History TearJerker / FinalFantasyXIV

* The [[HarderThanHard Ultimate]] difficulty raid "Dragonsong's Reprise". If you finally clear this after throwing yourself at it for weeks upon weeks, chances are you'll be more than elated, maybe even enough to cry. Over the course of the trial, you witness the events of the Dragonsong War's culmination all over again, Haurchefant's sacrifice and all. You can also see his HP dropping rapidly and can't heal him, prompting early stream chats to be littered with cries of "SAVE HIM". The spirits of Ysayle and Haurchefant even grant you buffs to damage Nidhogg's eyes yourself in a certain phase. However, what's truly tearjerking is the fight has a second phase, which takes place in an alternate timeline where you can actually CAN save Haurchefant with a Tank LimitBreak, although it results in a [[ButterflyOfDoom completely different fight]] against Thordan and the Heavens' Ward with mind controlled dragons.
** The real tear jerker is where you're forced to fight against Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr, the latter of whom is being controlled by a collar used by the Allagans to control dragons, although he retains full awareness of what he's doing throughout, begging the party to put an end to it. If he manages to kill a player, he snaps and kills everyone else out of rage of breaking his vow to never kill. When you do manage to defeat him, he bids you farewell as he is reunited with his deceased lover in the afterlife.
** Should you make it through the rest of the fight and truly free Nidhogg and Hraesvelgr's spirits from King Thordan, who has absorbed all four of their eyes, they fly into the air before roaring and dispersing in an explosion of aether. The Wandering Minstrel, who has been narrating the battle from the beginning, then implies that it is through Haurchefant's sacrifice that the Warrior of Light was able to inherit his hopes and gain strength from loss, even if it did darken their heart for the journey ahead.

** The heroes lose. The world ''ends''. In almost every case - be it movie, literature or game - the heroes somehow avoid the end of the world. ThePowerOfLove or ThePowerOfFriendship will save them, a ChekhovsSkill reveals to help, '''anything''' usually avoids doom. Here? The heroes get saved from death by the mage who then - with his friends - pray on the Twelve who answer by summoning a gigantic new barrier to lock Bahamut in. '''And he destroys it'''. The look on the face of every single character is nothing but pure hopelessness as they realize that there is nothing they can do to stop Eorzea from Bahamut's Wrath, where their only option is to run and pray that they survive the fire that scorches the ground beneath them.

[[folder:''Endwalker'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screenshot_2021_12_14_182622.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''In the same fleeting moment''\\
''Thou must live, die and know'']]
* The story starts somber as, once again, Tataru must stay behind as her friends head off onto adventure and danger. Once more, Tataru must lament how helpless she is in the face of everything.
* The Lady of Light makes her return and reveals that she’s Hydaelyn Herself. Both of the Warrior’s comments to her is equally WhatTheHellHero towards her. Yeah, they’re still smarting that they’ve been aiding a Primal this entire time.
* Upon arriving at Sharlayan, we find out that Alphinaud and Alisaie's disowning has passed through the town and that they are pretty much pariahs in the city. They can't even talk to old friends and servants because of this. The only outlier is their mother, Ameliance, who arranges for the twins to enjoy some time at home in secret.
* We learn G'raha's past here, that his homeland was one of many conquered by the Garleans long before he was born. Even more, to protect Allag secrets from the Garleans and with G'raha the last known inheritor, they decided to abandon their old ways, thus ending a tradition.
* During a talk with Vtra, he empathises with the Warrior of Light about the natural attrition that befalls those around beings like them, flashing back to the final moments of Ysayle, Moenbryda, Papalymo, Minfillia and finally Haurchefant, showing that even after all this time the loss of their lives still weigh heavily on them. He concludes by telling the Warrior to keep their companions close and protected as they will be their salvation.
* Alphinaud and Alisaie get a HardTruthAesop during the Garlemald arc -- "some people just can't be talked out of what they believe, even if that belief is actively harmful to themselves". The twins are earlier encouraged by their mother that words aren't going to sway their stubborn father Forchenault, so they should instead let their actions speak for them. Garlemald is ''not'' where you'd expect this lesson to be hammered in. They are expressly on a mercy mission to save the tempered Garleans, only to meet suicidal resistance from the non-tempered Garleans who adamantly refuse to see the Scions and their allies as nothing but vultures, scavenging their destroyed homeland. It's not just the soldiers, either; non-tempered civilians would rather die before accepting that Garlemald is no more. Words do nothing to placate these people; many only "accept" Alliance aid after their choices are reduced to "accept help, or die".
** The twins meet a group of non-tempered civilians who send them away to get a way to heat them up, led by a woman named Licinia. Shortly after coming back, the refugees tell the twins and the Warrior of Light that Licinia and her sick younger sister fled rather than wait for the Scions to come back, in order to protect them from the non-Garleans. The DramaticIrony is that the audience knows that the Scions are sincere about wanting to help, but the Garleans don't know that. As for Licinia and her sister, they die pointlessly and tragically. The Warrior of Light finds their bodies out on the ice floe, stabbed in their backs and left to bleed out by wild beasts, [[AllForNothing for no reason at all]]. It hammers in the message that the Garleans absolutely ''will not'' accept the help of the Scions and the Grand Company of Eorzea until they have literally no choice. Even when Alphinaud starts to say that [[IShouldHaveBeenBetter there had to have been something else he should have said]], the tone in Alphinaud's voice makes it clear that he knows there was nothing he could have done.
** The reasons why Garleans are so mistrustful and resentful as well as the origin of their warmongering ways, are sadly themselves justified. The reaper quest line reveals Garleans used to live in the fertile land of Locus Amoenus before they were invaded and driven north repeatedly by the Corvosi people, people who could use magic. It’s later revealed that the Garleans were on the brink of extinction due to how frigid and harsh the conditions were, and it was only through the discovery of Ceruleum and its uses that this fate was averted. So to say they have a chip on their shoulder would be an understatement at best. Even Emet-Selch under the guise of a young Solus saw their situation couldn’t help but feel sympathy for their plight (until the mortality of his biological Garlean son finally [[YouCantFightFate cements]] his decision to carry out the apocalytic Rejoining for the last time) The amount of cruelty he witnessed made him think Garlemald was a colder and more desolate place than the heavens above.
** Add to this, that the Garlean values and objectives are empty lies made by the Ascian's who created their empire with the sole purpose of visiting chaos and misery upon the world, including the Garleans. Which explains the core of the huge hypocrisy and disparity between their values and actions all this time. The Scions seem to intentionally avoid bringing this up as it would be devastating to the Garleans and only serve to further drive them away at this point, only for them to ultimately learn the truth when Zenos launches his attack on the Moon and the people demand answers.
** One of the soldiers in Quintus' hideout turns out to be a survivor of the Warrior of Light's assault on the Praetorium all the way back in ''A Realm Reborn''. She is clearly traumatized by the event, furiously calling the Warrior of Light a "demon" for killing so many of her friends and comrades that day.
** The [[AteHisGun suicide]] of Quintus van Cinna. He was a man so willing to believe in the recovery and salvation of Garlemald by their own hands that he is only vaguely an antagonist by circumstance, and one the heroes don't try to fight with. Even when his forces are freezing and broken, his citizens are on the verge of death, and their resources nearly gone, he and his men still hold onto the belief that other Legions ''will'' come and aid them in taking it all back. Then he finds out that they're either all dead, or surrendered to the Eorzean Alliance. Playing the anthem of the Garlean Empire on a nearby radio as he stares upon the flag, the standard he swore his life to and believed in with all his heart, [[AFatherToHisMen he dismisses his soldiers from duty so they can walk free]] and then proceeds to stick his revolver to his chin. By the time the heroes arrive to tell him the news, it's far too late, and all that's left is his body and gun, and the blood-spattered banner. Tellingly, the moment of [[WhamShot a showing his revolver sitting on the table]] is enough to make most people viewing the scene horrified.
** The corpse of Varis zos Galvus ends up being cut apart and used for summoning Primals; the very thing he had sworn to eliminate. His MyCountryRightOrWrong campaign has unleashed immeasurable evil deeds on the world, but one has to wonder if he ever had the chance to be different considering his upbringing and his grandfather's scheme.
** Jullus expresses [[DisappointedByTheMotive shock and rage]] when confronting Zenos, the man who brought ruin to Garlemald until it was a complete and literal waste, all because Zenos wanted to goad one person into a fight. Zenos is ''absolutely'' unfazed by this and shocks Jullus by callously asking him if he would feel better if "he had a better reason" for laying waste to the empire. All the wonders of the empire, reduced to ash by their very own monster who sees even his own ''family'' and citizens as nothing but bodies to discard in pursuit of his goals, nevermind causing the whole world to burn. We can see that Jullus would rip out Zenos' throat himself if he could before Alisaie stops him from getting himself killed and makes him consider that ''all'' Garleans no longer want ''anything'' to do with the damned traitor prince.
** Further extolling the tragedy of Garlemald's fall is that all radios plays the song "Home Beyond the Horizon". It's a haunting jazz-like remix of "Imperial Will" with lyrics that tell of the desire to one day regain their ancestral homeland of Locus Amoenus. The surviving Garleans huddled around these radios hoping among hope that some sort of relief is coming, that Varis isn't actually dead and that their empire will rise once again. It's a sad fate for a once-feared foe.
* Zenos reveals that his entire motivation and all the suffering he's caused has solely been for the Warrior of Light, to create a scenario where they can be suitably motivated to fight him again on an entirely different scale with the highest of stakes. The hero bows their head in the face of this, flashing back across all the death and pain that has occured, burdened by the thought that all of it solely happened not because some villain was trying to rule the world or seek revenge but solely because they were chasing a rivalry against them. They havent arrived in a strange land yet again to save the day and change things, they are an intricate part of the problem existing and all the calamity and death has happened for their sake.
* As a side note to the Garlean section, Zenos is given the title their empires founder Solus zos Galvus (Emet-Selch) reserved for the worst traitors in history, "Viator". Viator means "Traveler" in Latin...
* The Warrior of Light's entire struggle in a Garlean body to save their friends, fighting through tempered soldiers and magitek until running into a large group of Garlean civilians still in the city, who have armed themselves and are making a run to escape. You end up cutting your way through the tempered and mecha together only to then encounter a new mutated horror who they all just barely manage to kill, only for it to explode in its death throes and kill every one of them. Which would have included the [=WoL=] if they hadn't literally commanded their heart to beat through sheer force of will. Even then, all they're left with is a broken body that is not their own, but even then the [=WoL=] desperately drags and crawls it out of the broken freezing city into the frozen snowy wastes across the entire map to save their loved ones from being massacred by their own body.
