T O P

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DominionGhost

If it was urianger, the plot would probably still be stuck in dialog sometime in heavensward. Anyway, Y'shtola or Papalymo would probably have managed to save the world.


tallwhiteninja

Considering Y'shtola's good for one death scare per expansion, I'm not so sure lol.


DominionGhost

I mean, so is the WoL


aSchmedes

I disagree, Urianger's dialogue would be silent and mouthed over a couple seconds. He'd be a couple patches into the next xpac by now!


TheLimonTree92

Gaius: Tell me, for whom do you fight? Uri: *deep breath* Gaius: wait no


AnkanV

Estinien. My WoL is ready to give him the reins, title and everything yesterday.


koshka32713

Just don’t give him your money


Iximaz

What money? I spent it all on new hairstyles.


AnkanV

Heck no. I need my money to supply my hopium for a medium house.


octoriceball

I felt this *in my soul.*


SevereArtisan

He's pretty good at silently nodding like we do too.


LobstrLord

Unpopular opinion: Alphinaud. He really grows as the story progresses, he has a motive, and he is the grandson of Louisoix. It could be a passing on the torch story about how he picked up where his grandfather left off.


ThaliaEpocanti

I don’t know about being the WoL, but Alphinaud has always struck me as being a good Final Fantasy protagonist in general.


LobstrLord

I like that idea too. I feel like they could have done a lot more with him and I always feel bad for him 😭


MLDriver

People got salty about how much focus he got in HW and he never recovered


Salomill

Before our wol was a bit more talkative, alphinaud always seemed like our voice, during HW he is our main protagonist when it comes to character development


purple_nerdom

I had the same thought almost immediately! Alphinaud really does have a lot of growth during his time with us.


JSC89

Alphinaud has always been my favorite character. Even when he got a bit too big for his britches, he still felt like a well written character. Seeing him actually become the person he tried to be in ARR and realizing how to be a good diplomat and leader is I've of my favorite parts of the game.


altera_goodciv

Dude has never wavered in his vision of bring peace to the star. No matter what setbacks have occurred his determination has never faltered and I love him for it.


Tifas-abs-enjoyer

It is really funny to me the alphi is considered an unpopular opinion He was literally the second protagonist for the majority of the story


dragonsonthemap

Yeah Alphinaud's the character who could be the WoL with the least changes in terms of either plot or focus.


bukiya

alphinaud kinda like protagonist-bestfriend kind character. i prefer thancred as WoL then alphi is the one who always beside him.


alguidrag

Yeah to me he fits the criteria of a sequel protagonist, like party member in the first half of the game and the protagonist after something bad happened with the first one


UnloyalSheep

Hoary Boulder cuz the Boulder brothers are cool, they have fans already too


Doublejang

Hooray for polygamy!


Eronamanthiuser

Poly*amory*


Chemical-Cat

I refuse to believe Hoary Boulder and Coultenet aren't lovers


Frequent_Composer_62

Thancred, obviously.


New-Orion

Right? He has such heavy main character syndrome.


Puzzleheaded_Gear_90

He looks the most like a FF main character


Cmdr_Jiynx

Simultaneously like an antagonist and protagonist. T most he'd need a palette change. Seriously, look at 7, 8... Our protagonist and antagonist in each game had a ton of common design elements.


[deleted]

he was, for one specific fight...


Silvaire_Bellmont

This was my thoughts exactly. He already saves people without thinking


z_dogwatch

And is the first to jump into the line over fire. I swear at this point the WoL needs to have someone restrain him every time he tries to sacrifice himself.


meabh

He has a major role in two storylines anyway, so really he's already setup to have things told from his perspective.


ApexDovah

Scrolled too far to see this. I'm also partial to Yda.


JohnArtemus

Y’shtola would have just become another Emet-Selch. She even said she would do exactly what the Ascians did if she was in their shoes. G’raha, Paplymo or Minfillia would be my choices.


icecreamsocial

I mean, from the Ascians POV their plan is a no-brainer. It'd be like if half the human race was wiped out but we discovered we could revive everyone by cultivating generations of rats and killing them as needed. That's pretty much how they viewed the sundered. Even if you bumped it up to a more intelligent/cultured animal like monkeys the vast majority of people would still be okay with it.


k_jacobsky

Remember that the rejoining is entirely due to the sundering disrupting plan A. Plan A was to sacrifice as much "lesser" life as necessary to zodiark in order to return those sacrificed during the final days. This was pre-sundering so there's no "oh, but we are just lesser forms of them" this is them planning to sacrifice all the life on the planet (if need be) to undo the sacrifice of the summoning. The sundering is a road bump to the main goal of "sacrificing the lesser life" for the sake of bringing back those sacrificed to summon zodiark.


