Hope's Confluence
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Hope's Confluence
- Quest giver
- Crystal Exarch
- Location
- The Crystarium (X:12.7, Y:11.2)
- Quest line
Post-Shadowbringers Main Scenario Quests
┗ The Voyage Home Quests- Level
- 80
- Experience
22,440- Gil
3,575- Previous quest
The Converging Light- Next quest
- Nothing Unsaid
- Patch
- 5.3
- Links
- EDB GT TC
Main Scenario Progress: 675 / 987 (68.4%)
Shadowbringers Progress: 134 / 157 (85.4%)
The Crystal Exarch is the very picture of resolve.
— In-game description
Rewards
- Unlocks
Steps
- Defeat the Warrior of Light.
- Speak with Ryne.
Journal
- On your signal, the Exarch lifts the ward, and together you stride into the Crystal Tower to meet with Elidibus.
※In the event that you leave the instance, you may reenter by speaking with the Crystarium sentry.
- As you wind your way up through the tower, your adversary's incessant summonings take an ever-heavier toll on your companion, eventually bringing him to his knees. His rapidly crystallizing body no longer able to keep up, the Exarch vows to hold the spectral warriors at bay while you go on alone─and so you do, hoping all the while that you will see him again.
- Some time later, you gain the tower's uppermost level, where you come face-to-face with Elidibus at last. In defiance of his fading memories, the Ascian clings to his name and duty, and takes unto himself the power of yet more heroes to arise as the Warrior of Light incarnate. In this puissant form, he unleashes a burst of all-consuming radiance at you, only to look on agog as you emerge unscathed. In your hand shines the constellation crystal you received from Hythlodaeus, while around you an array of arcane rings stand ready to summon champions from beyond the rift to your aid. The odds thus evened, you steel yourself for the decisive battle with your oldest foe.
※The Seat of Sacrifice can be accessed via the Duty Finder.
- The battle unfolds with neither side willing to yield an ilm, but it is ultimately you who delivers the final blow, bringing Elidibus to his knees. Defiant even in defeat, Elidibus proclaims his own immortality, only for the Exarch to arrive and play his promised trump card. Harnessing the Crystal Tower's vast reservoir of energy, he strips the primal of his power and entraps his scattered essence. Before the Ascian fades into oblivion, however, you choose to restore his lost memories to him, granting him a semblance of peace at the last.
- It is, by any measure, a historic victory, but one not without cost, for it soon becomes clear that the Exarch's exertions have taken a fatal toll. As what remains of his flesh turns into crystal, he begs one last favor of you: a journey together. Comforted by your answer, he entrusts to you his mind and memories before commencing his silent vigil...
- Rejoining your other comrades in the Exedra, you learn from Ryne that all has returned to normal in Norvrandt. Yet something clearly weighs upon her mind...
Dialogue
Accepting the quest
You are ready, then? Very well. I shall lift the ward.
What will you say?
It's time we finished this!
And finish it we shall. For no hero our foe could summon to his side shall ever compare to you! And...as for me...well, no ally you could summon to your side will ever try harder, that much I swear.
So come, my friend! Let's finish this─once and for all!
You know, it wasn't so long ago that I watched you seal the place up.
Hm? Ah, before I began my slumber, you mean? Ha! It seems rather longer to me. But yes, what strange symmetry.
This time, I break the seal, and I have no intention of locking myself away again.
Nay, together we will enter, and together we will leave - in triumph. So come, my friend. Let us be about it!
Start of voiced cutscene.Within the Crystal Tower
Not here either. We must keep climbing.
The Exarch collapses in pain, his legs turning to crystal. More spectral heroes are being summoned.
'Twas but a matter of time...
I cannot keep up with you. Nor will it avail us to make a stand here.
You must go on without me. Find Elidibus, and stop him.
Worry not, my friend.
Though I am no warrior, I have learned to hold my own over the years.
The Exarch stands back up.
When first we explored this tower, you and your fellow adventurers formed the van, while I was left to follow in your wake.
Suffice it to say, I was not best pleased with the arrangement. How I wished that I could join you...
And now I have, here where it all began.
I was right to trust in you and the power of your legacy ─ of your name. To let them guide my every deed.
For Elidibus is my name. And my mission. Guiding my every deed.
What will you say?
Why me?
Why you? Why not you? Had I chosen another, we would never have made it this far. Or do I mistake your meaning...?
Did you never consider other paths?
I did ─ but I chose not to walk them, thank the gods. Why ever would you ask me such a thing?
...Elidibus spoke in similar terms, you say? How curious.
To answer your questions, then, I made my choice for reasons which seemed obvious to me, but may not to any other.
There were the expectations I placed upon myself before beginning my slumber. And the expectations of those who roused me.
Of course, I had the choice to turn my back on the lot of it. But in the end, it was no choice at all.
I cherish the time I spent with you and the others. What I wouldn't give to return to those halcyon days...
