Ixion is Come! (06/06/2008)

[Spira]

im pretty sure there are only 5 terrestrial avatars.. they probably never explicitly did say 5, but it was an implied number when Diabolos (in a CoP CS) goes ahead and names all the terrestrial avatars in the CS, and even explains what they represent.
Carbuncle, Fenrir, Diabolos, Phoenix and Bahamut..
I'm pretty sure it is Diabolos who states that Bahamut has the power to control time and space.

The 5 of them supposedly protect the mothercrystals.. so 1 for each i guess...

[Reapz]

They are going to have to make up another set of avatars anyway aren't they? Atomos looks like an avatar and I don't remember him being Celestial or Terrestrial, so Ixion can fit into that category. I still think they are going to announce Alexander as a surprise in patch notes, just make him smaller and immobile with all his attacks/bp's being ranged ones. They can't say what they said in that final toau cs and just leave it at that.

[blue]

Maybe the meteor thing in the sky contains some Mothercrystalsalike
and since it is near enough to the planet the Avatars can manifest on
the planet.
So what about extra-terrestrial avatars?

[Reapz]

So what about extra-terrestrial avatars?

!

[Imitarate]

A few things about avatars, including Odin/Alex, including a TAU story spoiler...
[spoiler:1u75qbj1]In actuality, what we think of as the "true" avatar isn't an avatar at all -- it's a GOD; perhaps not quite on the level of Altana and Promathia, but divine beings nonetheless. All we as players and summoners ever deal with IS the avatars of these gods; it's probably overanalyzing the language of a translation to base this on the actual term "avatar," which implies a representative of an idea (or, in D&D, a god!), but even when we fight the strongest versions of the entities in question, all we're fighting are Avatar Primes -- the being itself remains slumbering in the depths of the crystal the whole time. All of what we fight, even in Waking the Beast, and all that we summon are fragments of a sleeping god's power.

So, OF COURSE they're not going to seem especially self-motivated. Alex and Odin are, but they've been awake for some time -- their TRUE, godly selves. The fragments they send to do their bidding are representations. The final Dark Rider is as much Luzaf as it is Odin, from what I got out of the story there.

The terrestrial avatars seem to follow different rules entirely. Wasn't Bahamut asleep for some time before CoP starts? If so, it's likely because he CHOSE slumber, and was thus able to awake from it unassisted when certain forces disturbed him. Diabolos is nothing BUT asleep, in a way, but that doesn't seem to stop him. This is why I don't believe that Fenrir was ever really dead; he put too much power into Karaha-Baruha, and when the great summoner died, he was thrown into a sort of healing sleep.[/spoiler:1u75qbj1]

Obviously some of this isn't implicitly supported by in-game text, but I think my conclusions are logical enough based on the information we do get, and observation.

[Ashira]

A few things about avatars, including Odin/Alex, including a TAU story spoiler...

Too much, way too early. /yawn

[Pergo]

i read the last few pages and didn't see anyone see this but... around when wotg was announced, SE flashed an image on their "live vanadiel" webcam. it was rumored that it would be the boxart for the game, but it turns out it was an original ffxi artwork with the wotg label slapped on it....

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...PPJ/wogbox.jpg

to the left of the logo you can see ixion.... he sorta looks like fenrir, but the horn definetly shows that it ixion.

this makes me wonder, since they said they were trying to add 2 avatars, what could the other be, and is it in this picture? to the right you can see bahamut and i think ifrit, but i don't know what the black thing on the left is.

ps: i'm trying to find the whole picture

[Reapz]

Looks like Sin from FFX or Kujata, I dunno lol

[Pergo]

i found the thread where i mentioned this before http://bluegartr.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=21600

it's funny because people actually mention ixion lol

later in the thread, someone links the full HQ image, http://www.finalfantasytr.com/artwor...11/limited.jpg

it's an amazing picture and its interesting because i still don't know what the thing NW of ixion is.... i initially thought the thing to the right of altana was bahamut, but it looks like odin on slepnir... but then there's another polearm-man on a horse slightly below altana

[Spira]

ah yes.. that is the back cover of the FFXI limited edition OST..
and the full extent of the picture we all seem rather familiar with now..

I wouldnt put so much thought into it because the picture was drawn and released to public before Zilart was released. Evidently at that point i don't think ToA was planned into the universe because its not on that map..

however, that said, WotG does focus on the crystal war which is the back story of the original core FFXI and perhaps they had planned more complicated elements to this history but left them out for simplicity sake in the core game because they knew we wouldnt be able to interact with these elements anyway...

