Same. The biggest hit for me was the moment I realized the next quest objective after Vault was the Fortemps Manor and it hit me that I would have to tell someone that their son died protecting me. And then the actual scene with Edmont 100% delivered.
The death scene itself never made me cry. The scene thereafter with Edmont, though? Seeing how this dignified, noble man cannot contain his grief, trying his best to keep composure but being too overwhelmed by emotion? This whole spiel about a knight's duty is something he surely said countless times when he held speeches to honour the knights who have fallen in their line of duty under the Fortemps banner. He tried to hide behind familiar, practised language. Letting the autopilot do the talking. But the emotional wound was so severe that even that wasn't enough... Haurchefant's death only saddened me. But Edmont's grief burst through all my emotional barriers and made me weep for "some pixels on the screen."
Well, if you recall, right before going into the Vault, where Edmond tries to talk Haurchefant out of being involved in the storming of the vault, the words about a Knight's duty were what he told Edmond to convince him to let him go. They were the last words Hauchefant ever said to his father.
@@professeurgideere5856 I don't think that's true. I'm pretty sure Haurchefant was a legitimized bastard for a very long time. Edmond never denied him that, at least. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been recognized as a noble, right?
@@professeurgideere5856 In noble society and legally, not really. It might not be exactly the same as our own nobles from history. But a bastard, once recognized by their father and thus legitimized, was afforded the rights and privileges of every other noble. They just lacked in prestige and slightly less status than a true-born. Bastards could even become the heir, circumstances permitting. And he was legitimized, unlike Ameryic, for example. So I don't think 'acceptance' played a part in it. Edmond recognized him as his son and he was raised as his son, and he called him his son. But not everyone had to _like_ it or be nice about it due to his slightly lower status. Everyone knew and had no choice but to accept and recognize Edmond was his father. To do otherwise would be an insult to Edmonds house. Granted, none of that was said and this is based off of my own understanding of history. So it is certainly up to interpretation.
From the moment Teledgi’s plan takes hold with that sip of wine, you, Alphinaud and Tataru were alone. Anyone who was on your side have either walked away, been imprisoned, or whisked away by fate. Pipin gave you a chance but had to deal with the situation. Limsa, Gridania and Ul’dah are gone to you. The only place you had to turn were the frozen, unyielding, isolationist cynics behind the giant frozen gates. And Haurchefant welcomed you in with open arms. He lead you to Fortemps manor, got you sanctuary behind the gates and made Dragonhead a bulwark against your would-be captors. Everything you are able to do after the Bloody Banquet is thanks to One Man being your friend. You, Alphinaud, and everyone you save from there-on is all thanks to him, seeing the good in you despite the giant “REGICIDE” above your head.
If i could like a comment more than once, this would get a thousand. These are my exactly feelings. Haurchefant was the first character I-we- had real, natural kinship, friendship, love with. Not forced, outside from the scions, who need us for world-saving derring-do. He was my first friend, the first character i bonded with, my first step to love and obsession with FFXIV. He chooses to help and support us. He did love us (memed translations from Japanese and French aside), and he was singularly the only character we’d met who has no ulterior motives in helping us but to be our friend and companion. He wanted us safe to the last. Do not despair, my friend. For you are not without allies.
@@tlmaslar I still visit his grave, in game, once every few days I play at least. Also theres an NPC there, who sees you and mentions "he would be happy to know you still come here"
The part with the attempt to heal him was recently added. If you're a healer, you help as well. I'm so glad they added that, because originally everyone just sat there, and , as a healer, I kept yelling at the screen, 'Heal him! I can heal him! Why am I not healing him?!' The change made it so much tragic, because you tried and failed to save him.
I wondered about that because I was like "I don't remember that part". For streamer their audience normally lets them know about the debuff the spear caused which you can see in the fight later on but a regular player might wonder why you can't simply heal this wound. I certainly did and I wasn't even a healer in that scene^^
@@KassilpheI mean healing magicks can only do so much. I had no problems accepting that it wasn't possible to come back from being literally pierced and having a bunch of internal organs destroyed, just with healing magick. That's beyond just restoring lost hit points.
A little context on why Haurchefant was stationed at Dragonhead: House Fortemps is basically border patrol, keeping an eye on people passing in and out of Ishgard. By what I understand (and I could be mixing this up with fanfics I've read), the second son of the house takes charge of Dragonhead. It wasn't Haurchefant getting shoved out of the way by being put in charge, it was more shocking that he was acknowledged as the second son by running the place. By all accounts, Emmanellain would've been put in that position under normal circumstances.
The Vault hits differently for everyone. Some people got attached to Haurchefant, either as a friend or a husbando, and that's why it hurts. For dads, it's the stuff with Edmont that cuts so deep. Jeathebelle is another streamer that doesn't get super emotional, but did during the Edmont scene, because he's a dad and you can't help but feel Edmont's pain. That's the scene that wrecked me, too. Like Jeathe said, "no parent should ever have to bury their child."
Edmont is what drove it home for me. I was numb and in shock until that scene that this came and happened. That we lost him like this, and there was nothing we could do.
Not even just fathers, as someone who lost a friend when I was still young, watching their parents break down, emotionally the same, hit me hard when getting to talking to Edmont and that's where I really broke down. It just paralleled too much with what I had personally experienced and watched parents experience
Haurchefant's death brought me close to crying but Edmont's reaction to it broke through whatever little resistance I had left. Fuck even rewatching it is almost enough. What happens in DSR did not make it better either
The kicker was back in the day Alphanaud didn’t heal him. This is brand new for the current versions. Just selling how desperate the situation was. It hurts harder. Yes they made the most heart wrenching scene hurt more. Yoshi-P is an emotional vampire confirmed. He himself enjoys watching the reactions to scenes like these.
As a newbie White Mage main I'm glad they added that. I can let Alphinaud take the lead on the heal attempt, if no healing magic was attempted it would have broken my immersion. Like with Nanamo at the end of A Realm Reborn, she falls down and I'm not going to try to Esuna that immediately? Being a healer in a cutscene is weird sometimes.
The death of Haurchefant didnt hit me as hard as other did, I wasnt attached so much to him. I remember looking numbly at my screen and being angry and hurt, but I wasnt broken. Not yet. The moment that really got me was hearing the incredible performance by Edmond's VA, how he transmitted all that pain the character felt with just his voice. It wasnt the biggest hit ff14 gave me, not eve the biggest emotional hit for me in heavensward. But it was a turning point in me going from "This is a nice game I play with my friends" to "this is my favourite game"
This scene is important enough to me that I have Haurchefant's damaged shield tattooed on my left inner arm, so that it is always close to my heart. His words have helped me through tough times even outside of the game.