* Fandaniel hijacking Zodiark, the supposed savior of the Ascians, tricking you into killing it and hastening the end of the entire universe. All of the collective Ascian souls within are practically begging for ''anything'' (seemingly even their former enemy Warrior of Light) to stop the madman from destroying their last shot at reclaiming their old lives. The spectacular death of Zodiark would've been the cause of great celebration when His true purpose was still a mystery, but now it only brings even more horror and sadness no matter if you're looking from the Scions or Ascians' point of view.
* Vrtra's love of Thavnair makes him unwilling to put down his former subjects that have turned into Terminus beasts. When we find him in the dungeon conflicted and unable to act as he physically shields his unchanged citizens from a multitude of blasphemies who are hacking away at his body. It takes some serious prodding from the Scions (most of all Estinien with his history in Dragonsong War) to make him finally commit MercyKill to save his nation.
** Knowing full well of his power as a dragon, Vrtra is afraid of revealing his true form to Thavnair's citizens and causing a schism like that of the Ishgardians. It is the HeroicSacrifice of his loyal subordinate and satrap DecoyLeader Ahewaan during a sudden Terminus outbreak in Radz-at-Han that finally brings Vrtra to stand up before his people.
* An elderly woman in Radz-at-Han kickstarts the second wave of Blasphemies by panicking over what became of her grandson at Palaka's Stand upon hearing that it is overrun with monsters. Shortly after, the very first Blasphemy the Warrior of Light kills upon venturing to that area cries out for its grandmother as it dies.
* It's revealed that ''Svarbhanu'', the final boss of ''Vanaspati'' dungeon is the head of Thavnair's trade consortium you met early in ''Endwalker''. He was already barely holding himself in together as he looked after local merchant under his care when the Telephoroi wreck the economy. He had thought his fortunes turned when he got a massive order from a textile merchant in Radz-At-Han, but when the merchant went for someone cheaper, the poor man crumbled into despair and became the first of the Blasphemies.
* The desperate search for Matsya's friends, a couple with a newborn who fled the village when the blasphemies attacked and everyone started transforming. After tracking them, we find the husband mortally wounded, despairing at failing to protect his family and just barely stop him from transforming ([[CessationOfExistence and saving his soul]]), after reassuring him as he dies that we will save them. We finally find his wife and her baby being set upon by a greater blasphemy, who we and the twins furiously engage with even the wife desperately fighting back to save her child before fleeing after we create a distraction. It is all is for naught however as her assailant single mindedly attacks her despite everyone's best efforts, brutally grabbing and crushing her head before flinging her and the baby in her arms into the deep water nearby. Despite her courageousness, the mother doesn't survive and we rescue the baby from the very floor of the deep pool. Healing magics recover the baby from the brink of death but the child is freezing cold and will not survive without more intensive care. An army of Blasphemies descend upon the group, forcing us and the twins to engage them to buy time for Matsya to carry the baby back to the now safe village alone. However we are later shown his plight as he flees to the village, drawing upon previously untapped bravery only for the baby to cry and show signs of transformation which leads to Matsya himself to also despair and emit the terrible black smoke, He recites ancient scripture to sustain his courage and stave off the change while continueing to charge through the forest, sounding increasingly desperate and terrified until he is fearfully screaming the lines even as the black smoke engulfs him and the child. His path is then blocked by two horrific Arkasodara Blasphemies as he speaks the last lines in quiet hopelessness and can only shield the child with his body as they rise up to strike him down. Fortunately, the game picks up with Estinien's timely arrival shortly after.
* With the revelations on Elpis, ''Endwalker'' manages to make ''Shadowbringers'' even more bittersweet. The Warrior of Light had travelled to the time of the Ancients looking for a way to stop the Final Days, and met Emet-Selch, Venat and Hythlodaeus, all of whom with various degrees of willingness and belief tried to help them in their quest, only for Emet-Selch and Hytholodaeus to have their memories erased and forget everything about the Final Days and the Warrior. Knowing what we know about the Warrior’s former identity of Azem already makes Emet-Selch’s death at their hands bittersweet. Knowing that the Warrior knew him personally, even in their current incarnation, before he was ever sundered makes it worse. You are unable to do anything to stop their memories being erased, again made worse by the fact that the trio was shown to still be instinctively TrueCompanions despite Azem (now living as the Warrior of Light) reincarnating before the other two, and knowing everything that will come to pass afterwards because of that makes it even more painful.
** Right before his memory gets wiped, Emet tells the Warrior to not squander the legacy he leaves them. The Warrior [[FutileHandReach fruitlessly reaches back for him]] with a ([[HeroicMime wordless]]) cry, but they're already on the fleeing Argos and can do nothing. The last thing they see is Emet giving them a soft smile and the last thing they hear is Kairos completing the countdown for the memory wipe.
** The aftermath is also a sobering and grim demonstration of the fate of the world in-depth: Venat, knowing the truth of dynamis being behind the end of their civilization in the Final Days, ''begs'' her fellow man to look to tomorrow rather than die for yesterday, but none of them listen, opting to prep to sacrifice themselves for Zodiark in vain hopes of their paradise restored. So she's given no choice but to sunder the world and become Hydaelyn, despite vocally saying it seemed impossible to her earlier. Then we see a montage of her wandering the world in spirit as its new heart, suffering and knowing the suffering of those she created, decaying and gradually breaking down while unable to help directly whatsoever as a means of ''teaching'' man to adapt and grow past their pain, with only the grim determination of stopping Meteion guiding her -- something she even created a contingency plan for by helping them all run away in case they simply couldn't. All the while, "Answers" in its original form plays, revealing the lyrics to be Venat's words of the suffering and her attempts to instill hope in the face of such an unfair judgement of death.
** Interspersed in the montage of Venat's pained wanderings are flashbacks to the Warrior of Light staggering towards Emet-Selch for their showdown in ''Shadowbringers'', which hits ''even harder'' after what they went through together in Elpis.
* [[TragicMonster Fandaniel/Hermes]]' love of all life in the past ironically became the very reason that drove him to end all existence. Having been faced with the lifelong task of terminating [=Ascians'=] creations that are deemed unfit to be distributed into the world despite the creation's own struggles and happiness both (a poor proto-Sanuwa under his jurisdiction was nearly offed just because it has wrong color and can't fly before Warrior of Light begged Emet-Selch to intervene), the innocent Ascian man began to question whether life itself is worthy. Meteion[='s=] report from space and his refusal to look at life from new angles convinced him that the only meaning of every being no matter how advanced is death, and set in motion an apocalyptic "trial" against the Ancients at the cost of nearly everything in existence... And yet during the last encounter against him in Aetherial Sea, he ends up admitting to the Scions that he ''still'' doubts his own 'answer' to the value of living before [[AllForNothing being dragged off to start his search again from zero]] by the way of karmic punishment from the late [[EvenEvilHasStandards Asahi]] of all people, unable to come to terms with the concept of death even after ''millennia'' of effort and desperation. He claims to be content with the fact that the universe is ending according to his plan, but his tone of voice fools no one.
** Even the sundered memories of his stint as Amon paints him as a SadClown among [[WeHaveBecomeComplacent utopian society that turns to mutilation of fellow man for excitement]]. He resurrected Xande in a bid to restore Allag to greatness, only to be reminded by the Emperor's failure and Allagan's doom that nothing surpasses Death. Before going on to dismiss Hermes' memories returned to him by Emel-Selch as something "not his own" and doubling down on [[FromBadToWorse the nihilistic path]] without [[MotiveDecay growing any closer to the truth]].
* The montage of each nation rallying into a unified force to collect crystals for the ark has two notable moments.
** Emmanellain searches for Artoriel so the two can get to work... and finds the latter at Haruchefant's grave, laying flowers for his fallen brother.
** Lyse offers the martial force of Ala Mhigo to A-Ruhn-Senna in Gridania, given that she used to be stationed there as a Scion. This is also significant in that before the civil war and Garlean occupation, the people of Ala Mhigo under its mad king were at war with Gridania. As A-Ruhn and the troops leave, Lyse looks to the sky:
--->"I won't let it all be for nothing. I promise you, Papalymo."
* Early in the story, Urianger is very uncomfortable to find out that Moenbryda's parents are in the area, as he was never able to give them his feelings about her death in ''A Realm Reborn''. They eventually catch up to him during the preparations for the exodus and are upset... that they couldn't be there for Urianger to help him through his own grief, caring for him as much as they do their own daughter and regretting that he had to go through it alone. Moenbryda's mother, Bloewyda, even hugs Urianger and tells him that they were worried about him too. Eventually, Urianger hugs Bloewyda in response, though the camera zooms in to show his arms shaking, sturggling to hold back his grief over what happened.
-->'''Urianger:''' ''(hugging Bloewyda)'' I'm sorry. I truly, truly am... ''(Urianger's arms begin shaking)'' I knew not what to say. Knew not how to express my feelings... The poems and platitudes of wiser men. Musings on sadness and loss... Studied and memorized... and meaningless in the moment.
* The souls of your dead comrades, Scions or otherwise, help you pave the way to Hydaelyn during your exploration of the Aitiascope. Not once did they ever forget you even in the sea of aether.
** A Sharlayan NPC involved with Aitiascope notes that the place is a closely guarded secret, being the location where Aetheric essence of the dead lingers before they dissolve and pass unto the next life. Such a measure is ''extremely'' necessary to prevent more Aether-related mishaps from befalling the world (even more so when it's revealed that Hydaelyn resides here after the Sundering) Recent Eorzean history puts this fact in much more sadder light. From Garlean occupation, to Dalamud's fall, to the apocalypses in ''Endwalker'', there is no "true" closure for numerous people who have suffered from the chaos of the world. Unlike the Scions, they can only take solace in themselves and move on.
* Meeting Hydaelyn herself after traveling the aetherial sea to finally get all your answers - and realizing Venat knew exactly what she was doing and everything was for the single hope that mankind would one day be strong enough to defeat despair itself in the form of Meteion. And, in order to prove that it won't be a waste to send you to the ends of the universe, she demands a trial of you and the Scions...which saps all the remaining energy she ever had. Players must watch the mother figure that has faithfully protected and guided them over ten years and various trials and expansions dissipate into aether, with a smile on her face and her last words being a proclamation of love for her precious children. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuoSe18goFs All the while the hauntingly beautiful song 'Flow' plays.]] It's a massive [[PlayerPunch kick in the stomach to players]] - doubly so if they had doubted her at any point. If you're remotely close to ''any'' sort of mother figure in your life, expect tears.