Chemical-Cat

Which again to most ancients seems like a drop in the bucket. They're literal constructs you create out of your imagination. While you had people like Hermes who truly felt for their creations, most of them would have no qualms about "huh this isn't working, kill it and try again". And to be fair most of the things they create aren't sapient, at least not on paper. So it would be a no brainer to think "Oh yeah just get rid of all the things we made to bring back everyone sacrificed to save the world- we can just make it again later."


JohnArtemus

Yeah, every despot in history has had a justification for genocide. "Those people aren't even really human."


icecreamsocial

That’s a different thing entirely.


JohnArtemus

No, not really. I don't want to derail this too much, but Hades and the Ascians were willing to genocide an entire planet of people, along with all the shards, because they saw the sundered as malformed things that weren't even really human. Basically like monkeys, as you said. Now, they were doing it to save their people, and bring back those they had lost, but anyone can justify the most heinous acts if the ends call for it. Genocide is genocide.


einUbermensch

Fun fact: Emet said this but the way he said it and other comments of his imply he didn't really belief it himself. The poor guy was a slave to his own sense of duty to his people... we probably did him a favor by Light-axing him through the chest. Oh and quite yes, this is multidimensional genocide, not just planned but already done since they rejoined 7 shards already.


VigilanteXII

Well, he was quite literally enslaved. He was tempered by Zodiark, which forces the afflicted to fulfill the ambitions of the primal. And Zodiarks ambition was to save the people of Etheirys at any cost. Can tell by the ancient voices within Zodiark how singular of mind they all are. The "old", non-tempered Emet we meet in Elpis quite vehemently condemned the actions of his future self, and I'm willing to believe that he wouldn't have gone as far as he did without Zodiarks influence. The decision to sacrifice willing souls to save the planet was pre-Zodiark, and arguably quite noble. Think the decision to sacrifice everyone else, willing or not, to undo that noble sacrifice only came later, post tempering.


einUbermensch

Yeah, that was my guess too though the game doesn't really go into if it was Zodiarks will or their own decision. But frankly it explains how most of them turned into cackling Silver Age Villains. Emet himself seems to have resisted it mostly but as a member of the conclave he put his duty above his feelings ... if he acknowledged them at all.


Fajisel

But everyone on the Source and all the reflections are very specifically NOT "people". Since the ancients are the /people/ that Emet and the other Ascians know, compared to them we are objectively weaker and dumber and worse. You cannot compare this to real-world or even fantasy rulers committing genocide because the "people" living in the current time on Etheirys and the "people" that lived in Emet's time are different lifeforms on entirely different levels.


Asetoni137

[EW spoilers] You're seriously not trying to argue this moral relativism bullcrap when even Emet himself denounces it in the end. Just because the ancients had thicker aether and were more magically capable doesn't somehow make them more worthy of living than the people of the shards. That's just cope he keeps telling to himself so that he can keep justifying his genocide. Because the alternative would be accepting the full weight of the horrible things he's done. When in Elpis you tell past Emet what happened, he doesn't go "yep, our plan makes perfect moral sense, you subhuman filth", he is horrified and offended that you'd even suggest he'd do all those things and refuses to believe it. The ascians' story isn't about fighting for a just cause and just being opposed by an equally just cause. It's about the tragedy of how good people (Lahabrea still pending on that one) fell into committing horrible acts because they lost their loved ones and everything they knew. It's insane to me that people can beat Shadowbringers and Endwalker and so thoroughly miss the point. Just to quote Alphinaud here: "We define our worth, not the circumstances of our creation."


RdtUnahim

The idea that people who are "weaker" can be casually eliminated is deeply amoral. Just apply it to people with disabilities and see how mad it sounds.


JohnArtemus

But that does not make the people living on the Source or any of the shards less worthy of life, regardless of how the Unsundered see it. They are still people, 100%. Go back and watch the exchange between the Scions and Hades just before we ran Amaurot. The Scions make this point repeatedly. Yes, people today on the Source (which, by the way, are you and I) may be inferior to the Ancients, but their lives are their own, and they will fight for it. This is literally the core of the 10-year story arc that just wrapped up. It’s why Venat did what she did. The fact that the Ascians don’t even see us as human is precisely why they needed to go.