Imitarate>

[spoiler:18wulfhv]what you said is actually supported in part by in-game text. If you have done Waking the Beast and avatar quests in general.. Carbuncle (i think hes the one) refers to the celestial avatars as Sleeping Gods. Their power is acknowledged by referring to them as gods. The celestials on the other hand, refer to Carbuncle as a false god.. which probably implies that Carbuncle is a divine being, but not the one they respect.. They claim to give the player power because he is the Divided God, that is, Promathia, whose emptiness resides in every one of us. The only divine being they don't mention (which we knew of at that point) really is Altana.. but to some extent, we know from the japanese Vana'diel tribune stories that the sleeping gods were called to their position by Altana herself... (some people don't seem to accept this as canon but i dont see why not)

so, to summarize..
celestial and terrestrial avatars are gods in FFXI. lesser gods than Promathia and Altana, certainly.. but of immense power.

All the battles in the game featuring avatars are fights with fragments of their power only - except for Bahamut.
You can kinda tell by their death animation. They unsummon. Only Bahamut doesn't do this... and you don't kill him, you only defeat him in battle..[/spoiler:18wulfhv]

[Abraxas]

Looks like Sin from FFX or Kujata, I dunno lol

also kinda looks like Hades from FFVII

[Burnsy]

Looks like Sin from FFX or Kujata, I dunno lol

also kinda looks like Hades from FFVII

Or a side view of Promathia... which would make sense with the Shadow Lord's power growing, and the old struggle between good/evil comes to a head once again. But that black thing has wings, and some kinda helmet when u really get in close and squint.




Ya my monitor has noseprints, wut.

[Toth]

As Spira mentioned, when we 'summon avatars', we are merely calling forth an astral projection of them to fight with us. Our 'level' restricts how much of the avatar's strength we can call. Their real forms are encased in those crystalline structures within their protocrystals.

[Lordshin]

Looks like Sin from FFX or Kujata, I dunno lol

also kinda looks like Hades from FFVII

Or a side view of Promathia... which would make sense with the Shadow Lord's power growing, and the old struggle between good/evil comes to a head once again. But that black thing has wings, and some kinda helmet when u really get in close and squint.




Ya my monitor has noseprints, wut.

That had me burt out laughing xD thanks for making my morning

Also... what is that fuzzy thing between Ixion and Altana? and Blue thing under ifrit and over what looks like qufim >.>... also farr right next to Bahamut, looks like a sylph-type thing

that picture is amazing...

[EternalSnow]

It could be possible that xion is from the comet. May be he is some sort of outer space avatar. I mean how else would you explain it. ;p

[yrpaine]

I had to post this just because this is what i thought after first few posts:
http://www.wizards.com/global/images...hundermare.jpg

[Kenji]

Here we go again...

Celestials (Ifrit, Ramuh, etc.) are gods. The avatar primes are their representives. Ramuh Prime was once known as Ramuh, and actual person. He become the representive of the elemental force of thunder/lightning. The "God," if you want to call it that, is the element of thunder/lightning itself. Alex and Odin are the true light/dark of this group. That's why this group all has constellations, because they are truly Celestial.

Terrestials are normal creatures that were born on Vanadiel. They aquired their power as they grew. That is why they are called false gods, because they aren't really gods. They are just beings that aquired a lot of power during the early years of Vanadiel. You can see this with the word "Terrestial" itself. It means referring to the Earth (or in this case, Vanadiel).

So that leaves us with Atomos, Cait Sith, and now possibly Ixion. We haven't been given much information, but I'm going along with the general assumption that they are a 3rd class of avatars. A meteor from another planet (time, dimension,etc.) could bring a new group of avatars. Or perhaps they are other Gods, in personal service to Altana, who have remainded hidden up til now. Time will tell.

However, in the story, the soldier clearly knows Ixion's name, so at least that one had appeared before.

[EternalSnow]

I want Xion to be the Avatar so badly =(

[Lordshin]

well remember WotG's theme is basically "Things Forgotten" so what may have been known during the war may not be known after

And yeah i remember that terrestrials were said to basically be mutations of Vana'diel's animals so i dont see why Ixion cant be terrestrial... cuz afaik Diabolos could have been mentioning the 5 terrestrial avatars that guard the Mothercrystals and there could be others doinf their own thing. i mean Quon and Mindartia arent the only continents in Vana'diel

[GuntarHolyFlame]

I had to post this just because this is what i thought after first few posts:
http://www.wizards.com/global/images...hundermare.jpg

Good ole Weatherlight expansion. How things have changed since then.

Also, it's a good thing SE didn't name the spell "Haste" similarly.
...
Guntar starts casting Unaffected By Summoning Sickness.
Guntar casts Unaffected By Summoning Sickness.
Guntar gains the effect of Unaffected By Summoning Sickness!
...
I'd be willing to bet a single macro line couldn't fit the command line:
/ma "Unaffected By Summoning Sickness" <stpc>
loltastic :D