** Additionally sorrowful is that Hydaelyn ceases to exist due to these circumstances. Her soul aether is wholely expended and as a result too widely dispersed to reconstitute itself in the aetherial sea. While, under previously established lore regarding the nature of existence in FFXIV, she would normally have reincarnated after a while, the state of her soul is so that it will not happen. The only comforting thing is that, according to the Watcher, the remnants of her soul instead "fused" with the aetherflow of the planet, including natural phenomenons such as rain or wind. As such, she can watch over the planet in another way.
* ''Endwalker'' Tank Role Quest focuses on a man who transformed into a Blasphemy called Gleipnir: Kan-E-Senna's childhood friend ''Ea-Sura-Supin''. Eager to become the Elder Seedseer since youth and trained under E-Sumi-Yan alongside Kan-E (who was resenting her Padjali heritage), Ea-Sura's aspritation is cut short by a cocky adventurer pretending to ask then young Seedseer-to-be for succor only to go and snap off a Guardian Tree branch without consent, incurring the wrath of the Elementals who proceed to deprive the man of his life and Ea-Sura of his power. Heartbroken, Ea-Sura eventually settled down within Twelvewoods under a fake name and found the love of his life in a common woman, only to see his wife to succumb to an illness without any aetheric power to save her, driving him to despair and transforming him into a mindless Blasphemy that Warrior of Light, the Elder Seedseer and her Keeper have [[MyCountryRightOrWrong no choice]] but to [[MercyKill put him down]].
* The story of the Omicrons in Ultima Thule. They were once organic beings, but were weak and feeble. When their homeworld of Alphatron was invaded, they resorted to giving themselves cybernetic implants and prostheses to gain an edge against their assailants. And once they won that war, they began to fear that a stronger race might try to attack next, and began adding more and more machinery to their bodies to become stronger and stronger. Eventually, they were able to replace 100% of their body with machinery, turning them into a race of robots. But as one of their leaders laments, when they finally became ''the'' strongest race in the universe, they suddenly found themselves with no purpose, and since [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul cybernetics ate their souls]], they were also now unable to dream or have aspirations to find something else to work toward, having wholely specialized themselves into the sole pursuit of self improvement with every other aspect not contributing to this goal having been long since discarded.
** This adds another layer to the tragedy of Omega's dream to return home and answers why it wasn't recieving any more signals from back home despite repeated requests. It was already an impossible one where it would either remain stranded on another world forever or lose its mind on the long journey home were it able to develop a "heart", but even if it had managed to somehow retain its will all that distance and return at long last to its home, Omega would only have come back to a dead or dying Alphatron.
* This also gives more context to the fate of the Dragonstar and Midgardsomr fleeing. While TheFogOfAges left Middy and Omega unsure of who struck first, this zone makes it plain very early on; the Omicron picked the fight as part of their galactic conquest pre-emptively, the Dragons were ''completely'' innocent and only defended themselves, which they did ferociously. [[PyrrhicVictory Neither side won the war]], the Omicron coming victorious but leaving because the war had completely despoiled any of the planet's resources and their military strength having been decimated, and all of the remaining Dragons left on the planet had crossed their DespairEventHorizon as their world was no longer suitable for any life, and the corruption had damaged the hatcheries to the point where any new dragonets hatched as suffering, mutated abominations. The memories of the last surviving Dragons from their old world are left sitting immobile in resignation, slowly starving to death and drinking water so tainted one of them warns you it would probably kill a mortal in minutes, as they wait for their extraordinary lifespans to finally fail from starvation so they can die.
* The trauma and hell of numerous past civilizations meeting their existential crises and extinctions is a nightmare as it is, but [[VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon The Dead Ends]] is Amaurot on a cosmic scale. From a plague that wiped out its seaborn civilization with what it didn't turn into abominations, to the Global Community world where its authorities and freedom fighters genocided eachother to the end in the name of "peace", to the realm that seemingly attained perfection, only to realize they lost feeling for everything so much that they created a Primal-like being to commit mass assisted suicide.
** The Global scenario is probably the worst, between an everlasting war between the Global Citizens "World Order" and the independance seeking freedom fighters, the Global Citizens mass produce a new type of autonomous mecha with the directive to "take action against all enemies of peace". It responds by categorizing all life as inherently violent due to the everlasting war and starts killing all organics to achieve "peace", including their creators as their actions put them under the previous category as well. Due to this, one surviving soldier activates a mass high-yield missile system that targets the extermination mechs... which are all located in every populated area across the globe, with us witnessing a nearby city skyline get vaporized. The counter attack leaves them as the last person on the planet as they stare into the harsh clouds and glow of nuclear armageddon. Even worse, you see this very same person early on desperately running to reach this switch while all their comrades died, willing to risk it all for what they presumed would be the salvation of their world.
--->'''Global Citizen:''' I did it! I killed them all!
--->'''Global Citizen:''' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone I... killed them all...]]
** Worse still, if for some reason you go back through that section of the dungeon, [[DrivenToSuicide you'll find that particular NPC is no longer there]], whereas in the other sections there are still people standing around and talking.
** The Global Community section specifically is also a dark reminder that Varis' dream could never have come to fruition: invading others and forcefully making them have "peace" doesn't work and would only lead to revolutions and more war until it finally ends in death. Seeing that Shadowbringers implies that Varis would have caused the 8th Umbral Calamity with his Black Rose in his attempt to cause peace for the world, he was terrifyingly close to repeat the mistake of that culture, only with poison instead of machines.
* One by one, the Scions give themselves up to Ultima Thules' Dynamis to create a way forward and even create new regions and their dead civilizations to progress across, which is explicitly referred to as essentially a death sentence, in order to open the path to the Endsinger. Each time, they give a final speech to the Warrior of Light, knowing they will never see each other again. Not helping this is that each time there is a sacrifice which , the BGM of the area becomes more and more refined, from a distant fragmented tune gaining clarity to the addition of instrumentals and beyond, as if their souls and sacrifices are contributing to the melancholic song itself.
* When G’raha Tia sacrifices himself the area undergoes one final change. Ultima Thule suddenly gets lyrics and you hear a lone male voice singing, telling you that even though their memories are fading they gently encourage you to move on. Even though all the scions have died they still live on through you and the voice gently reassures you of that, and the voice believes in you. It’s strongly hinted that it’s G’raha who is singing to you and even if you can’t hear him he still believes in you even to the bitter end.
* The entirety of the quest "You're Not Alone" is one tear-jerker after another. After the twins' sacrifices, [[InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn the Warrior of Light ends up all alone]]. Yet, still determined, they move forward. During that small section, you can only walk, affected by a debuff called "Endwalker" which "Walking alone unto journey's end, the burden weighing heavy". Essentially, the Warrior of Light just watched all of their friends die, and is the last one standing to face Meteion. And in spite of everything, you have to keep going. You slowly walk to reach Meteion's egg, as uncredited "voices from the past" give you words of encouragement and stating their belief in you, while the sorrowful song of Ultima Thule rings in the background. All of these voices belong to allies you met during your journey, some still alive (and even from another shard, as you can hear Ryne's voice), some dead (including Minfilia and Haurchefant). The very first and last voice you hear? ''Ardbert'', reflecting your own resolve.
--> '''Voice from the past (Ardbert)''': If you need a push, I'll be right there behind you. [...] Let's finish this.
* One by one the Scions are defeated by the Endsinger until she uses her power to throw them into a black hole. Realizing that they still have the power to save their friends the Warrior of Light activates the the teleportation tomestone that was given to them before they left Ethyris, but before it can work on them the Warrior of Light lets it slip gently from their hands so that they can stay behind to fight.
** Worse here is that Alisaie sees them doing this and begs them to stop. All the player character can do is [[CallBack smile gently]] and tell them it's all right. [[note]]While the player character doesn't talk, their lip movements look similar to the Japanese words ''Daijoubu'' which can be translated as such. [[/note]]
* [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Meteion and her sisters]] are the creations of Hermes made out of pure emotion, who have both mental state and experience of children. Due to their extreme ability as the {{Empath}}, their inability to distinguish others emotions from their own, and how Ascian society functions (that they do not recognize the value of overcoming suffering or that it is inevitable) while simultaneously having a cavalier notion towards death which is romantic for themselves but thoughtless for any creations percieved as flawed, the sisters bear the full brunt of despair when they learn about how inevitable suffering and death is by encountering thousands upon thousands of dead or dying worlds without a single exception, lacking the insight to temper it (akin to a newborn baby not knowing why they shouldn't stand in front of a moving car), and [[NeverBeHurtAgain jumping]] to [[CessationOfExistence conclusions]] without considering other possibilities. By the time of the story's ending, a shadow of her civilization and mere Elpis flowers (summoned by the Warrior of Light) are all that's left to remind Meteion of her beloved creator Hermes, which finally [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone crumbles the wall of denial inside her heart]]. Even if Meteion survived ''Endwalker'', she has to deal with the fact that she wiped out her own creator's entire race as it was which she ''loved'' among numerous others, all because she and her sisters were ''[[FishOutOfWater too innocent]]'' to understand. The core Meteoin goes from feeling physical pain if people speak too loudly in her presence to having a thousand thousand apocalypses across the universe downloaded into her brain in a single moment.
--> '''Meteion''': "[[CallBack Greetings, you who are my final encounter]]. I wish to hear your words... Share your feelings... Know your thoughts. [[MeaningfulEcho May we please]]... be [[{{Forgiveness}} friends?]]"
* There's something somber about Zenos' death. As he and the Warrior of Light are both spread out on the ground, having beaten each other within an inch of their lives, Zenos reflects back on how nothing ever really excited him short of his battles with the Warrior of Light, thus leading him to never figure out the point to his life. He asks the Warrior of Light if they had found purpose and meaning in their own life, only to die before he gets an answer, albeit with the consolation of dying after getting his much desired fight with his foe and friend.
