Something that really fucks me up is that we never see the real Sphene. We meet the Endless Queen, made by Preservation to rule Alexandria for an eternity. We see a sculpture of her on the Meso Terminal, but we don’t know if that resembles her original self or if that’s an embellishment. In these dungeon scenes, we never see her in person, always getting there too late or forced to move on.

@shadowthehedgehog181

10 күн бұрын

@@GreigaBeastDS I think that's by design. The real Sphene is an unseen character

@Genjiiro

10 күн бұрын

Yeah, as the Endless version of Otis says, the war darkened the Queen with grief near her end. That version they brought back was their ideal benevolent ruler but also someone who would do ANYTHING to protect her people, even if it meant sacrificing thousands of others in Tural to sustain them.

@myhrazayn

9 күн бұрын

@@Genjiiro and I guess another gut puncher was the fact that I had the impression that the Lightning Nuke weapon killed her, but sidequests reveal that she died a slow death from Aetheric Poisoning,

@hideharu-xiii8852

7 күн бұрын

@@myhrazaynProbably brought about by the crash we see in the Alexandria dungeon right?

@myhrazayn

7 күн бұрын

@@hideharu-xiii8852 The airships? The one that got hit protected hers below, it was more of after they detonated the lightning nuke that pretty much ravaged everything was when she fell sick (I believe), Everkeep's construction started before they managed to preserve her, (3rd part)

1:41 Had me floating out of my fucking chair during the dungeon, if one thing is always quality between every expansion it's the OST

@irategazelle

18 күн бұрын

I press my skills a little more enthusiastically whenever that part plays.

@FateDarkess

18 күн бұрын

​@@irategazellesame xD

@esylin7324

14 күн бұрын

When the OST tells me when to press Reawaken on viper

@kotsounuknock4659

3 күн бұрын

@@esylin7324 the part is oiling the GCD of the generation skills for extra flawless casting

I think I realized why Alexandria hits me in the feels in a way that The Dead Ends and Baron don't. We aren't just witnessing the memories of the fall of a world - we're witnessing their reluctant yet very deliberate erasure. They're the memories that Sphene holds dear to her heart, yet she's burning them for the sake of the mission that Preservation imposed on her when they turned her into a machine. The mobs aren't the monsters of levin that brought Alexandria to heel, but instead the Meso Terminal's antiviruses stopping us from interrupting Sphene's self-inflicted amnesia. If memories are what keep a person alive, then this dungeon is Sphene's suicide.

@Eric-be8un

11 күн бұрын

I also think this is yoship's way of telling us to move forward with the next 10 years of final fantasy, and not be trapped in the memories of the past.

@lavenderrose3755

9 күн бұрын

oh dammit this dungeon already makes me cry every time I get it in expert, now i'll be thinking of this comment and my tears will be worse now ;.;

"It's too dangerous! You must flee! Don't worry about me, just save yourselves!" "May we meet again, Your Highness!" And that's where I broke. They've mastered in-dungeon storytelling. What a tale they tell.

@Tsukiyo165

11 күн бұрын

If you ever get a chance to enjoy it. People are so hot to trot to get through a dungeon you never get to stop and enjoy this stuff

@TSLsmokey

11 күн бұрын

@@Tsukiyo165 And that's why I actually really appreciate trusts/duty support. You can experience the story at least once without someone rushing your rear.

@RotomLandry

11 күн бұрын

@@Tsukiyo165 Actually, the particular scene referenced by the comment you responded to cannot be skipped. There's a wall that forces you to witness that event and it is not cleared until the event is over.

@mathiasknsgaardkristensen3396

10 күн бұрын

The fact that the 3 map areas are called "The dream she lived", "The dream she lost", and "My everlasting dream" is so fucking heartbreaking. The names themselves are so sad, but the fact that the first two are third person singular indicates, to me, that they're separate from SpheneAI and are merely her memory base and not something from the Sphene we know. Only the last area is truly *her* in the sense that we know her.

@NeoDMC

10 күн бұрын

@@Tsukiyo165 Play Tank, then they pretty much have to stop when you stop (sometimes they don't, but most players will stick to the Tank, especially if you mention this is your first run).

