DISCLAIMER:
The following is a crash course in the storyline of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.CONTAINS SPOILERS, lacks any sort of personal insight and is intended primarily as a tool for those who have skipped or forgotten important plot points of Realm Reborn's narrative, or want a refresher.
SKIP TO PATCH:2.0|2.1|2.2|2.3|2.4|2.5
What you need to know about 1.0
In the waning days of the Sixth Astral Era, the Garlean Empire launched an all-out assault on the continent of Eorzea. The Allied forces, consisting of the Three Grand Companies, attempted to repel the invaders, only to discover the true plan, that they must harness the power of Allagan's ancient magical meteor to end the Primal menace forever. (Traditional Note: The Allagan Empire was a technologically and magically advanced society that ruled Eorzea during the Third Astral Age.)
Spurred on by the mysterious beings known as the Ascians, Nael Van Darnus led the VII Legion to Carteneau where they fought a bloody battle to launch Meteor and overthrow the moon Dalamud onto the continent, bringing all life and the original threat have been eliminated. On his descent, however, it turned out that Dalamud was not a natural moon, but a huge prison for the primitive man Bahamut.
These efforts were thwarted by Sage Louisiox and his disciples, who invoked the power of their gods, the Twelve, to stop Meteor and Bahamut. Although the battle cost many lives, including Louisiox, Bahamut was overthrown and the VII Legion destroyed, crippling the Garlean Empire severely. The destruction wrought by Dalamud and Bahamut caused massive upheaval across the country, changing the landscape and climate. This event became known as the Calamity. Thus began the Seventh Shadow Age.
A Kingdom Reborn (2.0)
Five years after the Battle of Carteneau, the Warrior of Light, destined to be the champion of the Crystal Mother Hydaelyn and receive her the blessing of the Light, arrives in one of Gridania's three city-states, Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa. After performing heroic deeds on the ground, the warrior is noticed by one of the members of an organization called The Scions of the Seventh Dawn - a non-political third-party organization made up mostly of students from Louisoix with the goal of stopping the Primals and bringing about peace create. The Scions invite the warrior into their organization, explaining that they have the gift of Echo. An ability that allows the warrior to see and in some cases even interact with the past and to know the hearts of others. It also makes them immune to the brainwashing bondage primals known as "tempering". Because of this gift, the Scions send you to help track down and eventually defeat the Primal Ifrit.
Defeating Ifrit will bring you notoriety and fame in the Great Companies you vie for membership. It also attracts the attention of Askers, who see it as a threat to their unknown plans. There is also news that the Garlean Empire has returned under the banner of Gaius Van Baelsar to conquer Eorzea. As you continue your quest with the Scions, you learn about the nature of the Primals: that they are summoned through the prayers and crystal offerings of their followers - usually beast tribes - to aid them, mostly against the Great Companies. . Threatened by Limsa Lominsa's encroachment on their territory, the kobolds summon Titan and demand that you enlist the help of the company of heroes who brought Titan down long ago.
The Ixal then summon Garuda, but before they even have a chance to investigate, the Garlean Empire reappears to attack the Scions of the Seventh Dawn at their own headquarters, wounding, killing, or capturing most of their members . Forced to choose between stopping a Primal or helping his friends, the Warrior of Light pursues Garuda. Alphinaud, the warrior and Louisoix's grandson, needs a means of transport to break through the howling storm Garuda lives in. Enterprise - crashed in the frozen wasteland of Coerthas.
While searching for the airship, the warrior of light inadvertently becomes embroiled in the complicated and fanatical theocratic politics of the northern nation of Ishgard, winning the loyalty and friendship of House Fortemps in the process. You find and repair the airship and battle the villainous Garuda, but victory is short-lived when the Garleans, led by Gaius, arrive, taunting Garuda and his Ixal followers, as well as the other animal tribes (many of whom are hostages). . of Ixal to force them to worship their 'god'). The result is that the Kobolds and Amal'jaa also summon their Primals, and Garuda, Titan, and Ifrit attack the Garleans. That's exactly what Gaius wants when he unleashes his latest discovery: an ancient Allagan machine known as The Ultimate Weapon. The Ultima weapon quickly kills and absorbs all three Primals, fueling the machine at full power. Gaius sets out with what he came for - a fully loaded superweapon to conquer Eorzea.