** There's also the Warrior of Light's fate. As determined as they are, their body is still mortal, having taken so much lethal damage that they too collapse on the ground and start slipping away. If it weren't for that emergency teleportation device making its way back to them to give an out from the edge of the world, it would have been it for them. They truly would have died after saving the world, their body either left behind at the very edge of existance alongside their mirror image rival's, having finally been consumed by their (possibly) shared bloodlust or on the operating table surrounded by their dearest remaining loved ones, having finally truly given their all for their star. The following scene, while bittersweet, is still quite heavy; Alisaie is tearfully begging for the Warrior of Light to wake up while the other Scions can only despondently watch, wait, and hope while their friend is being healed. When the Warrior of Light does wake up, everyone is overjoyed and sad at once. They were this close to accepting the Warrior of Light had died. Estinien jesting that they've made quite the show but sounding uncharacteristically relived, Alphinaud sheds a tear in relief. G'raha Tia cries in joy. Y'sthola and Thancred [[AngerBornOfWorry scold the Warrior of Light for nearly getting themselves killed]], with the former stating she would have been inconsolable and the latter remarking that they are being harsh its because they care. Urianger is just glad that his friend is safe and sound. Alisaie completely tears the Warrior of Light a new one, yelling at them for nearly getting themselves killed fighting alone in the sort of noble sacrifices she has spoken against in the past on multiple occasions and making them worry when they didn't show up like Meteion said they would and then damning them for basically breaking her heart while she sobs her eyes out. Everyone's reactions can hit quite close to home for those who had a friend or family member that nearly died or almost getting themselves killed.
** Or anyone who just spent the last two hours watching the Scions ''dissolve'' by ones and twos.
* After having the grand finale of an adventure, Alphinaud narrates one bittersweet line. It's not the end of a journey, because everyone is still in touch, but it's the end of a chapter.
--> '''Alphinaud:''' [[TheFellowshipHasEnded We are disbanding the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.]]
** (At least, that is what the story will be.)
* After raiding the underwater treasure vault in 6.1, Vrtra through Varshahn tells the Scions that he was there when the Allagan Empire fought against the Meracydians using voidsent to bolster their ranks and saw his sister Azdaja fly through a void gate to stop the demons. He hoped his sister would return and he waited for over ''a thousand years''. When Vrtra saw a planar fissure in the vault, he was torn between wanting to expand it so he can go through and find Azdaja and keeping it sealed so his people wouldn't be in danger from the voidsent. He chose the latter and basically gave up on ever seeing his sister again. Even though his closest allies and the Scions gave him the courage and hope to see Azdaja again once they come up with a plan to open the void gate, it still stings to see sibilings being separated from each other, human or not.
* One coming from, of all things, an Ultimate: Hraesvelgr, now being controlled by an Allagan neurolink in the alternate timeline where Haurchefant lives, is forced by Nidhogg to lay waste to Ishgard after King Thordan's defeat. In the midst of the battle, he pleads with the party to not let him take a single life so that he can honor his vow to Shiva. Should the party fail and have anyone die as a result of his attacks, he loses it, gaining a Vulnerability Down and Damage Up buff. Whether the sheer despair from breaking his promise to his beloved causes him to fall into Nidhogg's control entirely, or he simply undergoes SanitySlippage and starts ''trying'' to kill the party since there's no going back now is never made clear, but either way, Hraesvelgr has become a broken dragon. [[YouBastard And it's all your fault.]]
** What's worse is that it's either he kills you or you MercyKill him so he can stop fighting. In his dying words, he is at least able to have the repose of [[TogetherInDeath joining Shiva.]] Except ''that'' gets robbed from him for a while longer when Thordan takes his eyes from his corpse to become the Dragon-king.
** Compounding this is that when you clear the trial, it ends on a somber note as the Dragonsong War comes to an end. Though you may have emerged victorious, Hraesvelgr's spirit disappears into the light alongside Nidhogg's. It's the only Ultimate trial that doesn't have a triumphant celebration, with your character looking on sadly as the dragons pass on.
--->So ends an alternative chapter in their tale.
--->What lessons, dear listener, might we derive from this Dragonsong reimagined?

--->Be it that of man or dragon, all life is precious,
--->and the loss of loved ones shall ever darken the hearts of those left behind.

--->Yet death is not the end of what was wrought.
--->The memories forged, the affection shared, the hope inherited...

--->Such things grant us the strength to walk unto the morrow,
--->and there is no greater proof of this than the Warrior of Light's journey.

--->From the fantastical works of a wandering minstrel
--->''Heavensward: A Reimagining''
* Lahabrea appears in the flesh in 6.2, revealing things that turn what we know on its head. The Lahabrea Erichthonios knew is actually an EnemyWithout creation of the ''real'' Lahabrea, meaning that while he was technically correct, he's also technically wrong, because Lahabrea wasn't directly involved with the experiments in Pandaemonium at all. On top of that, Lahabrea, while deeply flawed, turns out to be a reasonable and honored figure among the Warders, shouldering all the hate from his son because he can't bring himself to break the AwfulTruth to him. Considering how much of a madman he became in present day, it gives insight on how far the man fell from grace.
* While the Hildibrand quest chain is, as ever, full of light-hearted insanity, Godbert's reasoning for wishing to recreate the Mandervillian weapons is born from a tragic one; he was in Thavnair on business when the Final Days hit, and he like any of the strong-hearted was trying his best to save as many people as he could from the Terminus beasts, but he still witnessed plenty of death and likely transformations. It's a somber reminder of just how deep and traumatic the Final Days were that even a goofball like Godbert Manderville carries scars from being witness to it.
* The Grebuloff are first seen in the [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Dead Ends]] where they are horribly warped by disease while the survivors either beg their dying loved ones to hang in there or blame each other for what happened. Two of the Grebuloff are recreated via dynamis by the Omicrons to help Jammingway get the Last Dregs up and running, but the two Grebuloffs are completely depressed and burst into tears over the fact that their home is gone and [[YouCantGoHomeAgain they can never return to it]] or see their friends and loved ones ever again. While the Warrior of Light does help them overcome their sadness, it's still quite heartbreaking to see a race of people whose home was destroyed and they're quite literally a FishOutOfWater.
* In the patch 6.3 MSQ "Gods Revel, Lands Tremble", it's hinted at by Cagnazzo and outright stated by Rubicante that some of the Four Fiends, along with Golbez, had a motivation for coming to the Source in the first place: [[DeathSeeker they want to die]]. Their ResurrectiveImmortality in the Thirteenth was causing an excess in SanitySlippage, with Rubicante lamenting that [[IAmAMonster he was becoming less of a man and more of a monster the longer he was there]]. Rubicante even [[HypocrisyNod acknowledges the hypocrisy of wanting to end a war by starting another]], but he saw no other way. Zero admits that she can see where Rubicante is coming from, having lived in the Thirteenth for so long herself. It makes the Four Fiends into {{Tragic Monster}}s, and paints Golbez in a [[AntiVillain somewhat better but still villainous light]], highlighting how depressing things are around the Void.
* Rubicante gets double the dose of tragedy from his backstory, in contrast to Scarmilione being a deserter and Barbaricia being raised by assholes. He had close comrades during the Contramemoria, and was once a memoriate himself. However, he lost his brother to a voidsent that was once an Auri (or Thirteenth equivalent) child's mother, resorting to using his memoria powers to MercyKill her. He yearned to see the sun again after the war, but between losing family and taking someone's life, he sees himself as a FailureHero who couldn't save anyone.
* From the Myths of the Realm storyline in 6.3, we meet a Lamb of Dalamud for the first time since ''A Realm Reborn''. Turns out they weren't always an ApocalypseCult, but started out as a peaceful cult in the older sense of the word who wanted nothing more than to worship their beloved Menphina via her hound, only for Dalamud to start falling and drive nearly all of them insane. This Lamb, who found comfort in Menphina after he proved to kind to live the cutthroat life of an Ul'dahn merchant, is one of the only ones who didn't go crazy and wanted to continue worshipping Menphina peacefully. As a result, he lost everything. The Lambs ostracized him for not following them into depravity, while others immediately assumed he was evil because he was a Lamb. Once the Warrior of Light appears, he immediately assumes they're here to finish the job of hunting down the Lambs, but is so deep in despair that he believes it's the will of Menphina and welcomes death. Deryk is thankfully able to snap him out of it and Menphina personally gives him her blessing as he goes on with a renewed will to live, but it's still a tragic story of a kind man who did absolutely nothing wrong and got his life destroyed as a result.
* An offhand comment from Erichthonios puts a sobering light on all the times you fought Elidibus: "Themis would never have wished to be your enemy." Yet fate dealt a cruel hand between him and the Warrior of Light, putting them at opposite sides despite having bonded over the course of investigating Pandaemonium. From ''A Realm Reborn'' to ''Shadowbringers'', he was acting out Zodiark's will, and thus, lacked autonomy to do otherwise. Then later, you have to fight him again because he's under Athena's will, with no guarantee that fighting him will dispel her control. At the very end of it all, he does at least return to the aetherial sea with no regrets, as all of these encounters made it clear that they'd eventually reunite as allies.
* While it is a ForegoneConclusion given what we know of the fate of the Ancients, Erichthonios' final recordings in the memory stone are still bittersweet as they confirm he was killed and sundered during the Final Days. His final message shows his character growth as he chooses to stay behind even if it means his death, just so he can make sure Pandaemonium is not breached in the midst of all the chaos. All this is both made worse by the fact he wishes he could've seen his "dear friend" the Warrior of Light again, but also better with newfound knowledge that Claudien, the eccentric researcher who befriended and tasked you to look into Pandaemonium in the first place, is a shard of Erichthonios reborn. One that, while still very much his own person, has awoken memories of his past as Erichthonios.
* The 6.4 MSQ has the Warrior of Light, Y'shtola, Estinien, Zero and Vrtra arriving on the Thirteenth's moon, where Golbez eventually makes himself known. Golbez then proceeds to unshackle Azdaja, who has made it clear that the very shackles that bound her are also what have kept the darkness of the Thirteenth from corrupting her now-weakened self. Unfortunately for Vrtra, Azdaja immediately grows corrupt until Golbez pushes her over the edge and transforms her into the Shadow Dragon. Imagine going many hundreds, thousands of years, hoping to find and save a lost family member, finding a group of allies that help push significant progress toward said hope becoming a possibility... only for them to be taken from you right as you're within reach.
** Then after Golbez is defeated, he proceeds to take Azdaja as the Shadow Dragon and feeds her to the Thirteenth's remnants of Zodiark's aether, to feed toward the creation of an even more powerful voidsent: Zeromus. Vrtra's BigNo as Azdaja is tossed into the abyss is heartbreaking.
