Final Fantasy XIV‘s latest update saw Square Enix give serious gamers a new “ultimate” raid to conquer. The last few days have been a whirlwind as groups attempt to be first to complete the raid known as Dragonsong’s Reprise, and new developments regarding the potential revival of a beloved ally have only heightened the community’s excitement.
Dragonsong’s Reprise is revisited skywardthe 2015 expansion, which is still considered the pinnacle of the Final Fantasy XIV Story. Among other things, skyward exalted Haurchefant Greystone, the bastard son of an Ishgardian nobleman who quickly befriends the player, from minor character to fan favorite. Tragically, this friendship is cut short when Haurchefant protects the warrior of light from a surprise attack and succumbs to his injuries in one of the games the most touching cutscenes. He is beautiful and he is my friend.
When Haurchefant’s death was a pivotal moment in the skyward Storyline, of course, players will relive that tragedy during Dragonsong’s Reprise. However, instead of playing over a cutscene, the heist features Haurchefant’s victims mechanically. He emerges during a deadly enemy attack to protect the party, who can only watch as his health bar drops to zero.
But players are convinced there’s more to Haurchefant’s guest appearance than meets the eye.
Take for example the quest text of Dragonsong’s Reprise, which speaks of an “alternate ending” in which “a dear comrade is spared his tragic fate”. Who else could that mean, Haurchefant-truthers said to themselves, if not the good boy himself?
It felt like almost everyone was convinced it had to be this way something in Dragonsong’s Reprise, which would allow people to reinterpret the moments leading up to Haurchefant’s death. We just had to wait for high-level players to get far enough into the raid to learn more.
That dam burst last night when raid group Thoughts Per Second uploaded mysterious footage of their behind-closed-doors attempts. At one point, the clip teased, Dragonsong’s Reprise features a cutscene of a clock turning backwards, accompanied by narration that mentions “a song of transcending imagination.”
Unlike other groups, the members of Thoughts Per Second do not stream their gameplay, leaving viewers to speculate again. The leading theory was that reaching a certain point in Dragonsong’s Reprise would turn back time to an earlier battle, giving the raider groups another opportunity to rescue Haurchefant.
Further developments came just over an hour ago courtesy of Krile, another leading raid group. After completing the fourth stage boss fight, Krile was treated to the same cutscene shared yesterday and returned to the moment they were saved by Haurchefant.
The group’s surprise at this turn of events was captured live, but with no one knowing what to do, they resorted to the strategies they had already learned from the encounter. They beat the boss, watched Haurchefant die, and then were thrown back into the normal course of the heist. Whatever had to be done in the new time loop apparently didn’t happen.
Again, there are numerous theories about the correct procedure. Keen-eyed viewers pointed out that once you go back in time, the group’s Limit Break meter expands from two stocks to three, indicating that deploying a powerful Level 3 Limit Break may be required to take down Haurchefant rescue. Whether that means shielding him with a tank limit break or reviving him with a heal limit break remains to be seen, but conserving that energy will make stages that players thought they figured out much harder.
Until now, raid groups are still fighting with Dragonsong’s Reprise. Krile spent a little time repeating the initial Haurchefant stage for clues on how to save him the second time, but to no avail. It looks like, as always, people will have to fight their way through the raid through trial and error to learn more, and those of us who don’t have the skills to try it out ourselves just have to cheer them on.
If you want to join too, visit the Twitch stream MogTalk for a live look at the progress of multiple groups.
Raids like Dragonsong’s Reprise are literal retellings of previous adventures, narrated to players by a substitute NPC Final Fantasy XIV Producer Naoki Yoshida, known as the Wandering Minstrel. Even though you’re actually there, this bard often exaggerates your stories, which is why the re-battles are much tougher than the first time. As such, any reversal of fate will likely remain wishful thinking rather than a new plot point in the game’s overarching story.
Regardless of the outcome, it’s just nice to imagine a world where Haurchefant still exists.
