I'm always a sucker for the trope of two people starting out a fight with epic and flashy attacks before ending with a desperate fight with just your fists and whatever else you can muster lol
Zenos is such a wild character because he basically has an anti-arc. Every motivation we've seen - winning a war, ruling an empire, and even opposing our goals - melt away. They're all just superficial things he only pretended to care about so he could feel alive with his friend again.
Zenos technically living like dead person. Has no anyone care and no one understand him or teach him things that he can see through what giving his life a meaning. It’s opposite to meteion since you have character that basically has no purpose for exist.
the next day i had this exact “oh fuck he spread his meme to me irl” his entire arc is wanting to relive that one perfect battle and he spread it to me irl i think its the moment i did a full 180 on his character
In the end, Zenos had no one else. We did. That's why we won. He deserved better. Not... after his atrocities or the things he did, but instead from the time he was raised. In the right circumstances, Zenos would have made a powerful leader, a reliable friend, and a hero with an undying love for seeking out ever-greater threats. It's a shame what happened to him. Born into a society that siphoned the life straight out of him.
Ever since Stormblood, I've held the belief that we aren't like Zenos, but rather Zenos is like us. It's a slight distinction, but it's why I think the "we're alike, you and I" trope works here. Zenos is like us but without the companions, love, and heart, who we would have been if we never found our relationships and reasons to care. As you said, with the right circumstances, Zenos could have been a brilliant legend, and that's why he works for me.
@@bainbonic I agree. I look at Zenos as the possibility of what we would become if the MSQ didn't exist. I know that sounds goofy, but think of an FFXIV that merely had a bunch of jobs, dungeons, trials, and raids with our only goal of getting better gear and grinding with nothing else in our way. Without that story, without the element that makes the world special to us, what would we be? In a world like that, even if friendly NPCs were attackable we would slaughter them just because we were looking for a challenge. World of Warcraft notoriously has opposing faction leaders that you can kill for achievements and *nothing* else. They're very hard bosses but over the years have been boiled down to their base elements and stripped of all challenge. That's Zenos. The world is boring, uninspired and uninteresting to him. There is no story or meaning to it and thus his only desire is to find stronger things to fight, and without the MSQ (or as an allegory, without the Scions) we could have ended up just like him.
@@bainbonic So, just watching this and noticed something. Especially with what you're saying. Someone above said that we didn't really win. Zenos saved us by using the last of his Dynamis. At the beginning of this scene, he mentions that we only burn the candle of our life for reasons we deem worthy while he burned his to find pleasure in life. In the end, he did become a little like us. He burned the last of his candle to save us. Just as we've been burning ours to save other people since 1.0.
I was convinced through the whole expansion that Zenos wouldn’t get his final wish to fight us. And I would’ve accepted it but I wanted to indulge him because, above everything else, we ARE an adventurer. I WANTED to fight him. We were roped into all this madness and though we were happy to do so, I always felt there was little choice throughout our whole journey. So for the end to be a pure battle of pleasure, no world in need of saving or people in need of liberation. Just two guys doing what they want is so damn fitting. A battle of sheer thrill.
I mean that is literally the fate of the bearer of the crystal of Azem, the fourteenth member of the convocation of 13. The one who himself doesn't seem that powerful but goes to help those in need while just traveling the world. Ardbert was just an adventurer trying to make a living with his companions. Much the same as occurred to you they became known as heroes however unlike you, they won and kept winning, they won so hard they plunged the world into an eternal light or threatened to that would have erased the first had so many not given their life. While you may just be shattered reflections of Azem you still bear the soul of the wandering hero, the one who will travel the world and save those they find because that's just who they are.
@@johnnysalery7383 i guess biggest difference is zenos managed to find meaning, reconcile and form a connection after his conversation with alisaie. He finds joy even in defeat at the end while tai lung just strayed further and further. Maybe Tai lung is zenos at the end of shadowbringers, when he still wants his fight at all costs, and doesnt yet realize the desire has to be mutual to be satisfying
the only FF Main Villain to actually mellow out and become more reasonable as the epic goes on, by the end, at his death, he actually saves us, using Dynamis like the Scions, he shouts out one statement to us, harkening back to his statements after our battle in Doma... "Live", and this drops the teleporter down and saves our life.
How do you know it's Zenos using Dynamis and not Meteion dropping it down for us? Or a scion dropping it down from the ship? We don't see who drops it. There is a bright light and then it just falls towards us.
@@kokopossum Meteion had already gotten to the ship and talked to the Scions, the Scions have no idea how it dropped down, talk to Urianger, he states explicitly its "likely Zenos".
@@kokopossum I believe theres a dialogue line after you disband the scions with Urianger that hints that Zenos was the one to send the teleporter and not Meteion.
the best part of what Zenos has to say here: He never called the WoL hero or the aforementioned title of "Warrior of Light". But emphasizes the title: Adventurer. That down to the very core, more than a hero, more than a paragon of justice, you pursuit the path of an adventurer. Why pursue that path when you can hold a more stable path of farming or commerce; tilling fields or be the local healer of your town/city/village? No, you are an adventurer not just for heroism, fame and fortune. But to take the long strides of strife and uncertainty, knowing what perils lie at the unforeseeable path you chose to make. And so, Zenos called us out. More than heroism and virtues, he understood that taking an adventurer's path meant a life of thrilling uncertainty. Filled to the brim of dangers and long strides of perils. Especially, even after the 7th Calamity no less where the fate of those adventurers who disappeared in the wake of Dalamund's descent. Why take these perilous roads of being an adventurer if it is not for the thrill of facing these dangers?
it's all fine and good to pursue lofty ideals and serious matters. But then from time to time we just gotta have some fun and get on with what is pleaurable to our very essence the fact that he helped us through our serious trouble made the pallate cleanser afterwards all the better. Imagine being at world's end with your rival and not having one fight for the ages
I choose that option to and laughed when I saw my female Miqo'te in Holy PLD armor smirk at him xD I actually was like "well he is. Not wrong. I like seeking tougher enemies" xD
What of you, my mirror? Born into this world, bestowed name, bid to seek out strife and adventure... Was this life a gift...or a burden? Did you find...fulfillment? This spoke to me not only as the WoL but also as a player of FFXIV. A story 10 years in the making coming to such an epic conclusion. Yes, Square Enix, yes it was fulfilling.
I notice this common theme in Endwalker, the question of "Was it worth it?" And the fact that the game presupposes that the answer is Yes shows an immense level of confidence in the dev team. Even the speech Zenos gives is essentially "This game is fun, and you love it, right? How about one more awesome fight?"
There is a lot of callouts in Endwalker to the player. Even Venat's speech about being imperfect, fragmented beings, who know they are aware they will die and will suffer in life, to need to seek the strength to endure it, press on and to find purpose in their life. It's definitely intentional, and one of the core reasons this expansion hit hard. If people truly questioned what Venat is saying, the developers delivered a very really powerful message.
Such is Ishikawa's talent at writing that she managed to build a character out of an antagonist who had none. Similar to modern interpretations of Sherlock Holmes, Zenos is a man brimming with passion, intelligence and perceptiveness, the latter two being so great that he sees right through the trappings of importance we apply to so much mundanity. That's the real reason he's so apathetic to most things. What he really needed all his life was an outlet he would find truly meaningful (which he managed to find, well after the damage had been done) and someone who would acknowledge him for who he is. Instead, he was born into royalty, imperialism and fascism, with all the underlying delusions, emptiness, restraints and antisociability. Given a different upbringing he could have been an unparalleled artist, a tireless explorer, an insurmountable philosopher, maybe even a hero. At least at the very end of his life (twice over) he both found genuine satisfaction and meaning, and--if you choose the "That, I can't deny" dialogue--formed a real emotional connection with another person.
@@hydriumetern7808 The term "anti-hero" is far too broad to express anything meaningful or specific about a character. Even then, Zenos doesn't fit even the broadest and simplest definition of an anti-hero because he's in no way heroic.
