Mage (WHM/BLM and the like!) Q/A

[FreelanceWizard]

Does anyone have some lore evidence of the Elementals turning off Succor like a switch?

 

I believe Raya-O-Senna says something to this effect at the end of the level 30 WHM job quest -- something that's more or less, "if you abuse this power, the elementals will tear it away from you" -- but, IMO, we need to look at that through the lens of who's saying it and overall context of the quest. She could truly believe that, or she could mostly believe that but be trying to bully the Adventurer, who she doesn't like and doesn't trust.

 

To an earlier point, I don't think anyone here is saying the elementals are powerless (I'm certainly not), but it's repeatedly pointed out in 2.0's MSQ, side quests, and the world itself that the elementals are greatly diminished as a result of the Calamity. Powerless, no; significantly weakened so that they're not the terrifying threat of 1.0, seemingly yes. There's several good reasons why Succor is a rather unlikely thing for a person to have IC, but I've never felt the actions of the elementals were a particularly strong one with where the story currently is.

 

Oh, and the soul stones containing the memories, knowledge, and deeds of previous wielders is in their description in game. That part also factors into the SMN job quest, and to a lesser degree, the MNK and NIN ones. That doesn't mean the circumstances around that one specific soul stone in the WHM job quest line aren't different, particularly given the lore panel confirmation that the way the Adventurer becomes a White Mage is the one and only time that's happened, but in general, that's what soul stones do.

 

EDIT: The issues with the caster lore is why I usually recommend people phrase a mage character concept where the exact mechanism is important to their story as, "I (heal, create, summon, destroy, etc.) using practices rooted in the art of (thaumaturgy, conjury, arcanima)" and not get too worried about the exact classes and Jobs.

[TheLastCandle]

What do you mean what does 1.0 have to do with 2.0? The Calamity was 1.0... does that mean it does not exist because it is now 2.0? I don't understand. This is the lore of the world as of five years ago. Just because every bit of 1.0 lore has not resurfaced immediately into 2.0 does not mean that it ceases to exist?

 

Much of 1.0 was officially retconned and dusted up under the rug. If it is not mention in 2.0, it's not of importance. If it does get mentioned, then sure, I'll change my mind, but until that point, it's an exercise in futility and expecting the community to know about it, much less actually give any thought or regard to matter, is frankly absurd. We can't play 1.0 anymore and SQX doesn't want us to remember it; there IS a reason 2.0 is so seamless in its presentation and this would be why.

 

Much of 1.0 was not officially retconned except for those things the developers have stated outright. I don't see why we're to assume that because a tidbit of previous lore hasn't come up in the course of the story (yet) that it's no longer fact. References to events that happened during quests in 1.0 are plentiful, especially for Legacy players, and most post-ARR players will miss them entirely unless they've done a little research or mind-melded with Sounsyy.

[Sin]

What do you mean what does 1.0 have to do with 2.0? The Calamity was 1.0... does that mean it does not exist because it is now 2.0? I don't understand. This is the lore of the world as of five years ago. Just because every bit of 1.0 lore has not resurfaced immediately into 2.0 does not mean that it ceases to exist?

 

Much of 1.0 was officially retconned and dusted up under the rug. If it is not mention in 2.0, it's not of importance. If it does get mentioned, then sure, I'll change my mind, but until that point, it's an exercise in futility and expecting the community to know about it, much less actually give any thought or regard to matter, is frankly absurd. We can't play 1.0 anymore and SQX doesn't want us to remember it; there IS a reason 2.0 is so seamless in its presentation and this would be why.

 

 

I don't think much of 1.0 was officially retconned anymore than the original Warcrafts were retconned when World of Warcraft came out.

 

It's still the same world which makes everything in 1.0 canon until 2.0 states its not. Not the other way around.

 

Does anyone have some lore evidence of the Elementals turning off Succor like a switch?

 

I believe Raya-O-Senna says something to this effect at the end of the level 30 WHM job quest -- something that's more or less, "if you abuse this power, the elementals will tear it away from you" -- but, IMO, we need to look at that through the lens of who's saying it and overall context of the quest. She could truly believe that, or she could mostly believe that but be trying to bully the Adventurer, who she doesn't like and doesn't trust.