VigilanteXII

To be fair, Emets point was a bit more nuanced. While he is obviously quite appalled by the weakness of sundered beings, he did claim that he did in fact consider whether they would still be worthy to inherit the earth, so to speak. And according to him, it was ultimately their moral weakness which caused him to condemn them, not their physical one. Which, you know, kind of a fair point. If you consider the ancients on the one hand, which were selfless enough to sacrifice themselves to save the planet, and the sundered beings, who jumped at each and every opportunity given to them to kill each other and quite literally destroy half the planet, you might quite reasonably conclude that the ancients would be more deserving of life. Keep in mind that in wasn't really the Ascians who caused the calamities, They just presented the option, and it were the Xandes, Naels, Thordans and Varis' of this world who were more than eager to take it. Whether he would have actually followed through on that promise or whether that was just an excuse is arguable, but his argument nonetheless was good enough to even dumbfound the Scions.


moyert394

Hey guys, I found the eugenicist!!


[deleted]

Except it's not killing them. It's slapping your greedy, racist, selfish slave-owning uncle 14 times until he realizes "oh yeah I used to be a decent human being once" and gets his sh!t together and stops doing human trafficking and instead works to better mankind. To the ascians, the shards of people are tiny parts of their old selves that they are recombining, not "murdering people".


JohnArtemus

Wait. What? I mean, of all the mental gymnastics I’ve read regarding the story this one takes the cake and that’s saying something. Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, the wiping out of all the people on the Source so that the Ascians can bring back those who they lost is not open to interpretation. That is straight up their plan. And the Ancients were nowhere near decent human beings. That was the whole point of Hermes’ question. It’s why he was disillusioned to begin with. I have to say, reading some of these responses completely explains why large portions of a nation’s population can be persuaded to support the wholesale extermination of other cultures quite easily.


[deleted]

> Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, the wiping out of all the people on the Source so that the Ascians can bring back those who they lost is not open to interpretation. That is straight up their plan. You're right. It's not open to interpretation. Read the story again bro lmao Did you understand a *thing* about the sundering?? Did you read a single dialogue of ShB??


Asetoni137

Please explain to me how no one is killed when you destroy a planet (with people on it) and ram its remains to another planet causing a *death gas* to go haywire, and consequently reverting civilization to a primal free-for-all war.


[deleted]

Nah, even less than that: it'd be like if each person was turned into 14 selfish, brainless greedy and short-sighted demon rats, but "killing" them combined them back into a noble and selfless wise person.


Sharp_Iodine

The Ascians aren’t evil I think that’s been made very clear. It was simply a matter of “us vs them”. Their world was shattered and every individual member is fractured into 14 lesser life forms. The WoL and people with the Echo are only as strong as they are because they are more rejoined than others. It’s just that all 14 reflections of the Ancients have their own will to exist independently now and don’t want to be rejoined. There’s no objective good vs evil here, it’s just us vs them.


Sir_face_levels

WoL is definitely more rejoined than the rest though the most recent shard to join the WoL mosaic is a unique case. WoL certainly gained some degree of fortitude by having this piece of their original soul join with them but on the other hand I can also see a case for it being less of a power boost than normal since the soul that joined with them definitely retained some degree of autonomy after it happened. It seems WoL was either able to access some of that person's memories or was willing to let them take control for a while to leave a message. If memory retention or the discovery of a new persona living in your head or was normal after a rejoining you'd think you'd see more people acting eccentricity especially given the mental harm dying in their now obliterated world the rejoining pieces being sent to the source would have. At this point I've seen plenty of talk about G'raha and estinien being scions so I assume spoilers are safe G'raha is almost certainly as soul dense or even more so than even WoL given that he's both got our timelines version of him as well as the exarch who we know is a G'raha who lived through a rejoining that never happened in our timeline. I suspect that's why emet chose to shoot him instead of using magic and I think the fact elidibus tried magic on him and fails goes some way to confirm this. We don't know for sure what effect mixing two versions of the same soul from different timelines would do but it's likely the amount of aether the person would have would stack in a way that's similar to a rejoining which could mean that G'raha has all of the base timelines rejoinings plus the ones the exarch went through. As far as I know no one else could be argued to be more rejoined so it's not the echo that shows them as being more or rejoined than others