I didn’t cry with Haurchefaunt’s death. It was tragic and sad, sure, but I was used to games killing off characters. Hell, 14 did already with the likes of Moenbryda even. Yet… going to Edmont… the father who was begged to let you into his house by him… the father who proceeds to quote his son on why they became a knight in spite of their upbringing… the father who truly loved this son… there’s a reason people like me were gripped with Heavensward. Yet it was no death grip yet, the claws hadn’t sank in. But this solidified that I would be playing till the end of 3.x at least. Now, a few days past 3 years after that day I too experienced braving the vault, I have to reminisce and remember… and reactions like yours always help to make my eyes glossier than they should be.
I think that's the thing about this game. W're so used to "NPC deaths" in gaming these days, even if some of them may hit hard, but at face value, it's just the death of another NPC in your entourage, with little to no impact outside of your own emotional attachment to the character or to progress the plot. I think what FFXIV does well in this regard is making "character deaths". It makes these deaths feel like it means something. They have their own relationships and values that the game openly shoves in your face and you are forced to experience the true impact of what the death of a character truly means.
@@zzlai6235 I would not always agree. Plenty of examples I can provide of the opposite in 14 being true, of a character reaching their climax only to be brought back later in a diminished value or characters who die for nothing. Without stating spoilers in this comment section, Stormblood for me has 3 of these characters, two of which playing a major role in 4.x. Even Shadowbringers does not always rectify it, as I can think of yet another two examples there. It’s akin to, say, a Shonen series in that way, where deaths are either very rushed or treated like they never died in the first place as they seemingly survive the impossible. FF14 is much better at handling its primary characters and even a lot of random sidequest NPCs than most games I’ve ever played, and the writing and build up in Endwalker is something that is just from a writing point of view astounding and impossible to recreate without the time and planning of potential plot hooks this game takes. Yet in spite of that, there is still flaws. Many, many flaws in this writing. The fact that it becomes arguably the best written thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing in all media is in testament to that. And the characters breathing proof of.
@@rezahydra Actually, that is a fair assessment of things. A pitfall that FFXIV kinda falls into is that it is still susceptible to a lot of common narrative etropes, though they do try to subvert expectations at points, but some of the tropes can make parts of the story corny and as you said, diminish the value of certain plot points. However, given its flaws, FFXIV does tick many boxes for me from a narrative and writing point of view .
Camp Dragon's Head is an honorable position. You see the offspring of the other High Houses overlooking other bases. It shows that Edmont respect to his son, despite his birth.
The way healer cant bring back the dead because, that resurrection spell works because you are faint, knocked out, in a state of near death, not dead. That's why after you got resurrected, you got a debuff called brink of death. That's why healer (alphi) cant do much, even you as warrior of light. (If you play as healer there extra scene that your character try to heal him 😢 ) And do you know why there are red telegraphs on the floor when you fight something? It's because your power as a warrior of light, echo. That thing makes you see the past or present. That's why. How dev put that attention to detail so what you do in eorzia is strictly to the lore.
spoilers, but that's not entirely correct. the attack that killed him is Spear of Fury. zephirin does this attack in the thordan ex fight and (in addition to being a wipe mechanic if done wrong) it also applies a debuff that makes healing less effective. it is magically preventing magical healing.
Brink of Death is if you go down with the Weakness debuff. I believe it's Brush with Death that's from the 3(?) Blue Mage abilities that KO you on use.
Heavensward is important because it disrupts the status quo so hard. ARR follows a very traditional MMO mold. Bad guys bad. Good guys good. You fight Gaius but it is no different from fighting any other expansion boss in other MMOs. Then, after 2.55 you are reduced down to nothing. Your entire assets are literally in one room: Alphinaud, Tataru, and Haurchefant. These three are now your core. You can rely on them. You can trust them. They are all you have. Only to have that taken away, too. This also turns your conflict with Thordan in a different direction. The Thousand Years War and the Ascians are there and still a problem, but you have one very specific old man that has a very specific target on his head. He could have the best reasons for doing what he's doing, but it does not matter. He killed our friend and now he's going to pay.
It’s been 9 years since I first experienced this, and this still always makes me cry. Every time. I take Haurchefant’s last words to us to heart, and I smile everywhere I go in life.
That "NO!" is so real. Everyone knows this moment, everyone feels the pain. It's been almost a year and I'm still not over the shock and sadness. The new VAs really make the scene too. And then they went and made it hurt *worse* with the 6.1 updated version. EDIT: Once you reach the end of the 3.x patches, go look up a video or two about the Dragonsong Reprise Ultimate, trust me you'll enjoy it.
Regarding Haurchefant's deployment at Camp Dragonhead: It is heavily implied, Edmont's late wife, the mother of Artoirel and Emmanelain, resented Haurchefant's very existence as proof of her husband's unfaithfulness. Having him stationed outside of Ishgard was, in part, to keep him out of her sight and thus safe from potential attacks out of spite. Also, his brothers didn't have the best of relationships with him due to their mother's influence.
As a former combat soldier who lost his best friend to an ambush in Iraq, this scene cut me deep. As an infinitely overprotective father whose entire life revolves around his kid, the scene with Count Edmont broke me.
People have already mentioned the part about healing from both Alphinaud and the player, were they one of the healing classes, but there's also one cruel joke in this situation when you play as Paladin What lvl is the Vault? 57 On what lvl do you unlock Clemency, the main PLD HP-recovering spell? 58
I think 14 leverages somethimg special about mmos. There is a reason I care about some of these characters so much. There's something special that happens when you see characters develop over the course of irl years. Alphy is a special example for me, because he has come so far even at the point you're at. He has grown so much here from the arrogant sod arr gave us
The Dark Knight questline? Written by Ishikawa. She goes on to write in part of Stormblood MSQ and then become the main writer in Shadowbringers. So expect more of the same.
@@Windupchronic From the credits I could find, 4.0 second half(Doman) & Omega quests. She also apparently wrote the Coerthas Central Highlands quests in 2.0, as well as coils and crystal tower.
This journey will be fun, it will be sad, it will be everything in between...and that is why we love it so. Welcome to FFXIV, one of my favourite pieces of storytelling in ANY media, it's truly something else.
Losing him wasn't even the first time this game broke my heart - that was when G'raha went into the Crystal Tower. But this time felt a lot more raw, because it was protecting YOU.
