Tearjerker / Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

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 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 Invisible to Normals. 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 Eighth 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. In death, the constantly bickering twins are shown 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 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... 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. 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 me? Why? What have I done to deserve this mercy!?
  • If you pay attention to the medic and his friend just before he realizes the Sin Eater is behind him, you'll see his friend has 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 single-handedly overpowering them and the scions, forcing them to pull back, and even 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 did he train them, he 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 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 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 Darkest Hour 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 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 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, 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. 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...
  • The Very Definitely Final Dungeon before this, a deadly, yet illusory recreation of Amaurot as it was taken by the calamity that nearly ended the world and precipitated the creation of Zodiark, deserves special mention. Tear Jerker 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. 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 you can't stop it. 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 Despair Event Horizon. And the incredibly moving BGM, 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 Big Bad Duumvirate 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 Heroism Motive Speech, 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 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 NieR: Automata, 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 Gut Punch as you realize that this is Post-Sanity Slippage 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 Golden Ending, 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 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 Tragic Keepsake, 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 "Reason You Suck" Speech 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, 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 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 Single Tear just as he fades to nothing while clutching the stones to his brow.
  Elidibus: 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.
  • 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 Heroic RRoD, 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 the soul crystals, he still ends up being 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 Martyr Without a Cause, seeing G'raha Tia actually die (albeit 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 Heroic BSoD 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 Those Two Guys be hit hard with Cerebus Syndrome 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 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 Grey-and-Gray Morality 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 Sole Survivor 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 Despair Event Horizon 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 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 Player Punch, 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 Trying Not to Cry.
  • Even after the storyline is completely done, Bittersweet Ending and all, the game has one final Easter Egg 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 "The Reason You Suck" Speech for "betraying" Sharlayan's ideals before furiously 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 Call-Back 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...