The threat posed by the Garlean Empire can no longer be ignored. Alphinaud, Cid and the Warrior of Light enlist the help of the Great Companies to join forces in an all-out attack to stop the Ultima weapon. Dubbed "Operation Archon," the offensive has divided forces to attack multiple Garlean strongholds simultaneously in order to cripple their generals and the forces they command before pursuing Gaius himself as he attempts to break into the invasion's Eorzean headquarters Scions of the Seventh Dawn, where the Askians are revealed to be behind the Garlean rampage to invade. That the Ascian pulling the strings is called Lahabrea, and even worse, that Ascians have no true physical form and take mortal hosts - in this case it's Thancred, a stalwart founding member of the Scions!
The final assault begins, and the Warrior of Light not only defeats Gaius' inner circle of Nero, Livia, and Rihtahtyn, but also Gaius and the Ultima weapon he wields. Upon his defeat, Gaius curses Lahabrea, who appears and the two clash, causing Lahabrea to cast the spell Ultima, a power rivaling Meteor in destructive potential. This obliterates the Ultima weapon and Gaius, but not the warrior of light, who is protected by the Crystal Mother Hydaelyn, who has gently guided him through his journey as your champion. The final battle is then fought between the Warrior of Light and Lahabrea, who still owns Thancred. You defeat the Ascian, deflecting it with a blade of pure light bequeathed to you by the Crystal Mother herself, and save Thancred. The Garleans have been defeated, an Ascian has been driven back into the shadows, and the Great Companies find themselves in an unprecedented moment of unity and mutual respect. The basic main scenario ends with Minfillia, the background of the Scions, declaring that the seventh astral age has begun.
An Awakened Empire (2.1)
With the seventh astral age, the descendants of the seventh dawn stand at a crossroads. Due to the events of the Ultima Weapon battle and Operation Archon, the Scions - once a secret organization known only to the leaders of the Great Companies and a few others - have been banished from public view. This begs the question of how to maintain neutrality between the three nation-city-states (a necessity considering how often they exhort the actions of the Great Companies that lead the Beast Tribes to summon Primals). Alphinaud and others proposed moving their headquarters away from the coast of Ul'dah. Namely Mor Dhona, an ungoverned tract of land on the outskirts of Carteneau and southwest of Coerthas. However, Minfilia is concerned as Ul'dah was her adopted homeland. To allay her fears of leaving home, the Warrior of Light reunites Minfilia with her adoptive mother, F'lhaminn, who helps convince Minfilia that this is the right choice.
The Scions also have to deal with a more perplexing problem. In Twelvewood around Gridania, the moogs began to stir. Apparently, out of sheer will, they have summoned their greatest "king" of Aether, just as a primal is summoned. But is this Moogle a Primal? What if mere faith and devotion really is all it takes to summon something from the ether? Regardless, the Good King and his Mog Guard pose a threat to all of Twelvewood, and the other Mogs want the Scions' help to stop them.
However, all is not well. Minfilia is also contacted while grabbing the Tupsimati (the broken Staff of Louisoix that adorns the wall in Minfilia's office) by a new Ascian named Elidibus, who calls himself "The Emissary". Elidibus states that he knows Minfilia also possesses the Echo, and that understanding the true power and potential of this "gift" may be the key to bringing about peace between Askians and mortals. Minfilia refuses to make any bargain with an Ascian, attacking only to be stunned by a blade of dark magic. She recovers when the Warrior of Light finds her, but this disturbing news of a new Ascian is accompanied only by more bad news revealed by the Scion's lead researcher, Urianger: They've lost contact with the students of Baldesion - an order of scholars who are close. trusted allies and advisors to the Scions, residing on the Isle of Val between the Scion homeland of Sharlayan and Dravia, home of the dragons. The chapter ends with the Scions moving to Mor Dhona and settling in The Rising Stones, a base hidden behind the Seventh Heaven Inn in the town of Revenant's Toll.