Indeed, even when you think you have no more, it will find them. However, the *reason* it makes you cry will vary throughout. It's not always someone's death. So much to look forward to there.
watching this with my haurchefant plushies, body pillow, keychains, it's safe to say that scene still fucks me up after all these years 😅 honestly, i think being put in charge of camp dragonhead was a position of honor for him, he definitely wanted to be on the front lines and not in the manor
Thats why he still is my #1 of the game, even after i finished Endwalker, even got myself a potrait of him IRL, this game / story is so touching like none i played before and i still cant see this scene without a tear in my eye and makes me nearly bawl with Count Edmont. Thanks alot for your video, have a great journey in FF14, greetings from EU Light Lich
Ohh my sweet summer child, pain has just started, this is just the tip of the knife, it gets pushed, pulled, twisted and much more. Looking forward to you experiencing more content
this scene breaks so many :'3 originally Alphinaud wasn't in this scene, but because of the trust system, they added him and to me, this makes it twice as impactful.
Going from The Vault to the DRK job quests was.... a journey. My character going from this gentle au'ra White Mage to a passionate, retribution seeking Dark Knight was my favorite arc I've had my character go through.
Laughing at your reaction while crying at the scene itself. There's a scene later on where you get to choose to quote Haurchefant to someone in distress. I teared up instantly on seeing the quote. He made a lasting impression upon us all. May his memory be a blessing. Even if he's a video game character who can be alive again by starting a new game.
Insanity - repeating the same task over and over, hoping for a different outcome. Like going into ANOTHER Vault video thinking "Maybe I won't start crying this time." ;P
I can verify. I'm doing a very casual replay of FFXIV so I can experience all of the major MSQ changes firsthand. I got to this quest about three weeks ago. I knew what was coming and I was still not ready. The Vault still hit me pretty hard and the scene with Lord Edmont even harder.
Haurchefant was the count's child with another woman. Also square enix is evil cause they keep using him during international friend day on Twitter to this day.
Yep, I was like: "Sure, sure, let's get on with it - I'll revive him after the scene on my Scholar, no biggie." And then no, he is DEAD! _That_ was when I realized this game pulls *no* punches when it comes to storytelling!
That scene hit me like a truck. He was the sole reason Me, Tataru and Alphi made it this far... He considered us "Hope incarnate". That set me up. Then after losing Ysale... I went on a murderous rampage in Azys La on the Garlean base for an hour or so, waiting for respawns, murdering them again and again... Until I was sated and turned in the quest. No videogame has done that to me before or since.
I'm sure this is the difference between a story-driven MMO and what might be called a "regular" mmo. I've played quite a few MMOs, Everyquest, 1 and 2, Ultima SWTOR, Rift, LotRO, WoW and they are all what I'd call "regular" MMOs. You level, get gear and fight bosses and dungeons and raids - all MMOs have these features. FF14 is the ONLY one I've played where the journey is AS important as the endgame. It's almost a trope to mention "The Hero's Journey" as a story device. Bu that is literally what 14 is about. Your story. SWTOR started out this way too with engaging class stories, but I think they ran out of money and that stopped after level 50 (Cap is 70 I think now). Your story must contain all of that "Hero's Jourrney" - the highs and lows, and all that a proper journey entails. I don't think you've had this yet, and it's not a spoiler, but several times going forwards, you'll get asked by various characters "Has your journey been fullfilling?". It's to make you think about all you've been through. So, remember these moments.
Had the honor and the pleasure of re-experiencing the whole thing with you and the other caffeinated folks right here live Feels awesome and a little bit starstruck to see my blurts in the chat box during the livestream pieces of the video Feels even better to be the one who suggested in the chat that you made a video on the Vault (yeah yeah I know you did have that in mind but still 👉🏼👈🏼😌) And finally, it feels absolutely amazing to have a person and a content creator like yourself firmly plunged into our FFXIV family Welcome! 🙌🏼 Once again… Thanks for being here and staying and putting in that work 🤙🏼
While "The Parting Glass" is a shocking moment, I think The Vault's conclusion is the first really emotional gut punch the game gives you.... the first, but most certainly not the last. Edmont's performance is up there with Bernard Hill's Theoden for me. "No parent should have to bury their child."
For me, I was spoiled and knew he would die; yet I was never told how. When this happened… it took me off guard. I didn’t think it would be this way. Yet then I realized it was foreshadowed. Think back to what happens before the vault, the solo battle instance at the bar? Haurchefaunt showing up? If you’re playing either a healer or dps… he shields you from incoming attacks. Then combining his words with his father… I cried even more.
My late teens and early adult life were spent playing Mass Effect from the day the first one came out all the way through to Andromeda, and some of the deaths in Mass Effect 3 absolutely GUTTED me. I had come to feel like these characters I'd spent several years getting to know were a big part of my life. It's incredible what good writing and character development to make you feel for a fictional character that doesn't actually exist.
probably because you know this character, youve engaged with them on a personal level and youve grown an attachment to them. unlike other games where the characters have zero actual character and simply monologue at you in some grandiose way as they task you with collecting bear asses or digging through poop for seeds. With XIV, they treat these digital characters as if they are real people, with real thoughts and feelings, so you start to identify with them as real people, having real feelings well up inside of you when one of them passes.
I like to remind people that if you do the EX of Thordan you'd know that the attack that kills Haurchefant was a stack mechanic that prevents healing. The knife twist? Haurechefant would have known that before he stepped in to take it for you.
Fun fact, the healing bit was added later I imagine the developers thought that a lot of players came through here with confused feelings as a healer. Yeah, this game can really grab you. Enjoy!
Ooooooooofffff I needed to kill them so bad after this, his dad breaking down got me more than him dying did, even more so now that we have lost his incredible voice actor.
I have seen this scene many times, both in my own playthroughs, and on reaction channels like yours, and it still is a massive gut punch every time. It is such a masterful piece of storytelling, and while there will always be those that are unmoved by it, this is the moment for a lot of people where they realise that Yoshi P isn't pulling his punches.
Man I remember doing the vault back when heavensward came out I was in a TeamSpeak at the time with some FC friends I end up doing the vault and when I finished I was like f*** this I'm going to bed see you all tomorrow and they laughed at me knowing exactly why was going to bed and why I decided to get off that night lol
*ARR Ranking video* "Personally I kinda forgot about him...he didnt really make an impression on me" I guess now you understand why people love him so much.
I think the first time I saw this scene it didn't really hit me how significant it was at first. I was still suspicious of every new character after the bloody banquet. I was like "why does this random noble family risk so much for me/us after I did 1 thing for haurchefant 1 time?" to the point of him laying down his life for us. but the moment I saw lord edmont break down I realized how important this moment was. that these are just genuinely good people who want the war to end. the writing got so good in heavensward that it's still my #2 expansion right after shadowbringers.