For those who've played FF9 and remembered enough, did anyone else felt like Sphene was effectively like a really tragic what-if Garnet/Dagger? A version of Garnet who never met Zidane until it was too late (if at all), and was left with a terrible fate? "Sphene" also being named after a gemstone laid the base, but this thought first took root for me between the lonesome queen's envy of Wuk Lamat and the WoL's party of companions and how she voiced many times if only she met Lamat sooner. It's like the opposite of one of Garnet's final conversations with Zidane, about how she was glad to have met him and gone on the journey she did. Then we have the similar characters who don't always come across as such: for Steiner, we obviously have Otis who is another loyal rusty knight; for Vivi, young Gulool Ja with his "let me come too" feelings echo similar lines from the young mage; and for Zidane, I think the part is in fact played by Wuk Lamat herself - she's got the tail, is adopted, is cheerful, and even has a sibling as the villain. All of whom encountered her too late. In FF9, Garnet was likewise a kind royal who struggled to do right by her people, and could've died either during the Eidolon extraction ritual or Kuja's attack on Alexandria. The big difference is, she had Zidane and the party to save her, a party who helped her to grieve the losses she faced and to mature as someone more than just a queen, and ultimately came out of it stronger. In FF14, wildly different magic-scape notwithstanding, the living Sphene had only Otis and her knights, but they weren't enough. While the AI Sphene is chained down by the system to ever only be a queen of a confined world for an unsustainable process, more lonesome than ever. She could only regress. As a fan of FF9, seeing what became of Sphene, while fascinating in terms of literature, stings my heart. Dawntrail's scenario isn't perfect, but the writers this time still did pretty good.

@Its_an_Eze

19 күн бұрын

Well said well said 💯

@hiddenmaster6062

19 күн бұрын

There's also bits of Freya's case of being forgotten.

@Deuzen_FIN

19 күн бұрын

I saw elements of Brahne and Beatrix in Sphene's motivations as well - originally kindhearted and benevolent, but ending up willing to do anything for the power to protect your people

@75skyloftmexican

19 күн бұрын

Totally agree with this 100%

@elquemanda4329

19 күн бұрын

"With your strength, could you have held on to that which was dear to you without sacrifice?"

1:40-2:30 is just bliss. Theme is called A Trail Unending and there is an orchestrion

@rh666

19 күн бұрын

That melody line and arrangement give me chills fr - every - single - time

@SkydreamPony

19 күн бұрын

Where do you get the orchestrion from?

@rh666

19 күн бұрын

@@SkydreamPony It should technically drop from this dungeon - it’s on market board for like 2.5mil gil

@SkydreamPony

19 күн бұрын

@@rh666 Thanks!

@christopher_loren

19 күн бұрын

@SkydreamPony I can confirm. I was lucky enough to get it on my first run.

A TO THE L TO THE E X ANDRIA, ENDLESS GONNA RISE UP BOOM LIKE THUNDER

@robotom6595

15 күн бұрын

YT autofill was making finding this theme annoying for the first few searches for this reason

@hgjfkd12345

13 күн бұрын

Lmao

@lenaboyer6981

13 күн бұрын

Making me laugh through the tears lmao

@mlemlemmlemmlem

5 күн бұрын

no fucking way is this why it's the lightning calamity 🤣🤣🤣🤣?

Sphene, to me at least, feels like the epitome of the phrase, 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions.' This whole dungeon cemented to me how much she loved her citizens, sacrificing her own life if it meant saving even a few of them. And makes it all the more of a gut punch how far in extreme lengths the 'memory' version of her is willing to go for her people. Leaves me with the perfect feeling of 'if only there was another way'.

@zeehero7280

18 күн бұрын

She loved them so much she wanted to murder everyone else for them! EVERYONE ELSE!

@DyneOnline

16 күн бұрын

Sphene is a monster, but a pitiable one. She's an AI forced to perpetuate an unsustainable system, and the wheels have come off. She's bound by her own programing, and her creation was fundamentally imperfect.

@esylin7324

14 күн бұрын

"If only there was another way" Sphene says it best. "But fate is cruel. By the time we met, our futures had already been written."

@Sllandre

14 күн бұрын

​@@esylin7324Makes it really cruel what we're getting next patch, with Futures Rewritten (Ultimate)

@SoranPryde

12 күн бұрын

The thing is, the Sphene that went out into the storm to rescue her people is dead and gone. What we see and fight in the final trial is a simulacrum of memories that talks like her, acts like her, but is not her and never was. And so are the rest of the Endless. Commiting genocide on actual beings and souls to sustain simulacrums of long dead people is what we fought her to prevent

"How far would you go to protect someone you love?" This question played in my head throughout my time with Sphene

Amaurot. The Dead Ends. Baron. Another world that we are too late to save.