My heart was beating SO HARD this whole fight. Every move was made with almost prefect precision. I don't think I've ever fought a battle as perfectly in my entire playthrough. I WAS NOT going to let him beat me. I needed to win, I HAD to win. Everything had led this moment. Once the battle was over, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I felt just like the WoL, laying there in my chair, just watching the ending cutscene. I actually wondered, "Is this it? Is this where I return to the star? WILL I return to the star? SHE wasn't there to save me anymore..." I was alone, just me and Zenos. And then, boom, they saved me. The ones who I had given everything for, they still needed me. This game has been one of the greatest journeys of my life. Thank you Yoshi P, for the entire ride.
I read something a while back that really resonated with me. Zenos, in his own way, is the polar opposite of the Endsinger. Whereas Meteion is overwhelmed with despair and concludes that life is meaningless and death a mercy, Zenos has lived his entire life in a state of dejection. He feels practically nothing except for these brief, tiny moments of joy in his battles with the WoL. But Zenos ultimately sees the worth in living just for these moments. He does not give in to the depression that could so easily take him, but instead chases after the very few moments where he can be happy.
Yea i think wol and zenos offer different answers to Meteoins and by extensions hermes. Zenos's is along the lines of "if i told you the answer would it change anything. Because in the end it doesnt really matter" And wols is more "life is full of struggle but we continue forward because we must. The destination matters not. It's the journey"
I like this reading, while meteion wallows in despair Zenos took a chance to look for something to fulfill him. Meaningless? perhaps but does it make him happy nonetheless? absolutely
That smirk + guitars at the beginning and the fist fight at the end were some of my favourite gaming moments This is power fantasy done _exquisitely_ I'm still getting a slight rush whenever I hear the EW theme or The Maker's Ruin
My roomie was second hand to a LOT of hype throughout Endwalker. By far his favorite though was getting here. I'm already emotional from Meteion and just...everything about the poor bird. Then Zenos pops up, gives me and gives me that dialogue. I pick the correct answer and smile back at him. The beat starts, and I scream the phrase "SCYTHE FIGHT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE!!!"
I never in a million years thought that Endwalker would make me have some pity for Zenos. He was broken and never knew true happiness. It's honestly very sad, to never find fulfillment in anything....
Oh but he did. Right here in this moment, when my heroism came to its zenith and not left remain to save. Zenos confronts you for one final time. Answering “That, I can’t deny”…in that moment, between two forces at the edge of all existence… his response: “Ha! Acceptance at last!” That dance of the ages with his true equal/superior is where he found his fulfillment, only stifled by his loss. Even then he dies at the edge of creation…content. No regrets on my part. It was glorious✊🏿
I mean, on the one hand, I feel him, I really do. But he dragged an entire country down with him into blood and fire to try and satisfy his battle woodie, so he gets no possibility of sympathy from me after that, much less forgiveness.
But he found joy in battle, didn’t he? Admittedly his life was pretty bad. It wasn’t normal. But even someone like him found happiness in something, even if it is unsavory. He didn’t succumb to despair. So “true happiness” is subjective.
I enjoyed watching my Au Ra Reaper having an epic duel with another edgelord character, but I appreciate you uploading one with a character that looks pretty damn close to the WoL in the trailers.
I'd hardly call Zenos an Edgelord, he isn't some Chaotic Evil Kefka type, he's the Nietzschean Ubermensch, above the morals and considerations of others.
I get chills every time I hear him call the WoL "adventurer". This moment is the Hades fight of this expansion, all titles and pretense cast aside. No hero nor villain, just two people who possess a hunger few others understand. I hope that in time, somewhere among the stars, the soul that was once Zenos will find a new answer.
Y'know, the more time I've had to think about it, the more I've come to appreciate Zenos and what he and this fight represent. The devs' intended interpretation didn't really land with me - I disagree fundamentally with Zenos when he says I'm only interested in excitement and challenge, I play the game because I love the story and world and characters - but with the benefit of hindsight and headcanon, I've managed to make it work for me. Long story short, I like the idea that Zenos is trying - in his own twisted, violent, misanthropic way - to show he truly cares about you, and he wants you to know how awesome you are and how much better the world is for having you in it. So in my headcanon, he gives this speech to my character, knowing full well she hates him on a truly personal level (she's a Ninja and a lot of her found family personally suffered under the Imperial occupation of Doma) but also hoping to prove to her how far she's come and how proud he is of her. I chose the third dialogue option because I imagine my WoL saying it with a bit of a knowing smile: she's the hero, Zenos is the villain, and he's letting her have this final triumph as a testament to how valid her choices up to now have been. To let her know, yes, you ARE a hero, I see that now, I admire that about you, and I want you to be proud of that. Zenos knows this is his final battle, one way or the other, and he wants it to be as satisfying for the WoL as it is for him because that's the only way he can show the WoL his appreciation. One final duel, one final test of conviction, to end her journey as a hero. To me, this is Zenos saying, "You're the most amazing godsdamn person I've ever met, this is OUR moment to celebrate it, and damn it if it's not gonna be a hell of a moment. You've earned this. Let's fucking go." How else would he say goodbye to his most beloved enemy, his dearest friend? Side note: I like to think my WoL is genuinely touched and validated by Zenos' sudden decision to do something nice and treat with her on her own terms. She's fundamentally a kind and loving person, and knowing even a massive shithead like Zenos is capable of growth and atonement, even in some small way, is super meaningful to her.
He didn’t have actual friends, family, and people that cared for him. His relationship with his mentors and teachers were simply not existing. He had no actual parents since his mother died just after his birth, and his father is a piece of shit. Doesn’t help that he got experimented on by Emet.
He wiped the floor with yours first, though. In your first fight with him, he bodies you and you have a hard time even keeping up with him. You were caught completely offguard by how monstrously strong he is and it's not until after that first encounter that you begin to match and then surpass him.
what i like about FFXIV story the most is that you actually got recognition for your deeds. Many games despite being the "main character", do all the work, kill the bad guys, and talk to everybody, I was treated as a mob character while everybody else get the rewards, cutscene treated me as if I'm freaking invisible, but FFXIV respect the title of main character and it actually mean something here.
Fighting Zenos in a Reaper vs Reaper battle felt great. Especially since I claimed the Scythe before him ( I went Reaper as soon as I hit 70/Shadowbringers ) so it felt like Zenos was copying me and trying to beat me at my own game.
This is honestly a perfect headcanon Especially if you brought Reaper to the final SB dungeon/trial Zenos took up the scythe & voidsent because to his knowledge, that's what the strongest being uses
He sort of does beat you at your own job (Reaper). He has way better skills and more techniques as well as his Voidsent is a higher tier than ours and is more unique.
@@VDA19 I mean both of us are. Especially our Dynamis is on Demon Time and all of our wounds that we got previously don’t matter as we already healed (including Zenos as Zenos faced and tanked Endsinger’s attacks as Shinryu).
Imma fight him as a Dark Knight for stealing my edgelord job, also I made my character look like Dante from Devil May Cry so when I beat him it just looks like a demon vs. a demon hunter. 😆🤣
I once told Zenos in Garlemald that I wouldn’t fight for his amusement, but I never said that I wouldn’t body him for MY amusement. “That I can’t deny.” 😏 Edit: side note when he does that multiple hit attack after saying” a test of your vaunted strength” you can pop regen shield and stack it with Passage of Arms (your wings) and just tank the hits. Every hit dealt will be healed immediately after by your regen shield.
That's the point of Akh Morn and Aether Shot. You could do nothing and as long as you haven't taken too much damage before hand you shouldn't die to them, but the idea is that you're supposed to use sustain and/or mitigation there.
doing this as a black mage, i can assure you i cried when manaward ran out halfway through and i had to use up almsot all my lives man. so thrilling/. @@williedee259
After rewatching this scene. I've come to realize that we actually died. That teleporter beeping was essentially our heart beat. We actually fucking died, and our friends brought us back to life
I’am pretty sure it was Zenos that saved us with the teleporter. He basically wished for us to live, and he fit since he is now extremely strong, would he do it? Which is a yes, and it is hinted by Urianger to be Zenos.