This man who is not fully recognized as a fortempt went to his father a begged of him to grant you sanctuary despite everything. It just shows how much this man cared for not his potential title but for you and all the other people with convictions. His men if you visit them at camp dragonhead and speak to them just after the vault are in a state of shock and denial and it hurts to see.
To rub more salt in the wound, that light spear also appears as a move in the Thordan EX trial fight, called Spear of the Fury, which was such a strong move (when Thordan EX was new) that I think either the entire party had to stand in a line in front of the targeted person to take the hit, or a tank with their invuln move had to stand in front. Even then, the affected person gets a debuff that practically nullifies healing on that character, hence why Alphinaud says he can't mend the wound.
The game excels at taking newly introduced characters and making you like them or get attached to them very quickly. Other games fail at this for entire expansions, FF will do it in one unvoiced scene. The scene with his father after is pretty heartbreaking. In GW2 I never cared about Trahearne, ever. But Tybalt? Sad apples.
I cannot wait to see you do the Shadowbringers Post MSQ. The feels …. If I could chose a memory to delete it would be to forget the story of the MSQ so I could play it again. It is soooo good
Ooh, they expanded the death scene. The line about the wound not healing wasn't there in the beginning. It was explained during gameplay that, that attack imposed a healing debuff, but a lot of people hadn't noticed it. Fun fact, when paladins got the ability to block magic attacks with their shields, people connected it lore wise to the WoL remembering this moment and developing the technique.
The only game before this one that made me feel the emotion behind its story was Halo Reach. Its wasn’t so much that I was sad (playing the other games you know whats coming) its more the feeling that desperate struggle that was ultimately futile, and the determination to carry on regardless. But I was able to just continue playing anyway as it was ultimately still just a game to me. For FFXIV, this moment was the first time I had to stop playing for a moment. I sat back in my chair, surprised by how much I gave a crap, I felt actual loss for Haurchefant. And I think it’s because, unlike other games where the character you play has their own story, or that your character isn’t really involved with the big events (a bit like wow, even though you and your group kill insert boss here), in FF your character’s journey is also your journey. A lot of us project ourselves onto our characters, and so we become a little more immersed in the story.
For me Haurchefant was like reliving the first time a game really, *truly* shocked and hurt me. Playing Phantasy Star 4 way back in the day, you come to a point where a character who's been there with you since the beginning and been a guiding force takes a hit for you, and you go on a desperate quest to find a cure. Only... when you return, it's too late, and they die in the main character's arms. As a teenager (yeah I'm probably the same age as our beloved caffiene father figure), it broke me. I didn't know games could DO that. And then more than twenty years later, along came Haurchefant and it was like being that sobbing teenager all over again, having my heart broken. FFXIV is *so* good.
"Fun" fact: even the FFXIV cookbook - the *cookbook*, of all things - has a little gut-punch regarding this scene. There's a recipe for Knight's Bread which the Moogle narrator once learned about from a "nice Elezen with silver hair". However, even though the Moogle wanted to say hello during his travels, he hasn't been able to find him yet... and he hopes to run into him eventually, so he can try the cookbook's version of "his favorite snack". :(
Haurchefaunt’s death didn’t hit me nearly as hard as his father breaking down after. I cried with him
Edmont collapsing was brutal
That was hard.
I felt that HEAVILY. His death was just the initial shock, and his father breaking down was what finally set the tears in.
Same. The biggest hit for me was the moment I realized the next quest objective after Vault was the Fortemps Manor and it hit me that I would have to tell someone that their son died protecting me. And then the actual scene with Edmont 100% delivered.
Yeah. His father breaking down hit hard.
Welcome to the real endgame, emotional damage
And glamour plates
@@Alkiryasto hide the emotional scars
This game does a good job tearing your heart apart lol..
no amount of mitigation will help you survive this tank buster.
This is only the beginning
I know the path you've chosen brings a lot of pain, Warrior of Light. Yet we must keep walking.
For those who we have lost, for those we can yet save.
The death scene itself never made me cry. The scene thereafter with Edmont, though? Seeing how this dignified, noble man cannot contain his grief, trying his best to keep composure but being too overwhelmed by emotion? This whole spiel about a knight's duty is something he surely said countless times when he held speeches to honour the knights who have fallen in their line of duty under the Fortemps banner. He tried to hide behind familiar, practised language. Letting the autopilot do the talking. But the emotional wound was so severe that even that wasn't enough... Haurchefant's death only saddened me. But Edmont's grief burst through all my emotional barriers and made me weep for "some pixels on the screen."
Plus, that time is finally the time where Edmont can recognize Haurchefant as his son and not his bastard.
Well, if you recall, right before going into the Vault, where Edmond tries to talk Haurchefant out of being involved in the storming of the vault, the words about a Knight's duty were what he told Edmond to convince him to let him go. They were the last words Hauchefant ever said to his father.
@@professeurgideere5856 I don't think that's true. I'm pretty sure Haurchefant was a legitimized bastard for a very long time. Edmond never denied him that, at least. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been recognized as a noble, right?
@@SuperSpells there is a difference between "everybody knows" and "everybody accepts it".
@@professeurgideere5856 In noble society and legally, not really. It might not be exactly the same as our own nobles from history. But a bastard, once recognized by their father and thus legitimized, was afforded the rights and privileges of every other noble. They just lacked in prestige and slightly less status than a true-born. Bastards could even become the heir, circumstances permitting. And he was legitimized, unlike Ameryic, for example. So I don't think 'acceptance' played a part in it. Edmond recognized him as his son and he was raised as his son, and he called him his son. But not everyone had to _like_ it or be nice about it due to his slightly lower status. Everyone knew and had no choice but to accept and recognize Edmond was his father. To do otherwise would be an insult to Edmonds house.
Granted, none of that was said and this is based off of my own understanding of history. So it is certainly up to interpretation.
From the moment Teledgi’s plan takes hold with that sip of wine, you, Alphinaud and Tataru were alone. Anyone who was on your side have either walked away, been imprisoned, or whisked away by fate.
Pipin gave you a chance but had to deal with the situation.
Limsa, Gridania and Ul’dah are gone to you.
The only place you had to turn were the frozen, unyielding, isolationist cynics behind the giant frozen gates.
And Haurchefant welcomed you in with open arms.
He lead you to Fortemps manor, got you sanctuary behind the gates and made Dragonhead a bulwark against your would-be captors.