@thelegendarycoline6667

19 күн бұрын

As much as people are complaining about this being the forth lost civilization dungeon, I actually do think that it's a pretty big recurring theme of the storyline at this point. Especially with all of the civilizations like Nym, Mhach, and Allag in our own world, I'd argue that this theme has been apart of the story and will remain as such until the very end, which is cool, because I personally love these dungeons, but I can see why people might be getting tired of them.

@iitsthreedog

19 күн бұрын

But we did save Tural and our star though at least so there’s that

@gamerboy64

19 күн бұрын

​@iitsthreedog which makes me think "Did we see any residual effects of the Endsong in Tural? Did they experience it at all?"

@DP9k

19 күн бұрын

The thing is that were not necessarily too late to save this world, the world of this unknown shard is more comparable to noverandt on the first. We know that it wasnt the world destroyed in the 2nd umbral calamity, 1.because it still exists as a place 2. Because we know that the flood of lightning happened after the 5th umbral calamity on the source. This world, like the first and the flood of light, and the 13th and the flood of darkness, still exist, and there is still hope for them

@RyouEmerald

18 күн бұрын

@@thelegendarycoline6667 I think they're quite neat because they're story telling during the gameplay. You get to see what exactly it is that the situation is about directly. Personally they're always my favorite type of dungeon.

I will not deny that I was in shambles when the "dungeon unlocked" message appeared on my screen, FF9 was the first game I ever played and seeing it now in XIV fills me with joy.

@LontEnCaras

18 күн бұрын

same. I was pretty shocked, when I first stumbled upon the ruins of Alexandria.

@jvstice56

10 күн бұрын

You aren't the only one who was a hot mess before this dungeon, then when we see Alexandria in ruins.

@ramza285

5 күн бұрын

Seeing Alexandria destroyed again, destroyed my heart. And continues to do so each and everytime I get this dungeon in expert.

The way Preservation managed to bring back their ideal version of Sphene as an Endless to where she was so benevolent to the point she'd do anything to protect her people kinda makes Endless Sphene seem very similar to a primal.

@r3q901

8 күн бұрын

And the way she was snuffing worlds of aether... yeah that's close

I loved this song since they used it for the job trailer and I waited through the whole expansion to hear it. And when I got to this dungeon I literally gasped when it started to play. This may be my new fave OST from the game overall. It is so good!

@Sofia_Sif

7 күн бұрын

Oh my god same, I audibly gasped when it kicked in

When the timeline shifts to the Storm Surge, the part where the airships are using their spotlights to search for/help survivors _really_ hit me hard for some reason. Sphene really did love her people.

@kingarthas2814

15 күн бұрын

Its devastating, god, i keep getting it in expert roulette and i still have to stop and watch that last bit with the other airship protecting hers while everyone's running off to the boss. Something about the way those airships come sweeping in with the spotlights on, the music hitting perfectly. All the voice lines in the dungeon are just rough, god damn. But that scene in particular... yeah. For some reason it just hits so hard. She really did love her people.

@simj202

15 күн бұрын

​@@kingarthas2814 The absolutely scuffed voice-over-comms effect sold this dungeon's second part HARD.

@kaimango7012

15 күн бұрын

It's even worse because no one until then had really specified HOW Sphene had died, just that she hadn't come out of the Storm Surge alive either and had done everything she could for her people. Anything from having gotten hit by lightning while in her castle giving orders to an assassination during the confusion could have been valid. But no. No, she was out there, in the extreme danger that was ruining her city, trying to save even just one more person. And even though her knights took a hit for her (and possibly didn't survive it in the end), she never made it back to safety alive. It's incredibly tragic, and it makes so much sense why her beloved people were so desperate to try and give her another chance at life.

@Rebirdhk

14 күн бұрын

​@@kaimango7012 I thought Otis mentioned that Sphene died from the incurable aether sickness due to the "flood of lightning" in their world?

@toastee5421

13 күн бұрын

@@Rebirdhk awkward

I think in a way this dungeon is even more tragic than previous final dungeons because it ends so hopefully. Seeing all the Alexandrians working together to recover from the Storm Surge, buildinging the Everkeep, it makes sense that it seemed like a great idea at the time but we know hundreds of years later how unsustainable it will become.

@Sacrengard

10 күн бұрын

Its basically Amaurot all over again T_T We dont see it but we know what happens when they try to solve the problem with Zodiark and then Hydaelyn

@blu_berri_san

9 күн бұрын

Nah. Nothing can ever be as heartbreaking as, "I killed them all! I killed them all..."

