Current Year Discrepancy

[Mtoto Wamoto]

1.0 took place in 1572 of the 6th Astral Era.

 

The fall of Dalamud and the release of Bahamut ushered in the 7th Umbral Era. 

 

5 years have passed since then.

 

Technically, this makes the current year the 5th year of the 7th Umbral Era and not 1577 as many have voiced. I'd wager to say that year 1572 of the 6th AE is equal to year 1 of the 7th UE.

 

Every time we enter a new era (be it astral or umbral), the sequential numbering of the years returns back to 1. If this wasn't the case, the current year would be something way over 5000 at the very least. 

 

Just wanted to bring this to light since I've seen a lot of dates in people's wikis and even the player written timeline reflect the year in ARR as 1577.

 

Does time reset for each Era, ie when Umbral Eras happen, does it become Year 0?

 

Yes. Timers for each era (both Astral and Umbral) reset (but at year 1, not 0 ).

 

Confirmation Source: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/57049-CG-Midlander?p=936498#post936498

 

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Edit: That was weird...can a mod delete the double post? Thanks >.>

[Grott]

Well, shit.

[Mycroft]

As I recall though, the 7th Umbral era is now over, being a very brief event since Bahamut was spirited away to unknown shores. Thus ARR actually takes place during the 7th Astral Era.

 

I've had a little trouble in digging up the article in which I read this, so don't take it too close to heart yet.

[FreelanceWizard]

That's interesting, since the main ARR web site says the Eorzea is "poised to enter another age of decline, a period known as the Seventh Umbral Era".

 

Either way, though, that's a great lore catch, Mtoto Wamoto. (Maybe we should get a thread together that links to these posts and briefly summarizes them?)

[Mtoto Wamoto]

I speculated this as well a bit ago with Gospel, tho the only reason I didn't make mention of it here was because I can't confirm the validity of it. I skipped through most the text in Beta so I may have missed the in-game text in its entirety, but I do recall an NPC making mention of the current era at some point. I suppose I'll just have to wait until Phase 4 or see if someone managed to grab a screen cap or something in the meantime.

 

I'm digging through the dev. team posts to see if I can find anything about it.

[Naunet]

As I recall though, the 7th Umbral era is now over, being a very brief event since Bahamut was spirited away to unknown shores. Thus ARR actually takes place during the 7th Astral Era.

The heck is the difference? @.@

[Eva]

My understanding is that the Umbral eras are a time of great upheaval and usually much shorter-lived than the Astral eras.

 

I also think it's feasible that some characters - particularly those that are confused and coming out of the time rift - might not be aware or fully regard the shift of era right away.  I think a character mistakingly regarding it as 1577 may still be all right for RP.  But I would assume at some point the newspapers and such might reflect the new dating system.  A lot of this is based on speculation.  I'm not sure what qualifier there is to discern exactly when an umbral era is over, either.

[Mycroft]

As I recall though, the 7th Umbral era is now over, being a very brief event since Bahamut was spirited away to unknown shores. Thus ARR actually takes place during the 7th Astral Era.

The heck is the difference? @.@

 

Apart from one being represented by the element of darkness, and the other, the element of light.. Then Eva pretty much described the difference.

[Naunet]

So are we in an Umbral era or an Astral era? Is it year 5? Of something? Did I remember to put my pants on when I woke up? Did someone leave the toilet seat up?!

[Ildur]

It would interesting to make this confusion an in-character deal, with historians unable to decide if the Calamity was a big deal but not enough to warrant a change of eras (since Bahamut didn't last very long), or if it really was big enough that it is now the Seventh Umbral Era, or even if it's the Seventh Astral because 'obviously' the Umbral one only lasted as long as Bahamut.

 

Even more fun can be had with different organizations using their own dating. A shipping record from the Limsan docks might read as if it's the Seventh Astral Era, while records in Ul'dah detailing the same shipments date them as if it was still the Sixth. Lots of confused fun can be had! At least until Word of God says what the denizens of Eorzea are using at large.

[Gideon Aryeh]

I'm just going to make sure I spend a lot of time paying attention to the stories and lore during open beta and early access so I can get some solid answers. SE has always been good at having good explanations so until there are some solid ones I'll leave certain things up in the air for now cause I can see how this is going to get confusing.

[Aysun]

This has come up on the Crystalline forums before. The only reason I was still calling it 1577 is because I thought that the devs themselves had, but today I could not find the post that I thought I had seen it in! Instead, I found this after some searching from Fernehawles (trimmed the post down for relevance): 

 

Okay, let me do a quick pass over your questions while I take a breather from all this Beta madness...

 

Are Umbrals Eras short? Or does it depend on the destruction?

 

It depends on the destruction. The Umbral Eras are the periods of chaos and regrouping that follow the cataclysms that end each Astral Era. The regrouping can take several years, to several decades. More on this, and what happened during the 7th Umbral Era, will be laid out in detail in the 2.0 storyline.

 

Does time reset for each Era, ie when Umbral Eras happen, does it become Year 0?