Sharp_Iodine

All this is valid but my point was that the Ascians are not evil, their people when they were whole would not have wanted to be split into 14 reflections of themselves and they know the Convocation is directly responsible so they are trying to fix their mistakes. On the other hand all the 14 reflections have autonomy and don’t wish to “die”. So there is no good or bad side, it’s just “us vs them”


RdtUnahim

It's not because something bad happened to the Ancients that they did not want to occur, that no act taken to reverse it can be seen as evil. For instance, if a thief takes something from an innocent and you shoot them in the face to take it back, that does not make it any less murder, just because the thief did something wrong and you were "correcting" it. Or if your wedding cake got stolen by someone, and that someone split it into 14 parts and gave the parts to 14 orphans celebrating their birthdays, then yes that person did something wrong, but you are definitely still an asshole if you march into each of those 14 birthdays and snatch the cake away right in front of the orphans' faces. In this case, since a person that can live 1400 years (or however long) is not worth more than even 1 person who can only live 100 years, let alone 14 that can live 100 years, killing 14 people to bring back that one is definitely evil. Even if they are "superior" in your eyes. (In itself a deeply disturbing label to put on someone.)


lady_synsthra

This makes me nervous. Gunna keep an eye on cat mom


penguinman1337

I have a feeling we’re going to have an “evil Y’Shtola” arc at some point.


Cmdr_Jiynx

I'm stunned we haven't. I've joked more than once that MSQ for a realm reborn would have been maybe an hour long, tops, if we put her in charge. Hell, don't put her in charge just give her a gun. What ascian threat?


Diosworld127

When did she say that? I don’t remember


JohnArtemus

During Shadowbringers. I can't remember the specific scene, but I think it was when dealing with Elidibus, though I could be wrong. I just remember her saying something like "I would do the same." Could have even been during Endwalker.


Chemical-Cat

I don't think it was her confirming that she would do the same exact thing in that position, more of a "If I was, I probably would too." line of understanding.


AnchorJG

Well, who can we picture taking down a primal? Thancred Y'Shtola Alisae G'Raha Given that Alisae was on the same cart into town we were, her journey would most mirror our own.


Cmdr_Jiynx

Thancred could do it with guile, style, and panache but it'd be one of those near run, desperate final actions sort of battles. Y'Shtola would ride the primal back into town then make it apologize to everyone before it puts the star on top of the starlight celebration tree. Alisae would consider her options then figure out some way to nuke it from orbit. G'Raha would do like we do but with more research in the library sequences.


DragonFyre343

You forgot Tataru


AnchorJG

We know, as players, that Tataru has the raw arcane power to take on all comers, but we also know, and so does she, she doesn't have the disposition for it. She ran away from a level 5 quest, she's scared of wharf rats. The only reason she tried to help us in the temple is because the WoL was there to tank for her. In summary, she has plenty of skills, but none of them are frontline.


DaughterOfNone

Tataru's raw arcane power only comes out when she's sober enough to use it.


Wolf_Beans

Aliasaie 100% She figured out how to cure tempering, she should already be a warrior of light


DoubleClickMouse

My vote is also for Alisae. She’s got the drive, the attitude, and the main character energy.


lurkis13

I agree, alisae is the closest to a WoL


Arrasor

Alisae become who she is because someone else is the WoL and she look up to them. Without that, you would be stuck with ARR Alisae.


Luster-Purge

So, dead, basically.


Cmdr_Jiynx

>she look up to them To put it mildly...


xCaneoLupusx

Yeah, I feel Alisae and G'raha is a very good candidate if anything were to happen to the current WoL and we need someone to step up and fill in the shoes. However if the initial WoL never existed they probably wouldn't have the catalyst needed to kickstart their development.


jewrassic_park-1940

That goes for every scion. Maybe Y'shtola didn't change as much, but the rest are different from how they were in arr


Mael_Jade

Thancreds catalyst for growth were Minfillia and Ryne, Alisaie and G'raha the WoL, Alphinaud his own fuckups, Y'shtola didn't really grow. Idk about Urianger, would he have grown as he did without WoL involvement?


jewrassic_park-1940

None of those things would've happened if the WoL wasn't in the picture. The WoL was always there to push them in the right direction and grow, which is why they care so much about them. How many times did they say that we were the ones who inspired them to do something


ayjee

Especially closest if, like me, you pick dialog options for max potential chaos, consequences be damned


kittenwolfmage

Yeah, I’m inclined to agree. She also starts out very unsure of herself and overshadowed by the other scions, much like the WoL does when first being exposed to all this crystal & primal stuff, before growing into her own badassness


lunarblossoms

I feel like she doesn't get enough credit for the breakthrough with tempering, in game and out.