Through the Maelstrom (2.2)
It seems that the Garlean Empire is in a time of conflict. After the second failed invasion of Eorzea, a battle of succession broke out in the Empire and the fate of the Emperor in its wake is unknown. After the fighting, however, one of the territories conquered by the Empire - the Kingdom of Doma - attempted to break free from its imperial overlords. The plan was folly, however, as the Empire was not as divided and weakened as it appeared, leaving only a few thousand survivors from across the land of Doma, banished and trapped in boats until they reached Eorzea. There, the leader of the Doman Exiles, Yugiri, a strange hooded ninja with horns and a tail, asks the Scions for help. The Scions help by helping Yugiri gain an audience with the Alliance leaders. However, both fall on deaf ears. While the Alliance was quick to lend any support to Operation Archon, they now refuse to make any statement that resources are best used to meet their respective city-states' own needs. However, a member of the monetarists who help Sultana Nanamo rule Ul'dah under the name Teledji Adeledji pledges to earn his own living from his treasury to provide the refugees with at least some food and blankets, despite the lack of profit . .
Meanwhile, the mystery of the Echo's true potential grows as an investigation into the possibility that the Askians are goading the Sahagin of La Noscea into summoning Leviathan with the promise of immortality grows. In fact, the main priest of the Sahagin is killed trying to stop the summoning, but he uses the Echo to possess another Sahagin and turn him into the High Priest. In fact, it looks like the echo is stronger than previously thought. But the revelation is short-lived as the Leviathan appears and devours the priest to bolster his power. Thus begins the battle to stop Leviathan, a primal who rules the sea itself and can summon tidal waves to raze cities to the ground. The plan is to use a crystal-powered device to neutralize the attack, but that would require two ships full of crystals. Create a huge ship from several others and create the vehicle and contraption to stop the Leviathan.
The fate of the Isle of Val is also revealed. Urianger reports that the entire island and all of Baldesion's students have vanished from existence. The leading theory about his death? Last. Suspicion falls heavily on Ascian's involvement.
The chapter ends with the Doman refugees finding a new home on Revenant's Toll where they can stay in exchange for work, and the revelation that Teledji Adeledji may have more up his sleeve than he's letting on when asked by his aide what the next step will be. . , he only replies: “Revolution”.
Defenders of Eorzea (2.3)
Alphinaud, frustrated by the Great Companies' selfish actions in the wake of a supposedly "united" Eorzea, takes it upon himself to see to it that a new Great Company is formed, loyal to no city-state and instead moving from the other side of the country to form a group dedicated to maintaining the peace and protection of Eorzea: The Crystal Braves. Using the glory of the Warrior of Light as bait for recruitment, he faces many setbacks and disappointments, but ends up assembling a proud party, many of which the warrior has encountered in his travels.
The situation in Ul'dah begins to unravel when General Raubahn reveals that there has been increasing unrest among the refugees in and around the city. Raubahn insists that Teledji Adeledji was behind these riots in hopes of passing the Carteneau Recovery Bill. A law that would turn the remains of Carteneau Flats into a refugee settlement and open them to businesses like Adeledji's to help rebuild. Harmless in appearance were it not for the recent discovery of an allagan device in the rubble of Dalamud that would rival or even surpass Ultima Weapon: Omega. Sultana Nanamo and Raubahn suspect and fear that Teledji is attempting to enforce the bill to save Omega for unknown but probably dire purposes.
Eventually another Primal was apparently summoned. This time it is Ramuh, the lord of Levin. Strange since the sylph issue was resolved on his first visit to Twelvewood that the Touched Sylphs (blessed Primal Humans and much more hostile) would not summon Ramuh unless his home was attacked. Though the Primal was said to have been summoned, the sylphs seem unwilling to attack outside of the sylphlands. It has been argued with sylphs before, perhaps one can argue with the Lord of Levin? The entire Scions team saved Minfilia making their way to the Sylphlands to find out, including Urianger, who wants to learn more about how summoning Primals affects the Aether. As the Touched Sylphs attempt to trick him into taking various forms, including Scions, the warrior and his friends encounter Ramuh, who refuses to trust mortals until tested in battle. However, after defeating the Primal in a fight, he bestows his blessing on the Warrior of Light and the Scions to be the arbiters of peace between mortals and sylphs in the Black Veil.