 

That's interesting. Hmmm, definitely could be a bit of fearmongering or ignorance. It could also be literal tearing... as in sending wood animals to tear out your heart.

[Aduu Avagnar]

What do you mean what does 1.0 have to do with 2.0? The Calamity was 1.0... does that mean it does not exist because it is now 2.0? I don't understand. This is the lore of the world as of five years ago. Just because every bit of 1.0 lore has not resurfaced immediately into 2.0 does not mean that it ceases to exist?

 

Much of 1.0 was officially retconned and dusted up under the rug. If it is not mention in 2.0, it's not of importance. If it does get mentioned, then sure, I'll change my mind, but until that point, it's an exercise in futility and expecting the community to know about it, much less actually give any thought or regard to matter, is frankly absurd. We can't play 1.0 anymore and SQX doesn't want us to remember it; there IS a reason 2.0 is so seamless in its presentation and this would be why.

 

Some Jobs actually use the Soul Crystal to pass on the knowledge of the skills involved in the Job (Scholar is, in a way, one of them, since the Soul Crystal carries the Fairy who bypasses the learning you'd otherwise have had to go through to master Scholar abilities).  White Mage is not one of them.  The Soul Crystal you receive during the quest doesn't have the knowledge of White Magic in it.  It simply marks you as A-Towa-Can'ts chosen heir and provides you with the in to learn Succor from the Seedseer siblings.

 

And it has been mentioned in-game.

 

Except that's not all you find out from Raya-O-Senna, and that's a tiny, tiny portion of the Lore surrounding White Magic and Amdapor.

 

That's why the PC holds up their soul crystal every time they learn a new skill, right? I mean, it happens every five levels regardless of which job you're playing as.

 

Please, show us where in-game with some screenshots.

 

Except that's not all you find out from Raya-O-Senna, and that's a tiny, tiny portion of the Lore surrounding White Magic and Amdapor.

 

Once again, give us proof. I don't recall it at all and I've always paid a great deal of attention to job quests.

 

I've never said you can't play a White Mage, dear.  You can play whatever you want.  I reserve the right to say, "Hey, that doesn't fit Lore."  If that pisses you off, I'm sorry, but it is the truth.  You have the power to do whatever you want in the game.  That is entirely your decision and absolutely no one else can tell you that you can't do something.  But we can disagree with you and point out that you are mistaken about the justifications you are making for your RP, from a Lore perspective.

 

I don't even play a white mage anymore, so why are you turning this on me?

 

And really? 'Dear'? Could you be any more flagrantly condescending?

 

You can disagree if you want, but please do us all a favor and bring something other than hearsay. Show me in the game where it's referred to, otherwise you're just arguing for the sake.

 

And does every White Mage discussion have to devolve into "Why won't you play with me?" and get turned into a big ol fight over who's "elitist" and who's not?

 

Truth is, I don't want to RP with you, Liadan, Nako, etc. I find your collective approach to RP stifling, restrictive, patronizing and counter-intuitive to the experience at a base level and I will not tolerate anyone bullying a new player away from playing a classic Final Fantasy job that's been there from the very first game, not when there's a number of legitimate possibilities that make it plausible.

 

Heaven forbid we welcome people with open arms as opposed to shunning them for something completely and utterly inane. Treat people as we'd like to be treated, etc. Is that really so hard to understand?

no is bullying anyone against playing it, rather, we are choosing to say that, if we are incompatable, we reserve our right to not rp with someone. No one is policing RP, no one is saying not to RP what you want, just that we, personally do not see how it can work in lore.

 

And as I have always said, if you can make it work, in a feasible matter, then fine, lets do that shit. The only restriction I put on my rp is that the person I RP with has put in at least some effort to follow what is presented. If that means that I RP with less people, then fine, so be it.

 

Also, I don't remember reading anywhere about the lore from 1.0 being retconned. Please, present us with your proof on this.

[ArmachiA]

Does anyone have some lore evidence of the Elementals turning off Succor like a switch?

 

I believe Raya-O-Senna says something to this effect at the end of the level 30 WHM job quest -- something that's more or less, "if you abuse this power, the elementals will tear it away from you" -- but, IMO, we need to look at that through the lens of who's saying it and overall context of the quest. She could truly believe that, or she could mostly believe that but be trying to bully the Adventurer, who she doesn't like and doesn't trust.