Everything you are able to do after the Bloody Banquet is thanks to One Man being your friend.
You, Alphinaud, and everyone you save from there-on is all thanks to him, seeing the good in you despite the giant “REGICIDE” above your head.
If i could like a comment more than once, this would get a thousand.
These are my exactly feelings. Haurchefant was the first character I-we- had real, natural kinship, friendship, love with. Not forced, outside from the scions, who need us for world-saving derring-do. He was my first friend, the first character i bonded with, my first step to love and obsession with FFXIV. He chooses to help and support us. He did love us (memed translations from Japanese and French aside), and he was singularly the only character we’d met who has no ulterior motives in helping us but to be our friend and companion. He wanted us safe to the last.
Do not despair, my friend. For you are not without allies.
This is exactly the reason my title remains "House Fortemps Knight" despite all following achievements.
he gave us Waking Snow for few days:(
What gets me is ONLY Uldah even believed it yet still made you go on the run
@@tlmaslar I still visit his grave, in game, once every few days I play at least. Also theres an NPC there, who sees you and mentions "he would be happy to know you still come here"
The part with the attempt to heal him was recently added. If you're a healer, you help as well. I'm so glad they added that, because originally everyone just sat there, and , as a healer, I kept yelling at the screen, 'Heal him! I can heal him! Why am I not healing him?!'
The change made it so much tragic, because you tried and failed to save him.
Super happy they added that
I wondered about that because I was like "I don't remember that part".
For streamer their audience normally lets them know about the debuff the spear caused which you can see in the fight later on but a regular player might wonder why you can't simply heal this wound. I certainly did and I wasn't even a healer in that scene^^
"There was nothing you could do."
I was confused because I didn't remember that part. So it's good to know I'm not just demented.
@@KassilpheI mean healing magicks can only do so much. I had no problems accepting that it wasn't possible to come back from being literally pierced and having a bunch of internal organs destroyed, just with healing magick. That's beyond just restoring lost hit points.
A little context on why Haurchefant was stationed at Dragonhead: House Fortemps is basically border patrol, keeping an eye on people passing in and out of Ishgard. By what I understand (and I could be mixing this up with fanfics I've read), the second son of the house takes charge of Dragonhead. It wasn't Haurchefant getting shoved out of the way by being put in charge, it was more shocking that he was acknowledged as the second son by running the place. By all accounts, Emmanellain would've been put in that position under normal circumstances.
The Vault hits differently for everyone. Some people got attached to Haurchefant, either as a friend or a husbando, and that's why it hurts.
For dads, it's the stuff with Edmont that cuts so deep. Jeathebelle is another streamer that doesn't get super emotional, but did during the Edmont scene, because he's a dad and you can't help but feel Edmont's pain. That's the scene that wrecked me, too. Like Jeathe said, "no parent should ever have to bury their child."
God. OK I was pretty sad when Haurchefant got it, but when Edmont gives that broken 'My... son...' I was *absolutely destroyed*.
Edmont is what drove it home for me. I was numb and in shock until that scene that this came and happened. That we lost him like this, and there was nothing we could do.
Not even just fathers, as someone who lost a friend when I was still young, watching their parents break down, emotionally the same, hit me hard when getting to talking to Edmont and that's where I really broke down. It just paralleled too much with what I had personally experienced and watched parents experience
it was definitely Edmont that got me. I was a newer Dad at the time, and imagining the grief of losing your child and hearing his voice...broke me
Haurchefant's death brought me close to crying but Edmont's reaction to it broke through whatever little resistance I had left. Fuck even rewatching it is almost enough. What happens in DSR did not make it better either
The sheer emotion in that single utterance of the word "fuck" on 3:41 is what drives us players to push so many new players to try out this game.
The kicker was back in the day Alphanaud didn’t heal him. This is brand new for the current versions. Just selling how desperate the situation was. It hurts harder. Yes they made the most heart wrenching scene hurt more. Yoshi-P is an emotional vampire confirmed. He himself enjoys watching the reactions to scenes like these.
Gah that makes it so much more serious. It really really does well convey the feeling of the moment
As a newbie White Mage main I'm glad they added that. I can let Alphinaud take the lead on the heal attempt, if no healing magic was attempted it would have broken my immersion. Like with Nanamo at the end of A Realm Reborn, she falls down and I'm not going to try to Esuna that immediately? Being a healer in a cutscene is weird sometimes.
The death of Haurchefant didnt hit me as hard as other did, I wasnt attached so much to him. I remember looking numbly at my screen and being angry and hurt, but I wasnt broken. Not yet. The moment that really got me was hearing the incredible performance by Edmond's VA, how he transmitted all that pain the character felt with just his voice.
It wasnt the biggest hit ff14 gave me, not eve the biggest emotional hit for me in heavensward. But it was a turning point in me going from "This is a nice game I play with my friends" to "this is my favourite game"
This scene is important enough to me that I have Haurchefant's damaged shield tattooed on my left inner arm, so that it is always close to my heart. His words have helped me through tough times even outside of the game.
I didn’t cry with Haurchefaunt’s death. It was tragic and sad, sure, but I was used to games killing off characters. Hell, 14 did already with the likes of Moenbryda even. Yet… going to Edmont… the father who was begged to let you into his house by him… the father who proceeds to quote his son on why they became a knight in spite of their upbringing… the father who truly loved this son… there’s a reason people like me were gripped with Heavensward. Yet it was no death grip yet, the claws hadn’t sank in. But this solidified that I would be playing till the end of 3.x at least. Now, a few days past 3 years after that day I too experienced braving the vault, I have to reminisce and remember… and reactions like yours always help to make my eyes glossier than they should be.
I think that's the thing about this game. W're so used to "NPC deaths" in gaming these days, even if some of them may hit hard, but at face value, it's just the death of another NPC in your entourage, with little to no impact outside of your own emotional attachment to the character or to progress the plot. I think what FFXIV does well in this regard is making "character deaths". It makes these deaths feel like it means something. They have their own relationships and values that the game openly shoves in your face and you are forced to experience the true impact of what the death of a character truly means.