Urianger's research with Ramuh eventually unveils a theory of how the Ascians can be nearly immortal. Normally the ether flows between its own plane (the etheric plane) and the physical world. Everything is alive here, and when something dies, it flows back into the ether. Primals are ethereal beings of divine power summoned using crystals of concentrated Aether to maintain a physical form. However, the Askers seem to exist outside of the cycle in a dark and unknown place. When they die, they use the flow of Aether to leave the mortal plane, but do not continue the cycle and instead return to their own home plane. Because of this, it is theoretically possible to capture an Ascian in Aether form after they lose their physical body, but before they leave the physical realm.
Ice dreams (2.4)
This chapter begins with a top-secret internal concern for the Crystal Braves: a Garlean spy named Ivy has infiltrated the Great Companies and is using blackmail to undermine Eorzea. Working alongside Alphinaud's trusted Braves second-in-command, Ilberd, the Warrior of Light uses the Doman's renegade stealth skills to reach the heart of the storyline and discover that Ivy is none other than Eline Roaille - Flame Marshall and Right Hand by General Raubahn. The infiltration is so deep that it has been part of the formation of the Immortal Flames. In fact, she turned out to be a triple agent, as she was also always selling information to the monetarists of Ul'dah, as well as the heretics of the Dravarian Horde (dragon worshipers). Eline also reveals that the War of Succession in Garlemald has ended and there is a new Emperor on the throne: Varis Zos Galvus.
Speaking of the Dravanian Horde, the second half of the story in this chapter is about Ser Aymeric of Ishgard, who has offered to help the Scions with their supplies that have been lost as a result of Ivy's tips to the Heretics. It appears that a heretical movement, led by the mysterious Lady Iceheart, has been disrupting the trade routes south from Coerthas - namely Mor Dhona and Revenant's Toll - using Ivy's information. The newly formed Crystal Braves take the opportunity to test their skills under the watchful eye of Alphinaud and the Warrior of Light.
The investigation leads to the discovery that Lady Iceheart intends to summon the original saint Shiva, who was once a human who fell in love with a dragon. Her intention, as she says, is to end the Dragonsong War (the long struggle between Ishgard and the Dravanians), and preventing it would only lead to more bloodshed. She is convinced that what she is doing is for the best of Eorzea as a whole. With this, she uses an Aethercyte to teleport and destroy the crystal behind her, ensuring the Warrior of Light and descendants cannot follow her.
This prompts Minfilia to contact her old friend Moenbryda from her homeland, Sharlayan, who arrives with the funds to not only repair the broken Aethercyte to hunt Iceheart, but it could also be the final key to actually unlocking an Ascian to kill: White Auracite, a stone with the remarkable power to hold and temporarily capture large amounts of Aether. This allows the warrior of light to teleport to the Akh Afah Amphitheater and face Lady Iceheart, who summons Shiva's essence and transforms into the primordial being. After a bitter battle, Lady Iceheart returns to normal. She curses the Warrior of Light for being as blind as the Ishgardians and for wasting "Mother's Gift". She tells the warrior to seek out the Guardian of the Lake if they want to know the truth, and then disappears into a portal, repeating the words Hydaelyn spoke over and over to the Warrior of Light: "Listen... Feel... Think. .."
With the threat of Iceheart's heretics eliminated and the Garlean Empire's ability to spy on Eorzea cut off, the chapter ends with more questions than answers: Was Shiva a primitive human using Iceheart's body, or something else? How did Iceheart manage to stay in control while transforming into Shiva? Were the Askers involved? Will White Auracite be able to recreate the light blade that took Lahabrea down? The only lead the Scions have is this: The Lake Warden - The mighty Elder King Midgardsormr, shot down in battle with a Garlean airship during the first invasion of Eorzea, whose ancient body lies in the lake just beyond Revenant's Toll, and who the astrologers of Ishgard believe will soon be resurrected. Appreciating his help with Iceheart, Ser Aymeric makes a pact with Alphinaud that the Scions will watch over the Keeper of the Lake in exchange for renewed and reinforced crystal shipment trade routes to Revenant's Toll.