@Sacrengard

9 күн бұрын

@@blu_berri_san yes it can... when you are the one killing them all

@kiraina25

6 күн бұрын

​@@SacrengardThe Aero Terminal is now on OFF.

I couldn't dps properly on the first pull because I was sobbing. FF9 my beloved.

The one thing I always admired about the final dungeons from ShB to DT is how narrative driven they are and how each section between bosses proceeds the story going forward or tells a story of its own in each area.

@seanmacisaac334

16 күн бұрын

Even after replays it hyped you up to do the trial lol

@BlaizeTheDragon

15 күн бұрын

At the same time, I'm starting to get bored of the "okay this dungeon is going to be a history lesson of when things went to shit". We've had this 4 times now, getting a little repetitive

@Hypedchaoz

14 күн бұрын

@@BlaizeTheDragon and? It still works for me every single time.

@BlaizeTheDragon

14 күн бұрын

@@Hypedchaoz good for you. You might be happy with the last dungeon being the same thing over and over but I'm not.

@CrashB111

10 күн бұрын

@@BlaizeTheDragon If it's an effective story telling medium, why change it just for the sake of change?

Citizen: Your smile means all is right with the world. Sphene: If I smile, it is because you all smile for me. :(

@ramza285

5 күн бұрын

This right here does me in every run. I had no smiles, only tears and it was massively hard to bard with the stinging tears. :(

@Naoto-kun1085

10 сағат бұрын

That part always gets me 😭

Something about the fact that Everkeep is built on and around the original Alexandria Castle makes me feel so mournful.

people complain about the theme and the "to many lost civilisations" but... it hits rather home if we consider the current state of the world, who knows how long our civilisation will stand

@Naoto-kun1085

11 күн бұрын

Honestly this one feels a lot different too! Amaurot and Dead Ends were Emet and Meteion trying to persuade you to take their side by showing you the horrors. Lunar Subterrane focused more on Golbez's fate rather than the actual destruction of the kingdom. This one instead shows the story of Sphene throughout history, and how they're systematically being deleted by the Queen

@vaidenkelsier7757

9 күн бұрын

It's also thematically different. Endwalker focuses on confronting the fact that our time is limited and choosing to move on regardless and finding our purpose knowing that inevitability. Dawntrail focuses on having to confront the loss of our loved ones, and not just refusing to see that. The temptation to cling to those lost memories robbing us of the ability to truly move on. The themes are linked, but they are *not* the same.

The first part where you see Alexandria in its prime, what a gorgeous place and how sad it ended...plus the FFIX nostalgia kicking in, another banger dungeon!

@bellgems4091

20 күн бұрын

What interesting is we dont know which reflection this is. But given they use a lot lighting they might be people from destroyed reflection during the Second Umbral Calamity as that calamity was all lighting base. So turn we might be seeing remains of a relic of a reflection that Ascian destroyed.

@chokoanders6546

20 күн бұрын

​@@bellgems4091 the obvious ccoise would be for it being the ninth but i think the fact they pointed out how they dont know which one it is means they might make a pretty big reveal in the post game patches

@Eredom

19 күн бұрын

​@@bellgems4091pretty sure it's not the one from the second calamity, because of the story with the lalas travelling to this reflection during the... Was it the 6th Calamity? The one with the ice

@shinobirecords2018

19 күн бұрын

@Eredom Yeah, exactly. While time flows differently between reflections, events should still be in order-and besides, the shard still seems to exist, even if we only see the very top of the Everkeep with Living Memory. I'm thinking whatever happened with the unlost world was out of the Convocation's control. There's no reason for them to break the cycle with another lightning aspected calamity, and the Storm Surge should make it impossible to rejoin this shard if it's like the Flood of Light and Flood of Darkness.

@Eredom

19 күн бұрын

​@@shinobirecords2018 I can imagine the ascians trying to cause the calamity but failed, and that's how we ended up with this half broken but still intact reflection. Is there a rule against causing 2 calamities of the same aspect? There are only so many aspects to choose from.

A Disney Princess story... ...that went horribly wrong

@unclechen7693

15 күн бұрын

Truuuu

@patheticbadger3478

14 күн бұрын

So basically the original German fairy tale then

@MrKanooe

13 күн бұрын

@@patheticbadger3478 this.

@MrKanooe

13 күн бұрын

@@patheticbadger3478 This probably is the best description of Dawntrail.