@@tom-xz4ox I’am pretty sure now it was the combination of both Zenos and the WOL’s wish. I mean Zenos and the WOL are two sides of the same coin, and so it would be nice and poetic that Zenos’ first or last wish is for us to LIVE and keep going on adventures as we still have those to live for and we have our other friends, our Scions,
I loved this fight. They went all out with it. The fist fight caught me completely off guard and us almost dead alongside him from over using our gift. Was crazy. I been using the trust system since it first came out. These cs's Especially the last one made me cry hard cause I grown found of everyone and grew close to them
This on MNK was glorious. It felt vindicating, we lost our spotlight in SB, that was SAM's expac, in spite of everything the trailers led up to. And here we are, 2 expansions later, I end SB's remnant, with a punch.
I remember having monk as my main DPS through ShB with GNB as my main through ShB to EW and him knocking the weapons out of my hand made me scream when I just started laying into him the hype was immeasurable
zenos, he could have been a great ally or hero, unfortunately he was born from the wrong side, I can't blame him for everything he did, his father was a tyrant and he learned that, powerful with the highest ego he believed himself invincible, until wol appeared, and his goal in life was to face the only person with whom he felt alive, light and darkness, the last combat of two rivals, two friends so...."that, i cant deny"
God, all this time later I keep coming back to that line. “It is the sole pleasure I know, and it is the sole pleasure I have to share.” This man, who has been denied social bonding his entire life, with absolutely no frame of reference for how to connect with people should be, and he *tries!* He bares his whole heart to us, the only thing he has, even if it’s violence.
zenos is the funniest ffxiv character because he was given a second chance at life with no expectations, royal duties or imposed burdens, free to lead a perhaps self-fulfilling future by making different, wiser decisions after discovering the euphoria the world can actually offer after all, and he said lol fuck that actually ! hijacked an elezen, stole a hilariously small copter, then proceeded to do the exact same things but worse. dopamine deficient king
I didn’t much care for Zenos in previous Expansion but his final words after our Final Battle made me pity him, My favorite part of the fight was where both the Warriors of Light & Zenos armament get knocked from their grasp & then the fight turn into a Yakuza fight brief as it was.
i know some people didn't like this scene and it was understandable as it did kinda ruin that beautiful finale after beating Meteion. but personally i think this was perfect for me as i always wanted that rematch with Zenos and this entire expansion gave more story to his character that i felt like it needed a conclusion and Endwalker did it really good in my opinion.
@@Exteliongamer I think this fight was the perfect way to send off Endwalker. The star is saved, Meteion has been defeated, we no longer have to wear the mantle of a hero. Our fight with Zenos at the end of the universe was one of the few times the WoL gets to be selfish, and I ADORE it
I love this part of the story so much. Zenos reminds me of Lord Boros from One Punch Man as he tries to find himself a "real fight". Zenos even says "the conflagration of our clash will scorch even the stars!" so many similarities to Boros vs Saitama. I love it so much. Everything about Zenos I adore. He is basically a mirror reflection of what we the player are at our core. Someone who wants to experience a challenge and to find a worthy opponent. Ah the thrill of battle one of the great joys of life 😃
I actually believe this dialogue was aimed at the player. I wouldn't call it void, but if you're a gamer, aren't we always looking for new challenges? Finish a game and then you move to another one to beat it. Or the next expansion, whatever you wanna call it. "Such pleasures, you seek for their own sake, and no other reason. Is this not so... adventurer?" OF COURSE WE CAN'T DENY IT. It would have been awesome for Zenos to actually gaze at the camera breaking the 4th wall while saying that line!
I’m happy he was the final boss. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t a trial boss, he nevertheless was the final clash before the end of this whole journey that we’ve been on since the beginning.
I loved this fight. It was such an absolute thrill to fight this bastard and have him all at once, not back down, and still find a strange sort of redemption. One of the strangest and most interesting characters in the whole game. It gives me chills watching this, even though my character isn't in it lol
I love how everyone is like “bro how could you do that?! Imagine how we’d feel” like they all didn’t just sacrifice themselves five minutes before the fight, leaving the warrior of light alone to fight with all of their deaths on his conscience.
I love coming back to these videos of the last battles of Endwalker. When I do NG+ for this fight I make sure I turn off the HUD, as that makes it more of a cinematic clash rather than just "another fight" you have to get through. Granted it is cinematic as you can't really lose the fight (or rather it is EXTREMELY hard to).
Zenos is so tragic to me. My Warrior of Light, before he maxed out anything else, maxed out fisher. While he answers Zenos in the affirmative, he is a man who values his rest as much as his battles. Even for the players for whom that isn't the case, the WoL proves countless times that he has more than just the next fight. More people and more to live for. Zenos has no one but you, and he only exists for combat. If only he didn't have to be that way. It makes me wish that somewhere out there, in an echo of the Source, there exists a version of him who truly befriends the WoL. Someone who would pull up a chair and a fishing rod right next to you on Rhothlyt Sound.
I came late to the party. I only started this game 2 years ago. I played through it and as i pushed further, i thought to myself it could not get any better. But the more i pushed further the better it got. This is the greatest game ive ever played. And from a narrative stand point nothing will ever come close. 10 years in the making and with a story so carefully crafted im just greatful to be alive at a time where i could witness its existence. Just glad its not ending just yet... cant wait for dawntrail.
this gets me emotionally jerked up every time it speaks on so many levels to something primal in the soul someone we hated finally coming to terms with their own being and us acknowledging something about ourselves they saw they knew we couldnt relate or connect to them with one of us put on a path of tragedy madness and cruelty redeemed to finally understand why we the other put on a path opposite theirs exists and that we both share one common thing we can agree on we both yearn for even if in different ways he was a villain made and raised but he yearned not for evils sale but for longing of something due to his life he could never fully understand until he met us and could realize his true self and us ourselves and in the darkest hour made a choice to do what was right even though for a more selfish reason of the chance to save us to fight us he still made the choice the one we made always for others and the world he isnt fully redeemed but we can finally say we understood each other and now he can be at peace his lifes long twisted yearned fulfilled while one we never fully acknowledged can again be embraced and known our reflection finally given his end his rest and peace as we leave the battle with a renewed sense of self to carry on and continue the path we walked for our sake his sake for everyone sakes
Yeah this fight was so awsome. Was a great way to End Zenos and Endwalker. Great climax and the emotion afterwards to of the scions happiness to tears to have us alive after we saved them from being killed
This really concluded the game for me. I know that there’s so much going on still, but for 10 years, this was the game. I felt comfortable signing off after this ❤️
That’s ok I felt the same way too. I’m Proceeding to the patches and new story thinking it’s a whole new game. Everything about ff14 story ended with endwalker but I love the game so I’m not prepare to put down the controller yet. I do take breaks and play other games/mmo depending if I done what I want and just comes back when we have new patches. It’s ok to stop now but never close the possibility that in a few years that u may wanna come back.
@@Exteliongamer how soon is the next big entry? A year or so? I’d love to see what elevating the job levels to 100 will do for the game, character abilities wise. It would be cool to summon Rumah or Leviathan. Do you feel as if the storytelling has changed? Or are the new entries just as intriguing as they were ?
@@SunnyDay641 Considering we get patch update every 4 months then we may get 6.5 around September or October so the next expansion should be around summer 2024 unless any delay happened again. Story heavily revolves around ff4 I think and it’s been good so far but I feel like it’s more of a movie to an anime than a sequel. Everything seem to end by 6.5 and I can’t really see how it will connect to next expansion but will see in a few months.