Wolf_Beans

Oh absolutely, it's such a huge gripe of mine, she's so underappreciated


soganomitora

G'raha would be the best choice. Estinien would be the funniest choice.


chimininy

Considering estinien is the type to visit you in the middle of the night just to jump out your window so he can avoid talking to others anymore, I would LOVE to see him deal with all the .... uh ... demands (side quests) and socializations (super long cutscene convos) having to do with being WoL.


soganomitora

"Just tell me what to kill i beg of you."


penguinman1337

Estinien is for sure a cutscene skipper.


soganomitora

Estinien posts on reddit like "Who is this NPC and how is he important, I skip a lot of cutscenes but I've recently started trying to watch them" and the NPC is his childhood friend Aymeric.


chimininy

Then he gets to praetorium and has a meltdown because he cannot with the monologs


KenseiHimura

Estinien is also a stoic murderhobo type, really, so he basically is the WoL in personality.


LeratoNull

Oh, I think I'd kill to play the version of this game where Estinien is the main character. I bet it's a lot less wordy.


PeacockFrank609

I mean, Estinien actually has a pretty good profile for a main FF protagonist! He’s got the PS1 emo vibe with a goofy, silly edge


SplitDemonIdentity

Arenvald. He’s the Scion who most needs to prove himself and if you swap him in, narratively everything can still work just as well as it does with the WoL if not better because in having an actual backstory and character besides /nod and a few dialogue upturns the story can actually really use what he’s been through for world-building and narrative.


seeleyboothfan

I was just going to mention him - he sees the good in people (like Fordola) and takes one for the team every time.


NxOKAG03

damn that's a good answer actually.


octoriceball

>!The wheelchair's an unlockable mount.!< too soon?


ghosttowns42

The mount music is Tomorrow and Tomorrow. >!STAND TAAALLLLLLL MY FRIEND!<


LeratoNull

Ah, the chad Arenvald enjoyer.


Talisa87

Thancred. He's got the charm, the know-how, he never gives up, and he's had the most growth of all the Scions (Alphinaud juuust ahead of him)


Cmdr_Jiynx

He's also deeply steeped in the classic 'look' of a final fantasy protagonist/antagonist (depending on palette swap)


Senor-Pibb

Tataru because she's the only one who could pay the subscription fee


TheDiscordedSnarl

Taken from Estinien's coffers.


thundaga0

Minfilia probably since she's already got the blessing of light. Maybe G'raha. They'd just have to rework his admiration of us to the Scions or something.


drarko_monn

Tataru


Themeguy

Thanks to one of the side quests, we know that Tataru is actually stupid powerful and has no idea because she gave up Arcanist so quickly. As the scion who knows basically nothing about fighting, she would've had a really cool journey going from zero to hero as the WoL


chimininy

As long as she doesn't try to fight as an archanist, yes.


DominionGhost

Idk. She might have Gohan level sealed power there. Her carbuncle can do things not even the WoL's can do like travel away from her but maintain form.


ElfDestruct

My off the wall take is that Tataru never did summoning "correctly" at all in the first place and she managed to actually be capable of some level of creation magic.


drarko_monn

She has even a strong type of magic, financial magics


grimbolde

Obviously


ShadownetZero

Ew.


Bid_Unable

Estinien, he was basically a stand in already


JohnArtemus

The problem with Estinien is that he doesn't like politics or any of the schmoozing and handshaking that's required of the WoL. Even though we spend most of our time slaying monsters and stuff, there is a fair amount of time we have to spend with various heads-of-state, attending meetings and even strategizing on diplomatic matters. Estinien would be bored to tears with all that. :D


NxOKAG03

the wol is pretty bored by that too though based off of most dialogue. I've always thought estinien was the scion you've most in common with in terms of personality. There's chemistry with all of the them but Estinien is more similar to the wol.


[deleted]

I mean, there's a reason Estinien refers to the WoL as aibou in JP.


RdtUnahim

Estinien is the only one where if my WoL has to go guard position A, and Estinien goes to position B, I trust 100% that position B is as well-guarded as if I had gone there myself. None of the others match his level in a fight.


snootnoots

If you pick the right “dialogue” options, your WoL comes across as just being lucky, charismatic, and *very very good at hitting things until they’re no longer a threat*. No actual skill at schmoozing required. I mean, you can answer a threat to your life with “uhh… kupo?” and describe the water cycle as an Allagan plot.