@malenbadger7733

11 күн бұрын

"And then they lived happily ever after... and after... and after... until they didn't."

Tanking through tears is hard :) 1:43 is an irl tankbuster

@lynx6565

18 күн бұрын

Relate hard 😢

@pravda788

18 күн бұрын

when gunbreaker have a broken heart too :(((

@runarhrothgar

3 күн бұрын

Absolutely same. Was on PLD and just .. man. This dungeon had me feeling goosebumps.

Man, they just keep on killing it with these final dungeons, don't they?

I love these story telling dungeons a lot. Hate that people have these criticisms of these dungeons being "another amarot" with bad faith tones. These dungeons really sell the visual story telling of someone that went through a lot of tragedy and invoking a feeling dread and panic when we physically run through a catastrophe. Keep it up ff14.

@ZeroSonata

14 күн бұрын

Personally really enjoy these capstone dungeons being purely story-telling mediums. It's this really nice integration of story and gameplay. You're not only rewatching Sphene's memories, you're seeing them get darker and deleted in real time as you travel through them.

@HCSR2

14 күн бұрын

I don't think people mind storytelling dungeons. I think they mind it's the same story being told yet again.

@Gemini_Hero

14 күн бұрын

The problem is that it loses its effect when you do it 4 times in a row. At a certain point it feels almost routine, like "Oh ok we're doing this again to try and squeeze an emotional reaction from the player". It was awesome in Amaurot, fitting in Endwalker, but they've gotta stop now. It's becoming a crutch, imo.

@GreigaBeastDS

13 күн бұрын

They found your comment.

@Naoto-kun1085

11 күн бұрын

I agree, and each one is unique and memorable in their own way! I enjoy the recurring theme of "worlds that couldn't be saved" and how they affect the characters in the story

I loved the vibes of this dungeon. I got chills with the airships calling out for survivors.

Though this is yet another "lost civilization" final dungeon thematic, it differs in a very simple storytelling point that is often overlooked: the protagonists are trying to reach the castle as an attempt to reach Sphene herself and, perhaps, dissuade her out of this path. However, every single time we make any progress in getting to the castle, we're thrown back to the start by the antiviruses developed to protect the Eternal Queen. We never really get to reach her, because, by the time we finally manage to reach the castle, the only thing we ever find is the AI that deleted the Queen's memories forever. Every other dungeon in the same theme so far showed us a reality long lost, a world we could not save. The one big difference is that we *could* have saved Sphene here - not the world itself, but the memories of her and her people and the Dream she lived - but we didn't. In every other dungeon, reality as depicted is gone for hundreds, even thousands of years ago. In this one, we are but minutes too late.

The FF9 nostalgia hit like an absolute truck in this dungeon and the area connected to it. I'm so happy to see it being integrated into FF14

Me, the entire time, healing through the tears: Sphene, I don't want to do this.

Really love the last zone showing the construction of Everkeep. 1:44 part played so well what it.

This sounds somewhat similar to Fodlan Winds from FE Three Houses and I love it

@StriderSeiryuu

19 күн бұрын

i didnt think of fodland wind but it is indeed has strong FE3H vibes and i LOVE it! ❤❤❤

@NotMadJoe

16 күн бұрын

Damn you right

@runarhrothgar

3 күн бұрын

Ah so true. Love that theme

After hearing this in the job trailer and launch trailer, I was wondering when this would appear. Was not expecting it here. I had to do a double take. Wonderful track.

What I love about this is that for each part you start at the same spot and work your way towards the castle, but it's a different point in history each time!

Was so happy when I got to this, loved how this was used in the trailer and was waiting for it to pop up. Honestly I was anticipating it to be used in a post-MSQ dungeon. But this is better.

I just wanna give props to the JP VA for Sphene in this dungeon, fantastic acting that shows how desperate she was

@Naoto-kun1085

11 күн бұрын

Indeed, all her voice actresses were awesome!

When 1:40 hits, I can't help it. I just get so hyped and sad at the same time. This, along with its zone and trial counterparts, has easily become one of my top 5 ffXIV tracks. Soken really outdid himself with this whole expansion.

bro the transition between alexandria pre and post first boss is actually sad... Also, we got jebaited so hard on eliminator lmao...I was expecting it to be a trial

@elecrom_9757

19 күн бұрын

It's funny that it happened a second time in a row. Everyone was expecting Anima to be a trial as well.