Zenos won that fight given that he had the power to save us when we couldn't save ourselves. Curious to see what is next given that basically the story and characters that came about even before ARR are done. No more Zenos, Emet, Hydaelen/Venat... basically no more Ascians or Empire either...
I still remember getting to this part for the first time with my Sword and shield drawn ready to finish this fight, after picking that options to admit to him that even after all the shit that happen we were but a simple adventurer out in the world to explore and find new adventures. An we found it we beat great threats, travel through time an alternate worlds, we toppled evil people in positions of great power, turns foes into allies an beaten gods an demi gods of all kind. All of this happening while the world was heading to it end, but even when all hope seem lost we stood strong an over came a great threat. An here we were now facing off against our rival, Zenos in a realm where no gods, no plots, no traps, nothing just two warriors facing off at the edge of everything giving everything they got until both could no longer continue fighting.
When I did this fight, the final blow to knock Zenos down to 0hp for the second time was me in full Reaper Enshrouded form hitting him with a Communio right as he also hit me with that "a test of your reflexes" move, knocking us both down with near-identical Reaper spells at the exact same moment, it nearly felt scripted.
Galvus is projecting about his own lust for battle. He is not wrong when he says the Hero of Light is more than just the heroes code. Especially after the merging with Ardbert, he would have more duality than simply The Palladin's Code.
zenos is like a gamer who skips all dialogue because its boring to him, he just wants the action like a hardcore raider hoping the devs make a good fight he can enjoy, the only reason hes playing the game he doesnt care about the purpose of anything, only about the moment he is doing it and here, he is speaking to that part in us that enjoys the moment aswell, almost like hes speaking to the player who is playing the game to get enjoyment ouf of it
A true son of Mog. Though I kinda wished we could have some denials and walk away. But the anime in me couldn't help tp say "in this moment. We are friends" I mean we are abanded at the edge of existance, just kicked the embodiment of depression in the face.
random thought...what if it wasn't a wish that brought the Warrior of Light back to them via the teleporter x'D What if by some fluke accident the device FINALLY landed from being yote into the void back during the fight? lmao would be a funny coincidence tbh and funny af. (it's a joke guys but really tho if it was this simple it would be too funny to me)
I had that same thought as soon as just conveniently fell next to WoL as he/she is dying. Another possibility (The Bad Ending) would be if the transporter accidentally fell near Zenos instead and warped his corpse back to the Scions while WoL just peacefully died at the edge of the universe. A bit messed up, but dark humor always gets me lmao
Zenos was just an overpowered simple villain whose sole purpose was to have a true fight with someone equal to him. Finally the WoL gave him the fight he yearned for. Zenos might not be the best written villain but he certainly gave the vibes of being really powerful to the point he could fuck up everyone
Ps5 basic ff14 HUD I didn’t bother changing it cuz my ps5 was new during this time and all I just wanna do is play and didn’t even have a mouse nor a keyboard attach to my ps5 at this point. But To be fair I still haven’t change it cuz I usually play on Pc and only use ps5 when I forget to do something and I’m about to go to bed cuz the ps5 is attach to tv infront of my bed 🤣
@@Exteliongamer As an alternative that's ok. It just felt like a slap in the face for someone pushing everything to the side so 99% of the screen aren't covered by the HUD 🤣🤣
Zenos is pretty much the average XIV player during a content draught. We could've taken him as an ally on the basis on "Bro, same. We wanna fight more too!"
I'm always a sucker for the trope of two people starting out a fight with epic and flashy attacks before ending with a desperate fight with just your fists and whatever else you can muster lol
I mean, that's just all RGG endings lol.
Just with a final QTE to cap everything off.
They did the same thing in Persona 5 Royal. I love that it just becomes a “fuck weapons come get these hands”.
mgs4 be like
@@dahliafatale shame the villain in royal is garbage
Zenos is such a wild character because he basically has an anti-arc. Every motivation we've seen - winning a war, ruling an empire, and even opposing our goals - melt away. They're all just superficial things he only pretended to care about so he could feel alive with his friend again.
"A test of your reflexes" - Zenos, challenging the WoL to jump rope
*jump rope trophy PTSD from final fantasy 9 intensifies*
The chocobo race of ffx 😅
I once thought him a fool for wanting to relive his grandest battle. Yet here I am.
Zenos technically living like dead person. Has no anyone care and no one understand him or teach him things that he can see through what giving his life a meaning.
It’s opposite to meteion since you have character that basically has no purpose for exist.
Underrated comment
the next day i had this exact “oh fuck he spread his meme to me irl”
his entire arc is wanting to relive that one perfect battle and he spread it to me irl
i think its the moment i did a full 180 on his character
In the end, Zenos had no one else. We did. That's why we won.
He deserved better. Not... after his atrocities or the things he did, but instead from the time he was raised. In the right circumstances, Zenos would have made a powerful leader, a reliable friend, and a hero with an undying love for seeking out ever-greater threats. It's a shame what happened to him. Born into a society that siphoned the life straight out of him.
We didn't really... win. They would've both died, but Zenos chose to save the WoL with the last of his Dynamis.
He's essentially the opposite of the Wol at least at the core.
Ever since Stormblood, I've held the belief that we aren't like Zenos, but rather Zenos is like us. It's a slight distinction, but it's why I think the "we're alike, you and I" trope works here. Zenos is like us but without the companions, love, and heart, who we would have been if we never found our relationships and reasons to care. As you said, with the right circumstances, Zenos could have been a brilliant legend, and that's why he works for me.
@@bainbonic I agree. I look at Zenos as the possibility of what we would become if the MSQ didn't exist. I know that sounds goofy, but think of an FFXIV that merely had a bunch of jobs, dungeons, trials, and raids with our only goal of getting better gear and grinding with nothing else in our way. Without that story, without the element that makes the world special to us, what would we be? In a world like that, even if friendly NPCs were attackable we would slaughter them just because we were looking for a challenge. World of Warcraft notoriously has opposing faction leaders that you can kill for achievements and *nothing* else. They're very hard bosses but over the years have been boiled down to their base elements and stripped of all challenge.
That's Zenos. The world is boring, uninspired and uninteresting to him. There is no story or meaning to it and thus his only desire is to find stronger things to fight, and without the MSQ (or as an allegory, without the Scions) we could have ended up just like him.
@@bainbonic So, just watching this and noticed something. Especially with what you're saying. Someone above said that we didn't really win. Zenos saved us by using the last of his Dynamis. At the beginning of this scene, he mentions that we only burn the candle of our life for reasons we deem worthy while he burned his to find pleasure in life. In the end, he did become a little like us. He burned the last of his candle to save us. Just as we've been burning ours to save other people since 1.0.
I was convinced through the whole expansion that Zenos wouldn’t get his final wish to fight us. And I would’ve accepted it but I wanted to indulge him because, above everything else, we ARE an adventurer. I WANTED to fight him. We were roped into all this madness and though we were happy to do so, I always felt there was little choice throughout our whole journey. So for the end to be a pure battle of pleasure, no world in need of saving or people in need of liberation. Just two guys doing what they want is so damn fitting. A battle of sheer thrill.
In the end, we all know, the WoL is like John Wick: "He Is a Man of Focus, Commitment and Sheer Fucking Will"
Powerful bro
He fucked things up and we owed him nothing. He helped us out, we owe him a fight.
For once, the WoL could fight not because they HAD to, but because they WANTED to.
I mean that is literally the fate of the bearer of the crystal of Azem, the fourteenth member of the convocation of 13. The one who himself doesn't seem that powerful but goes to help those in need while just traveling the world. Ardbert was just an adventurer trying to make a living with his companions. Much the same as occurred to you they became known as heroes however unlike you, they won and kept winning, they won so hard they plunged the world into an eternal light or threatened to that would have erased the first had so many not given their life. While you may just be shattered reflections of Azem you still bear the soul of the wandering hero, the one who will travel the world and save those they find because that's just who they are.