Chasing ancient secrets, overcoming trial after trial with the aid of like-minded comrades...
And what remarkable comrades they were. In such company, I felt as if I were a character in the epic tales that had stirred my heart as a boy. As if my dream had come true...
It hadn't, of course, for I was no hero. Neither then nor after. Though the world to which I awakened, and the First were beset with myriad problems, I rarely knew how best to play my part.
There was, however, one thing of which I was certain: that I could not bear to let those dear to me meet a tragic end.
Many spectral heroes are summoned.
I'm afraid our time is up. Go.
Rest assured you haven't seen the last of me. I wouldn't dream of playing my trump card save in your presence.
The player continues on without the Exarch.
Break!
The Exarch immobilizes the spectral heroes.
At the top of the Crystal Tower, by Xande's throne. Elidibus holds the Exarch's spirit vessel.
Memories of a possible future...
Worthless, all. Worthless as memories of the only past. Fated to fray and fade into oblivion.
Leaving naught but a gaping void...
The player confronts Elidibus.
The Waking...Sands? ...Yes, that was the place. The place I first made myself known to you and yours.
The seventh Rejoining had left the realm listing dangerously towards Darkness. And events were unfolding that threatened to push it over the brink.
Thus did I approach you, in my capacity as emissary, thinking that you would make a useful pawn...
But I was wrong, and for my misstep did Lahabrea and Emet-Selch pay the ultimate price. Leaving me the last of the unsundered.
My remaining brethren, fragmented as they are, cannot hope to see our mission to its end. It falls to me alone.
Defeat is not an option. I will strike you down. I will resurrect Lord Zodiark. And I will bring back those who sacrificed themselves to call Him forth.
Though it take a thousand thousand years, upon my honor as Elidibus, emissary of the Convocation of Fourteen, I will see this done.
Start of flashback.
But know that his devotion is not without reason. Even if he himself can no longer remember what that reason is.
You worry too much, Elidibus. This dedication to your duty verges on obsession.
The player recalls the two unsundered Ascian masks on Gaius, then Lahabrea's and Emet-Selch's defeats.
What will you say?
Those who once relied upon you are no more.
However hard you struggle, you will never bring back the Convocation.
What of it!? I have my mission!
I am Elidibus! And it is my duty to steer mankind and the very star upon their true course. This I swore to...to someone.
We spoke, and I swore...what? What did I...?
Elidibus laughs.
This pain, this torment...is nothing! No more than must be suffered to deliver the world from its doom! No more than any of you malformed creatures have known!
Even should you lose all that is dear to you. Even should it cost you your life...
You bear the burden and fight on, kicking and screaming until your last breath is spent!
Aye, it's true. We've lost much and more. Known unimaginable suffering.
But through it all, we never, ever forgot what was dear to us. And that's what gave us the strength to carry on.
What will you say?
You've no fight left to fight.
I will put an end to this.
No! NO! It will not end here!
Elidibus begins summoning several spectral heroes.
Champions from beyond the rift, heed my call! The time is come to deliver your brethren from darkness!
My heart's sole desire is a world free of sorrow. Join with me now in hope and prayer...for the salvation of all!
The spectral heroes fuse with Elidibus, transforming him into the primal Warrior of Light.
If you would usher in the end, then with my all shall I oppose you...
...As the avatar of those mortal heroes who fought unfalteringly, in all their imperfection! As the Warrior of Light incarnate!
Come, Warrior of Darkness! Let us finish this!
Elidibus attacks the player. After the dust settles, the player's Azem crystal begins to glow.
What..?
A summoning circle for seven other party members surrounds the player.
???
Herein I commit the chronicle of the traveler. Shepherd to the stars in the dark.
Though the world be sundered and our souls set adrift, where you walk, my dearest friend, fate shall surely follow.
For yours is the Fourteenth seat ─ the seat of Azem.
An invocation of eld...though not of Hydaelyn's making... What are you?
No ─ it matters not! You are the enemy, and you will fall! Even should it cost me everything, I will not forsake my duty!
The Seat of Sacrifice now accessible
End of cutscene.
Defeat the Warrior of Light
Start of voiced cutscene.For my people—for our world, I will strike you down.
End of cutscene.
This battle shall be our last.
Begone, spawn of shadow!
The Warrior of Light imbues his blade with blizzard!
The Warrior of Light imbues his blade with fire!
Darkness must be destroyed!
Gleaming steel, light my path!
Hmph... Even with all this power, it seems I am hard-pressed to lay you low.
No matter. If you will not fall, then you will be banished instead!
Rift swallow you!
Here where we Ascians have been forced to retreat time and again, you will meet your demise.
Struggle all you like. Even should you break free, there is no way back.
Optional dialogue
If anyone fails the Active Time Maneuver
In this place you will drift forevermore. Farewell, hero.
