Patch 7.3 is a turning point for Final Fantasy 14, since this is where you see the next big shift in the narrative. In FF14, patches continue adding new content between expansions, with specific patch numbers adding sections to the main storyline. However, the X.3 patch for each expansion is unique, as this is when the story of the current expansion actually wraps up and you begin to see the narrative of the next expansion being set up. That means that the 7.3 patch tied up the loose ends of Dawntrail and starts leading you into the narrative of the next expansion, which has yet to be revealed.
Since this article talks about the very end of 7.3’s MSQ, you might want to turn back now if you haven’t finished that section and want to avoid spoilers. Otherwise, it’s time to dive into what the return of these villains means for FF14, especially with the current position that the group is in.
The end of the last cutscene for 7.3’s MSQ gives you a glimpse of the iconic Ascian robes, making it rather obvious that they’re going to be involved in events moving forward. However, the leaders of the Ascians are not about to come back alongside the normal Ascians without a lot of explanations being required.
Previously, the Ascians operated with Lahabrea, Elidibus, and Emet-Selch as their leaders since they were the only three who remained unsundered after Hydaelyn and Zodiark fought. All three of them are either dead or trapped in a way that isn’t about to allow them to participate in the events of the MSQ anymore, unless there’s a lot that happened off-screen that you haven’t been told about yet.
Of course, there are still some Ascians who haven’t been seen on-screen yet. The problem becomes what their plan is, since they don’t have leaders and they might not have the manpower left to pull off big plans like the rejoinings. On top of that, the stones that would be used to restore memories to the sundered Ascians when their latest reincarnation was found are likely still with Elidibus in the Crystal Tower, so it would be more difficult than before for the Ascians to have that many people in their group now.
You also have to consider what their end goal could even be at this point. Trying to restore Zodiark isn’t going to happen anymore, as the Warrior of Light defeated the biggest shard of Zodiark in the first trial of Endwalker. Unlike the unsundered Ascians, the current Ascians wouldn’t exactly remember what Etheirys was like when everybody’s soul was whole, so it feels safe to assume that the rejoinings for that sake aren’t their end goal either. With the usual reasons dismissed as being unlikely, it seems like their goal could simply be retaliation against the Scions for ruining their plans multiple times, or they’ve gone mad like Fandaniel and just want to cause chaos.
This is the part where it’s difficult to tell how bringing Ascians back will shake out in the long term. Given the way that Dawntrail was received rather negatively, you’ve seen the developers start to change course since the decisions made for Dawntrail ended up being clearly what players didn’t want. Plus, the villains that you have in Dawntrail are basically taken care of by the end of the expansion and its patches, with the exception of Calyx, who’s apparently working with the Ascians. So, no matter what, you would’ve seen a new villain or villainous group pop up around this point in the patch cycle. The fact that it ended up being the Ascians is interesting.
Ascians have been part of every base expansion except for Dawntrail, in which they’ve only now appeared in 7.3. Thanks to the personalities of Lahabrea, Elidibus, and Emet-Selch, the Ascians became fan-favorite characters, not just favorite villains. So, with the player base in a place where many are unsubscribing and growing uninterested in the current state of the game, it feels like a natural decision to bring back villains that were popular. Now, the question is if this will pay off, or if it’ll come off as a decision made for the sake of fan service.
Hopefully, the Ascians are going to be used in ways that are interesting and fresh instead of trying to replicate the Ascians of past expansions, since repeating previous villainous plots grows old. Right now, there’s not enough known about the return of the Ascians to make guesses regarding what their goals are and how that will help shape the next narrative arc of FF14, but from what is known about the state of the Ascians and their losses from the previous expansions, bringing them back might not make the most sense overall.
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