Final Fantasy 14 Director Puts One Recent Dawntrail Mystery To Bed

WARNING: The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the main story of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail.Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki Yoshida stated that the return of the Ascians as an antagonistic force will be different from past iterations, as the remaining villains will have different motives. The ending of Patch 7.3’s main story saw the return of the black-cloaked Ascians to the main story of Final Fantasy 14 following a lengthy absence.

In short, the Ascians are the surviving members of a race simply known as the Ancients, the progenitor civilization of Final Fantasy 14‘s main setting of Etheirys. The Ascians, also known as the Convocation of Fourteen, were enemies of Hydaelyn and her chosen champions and swore allegiance to the Elder Primal called Zodiark. During Endwalker, both Zodiark and Hydaelyn were defeated by the Warrior of Light and their allies, and the Ascians’ mission to return the world of Etheirys to its original state was thwarted for good. Of the fourteen Convocation members, over half have been dealt with by the Warrior of Light throughout the story.

Final Fantasy 14’s Remaining Ascians Will Not Repeat Past Story Beats

While the Ascians will soon return to cause trouble for the Warrior of Light in future patches, Yoshida eased concerns that players had about their motives. In a Gamescom interview with TheGamer, Yoshida stated that the story that will play out in Dawntrail’s remaining updates and the next Final Fantasy 14 expansion will delve into the remaining Ascians. However, Yoshida stated that Final Fantasy 14 will not tread old ground when it comes to telling their story, and that the remaining villains would have their own plans. Given that Final Fantasy 14‘s next two patches will explore more facets of the Ninth Reflection, the Ascians’ involvement in the remaining shards of Etheirys remains a plausible plot point. Yoshida also encouraged players to look up the definition of “winterer” after the term “Winterer peers” was uttered by the Endless scientist Calyx during Patch 7.3’s story.

Along with discussing the Ascians, Yoshida confirmed that the upcoming collaboration with Monster Hunter Wilds will be a permanent part of Final Fantasy 14, similar to the previous event with Monster Hunter World. The Final Fantasy 14 side of the collaboration will launch in early October, as players will face the draconic Guardian Arkveld in a new boss battle. By comparison, Monster Hunter Wilds players will face Omega Planetes starting in late September.

With the Ascians returning as an antagonistic faction, it remains to be seen how their story will unfold in Final Fantasy 14‘s next expansion. However, fans may not have to wait long to hear about Final Fantasy 14‘s upcoming plans, as an announcement concerning the game’s FanFest events is scheduled to air on August 27 at 3:00 AM Eastern.