I had started as a Pugilist waaaay back during 1.0 but eventually kind of just left it alone. Toyed around with it but never became a 'proper' Monk even after ARR. So seeing my character, a Black Mage, abandon his spellcasting to throw hands with Zenos brought back so many old memories & sent so many chills down my spine like ya wouldn't believe. It was like he never forgot where he first came from.
I swear there is nothing cooler than doing this fight as a Monk and having the bare fist glam on. You don't even take out a weapon. Zenos pulls out his scythe and your WoL's response is to just square up.
Its super ironic. I had a blast fighting him and then got post game depression for three solid months cause I couldn't experience it like that ever again. The abdolute Irony that I ended up in his shoes in the end.
on god, that was one of the moments that made me audibly cackle. Imagine a theme so damn good it jumps in to steal the show from a whole other expansion
it's especially great because both Zenos and the WoL are physically half dead and exhausted at this point. You were facing the Endsinger and he was tanking her attacks too. They are both exhausted... but they have never felt so alive.
Something about their relationship is great, they are two sides of the same coin, both individuals who would go to the end of the world to achieve their goal, opposites that are so similar but too different to co-exist, Zenos and the WOL in my eyes would have been the greatest allies if Zenos would not be a destructive force. But Zenos chose the opposite side of things, and as such they were meant to fight, and in the end Zenos would have never won. :)
@@lavaonedge2615 It is kind of a shame that Zenos had to go through his life like that. He was unable to make any connections to people (other than the WoL - but it wasn't even a connection till the very end). I do wonder what would happen if Zenos and WoL had met earlier in life. Could they actually have been friends? It is very unlikely for them to even meet unless very specific circumstances such as the WoL was in the Imperial Army or Zenos had traveled to Eorzea under peaceful terms (before the attempted assassination attempt).
I wish you could access solo duties from the journal instead of having to play through a whole chunk of the msq in new game plus If I want to replay Sapphire weapon fight I have to wait for a queue for ruby
FF Fandom Wiki has this to say about Zenos: _Zenos was brought up being taught all that an imperial heir was expected to learn, including book studies with tutors as well as combat. He spent little time with his father, Varis zos Galvus, and his mother sickened and died shortly after he was born. Varis and Zenos often went months without seeing one another, and to the youth his tutors and servants were little more than automatons. A bright but joyless child, he had little time or inclination for innocence or playfulness._ And then he met *you.* There really wasn't any other boss this expansion could end on.
Not just the expansion, the story itself. The climactic conclusion to a saga 11 years in The making. What better finale than a battle between two sides of the same coin?
@@MistaHoward it's a little sad though, because ultimately zenos represents the 3rd option in the fight between hope and despair - apathy. everything else in the world is meaningless. he lives for one moment and one moment alone, and even he is not satisfied when he breathes his last breath.
@Apex Gale Yeah, but then again there is also an old saying. "It is better to know love and be loved at least once than never know love". Even if he felt dissatisfied because it was too short, at least he got to experience what he craved once, which is better than never doing so.
I always kind of looked down on Zenos. I thought he was a fine antagonist in Stormblood; having him kick your ass a couple times before facing him properly was cool and made him feel like a real threat; but I was confused when they went on to bring him back. Why him of all people? then I made a joke about his whole motivation being that he just *really* likes cool boss battles and I sort of started warming to him after realizing that wasn't wholly inaccurate. And then Endwalker happened.
@@Maria_Erias if a friend traveled across the universe to share in one of my favorite pastimes just to compete with me. Yeah id say that hes the best bud you could ever have.
Moonkeeper Miqo + "That, I can't deny" = evil toothy smirk perfection. I really felt like when she woke up, my WoL looked conflicted upon reflecting on what had happened, knowing that we'd left our dirty secret with him to die. But I guess not all villains can become our buddies in the end - like Alphinaud said, we can acknowledge the darkness and find parts of it within ourselves, whilst still refusing to condone it. We finally acknowledge Zenos and admit that our passions are one in the same... even indulge him in it for a final time... but we can't condone his actions nor allow him to continue.
Well the drive to constantly face even greater opponents was there from the beginning. Not only by seeking out the most dangerous places in the those side content dungeons, but needing to be actually restrained a few times from fighting a primal then and there. The difference between you and Zenos is you made many connections and bonds along the way which is even what convinces Fray/Your Shadow to stand down in the JP version of the DRK quests and overpowers his weird Joker teen phase in the EN version.
That, I can't deny. To think, I went into Endwalker thinking I'd probably end up unsatisfied with Zenos, only for them to give him the rawest fuckin dialogue and the best response available to give him. Also, going into that last bit of the fight as Monk felt like a culmination of all the punching I'd done so far.
I mean it took him 3 expansions for his character to finally flesh out. He at first was to alot of people a forced villain, but we learned so much of him in Endwalker and made me understand why he would of been chosen as the main villain for Dissidia NT's side, since he is the polar opposite of the FFXIV's WoL.
@@VioletMaeve I wouldn't say polar opposite, exactly. In Zenos' words, the WoL is his mirror, a dynamic that works both ways. Zenos lived his life so far above other Human beings that he ultimately couldn't relate to them, and became coldly apathetic to Human life in general. Despite their strength, the Warrior of Light managed to maintain their Human connections and their ability to empathize with those "lesser" to them, helped by the sense of righteousness and moral conviction instilled by their life's experiences and those very connections. Zenos is a worst-case scenario, a vision of what the WoL might have become if they'd lived a much lonelier and colder life devoid of friendship and love, and were shaped by it into a sociopathic monster. But he's also more than that. When they clash in Stormblood, the WoL is under the impression that he's everything they're not, while he's under the impression that they're exactly the same. But the truth that both he and the WoL come to realize when they clash the final time is that neither of them were right. The truth is, even if the WoL is genuinely a Hero, a Savior, a Liberator, and everything else the people call them, they are also still that same Adventurer who took their first steps on that journey. That same Adventurer who still seeks out danger and conflict, who makes irrational and reckless decisions in pursuit of greater challenges. Zenos realizes that the WoL is both of these simultaneously, a truth that the WoL ultimately can't deny. Hence, mirror rather than opposite. He may be an ugly reflection, but at his core he reflects a shared impulse, a common drive. Something that's pushed the WoL since the start of their journey and will never go away.
You know I kinda hate this guy and spent most of Endwalker wishing he'd leave me alone, and yet somehow this entire sequence won me over and it's my favourite part of the expansion now. Genuinely great.
Guy stroke a deal with Krile without taking them hostage, travelled all the way to the edge of the universe to help you only so he could ask for a duel with you. That is legit the nicest thing he's done in the entire game lol.
Zenos was the best character of the entire expansion because it felt like he was the writers just not knowing what to do with him, so they turned him into a troll. Literally everything he does, across the entire expansion, is just trolling people.
The writers managed to give Zenos so much depth in the last moments of him in the game. "I take it this is your prey? But why does it still live? Surely it is no match for you."
@@ReverendLeRoux I think a lot of people miss that Just as we had to find our answer as to what gives life meaning, what makes it worth it… Zenos found his answer as soon as our second duel with him in Stormblood. There’s a strange understanding, even if he himself doesn’t necessarily empathize with others, of just what is going on with the world’s end, and it shows with how he rebukes Jullus after Garlemald’s encounter with The Final Days. Was he self serving? Definitely. But was he without understanding and just a troll? Far from it.