** It's made clear that, should they wait for Zeromus to break the barrier between the Source and the Thirteenth, and make its way to the Source to take it down, this can mean losing Azdaja forever to the natural flow and cycle of aether. Their best chance to save Azdaja is by defeating Zeromus on the Thirteenth, where death means aether doesn't return to the flow. It's not a guarantee, but it's the best chance Vrtra has of saving her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Shadowbringers'']]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fare_you_well.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Yet in one fleeting moment''\\
''For anew it doth grow'']]

* In one of the earliest scenes of ''Shadowbringers'', you encounter a travelling merchant who's the spitting image of Brennan, Bremondt, and Brendt, the three brothers whom you can encounter at the beginning of ''A Realm Reborn.'' He directs you to the nearby Crystarium, but unlike his predecessors, does not make the rest of the journey there with you. Later, just as you're entering the Crystarium, you're attacked by a Sin Eater, who is quickly dispatched by the gatekeeper. The Sin Eater fades, and drops a ring, which it apparently had swallowed in a recent meal... which you immediately recognize as having been worn on the merchant's hand when you met him only moments before.
* After reaching an inn, the Warrior of Light is confronted by a shade of the Warrior of Darkness, who introduces himself as Ardbert. From Ardbert's [[YouCanSeeMe reaction]], it's clear that no one else can see or hear him. He can't even interact with the world in any meaningful way, since he's InvisibleToNormals. And then, once the Warrior tells Ardbert that it's been a hundred years since the Flood of Light, Ardbert comes close to breaking. The pain in his voice is palpable. Too bad you can't give the poor guy a hug, after all he's been through.
* In the initial quest to find Alisaie, you discover the Inn, a hospice for those infected by the Sin Eaters with a seed of light who will turn eventually... unless they are killed first. The entire concept is tear-jerking, but several moments stand out. One of the quests involves caring for the sick by wiping their faces, showing how some can still show emotion, while one young boy is almost plaster, indicating it is almost his time. The next quest involves getting his favorite fruit - which is to be his method of execution, as they poison the favorite food of someone about to turn to give them one last happy memory before they die. Then, a greater Sin Eater draws the almost-turned boy into the desert. You and Alisaie go searching for him, and spot him watching the Sin Eater, who is in turn attacked by Tesleen, the caretaker at the Inn and someone Alisaie has grown very close with in this time. She's able to injure the Eater and tries to get through to the boy, who watches her impassively... as she's stabbed by the Eater and turns into one herself. The boy is left behind, and Alisaie begs the remaining caretakers to not kill him until the end, which they say they always try to do. To add to the tears, the turned Tesleen is one of the bosses in the first dungeon, and she's still aware enough to apologize to Alisaie...
* The [=WoL=] usually /cheers at the end of most dungeons in previous expansions except for some notably tragic moments. During the first Shadowbringer dungeon, where we saved the day and cut down the first lightwarden marking the first real victory that world has seen since the Flood of Light and the first time the night sky has been seen since then (something most had only read about in children's story books). However this victory is greatly soured by having to mercy kill Tesleen and the fact we were too late (for some by mere seconds) to save the majority of an entire town (with either their corpses, sineater eggs or sineater transformations strewn across the entire countryside). After downing the final boss, the [=WoL=] simply bows their head morosely and closes their eyes in quiet contemplation instead of cheering.
** As of this dungeon, the [=WoL=] no longer /cheer's after completing any of the following shadowbringer dungeons. They react in the same way as the above, even for outright victories, implying that after three expansions of overcoming the odds in the face of constant loss, suffering and death they have hit the limits of their endurance and mental integrity.
** Bringing Alisaie into the dungeon via the Trust mechanic has her just resignedly say, "I was wondering where you went..." when finding Tesleen.
* During the cutscene where Urianger first explains the Eight Umbral Calamity to the [=WoL=], we get a scene where we're shown the fallen Scions. As the shot pans, we see one after another until we finally see the [=WoL=] themself, with Alisiae and Alphinaud beside them. Alphinaud and Alisiae are [[TogetherInDeath holding hands]].
* After retrieving Seto's medallion, he is completely overjoyed seeing it again because it reminded him of his partner. He reminisces over the adventures they had together and while he couldn't speak back then (since he was an Amaro that didn't gain the gift of intelligence yet), his heart was filled with joy by being at his side and helping people with him. When his partner inadvertently caused the Flood, everyone blamed him and only a handful of people stood up for him. Seto couldn't bear to hear people talk so negatively about his friend, so he left men behind to live alone. He wishes he could have told his friend how much he meant to him. Said friend is Ardbert, the leader of the Warriors of Darkness you fought back in ''Heavensward''. Ardbert's ghost appears and listens to Seto telling of his memories, unable to do anything but seemingly shed a tear at the story before fading away. Whatever response you give to Seto, he mentions that you remind him a lot of his friend with the same amount of kindness.
* In a discussion about the previous nation which was located in Il Mheg, whose buildings are now mostly underwater after the Sin Eaters devastated their kingdom, the Warrior of Darkness empathizes by imagining Ishgard (it's equivalent on the first) being destroyed. This includes them imagining the members of House Fortemps, their adopted family after Haurchefaunt's death, standing around happy outside their ancestral home one moment and then a pile of burning wreckage and bodies along with a broken Fortemps Shield the next.
* Upon entering the Rak'tika Greatwood, you and the party are beset by the Night's Blessed, an organization that worships the darkness and who are currently working for Y'shtola. She warns them that a powerful Lightwarden is approaching the forest and they need to be ready to drive it off. Since the Lifestream incident at the end of ''A Realm Reborn'' Y'shtola has been working without functional sight, only able to recognize people, places and things by their aether. When meeting with the group she recognizes Urianger and Thancred and is even able to deduce who the young girl traveling with them is. When it comes to the Warrior of Light/Darkness, however, one of the few people she openly respects, all she can see is a monster. Urianger's reassurance that you are who you are simply causes dismay and sadness to overtake her features as she expresses [[ThisCannotBe horrified disbelief]]. She looks as though she's about to start crying, and not out of joy. It takes you talking to her, with one of the dialogue options being accompanied with your character on the verge of tears themselves, for her to finally recognize you. She tries to put on a strong face, but she's very clearly crushed having realized what the Lightwardens' corruption is doing to you before you do yourself and inadvertently borne blades against her dearest of friends.
** This is doubly heartbreaking for players who started in Limsa and had Y'sthola be the one to bring them into the Scions. The one person who started it all by recruiting you into the scions cannot recognize you and sees you as a threat.
** To really drive it home when Y'shtola finally has Urianger alone, even if she keeps her tone even, she's very clearly upset. When the Warrior of Light accidentally ends up overhearing them she immediately calls Urianger out for pretending to not realize what's happening as they continue to absorb the light of the Wardens. Understanding that he likely has good intentions she's obviously very unhappy that Urianger is keeping secrets ''yet again'' before asking the big question: Did he or did he not truly see the Eighth Umbral Calamity as he claimed to? He doesn't get to answer before they're interrupted. Take a moment to remember that the Scions decided to stay in The First for so long specifically to avert the Eighth Umbral Calamity to save Eorzea ''and'' the Warrior of Light. Now because she can only see the world in aether Y'sthola sees a close friend thrown into a whole different kind of danger simply because Uriangier likely isn't being entirely honest.
** Despite knowing and increasingly feeling something starting to go wrong with them, the Warrior of Light/Warrior of Darkness continues to strive forward to do what they have always done, save innocent lives no matter the cost to themselves. It gets disturbing in that many of the dialogue options you get after they find this out seem to indicate they are dismissive of their own mortality.
* All of the Rak'tika sidequests points out the dark secret of all Vii in the First: those who leave the colony are cursed to be unable to find their way home, to prevent anyone from coming back and destroying it. It is only when the Warrior of Darkness is able to free the forest from the Light utterly that they can begin to welcome those wayward souls home.
* Lyna gets a heartbreaking moment after the attack on Lakeland. After initially brushing off the [=WoL=]'s words of concern, she nonetheless seems tired and weak after all that happened. When she turns to leave, she suddenly stumbles and falls... [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4j0XwwYZ8c before finally letting her mask slip]]:
-->'''Lyna:''' I am fine... Completely, and utterly fine! BETTER than fine! Hale and hearty and still alive to mourn those who are not. [[SurvivorGuilt Who I failed to protect when they needed me most.]]\\
'''Lyna:''' We've come so far, so ''godsdamned'' far! I could have ''sworn'' the end was in sight. And now...\\
'''Lyna:''' Now they will never see it.
** And then, as if to rub salt in the wound, Vauthry chooses that moment to begin his pontificating, fully intent on grinding the soldiers’ sacrifices into the dirt. Asshole.
* After the battle of Lakeland, Ardbert watches as a Crystarium medic begs his friend to hang on for reinforcements and medical aid to arrive. Distracted as he is the medic does not notice the sin eater approaching them and Ardbert screams at the medic to run. When that inevitably fails Ardbert readies Bravura, charges the sin eater, and essentially ''begs'' his axe to work just this one time... and of course it fails as well leaving Ardbert to do little but stand there despondent as the sin eater catches the medic by surprise, who screams in agony and dies begging for help. Ardbert is left teetering on the edge of a {{despair event horizon}} until he sees a group of Crystarium soldiers rallying behind the Warrior of Light to continue fighting in spite of how hopeless it seems.
-->'''Ardbert:''' Why did you spare ''[[SurvivorsGuilt me?]]'' Why? What have I done to deserve this ''[[CruelMercy mercy]]!?''
** If you pay attention to the medic and his friend just before he realizes the SinEater is behind him, you'll see his friend has [[AllForNothing already slumped over dead.]]
* Ran'jit finally meets his end during the liberation of Eulmore in a 1v1 against the Warrior of Light/Warrior of Darkness, having spent the entire expansion [[StrongerWithAge single-handedly overpowering them]] and the scions, forcing them to pull back, and even [[ImplacableMan surviving impossible odds]] when they stacked every card against him. The numerous encounters with him reveal bit by bit that all of his strength was gained through sheer training and skill, as well as his past as a noble warrior, the last of his kind in every way after the flood of light erased his people and nation with him being the last practioner of his ancient form of now lost martial arts and a mighty general who was resolved in the early days after the flood of light to defeat the sineaters to save the world.
** What broke him over many years was the fact he was in charge of each and every Minfilia reincarnation since the flood of light. Turning each willing young girl into powerful weapons against the sineaters and bring hope to the people, only to see each suffer and perish horribly again and again just to stem the tide without any real progress made to actually save what little was left of the world. Not only [[TheMentor did he train them]], he [[ParentalSubstitute raised each of them as his own]] and his profound grief from their repeated terrible deaths drives him to willingly support Vauthrey's acceptance of a doomed world where the best thing to do is let people live as happily as they can before the world is snuffed out forever. By the time we meet him, he is a bitter broken husk of the champion he once was, who has long since suffered his Despair Event Horizon and is unable to relinquish control over the most recent Minfilia's newfound independance and will, nor accept any talk of hope, so long as it stands in the way of keeping her locked up and safe for what he believes is the inevitable end of the world.
