A recap of...
Final Fantasy Xiv
Final Fantasy XIV is set on Hydaelyn, a fictional world of diverse environments across multiple continents, focused on the region of Eorzea. Eorzea features four prominent city-states: Gridania, in the heavily-forested Black Shroud; Ul'dah, a trade-centric sultanate in arid Thanalan; Limsa Lominsa, a thalassocracy on the island of Vylbrand; and Ishgard, an isolationist theocracy in snowy, mountainous Coerthas. A land bridge links Eorzea to two other continents to the east, which have largely been conquered by the Garlean Empire. Other societies include indigenous tribes, such as Sylphs and Kobolds; Sharlayan, a scholarly city; and Ala Mhigo in eastern Eorzea, annexed twenty years prior by the Garlean Empire. Facing Garlean invasion, Ishgard withdrew from the Eorzean Alliance, leaving it defunct. The once-vibrant Mor Dhona region was devastated during the previous Garlean campaign.
Eorzean history is divided into prosperous "Astral" eras, and disastrous "Umbral" eras caused by great Calamities. The First Umbral Era marked the end of the age of gods. The Twelve, guardian deities of Eorzea, retreated from direct mortal contact. As society recovers from Umbral eras, new Astral eras begin. Under the hegemonic Allagan Empire of the Third Astral era, technological development reached its zenith, including aerospace construction. As each Calamity was linked to one of the six fundamental elements—air, lightning, fire, earth, ice, and water—the Sixth Astral Era was expected to last forever, but five years ago, the Garlean Empire triggered the Seventh Umbral Calamity.
Garlean scientists working on Project Meteor weaponized the lesser moon Dalamud. Under Legatus Nael van Darnus, they would annihilate Eorzea by crashing the moon, exterminating all opposition. The Alliance reunited in response, reviving their Grand Company militaries. Adventurers defeated van Darnus but could not stop Dalamud's descent. At the Battle of Carteneau Flats in Mor Dhona, Dalamud revealed itself as an ancient Allagan prison for the primal dragon Bahamut; his escape triggered the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Louisoix Leveilleur called upon the Twelve to imprison Bahamut, but failed; before he sacrificed himself to defeat Bahamut, he sent the adventurers "beyond the reach of time" for when they were needed again. Meanwhile, the Empire became paralyzed by a succession crisis as the elderly Emperor Solus fell ill.
The game opens with a vision of the player character defeating a masked, black-robed man. The adventurer awakens shortly before arriving at the starting city, Gridania, Ul'dah, or Limsa Lominsa. Returning players from the original version appear in a column of light. Through odd jobs and tenacity, the player joins the city's Adventurer's Guild, and is favorably compared to the "Warriors of Light" who vanished in the Seventh Umbral Calamity. The adventurer thwarts attacks by mysterious masked men and earns the attention of the Scions. Minfilia reveals the player's visions are the Echo, a power marking chosen representatives of Hydaelyn, the deity for whom the world is named.
Freshly inducted, the adventurer and Thancred investigate abductions and crystal thefts in Thanalan by the Amalj'aa tribe, who capture the player for their primal, Ifrit, to enthrall, but the Echo blocks Ifrit's "tempering". Instead, the adventurer defeats the primal, and is hailed a hero, courted by all three Grand Companies. During memorial services for the Battle of Carteneau, the player meets Alphinaud and Alisaie, who part over disagreement about such nationalist displays' purpose. The Scions send the adventurer to the Black Shroud to forge ties with the Sylphs, a peaceful tribe whose radical faction has summoned Ramuh against the Garleans. While rescuing the Sylph elder, the adventurer encounters another masked man, Lahabrea, a leader of the mysterious Ascians.
Minfilia sends the player to thwart Kobold efforts to summon Titan. The Scions seek advice from retired primal-fighting Company of Heroes. After a series of trials disguised as banquet preparations, the Company's leader reveals the way. The adventurer defeats Titan, learning that Lahabrea is aiding Gaius van Baelsar who has renewed his designs on Eorzea. The adventurer returns to the Scions' headquarters to find slaughter: Minfilia and others were captured by Garleans, and the remaining Scions slain. After funeral rites for the fallen, Alphinaud returns to recruit the adventurer, aiming to rebuild the Scions and defeat the freshly-summoned Ixali primal, Garuda. To confront Garuda in her own domain, they must awaken the memories of an amnesiac Cid Garlond.
Cid, Alphinaud, and the adventurer travel to Coerthas, territory of reclusive Ishgard, seeking Cid's lost airship, the Enterprise. After befriending Isghardian commander Haurchefant Greystone and foiling a heretic plot, they recover the Enterprise from a fortress overrun by dragons. Cid, aided by the adventurer's Echo, regains his memories as a Garlean engineer, Eorzean defector, and genius inventor. The adventurer acquires a rare crystal to cut through Garuda's vortex, and the two fight until Garuda torments Kobold and Amalj'aa prisoners of war into resummoning Titan and Ifrit. However, Gaius and Lahabrea intercede with the Ultima Weapon, an ancient Allagan warmachine, which consumes all three primals to increase its power. At Lahabrea's urging, Gaius plans to conquer Eorzea using the Weapon, but the Ascian intends to trigger a Calamity with it.
After recovering additional members, the Scions rescue Minfilia and the others, learning that Lahabrea has possessed Thancred. Intruding on an Alliance leadership meeting, Alphinaud and Minfilia persuade them to choose resistance instead of surrender. The Scions join the Alliance in a massive counteroffensive, Operation Archon. The adventurer assaults Gaius' stronghold, the Praetorium, where Gaius pilots the Ultima Weapon in battle. Shielded by Hydaelyn's Blessing of Light, the adventurer destroys the Ultima Weapon, leaving Gaius behind in the explosion. Lahabrea defeats the adventurer himself, revealing the Calamities are part of a process to resurrect the Ascians' god, Zodiark. Hydaelyn revives the adventurer and they purge Lahabrea from Thancred's body, as in the prologue vision. With the threat of Garlean invasion lifted, the Grand Company leaders declare the beginning of the Seventh Astral Era. The player's character is hailed as a hero of the same caliber as the Warriors of Light.