The “that I can’t deny” really is the definitive choice. This fight is brilliant because literally nothing is at stake. The world is saved, but all that is left is for two rivals to finally have their long awaited rematch to decide who is the strongest. It’s the one time you get to be selfish. You fight this last duel for no other reason then the thrill of who is stronger.
While I do think "That, I can't deny" is the clearly superior dialogue choice in this scene, the second option illustrates that it's not just for selfish reasons. The Warrior of Light knows that Zenos is an immensely powerful sociopath who's perfectly able and willing to slaughter almost anyone who gets in his way. He's responsible for millions of deaths between his actions as Legatus of the XIIth Legion and as Fandaniel's accomplice. Part of Zenos' epiphany is that the Warrior of Light _is_ a Hero, and while part of them relishes the opportunity for a challenge, their own morals also dictate that they can't allow Zenos to leave that place alive.
@@john_7000 According to SE that *was* the canon one. The actual WoL, meaning the brown haired trailer guy, is confirmed in a side story to have understood, empathized with, and at the end even come to value Zenos. It is likewise confirmed the WoL has an unhealthy love of -- and obsession with -- fighting vicious battles.
Faced him as a reaper, i had no regrets picking "That, I can't deny." After still being an antagonist, he still helped us battle endsinger , saving us from near death, after all he has done, he took the liberty to understand himself after alisae told him off, be it a villain , this very battle itself, when we fight him is like fighting our reflection as the WOL , thus completing Endwalker. Too beautiful
To me it is the only correct choice. There's a reason he refers to you as adventurer. Because your character had no plans to become a hero, or a warrior of light. They simply went to their starter city in search of adventure...the thrill.
@@CryptoSisco Funny how perfect the dialogue was. I was ready to tell him to go f*ck himself until he said that word. Then I realized that yeah, my character is the same as him in that regard. Zenos just has a very twisted view of life.
@codyzuvich1712 Zenos is, frankly, combatsexual, and as the only person who could beat him, the WoL is the closest thing he has to a friend or lover. A dance is appropriate
zenos great idea "what if i create a greater threat, that way the guy who is always worried about greater threats will care about me!" bro u just had to ask for a duel lets go in front of orgrimmar
Man, I wish I could replay this part over with a fresh memory. This was honestly the best part of the entirety of 14 for me, just this fight and what it meant. The best way to end an expansion, I have no idea what they're going to do in 7.0 to top this.
7.0 won't be AS grandiose as this, as it's the continuation of a new adventure. Correct answer is: 'having no idea if the second half will have an ending like this'. 😗
*Final frame before duty starts of Zenos and WoL facing each other with weapons drawn, the rising sun between them Exiled Prince of Garlemald ZENOS VIATOR GALVUS
Eh, I was getting more of an Ocelot vs Snake kinda vibe. It's pure, 100% uncut anime any way you look at it...and I wouldn't have had it any other way. *smirk*
I wish I could replay this so much, I've never been so hype for a finale of something so badly in my life. Just listening to this and reliving it gives me so many goosebumps it's crazy.
You can do New Game+ to replay this, which is what I had to do for this footage since I didn't record my first runs. Only issue is you have to slog through the entire 2nd half of the expac story :"D
I seriously, whole heartedly WISH Yoshio would take that one thing right there, the WoL ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING in a cutscene, and just fucking ROLL WITH IT! Seriously. so fucking many instances in the story of this game that NEEDED the WoL to do something, and they just stand there, at best reusing the aetherite attunement stance for the millionth time. Would it be THAT much work to give us more of this? LET ME PUNCH MORE SHIT IN CUTSCENES!
@@demonzero677 i mean the wol was very active in the manderville sidequests this time around .... But yeah i wish at least the wol would do something in the cutscenes instead of just standing like a Jackass while everyone is doing something
In the end, Zenos became something no one would ever have expected -- the hero of the story. He saved us from the Endsinger, and he saved us from becoming lost in the void after her defeat. It was his will, reaching through Dynamis, that sent the WoL's near-death body back to the Ragnarok. Victory and survival were impossible without him.
One of the fantastic aspects of Zenos’s character was that he was ultimately motivated by the same thing as us: the will to fight for what he believed in. While his beliefs were polar opposites of our own, at a core level, we were the same. The Darkness to our Light. Our relationship with him is a metaphor for Endwalker’s take on the meaning of life.
It's a great send off for Zenos. Fighting the WoL is sole pleasure left to him in this world. I've enjoyed fighting Zenos ever since the second fight in SB. He wanted to feel that fire roar inside of him one last time and so did I.
@@notdryad He had no way home once he made the journey across the stars, and he came anyway. Not *just* for one last fight, but because he wanted to truly understand to WoL. To be a proper friend in his own twisted way. He accomplished all his goals in the end.
He doesn't call the WOL "his mirror" for nothing after all... They're direct opposites, yet complementary to each other. Almost siblings created to War against the other while trampling any that would attempt to beat them
He might have helped us with the endsinger, but he didn't send us back to the Ragnarok. That was Meteion, dropping the teleporter by us. We gave her hope, and she returned that favor by ensuring our friends wouldn't feel sorrow like she had.
I think the resonance of Zenos lies in his feeling of 'there but for the grace of God go I' for the Warrior of Light. Especially in the dark knight quests, you get reminded of how the immense power wielded by such a being can be leveled in a different direction on a dime with the right catalyst. This duty was more or less finding common ground on that thin thread -- because if someone is your opposite in almost every way, are they really *different* from you, when most of your features can be taken from inverting theirs? Zenos really is your Darkside, in other words.
The lyrics are so beautiful. Some of FFXIV's biggest themes, regardless of expansion, are camaraderie and hope, and they're definitely present here. Amazing.
You know even as someone who hates Zenos with a passion, it's still really nice to see how this fight gives pretty much everyone what they wanted - people who like him can have their duel and have a moment of connection, people like me who hate him can tell him they're tired of seeing him and murder him and the edge of the universe where nobody will ever even find his corpse. I can respect that at least. And I'm sure regardless of which side you're on, everyone enjoyed decking him in face. Especially as a Lalafell.
I love they gave us three options and that someone else really enjoying telling him they are sick of him. Even if you like battles and crave the next fight you can still look at him and call him a monster and you hate him. Parallels be damned, you don't have to be friend him. Sure the monster gets what he wants in the end but you can still see it as putting a rabid beast down.
Completely agreed, I felt really good being able to say "I've had enough of you. It ends here." but I was simultaneously glad that people who enjoy Zenos were able to agree with him.
@@ProfessM I chose the second option. I wasn't acknowledging what he said was right, but I also wasn't denying it either. I knew I was an adventurer at the heart, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right despite everything that was going on.
I just wish they gave us an option to truly deny him - to abandon him to die unfulfilled. I feel like in giving him this fight, he had already won: We gave him everything he ever wanted, rewarded his omnicidal behavior. My WoL would have said "no" and walked away. And if he then attacked us anyways? Fine, whatever. But better yet, let someone else kill him- someone he saw as utterly inconsequential, a bug to be swatted away, finally ruining his Big Moment. Anyways this is why the best ending to EW would've been Namingway shanking Zenos at the end of the universe, laughing at you for not killing him earlier, and saying "okay let's go home."
I still find it glorious the idea of a Lalafellin Astrologian abandoning her magic for but a fleeting moment to throw hands, only for her final blows to be literal groin punches.