@@zzlai6235 I would not always agree. Plenty of examples I can provide of the opposite in 14 being true, of a character reaching their climax only to be brought back later in a diminished value or characters who die for nothing. Without stating spoilers in this comment section, Stormblood for me has 3 of these characters, two of which playing a major role in 4.x. Even Shadowbringers does not always rectify it, as I can think of yet another two examples there. It’s akin to, say, a Shonen series in that way, where deaths are either very rushed or treated like they never died in the first place as they seemingly survive the impossible. FF14 is much better at handling its primary characters and even a lot of random sidequest NPCs than most games I’ve ever played, and the writing and build up in Endwalker is something that is just from a writing point of view astounding and impossible to recreate without the time and planning of potential plot hooks this game takes. Yet in spite of that, there is still flaws. Many, many flaws in this writing. The fact that it becomes arguably the best written thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing in all media is in testament to that. And the characters breathing proof of.
@@rezahydra Actually, that is a fair assessment of things. A pitfall that FFXIV kinda falls into is that it is still susceptible to a lot of common narrative etropes, though they do try to subvert expectations at points, but some of the tropes can make parts of the story corny and as you said, diminish the value of certain plot points. However, given its flaws, FFXIV does tick many boxes for me from a narrative and writing point of view .
Camp Dragon's Head is an honorable position. You see the offspring of the other High Houses overlooking other bases. It shows that Edmont respect to his son, despite his birth.
The way healer cant bring back the dead because, that resurrection spell works because you are faint, knocked out, in a state of near death, not dead.
That's why after you got resurrected, you got a debuff called brink of death.
That's why healer (alphi) cant do much, even you as warrior of light.
(If you play as healer there extra scene that your character try to heal him 😢 )
And do you know why there are red telegraphs on the floor when you fight something? It's because your power as a warrior of light, echo. That thing makes you see the past or present.
That's why.
How dev put that attention to detail so what you do in eorzia is strictly to the lore.
spoilers, but that's not entirely correct. the attack that killed him is Spear of Fury. zephirin does this attack in the thordan ex fight and (in addition to being a wipe mechanic if done wrong) it also applies a debuff that makes healing less effective. it is magically preventing magical healing.
just a small correction, after regular raise it's called weakness, brink of death is specific to blue mage after self destruct!
Brink of Death is if you go down with the Weakness debuff. I believe it's Brush with Death that's from the 3(?) Blue Mage abilities that KO you on use.
Heavensward is important because it disrupts the status quo so hard. ARR follows a very traditional MMO mold. Bad guys bad. Good guys good. You fight Gaius but it is no different from fighting any other expansion boss in other MMOs. Then, after 2.55 you are reduced down to nothing. Your entire assets are literally in one room: Alphinaud, Tataru, and Haurchefant. These three are now your core. You can rely on them. You can trust them. They are all you have. Only to have that taken away, too.
This also turns your conflict with Thordan in a different direction. The Thousand Years War and the Ascians are there and still a problem, but you have one very specific old man that has a very specific target on his head. He could have the best reasons for doing what he's doing, but it does not matter. He killed our friend and now he's going to pay.
It’s been 9 years since I first experienced this, and this still always makes me cry. Every time. I take Haurchefant’s last words to us to heart, and I smile everywhere I go in life.
A smile better suits a hero
That "NO!" is so real. Everyone knows this moment, everyone feels the pain. It's been almost a year and I'm still not over the shock and sadness.
The new VAs really make the scene too. And then they went and made it hurt *worse* with the 6.1 updated version.
EDIT: Once you reach the end of the 3.x patches, go look up a video or two about the Dragonsong Reprise Ultimate, trust me you'll enjoy it.
what's funny is they wouldn't've have to swap VAs except the old ones were part of the VA strike going on towards end of ARR patches
And this is why my FC and I scream “screw elf Pope” any time we go it Foundation.
Regarding Haurchefant's deployment at Camp Dragonhead: It is heavily implied, Edmont's late wife, the mother of Artoirel and Emmanelain, resented Haurchefant's very existence as proof of her husband's unfaithfulness. Having him stationed outside of Ishgard was, in part, to keep him out of her sight and thus safe from potential attacks out of spite. Also, his brothers didn't have the best of relationships with him due to their mother's influence.
Dont be sad, here have some hot coco...
Coffee.. I'll take the coffeee
As a former combat soldier who lost his best friend to an ambush in Iraq, this scene cut me deep.
As an infinitely overprotective father whose entire life revolves around his kid, the scene with Count Edmont broke me.
People have already mentioned the part about healing from both Alphinaud and the player, were they one of the healing classes, but there's also one cruel joke in this situation when you play as Paladin
What lvl is the Vault?
57
On what lvl do you unlock Clemency, the main PLD HP-recovering spell?
58
I think 14 leverages somethimg special about mmos. There is a reason I care about some of these characters so much. There's something special that happens when you see characters develop over the course of irl years. Alphy is a special example for me, because he has come so far even at the point you're at. He has grown so much here from the arrogant sod arr gave us
The amount of tears I've shed over this game would fill a bathtub at least. Haurchbro was the template for another fanboi in my opinion.
Welcome to FFXIV!
Rest in Peace, Haurchefant... A great knight, hero and friend...
The Dark Knight questline? Written by Ishikawa. She goes on to write in part of Stormblood MSQ and then become the main writer in Shadowbringers. So expect more of the same.
Do you know which parts of Stormblood she wrote? Curious to know if it’s Fordola stuff, or maybe post Stormblood with a particularly annoying brother.
@@Windupchronic From the credits I could find, 4.0 second half(Doman) & Omega quests. She also apparently wrote the Coerthas Central Highlands quests in 2.0, as well as coils and crystal tower.
I cried like a baby during Shadowbringers. 😢
@@Raletia It was specifically the Steppes she was writing on and all patch questlines... the world builder was head on the rest
I forgot about my “No” moment in SB. I really need to NG+ that again
This journey will be fun, it will be sad, it will be everything in between...and that is why we love it so.
Welcome to FFXIV, one of my favourite pieces of storytelling in ANY media, it's truly something else.
It's worth it. Despite any of the other aspects of the game the story is worth it
Losing him wasn't even the first time this game broke my heart - that was when G'raha went into the Crystal Tower. But this time felt a lot more raw, because it was protecting YOU.
G'raha wasn't super sad for me to be honest, maybe because he was short lived in the story? but I can definitely see why!
This is one of the things I love about FFXIV. I've never had a game play on my feelings in the same way.
Never have I had a feeling like this in a game
XIV has a lot of mounts but only Haurchefant's Black Chocobo Whistle has a permanent slot on my hotbar.
I always think of the Haurchefant as the Cheerleader of Light. He was always on our side, cheering us on, helping us in any way he could.
As someone who started playing on Xbox launch, can anyone tell me if this game stops making me cry?
The game will stop making you cry when you run out of tears😭
Yeah it doesn't stop.