In other words, our battle will be legendary ~
He's pretty much a human version of Tai Lung (Who actually ended up killing his father) searching for a worthy opponent.
And it's perfect lol
@@johnnysalery7383 and both were done-in by a self taught feat of martial prowess
FINALLY, A WORTH BATTLE
@@johnnysalery7383 i guess biggest difference is zenos managed to find meaning, reconcile and form a connection after his conversation with alisaie. He finds joy even in defeat at the end
while tai lung just strayed further and further. Maybe Tai lung is zenos at the end of shadowbringers, when he still wants his fight at all costs, and doesnt yet realize the desire has to be mutual to be satisfying
the only FF Main Villain to actually mellow out and become more reasonable as the epic goes on, by the end, at his death, he actually saves us, using Dynamis like the Scions, he shouts out one statement to us, harkening back to his statements after our battle in Doma... "Live", and this drops the teleporter down and saves our life.
How do you know it's Zenos using Dynamis and not Meteion dropping it down for us? Or a scion dropping it down from the ship? We don't see who drops it. There is a bright light and then it just falls towards us.
@@kokopossum Meteion had already gotten to the ship and talked to the Scions, the Scions have no idea how it dropped down, talk to Urianger, he states explicitly its "likely Zenos".
@@kokopossum I believe theres a dialogue line after you disband the scions with Urianger that hints that Zenos was the one to send the teleporter and not Meteion.
@@keithfilibeck2390 it‘s probaly both your wish to go home and zenos wish for you to „live“
@@kokopossum Urianger flat out says it was probably Zenos.
the best part of what Zenos has to say here: He never called the WoL hero or the aforementioned title of "Warrior of Light". But emphasizes the title: Adventurer. That down to the very core, more than a hero, more than a paragon of justice, you pursuit the path of an adventurer. Why pursue that path when you can hold a more stable path of farming or commerce; tilling fields or be the local healer of your town/city/village?
No, you are an adventurer not just for heroism, fame and fortune. But to take the long strides of strife and uncertainty, knowing what perils lie at the unforeseeable path you chose to make.
And so, Zenos called us out. More than heroism and virtues, he understood that taking an adventurer's path meant a life of thrilling uncertainty. Filled to the brim of dangers and long strides of perils. Especially, even after the 7th Calamity no less where the fate of those adventurers who disappeared in the wake of Dalamund's descent. Why take these perilous roads of being an adventurer if it is not for the thrill of facing these dangers?
PopTart?
Still deny Zenos' assertion, not everyone sees things through his lens of malaise
@@squallofthedai By "not everyone" you mean "men" with negative testosterone.
it's all fine and good to pursue lofty ideals and serious matters. But then from time to time we just gotta have some fun and get on with what is pleaurable to our very essence
the fact that he helped us through our serious trouble made the pallate cleanser afterwards all the better. Imagine being at world's end with your rival and not having one fight for the ages
@@nKe. No, he means people who aren't psychopaths.
There is no other answer to that “now that I can’t deny”
I choose that option to and laughed when I saw my female Miqo'te in Holy PLD armor smirk at him xD I actually was like "well he is. Not wrong. I like seeking tougher enemies" xD
I mean he isn't wrong. Hell even Azem did stupid shit to test himself and for funsies.
Hard disagree
@@squallofthedai Virgin energy
@@JasonBeo: The opinion of an edgelord with a crap take is less than nothing, 4Chan is that way, take your projection with you.
What of you, my mirror? Born into this world, bestowed name, bid to seek out strife and adventure...
Was this life a gift...or a burden? Did you find...fulfillment?
This spoke to me not only as the WoL but also as a player of FFXIV.
A story 10 years in the making coming to such an epic conclusion.
Yes, Square Enix, yes it was fulfilling.
I notice this common theme in Endwalker, the question of "Was it worth it?"
And the fact that the game presupposes that the answer is Yes shows an immense level of confidence in the dev team.
Even the speech Zenos gives is essentially "This game is fun, and you love it, right? How about one more awesome fight?"
It reminds me of Yoshi P talking to us during Rising. Not just to the Warrior of Light. But you, the player
If you have stuck around for hundreds of hours to even reach this point, you either did find it fulfilling or you hate yourself
There is a lot of callouts in Endwalker to the player. Even Venat's speech about being imperfect, fragmented beings, who know they are aware they will die and will suffer in life, to need to seek the strength to endure it, press on and to find purpose in their life. It's definitely intentional, and one of the core reasons this expansion hit hard. If people truly questioned what Venat is saying, the developers delivered a very really powerful message.
Zenos: "Born into this world, bestowed name, bid to seek out strife and adventure...."
Me: "Game devs, is that you calling us out right now?"
Such is Ishikawa's talent at writing that she managed to build a character out of an antagonist who had none. Similar to modern interpretations of Sherlock Holmes, Zenos is a man brimming with passion, intelligence and perceptiveness, the latter two being so great that he sees right through the trappings of importance we apply to so much mundanity. That's the real reason he's so apathetic to most things. What he really needed all his life was an outlet he would find truly meaningful (which he managed to find, well after the damage had been done) and someone who would acknowledge him for who he is. Instead, he was born into royalty, imperialism and fascism, with all the underlying delusions, emptiness, restraints and antisociability. Given a different upbringing he could have been an unparalleled artist, a tireless explorer, an insurmountable philosopher, maybe even a hero. At least at the very end of his life (twice over) he both found genuine satisfaction and meaning, and--if you choose the "That, I can't deny" dialogue--formed a real emotional connection with another person.
Finally! Finally someone understands why i love this guy so much!
That was a needlessly verbose way of saying he was an anti-hero. Sometimes less is more jackass.
@@hydriumetern7808 someone's hurt
@@hydriumetern7808 The term "anti-hero" is far too broad to express anything meaningful or specific about a character. Even then, Zenos doesn't fit even the broadest and simplest definition of an anti-hero because he's in no way heroic.
@@hydriumetern7808 Someone cant read
My heart was beating SO HARD this whole fight. Every move was made with almost prefect precision. I don't think I've ever fought a battle as perfectly in my entire playthrough. I WAS NOT going to let him beat me. I needed to win, I HAD to win. Everything had led this moment.
Once the battle was over, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I felt just like the WoL, laying there in my chair, just watching the ending cutscene. I actually wondered, "Is this it? Is this where I return to the star? WILL I return to the star? SHE wasn't there to save me anymore..." I was alone, just me and Zenos. And then, boom, they saved me. The ones who I had given everything for, they still needed me.
This game has been one of the greatest journeys of my life. Thank you Yoshi P, for the entire ride.
the plot twist was "they" didn't save you. Urianger says it's most likely Zenos sent that controller to you using dinamus.
Vomit
I read something a while back that really resonated with me. Zenos, in his own way, is the polar opposite of the Endsinger.
Whereas Meteion is overwhelmed with despair and concludes that life is meaningless and death a mercy, Zenos has lived his entire life in a state of dejection. He feels practically nothing except for these brief, tiny moments of joy in his battles with the WoL.
But Zenos ultimately sees the worth in living just for these moments. He does not give in to the depression that could so easily take him, but instead chases after the very few moments where he can be happy.
Yea i think wol and zenos offer different answers to Meteoins and by extensions hermes.
Zenos's is along the lines of "if i told you the answer would it change anything. Because in the end it doesnt really matter"
And wols is more "life is full of struggle but we continue forward because we must. The destination matters not. It's the journey"
I like this reading, while meteion wallows in despair Zenos took a chance to look for something to fulfill him. Meaningless? perhaps but does it make him happy nonetheless? absolutely
Tataru would later go on to cause the 8th, 9th, and 10th Umbral Calamities in pursuit of money.
Finally at the very end of it all, he reminds us of who we truly are. No longer bound by the mantle of a 'hero', Zenos set us free.