@user-uj8tq9ox8v

19 күн бұрын

yoshida did state that eliminator was not a trial beforehand though. might have been lost in translation but he did say it in one of the keynotes.

@david90906

18 күн бұрын

Kind of nuts that the team managed to recreate the 3 scenes of the FF9 Alexandria as a dungeon, while still adding the extra purple without breaking the vibe

@wandregalbjornson1452

17 күн бұрын

@@user-uj8tq9ox8v Not everyone is watching the live letters or keynotes though (he also says a lot of things and I doubt anyone can remember all of it)

@ghostblade1042

9 күн бұрын

BIG FOOK OFF ANTIVIRUS with tiny child voice😂

This dungeon is gorgeous, but it's so weird to me going into a dungeon with the same name as my birth name. It's just... an experience.

My heart ;-; seeing FF9 so represented makes me feel so good

Nice little nod to FF13 with the l’cie creature design 3:58

@randogai2915

19 күн бұрын

There was a lot of ffxiii enemies this expansion I noticed

@CMReina

16 күн бұрын

I'm quite fond of the anubis redesigns at the end of cenote​@@randogai2915

@Polychromatic8

13 күн бұрын

​@@randogai2915we even got those big water buffalo creatures in this dungeon. I was surprised at how liberal they were with 13 enemies in Alexandria

In any other game, this would be a random battle theme for your protagonists. But here, YOU'RE the random battle; Sphene really WAS the hero of another story.

@mr.vanillamilkshake3

20 күн бұрын

Also: compare this theme to "Battle: The Warrior" from Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

@altansipdrae2759

19 күн бұрын

Sphene wasn't alive tho, it's more a program trying to keep other program alive because it's in her code, in that aspect I can't see her as a hero since to do a heroic act would be to protect the livings

@DollRyougi

19 күн бұрын

@@altansipdrae2759 but doesn't mean she don't have emotion .

@kpoptrashmedz9455

16 күн бұрын

@@altansipdrae2759she was a hero in this story before she died dude the scientist preserved her and was able to programmed her to do evil sh*t and i bet she never wanted this to happen..did u even pay attention to the MSQ bro? And this dungeon is proof of how she was a good ruler to her people. The scientist of preservation fcked her over.

@omensoffate

15 күн бұрын

@@DollRyougiprograms don’t have emotions

When they advertised Eliminator in the live letters, I had no idea it would show up here of all places

@stitches1110

19 күн бұрын

Dude same, when I did vanguard I expected to see it and then totally forgot about it til he showed up here.

@LordSykos

19 күн бұрын

Probably to avoid spoiling the last two Trials. They did the same thing with Anima and the Magus Sisters in Endwalker.

@stitches1110

19 күн бұрын

@@LordSykos very true. And funny that they managed to bait players like me twice with this shit.

It's kinda crazy just how good this expac has been, :3

It always enchants me just how Soken and his musical minions are able to take heartwarming, nostalgic, or uplifting themes from a region...And turn them into ones that feel like they live at the base of your spine and in your chest, and every new measure brings thrills and steal your breath away while making you want to not just push forward but run at full speed. This is Bygone Serenity, but now it's an anthem of trying to stop a greater tragedy and prevent worse fates...A Trail Unending shows a world before, during, and after its collapse. Memories of the best and worst. Now you have to stop that from happening to people who are just trying to live out the peace their new Dawnservants wish to heal and preserve.

Now this is a lovely subversion. In every single FFXIV expansion's launch trailer, they've always used the final boss theme in it for some reason (excluding Zodiark's in Endwalker). Looks like they just used the final dungeon instead.

Sphene is the one antagonist in FF14 that I truly wish we could've saved, we could've done so many great things together with her and the Alexandrians. If only her creators had made her capable of finding another way.

@H0ttabych

11 күн бұрын

Won't be surprised if terminals aren't destroyed but just shut down and later we find means to restore these memories

@immoralboi3158

11 күн бұрын

@@H0ttabych While I doubt we'd ever reactivate Living Memory in it's entirety I could see us bringing back Sphene through Dynamis and the memories the Alexandrians have of her for some reason or another, I mean we did kind of behead Alexandria's government and left Little Baby Man (Gulool Ja), a literal child, in charge as it's sole ruler. And it wouldn't entirely clash with the theme of the expac either as Sphene would quite literally live on by being remembered.