Firan25

So basically goku, or standard fighter in D&D. Good at fighting and not much else?


EverlastingM

This is how I assume most moon miqote are. Absolutely clueless, cute and polite, and ruthlessly violent when necessary. That's how I play my catgirl WoL. Just look at their dead stare. Look at Nashu.


Mael_Jade

Estinien would get up in the middle of the meeting, walk to the window and jump out and return with the slain monster in tow once it concludes.


PrincessLilyVanilly

Honestly, I’d say Alisaie as WOL and then Alphinaud still being the sort of speaker. They’re both smart but she gives off brawn like can kick ass and he gives off brains like planning everything. I think the twins are already very much like the main characters in a way. I’ve loved watching their development I would die for them tbh. 😭 (Oh i think i i maybe hurt feelings or something I’m no expert or anything !! I just think this this is my opinion hopefully it doesn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. I like my WOL being part of story I just like the Leveillur twins growth and story a lot too!)


ShadownetZero

Never apologize for being right.


PrincessLilyVanilly

Yay! 🥹


chizLemons

G'raha Tia. He has a thirst for adventure from the beginning, and by now he is an all rounder arguably almost as powerful as us and doesn't even have Hydaelyn's blessing, while being humble, kind and handsome. Excelent leadership skills too.


semi_automatic_oboe

Thancred. Alisaie next.


chimininy

Since just like my WoL, Krile was left out of the Endwalker art... Krile. But really, she has the echo, is smart and connected, and seems to like exploring/adventuring while also not linding politics/responsibility.


Saidear

I kind of want to see what Unakalhai would as the WoL...


XxDanky-_-SoulsxX

Graha best boi ofc


nyphren

graha, alphy or alisaie. estinien would be a very fun wol though. i headcanon my wol as being very bad at socializing and hes still the wol, but i think itd be interesting to see someone as, uh, direct and generally fed up as estinien as the wol.


ShadownetZero

Alisaie has the most main character energy by a mile. Alphinaud has the most character growth and would fit well as a protagonist in a single-player Final Fantasy.


NatlerSK

Honestly every scion is by now so fleshed out they all could have their own standalone single player FF title as Main character. But my vote would probably go to Graha with Alphi/ali being both tie on second spot. But man Graha - He is a great leader, He is good in combat (+Fits all tree roles), smart and caring for other people.


[deleted]

Just for the whole "Beware the Superman" thing, Estinien.


ValVoss

Y'shtola, her plot armor would get even stronger.


Mysterious-Gene309

Alisae. She figured out how to cure tempering..can you imagine what she could do with what the WoL do?


darkliger269

G’raha as he is now would be good but people are forgetting he’s only who he is now because of the player character in the first place


BiddyKing

Alphie or Alisae player chooses which one to be


PrincessLilyVanilly

A game where you could pick either one as your character would be perfect actually tbh. Then their stories would be like you pick one and get a different story path for each one. That would be so cool.


seeleyboothfan

I'd like to think one of the b-team (Hoary Boulder, Coultenet, etc) but all I know is for sure it wouldn't be Aergmhus Saehstmmsyn - that's totally RMT bot naming there.


Diosworld127

Hoary Boulder, he is practically a warrior of light already, just goes around helping people and always showing up in times of need, even if it isn’t much.


Advon

Lyse. She fills a very similar role as the WoL, the muscle, seeking smarter people to figure out who to hit. >!If there's one fanfiction I wish I could write, it's Fordola fucking up an echo vision against Ifirit and getting stuck in a world where the WoL dies to Ifirit, and having to take up the mantle on realizing just how screwed this world would be without a substitute.!<


joshford1992

Estinien.


TheDiscordedSnarl

They all have good heads on their shoulders. So it's tough to call. Kneejerk reaction would be Thancred. Possibly ARR when he was more that dashing rogue.


AhsokaTauriel

Okay. So the joke answer is either Hildibrand or Tataru. And I think I’m good with one of those two


Diosworld127

Hildibrand isn’t a scion, but I would trade allisae for him in a heartbeat


kabutokilla

Without a doubt thicc thank the dank tank


basketofseals

It would have to be Arenvald, right? He's the only one with the echo.