That smirk + guitars at the beginning and the fist fight at the end were some of my favourite gaming moments
This is power fantasy done _exquisitely_
I'm still getting a slight rush whenever I hear the EW theme or The Maker's Ruin
My roomie was second hand to a LOT of hype throughout Endwalker. By far his favorite though was getting here. I'm already emotional from Meteion and just...everything about the poor bird. Then Zenos pops up, gives me and gives me that dialogue. I pick the correct answer and smile back at him. The beat starts, and I scream the phrase "SCYTHE FIGHT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE!!!"
Acceptance! At last!
I never in a million years thought that Endwalker would make me have some pity for Zenos. He was broken and never knew true happiness. It's honestly very sad, to never find fulfillment in anything....
Oh but he did. Right here in this moment, when my heroism came to its zenith and not left remain to save. Zenos confronts you for one final time.
Answering “That, I can’t deny”…in that moment, between two forces at the edge of all existence… his response:
“Ha! Acceptance at last!”
That dance of the ages with his true equal/superior is where he found his fulfillment, only stifled by his loss. Even then he dies at the edge of creation…content.
No regrets on my part. It was glorious✊🏿
@@ShadowProject01 I think he realized at the very end how sad his existence had been....He was about to say something but his final word was "I...."
I mean, on the one hand, I feel him, I really do.
But he dragged an entire country down with him into blood and fire to try and satisfy his battle woodie, so he gets no possibility of sympathy from me after that, much less forgiveness.
@@Dac85 you're right he let his being unfulfilled turn him into a monster.
But he found joy in battle, didn’t he? Admittedly his life was pretty bad. It wasn’t normal. But even someone like him found happiness in something, even if it is unsavory. He didn’t succumb to despair. So “true happiness” is subjective.
I love that it's Alisaie scolding us for daring to leave that wakes us up.
I'd be shocked into waking up if I got an Alisaie scolding too!
It was technically Alphinaud who called to us first. Then the rest started calling him.
Past the Far Edge of Fate
ring blades Dark and Light...
Tolling
the coming
Of
The End.
It ended with a damn fistfight. Now that is a hell of an ending.
I enjoyed watching my Au Ra Reaper having an epic duel with another edgelord character, but I appreciate you uploading one with a character that looks pretty damn close to the WoL in the trailers.
I'd hardly call Zenos an Edgelord, he isn't some Chaotic Evil Kefka type, he's the Nietzschean Ubermensch, above the morals and considerations of others.
I get chills every time I hear him call the WoL "adventurer". This moment is the Hades fight of this expansion, all titles and pretense cast aside. No hero nor villain, just two people who possess a hunger few others understand.
I hope that in time, somewhere among the stars, the soul that was once Zenos will find a new answer.
Y'know, the more time I've had to think about it, the more I've come to appreciate Zenos and what he and this fight represent. The devs' intended interpretation didn't really land with me - I disagree fundamentally with Zenos when he says I'm only interested in excitement and challenge, I play the game because I love the story and world and characters - but with the benefit of hindsight and headcanon, I've managed to make it work for me.
Long story short, I like the idea that Zenos is trying - in his own twisted, violent, misanthropic way - to show he truly cares about you, and he wants you to know how awesome you are and how much better the world is for having you in it. So in my headcanon, he gives this speech to my character, knowing full well she hates him on a truly personal level (she's a Ninja and a lot of her found family personally suffered under the Imperial occupation of Doma) but also hoping to prove to her how far she's come and how proud he is of her. I chose the third dialogue option because I imagine my WoL saying it with a bit of a knowing smile: she's the hero, Zenos is the villain, and he's letting her have this final triumph as a testament to how valid her choices up to now have been. To let her know, yes, you ARE a hero, I see that now, I admire that about you, and I want you to be proud of that.
Zenos knows this is his final battle, one way or the other, and he wants it to be as satisfying for the WoL as it is for him because that's the only way he can show the WoL his appreciation. One final duel, one final test of conviction, to end her journey as a hero. To me, this is Zenos saying, "You're the most amazing godsdamn person I've ever met, this is OUR moment to celebrate it, and damn it if it's not gonna be a hell of a moment. You've earned this. Let's fucking go."
How else would he say goodbye to his most beloved enemy, his dearest friend?
Side note: I like to think my WoL is genuinely touched and validated by Zenos' sudden decision to do something nice and treat with her on her own terms. She's fundamentally a kind and loving person, and knowing even a massive shithead like Zenos is capable of growth and atonement, even in some small way, is super meaningful to her.
Thank you sir for picking the ONE AND ONLY RIGHT ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION!!!!
Here here!
Okay. This scene makes Meteor look cool, thanks for using the default hyur model. X3
Xenos had everything, and wanted for nothing. Thus, nothing satisfied him. Not until you wiped the floor with his face repeatedly.
He didn’t have actual friends, family, and people that cared for him.
His relationship with his mentors and teachers were simply not existing.
He had no actual parents since his mother died just after his birth, and his father is a piece of shit.
Doesn’t help that he got experimented on by Emet.
A character born out of conveniences. He’s the character that no one want nor why he should exist. The only thing drive him is to look for a future.
He wiped the floor with yours first, though. In your first fight with him, he bodies you and you have a hard time even keeping up with him. You were caught completely offguard by how monstrously strong he is and it's not until after that first encounter that you begin to match and then surpass him.
@@Xylarxcode This is true. He really just wanted somebody to play with. Problem is he plays rough.
what i like about FFXIV story the most is that you actually got recognition for your deeds. Many games despite being the "main character", do all the work, kill the bad guys, and talk to everybody, I was treated as a mob character while everybody else get the rewards, cutscene treated me as if I'm freaking invisible, but FFXIV respect the title of main character and it actually mean something here.
"That, I can't deny" is the only right answer tbh, and no one can tell me otherwise.
I finished Endwalker Recently, and I have to say, whoever gave the idea to give the option to say, "That I Can't Deny," Deserves a pay raise.
Fighting Zenos in a Reaper vs Reaper battle felt great. Especially since I claimed the Scythe before him ( I went Reaper as soon as I hit 70/Shadowbringers ) so it felt like Zenos was copying me and trying to beat me at my own game.
This is honestly a perfect headcanon
Especially if you brought Reaper to the final SB dungeon/trial
Zenos took up the scythe & voidsent because to his knowledge, that's what the strongest being uses
He sort of does beat you at your own job (Reaper).
He has way better skills and more techniques as well as his Voidsent is a higher tier than ours and is more unique.
@@diousthomas8878 Keep in mind this Zenos is beefed up on what's left of Hydaelyn and he still loses the fight
@@VDA19 I mean both of us are.
Especially our Dynamis is on Demon Time and all of our wounds that we got previously don’t matter as we already healed (including Zenos as Zenos faced and tanked Endsinger’s attacks as Shinryu).
Imma fight him as a Dark Knight for stealing my edgelord job, also I made my character look like Dante from Devil May Cry so when I beat him it just looks like a demon vs. a demon hunter. 😆🤣
"Farewell. My beloved nemesis."
I once told Zenos in Garlemald that I wouldn’t fight for his amusement, but I never said that I wouldn’t body him for MY amusement.
“That I can’t deny.” 😏
Edit: side note when he does that multiple hit attack after saying” a test of your vaunted strength” you can pop regen shield and stack it with Passage of Arms (your wings) and just tank the hits. Every hit dealt will be healed immediately after by your regen shield.
That's the point of Akh Morn and Aether Shot. You could do nothing and as long as you haven't taken too much damage before hand you shouldn't die to them, but the idea is that you're supposed to use sustain and/or mitigation there.
You just pop Sheltron there actually because uh. Passage's block is same as Sheltron block and the 15% doesn't apply to you.
@@InsanoRider777 If you play a tank that is, I did that fight as a Dragoon. Nearly used up all of the revives but did it in a single try.