That's what I'm referring to yeah. It could be a case of unreliable narrator, which is fine, but it makes sense to me that if the Elementals can gift it, they can surely take it away. We know the Padjal can use the Succor only because the Elementals say they can - what we don't know is if there's a way to get around the Elementals for that. For this, I prefer to be safe until the devs tell us otherwise.

 

Truth is, I don't want to RP with you, Liadan, Nako, etc. I find your collective approach to RP stifling, restrictive, patronizing and counter-intuitive to the experience at a base level and I will not tolerate anyone bullying a new player away from playing a classic Final Fantasy job that's been there from the very first game, not when there's a number of legitimate possibilities that make it plausible.

 

Heaven forbid we welcome people with open arms as opposed to shunning them for something completely and utterly inane. Treat people as we'd like to be treated, etc. Is that really so hard to understand?

That's not bullying. If you think preferences are bullying then I don't know what to tell you.

 

I don't think I've ever harassed anyone nor made any newcomer feel unwelcome. I run a guild, a very large guild, and so you know how many people have gotten mad when I say we don't allow IC WHMs at this time? Zero. Even new players don't care that much. I explain the lore, they shrug and ask if they can still heal and I say yeah, because Conjury does the job 99% of the time.

 

There is a huge difference between "These are the rules that we follow" and "You are forced to follow my rules even if you don't play in my sandbox." The irony of this whole thing is you are being completely intolerant of the views of those who want to follow lore, while spouting that we are being intolerant by letting you play whatever you want.

[Kage]

but it makes sense to me that if the Elementals can gift it, they can surely take it away. We know the Padjal can use the Succor only because the Elementals say they can - what we don't know is if there's a way to get around the Elementals for that. For this, I prefer to be safe until the devs tell us otherwise.

Wouldn't the Elementals have taken Succor away though, if they could have instead of the big flood? Granted the WHM were only half of the situation but they were still 50% causing the "end".

[Coatleque]

Treat people as we'd like to be treated, etc. Is that really so hard to understand?

 

If I was coming into a pre-existing community built around a game world that was created with clearly defined backstory/lore, I would be eager to learn the "rules" of the world I was about to play, and would hope someone would immediately tell me if I was about to shit in their cereal. That is how I would want to be treated. It's called common courtesy.

[Proud Dahlia]

Does anyone have some lore evidence of the Elementals turning off Succor like a switch?

 

EDIT: The issues with the caster lore is why I usually recommend people phrase a mage character concept where the exact mechanism is important to their story as, "I (heal, create, summon, destroy, etc.) using practices rooted in the art of (thaumaturgy, conjury, arcanima)" and not get too worried about the exact classes and Jobs.

 

Honestly it's pretty lame that mages can't be their jobs most times, as this is a Final Fantasy game and jobs are super iconic.  I wish they found a way to work that into the lore. It's honestly a part of why I changed my main from someone who RPs being a caster.

[ArmachiA]

but it makes sense to me that if the Elementals can gift it, they can surely take it away. We know the Padjal can use the Succor only because the Elementals say they can - what we don't know is if there's a way to get around the Elementals for that. For this, I prefer to be safe until the devs tell us otherwise.

Wouldn't the Elementals have taken Succor away though, if they could have instead of the big flood? Granted the WHM were only half of the situation but they were still 50% causing the "end".

To me, the big flood felt more like a punishment for abusing the Succor more than a "We need to get them to stop using it" BUT even if that is the only way they can get rid of someone abusing the Succor (By killing them or whatever) it's still a way to turn off the switch. Probably... not as much currently since they don't have as much power. The problem is, we aren't really sure how much power we do and don't have right now, which is an issue. They could be stealth killing abusers or telling hearers to stealth kill abusers and we would never know.

 

(Again I say "to me", as this is just my opinion and only mine. In fact the whole "I believe the Elementals can take away the use of Succor." doesn't really factor into my guild running since there isn't enough evidence to set a rule on that - though some people believe as I do and did a storyline around it. Just a disclaimer)

 

If I was coming into a pre-existing community built around a game world that was created with clearly defined backstory/lore, I would be eager to learn the "rules" of the world I was about to play, and would hope someone would immediately tell me if I was about to shit in their cereal. That is how I would want to be treated. It's called common courtesy.