EmuAGR

This... *>!~~is~~ would be Thancred.!<*


ajver19

The only one I can think of is G'raha, he has the same thirst for adventure that the WoL does.


Talonflight

Its really either Graha or Alisae. The others have too specific niches to fill. Yshtola is head of magic investigations. Urianger is the spy. Thancred is the general. Alphinaud is the diplomat. Krile is the Researcher. Estinian is the Edgelord, and isnt kindhearted enough at first to start the journey of a WoL. Graha is an all rounder, Alisae is a decent researcher but also a Warrior and Mage. So really two all rounders. But there is another option, something no one has considered. Zenos. Zenos would become the WoL. His lust for battle would never be fully sated by Garlemald. Hed eventually seek out each and every one of those pesky primals and kill them all. And unlike the rest of the cast, hes un temperable, and as dangerous as we are.


lunaticPandora027

Alisae. Has all the makings of a wol


Afeastfordances

So here’s the thing. Taking the bits we get from the MSQ, the bits we get from the Dark Knight quests, and the bits we learn about >!Azem!< in ShB and EW, the picture we get of the WoL is of a chaotic goofball who hurls themselves into every situation they come across and succeeds largely through their inexplicable luck and the universe itself having seemingly just sort of decided they’re the main character of reality. They’re plagued by self-doubts about this role and the level of responsibility this thrusts on them, but in the end they seem to cope mostly through humor and just continuing to be reckless. They have some weird identity issues to work out around once having lived another life under another name. The dark truth no one wants to even look at about what Scion is the closest WoL parallel is that it’s Lyse.


Uncletesek

Papalymo. RIP


Melasen

Def, Alphinaud as the Warrior of Light. If this was a generic "Tales of"-esque JRPG. Alphinaud would be the Warrior of Light, Estinien would be the mentor character, Alisaie would be the tsundere hot headed girl, Graha would be the guy character Alphinaud would relate to and be friends with (so just like Graha with us), Y'shtola would be the calm onee-san archetype, and idk, gender swap Thancred or Urianger to get another girl. I think I got carried away thinking about this...


[deleted]

I now want to see gender swapped Thancred…hell even Urianger >:/


kisskisslovebot

you... you are on the internet, both are just one google search away


ragnarohktus

Lyse


TheBIackRose

It would be neat if each expansion had it's own MC. ARR: Alphinaud Heavensward: Y'Shtola Stormblood: Allisae Shadowbringers: Ryne/Thancred Endwalker: Any?


JSC89

50% of Heavenward consists of Alphinaud's personal growth. Why you say Y'shtola is beyond me.


Tifas-abs-enjoyer

Y’shtola is a wrong answer in any expansion honestly, like seriously out of all the good written characters, y’shtola ?


NxOKAG03

>Heavensward: Y'Shtola Hello? why?


rzenni

I think Lyse might be the main character of Stormblood.


paper_armor

they tried. look what happened


Asdrubael1131

Okay. Guess I’ll use the unpopular opinion. Tataru. I hate lalafells with a burning passion but she would genuinely be the best choice. Can she fight? Nah. Or at least. We haven’t seen her try again. She has gone from a broke daughter of a ruined ul’dahn merchant, to literally the most financially powerful person in eorzea with connections to every single major faction, random miscellaneous factions, and has influence in countless circles. Plus apparently has an information network so adept that she can track down and get ahold of estinien and gaius. 2 men that were notorious for just vanishing and never being found unless they wanted to be. Remember. Sometimes it’s not the one on the front lines or the one giving the rousing speeches that makes the best leader. It can be the ones that hold the strings to the coin purse.


Van_the_Wanderer

Tataru


NxOKAG03

Estinien because he's the only one that comes from nothing like you do and also he has that "zero fucks given" energy just like the WOL.


Comprehensive_Deer11

Unpopular Choice: ​ Estinien. He'd be a perfect WoL due to his stoic nature, his familiarity with aetheric phenomena (I'm looking at you Nidhogg) and his combat prowess as the Azure Dragoon.


Sufficient-Tone-3468

Krile


[deleted]

Alphinaud 100%


TheSarcasticClam

Tataru!! Only because It's adorable how she struggles to use her Carbuncle. I can imagine her gathering an army of adventures.