So I’m late, but I wanna mention just how much more impactful this scene was to me playing as a RPR. The entire moment made it feel like more than just a fight between rivals, acquaintances, enemies. However, when Zenos addressed me as an adventurer rather than the WoL, it felt right to pick the “I can’t deny that” option. Only for two reapers to draw their scythes, standing at the end of time. A reaper of pure darkness and bloodlust against a reaper who fights for the light and love of others. Both of similar nature and class, however of different motives and class clearly…
I fought him as a Machinist. So it was melee vs ranged. Probably would have been more fitting to fight him as a Dragoon as I was a Dragoon main through Stormblood before switching in Shadowbringers.
i used to hate zenos, but i learned after the journey that all he ever needed was a friend, like us. with each day he grew bored and nihilistic, his grip on life loosened, until all he yearned for was a hedonistic hunt for pleasure in battle. maybe we could have stopped him if we held out our hand sooner, but of course, thats just a what if. his end was fantastic anyways, and im sure he knew in his heart nobody knew or understood him better than the wol did.
Out of all the options - with no judgement to those that picked the others - I feel none embody the WoL more than the first. Yes, they are a hero. They are the one that ended the Dragonsong war, that freed two lands from oppression and a world from destruction and stand at the end of everything, having defeated despair itself. But all they have done, ever since they were but a sprout in the Quicksand or beating sheep in La Noscea, was look for adventure. We started as an adventurer, searching for the thrill of a lifetime. And we end it, acknowledging as much as we have finally found it. There could have no better ending.
It works perfectly because the WoL finally gets to decide what they want to do, purely for their own satisfaction. All the other things you do are because you want to protect Etheirys and its people, yes, but also because you're the only one who can do them. Nobody else could have saved the First, it had to be the WoL whether they wanted to or not. But then Zenos shows up at the edge of the universe after you've defeated the Endsinger, when the world is free of threats, for now. And he offers you the opportunity to finally indulge in a 1-on-1 duel against a warrior of equal strength, not out of obligation but simply to push yourself to the limit and experience the ultimate thrill. I can't possibly imagine declining that.
I felt it was nice to give Zenos some catharsis. He may have been an immoral villain but I can't help but kinda like the guy and wanted him to die happy.
I picked the second option "Think what you will, but I'm not letting you leave". I don't give a fig about what Zenos thinks and his twisted philosophy. He's not leaving alive, for he's a danger to Etheirys.
I always liked the third option simply because of the fact that at this point, Zenos has done nothing but cause the WoL a plethora of problems to solve, on top of murdering thousands, potentially tens of thousands if not more in his one sided little attempt at simply fighting. He's amazingly written and I would have loved to respond with the first option, but at that point? Even if he helped the WoL, that still doesn't change or even lighten his past actions. Enough is enough.
One nice detail I absolutely love about this fight is that, at the start of almost every major boss fight or trial (save a few exceptions such as Elidibus in Seat of Sacrifice), the 'fade-to-white' happens simultaneously while zooming in on the boss you are fighting whereas in this fight you get fade perfectly split between the WoL and Zenos.
Lahabrea, Minfillia, Lousoix, Hauchefant, Edmont, Ishgard Arc, Radobahn, Ilberd, Ala Migho Arc, Graha, Crystallium Arc, Doma, Hien, Gosetsu, Venath, Hythlodaeus, Emmet Selch, Ardbert and his Friends!, Nidhogg!, Everything and Everyone came in my Mind at this Moment I was so pumped at still am after days! What a pure Masterpiece this Game was, probably the best that SE delivered the last 15 Years. Even if the upcoming Add on will disappoint me, this Masterpiece will always be in my heart as the best and biggest adventure i had❤. Ty for everyone helpin me through the Story and raids such a great community❤
Was especially fun in the first part of the fight as SMN: first with him drawing this giant scythe, and you opening a book, then the two of you proceeding to both lob primal attacks at each other for a good chunk of the fight.
I recently just finished the Endwalker after starting 2 months in the game. I wholeheartedly enjoyed that whole battle with Zenos, especially with Male Viera SMN. I feel it’s also very RAW when you are doing this fight as a caster and then go “fuck the books, read these HANDS”
between this and the endsinger, being able to unleash everything as a lv90 blm was pure bliss, and all while my amazing friend was with me, who guided me and was with me every step of the way since I started
I'm right there with ya, my buddy was right by my side, guiding my every move til he knew I got it down, and cheered me on the whole way. This battle was really something else compared to the rest
It's brilliant really. It's just the main theme of the expansion Footfalls, but they start it at the crescendo of the song before looping to the actual start of the song for when the fight actually begins.
During this moment, I couldn't help but imagine Zenos and my WoL Rosaline having the time of their LIVES! He sounded like he was having so much fun, and that was intoxicating! Thus, I had an incredible time as well! A brilliant bout to close out Endwalker. GLORIOUS
I had finished base endwalker last night, and all i can say, every single step, every fight, every tear, every bellowing group of laughter, this journey has brought me to the highest reaches of the heavens, to the deepest shadows below, i started this journey as a warrior, and i ended it as a warrior, and i don't have the words to say other then, im glad this game has been in my life and brought me from the brink of my own shadows, thank you all and thank you yoshi-P for this beautiful and most astoundingly wonderful game! Till the next star to shine brightly in the sky! And Zenos, may we be true friends one day in another life
I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't imagine doing this fight not as a Paladin, not because it was the mascot job of Endwalker, but rather there is something more symbolic about it, and just because they are champions of light, in other lores, but rather FF14 backstory of them being oathkeepers, and that the journey leading up to this point was us keeping our promise, our oath, to save all of existence.
You carry a scythe, to cut down your foes, using Darkness to sate your own sadistic pleasures. I carry a shield to protect others, to be their Light in the Dark when all else is lost. We are not the same Zenos Galvus
Worth mentioning, this track is an obvious remix of "With Hearts Alinged" I like to think that this was the first time Zenos and WoL found common ground. A duel between warriors at the end of creation. Not motivated by righteousness or search for power. Simply a fight for fight's sake. The most selfish of reasons. For the first and last time, their hearts were alinged.
The best part about this fight was in my book he copied everything I did in terms of class changes. I started off as a gladiator into Samurai with heavensward. By the time I got to shadowbringer I had swapped over to Reaper. So every time I saw Zenos we were the same class. I always took it as "He knows my WoL has the highest potential in the world so he is going to copy what I do." So at the very end with this fight my head cannon was "There is no more potential to be had, time to put it to the test"
Doing this as a lalafell, that last cinematic sequence felt very elated. Seeing Zenos punch me down as I punched back up, with the force of a thousand popotos.
Endwalker saved Zenos character for me. Hated him in Stormblood, Endwalker made me see that he was more than the surface level villain. RIP Zenos, My friend.
Zenos’s entire character snapped into focus in Garlemald after Elpis. He is a foil to us. As the WoL, our reasons are selfless and noble. His are purely selfish, always. But as an adventurer we share that dream to take on ever greater challenges. We get up to so much trouble voluntarily looking for more things to see, more things to do. After facilitating us in saving the universe he earns his fight. I was happy to meet him where he was. Hopefully when we inevitably find a shard of Zenos out there we can be true friends.
Holding off on this final fight until I leveled Dark Knight to 90 was probably the best choice I could have ever possibly made. Zenos' Abyssal Darkness vs. The long shadow of my WoL. Made for a fantastic, personal, conclusion.
Really at the same time it was also the first time Zenos himself was reduced to that. It's one of the reasons why I feel my WoL finally started to enjoy the fight at the end. Because when it came down to it Zenos faced him, no weapons, no magic, no test of your reflexes. It was just two fighters trading blows in a slugging match.