@@alexiosblake9804 I did it as a reaper and it was just an edgy dps rush. Didn't drop though thanks to that goofy time shield haha.
doing this as a black mage, i can assure you i cried when manaward ran out halfway through and i had to use up almsot all my lives man. so thrilling/. @@williedee259
the scions didnt scold WoL enough imo. they can never be mad at him lmao
Every few months I’ll go back reminisce about this. So well done
STANDING HERE I REALIZE
If we can ever replay this fight, I'm doing it with this soundtrack in the background
First choice in nutshell: Zenos, you glorious bastard just hit me already!
GET OVER HERE AND PUNCH MY PERFECT JAWLINE!
After rewatching this scene. I've come to realize that we actually died. That teleporter beeping was essentially our heart beat.
We actually fucking died, and our friends brought us back to life
I’am pretty sure it was Zenos that saved us with the teleporter.
He basically wished for us to live, and he fit since he is now extremely strong, would he do it? Which is a yes, and it is hinted by Urianger to be Zenos.
That's a reach lol
@@tom-xz4ox I’am pretty sure now it was the combination of both Zenos and the WOL’s wish.
I mean Zenos and the WOL are two sides of the same coin, and so it would be nice and poetic that Zenos’ first or last wish is for us to LIVE and keep going on adventures as we still have those to live for and we have our other friends, our Scions,
@@diousthomas8878 Urianger says it's Zenos, and the WoL too but mostly Zenos
@@nicogalax And is a nice touch because in SB Zenos told us to "live" and he done same this time
I loved this fight. They went all out with it. The fist fight caught me completely off guard and us almost dead alongside him from over using our gift. Was crazy. I been using the trust system since it first came out. These cs's Especially the last one made me cry hard cause I grown found of everyone and grew close to them
Imagine this part as a lalafell player.
Tiny little goblin having a punch-out at the end of the universe....
😂😂😂 I’ve seen other people upload the fight with a lalafell and it was really funny yet epic at same time
@@Exteliongamer I play lalafell myself, yeah it was kind of a funny scene seeing my smol boi punch out Zenos like that. lol
This on MNK was glorious. It felt vindicating, we lost our spotlight in SB, that was SAM's expac, in spite of everything the trailers led up to.
And here we are, 2 expansions later, I end SB's remnant, with a punch.
I remember having monk as my main DPS through ShB with GNB as my main through ShB to EW and him knocking the weapons out of my hand made me scream when I just started laying into him the hype was immeasurable
Lucky monks, the only job your character actually fights with in a cutscene!
zenos, he could have been a great ally or hero, unfortunately he was born from the wrong side, I can't blame him for everything he did, his father was a tyrant and he learned that, powerful with the highest ego he believed himself invincible, until wol appeared, and his goal in life was to face the only person with whom he felt alive, light and darkness, the last combat of two rivals, two friends so...."that, i cant deny"
Am I the only one who found it funny how they did a literal lap around Eorzea, Far East and Garlemald before heading to Sharlayan?
They just saved the world, let them have a joyride in their giant spaceship!
(Or maybe the Loporrits just got lost...)
The first choice was always the best answer. I just can't give Zenos a disservice.
This fight lives on as a memory.
If only we get to relive this moment, outside of story replay I mean.
Yea wish instance fight like this is repayable some are really epic
God, all this time later I keep coming back to that line. “It is the sole pleasure I know, and it is the sole pleasure I have to share.” This man, who has been denied social bonding his entire life, with absolutely no frame of reference for how to connect with people should be, and he *tries!* He bares his whole heart to us, the only thing he has, even if it’s violence.
zenos is the funniest ffxiv character because he was given a second chance at life with no expectations, royal duties or imposed burdens, free to lead a perhaps self-fulfilling future by making different, wiser decisions after discovering the euphoria the world can actually offer after all, and he said lol fuck that actually ! hijacked an elezen, stole a hilariously small copter, then proceeded to do the exact same things but worse. dopamine deficient king
Hopefully, we get something even a fraction as badass as this in Dawntrail.
I didn’t much care for Zenos in previous Expansion but his final words after our Final Battle made me pity him,
My favorite part of the fight was where both the Warriors of Light & Zenos armament get knocked from their grasp & then the fight turn into a Yakuza fight brief as it was.
i know some people didn't like this scene and it was understandable as it did kinda ruin that beautiful finale after beating Meteion. but personally i think this was perfect for me as i always wanted that rematch with Zenos and this entire expansion gave more story to his character that i felt like it needed a conclusion and Endwalker did it really good in my opinion.
@@Exteliongamer yeah it sure did!
@@Exteliongamer I think this fight was the perfect way to send off Endwalker. The star is saved, Meteion has been defeated, we no longer have to wear the mantle of a hero. Our fight with Zenos at the end of the universe was one of the few times the WoL gets to be selfish, and I ADORE it
I love this part of the story so much. Zenos reminds me of Lord Boros from One Punch Man as he tries to find himself a "real fight". Zenos even says "the conflagration of our clash will scorch even the stars!" so many similarities to Boros vs Saitama. I love it so much. Everything about Zenos I adore. He is basically a mirror reflection of what we the player are at our core. Someone who wants to experience a challenge and to find a worthy opponent. Ah the thrill of battle one of the great joys of life 😃
it's be a year now since I've finished MSQ, and this scene @24:50 wetted my eyes. Even after a year, I'm still crying like a baby watching this.
most pogchamp moment 2022
2:40 : Missing option: I do it for the glam and you have nothing I can use, goodbye..
This scene still gives me chills
Same for me it’s the perfect final battle to end this saga
I actually believe this dialogue was aimed at the player. I wouldn't call it void, but if you're a gamer, aren't we always looking for new challenges? Finish a game and then you move to another one to beat it. Or the next expansion, whatever you wanna call it. "Such pleasures, you seek for their own sake, and no other reason. Is this not so... adventurer?" OF COURSE WE CAN'T DENY IT. It would have been awesome for Zenos to actually gaze at the camera breaking the 4th wall while saying that line!
I’m happy he was the final boss. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t a trial boss, he nevertheless was the final clash before the end of this whole journey that we’ve been on since the beginning.
Learning Paladin for the first time now and just happened this got recommended. interesting watching Paladin fight Zenos. Love the job so far.
I loved this fight. It was such an absolute thrill to fight this bastard and have him all at once, not back down, and still find a strange sort of redemption. One of the strangest and most interesting characters in the whole game. It gives me chills watching this, even though my character isn't in it lol
Just imagine if Zenos had grown up alongside the Warrior of Light instead of in Garlemald. Imagine the potential for two people of that power.
I love how everyone is like “bro how could you do that?! Imagine how we’d feel” like they all didn’t just sacrifice themselves five minutes before the fight, leaving the warrior of light alone to fight with all of their deaths on his conscience.
A TEST OF YOUR REFLEXES!!
What a true vilaon he was, with real motives, reasons! Props on SE for making such a great character!
Beyond the stars, alone. I really wish that he comes back later, a big redemption arc and a fellow Scion
I love coming back to these videos of the last battles of Endwalker.
When I do NG+ for this fight I make sure I turn off the HUD, as that makes it more of a cinematic clash rather than just "another fight" you have to get through. Granted it is cinematic as you can't really lose the fight (or rather it is EXTREMELY hard to).
Zenos really is the perfect foil for the Warrior of Light. This duel was the only way this story could end.
Zenos is so tragic to me. My Warrior of Light, before he maxed out anything else, maxed out fisher. While he answers Zenos in the affirmative, he is a man who values his rest as much as his battles. Even for the players for whom that isn't the case, the WoL proves countless times that he has more than just the next fight. More people and more to live for. Zenos has no one but you, and he only exists for combat. If only he didn't have to be that way. It makes me wish that somewhere out there, in an echo of the Source, there exists a version of him who truly befriends the WoL. Someone who would pull up a chair and a fishing rod right next to you on Rhothlyt Sound.