@kaegr

10 күн бұрын

@@H0ttabych it can only be reactivated from new game+, so you can put things back before you said yes to all the terminals

@Professor_Utonium_

10 күн бұрын

All they had to do was download her to a tomestone lmao

@TheUndyingCrystal

10 күн бұрын

​@Professor_Utonium_ That probably wouldn't have been a good idea. The issue wasn't convincing or saving Sphene. It was that she literally is incapable of not going to 110% extremes on protecting her people. She's not a person with free will, she's a program. Everyone, even her own people, was asking us to give her the death and rest she deserved. AI-Sphene's existence is a living hell and prolonging it is cruelty to her.

From 1:42 to 2:29 is how it feels to achieve nirvana This is by far the best track in this DLC hands down

@Sofia_Sif

7 күн бұрын

Tied between Skydeep Cenote, Anatomy of Existence, this, and whatever the final trial's theme is for me

@FelipeCotti

4 күн бұрын

This is an expansion, though.

IMO this was my favorite of the “end of the alt world” dungeons

"A Trail Unending" Orchestrion

The writers are fucked up, man. A shard that was destroyed by an apocalypse of lightning, its surviving remnants are even more depending on energy than ever and will literally disappear without more and more of it. That is the cruellest Irony.

The part where your path is blocked until you watch Sphene's airship explode hit me particularly hard

@lucied959

15 күн бұрын

That wasn't Sphene's airship. It was an escort ship that shielded hers from a lightning blast (that looked like a laser honestly lol.)

@the.duck.is.ronin.

15 күн бұрын

@@lucied959 But we see the same ship in the first section and multiple times in the second section, and Sphene is described to be aboard.

@retokazene5085

15 күн бұрын

​@@the.duck.is.ronin. yes sphene airship is the one below. The airship above shielded sphene's until they cant take it anymore, saying goodbye to sphene, fly for a bit before losing altitude and crashed

One of my favorite dungeons, amazing how the scenery and music complement each other so well.

When they played this music for the Red Mage in the Job Trailer I immediately added it to my Red Mage playlist. I think it fits the job so much.

This song is phenomenal-- and this dungeon needs to become it's own town or player hub

Dawntrail has my favorite music.

These final dungeons have all been amazing, Love this song, been looking for it since the trailer its so hype

Amaurot Fell Alexandria Endured

Parts of this song just sound like parts from the Opera song from FF6, starts right at 1:56

I'm. Shrieking, crying, trembling. And I don't care if it sounds dumb, because FF9 is *that* entry in the series for me. It really doesn't help that 1:55 on gives me incredibly strong Maria and Draco vibes even if I know it's not inspired by it, so I have two heartstrings being tugged at the same time. Fully imagining this world's version of Tantalus playing as they fly just out of sight of where we are, and we're just hearing that as we run through.

@Pentacus

17 күн бұрын

Tbh it may as well be inspired by it considering what Maria And Draco is about: a woman parted from a loved one and fantasising about being with him one last time, before accepting that fate has parted them and that she has to let go even though she will always love him I’d been wondering why that one particular piece was showing up in the town themes, and the moment the nature of Zone 6 was revealed it all clicked into place

I was stoked to hear more of this since the job showcase

A perfect recreation of Alexandria… and we have to witness the end of it. Well done at stabbing me in the heart CBU3.

Anyone else did this dungeon with tears in their eyes? I was struggling so much because I kept having to wipe my tears plus my glasses and I can't see without my glasses lol!

best dungeon theme in the msq, i think. soken and team do not disappoint. ❤

id been waiting to hear where this song would play in the msq from the very start, when i heard bits of it in the theme of the final zone i knew i was in for it

please make a longer loop of this :D

This is my favorite FFXIV theme. It's like this theme encompasses everything Final Fantasy stands for as a franchise.

Soken cooked again. Outdid himself again.

This song got me in the feels, crazy how part of it makes me feel so nostalgic yet there is no reason why. One of the best tracks. It’s so amazing!

@Yukiukixx33

15 күн бұрын

FFIX is what this is

Besides everything everyone else said that got me tearing up at this story, there's also the knowledge, as someone who grew up with FF9, that the FF14 version of its world is SCREWED. ,_, Just hoping that future story shows a more hopeful outcome for it...

Yooo...just realized why i liked this ost so much... FFXVI Find the flame is in the foreground and background if you listen closely

So that’s it, it Final Fantasy 9 timeline

Due to KZread acting like well...KZread when the video is about to end the song gets caught up sometimes like it's being being glitched out repeating the same beat drop a few times before cutting off which honestly is accidentally fully appropriate for the dungeon.