Before the fall (2.5)
A brave named Riol has growing concerns about possible corruption within the Crystal Braves ranks as arms shipments keep disappearing. Commander Ilberd enlists the Warrior of Light's help in investigating missing shipments of weapons and pursuing the black marketeer who is pawning them. Ilberd eventually tracks them down, but when the Warrior of Light arrives, they find Ilberd exhausted and standing in the black market trader's pool of blood. To put an end to this, he confiscates the dead man's box and has the warrior make the delivery, but as he does so, the Crystal Braves comment that the shipment looks small and Riol isn't convinced that this could be all and goes to investigate.
Meanwhile, the Warrior of Light has been summoned to return to the Springstones in Mor Dhona, where Ser Aymeric's Lieutenant Lucia is waiting for you. She informs you that the dragon's roar has spread across the land, calling the Dravarians to war. They fear that the Lake's guardian has awakened and ask you to investigate him personally. After fighting your way through the remains of the airship covered in dragons and other beasts dragged into the presence of Midgardsormr, you face the ancient king himself, who recognizes you as the warrior of light, Hydaelyn's chosen one. The mighty dragon explains that you must see the truth of things with clear eyes and dissipate the blessing of the light that was placed on the warrior, causing the crystals that were collected and glowed throughout the story of the Reborn Realm to fade into darkness. Midgardsormr then takes the form of a small dragon and makes a new pact with the warrior: to accompany her, offering wisdom and insight, and "Watch... Listen... and Wait..." mocking Hydaelyn's words and alluding to some on connection between the two.
The Warrior of Light next returns to Moenbryda's aid, testing the White Auracite in a safe location in case the accumulated Aether causes a massive surge of energy. In their secluded location in northern Thanalan, they encounter another Ascian calling himself Nabriales, who learns that the warrior no longer bears the blessing of the light. Seeing an opportunity for Hydaelyn's protection to no longer be aimed at the Scions, he attacks the Rising Stones in a bid to capture the Tupsimati Staff and use its untapped power to bring about "The Gathering". However, Moenbryda and the warrior interrupt and force Nabriales to kidnap Minfilia, mortally wounding Moenbryda and retreating. The warrior faces Nabriales in the Crystalis and defeats the Ascian, who mocks at the fact that he cannot be killed. Moenbryda uses the White Auracite to bind the Ascian, but without Hydaelyn's blessing, the warrior cannot summon the Lightblade to destroy the Ascian trapped in the crystal. Moenbryda sacrifices her remaining life energy and imbues it with Tupsimati to forge a new Lightblade that will allow the Scions to defeat an Ascian once and for all, but at such a cost.
As the Scions mourn Moenbryda, comes the cry of Ishgard: The dragons have come to answer the roar. Alphinaud and the warrior ask the Great Companies for help but find none, further angering Alphinaud that the Great Companies only care about themselves and not the Alliance. The leaders reply that Ishgard hid behind its walls when Garlemald attacked, so why risk their necks for Ishgard? Enraged by the stubbornness and ignorance of a united potential Eorza, Alphinaud leads the Crystal Braves and the Warrior of Light to battle in Coerthas. There you again face Lady Iceheart, who destroys Ishgard's first anti-dragon magic wall and allows the great dragon Vishap to attack the Stages of Faith. While the dragons were repulsed, the attack was devastating to the Ishgard forces guarding the borders.
After returning to the Rising Stones, Minfilia will give you two tasks: one is to help Tataru, the Scions' Lalafel secretary, who is giving up his education to become a true adventurer like the rest of the Scions. The other is to help a scholar research the Aether flows on the Veil. Tataru's adventures lead her to Limsa Lominsa, where she tries to become a sorceress but fails. While the guild master notes that Lalafel has potential since she is a master of numbers, Tataru gives up that her skills would be better put to use as a master secretary and rejoins the Crescent Stones. Investigating with the scholar, however, reveals something far worse: the discovery of the body of Wildred, a young man from the Crystal Braves who occasionally aided in their missions. Wildred had no reason to be on the Veil, and when you return to HQ you'll find out why when you speak to Riol again. Riol discovered that the Crystal Braves 1st and 3rd Divisions were being bribed and bought by none other than Teledji Aleledji and that Wildred was beginning to question what his comrades had done to lead to his death.
