Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker is nearly upon us. This expansion will be the epic conclusion of the Zodiark and Hydaelyn saga that began nearly a decade ago. Many fans have theories on just how this fantastic story will come to a close. And I am one such fan. Here are my thoughts and speculations for this highly anticipated expansion.

Final Fantasy XIV came into my life at the tail end of 2020. I am a huge fan of the Final Fantasy franchise and XIV has been on my radar for awhile. It was the monthly subscription and the anxiety of playing with other people which stopped me from playing it for so long, but at the end of 2020 I decided to take the plunge. I have been in love with this game ever since.

The story in this game is what draws me to it. It’s a story that is expansive and immersive. The Shadowbringers expansion is a masterpiece in my opinion. Now Endwalker is on the horizon and many people wonder if it can compete with the masterstroke that is Shadowbringers. I, too, wondered this, but then they released the launch trailer for Endwalker. Check it out below:

With the script being 30% longer than Shadowbringers script, they have quite a bit more story to tell. And after watching the launch trailer, I think we are in for a wild ride. So what are some of my theories and predictions? I have quite a few and many of them center on our very own character. So let’s dive in.

Quick reminder: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS AHEAD! If you have not caught up to the latest content in Shadowbringers, turn back now. This is not a story you want spoiled!

The Warrior of Light

Now I will probably not be alone with some of these ideas. I’m sure there will be others who are coming up with similar theories. When I watched the launch trailer, there were a few characters that had death flags over their head, but none more than our character, the Warrior of Light.

So theory number 1 is that the Warrior of Light dies. One of the biggest hints I’ve seen for this theory is that our character is seen on the moon in the trailers. Now who else has a scene on the moon? Ardbert as he talks to Elidibus. And when, in Ardbert’s timeline, did this happen? After Ardbert and his companions die in order to make the crossing to the Source. What if the only way to get to the moon is that you have to die? Even in the launch trailer, there is a line that says “O Warriors of Light, are you prepared to meet the end?”

The second theory is that we become the ultimate Primal to end all Primals, one that can harness and control both darkness and light. A person becoming a Primal has been set up quite a few times in the story already. One example is in the Binding Coils of Bahamut storyline where Louisoix becomes Phoenix through the prays and wishes of the people. The second example would be Ysayle when she transforms into Shiva. Now in the end of days, who would the people of the world turn to to save them? None other than the Warrior of Light. The Warrior of Light has transformed and touched so many people’s lives. But if our character does become a Primal, what will happen to us? Will we need to be put into a slumber or even sacrifice ourselves to save the world?

The third theory may even be something that could happen in conjunction with the other two. The third theory is that we are sent back in time or some sort of time travel is connected with our character. The biggest reason why I think this is possible is because of one scene in A Realm Reborn that I have always wondered about. There is a scene in A Realm Reborn where Cid sees a future version of us and we are giving him his well known goggles. I don’t ever remember doing such a thing ever in my playthrough and it always made me think that my character is going to be time traveling at some point to do that. Maybe our character time travels to say goodbye to all the people we have met along the way.

The Scions of the Seventh Dawn

One of the biggest theories and fears of the fandom is that one or more members of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn will die. But the one with the largest death flag waving over his head is Alphinaud.

I hate to say it, but it’s not looking good for Alphinaud. And it’s not just the launch trailer that is raising flags. Many aspects of Endwalker, from going to the moon to one of the dungeons being called the Tower of Zot, are references to Final Fantasy IV. And what else is in FFIV that can be connected to FFXIV? Well, FFIV has a pair of twins. The male twin, Palom, is a minion you can get when you pre-order Endwalker. And what happened to the twins in Final Fantasy IV? They sacrifice themselves in order to save the others. They were later healed, but the chances are high that something bad may happen to Alphinaud or both twins. Additionally, the end scene in the launch trailer really sounds like Alphinaud is saying goodbye to everyone.

Though I fear for the twins, there is one other theory I have concerning them. In the 5.55 patch of Shadowbringers we meet the twins father, Fourchenault Leveilleur, who comes out swinging as worst father of the year. His action to disown his children led to many in the fandom to straight up hate the character.

In this game, there are not many “evil” or “bad” characters that don’t have some measure of redemption or explanation behind their motivations. I think, as well as many others, that there may be extenuating circumstances for his actions. I also think we are going to see a redemption arc for Fourchenault. My theory is that the twins will be in mortal danger and their father, who will be an antagonist up to this point, will jump in and save them. In doing so, his character will become redeemed.

As for who else I think could die, I have a few characters in mind. The top three are: Gaius Van Baelsar, Nero Tol Scaeva, and Urianger Augurelt.

I’m really worried for Urianger as he is one of my favorite Scions. The reason why I think he may die is that he has a tendency to do what is necessary to save others even if what is necessary could put him in danger. Urianger is not afraid to get his hands dirty. We see it with his dealings with the Warriors of Darkness in the patches between Heavensward and Stormblood. In that part, he was a double agent, and the life of a double agent is definitely full of peril. He has been by your side in every battle. I could see him giving up his life to save the Scions.

Both Gaius and Nero have similar reasons why they could go out in a blaze of glory. They both have something to prove. Gaius has a mountain of war crimes to atone for. He loves his homeland and is willing to do whatever it takes to save the citizens of Garlemald. I can see him making the ultimate sacrifice for the world and his home which would bring him the ultimate redemption and a fitting conclusion to his character arc.

As for Nero, I theorize that he may die as a way to redeem himself for his past actions. In fact, I actually think Nero is in the launch trailer looking at the tattered remains of a Garlean banner. There is a level of sadness in that scene. I can see him sacrificing himself to save Cid and saying something along the lines of how he finally bested Cid. I think he may be working on something in Garlemald. And this new technology could be what saves the world, but takes his life to use it.

Characters I would like to see more growth in

There are two characters I want to see some more back story and growth in. Those two characters are Fandaniel and our lead villain, Zenos Yae Galvus. Zenos can be a fun, but boring as a villain. After having such a complex and interesting villain of Emet Selch in Shadowbringers, Zenos is a bit lackluster. He is just psychotic, but I would love to see another side to his character. If they can pull off making Zenos a bit more like Emet, that would be insanely good and make me so happy. But I would also be fine if he just stays his normal crazy pants self.

Now the one I think they could really dive into is Fandaniel. The launch trailer kind of suggested we may get more information for his motivations. Why does he want the world to burn? Why is he doing what he is doing? In the launch trailer there is a scene where we see the fall of Amaurot. For a brief moment, we see two Amaurotines on the ground looking like they are holding hands in death. Later, we hear what many think is Fandaniel saying “There must be a way to restore things to the way they were. To reclaim the perfect paradise we once had.” Now to be fair, this line may not have come from Fandaniel. But questions about him still stand. Did he lose someone he loved so dearly that it drove him insane? Does he just want to die? Has immortality taken a toll on him? These are all interesting aspects they could dig into with his character. It would be interesting to see other aspects of his character other than crazy. His back story would be intriguing to know.

And that is it for my theories. I am sure there is so much more in this expansion that I could not even begin to guess at. This makes me so excited. Endwalker comes out for early access on Dec. 3 and for normal release on Dec. 7. I hope to see all my fellow Warriors of Light there!