I am so glad there is an option to tell zenos that your sick of him cuz I was I WAS SO SICK OF HIM BEING A FUCKIN YANDERE AND DAMN NEAR CAUSING THE END OF THE WORLD JUST FOR A FUCKING FIGHT.
I love how in the trailer version of Endwalker - Footfalls, the moment we finally see Zenos' face, is at the exact part of the music that the battle theme variant starts with
any true fight between two people so powerful, so knowledgeable and so experienced and skilled will always, without fail, devolve into a round of fisticuffs bar-style
What I wouldn’t give to forget this part and rexperience it again for the first time. This prolly has to be my favorite final battle in any video game.
After months of watching the trailer on repeat, I never thought we'd get the full track in game. This made me jump for joy lol. The emotions at this point were just hyped af. After that last trial, and then this? A fight with Zenos, with the trailer music? It was an amazing feeling. Wish I could go back and do it for the first time again
This was a very intense fight it was nice to see another fox ear cutie kick his ass. I did this as Warrior and it was a real rush. Thanks for this and congrats on clearing Endwalker.
seeing that Architects' sam carter did the vocals for endwalker gave me the push to finally play the game beyond a "ehhhh ill wait til my friends hop on". The whole way from the final quest i was just waiting for that moment when they play his version of the track, and when we finally battle zenos it finally happens and im just smiling ear to ear like " THATS RIGHT, BRING US HOME SAM CARTER"
I gotta say, I was kinda scared for this instance, but when I got to do it with my friends cheering me on the whole way through, it was truly an amazing experience. It felt awesome to show what I could bring to the table as a Bard, and finally facing Zenos, man...I will never forget this fight
He finally got his best bud to queue up for pvp.
I had started as a Pugilist waaaay back during 1.0 but eventually kind of just left it alone. Toyed around with it but never became a 'proper' Monk even after ARR.
So seeing my character, a Black Mage, abandon his spellcasting to throw hands with Zenos brought back so many old memories & sent so many chills down my spine like ya wouldn't believe. It was like he never forgot where he first came from.
The sheer badassery of this hyper-specific scenario is unrivaled.
Wow, your history of your wol so epic and wonderful 😮
Had the same experience! I doubt that moment can be topped, god damn.
I swear there is nothing cooler than doing this fight as a Monk and having the bare fist glam on. You don't even take out a weapon. Zenos pulls out his scythe and your WoL's response is to just square up.
@@ApexGale 👊
This is the "Save Slot to fight THAT boss" moment we all wished could have.
Its super ironic. I had a blast fighting him and then got post game depression for three solid months cause I couldn't experience it like that ever again. The abdolute Irony that I ended up in his shoes in the end.
@@MidoriGreypoetic
Also, not gonna lie... I kinda lost count of how many times I blew my voice singing Footfalls.
Well, Onwards on NG+ so I can fight Zenos again.
@@TheTruestZero I love new game plus
@@TheTruestZeroI think this boss is the only reason I've even touched New Game+.
When an expansion's main theme is so goddamned good that it refuses to be constrained to that expansion only.
Vrtra also proves why he is awesome yet again, too. Didn’t expect him but man…he was awesome.
on god, that was one of the moments that made me audibly cackle. Imagine a theme so damn good it jumps in to steal the show from a whole other expansion
@@mintman4094 And you wouldn't have it ANY OTHER WAY, though instead of cackling I was just hyped.
@@mintman4094 The hypest moment in dt being the ew cameo is peak : )
@@charlesmorgan4653 pretty much lmao
"that, i can't deny"
standing here i realize, you were just like me
trying to make history?
but who's to judge the right from wrong?
@@overdrivedrinker8284 When our guard is down I think we'll both agree.
That Violence breeds violence
But in the end, it has to be this way.
After three expansions... Zenos finally learnt to just ask
Right! I made the comment about the new 24 man raids if they wanted to test our ability the 12 could have just asked
I like to think the WoL is just on a dynamis high
@@Jyxorz the adventurer who leads us there is Oschon so they basically just did ask.
@@MistaHoward That is just a theory until it is said in game he is just an adventurer
@@Jyxorz I sincerely doubt we defeated them at 100% so they probably just wanted to see how strong we could be if everything was on the line
The only real crime of this fight is there is no way to experience it again unless you do NG+. This game really needs a way to replay solo duties.
If nothing else, for this and the Sapphire Weapon
And in this moment, you realize you have become Zenos, desperate for a fight you can never have
Wait, still?
@@travisurban6888Square Anus is a notoriously greedy and lazy corp
Yes mister Randy Orlando ;)
it's especially great because both Zenos and the WoL are physically half dead and exhausted at this point. You were facing the Endsinger and he was tanking her attacks too. They are both exhausted...
but they have never felt so alive.
Something about their relationship is great, they are two sides of the same coin, both individuals who would go to the end of the world to achieve their goal, opposites that are so similar but too different to co-exist, Zenos and the WOL in my eyes would have been the greatest allies if Zenos would not be a destructive force. But Zenos chose the opposite side of things, and as such they were meant to fight, and in the end Zenos would have never won. :)
@@lavaonedge2615 It is kind of a shame that Zenos had to go through his life like that. He was unable to make any connections to people (other than the WoL - but it wasn't even a connection till the very end). I do wonder what would happen if Zenos and WoL had met earlier in life. Could they actually have been friends? It is very unlikely for them to even meet unless very specific circumstances such as the WoL was in the Imperial Army or Zenos had traveled to Eorzea under peaceful terms (before the attempted assassination attempt).
I always humorously joked that Zenos was the MMO player that just doesn't read quest text murder hobo....kinda like in Captain Grimm videos lol
@@faowin9112 I think you're not wrong! I think Zenos stands in for a kind of gamer tbh.
It’s because they’re near death they are feeling so alive on that battle
it's still unreal to me that this ending is basically....a pvp duel, glorious
Whoever gave the idea of "That, I can't deny." Option and makes our WOL Smirk deserves a massive raise.
100% agree
I second this.
I want to see the poll data on that question lol
i was like "hell yeah im a devil baby who likes killing monsters"
I thought it was pretty cheesey
This and the Venat fights are why I want difficult single player duties in the game.
Amen
Yes
Please I need something other than Terraria calamity to challenge me in a solo setting
if you do not know yet, the final battle with Lahabrea actually got updated into a difficult 1v1 fight when they updated 2.0 contents.
@@shinyhero306 Based Terrarian.
I wish you could access solo duties from the journal instead of having to play through a whole chunk of the msq in new game plus
If I want to replay Sapphire weapon fight I have to wait for a queue for ruby
FF Fandom Wiki has this to say about Zenos:
_Zenos was brought up being taught all that an imperial heir was expected to learn, including book studies with tutors as well as combat. He spent little time with his father, Varis zos Galvus, and his mother sickened and died shortly after he was born. Varis and Zenos often went months without seeing one another, and to the youth his tutors and servants were little more than automatons. A bright but joyless child, he had little time or inclination for innocence or playfulness._
And then he met *you.* There really wasn't any other boss this expansion could end on.
Not just the expansion, the story itself. The climactic conclusion to a saga 11 years in The making. What better finale than a battle between two sides of the same coin?
Its made better if you've read "The hunt begins" as the ending basically means this whole story is someone going "Wish granted" to 11 year old Zenos.
It's ironic that the entirety of Endwalker, an expansion about ginding reasons to live, only happens because the WoL gave Zenos a reason to live.
@@MistaHoward it's a little sad though, because ultimately zenos represents the 3rd option in the fight between hope and despair - apathy. everything else in the world is meaningless. he lives for one moment and one moment alone, and even he is not satisfied when he breathes his last breath.