Start of voiced cutscene.You clutch the crystal of Azem to your breast and wish upon it with all your heart.
And so it ends. In unceremonious silence.
An Amaurotine specter appears.
You... It cannot be...
The specter re-summons the party. They then walk away, waving their right arm, revealing themselves to be Emet-Selch.
To me, Warriors of Light!
I am salvation given form...
Mankind's first hero...and his final hope!
For victory, I render up my all!
End of cutscene.
Your demise will be our salvation!
Transcend your limits and weather the gathering storm!
You still stand. Very well...
In the name of the Light!
For the sake of our world!
Haaah!
To the ashes whence you came!
Death rain upon you!
I will destroy you!
I shall transcend you!
The Warrior of Light is transcending his limits!
My soul knows no surrender!
Hope, grant me strength!
Feel the pain!
Cleansing water, wash away evil!
Lend me your strength, my servants!
I'll cut 'em down to size!
My duty... No, not yet!
Optional dialogue
If a DPS limit break is used when the boss is not casting an action
Clad in prayer, I am invincible!
Post-duty cutscene
Start of voiced cutscene. Fool! You have achieved nothing! I am immortal, and I will never surrender!
The Exarch immobilizes Elidibus.
Elidibus. So fixated were you on my memories of the future, you failed to heed the lessons of the past.
Your obsession blinded you to the true nature of this tower ─ this beacon of hope for mankind.
Created to serve as a reservoir for the limitless energy of the heavens! To harness and bind the boundless ─ not unlike white auracite!
Your ill-begotten power, obtained by exploiting that which is best in us... I shall have it, your soul and all!
The Crystal Tower glows brightly while the Exarch casts the binding spell. During it, his body continues to crystallize, but the player assists him. Elidibus's primal form dissipates, along with the starshowers. Elidibus now has the form of a white robed Amaurotine with a red mask. He sees the crystals of the Convocation members on the floor.
This...
Yes... I would become Him. I would save everyone. This I believed. Yet still they cried out, in rage and despair...
Divided─over the fate of the star. A rare occurrence, always fleeting. But not this time. Not this time...
Reconciliation. Elidibus. I was needed. I withdrew myself from Zodiark. For them...
My people. My brothers. ...My friends.
Stay strong. Keep the faith. At duty's end, we will meet again. We will. We will.
The rains have ceased, and we have been graced with another beautiful day. But you are not here to see it.
Elidibus dissipates into aether that is absorbed into the tower. The player collects the Exarch's spirit vessel. The Exarch collapses.
I concede, I may have overexerted myself.
Steady now, and listen. I told you before that I had a plan, and that when all was said and done, I would ask a favor of you.
We have averted the Eighth Umbral Calamity. Found a way for everyone to return to the Source, and...last but not least, we have secured the future of all the people of Norvrandt. We have won, my friend.
So I hope you'll forgive me this moment of selfishness. And...while I wouldn't want you to feel obliged...
Promise me you'll take me on your next adventure. A journey. Together. That's all I ask.
What will you say?
I promise.
You could've asked me earlier!
If I were to tell you that this isn't the end ─ that we will meet again ─ would you believe me?
The player shows the Exarch's spirit vessel.
Thank you.
The Exarch puts his hood back on, collects his staff, and walks to the middle of the room.
My friend. With you, my mind and memories shall travel to the ends of the world and beyond. But in this place shall my body stand immovable.
May it serve as an undying promise, not only to those who looked to me for leadership, but to any soul who has known despair, that hope is everlasting.
The Exarch's spirit vessel glows. His body then crystallizes entirely. The Scions and Ryne arrive.
There the Exarch would remain, keeping his silent vigil.
When the Scions were not released from his summoning spell, we proceeded with the plan to return them to the Source.
The Warrior of Darkness, however, retained his ability to traverse the two worlds at will.
And in time the Crystal Tower became a symbol of his/her link to the First ─ and of hope.
End of cutscene.
Optional dialogue
Sometimes, I wish that I too had been gifted with the Echo. Then I might see what you have seen and glimpse into your heart without the need for words.
Ere we descended from the throne room, I did chance upon an object which, if I have the right of it, did once ─
...Hm. M-Mine apologies. Mayhap now is not an appropriate time. Let us speak of it later.
Shortly after you left, we observed that our enemy's ranks were no longer being replenished ─ presumably when your absence was noted. So we polished them off and came as quickly as we could.
...Which is to say, not quickly enough. But then you had the Exarch for company, didn't you, and you could ask for no better than that.
At such moments, it is hard to know what to say...
...Are you all right, my friend?
...Are you all right, my friend?
You did well, Forename ─ you and the Exarch...
Speak with Ryne
...Hm? Am I all right? I should be the one asking you...
But yes, I'm fine, thank you. We all are.
The people are fine, the city's fine, and the starshowers have stopped.
It's almost as if we'd gone back to the peaceful days that followed the night's return. Almost.