 

Yes. Timers for each era (both Astral and Umbral) reset (but at year 1, not 0 ).

 

So all this implies that the 7th Umbral Era is indeed over and we're in year 1 of the 7th Astral Era.

 

Edit: And derped because that's the quote that Mtoto used up yonder. Oh well. Must.. read.. entire post.. before running off to search..

[K'tahrl]

Are we in Year 1, or Year 5 then? Since this is 5 years after the calamity would it not make sense that it would be the 5th year of the 7th Astral Era?

[Aysun]

Are we in Year 1, or Year 5 then? Since this is 5 years after the calamity would it not make sense that it would be the 5th year of the 7th Astral Era?

 

If I'm understanding the post that Ferne made, the 7th Umbral Era was only 5 years long and we are now in the 7th Astral Era. It would be year 1 of the 7th Astral Era.

[K'tahrl]

Ah alright that would make more sense then, the 5 years between Bahamut and ARR would make sense then being Umbral, and the return of the Warriors of Light would usher in the Astral Era.

[Elkabong419]

If no one hasn't, or hasn't in a long time.. 

 

vY_Ry8J_jdw

[Nova]

I can tell you that during the main story line during the big ceremony thing with the leaders of the grand companies making their speeches, that the Flame General Raubahn Aldynn says that we are in the fifth year of the Umbral Age. Unfortunately while cleaning out my FRAPs folder I deleted the screenshot. But I know with 100% certainty (unless SE changes the dialogue come phase 4) that the General says fifth year of the Umbral Era.

[Aysun]

I can tell you that during the main story line during the big ceremony thing with the leaders of the grand companies making there speeches, that the Flame General Raubahn Aldynn says that we are in the fifth year of the Umbral Age. Unfortunately while cleaning out my FRAPs folder I deleted the screenshot. But I know with 100% certainty (unless SE changes the dialogue come phase 4) that the General says fifth year of the Umbral Era.

 

Interesting! Good to know. I wonder when the Era will change over then!

[Twinflame]

 

Okay, let me do a quick pass over your questions while I take a breather from all this Beta madness...

 

Are Umbrals Eras short? Or does it depend on the destruction?

 

It depends on the destruction. The Umbral Eras are the periods of chaos and regrouping that follow the cataclysms that end each Astral Era. The regrouping can take several years, to several decades. More on this, and what happened during the 7th Umbral Era, will be laid out in detail in the 2.0 storyline.

 

 

So all this implies that the 7th Umbral Era is indeed over and we're in year 1 of the 7th Astral Era.

 

Edit: And derped because that's the quote that Mtoto used up yonder. Oh well. Must.. read.. entire post.. before running off to search..

 

I know this is coming from a dev, but even then, I'd have to be skeptical. If I were living in Eorzea and heard someone proclaiming that the 7th Umbral Era was over, I'd wonder where in the world they were getting that from. It was more than just Bahamut that dropped us out of the Astral era, but also the arrival of Garlean forces. If you tell anyone from Ala Mhigo that the Umbral Era has ended and they can be done with their "regrouping" they're going to either laugh or sneer at you. Especially with how many people know the Garleans are preparing for an invasion, to the point that we can't even freely operate skyships at the heart of our own continent for fear that they'll get shot down.

 

Anyone in Eorzea who thinks the period of "Chaos and regrouping" is over just isn't in touch with reality.

 

However.

 

We could be in an extremely brief or tenuous Astral era that extends only as long as peacetime between the Battle of Carteneau and the oncoming invasion by the Garleans, and we'll be in the 8th Umbral era any day now. But if we start measuring eras like that, we'll be counting eras in double digits before the decade is out, since even if we do defeat this invasion force, another will probably be along in short order.

 

What seems more likely to me, both OOC and IC, is that we're just stepping into a very bloody Umbral era that will be marked by repeated invasions by foreign powers. It's possible we could experience some kind of great victory or see the Garlean empire collapse as suddenly as it rose into power, but my character wouldn't bet on it, and certainly wouldn't believe anyone who said we were at the beginning of a brand new shiny Astral era.

 

I also remember what Nova was talking about, which means I'm cheating. But still!

[Nova]

Ah found it! I had moved it into another folder

 

 

[Ildur]

That pretty much settles the whole thing down!

[Nova]

So are we in an Umbral era or an Astral era? Is it year 5? Of something? Did I remember to put my pants on when I woke up? Did someone leave the toilet seat up?!

 

Umbral Era.

 

Yes.

 

That isn't really a question.

 

Y'sehr stole all the pants, so probably not.

 

I did. Sorry, was trying to find out what the hype was with standing up while tinkling.

 

 

 

If no one hasn't, or hasn't in a long time.. 

 

vY_Ry8J_jdw

 

 

Also this.

 

 

That pretty much settles the whole thing down!

 

Does this mean I win interwebz? <*.*>

[Aysun]

Ah found it! I had moved it into another folder

 

 

 

 

THANK YOOOOOU.

 

Year 5 of the 7th Umbral Era! YAY!