 

/anecdotal evidence: most new players who come into my guild are really happy that we're willing to sit down with them for hours at a time and discuss lore to make sure they are within the boundaries of it and make sure that their character is exactly how they want it to be while being lore appropriate. Most newcomers don't know lore or really where to get it, they usually just build a character of what they assume and are pretty grateful when we work with them to smooth out their story. Sure it takes time, but most - if not all - have been grateful for us to teach them instead of ignoring them and letting them do whatever.

[V'aleera]

Right, killing White Mages does accomplish the goal of "taking back" Succor but that's a little beside the point; by that logic anyone can "take back" Succor. The point remains that the Elementals have not been shown to have anything more than above average killing power and sheer numbers. They certainly haven't been shown, anywhere, to have ab solute control over Succor.

 

They were incapable of stopping Dalamud and Bahamut. Ramuh was killing the Shroud slowly and was not stopped. The Garleans have yet to be removed. 

 

The Elementals may be powerful, but they are not the gods that some posters and most Gridanians seem to believe.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Right, killing White Mages does accomplish the goal of "taking back" Succor but that's a little beside the point; by that logic anyone can "take back" Succor. The point remains that the Elementals have not been shown to have anything more than above average killing power and sheer numbers. 

 

They were incapable of stopping Dalamud and Bahamut. Ramah was killing the Shroud slowly and was not stopped. The Garleans have yet to be removed. 

 

The Elementals may be powerful, but they are not the gods that some posters and most Gridanians seem to believe.

 

Here's the thing.

 

Preflood: WHMs didn't need Elementals for Succor.

 

Postflood: Elementals pick and choose who they will let use Succor.

 

So....I guess -if- someone found a soulstone/reading material from before the flood AND somehow understood it AND somehow figured out how to cast it, there's your nefarious means WHM without Elemental consent. However, if a person somehow figured that all out, would they start prancing around the forest rubbing it in people's faces? Probably not. If anything, I think Gridanians would try to remove that person from the Shroud as soon as fucking possible because they don't want an Elemental getting pissed off at old contracts being skirted around.

[V'aleera]

I think it would be more appropriate to say they pick and choose who to teach Succor to. Because as the history of the world itself shows once that knowledge leaves the Elementals proverbial lips it is beyond their control what gets done with it.

 

As far as I am aware the White Mages still learned from the Elementals in the old days. But unlike the Padjal they spread that knowledge far and wide.

[ArmachiA]

The Elementals may be powerful, but they are not the gods that some posters and most Gridanians seem to believe.

 

I don't believe they are gods, but I do believe they have ultimate control over over the Succor and have proven to be violent and aggressive if their will is challenged. They are also powerful enough to scare mortals, dictate decisions of Mortals, and ultimately control the magic they protect. Are they resting on their laurels now that the Calamity happened? There's a good indication that they are since in 1.0 the Elementals were pretty terrifying and weren't afraid to show their power, but in 2.0 they've been mostly complaining about people on their lawn. They aren't gods, but that doesn't make them something people should ignore either.

 

I honestly just don't believe the Elementals wouldn't know if someone accessed the Succor without their permission. They have such tight control on it, it just doesn't make sense they wouldn't know. To me, it means they probably have ways to take it away. I guess I believe as the Gridanians do in that respect.

 

It's funny because this whole discussion could be IC and still make sense.

[FreelanceWizard]

It's funny because this whole discussion could be IC and still make sense.

 

It really could! It's a sufficiently open question that it seems like an excellent opportunity for RP.

[V'aleera]

I honestly just don't believe the Elementals wouldn't know if someone accessed the Succor without their permission. They have such tight control on it, it just doesn't make sense they wouldn't know.

"Would they know" is an interesting question. But "can they do anything about it other than throw a violent tantrum" appears to be largely answered by existing lore: no, they can't.

 

I'm certainly open to being proven wrong, but if the Elementals can just flip a switch and turn off the Succor at will, and if existing White Mages can not bring more mages into the fold, it calls into question all of the history and actions taken in regard to the subject.

