i as a metaphor for the suffering she endured as a consequence of her actions. To the ancients, she is the villain. They were trying to restore their precious paradise, and Venat said, "No, from here on out you will suffer for a lifetime and then die whether you want to or not". Her being "hit" and being covered in the dark taint is symbolic of her taking on that pain, the suffering of billions and billions of people, but stills he kept walking forward to see her deed through to the end.

[@thew00dsman79]

@@oliver5491 every time a Rejoining occurred, she grew weaker, and Zodiark stronger, so they did affect her strength

[@oliver5491]

@@thew00dsman79 still the whole "sundering scene" where she wonders around cataclysmic amourot is symbolical (emet and hythlo appearing and stuff) so latter cutscene also is symbolical; not meant to portray some real stuff