@Apex Gale Yeah, but then again there is also an old saying. "It is better to know love and be loved at least once than never know love". Even if he felt dissatisfied because it was too short, at least he got to experience what he craved once, which is better than never doing so.
Zenos had always come across as one who was driven by selfish desire.
But there at the end I understood.. he just wanted to share a connection.
In the end, he traveled across the Universe to share the one thing he loved with the one person he ever cared about.
He really was our best friend.
I always kind of looked down on Zenos. I thought he was a fine antagonist in Stormblood; having him kick your ass a couple times before facing him properly was cool and made him feel like a real threat; but I was confused when they went on to bring him back. Why him of all people?
then I made a joke about his whole motivation being that he just *really* likes cool boss battles and I sort of started warming to him after realizing that wasn't wholly inaccurate.
And then Endwalker happened.
@@Maria_Erias if a friend traveled across the universe to share in one of my favorite pastimes just to compete with me. Yeah id say that hes the best bud you could ever have.
@@Audioworm and made him even more annoying and irrelevant. gotta love....ugh
@@Exel3nce What's it like to have such bad taste?
Doctor: Alright, next I'm gonna check your reflexes
*pops mitigation and runs out of the AoE*
Literally pulls out a shield and prays
Dragoon: oh look a floor!
*Quickly jumps away* HELL'S REGRESS, Mate!
Just circle around
Me as a Dragoon: *Pops "Elusive Jump" and counters with "Dragonfire Dive"*
A TEST OF YOUR REFLEXES!!
MINE FOR THE TAKING!
Shout this when using Superbolide and then disable the invulnerability buff.
🤣😂
This is the moment! OUR MOMENT!
I HAVE YOU!
Moonkeeper Miqo + "That, I can't deny" = evil toothy smirk perfection.
I really felt like when she woke up, my WoL looked conflicted upon reflecting on what had happened, knowing that we'd left our dirty secret with him to die. But I guess not all villains can become our buddies in the end - like Alphinaud said, we can acknowledge the darkness and find parts of it within ourselves, whilst still refusing to condone it. We finally acknowledge Zenos and admit that our passions are one in the same... even indulge him in it for a final time... but we can't condone his actions nor allow him to continue.
Seeker of the sun myself(during MSQ, now lala because memes), that stupid grin in my WAR's face to this day makes me unbelivably happy.
Haha Reading this makes me now make me wanna make a Second Miqo but as moonkeeper qwq
Well the drive to constantly face even greater opponents was there from the beginning. Not only by seeking out the most dangerous places in the those side content dungeons, but needing to be actually restrained a few times from fighting a primal then and there.
The difference between you and Zenos is you made many connections and bonds along the way which is even what convinces Fray/Your Shadow to stand down in the JP version of the DRK quests and overpowers his weird Joker teen phase in the EN version.
That, I can't deny.
To think, I went into Endwalker thinking I'd probably end up unsatisfied with Zenos, only for them to give him the rawest fuckin dialogue and the best response available to give him.
Also, going into that last bit of the fight as Monk felt like a culmination of all the punching I'd done so far.
I mean it took him 3 expansions for his character to finally flesh out. He at first was to alot of people a forced villain, but we learned so much of him in Endwalker and made me understand why he would of been chosen as the main villain for Dissidia NT's side, since he is the polar opposite of the FFXIV's WoL.
I went in as WHM so I just Glare'd him to death and beat him with my stick.
Playing as monk was so satisfying.
As a WHM it's just "Yeah, no, SCREW magic, SCREW my cane, this man's catching hands!"
@@VioletMaeve I wouldn't say polar opposite, exactly. In Zenos' words, the WoL is his mirror, a dynamic that works both ways. Zenos lived his life so far above other Human beings that he ultimately couldn't relate to them, and became coldly apathetic to Human life in general. Despite their strength, the Warrior of Light managed to maintain their Human connections and their ability to empathize with those "lesser" to them, helped by the sense of righteousness and moral conviction instilled by their life's experiences and those very connections.
Zenos is a worst-case scenario, a vision of what the WoL might have become if they'd lived a much lonelier and colder life devoid of friendship and love, and were shaped by it into a sociopathic monster. But he's also more than that.
When they clash in Stormblood, the WoL is under the impression that he's everything they're not, while he's under the impression that they're exactly the same. But the truth that both he and the WoL come to realize when they clash the final time is that neither of them were right.
The truth is, even if the WoL is genuinely a Hero, a Savior, a Liberator, and everything else the people call them, they are also still that same Adventurer who took their first steps on that journey. That same Adventurer who still seeks out danger and conflict, who makes irrational and reckless decisions in pursuit of greater challenges. Zenos realizes that the WoL is both of these simultaneously, a truth that the WoL ultimately can't deny.
Hence, mirror rather than opposite. He may be an ugly reflection, but at his core he reflects a shared impulse, a common drive. Something that's pushed the WoL since the start of their journey and will never go away.
You can't end a good party without someone on the floor
i see you yusuke
Truly someone of culture
Roses are Red
just like the Phoenixes.
Zenos now performs
A TEST OF YOUR REFLEXES!
My alternative:
Roses are Red,
Trains are for Suplexes,
Zenos now gives you
A TEST OF YOUR REFLEXES!
LOL
*MINE FOR THE TAKING!*
Refleecksis...
Zenos: I HAVE YOU!
Me: *Elusive Jumps away from the AoE* NO YOU DON'T!
You know I kinda hate this guy and spent most of Endwalker wishing he'd leave me alone, and yet somehow this entire sequence won me over and it's my favourite part of the expansion now. Genuinely great.
It was a test of your patience!
Guy stroke a deal with Krile without taking them hostage, travelled all the way to the edge of the universe to help you only so he could ask for a duel with you. That is legit the nicest thing he's done in the entire game lol.
Zenos was the best character of the entire expansion because it felt like he was the writers just not knowing what to do with him, so they turned him into a troll. Literally everything he does, across the entire expansion, is just trolling people.
The writers managed to give Zenos so much depth in the last moments of him in the game. "I take it this is your prey? But why does it still live? Surely it is no match for you."
@@ReverendLeRoux I think a lot of people miss that Just as we had to find our answer as to what gives life meaning, what makes it worth it… Zenos found his answer as soon as our second duel with him in Stormblood. There’s a strange understanding, even if he himself doesn’t necessarily empathize with others, of just what is going on with the world’s end, and it shows with how he rebukes Jullus after Garlemald’s encounter with The Final Days. Was he self serving? Definitely. But was he without understanding and just a troll? Far from it.
i felt exactly like Zenos with the "This is my moment! our moment!" peak of my XIV experience
Wow! Such an adorable character.. I wish I could look at them all day... and the Au Ra is cute, too!
Same, I would let them kill me any day
Even Fray was like "No, no. He's got a point."
Get someone that believes in you the way Zenos believes in the WoL.
"you truly are the end walker." god I loved that line
I KNOW RIGHT! it’s such a good callback to Zenos’s legendary line, “You truly are the stormblooder”
@@shapro4457 When he Galvus'd all over Fandaniel I knew Endwalker was the most expansion ever
Eh, I prefer when John Realm Rebirther made that realm reborn, honestly.
@@shapro4457 and let's not forget when zenos says "you truly are the heavenswarder"
@@alyssarasmussen1723 that was thordan that said “this truly was a heavenswardTm”
The “that I can’t deny” really is the definitive choice. This fight is brilliant because literally nothing is at stake. The world is saved, but all that is left is for two rivals to finally have their long awaited rematch to decide who is the strongest. It’s the one time you get to be selfish. You fight this last duel for no other reason then the thrill of who is stronger.