I came late to the party. I only started this game 2 years ago. I played through it and as i pushed further, i thought to myself it could not get any better. But the more i pushed further the better it got. This is the greatest game ive ever played. And from a narrative stand point nothing will ever come close. 10 years in the making and with a story so carefully crafted im just greatful to be alive at a time where i could witness its existence. Just glad its not ending just yet... cant wait for dawntrail.
this gets me emotionally jerked up every time
it speaks on so many levels to something primal in the soul
someone we hated finally coming to terms with their own being and us acknowledging something about ourselves they saw they knew we couldnt relate or connect to them with
one of us put on a path of tragedy madness and cruelty redeemed to finally understand why we the other put on a path opposite theirs exists and that we both share one common thing we can agree on we both yearn for even if in different ways
he was a villain made and raised but he yearned not for evils sale but for longing of something due to his life he could never fully understand until he met us and could realize his true self and us ourselves and in the darkest hour made a choice to do what was right even though for a more selfish reason of the chance to save us to fight us he still made the choice the one we made always for others and the world
he isnt fully redeemed but we can finally say we understood each other and now he can be at peace his lifes long twisted yearned fulfilled while one we never fully acknowledged can again be embraced and known
our reflection finally given his end his rest and peace as we leave the battle with a renewed sense of self to carry on and continue the path we walked for our sake his sake for everyone sakes
Tbh, I thought the first actual final battle, all the way back in stormblood, I thought that was amazing, I was severely wrong
Now, almost 2 weeks later, I WAS VERY SEVERELY WRONG, that has to be my favorite fight in my entirety of playing this game
OMG, this fight scene was better than the first fight between Sasuke and Naruto in the Anime Naruto at the Waterfall.
Yeah this fight was so awsome. Was a great way to End Zenos and Endwalker. Great climax and the emotion afterwards to of the scions happiness to tears to have us alive after we saved them from being killed
This really concluded the game for me. I know that there’s so much going on still, but for 10 years, this was the game. I felt comfortable signing off after this ❤️
That’s ok I felt the same way too. I’m Proceeding to the patches and new story thinking it’s a whole new game. Everything about ff14 story ended with endwalker but I love the game so I’m not prepare to put down the controller yet. I do take breaks and play other games/mmo depending if I done what I want and just comes back when we have new patches. It’s ok to stop now but never close the possibility that in a few years that u may wanna come back.
@@Exteliongamer how soon is the next big entry? A year or so? I’d love to see what elevating the job levels to 100 will do for the game, character abilities wise. It would be cool to summon Rumah or Leviathan.
Do you feel as if the storytelling has changed? Or are the new entries just as intriguing as they were ?
@@SunnyDay641 Considering we get patch update every 4 months then we may get 6.5 around September or October so the next expansion should be around summer 2024 unless any delay happened again. Story heavily revolves around ff4 I think and it’s been good so far but I feel like it’s more of a movie to an anime than a sequel. Everything seem to end by 6.5 and I can’t really see how it will connect to next expansion but will see in a few months.
Okay! I’ll keep that in mind. 😃
6:16 only 6.2 fans will know
Come, Hither! :P
Zenos won that fight given that he had the power to save us when we couldn't save ourselves.
Curious to see what is next given that basically the story and characters that came about even before ARR are done. No more Zenos, Emet, Hydaelen/Venat... basically no more Ascians or Empire either...
Ngl that fight kinda felt liberating, we fought simply to fight, no stakes.
Admitting and agreeing with our friend is the only answer! It is the true answer.
I still remember getting to this part for the first time with my Sword and shield drawn ready to finish this fight, after picking that options to admit to him that even after all the shit that happen we were but a simple adventurer out in the world to explore and find new adventures. An we found it we beat great threats, travel through time an alternate worlds, we toppled evil people in positions of great power, turns foes into allies an beaten gods an demi gods of all kind. All of this happening while the world was heading to it end, but even when all hope seem lost we stood strong an over came a great threat. An here we were now facing off against our rival, Zenos in a realm where no gods, no plots, no traps, nothing just two warriors facing off at the edge of everything giving everything they got until both could no longer continue fighting.
When I did this fight, the final blow to knock Zenos down to 0hp for the second time was me in full Reaper Enshrouded form hitting him with a Communio right as he also hit me with that "a test of your reflexes" move, knocking us both down with near-identical Reaper spells at the exact same moment, it nearly felt scripted.
Estinian and zenos are the same person plot twist
I'm real glad Zenos finally got his fight and there was none of that Naruto shit where he joins up with us to rebuild a nicer Garlemald.
27:50
thancred chuckle + wink for the thancred stans here
Galvus is projecting about his own lust for battle. He is not wrong when he says the Hero of Light is more than just the heroes code. Especially after the merging with Ardbert, he would have more duality than simply The Palladin's Code.
maybe cause I don't do extreme or savage or felt there more to it that I didn't understood Zenos, like you saw something in me, I'm like no I did not.
He's talking to the player. Why continue to play FF14? Because you want to. Because you are having fun.
A test of your reflexes!
Honestly. I kinda wish there was an alternate timeline where this wasn’t an mmo and the WoL died.
bro i just finished endwalker and this fight made me cry it was sooo good
zenos is like a gamer who skips all dialogue because its boring to him, he just wants the action
like a hardcore raider hoping the devs make a good fight he can enjoy, the only reason hes playing the game
he doesnt care about the purpose of anything, only about the moment he is doing it
and here, he is speaking to that part in us that enjoys the moment aswell, almost like hes speaking to the player who is playing the game to get enjoyment ouf of it
A true son of Mog. Though I kinda wished we could have some denials and walk away. But the anime in me couldn't help tp say "in this moment. We are friends" I mean we are abanded at the edge of existance, just kicked the embodiment of depression in the face.
random thought...what if it wasn't a wish that brought the Warrior of Light back to them via the teleporter x'D What if by some fluke accident the device FINALLY landed from being yote into the void back during the fight? lmao would be a funny coincidence tbh and funny af. (it's a joke guys but really tho if it was this simple it would be too funny to me)
I had that same thought as soon as just conveniently fell next to WoL as he/she is dying.
Another possibility (The Bad Ending) would be if the transporter accidentally fell near Zenos instead and warped his corpse back to the Scions while WoL just peacefully died at the edge of the universe.
A bit messed up, but dark humor always gets me lmao
The Teleporter would have returned to the ship with all of the scions.
i mean.... that's what i thought happened and i lost it 😂
Did this with my Au Ra Dragoon in full Dragoon gear, helmet being invisible.
Zenos was just an overpowered simple villain whose sole purpose was to have a true fight with someone equal to him. Finally the WoL gave him the fight he yearned for. Zenos might not be the best written villain but he certainly gave the vibes of being really powerful to the point he could fuck up everyone
After all, he called me Friend. More important than everything else. Farewell old Friend!
I'd had enough of him. After that... *bullshit...* he pulled at Camp Broken Glass, I wasn't about to give him acceptance.
I believe he still alive! my friend
The 2nd half of endwalker is basically tengen toppa gurren lagann. It even ends with a damn fist fight lol
Might be a surprise if Zenos suddenly added into trust system under different name.
Thx for uploading a great scene but...by the gods, what is that HUD?!
Ps5 basic ff14 HUD I didn’t bother changing it cuz my ps5 was new during this time and all I just wanna do is play and didn’t even have a mouse nor a keyboard attach to my ps5 at this point. But To be fair I still haven’t change it cuz I usually play on Pc and only use ps5 when I forget to do something and I’m about to go to bed cuz the ps5 is attach to tv infront of my bed 🤣
@@Exteliongamer As an alternative that's ok. It just felt like a slap in the face for someone pushing everything to the side so 99% of the screen aren't covered by the HUD 🤣🤣
Zenos is pretty much the average XIV player during a content draught. We could've taken him as an ally on the basis on "Bro, same. We wanna fight more too!"
All lore aside all I can laugh at is the "A test of you're reflexes" GNB superboilide
I think I made the right choice fighting Zenos as a reaper.