Indeed, even when you think you have no more, it will find them. However, the *reason* it makes you cry will vary throughout. It's not always someone's death. So much to look forward to there.
It doesn't stop, it will continue to hurt. I would recommend a fuzzy blanket for future content and a possible plushie.
No. Never.
watching this with my haurchefant plushies, body pillow, keychains, it's safe to say that scene still fucks me up after all these years 😅
honestly, i think being put in charge of camp dragonhead was a position of honor for him, he definitely wanted to be on the front lines and not in the manor
Rest well, Haurchefant. We're still smiling for you.
Thats why he still is my #1 of the game, even after i finished Endwalker, even got myself a potrait of him IRL, this game / story is so touching like none i played before and i still cant see this scene without a tear in my eye and makes me nearly bawl with Count Edmont. Thanks alot for your video, have a great journey in FF14, greetings from EU Light Lich
Such a well done story. Such an emotional take.
Also greetings!
One of my favourite things is how the story continues. The wol is STILL thinking about haurchefaunts death two expansions later
I’ll never forget how mad I was that this man died in my arms when I was literally a gat dang healer 😝
Like cmon do the thing! Heal!
Ohh my sweet summer child, pain has just started, this is just the tip of the knife, it gets pushed, pulled, twisted and much more. Looking forward to you experiencing more content
this scene breaks so many :'3 originally Alphinaud wasn't in this scene, but because of the trust system, they added him and to me, this makes it twice as impactful.
This is FFXIV's general "gloves are off" moment. This exact moment showed that the game is serious.
Welcome, buddy. I promise you, it gets worse. But we've been through it too, and we're here for ya.
FFXIV has some of the most surprisingly effective storytelling of any medium.
The death doesn't hit me like it used to.
The scene after, with his father, THAT fucks me up way worse these days
Going from The Vault to the DRK job quests was....
a journey.
My character going from this gentle au'ra White Mage to a passionate, retribution seeking Dark Knight was my favorite arc I've had my character go through.
It really flows... like really well!
I did not expect to cry over this video, but here we are.
Excellent work CaffDad. Your vacation is well earned.
~T.L.~
Laughing at your reaction while crying at the scene itself.
There's a scene later on where you get to choose to quote Haurchefant to someone in distress. I teared up instantly on seeing the quote.
He made a lasting impression upon us all. May his memory be a blessing. Even if he's a video game character who can be alive again by starting a new game.
Insanity - repeating the same task over and over, hoping for a different outcome.
Like going into ANOTHER Vault video thinking "Maybe I won't start crying this time." ;P
Maybe, there's a chance!
I played the Vault as a WHM. I was *SO* angry, repeating over and over again "I can heal him dammit, I can raise the dead, let me heal him !"
There's even a player I believe on Primal who just RPs as Haurchefant on this map. It's a bit cringe but kind of endearing in a... concerning way.
It's their time too lol
I can verify. I'm doing a very casual replay of FFXIV so I can experience all of the major MSQ changes firsthand. I got to this quest about three weeks ago. I knew what was coming and I was still not ready. The Vault still hit me pretty hard and the scene with Lord Edmont even harder.
Oh boy... This one is gonna be one hell of a journey for you... Please don't break down.
Haurchefant was the count's child with another woman. Also square enix is evil cause they keep using him during international friend day on Twitter to this day.
Oh hey remember that trauma? Guess what!?
Welcome to final fantasy, the 14 is how many years each expansion takes off your life
Yep, I was like: "Sure, sure, let's get on with it - I'll revive him after the scene on my Scholar, no biggie." And then no, he is DEAD! _That_ was when I realized this game pulls *no* punches when it comes to storytelling!
The story needs to be like that. They need to pull zero punches. Makes it real
Now watch the parody of that scene. "In an alternate reality, Ff14 animated"
That scene hit me like a truck. He was the sole reason Me, Tataru and Alphi made it this far... He considered us "Hope incarnate". That set me up. Then after losing Ysale... I went on a murderous rampage in Azys La on the Garlean base for an hour or so, waiting for respawns, murdering them again and again... Until I was sated and turned in the quest.
No videogame has done that to me before or since.
I'm sure this is the difference between a story-driven MMO and what might be called a "regular" mmo. I've played quite a few MMOs, Everyquest, 1 and 2, Ultima SWTOR, Rift, LotRO, WoW and they are all what I'd call "regular" MMOs. You level, get gear and fight bosses and dungeons and raids - all MMOs have these features.
FF14 is the ONLY one I've played where the journey is AS important as the endgame. It's almost a trope to mention "The Hero's Journey" as a story device. Bu that is literally what 14 is about. Your story. SWTOR started out this way too with engaging class stories, but I think they ran out of money and that stopped after level 50 (Cap is 70 I think now).
Your story must contain all of that "Hero's Jourrney" - the highs and lows, and all that a proper journey entails.
I don't think you've had this yet, and it's not a spoiler, but several times going forwards, you'll get asked by various characters "Has your journey been fullfilling?". It's to make you think about all you've been through. So, remember these moments.
Had the honor and the pleasure of re-experiencing the whole thing with you and the other caffeinated folks right here live
Feels awesome and a little bit starstruck to see my blurts in the chat box during the livestream pieces of the video
Feels even better to be the one who suggested in the chat that you made a video on the Vault (yeah yeah I know you did have that in mind but still 👉🏼👈🏼😌)
And finally, it feels absolutely amazing to have a person and a content creator like yourself firmly plunged into our FFXIV family
Welcome! 🙌🏼
Once again…
Thanks for being here and staying and putting in that work 🤙🏼
While "The Parting Glass" is a shocking moment, I think The Vault's conclusion is the first really emotional gut punch the game gives you.... the first, but most certainly not the last.
Edmont's performance is up there with Bernard Hill's Theoden for me. "No parent should have to bury their child."
Haurchefant's death hurts, but Edmont breaking down after trying so hard to keep it together hits my heart in the d!ck EVERY TIME!
For me, I was spoiled and knew he would die; yet I was never told how.
When this happened… it took me off guard. I didn’t think it would be this way. Yet then I realized it was foreshadowed.
Think back to what happens before the vault, the solo battle instance at the bar? Haurchefaunt showing up? If you’re playing either a healer or dps… he shields you from incoming attacks. Then combining his words with his father… I cried even more.
My late teens and early adult life were spent playing Mass Effect from the day the first one came out all the way through to Andromeda, and some of the deaths in Mass Effect 3 absolutely GUTTED me. I had come to feel like these characters I'd spent several years getting to know were a big part of my life. It's incredible what good writing and character development to make you feel for a fictional character that doesn't actually exist.