Nope
Ff14 fans are too obsessed with others experience and want that one thing to be the Canon one
While I do think "That, I can't deny" is the clearly superior dialogue choice in this scene, the second option illustrates that it's not just for selfish reasons.
The Warrior of Light knows that Zenos is an immensely powerful sociopath who's perfectly able and willing to slaughter almost anyone who gets in his way. He's responsible for millions of deaths between his actions as Legatus of the XIIth Legion and as Fandaniel's accomplice.
Part of Zenos' epiphany is that the Warrior of Light _is_ a Hero, and while part of them relishes the opportunity for a challenge, their own morals also dictate that they can't allow Zenos to leave that place alive.
No, you fight this last duel because Zenos is a mass-murdering lunatic who's too dangerous to be left alive.
@@john_7000 According to SE that *was* the canon one. The actual WoL, meaning the brown haired trailer guy, is confirmed in a side story to have understood, empathized with, and at the end even come to value Zenos. It is likewise confirmed the WoL has an unhealthy love of -- and obsession with -- fighting vicious battles.
"MINE FOR THE TAKING!"
(Casts Provoke)
"A TEST OF YOUR REFLEXES!"
(Casts Superbolide)
(Removes Invuln buff.)
I.... I have some macros to make...
@@dominicbrunsmeier7830
"SHOW ME YOUR VAUNTED FORTITUDE!"
(Casts Shirk)
@@nepspartan-7597 Cease giving me ideas
@@dominicbrunsmeier7830
/ac "Superbolide"
/statusoff "Superbolide"
@@dominicbrunsmeier7830 "I HAVE YOU" (Casts Rescue)
Faced him as a reaper, i had no regrets picking "That, I can't deny." After still being an antagonist, he still helped us battle endsinger , saving us from near death, after all he has done, he took the liberty to understand himself after alisae told him off, be it a villain , this very battle itself, when we fight him is like fighting our reflection as the WOL , thus completing Endwalker. Too beautiful
To me it is the only correct choice. There's a reason he refers to you as adventurer. Because your character had no plans to become a hero, or a warrior of light. They simply went to their starter city in search of adventure...the thrill.
@@CryptoSisco Funny how perfect the dialogue was. I was ready to tell him to go f*ck himself until he said that word. Then I realized that yeah, my character is the same as him in that regard. Zenos just has a very twisted view of life.
I played it as a dancer, which in my head really fit. In a way this fight was really a dance.
@codyzuvich1712 Zenos is, frankly, combatsexual, and as the only person who could beat him, the WoL is the closest thing he has to a friend or lover. A dance is appropriate
zenos great idea "what if i create a greater threat, that way the guy who is always worried about greater threats will care about me!" bro u just had to ask for a duel lets go in front of orgrimmar
Man, I wish I could replay this part over with a fresh memory. This was honestly the best part of the entirety of 14 for me, just this fight and what it meant. The best way to end an expansion, I have no idea what they're going to do in 7.0 to top this.
And yet, every time we ask ourselves that, they do it. I can’t possibly guess where we’re going but I am so very ready for the ride.
7.0 won't be AS grandiose as this, as it's the continuation of a new adventure.
Correct answer is: 'having no idea if the second half will have an ending like this'. 😗
they didn't lol
as it turns out they really couldn't
Zoraal Ja: I have an army
Koana: I have the Satrap of Radz at Han
Zoraal Ja: I will conquer the entire planet to end war
Also Zoraal Ja: gets his entire fleet blown up by one (1) dragon
@@hjt091He’s lucky all the dragons we know didn’t pull up lmao
So....we can all agree that last QTE/sequence was just straight up out of a Yakuza game, right?
Yup... say perhaps Kuze vs Kiryu.
*Final frame before duty starts of Zenos and WoL facing each other with weapons drawn, the rising sun between them
Exiled Prince of Garlemald
ZENOS VIATOR GALVUS
Eh, I was getting more of an Ocelot vs Snake kinda vibe.
It's pure, 100% uncut anime any way you look at it...and I wouldn't have had it any other way. *smirk*
@@TheBlackPigeon same. Love Yakuza but the final punch-out was super MGS4.
It was more like the ending of MGS4.
I wish I could replay this so much, I've never been so hype for a finale of something so badly in my life. Just listening to this and reliving it gives me so many goosebumps it's crazy.
You can do New Game+ to replay this, which is what I had to do for this footage since I didn't record my first runs. Only issue is you have to slog through the entire 2nd half of the expac story :"D
Went through the whole expansion ready to put an end to Zenos, but this fight got me asking "so when is my rival coming back?"
Sorry, Chief- the homie ain't making a comeback.
You kicked his ass, and left him at the edge of forever.
He wife now
We killed him and stole his side chick
@@HintedImage His soul can travel... one day perhaps
@@MasterCookies I hope not
I love the part when the player character says "Oh yeah, it's Endwalkin' time" as they punch Zenos
I seriously, whole heartedly WISH Yoshio would take that one thing right there, the WoL ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING in a cutscene, and just fucking ROLL WITH IT! Seriously. so fucking many instances in the story of this game that NEEDED the WoL to do something, and they just stand there, at best reusing the aetherite attunement stance for the millionth time. Would it be THAT much work to give us more of this? LET ME PUNCH MORE SHIT IN CUTSCENES!
@@demonzero677 i mean the wol was very active in the manderville sidequests this time around .... But yeah i wish at least the wol would do something in the cutscenes instead of just standing like a Jackass while everyone is doing something
In the end, Zenos became something no one would ever have expected -- the hero of the story. He saved us from the Endsinger, and he saved us from becoming lost in the void after her defeat. It was his will, reaching through Dynamis, that sent the WoL's near-death body back to the Ragnarok. Victory and survival were impossible without him.
One of the fantastic aspects of Zenos’s character was that he was ultimately motivated by the same thing as us: the will to fight for what he believed in. While his beliefs were polar opposites of our own, at a core level, we were the same. The Darkness to our Light.
Our relationship with him is a metaphor for Endwalker’s take on the meaning of life.
It's a great send off for Zenos. Fighting the WoL is sole pleasure left to him in this world. I've enjoyed fighting Zenos ever since the second fight in SB. He wanted to feel that fire roar inside of him one last time and so did I.
@@notdryad He had no way home once he made the journey across the stars, and he came anyway. Not *just* for one last fight, but because he wanted to truly understand to WoL. To be a proper friend in his own twisted way. He accomplished all his goals in the end.
He doesn't call the WOL "his mirror" for nothing after all... They're direct opposites, yet complementary to each other. Almost siblings created to War against the other while trampling any that would attempt to beat them
He might have helped us with the endsinger, but he didn't send us back to the Ragnarok. That was Meteion, dropping the teleporter by us. We gave her hope, and she returned that favor by ensuring our friends wouldn't feel sorrow like she had.
THAT, I CANT DENY
ACCEPTANCE... AT LONG LAST.
I think the resonance of Zenos lies in his feeling of 'there but for the grace of God go I' for the Warrior of Light. Especially in the dark knight quests, you get reminded of how the immense power wielded by such a being can be leveled in a different direction on a dime with the right catalyst. This duty was more or less finding common ground on that thin thread -- because if someone is your opposite in almost every way, are they really *different* from you, when most of your features can be taken from inverting theirs?