** Thancred recogonizes the growing comparison between him and Ran'jit, having been the original Minfilia's protector and guardian since childhood only to see her "perish" to become the Oracle of Light and leave to save the First. With even more recent comparisons given his self-imposed role as her most recent reincarnation's proector and guardian, with his behaving increasingly over-controlling with her similar to Rin'jit and enormously conflicted by the possiblity of her being restored as a full Oracle of Light, which carries the choice of bringing back HIS Minfilia but [[CessationOfExistence erasing the individual personality]] of the girl he has grown fond of, or vice versa, with the girl accepting her independance and individuality to take on the role of Oracle of Light but at the cost of losing the original Minfilia once more.
* Speaking of the above, it is all too wretched to see Minfilia's reincarnation, itself an independant individual, despite being a capable combatant, struggle with her limitations as she witnesses the death and suffering going on around her knowing she can become more by transforming into the Oracle of Light. Even more so is her willingness to accept this knowing it will come at the cost of her existance, which is itself is due to how little worth she holds for herself. Due to Thancred's [[CannotSpitItOut inability to communicate his true feelings]] about her, she not only believes he is only keeping a useless girl like her alive long enough to restore his true beloved Minfilia but still adores him such that she can't bear to hurt him by refusing to become her, despite what it means for her.
* After defeating Innocence and absorbing their corrupted light aether, Norvrandt is plunged into its DarkestHour as all of the aether from the fallen lightwardens begins to overwhelm the Warrior of Light. To make things worse, the Crystal Exarch steps in to steal the light from them and use it to conquer the other parallel worlds...or so he would like people to think: as Urianger knows too well, and Y'shtola quickly realizes, the Exarch's true plan was to [[HeroicSacrifice take the light with him into the rift, sacrificing his life to save The First]]. As the Exarch puts this plan into motion, a gust of wind blows back his hood, revealing his identity: G'raha Tia.
** The dialogue options only drive the circumstances home.
---> >Remain silent.
---> >Call him by his name.
** If you choose the latter, G'raha Tia is stunned you remembered him. Though he says the same thing no matter what you choose, the more emotional delivery of the line if you call out to him shows how much the Warrior of Light meant to G'raha Tia.
----> ''Thank you for fighting for this world. For believing. Fare you well, my friend -- my inspiration.''
** And then to really {{kick the dog}} Emet-Selch shoots him in the back before he can take the light and expresses true disappointment as he explains that by being overwhelmed with the power of the wardens the Warrior of Light has failed to meet his very genuine hope and expectations right at the last hurdle.
** Should you call G'raha Tia by his name once again after defeating Emet-Selch, he becomes so overwhelmed that he starts crying.
* Just before entering the final dungeon, the Warrior of Light has a word with their allies, reflecting on the journey they had so far, leading up to the confrontation. Once they get to Ryne, however, she expresses concern with the light within ready to overtake them at any moment. One of the responses to assure her? "Fate can be cruel, but [[CallBack a smile better suits a hero.]]" Even after all this time, Haurchefant still lives on in their memories.
* The vision of Amaurot that Emet-Selch creates is one very sad memory for him. Instead of being race of Eldritch monsters or some other kind of cruel regime, the Ascians were part of a group of a highly advanced civilization. This civilization thrived thanks to their creation magic and were living in what was essentially a Utopia. No one went hungry and everyone had extremely long lifespans, and their Aether stores were vast enough to create things as a hobby or even as a base reflex that allowed even babies to create things unconsiously. From what Emet-Selch showed the ancients celebrated learning and would allow even children to participate in scholastic endeavours, not only that but they debated as a hobby. After witnessing a debate between two Amaurotines, instead of vehemently disagreeing with each other they used the opportunity to learn and never once disrespected their opponents. Open sharing of ideas was encouraged and would spread from creating entirely new lifeforms to even mundane things like children's toys. Seeing this firsthand and it's not at all impossible to think that half of their civilization would sacrifice themselves to save the other half without a second thought, not just once but ''twice''. All of this makes the final dungeon more tragic seeing their civilization collapse firsthand and realizing they didn't deserve any of it.
** It gets worse when the Scions interact with the illusions of the Amaurotines, and said illusory people are nothing but kind to them. They truly didn't deserve their sad fate, and it makes people like Emet-Selch seem at least a tiny bit understandable in their zeal to restore things to how they were.
* Of ''all'' people, Emet-Selch and the Ascians as a whole get this in the finale. It turns out that they are not simply Zodiark's disciples. They're the last remnants of a world that was completely and utterly annihilated by Hydaelyn during her war against Zodiark. Everything the Ascians have done, every manipulation, every murder, every Calamity, has all been carried out so that they can ''reclaim their home''. During the final battle, Emet-Selch rants at length in fury about all the pain and suffering he and his people have endured, about how much he has sacrificed for the sake of his people's survival, about how Hydaelyn stole everything from them, and about the injustice of how everyone else labels them as pure evil when all he and the other Ascians truly want is to just '''''go home'''''.
** To top this off, once the he is struck with a fatal blow, [[GracefulLoser all he can do is look at the player, knowing full well he is defeated, and only asks for them to remember his people and that they existed,]] before disappearing for good. The player's calm expression seems an indication that the request will be honored. To make it even more signifiant and tragic, the Warrior of Light being originally an Ascian makes it even more important, as they're now basically bearing the legacy of their people. [[GoOutWithASmile Emet-Selch's expression]] seems to mean he also finally accepts the fact that the Warrior of Light is indeed the one he loved as his closest friend, which adds a lot of meaning to that legacy.
--->'''Emet-Selch''': Remember... Remember us... Remember... that we once lived...
** TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon before this, a deadly, yet illusory recreation of Amaurot as it was taken by the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt calamity]] that nearly ended the world and precipitated the creation of Zodiark, deserves special mention. TearJerker is essentially the defining characteristic of the entire dungeon; the once-beautiful city full of innocent people who barely even understand what's causing this apocalypse is being torn apart by horrific creatures spawned of their own minds and powers running amok. [[ApocalypseWow Meteors fall from the blood-red sky as all is awash in a sea of blood and flame]]. You even get to see the people being mercilessly slaughtered up close and personal, and no matter what you do [[ControllableHelplessness you can't stop it]]. [[YouAreTooLate It's already happened, long, long ago.]] There's not even proper area names on the map, merely Emet-Selch's descriptions of what is happening ('So did the final doom undo us' for example), all while he provides fully-voiced running commentary. It's all a perfect rendering of an entire universe crossing the DespairEventHorizon. And the [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic incredibly moving BGM]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtxR97bgF-Q Mortal Instants]], sells the feeling of complete despair all the more. It's all perfect lead-in material to hype up the final battle with Emet-Selch himself, and will leave no doubt of the festering, ever-growing pain the BigBadDuumvirate that is the Overlords have been stewing in for all these thousands of years. To top the whole thing off, checking the weather during the instance shows "Termination". The worst part is when you remember the Warrior of Light was once an Ascian it means that they were likey there when this all happened, and they were just as powerless to stop it then as they are in the present.
* Just before the final battle, the Scions give Emet-Selch their HeroismMotiveSpeech, declaring ''why'' they fight so hard to prevent Calamaties and Rejoinings. The [=WoL=]? It's all they can do to barely stay upright and slowly stagger towards Emet-Selch as the Primordial Light overwhelms them and shatters their soul from the strain.
* At the final healer role quest, Lamitt's shade appears from the crystal and her memory explains how much she sacrificed to save her friends and travel with Ardbert to make the world a better place while also still hurting from the fact that she was basically exiled from her hometown for breaking traditions. Giott, who was bad mouthing Lamitt for the whole quest chain, now completely regrets all the things she said about her and attempts to hug Lamitt, only for her shade to fade away. After a while, Giott smiles and promises to honor her memory by saying "Rest well, Lamitt. You were the best of us."
* Late in the Facet of Nourishing storyline, Bethric reveals why he is so passionate in amaro care. Bethric is a former mercenary with a close bond with his amaro partner, but his partner was severely injured by a sin eater. As resources weren't being poured on animal care, he took it upon himself to develop one to aid his partner. However, in trying to do so, he accidentally kills him by overdose, slowly watching his partner painfully and slowly slip away. It shakes him so much that he put his weapon down to study medicine, so it doesn't happen again.
* The Tales from the Shadows side story "A World Forsaken", detailing the aftermath of [[BadFuture the Eighth Umbral Calamity]] from the perspective of the surviving Garlond Ironworks. The entire story is very heartbreaking, especially when Wedge's death is described. After being mauled by a carnivorous beast beyond recovery, Wedge tells Biggs to produce children so their offspring can continue the Ironworks legacy.
--> '''Biggs:''' "It’s high time you started a family yourself."
--> '''Wedge:''' "Sorry, but no one will ever compare to her..."
* From the fourth Tales of the Shadows, we get "Through His Eyes", While in his original body of Emperor Solus zos Galvus, Emet-Selch is asked by his grandson why he hates him. Emet-Selch responds he hates his body. Turns out despite everything, Emet-Selch had some pride in his son, Varis' father, only for him to die young due to illness. This embittered Emet-Selch, reinforcing his belief that all the lives on the shards were small, weak creatures. He particularly loathes his Varis because he reminds him of his son and his momentary lack of judgement.
** Another sad detail is the fact that it's also the origin of Emet-Selch's current persona. Emet-Selch based his outer personality on Hythlodaeus who was an irreverent trickster who did not care much for boundaries. Realizing this, it's easy to see how much Emet-Selch actually misses his old friend and how much his friend's persona probably carried him emotionally throughout the ages. Beneath that he was always a somber person.
** Equally, just before riding up The Ladder in Kholusia, Emet-Selch properly talks to the Player for the first time about the original world and how life was. Only to hint that the player is someone he knows. When questioned about it, Emet-Selch simply quietly asks them to survive the calamities that the Rejoining will bring with a short note that he then might remember. Given that it is later revealed that the Player is the split soul of one of Emet-Selchs closest friends, having him genuinely ask the Player to survive long enough for them to be properly reunited again is as painful as it is sweet.