The ride never ends
Heavensward: A Tale of Bastards and Orphans.
Pretty much what it was about.
probably because you know this character, youve engaged with them on a personal level and youve grown an attachment to them. unlike other games where the characters have zero actual character and simply monologue at you in some grandiose way as they task you with collecting bear asses or digging through poop for seeds. With XIV, they treat these digital characters as if they are real people, with real thoughts and feelings, so you start to identify with them as real people, having real feelings well up inside of you when one of them passes.
I like to remind people that if you do the EX of Thordan you'd know that the attack that kills Haurchefant was a stack mechanic that prevents healing. The knife twist? Haurechefant would have known that before he stepped in to take it for you.
Hehe, get ready for an even bigger roller-coaster ride of emotions.
I can proudly admit, at times I've cried from the story of FF14
His death didn’t land that much for me. Edmont’s response though THAT killed me 💔
Fun fact, the healing bit was added later I imagine the developers thought that a lot of players came through here with confused feelings as a healer.
Yeah, this game can really grab you. Enjoy!
This game is what I had hoped WoW and GW2 would be, at least a little bit...
Agreed. I was hoping GW2 did something a bit more
Ooooooooofffff I needed to kill them so bad after this, his dad breaking down got me more than him dying did, even more so now that we have lost his incredible voice actor.
I have seen this scene many times, both in my own playthroughs, and on reaction channels like yours, and it still is a massive gut punch every time. It is such a masterful piece of storytelling, and while there will always be those that are unmoved by it, this is the moment for a lot of people where they realise that Yoshi P isn't pulling his punches.
Man I remember doing the vault back when heavensward came out I was in a TeamSpeak at the time with some FC friends I end up doing the vault and when I finished I was like f*** this I'm going to bed see you all tomorrow and they laughed at me knowing exactly why was going to bed and why I decided to get off that night lol
"Why does this hurt...?"
Ishikawa: "Yes."
hey!, remember when in poe we all said " there's only more" ? yeah, buckle up my dude.
*ARR Ranking video* "Personally I kinda forgot about him...he didnt really make an impression on me"
I guess now you understand why people love him so much.
I think the first time I saw this scene it didn't really hit me how significant it was at first. I was still suspicious of every new character after the bloody banquet. I was like "why does this random noble family risk so much for me/us after I did 1 thing for haurchefant 1 time?" to the point of him laying down his life for us. but the moment I saw lord edmont break down I realized how important this moment was. that these are just genuinely good people who want the war to end. the writing got so good in heavensward that it's still my #2 expansion right after shadowbringers.
Haurchefaunt teaches us the importance of dodging mechanics.
Welcome in essence of FF14, tear ripping MSQ
Bro there several more scenes rip away at those heart strings.
Gracious....
The Vault is your first taste. Wait till you see the meal.
*nervous sweating*
This man who is not fully recognized as a fortempt went to his father a begged of him to grant you sanctuary despite everything. It just shows how much this man cared for not his potential title but for you and all the other people with convictions.
His men if you visit them at camp dragonhead and speak to them just after the vault are in a state of shock and denial and it hurts to see.
To rub more salt in the wound, that light spear also appears as a move in the Thordan EX trial fight, called Spear of the Fury, which was such a strong move (when Thordan EX was new) that I think either the entire party had to stand in a line in front of the targeted person to take the hit, or a tank with their invuln move had to stand in front. Even then, the affected person gets a debuff that practically nullifies healing on that character, hence why Alphinaud says he can't mend the wound.
The game excels at taking newly introduced characters and making you like them or get attached to them very quickly. Other games fail at this for entire expansions, FF will do it in one unvoiced scene. The scene with his father after is pretty heartbreaking. In GW2 I never cared about Trahearne, ever. But Tybalt? Sad apples.
I tell every sprout to enjoy the story at the end of the vault dungeon.
Someday I will be able to watch this without being affected... after how many times.... nope, forget it, always will be.
It's going to be that way because your tied into the game. It's very well done
I cannot wait to see you do the Shadowbringers Post MSQ. The feels …. If I could chose a memory to delete it would be to forget the story of the MSQ so I could play it again. It is soooo good
I can't wait for trauma!
oh boy, u r going to love Shadowbringers :v
It's almost been 9 years and it still hasn't gotten easier.
Even ready to walk into Dawntrail, this scene still hurts the same as it did my first run 😢
"Welcome to Heavansward".
You've just hit the "welcome to Heavensward" moment :) it will get better
Ooh, they expanded the death scene. The line about the wound not healing wasn't there in the beginning.
It was explained during gameplay that, that attack imposed a healing debuff, but a lot of people hadn't noticed it.
Fun fact, when paladins got the ability to block magic attacks with their shields, people connected it lore wise to the WoL remembering this moment and developing the technique.
I played this as a healer....it still hurts man.
The only game before this one that made me feel the emotion behind its story was Halo Reach. Its wasn’t so much that I was sad (playing the other games you know whats coming) its more the feeling that desperate struggle that was ultimately futile, and the determination to carry on regardless. But I was able to just continue playing anyway as it was ultimately still just a game to me.
For FFXIV, this moment was the first time I had to stop playing for a moment. I sat back in my chair, surprised by how much I gave a crap, I felt actual loss for Haurchefant. And I think it’s because, unlike other games where the character you play has their own story, or that your character isn’t really involved with the big events (a bit like wow, even though you and your group kill insert boss here), in FF your character’s journey is also your journey. A lot of us project ourselves onto our characters, and so we become a little more immersed in the story.
For me Haurchefant was like reliving the first time a game really, *truly* shocked and hurt me. Playing Phantasy Star 4 way back in the day, you come to a point where a character who's been there with you since the beginning and been a guiding force takes a hit for you, and you go on a desperate quest to find a cure. Only... when you return, it's too late, and they die in the main character's arms. As a teenager (yeah I'm probably the same age as our beloved caffiene father figure), it broke me. I didn't know games could DO that.
And then more than twenty years later, along came Haurchefant and it was like being that sobbing teenager all over again, having my heart broken. FFXIV is *so* good.
The story telling gets better and better.
A smile better suits a hero...
Brutal
"Fun" fact: even the FFXIV cookbook - the *cookbook*, of all things - has a little gut-punch regarding this scene.
There's a recipe for Knight's Bread which the Moogle narrator once learned about from a "nice Elezen with silver hair". However, even though the Moogle wanted to say hello during his travels, he hasn't been able to find him yet... and he hopes to run into him eventually, so he can try the cookbook's version of "his favorite snack".
:(