Eorzean history is divided into prosperous "Astral" eras, and disastrous "Umbral" eras caused by great Calamities. The First Umbral Era marked the end of the age of gods. The Twelve, guardian deities of Eorzea, retreated from direct mortal contact. As society recovers from Umbral eras, new Astral eras begin. Under the hegemonic Allagan Empire of the Third Astral era, technological development reached its zenith, including aerospace construction. As each Calamity was linked to one of the six fundamental elements—air, lightning, fire, earth, ice, and water—the Sixth Astral Era was expected to last forever, but five years ago, the Garlean Empire triggered the Seventh Umbral Calamity.
Garlean scientists working on Project Meteor weaponized the lesser moon Dalamud. Under Legatus Nael van Darnus, they would annihilate Eorzea by crashing the moon, exterminating all opposition. The Alliance reunited in response, reviving their Grand Company militaries. Adventurers defeated van Darnus but could not stop Dalamud's descent. At the Battle of Carteneau Flats in Mor Dhona, Dalamud revealed itself as an ancient Allagan prison for the primal dragon Bahamut; his escape triggered the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Louisoix Leveilleur called upon the Twelve to imprison Bahamut, but failed; before he sacrificed himself to defeat Bahamut, he sent the adventurers "beyond the reach of time" for when they were needed again. Meanwhile, the Empire became paralyzed by a succession crisis as the elderly Emperor Solus fell ill.
The game opens with a vision of the player character defeating a masked, black-robed man. The adventurer awakens shortly before arriving at the starting city, Gridania, Ul'dah, or Limsa Lominsa. Returning players from the original version appear in a column of light. Through odd jobs and tenacity, the player joins the city's Adventurer's Guild, and is favorably compared to the "Warriors of Light" who vanished in the Seventh Umbral Calamity. The adventurer thwarts attacks by mysterious masked men and earns the attention of the Scions. Minfilia reveals the player's visions are the Echo, a power marking chosen representatives of Hydaelyn, the deity for whom the world is named.
Freshly inducted, the adventurer and Thancred investigate abductions and crystal thefts in Thanalan by the Amalj'aa tribe, who capture the player for their primal, Ifrit, to enthrall, but the Echo blocks Ifrit's "tempering". Instead, the adventurer defeats the primal, and is hailed a hero, courted by all three Grand Companies. During memorial services for the Battle of Carteneau, the player meets Alphinaud and Alisaie, who part over disagreement about such nationalist displays' purpose. The Scions send the adventurer to the Black Shroud to forge ties with the Sylphs, a peaceful tribe whose radical faction has summoned Ramuh against the Garleans. While rescuing the Sylph elder, the adventurer encounters another masked man, Lahabrea, a leader of the mysterious Ascians.
Minfilia sends the player to thwart Kobold efforts to summon Titan. The Scions seek advice from retired primal-fighting Company of Heroes. After a series of trials disguised as banquet preparations, the Company's leader reveals the way. The adventurer defeats Titan, learning that Lahabrea is aiding Gaius van Baelsar who has renewed his designs on Eorzea. The adventurer returns to the Scions' headquarters to find slaughter: Minfilia and others were captured by Garleans, and the remaining Scions slain. After funeral rites for the fallen, Alphinaud returns to recruit the adventurer, aiming to rebuild the Scions and defeat the freshly-summoned Ixali primal, Garuda. To confront Garuda in her own domain, they must awaken the memories of an amnesiac Cid Garlond.
Cid, Alphinaud, and the adventurer travel to Coerthas, territory of reclusive Ishgard, seeking Cid's lost airship, the Enterprise. After befriending Isghardian commander Haurchefant Greystone and foiling a heretic plot, they recover the Enterprise from a fortress overrun by dragons. Cid, aided by the adventurer's Echo, regains his memories as a Garlean engineer, Eorzean defector, and genius inventor. The adventurer acquires a rare crystal to cut through Garuda's vortex, and the two fight until Garuda torments Kobold and Amalj'aa prisoners of war into resummoning Titan and Ifrit. However, Gaius and Lahabrea intercede with the Ultima Weapon, an ancient Allagan warmachine, which consumes all three primals to increase its power. At Lahabrea's urging, Gaius plans to conquer Eorzea using the Weapon, but the Ascian intends to trigger a Calamity with it.
After recovering additional members, the Scions rescue Minfilia and the others, learning that Lahabrea has possessed Thancred. Intruding on an Alliance leadership meeting, Alphinaud and Minfilia persuade them to choose resistance instead of surrender. The Scions join the Alliance in a massive counteroffensive, Operation Archon. The adventurer assaults Gaius' stronghold, the Praetorium, where Gaius pilots the Ultima Weapon in battle. Shielded by Hydaelyn's Blessing of Light, the adventurer destroys the Ultima Weapon, leaving Gaius behind in the explosion. Lahabrea defeats the adventurer himself, revealing the Calamities are part of a process to resurrect the Ascians' god, Zodiark. Hydaelyn revives the adventurer and they purge Lahabrea from Thancred's body, as in the prologue vision. With the threat of Garlean invasion lifted, the Grand Company leaders declare the beginning of the Seventh Astral Era. The player's character is hailed as a hero of the same caliber as the Warriors of Light.