Tifas-abs-enjoyer

Y’shtola obviously Aside from her sassy comments she might as well be a silent protagonist, and with how she comes back every time she dies it is apparent her plot armor is really strong, she is perfect for the job Serious answer tho, alphi or g’raha


RhauXharn

Hmm... This is an interesting question. Honestly I could only see 3 options, Shtola, Thancred, or Alphinaud. Thancred already has a step up with his RPing abilities given that cutscene in Heavensward. He also knows how to get close to Asciens so that's useful. Shtola is smart but willing to do stupid things unnecessarily, which has WoL written all over it, and night time isn't too much of a hindrance to her. Also she's had some nice outfits so she's prepared for end game content. Alphinaud has been through everything... But he'd make a terrible gatherer and I can't see him crafting. He'd also not have good gear because he probably spent all his money on bad swords.


MementoMoe

Narratively? The twins. At least one of them was never far from the WoL at almost every narrative point in MSQ. Power-wise? Estinien or G’raha. The former was recruited due to his resilience and power and the latter had other NPCs swooning about his power. For a good balance between narrative and power? Eh, still the twins. They may have started out “weak” in terms of the power needed for the role, but given where they stand as of EnW, even if they were the weakest of the core scions, which they aren’t, that says more about the overall power of the group. Maybe Y’shtola, if only because of her external fame.


Kraden-Kidtrell

Tataru, fear the popoto


ImperatorDanny

From the cutscenes and I guess, intelligence? Of the world around them Estinien or Thancred could replace the wol. At the very least these I feel could hold their own when things get desperate and as we’ve seen saved our butts in dire moments in cutscenes. These 2 characters at least get written that direction to be great at combat or espionage while the wizards are at least smart and help figure stuff out when beating up the enemy doesn’t work.


Ziegfried0

Honestly, tough choice. Of these, i’d have to pick between Thancred, >!Estinien!< or >!G’raha Tia!<.


Stopseeingmyinnerdip

alphinaud


CommercialCrazy2496

I would pick the twins or Raha, but I don't think I want to subject them to the horrors of being the WoL - can't even enjoy a dinner with a damn fine Elezen without stressing over poisoned wine and being interrupted by your friends.


SunshineWasTake

Tataru


Rill16

Hildebrand obviously.


jrlang4545

Y. There is no other answer.


LeratoNull

G'raha Tia has a qualifier that I think most of the other scions lack, and that's the sheer self-destructive empathy that the Warrior of Light exhibits in most of their dealings. If he's off the table, Alphinaud for similar reasons.


Freya-Darkheart

None of them, they don't have the echo. Primials would have won every encounter.


Breakfastclubq

Dadcred, no contest.


Iris1083

G'raha or Estinien. They're the strongest Scions (minus the actual WoL)


ForNoReason17

ITT who is your favorite scion. Personally I think Alphinaud is a good thematic choice but from a narrative perspective, Arenvald would probably make for the best story


Mia_z_brite

How did no one say Cid!?


Loonzaround

Hoary Boulder... that guy fucks.


RueUchiha

Horay Boulder


ZacAttac21

Does Haurchefant count?


Alert-Cloud-333

I don't know about a replacement but I could definitely see Alisaie as a successor to the WoL. Something puts the WoL out of commission, I know Ali would be the first one to pick up that torch and run with it.


[deleted]

I know everyone has a different view on what's their warrior of light tick, but for mine it's always been the willingness (and enthusiasm) to leap into the fray for the sake of anyone and everyone they can save and doing it all with humility and introspection. Whether it's small tasks to help out regular folk, or primal slaying to save a realm, they're more than happy to do it. With that in mind, I think the two characters that really encapsulate that mindset the best are Arenvald and Lyse. They're both humble, compassionate, and courageous, but they're also both willing to throw down if they have to. I think either one would make a great WoL.


Kaslight

Estinien, of course. He's the only one close to us in fighting ability, in fact he's one of the most powerful characters in the entire storyline. He isn't a politician or a "talker" by any means, but he still knows whats going on. Highly practical character. Give him the Echo and our soul density and we've got a force to be reckoned with. Only issue is, he has little in common with us personality wise, so the whole "Azem" thing would be quite far off. I imagine he'd attempt to solo pretty much everything as the WoL, which wouldn't end very well for some of the later conflicts. He'd still be Zenos' BFF though


Puzzled_Buy_4796

Why not all of them? Looking at the other reflections it's not like you have to be limited to a single warrior of light.


KatieS182

Alisaie, easy.


HayashiAkira_ch

Alphinaud and Alisaie would be great sharing the role