Zenos really is your Darkside, in other words.
god i don't think i'll ever get tired of seeing sam's burst rotation
I JUST finished leveling SAM to 90 and I'm inclined to agree. It's one of my favorite melee DPS at this point. Still got a few to finish though
Zenos. He was my enemy. My friend.
You were the only worthy adversary.
The lyrics are so beautiful. Some of FFXIV's biggest themes, regardless of expansion, are camaraderie and hope, and they're definitely present here. Amazing.
You know even as someone who hates Zenos with a passion, it's still really nice to see how this fight gives pretty much everyone what they wanted - people who like him can have their duel and have a moment of connection, people like me who hate him can tell him they're tired of seeing him and murder him and the edge of the universe where nobody will ever even find his corpse. I can respect that at least. And I'm sure regardless of which side you're on, everyone enjoyed decking him in face. Especially as a Lalafell.
Tataru vs Zenos is an amazing clip.
I love they gave us three options and that someone else really enjoying telling him they are sick of him. Even if you like battles and crave the next fight you can still look at him and call him a monster and you hate him. Parallels be damned, you don't have to be friend him. Sure the monster gets what he wants in the end but you can still see it as putting a rabid beast down.
Completely agreed, I felt really good being able to say "I've had enough of you. It ends here." but I was simultaneously glad that people who enjoy Zenos were able to agree with him.
@@ProfessM I chose the second option. I wasn't acknowledging what he said was right, but I also wasn't denying it either. I knew I was an adventurer at the heart, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right despite everything that was going on.
I just wish they gave us an option to truly deny him - to abandon him to die unfulfilled. I feel like in giving him this fight, he had already won: We gave him everything he ever wanted, rewarded his omnicidal behavior. My WoL would have said "no" and walked away. And if he then attacked us anyways? Fine, whatever. But better yet, let someone else kill him- someone he saw as utterly inconsequential, a bug to be swatted away, finally ruining his Big Moment.
Anyways this is why the best ending to EW would've been Namingway shanking Zenos at the end of the universe, laughing at you for not killing him earlier, and saying "okay let's go home."
I still find it glorious the idea of a Lalafellin Astrologian abandoning her magic for but a fleeting moment to throw hands, only for her final blows to be literal groin punches.
So I’m late, but I wanna mention just how much more impactful this scene was to me playing as a RPR. The entire moment made it feel like more than just a fight between rivals, acquaintances, enemies. However, when Zenos addressed me as an adventurer rather than the WoL, it felt right to pick the “I can’t deny that” option. Only for two reapers to draw their scythes, standing at the end of time.
A reaper of pure darkness and bloodlust against a reaper who fights for the light and love of others. Both of similar nature and class, however of different motives and class clearly…
I fought him as a Machinist. So it was melee vs ranged. Probably would have been more fitting to fight him as a Dragoon as I was a Dragoon main through Stormblood before switching in Shadowbringers.
I really like how they start with ARR and go through every main theme of every expansion. 😊
Which part(s) of the song are from ARR?
Wow, I was so distracted by the fight playing this that I barely noticed the song has all the best parts of the best songs from each expansion!
i used to hate zenos, but i learned after the journey that all he ever needed was a friend, like us. with each day he grew bored and nihilistic, his grip on life loosened, until all he yearned for was a hedonistic hunt for pleasure in battle. maybe we could have stopped him if we held out our hand sooner, but of course, thats just a what if. his end was fantastic anyways, and im sure he knew in his heart nobody knew or understood him better than the wol did.
The fade into battle that happens around 1:19 is so reminiscent of older FF games it's crazy
Out of all the options - with no judgement to those that picked the others - I feel none embody the WoL more than the first.
Yes, they are a hero. They are the one that ended the Dragonsong war, that freed two lands from oppression and a world from destruction and stand at the end of everything, having defeated despair itself.
But all they have done, ever since they were but a sprout in the Quicksand or beating sheep in La Noscea, was look for adventure.
We started as an adventurer, searching for the thrill of a lifetime. And we end it, acknowledging as much as we have finally found it.
There could have no better ending.
It works perfectly because the WoL finally gets to decide what they want to do, purely for their own satisfaction. All the other things you do are because you want to protect Etheirys and its people, yes, but also because you're the only one who can do them. Nobody else could have saved the First, it had to be the WoL whether they wanted to or not.
But then Zenos shows up at the edge of the universe after you've defeated the Endsinger, when the world is free of threats, for now. And he offers you the opportunity to finally indulge in a 1-on-1 duel against a warrior of equal strength, not out of obligation but simply to push yourself to the limit and experience the ultimate thrill.
I can't possibly imagine declining that.
I felt it was nice to give Zenos some catharsis. He may have been an immoral villain but I can't help but kinda like the guy and wanted him to die happy.
Ending? This is only the beginning bro!!!
I picked the second option "Think what you will, but I'm not letting you leave".
I don't give a fig about what Zenos thinks and his twisted philosophy. He's not leaving alive, for he's a danger to Etheirys.
I always liked the third option simply because of the fact that at this point, Zenos has done nothing but cause the WoL a plethora of problems to solve, on top of murdering thousands, potentially tens of thousands if not more in his one sided little attempt at simply fighting. He's amazingly written and I would have loved to respond with the first option, but at that point? Even if he helped the WoL, that still doesn't change or even lighten his past actions. Enough is enough.
One nice detail I absolutely love about this fight is that, at the start of almost every major boss fight or trial (save a few exceptions such as Elidibus in Seat of Sacrifice), the 'fade-to-white' happens simultaneously while zooming in on the boss you are fighting whereas in this fight you get fade perfectly split between the WoL and Zenos.
They didn't have to go Gurren Laggan (movie) on this fight but they did & i love Yoshi-P & his team for it
Lahabrea, Minfillia, Lousoix, Hauchefant, Edmont, Ishgard Arc, Radobahn, Ilberd, Ala Migho Arc, Graha, Crystallium Arc, Doma, Hien, Gosetsu, Venath, Hythlodaeus, Emmet Selch, Ardbert and his Friends!, Nidhogg!, Everything and Everyone came in my Mind at this Moment I was so pumped at still am after days!
What a pure Masterpiece this Game was, probably the best that SE delivered the last 15 Years.
Even if the upcoming Add on will disappoint me, this Masterpiece will always be in my heart as the best and biggest adventure i had❤.
Ty for everyone helpin me through the Story and raids such a great community❤
Was especially fun in the first part of the fight as SMN: first with him drawing this giant scythe, and you opening a book, then the two of you proceeding to both lob primal attacks at each other for a good chunk of the fight.
I recently just finished the Endwalker after starting 2 months in the game. I wholeheartedly enjoyed that whole battle with Zenos, especially with Male Viera SMN.
I feel it’s also very RAW when you are doing this fight as a caster and then go “fuck the books, read these HANDS”
Zenos: Awww, are you going to summon Carbuncle?
WOL: Nah, I’m ‘bout to summon these knuckles! Let’s go!
Just did completed MSQ and did this fight last night. Playing monk made the final cutscene seem especially appropriate.
WHOOO RAAA MONK FOR LIFE
between this and the endsinger, being able to unleash everything as a lv90 blm was pure bliss, and all while my amazing friend was with me, who guided me and was with me every step of the way since I started
I'm right there with ya, my buddy was right by my side, guiding my every move til he knew I got it down, and cheered me on the whole way. This battle was really something else compared to the rest
Zenos and Emet-Selch have been my two favorites from the moment they were introduced.
part around 1:20 still gives me goosebumps man. such a masterpiece of a song
this not being replayable outside NG+ is a crime
Fitting that the Stormblood section of the song plays right after you defeat him
Such a badass theme to a badass final duel!