[Aduu Avagnar]

What if, by flooding the world, and thus ending the mage war, it was the quickest way to heal the damage done. People stopped using magic, and it was forgotten/fell out of practice.

 

If they had turned off the white magic, then there still would have been the people using black magic. This point appears to be being overlooked. By removing both sides of the equation, there was nothing then drawing upon the earth for power.

[Melkire]

I think it would be more appropriate to say they pick and choose who to teach Succor to. Because as the history of the world itself shows once that knowledge leaves the Elementals proverbial lips it is beyond their control what gets done with it.

 

As far as I am aware the White Mages still learned from the Elementals in the old days. But unlike the Padjal they spread that knowledge far and wide.

 

I honestly just don't believe the Elementals wouldn't know if someone accessed the Succor without their permission. They have such tight control on it, it just doesn't make sense they wouldn't know.

"Would they know" is an interesting question. But "can they do anything about it other than throw a violent tantrum" appears to be largely answered by existing lore: no, they can't.

 

I'm certainly open to being proven wrong, but if the Elementals can just flip a switch and turn off the Succor at will, and if existing White Mages can not bring more mages into the fold, it calls into question all of the history and actions taken in regard to the subject.

 

Find myself agreeing with this, given my impressions of the portions of the WHM job quests I've experienced and from lore that folks have posted on these forums over the past year and more.

 

Elementals, from what I understand, don't have ultimate control over Succor. Their "permission" to use it merely amounts to allowing the knowledge of how to access and how to use Succor to disseminate. If that wasn't the case, I don't see how or why they would have allowed to War of the Magi to go on as long as it did.

 

The Padjal serve in a "middle-man" capacity, having been created to safeguard said knowledge while practicing White Magic when and where it is required.

[V'aleera]

What if, by flooding the world, and thus ending the mage war, it was the quickest way to heal the damage done. People stopped using magic, and it was forgotten/fell out of practice.

But then why did they go to such great lengths to hide Amdapor and all of its surviving knowledge away? If they could just take White Magic away on a whim, what would it matter if that civilization was later discovered and learned from?

[Aduu Avagnar]

What if, by flooding the world, and thus ending the mage war, it was the quickest way to heal the damage done. People stopped using magic, and it was forgotten/fell out of practice.

But then why did they go to such great lengths to hide Amdapor and all of its surviving knowledge away? If they could just take White Magic away on a whim, what would it matter if that civilization was later discovered and learned from?

How does the saying go, better to prevent than to cure?

 

I don't think they have the ability to take it away on a whim, rather if one is identified as using it without their say so, they will try and hunt them down and remove them.

[Martiallais]

What if, by flooding the world, and thus ending the mage war, it was the quickest way to heal the damage done. People stopped using magic, and it was forgotten/fell out of practice.

But then why did they go to such great lengths to hide Amdapor and all of its surviving knowledge away? If they could just take White Magic away on a whim, what would it matter if that civilization was later discovered and learned from?

 

Not having a single horse in this race, my uneducated guess would be making a pretty HUGE example. Typically, if you make a big enough example once you never have to do so again.

[V'aleera]

Not having a single horse in this race, my uneducated guess would be making a pretty HUGE example. Typically, if you make a big enough example once you never have to do so again.

How are they making an example when they tried to wipe out every trace that it ever happened in the first place?

 

And in response to Nako: I don't think anyone is contesting the capability of the Elementals to go out and inflict their will via force. The specific point of contention is whether or not they have direct, total control of the art of magic that is Succor.

[Aduu Avagnar]

Not having a single horse in this race, my uneducated guess would be making a pretty HUGE example. Typically, if you make a big enough example once you never have to do so again.

How are they making an example when they tried to wipe out every trace that it ever happened in the first place?

 

And in response to Nako: I don't think anyone is contesting the capability of the Elementals to go out and inflict their will via force. The specific point of contention is whether or not they have direct, total control of the art of magic that is Succor.

Which I also put my 2c to, and stated that I don't believe they have the ability to take it away at a whim. To expand, I believe they gifted the knowledge that they hid away to the Padjal, to safe guard,as there was a need for it. The Padjal are then the final arbiters over who learns it, and have stated, until the WoL shows up, that no non-padjal should learn it, due to the fact that they were entrusted it by the elementals.