* The [=YoRHa:=] Dark Apocalypse raid starts on an uplifting note for anyone who's played ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'', giving them a good dose of nostalgia to the gut right up to where the player is reunited with [=9S=] at the end of the Copied Factory raid... were it not for one tiny, teensy problem: he arrives at the end of the raid '''as the boss'''. The nostalgia promptly morphs into a GutPunch as you realize that this is Post-SanitySlippage [=9S=], evidenced by the lengths he goes to to see [=2P=] dead and a hidden room in the raid dungeon littered with ''dead [=2B=] bodies''. It's not clear which (if any) ''Automata'' ending Dark Apocalypse is set after, but even if it's the GoldenEnding, it's obvious that [=9S=] has not reconciled with [=2B=] or [=A2=] in the slightest, and until evidence is found to the contrary, he may have slid into full-on villainy with whatever plans he has for the Copied Factory. Fortunately evidence to the contrary ''does'' pop up in the form of a very-much alive [=2B=], who explains that she and [=9S=] were merely separated... too bad the Warrior of Light happened upon the incident [[NiceJobBreakingItHero at the worst time, resulting in them buying [=2P=]'s false story, and the more ruthless 9S immediately takes them for an enemy because of it]].
* After wrapping up the 5.1 MSQ, Tataru suggests you check up on F'lhaminn, considering she knows what happened to Minfilia. Turns out she's lost in memories about her adoptive daughter, having yet to give her a final goodbye after all that she's done for Eorzea and Norvrandt. With your company, she manages to get help from a pair of miners of Amajina & Sons Mineral Concern, unearthing the only thing left behind in the waterway used to escape the events of 2.55, Before the Fall: a cat's-eye jewel. Not just any one, however, the same one Minfilia herself unearthed and gave to F'lhaminn, which made its way back to her when she led the Scions. The gem then made its way back to F'lhaminn as a TragicKeepsake, believing its return was purposeful. She then decides to bury the gem with Minfilia's father, giving her daughter rest with her family, as well as bringing closure, knowing her daughter lived a life of purpose and left a lasting legacy.
* It's a small moment, but Runar in 5.2 accidentally eavesdrops on "Master Matoya" talking with the Warror of Light/Darkness, and learns that she is going to have to leave Rak'tika. He stops dead for a few seconds before interrupting the two, and later on Y'shtola herself notices how he's acting oddly around her. Whether or not you want to pair the two of them romantically it's very clear that she means a lot to him, and that while he does want what's best for her, he will ''very much'' miss her.
* After defeating the Ruby Weapon, the player and Gaius are confronted by three Au Ra. Turns out they're three of five orphans Gaius adopted when they were children and see him as their father. The only girl of the three ''begs'' Gaius to return, thinking he's just doing this because he was wrongly convicted of killing Emperor Varis. When Gaius makes it clear that he will not be returning, the taller white haired one practically gives him a ReasonYouSuckSpeech and swears to kill the Warrior of Light. Why? Because the pilot of the Ruby Weapon was also one of the five Au Ra, meaning you directly are responsible for killing them, [[FromACertainPointOfView at least to them]]. Cid's conversation after makes it clear that Gaius must be feeling nearly broken by everything he's had to do.
* During the second Eden Raid wing, Gaia eventually gets so peeved with the situation she walks off mid conversation as the rest are discussing how to proceed. Ryne cannot hide from the others that she has something on her mind regarding Gaia. Eventually she spills out that besides Alphinaud and Alisaie, she has nobody her own age that she can call a friend. Bear in mind that the twins are not only slightly older than her but are also from the Source, and it becomes clear that Ryne is suffering a deep loneliness that only becomes worse as she is distinctly aware that everyone will eventually leave her. She is desperate to make friends with this girl that is not only similar to her in age, but in burden of power. Thankfully, it pays off, but it is really sad to know what is going through her mind.
* After you finish both the Eden's Verse and the 5.2 storylines, a new quest becomes available and is pretty much just a discussion about the future of Eden with Thancred, Urianger, and Ryne and Gaia. Urianger explains that because he and Thancred will be returning to the Source soon, they are going to step back and leave Eden and the restoration of the Empty to Ryne and the player character. Thancred, on the other hand, just looks away and doesn't say a word, only speaking up when Ryne becomes upset. It's ''painfully'' obvious that he doesn't want to leave her behind, but feels that he has no choice.
* The Blades of Gunnhildr quest line (Shadowbringers' relic weapon quests) delves deep into Cid's memories when he was with the empire during the Bozja Incident, and we learn why he views the Meteor Project as a personal demon of his. The landscape is all fragmented and warped, and as you get closer to the heart of the incident, monsters spawn from Cid's subconscious to try and try to eject you out, showing how much he ''doesn't'' want to remember. When you encounter his younger self and his father, you learn that his father, reason be damned, planned to use Dalamud to raze the capital to the ground, despite being so powerful it would cause a calamity. Why? ''He's been tempered by Bahamut.'' Tried as he might, Cid couldn't stop him, as his father was already already gone. Having to relieve such painful memories that he's suppressed for years, topped with an even harsher truth, it's a wonder how he hasn't completely shut down after that.
* 5.3 brings about the final parting of the Scions from the First. Each of them has their own way of saying goodbye:
** Alphinaud - Dulia-Chai is beside herself that he has to leave. He assures her that seeing how they recovered from their mistakes outshines how he recovered from his own (referring to the Crystal Braves incident) and they each assure they will remember each other fondly, while Alphinaud gives his full confidence that she, her husband, and everyone else will have a good future ahead of them.
** Alisaie - Finds that Halric has been visiting Tesleen's grave and is slowly beginning to recover after all the trauma, while giving assurances that Beq Lugg will help continue treatment after she leaves.
** Urianger - While he seems not too affected outwardly, the pixies around him seem to be keen to play with him a little longer, suggesting they are going to miss him.
** Y'shtola - Runar tries to get her to stay with an offering of a flower, but she (painfully) rejects his proposal. Instead, she tells him that she will find a way to return someday. Runar responds by [[BridalCarry picking her up]] and dancing about with her happily, much to her flustered protests.
** Thancred/Ryne - Visits a few places with Ryne offscreen, to which Ryne remarks she has a friend in Gaia for the future (If you completed to that point), but once all are gathered Ryne offers her thanks to them all on behalf of the First, and that she is personally grateful for having known them, as they all made her who she is today, including Minfilia. She manages to hold her tears back until Thancred gives her one last pet on the head with a few words. To top it off, Thancred gives Ryne his gunblade, while he doesn't seem bothered what comes of it, she says she will treasure it.
** In patch 5.4, in the Eden quests, the gunblade crops up again along with Ryne talking about Thancred. As hopeful as the Scions are that they may one day find a way to travel between the Source and the First as the Warrior of Light does, Ryne openly admits to Gaia she expects she will never see Thancred again.
* The death of Elidibus is, in its own way, incredibly tragic. He volunteered to become the heart of a Primal, empowered by the ''need'' of everyone to create a future without suffering, and willing to kill an uncountable number of people to reach that goal for reasons he can't remember... but at the very end, we see the Ancient he was, in a form much smaller than an Amaurotine child, kneeling on the ground in defeat. When shown the constellation crystals of the Convocation, he ''finally'' remembers why he had gone to such lengths, and cries a SingleTear just as he fades to nothing while clutching the stones to his brow.
-->'''Elidibus''': [[MeaningfulEcho The rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day]]. But you are not here to see it.
** With the death of Emet-Selch Elidibus is the last of the Unsundered Ascians, the very last survivor of his people. It's heartbreaking to watch the start of Phase 2 of his boss fight, where the [=WoL=] and their companions have been saved by Emet-Selch, he recognizes Emet-Selch's soul and desperately reaches for him.
** After finishing 5.3, there's the realization of why Elidibus ended up meeting with the Warrior of Light at the start of this patch story. Azem/The Warrior of Light is referred to as the Shepherd to the Stars (who are the rest of the Convocation), and is represented as the Sun. It is shown that Elidibus unconsciously recognizes them as Azem, despite his memories being damaged. With him being revealed to be so lost, it becomes clear that he came for "guidance" from them. Despite the current situation, he still unconsciously remembers and recognizes Azem/The Warrior of Light as one of his dear comrades, seeking their help in his distress. The sun representation wasn't chosen randomly, so it's likely the rest of the Convocation saw Azem in a similar way, despite their falling out.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFGw1RI0Kts To The Edge]] the song used for Elidibus' boss battle is a heroic reprise of the Amaurot theme, however the lyrics themselves add a level of sadness overall. Sung from the perspective of the fallen Amaurotines it explores their realization that their time has come, and that for all intents and purposes they will be forgotten once the new age rises. The other half explores their sorrow for Elidibus and just how much he is hurting himself by continuing their struggle all alone and with shattered memories.
** This becomes even worse given Shadowbringers' theme of closing cycles, as Elidibus' story closes a thematic thread that had been hanging around since the very first game in the series. He had unrealistic expectations dropped on him and was left without guidance for so long that he lost everything that anchored him to the main reason for his mission. He wanted what was best for his people. He wanted good for them, no matter the cost. Which echo the original Warrior of Light's own philosophy through his expanded appearances in the series. This is further alluded to in his boss fight.
* The spell used to finish off Elidibus ends up using the last bit of power the Crystal Exarch has, and he hits HeroicRROD, admitting that he "may have over-exerted [himself]" and that he's going to die right then and there. Even though "dead" and "gone" aren't the same thing because of [[SoulJar the soul crystals]], he still ends up being [[TakenForGranite turned to crystal and standing in silent vigil over the tower]]. With just little time left before he fully crystallizes, he gives his parting words to the Warrior of Light, with the promise that they'll meet again and passes on his Spirit Vessel to them. Even though he makes good on that promise, the uncertainty he stated in trying to rejoin with his Source self makes it sound like it could very well be the last time he sees them should the soul merge fail. For all of the times that he could be a MartyrWithoutACause, seeing G'raha Tia actually die (albeit [[GoOutWithASmile with a smile on his face]]) is enough to truly drive home how tragic it all was. And the Warrior of Light could only hang their head, grasping the crystal in their hand, clinging onto that hope in avoiding losing another dear friend.
* After defeating Sapphire Weapon, Gaius comes to learn the details behind the assailant including Oversoul being a sacrifice by design method of augmenting the pilot's capability and the said pilot being Ricon, one of the orphans that was smaller and weaker who wanted to use his life for something useful to his friends. Gaius takes the news '''hard''' hearing yet another of his adopted children have fallen in such a cruel way, damning the Empire's use of Oversoul. It's painful to see him break down like this with his previous demeanour in mind, he clearly loves them and wants to put an end to everything as quick as possible to save the rest.