Been waiting for this one to appear ever since the Job Trailer. Absolutely lovely and makes exploring the various ages of Alexandria that more enjoyable.

I couldn’t contain myself hearing this music! Totally floor tanked

every time I listen to this I'm struck anew by how this track perfectly fits the end of the world... Just not our world

I just finished the dungeon. Perfect timing 😎

If there are two people who would have understood Sphene's pain more than anyone it would be Emet-Selch and Durante... aka the current Golbez.

Going through Living Memory, this dungeon and the final trial I have no idea why it's so emotionally painful to me. Haven't felt this torn up since ShB.

Really love the motifs. This should be Daiki Ishikawa. He already did such a good job arranging "Of Countless Stars" in The Dead Ends and I think he's the perfect guy to make final dungeon themes since Endwalker. It's just a shame that Ken Ito disappeared after Shadowbringers considering he also did a good job arranging "Mortal Instants" in Amaurot among many other tracks.

1:40 that part came in and when Sphene was telling her citizens to flee in stead of saving her, it broke me 😢

I like to think that the real Sphene was a reflection of Wuk Lamat, that's why they're so similar. They even share the same eye color.

@Saihamaru

2 күн бұрын

this i believe they are reflections from the same origin

Ever since i first heard this theme in the Job Action trailer, i was eager to hear it at any moment in the MSQ. But when I first reached Living Memory, i remember recognizing its leimotif in the overworld theme, and the chills i got realizing that the theme i was so eager to hear in game would be the final dungeon.... Man, probably the most memorable thing to me.

Crazy feels

The song is struggling so hard to become Melodies of Life at some parts 😭

Ah, so this is where the music from the trailer came from where we heard VI's Opera theme! 1:55

@untrustingstatue

19 күн бұрын

The oprchestrion is called 'A trail unending'

i'll just treat this as the FFIX remake we will never get

Time to do something you can't ever unhear now: While listening to this one song, imagine Fire Emblem Three House's main theme about to play at any moment during it.

@josephpiscitelli8053

20 күн бұрын

Curse you

As I entered this dungeon the first time a question immediately came to my mind if SE put Alexandrias secret inside their castle walls again.

Ahh yes, another final story dungeon compromising of a long dead people during the calamity that wiped them from existence, who I feel compelled to help but with the uncomfortable knowledge that there's nothing I can do but watch their final moments unfold right in front of my eyes. I see the gut punch coming and I just take it every time, sasuga yoshi

Anyone know the song that plays right before you enter the dungeon in the cutscene and overworld for a short period?

@JoSan3

13 күн бұрын

By otherworld you mean the Living Memory's zone bgm? Bygone Serenity. I'm still looking for the Living Memory's cutscenes one.

@SWBeta

13 күн бұрын

It's Valigarmanda's theme.

@Tykeee_

13 күн бұрын

@@SWBeta You're right! Thanks!

Feels different whithout all the voiced lines that shows you how the Queen and her people shared a true love relationship.

Pain💔

This damn dungeon. This damn friggin' dungeon. I didnt think they could top the previous dungeons, but they consistently did. The music, slightly whimsical at times but conveying a sad, serious tone, as we watch the death and rebirth of a kingdom. The absolute heartwrench that was watching the storm surge, and the people of Alexandria coming together to bring back their beloved princess, even if she was not the real thing. The bosses absolutely slapping everyone silly, and the fights actually keeping us decently challenged. I do not care what the streamers say, i do not care what the community says, i could not care less about "no content" memes, or the rise in negativity following Dawntrail's release. This dungeon cemented this to me. FF14 is the game i will never stop playing. Come what may, i am here to stay. See you on the trail, fellow Warriors. May your mounts be many, and your wipes few.

@vaidenkelsier7757

9 күн бұрын

We keep chasing the horizon, knowing not where the road leads, but that's why we can't stop.

@robikkupegasus7039

22 сағат бұрын

May you ever walk in the resplendancy of the dawn, my friend!

Faded Memories motif snuck in there in the beginning...Ascian tie in? (of course :)

anybody that know which track plays before entering this dungeon?

This is how they share that they are making a ff9 remake without actually showing us

I kept waiting for Melodies of Life to show up somehow. That said its not too late lol

I hope you realize that whenever you wipe a computer, this happens.

Maybe next expansion we'll have Lindblum

this song isnt the theme of alexandria its the theme of Azem. the role our char has now embraced thats why its called trail unending. because the dawntrail is our trail.