It's brilliant really. It's just the main theme of the expansion Footfalls, but they start it at the crescendo of the song before looping to the actual start of the song for when the fight actually begins.
During this moment, I couldn't help but imagine Zenos and my WoL Rosaline having the time of their LIVES!
He sounded like he was having so much fun, and that was intoxicating! Thus, I had an incredible time as well! A brilliant bout to close out Endwalker. GLORIOUS
I imagined Kozakura laying into him as if to show that she's the better reaper (Unfortunately...things didn't quite play out like that)
How great is it that Zenos finally got what he wanted at the end
It seems fitting to beat him as a samurai considering the stormblood trailer
That's exactly why I chose samurai for this :)
I feel that but I mained WAR and had to finish WAR T_T
Paladin all the way for me XD
@@DeathRecon4 poster boy style
I started as a PLD since ARR and I'm ending endwalker with PLD.
I JUST FINISHED THE GAME AND WOOOOOW WOOOOW SOOOO EMOTIONA!!! I LOVE ZENOS NOW!!
I had finished base endwalker last night, and all i can say, every single step, every fight, every tear, every bellowing group of laughter, this journey has brought me to the highest reaches of the heavens, to the deepest shadows below, i started this journey as a warrior, and i ended it as a warrior, and i don't have the words to say other then, im glad this game has been in my life and brought me from the brink of my own shadows, thank you all and thank you yoshi-P for this beautiful and most astoundingly wonderful game! Till the next star to shine brightly in the sky! And Zenos, may we be true friends one day in another life
I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't imagine doing this fight not as a Paladin, not because it was the mascot job of Endwalker, but rather there is something more symbolic about it, and just because they are champions of light, in other lores, but rather FF14 backstory of them being oathkeepers, and that the journey leading up to this point was us keeping our promise, our oath, to save all of existence.
You carry a scythe, to cut down your foes, using Darkness to sate your own sadistic pleasures.
I carry a shield to protect others, to be their Light in the Dark when all else is lost.
We are not the same Zenos Galvus
The scrap at the end is iconic. Whoever was like "fuck the weapons, let them finish it with a good old fashioned punching match" needs a raise
Worth mentioning, this track is an obvious remix of "With Hearts Alinged"
I like to think that this was the first time Zenos and WoL found common ground.
A duel between warriors at the end of creation. Not motivated by righteousness or search for power. Simply a fight for fight's sake. The most selfish of reasons.
For the first and last time, their hearts were alinged.
The best part about this fight was in my book he copied everything I did in terms of class changes. I started off as a gladiator into Samurai with heavensward. By the time I got to shadowbringer I had swapped over to Reaper. So every time I saw Zenos we were the same class. I always took it as "He knows my WoL has the highest potential in the world so he is going to copy what I do." So at the very end with this fight my head cannon was "There is no more potential to be had, time to put it to the test"
Just did this for the first time.
Holy peak
Doing this as a lalafell, that last cinematic sequence felt very elated. Seeing Zenos punch me down as I punched back up, with the force of a thousand popotos.
It's definitely a lot more impactful when it's someone 1/5th Zenos' size.
Endwalker saved Zenos character for me. Hated him in Stormblood, Endwalker made me see that he was more than the surface level villain.
RIP Zenos, My friend.
8:42 - The moment my Monk WoL went "You need a weapon. I AM THE WEAPON!"
basically Zell
I took so many screen shots here lol. But then I just stood there feeling kind of sad. One door closing another opening...
Zenos’s entire character snapped into focus in Garlemald after Elpis. He is a foil to us. As the WoL, our reasons are selfless and noble. His are purely selfish, always. But as an adventurer we share that dream to take on ever greater challenges. We get up to so much trouble voluntarily looking for more things to see, more things to do. After facilitating us in saving the universe he earns his fight. I was happy to meet him where he was.
Hopefully when we inevitably find a shard of Zenos out there we can be true friends.
Holding off on this final fight until I leveled Dark Knight to 90 was probably the best choice I could have ever possibly made. Zenos' Abyssal Darkness vs. The long shadow of my WoL. Made for a fantastic, personal, conclusion.
I like that Zenos got what he wanted. The WoL reduced to just primal violence, to the point we beat him with our bare hands.
Really at the same time it was also the first time Zenos himself was reduced to that. It's one of the reasons why I feel my WoL finally started to enjoy the fight at the end. Because when it came down to it Zenos faced him, no weapons, no magic, no test of your reflexes. It was just two fighters trading blows in a slugging match.
Every video I've watched of this has had the "That, I can't deny" option chosen, as they rightly should.
I'll play ff14 one day and go from appreciating this hella good song to fully *getting* this scene.
Doing this as a Fem Roe Gunbreaker was pretty fun, ESPECIALLY seeing her send him flying with that BRUTAL punch.
I am so glad there is an option to tell zenos that your sick of him cuz I was I WAS SO SICK OF HIM BEING A FUCKIN YANDERE AND DAMN NEAR CAUSING THE END OF THE WORLD JUST FOR A FUCKING FIGHT.
I love how in the trailer version of Endwalker - Footfalls, the moment we finally see Zenos' face, is at the exact part of the music that the battle theme variant starts with
When I reached this fight I was: "finally, now you get my shadowbringer into that thick skull of yours!".
any true fight between two people so powerful, so knowledgeable and so experienced and skilled will always, without fail, devolve into a round of fisticuffs bar-style
To hear this song come back in Dawntrail made me giddy like a schoolgirl!!!!
i just want to play this fight for the rest of time
that final punch out was so satisfying as a monk. i could hear the bootshine on that final hit
This right there is the sole reason I think NG+ should be started at whatever quest you wanted. That, and a duty list if you just want to replay it.
this comment right here needs to be pinned
What I wouldn’t give to forget this part and rexperience it again for the first time. This prolly has to be my favorite final battle in any video game.
After months of watching the trailer on repeat, I never thought we'd get the full track in game.
This made me jump for joy lol. The emotions at this point were just hyped af. After that last trial, and then this? A fight with Zenos, with the trailer music?
It was an amazing feeling. Wish I could go back and do it for the first time again
My best friend, my mirror.
everybody will miss ZENOS !...best FF antagonist since Sephiroth 👍
Anyone wondering who’s singing: he’s the frontman of a band called Architects. They’re really fucking good, check them out
What about the woman
The thing that Zenos and the WoL are just having a final fist fight blew my mind which made this one of the best main story finals
3:20 Still sounds every bit as spectacular as when we first heard it in the Endwalker trailer.
This was a very intense fight it was nice to see another fox ear cutie kick his ass.
I did this as Warrior and it was a real rush.
Thanks for this and congrats on clearing Endwalker.
seeing that Architects' sam carter did the vocals for endwalker gave me the push to finally play the game beyond a "ehhhh ill wait til my friends hop on". The whole way from the final quest i was just waiting for that moment when they play his version of the track, and when we finally battle zenos it finally happens and im just smiling ear to ear like " THATS RIGHT, BRING US HOME SAM CARTER"
"Blegh" master race
Without you, I'd have not been able to save us all.
I suppose I should thank you. Draw your weapon.
That's my headcannon on how this played out xD
I gotta say, I was kinda scared for this instance, but when I got to do it with my friends cheering me on the whole way through, it was truly an amazing experience. It felt awesome to show what I could bring to the table as a Bard, and finally facing Zenos, man...I will never forget this fight