[ArmachiA]

Well, whether they can take it away themselves or just have a mortal/hearer do it for them wasn't my original point, my original point was accessing the Succor without their permission will get them to try to stop you and would definitely get Gridania to stop you - making an unapproved White Mage highly unlikely. But we're so far away from that point right now.

 

Personally, it's not defined in lore and I don't let it define who I interact with (There are also plenty of people in my guild who disagree with my assessment of the Elementals themselves), it's just something I think they might be able to do. They may not be able to, which would explain why they have such tight control over who can access the Succor or not, because once they hand it over they can't take it away, and I'm okay with that.

[Sounsyy]

Um... every tree is an Elemental. Every stream, every boulder. They are the world.

They're a forest. One forest. A big forest, sure. If elementals exist outside the Black Shroud, they haven't exhibited totalitarian tendencies that their exceptional Shroud brethren have. They haven't even exhibited any signs of sympathy or alliance to the Black Shroud elementals.

 

Not one forest. All forests. Every tree. Every stone. Every stream is an Elemental. They are Nature incarnate.

 

Waldew: Listen' date=' adventurer, to the rustling leaves, the flowing rivers- to the very pulse of this land. We conjurers of Stillglade Fane interpret these whispers of the Elementals and convey them to the people of Gridania.[/quote']

 

Ingram: Put your ear to the Twelveswood' date=' sister, and listen with all your being. Know - not fear - know that the Elementals are there. And when you feel that it is they that comprise the life that flows through us all, you will begin to hear their whispers.[/quote']

 

Soileine: Perhaps it was the Elementals within the knight's metals whose voices he heard.

 

Raya-O-Senna: Now' date=' these misbehaving Elementals would have long been pacified, but for the fact that most incidents transpire outside the Twelveswood. I am duty-bound to the forest, you see, and cannot attend to the matter, while Stillglade Fane has not the manpower to spare at present for an undertaking beyond our borders. But you, Sounsyy - you may do what we Gridanians cannot. So I bid you journey forth to quell the keening of the Elementals throughout Eorzea.[/quote']

 

And there is a reason Elementals from outside the Black Shroud cannot or choose not to materialize. They do not have the protection of the Hedge. Despite their power, they can be killed by man. So they do not reveal themselves outside of where they are protected.

 

Soileine: Elementals abound in the Twelveswood around Gridania. Unto them falls the task of protecting the forest. And unto us falls the task of protecting them. To that end' date=' we have laid the Hedge - a magical barrier formed by our order and the Elementals that serves to turn away outside evils. Those who would breach it invite our vengeance. We are the conjurers - intermediaries of nature and man. Our place is between Gridanians and the Elementals. The majority of our citizenry are deaf to the forest's whispers. Yet all feel the presence of the Elementals, as surely as they feel hot and cold.[/quote']

 

 

 

Mortals already put the elementals under threat before; the elementals were so terrified they felt the need to flood the whole place clean. And mortals did that without even meaning to!

 

Imagine if you will a legion of Black Mages and White Mages with stolen succor. Then imagine that these mages want something from the elementals and threaten to aggressively and specifically rip the life and aether out of the Black Shroud if they don't get what they want.

 

Thousands upon thousands of mortals drained Hydaelyn of all Her aether over the course of several years, decades, perhaps even a century. The War of the Magi lasted years before the Elementals felt threatened enough by it to flood the world.

 

So... when you ask me to imagine a legion of Black Mages and White Mages, I wonder where this legion is coming from? Black Magic is forgotten and outlawed. Only a half a dozen men and beastmen practice it in some small capacity. Ququruka spent 120 years doing nothing but studying Black Magic and his abilities paled in comparison to some of the feats of the 5th Astral Magi. You think casting flare takes up a lot of aether... imagine bringing an entire mountain to life. Imagine the aether required to pluck a star from the heavens. These were the feats of the 5th Astral Magi.

 

Now multiply these feats by thousands and thousands of mages around Eorzea. White Mages, Black Mages, Scholars, Faeries... You think we're ever going to see those kinds of numbers again? No. Never. These magicks are forgotten and forbidden for a reason. Even if you held a massive seminar on Black Magic and didn't get thrown in jail or killed, you would never again achieve the number of magi as there were 1,600 years ago.