Things come to a head when the Warrior of Light is invited to a celebratory feast in Ul'dah along with the other descendants. When you arrive, however, you'll be temporarily distracted to run a quick errand. Another of the Crystal Braves has disappeared. In search of it, the warrior stumbles upon a small vial and then Laurentius, a corrupt spearman reformed from the Black Veil whom you personally recruited into the Crystal Braves. Laurentius takes the vial and says he will wait for Alienne, the missing brave, so they can return to the feast. Upon your return, you will be taken to a private meeting with Sultana Nanamo, where she reveals that she plans to dissolve the Syndicate AND the Sultanate and transform Ul'dah into a democratic republic. When she announces this, she takes a sip of wine and begins to convulse in pain - the wine is poisoned! The Sultana falls to the ground just as Teledji Adeledji breaks down the door with his Brass Blade soldiers and declares that you - the warrior of light - are guilty of regicide. They are arrested and taken away.
Elsewhere in Ul'dah, Alphinaud is prevented from making snide remarks about how the Great Companies now revere Ser Aymeric for his eagerness to forge a treaty with Ishgard and expand the Alliance now that they are risk free have to deal with the Urgent Crystal Braves. Business. Upon arrival, however, Ilberd - Alphinaud's most trusted deputy - draws his blade and lays it on the young man's neck. Outside on a porch, Thancred relaxes away from the crowded diner and begins to hear a commotion in the streets as the Brass Blades begin to take over town.
The party is interrupted by Teledji, who bursts through the doors, the Warrior of Light tied up behind him, and announces that the Scions of the Seventh Dawn are all arrested on conspiracy, regicide, and numerous other charges. Raubahn interrupts by telling Teledji that he has forgotten his place, that the Sultana does not yet rule the monetarists, and that he cannot use the Brass Blades as his personal army. Teledji taunts Raubahn about the Immortal Flames general speaking of "personal armies," then announces Sultana Nanamo's death to the shocked crowd. Teledji explains that the Scions conspired with dark magic to imprison and enslave the leaders of the Great Company, made Ishgard their overnight ally, and that Thancred aided the Garlean Empire's attack (referring to his time in the he was obsessed with Lahabrea). The other leaders of the Grand Company are escorted by their personal guard before the city erupts in violence, while Raubahn fits right in. He freaks out and kills Teledji, only to be confronted by Lord Lolorito, another member of the monetarist syndicate and Teledji's rival, who berates Raubahn's actions and explains that murder is still illegal regardless of who runs Ul'dah. The Raubahn next starts in Lolorito, only to be stopped and dismembered by Ilberd. Ilberd and Raubahn were once staunch allies in the fight for Ala Mhigo when the Empire attacked before the Cataclysm, but Ilberd is disgusted by how graceful and obedient the once-feral Raubahn has become. Now with only one arm, Raubahn picks up his sword again and tells the Scions to go and that he will cover their escape. The Scions are the only chance to bring Sultana's real killers to justice.
So the Scions flee through the hidden streets and sewers of Ul'dah. Meanwhile, some of them stop to fend off enemies while others run away. First the pugilist Yda and the thaumaturge Papylmo, then the villain Thancred and the sorceress Yshtola position themselves in the sewers to collapse the tunnels until only Minfilia and the warrior of light remain. Eventually Minfilia says Hydaelyn is talking to her and tells the warrior that it is her role to stay while the warrior moves on.
Eventually, outside the city of Ul'dah, the only remaining members of the descendants of the Seventh Dawn gather: the warriors of light, Alphinaud, and Tataru. They are taken away by Cid Garlond on the Enterprise along with his trusted assistants Biggs and Wedge before the Crystal Braves can hunt them down. The Rising Stones are now in full control of the Crystal Braves, the Sultana is gone, and now the Scions are wanted criminals. The remaining three flee to the only place they still have allies: Coerthas and House Fortemps. They are welcomed with open arms, assured that House Fortemps will do everything in their power to bring them to Ishgard for protection, and told that Ishgard's infamous cold shoulder will now work in their favor if anyone looking for them. Alphinaud's desperation at not being able to "save" Eorzea as he fooled himself grows until Tataru and the Warrior of Light confront him that as long as the Scions exist, the dawn will come again. You just have to look at the sky.
The story continues in...Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward
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