* Of all people, the annoying dwarves Anogg and Konogg from the [=YoRHa=]: Dark Apocalypse story get this at the end of the Puppets' Bunker quest chain. After 2P betrays them and attacks Komra in the middle of a festival, Anogg has a HeroicBSOD as she realises how much her impulsiveness has cost her and her people. To rub salt in the wounds, after completing the raid, the dwarves surround the pair and accuse everything of being all their fault, with everyone ready to exile them, stopping short only because 2B accidentally scares them off. Despite this, the last quest before the end of the chain for this patch is Anogg having run away and unable to be found, with Konogg in Komra all by himself, being ostracised by his fellows. After completing the quest, he just stands there, looking forlorn and saying 'I'm no good on my own...', which he will no doubt be doing until future patches progress the narrative. It's a jarring and tragic shift to see a pair of siblings that were previously ThoseTwoGuys be hit hard with CerebusSyndrome and suffering emotionally for what were previously portrayed as light-hearted shenanigans.
* Tales from the Shadows story "Small Mercies" takes back to the time Beq Lugg served the Kingdom of Voeburt, detailing the incident that would eventually lead to the Tragedy of Voeburt. Pauldia, sister to crown princess Sauldia, was driven by jealousy by arranged marriage and succession, hiring court magician Tadric to try and snuff her out so she could claim the crown. However, her betrayal to the royal family also led to her turning into a monster, and leaking the soulcraft secrets to the traitorous Tadric eventually led to the fall of the kingdom. Additionally, does the name "Pauldia" sound familiar during, say, hunting some A-Rank Marks? This is the origin story of the A-Rank Mark, "O Poorest Pauldia". She endured being trapped in a cell for a hundred years as the kingdom collapsed, eventually escaping to present-day Il Mheg, only to possibly be unceremoniously slain by some adventurer.
* Freeing Za Da, Patriarch of one of the highest orders in Kobold hierarchy, from tempering is a triumphant moment. His first sight upon his sanity returning, however, is the sight of the most recent kobolds he's murdered as part of his attempted summoning of Titan that was only just thwarted. The gravity of the sight causes him to immediately spiral into [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horror and despair at his actions.]] Worse still is the recently cured Ga Bu arrives to beg him to stop the bloodshed between kobolds and Limsa Lominsa, causing him to remember his murder of Ga Bu's parents as well. A pleasant awakening it is not.
** Even after being freed from his Tempering and being made aware of what he had done, Za Da still initially refuses Merlywb's offer for peace, pointing out that that Limsa Lominsa has time and again violated past agreements with the Kobolds and that he has no reason to trust that things will go any differently this time. While Ga Bu is able to convince him to at least hear Merlywb out, its still a sobering reminder of the GreyAndGrayMorality of the conflict between the city states and the Beast Tribes.
* Sorrow of Werlyt 5.4 really lives up to its name. It opens with Rex fighting you in Emerald Weapon, and dying in Oversoul as Gaius much to the horror of Gaius. Afterward, Allie rushes to the scene and, seeing the wreckage of Emerald Weapon, collapses to her knees and despairs for Rex. This is AFTER you get an echo flashback in which Alfonse and Rex essentially agree to do everything they can to make Allie the SoleSurvivor of their group... And that's just the start.
** Right before Rex slams the button, the console stating ''whose'' data is uploaded gives him pause, a sobering reminder of which side of the war he's on. He's doing what he has to do for a greater cause.
* The finale of [=YoRHa:=] Dark Apocalypse ended the machine invasion, but not all is immediately fixed. The town still after Konogg for bringing about all that has happened, and Konogg practically has no one to lean on. Because of this, he thought the right action to take was to disappear from town, as it's no longer his home, which ''still'' doesn't satisfy the angry dwarves as they want him to face justice for his crimes. On the flip side, the Dig Site Chief cracks and declares ''everyone'' at fault in some way, and nobody is happy until everyone stops playing the blame game, owns up to their mistakes, and makes things right. Sure, Konogg is still keeping in touch with the Warrior of Light, but with how things are right now, it'll take weeks, months even, to truly make amends. Even if and when the town is restored, it won't guarantee Konogg will want to come back.
** The finale of the story in 5.55 shows the final fate of Konogg. He's been living in the derelicts of Eulmore trying and failing to find ways to bring Anogg back, crossing the DespairEventHorizon as his efforts continued to be in vain. Then when he wakes up, he sees Anogg and happily walks out into the light with her, despite the fact that she was long dead. When you arrive at his worshop, it's been vacated, books and notes sprawled about and his helmet left behind. One can think he was taken to the other world to be with Anogg, but given how bleak his circumstances were, it's also possible that [[DrivenToSuicide Konogg took his own life]].
** Depending on the dialogue choices you take, the Warrior of Light's previously highly irritated and patronizing remarks to the dwarves as a whole can shift into brief and somber replies after losing the twins so suddenly.
** Remember that branching moment all the way back in 5.1? The story kept track of it for a surprise PlayerPunch, scrolling a results screen that shows the percentages of which sibling players sided with before coming to a black screen with these words signalling the finale to this story: [=YoRHa=]: Dark Apocalypse. the [E]nd. The results? Every server had a majority vote in ''Anogg'''s favor.
* The Sorrow of Werlyt finale brings forth heartbreak as the children's plans finally pay off, but at immense cost. Werlyt is finally liberated, but it cost their own lives, and left Allie catatonic from all the trauma she went through. Ending the Weapon Project is also a bittersweet victory, as it amounted to Gaius putting his own son out of misery after carrying on Alfonse's last request. You can tell he was ''very'' close to tearing up despite TryingNotToCry.
** Even after the storyline is completely done, BittersweetEnding and all, the game has one final EasterEgg to throw at the player. If one returns to Terncliff during the day and runs into the grass patch at about map coordinates 7.3,5.7, they can look back into the town to see a white haired Au'ra boy run in and duck behind the bushes, playing hide and seek with his siblings... boys with hair of green and blue, and a red haired girl. They proceed to speak of their youngest sister, who is currently with their father (at this point both of them are at the ocean overlook)... and then the three seeking children run off and fade away, while the white haired boy comments about the sister joining them to play "much later", saying that even if they're apart, they'll always be together, before he runs off and fades away too.
* In ''Death Unto Dawn Part 2'', Alphinaud and Alisaie's father, Fourchenault, makes a surprise appearance in Gridania... purely so he can give them a ''blistering'' TheReasonYouSuckSpeech for "betraying" Sharlayan's [[TeamSwitzerland ideals]] before ''furiously'' [[IHaveNoSon disowning them]]. Alisaie is clearly upset and angry over what their father has done, but Alphinaud tells her to stop because there's no point trying to reason with their father and they have more pressing matters to attend to. Despite Alphinaud trying to be the bigger man, you can hear in his voice that he's on the verge of tears. The player's dialogue options about having a serious bone to pick with Fourchenault are ''really'' tempting after this.
* Following that is Alphinaud's bittersweet reunion with Arenvald. Arenvald managed to survive his injuries, but now he's wheelchair-bound, so his adventuring days are effectively over.
** It's also doubly bittersweet with a CallBack to their conversation back in Part 1 of the 5.5 MSQ, where they discussed Alphinaud's eventual growth spurt to surpass Arenvald in height. It's used here to help the player realize what Arenvald was implying before Alphinaud himself could realize.
-->'''Arenvald:''' It arrived a lot sooner than expected, eh? The day I crane my neck up at you...
[[/folder]]

** There's also the Warrior of Light's fate. As determined as they are, their body is still mortal, having taken so much lethal damage that they too collapse on the ground and start slipping away. If it weren't for that emergency teleportation device making its way back to them to give an out from the edge of the world, it would have been it for them. They truly would have died after saving the world, their body either left behind at the very edge of existance alongside their mirror image rival's, having finally been consumed by their (possibly) shared bloodlust or on the operating table surrounded by their dearest remaining loved ones, having finally truly given their all for their star. The following scene, while bittersweet, is still quite heavy; Alisae is tearfully begging for the Warrior of Light to wake up while the other Scions can only despondently watch, wait, and hope while their friend is being healed. When the Warrior of Light does wake up, everyone is overjoyed and sad at once. They were this close to accepting the Warrior of Light had died. Estinien jesting that they've made quite the show but sounding uncharacteristically relived, Alphinaud sheds a tear in relief. G'raha Tia cries in joy. Y'sthola and Thancred [[AngerBornOfWorry scold the Warrior of Light for nearly getting themselves killed]], with the former stating she would have been inconsolable and the latter remarking that they are being harsh its because they care. Urianger is just glad that his friend is safe and sound. Alisae completely tears the Warrior of Light a new one, yelling at them for nearly getting themselves killed fighting alone in the sort of noble sacrifices she has spoken against in the past on multiple occasions and making them worry when they didn't show up like Meteion said they would and then damning them for basically breaking her heart while she sobs her eyes out. Everyone's reactions can hit quite close to home for those who had a friend or family member that nearly died or almost getting themselves killed.

** The [[AteHisGun suicide]] of Quintus van Cinna. He was a man so willing to believe in the recovery and salvation of Garlemald by their own hands that he is only vaguely an antagonist by circumstance, and one the heroes don't try to fight with. Even when his forces are freezing and broken, his citizens are on the verge of death, and their resources nearly gone, he and his men still hold onto the belief that other Legions ''will'' come and aid them in taking it all back. Then he finds out that they're either all dead, or surrendered to the Eorzean Alliance. Playing the anthem of the Garlean Empire on a nearby radio as he stares upon the flag, the standard he swore his life to and believed in with all his heart, [[AFatherToHisMen he dismisses his soldiers from duty so they can walk free]] and then proceeds to stick his revolver to his chin. By the time the heroes arrive to tell him the news, it's far too late, and all that's left is his body and gun, and the blood-spattered banner.

*** If you choose the latter, G'raha Tia is stunned you remembered him. Though he says the same thing no matter what you choose, the more emotional delivery of the line if you call out to him shows how much the Warrior of Light meant to G'raha Tia.

*** In patch 5.4, in the Eden quests, the gunblade crops up again along with Ryne talking about Thancred. As hopeful as the Scions are that they may one day find a way to travel between the Source and the First as the Warrior of Light does, Ryne openly admits to Gaia she expects she will never see Thancred again.

** Sure, meteors are crashing into the planet, armies are going to war, the moon is about to explode... that's almost typical ''Final Fantasy'' fare. Then [[SealedEvilInACan Bahamut]] wakes up and takes all of [[CurbStompBattle twenty seconds to]] [[UnstoppableRage completely ravage the surrounding landscape]] [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill and]] [[BreathWeapon unleash a Teraflare so powerful]] it just about [[{{Terraform}} terraforms]] Eorzea.