 

And as for White Mages... a magic that until 5 years ago existed in complete and total secret in the hands of 6 families of Padjal - a race created specifically by the Elementals to guard Succor. You think the Padjal are going to turn on the Elementals? Even consider someone with succor to turn on the Elementals. No way. So this "legion" you're theorizing is never going to happen. So you're left with a sad group of individuals trying to take on Nature. All of Nature. The world. You need a lot bigger stick than anyone is ever going to possess. And for what purpose are you trying to threaten NATURE? I don't understand? What did the Elementals do that even makes you or this fictitious legion want to threaten the very lifeblood of the world in which they live in? Yes, let's kill every tree in the entire world because I don't want to play by the Elemental's rules in their own home.

 

 

 

Much of 1.0 was officially retconned and dusted up under the rug. If it is not mention in 2.0, it's not of importance. If it does get mentioned, then sure, I'll change my mind, but until that point, it's an exercise in futility and expecting the community to know about it, much less actually give any thought or regard to matter, is frankly absurd.

 

"Officially"? Um, I've been playing this game since launch in 2010 and I can tell you I haven't seen a single bit of lore retconned. Mechanics, yes. Lore, no. Have some things changed over the course of 5 years and a calamitous event? Most certainly, but wiped from existence, no.

 

Secondly, I don't "expect" the community to know about it, especially if they've never played 1.0. ...But that's why I'm here offering the 1.0 lore for people who ask. There are some answers and events that are not explored in 2.0 because they were in the past. If someone asks how Kan-E-Senna rose to power in Gridania and replaced E-Sumi-Yan as Elder Seedseer and leader of Gridania... the answer isn't in 2.0. But it is expressed in 1.0.

 

The lore is there. And more often than not, it is more explicit and concise than any lore that's come out in 2.0. The Sil'dihn Aquaducts beneath Ul'dah from 2.55- those were from 1.0! 1.0 players knew they were down there, even though they only recently got re-revealed in 2.0. You know why Wood Wailers wear masks? 2.0 doesn't tell you, but 1.0 informs us that the masks absorb Woodsin in place of the wearer, so a Wailer doesn't become a Wildling when they kill something in the Wood. These are just a few of countless examples.

 

1.0 had a lot of really bad things in it, but its story and lore were not among those bad things.

 

 

Some Jobs actually use the Soul Crystal to pass on the knowledge of the skills involved in the Job.  White Mage is not one of them.

 

Actually, the argument could go either way for the soulstone.

Raya-O-Senna: And, as you act in my name, I hereby permit you the use of white magic. Take here this linkpearl and Soul of the White Mage. The latter is an ancient crystal imbued with the light of succor - by its power, the forbidden art will be yours to wield, albeit within the bounds of your skill as a conjurer.

 

To walk the path of the white mage is to devote oneself to the salving of hurts and the lifting of misery - ours is the hand that proffers comfort. Should it every come to light that you have used your powers for less virtuous ends, be forewarned you will promptly be dispossessed of the crystal and summarily punished.

 

A-Towa-Cant: I lived a long and fruitful life. But when I drew my last breath in O'Ghomoro that day' date=' I did so with one profound regret- that I would pass from this realm without finding a worthy inheritor to bequeath my knowledge in full. My spirit left my lifeless body to abide in this soul crystal, with the hope that one day it would find its way into the hands of my successor. From the moment you took my crystal in hand, I knew. Padjal or no, I had at long last found one to whom I could truly pass on my knowledge.[/quote']

[V'aleera]

I'm aware that elementals exist beyond the Shroud; I acknowledged that fact at some point a while ago. The majority of my comments have been directed toward the Black Shroud elementals in particular as they are the only elementals that seem particularly bent toward setting and enforcing policy.

 

My proposed hypothetical was more of a thought exercise than a proposition on what may occur in the near future. The gist of my point in voicing that particular line of thought is that the elementals have remained static while the mortals progress.

 

And I feel like by now it should go without saying, but "never" has proven to be a very dangerous word in Eorzea. Most of the characters we've seen who follow the mantra of "never" tend to have a poor record of survival.