As an avid Final Fantasy fan, I‘ve eagerly awaited the epic conclusion to FF16‘s gripping tale. Now having played through the ending, I‘m thrilled to provide fellow fans an in-depth guide explaining everything that goes down in this dramatic, multifaceted climax.
Strap yourself in – this is going to be quite the wild ride!
Table of Contents
- Gods and Their Grand Plan
- Humanity Rises, Gods Slumber
- Clive Rosfield – The Mythos
- March Towards The Inevitable
- Ultimate Showdown
- Aftermath and Implications
- A Fitting Finale
Gods and Their Grand Plan
Final Fantasy 16 revolves around the cyclical struggle between the divine and mystical Blight. As described in ancient Valisthean texts:
"And so rageth the Tall; the Blight, upon creation itself. All that meeteth its terrible gaze withereth to dust…" (Act I)
To escape this existential threat in their original realm, sixteen surviving gods travel to the land of Valisthea seeking refuge. But the Blight relentlessly follows them even here.
With paradise still out of grasp, these gods conceive an unprecedented ritual – to forge an entire new world as their haven, impregnable by Blight.
As outlined in tapestries across Valisthea‘s Mothercrystal sites, this grand plan has two key requirements:
Tremendous amounts of magical energy – to fuel the realm-creating ritual spell itself.
A suitable vessel – a container powerful enough to harness this vast energy without self-destructing.
To satisfy both, the gods simultaneously:
Become Mothercrystals: Colossal clusters of crystallized divine essence buried underground. Their purpose – slowly extract and accumulate magical energy called Aether from Valisthea‘s natural environment.
Create humanity: Imbuing select humans with the resilience and fortitude to contain the upcoming magical overflow. These individuals are called Mythos.
And so, the endgame is set in motion – Mothercrystals extracting Aether while Mythos develop to maturity. Then the gods would possess the Mythos as vessels, unleash the stored magic to birth a Blight-less paradise, and finally inhabit this new heaven eternally.
At least, that was the idea…but the best laid plans often go awry.
Humanity Rises, Gods Slumber
To enable the Mothercrystals to maximize Aether harvests, the gods also take another drastic step – voluntarily plunging themselves into deep hibernation, while relinquishing direct control over humanity and Valisthea:
"The archons had pronounced their judgement fair, and saw fit to remove themselves unto the earth that the crystals be unencumbered in their calling. So slumbered the Sixteen as ages flowed…" (Prologue)
Unfortunately, this lapse in divine oversight allows unforeseen complications to brew.
Human sovereign nations and intense rivalries emerge, with borders frequently redrawn in bloody wars.
Political shuffling leads to entire communities getting abruptly uprooted or dissolved.
Rampant use of magic, once strictly regulated by the gods, now triggering uncontrolled mutations.
By the time the gods eventually awaken, chaos reigns with humanity scattered to the winds. What‘s worse – people have developed egos, wills and purposes of their own in the interim.
In short, what was once an obedient homogenous crop ripe for harvesting has evolved into a wayward, heterogeneous mess no longer conducive as mere soulless vessels for divine schemes.
"Mayhaps it was a misstep, allowing Men to tread their own path all these centuries." (Ultima)
While the gods slept, humanity found freedom – and with it, new masters to serve in themselves.
Clive Rosfield – The Mythos
Against this fraught backdrop, we meet our protagonist – Clive Rosfield, anointed the First Shield of Rosaria by Archduke Grandshelt.
While defending his liege lord Hugo Kupka, Clive‘s latent powers as a Mythos are violently awakened when Hugo transforms into the raging fire Eikon, Ifrit. Helplessly watching his sworn brother and king roast alive his brother Joshua, Clive unleashes a successful reprisal – but at the cost of Rosaria‘s total destruction.
Now exiled, Clive spends three years as a mercenary while seeking revenge alongside his sole surviving kin – Joshua. Through this, he encounters the enigmatic Phoenix and earns her blessing through combat.
Ultimately, in a pivotal showdown Clive also defeats the Lord of Inferno Ifrit himself and gains mastery over his flames. And observing silently from the shadows is none other than the manipulative god in deep slumber – Ultima.
"…this mortal alone prevails. Single-handedly he quells Ifrit‘s flames! The time is nigh, my kindred. Our vessel has ripened." (Ultima)
With Ifrit fallen, the Mothercrystal binding his spirit is demolished as well by this clash, sending ripples across Valisthea. Watching Clive‘s rising strength through her limited connection to the mortal plane, Ultima marks him as the Mythos destined to actualize their stalled ambitions.
The first phase is complete – a suitable vessel stands ready. Next, Ultima manipulates events to use Clive‘s might for rapidly tearing through other Mothercrystals and stockpiling their Aether for the final ritual.
March Towards The Inevitable
Fast forward a few key story beats and Clive now wields three full Eikons under his control – Phoenix, Ifrit and Titan, acquired by defeating the Lord of Earth itself at King Barnabas‘ behest. He has also built strong bonds with childhood companion Jill Warrick and her brother Joshua.
However, tragedy strikes when Joshua is seemingly murdered by foreign operatives. Overcome by rage, a grieving Clive loses control and conjures Ifrit‘s hellfire, burning down an entire city district in retribution.
Wracked by guilt, Clive departs on a quest for redemption. But unbeknownst to him, matters unfold exactly as orchestrated by the watcher in the shadows – Ultima.
You see, the Joshua slain was but an illusion spun by the Lord of Lies, wearing his face. The real Joshua is whisked away on Ultima‘s instructions to unlock long hidden truths that will push Clive further down the path of ruin.
And as Clive departs to fight his inner demons, he also leaves behind Jill – now revealed as the dormant Eikon of Light, a fact known to Ultima. By systematically removing Clive‘s support structures, Ultima schemes to isolate and corner him as the final Mythos suitable for godly inhabitation.
"All unfolds as I foretold. The hour of reckoning is close at hand!" (Ultima)
Ultimate Showdown
In the epic final chapters, Clive returns from his sojourn to witness utter calamity engulfing his homeland – courtesy of Ultima‘s end stage.
Entire regions are overrun by ravenous blightspawn armies led by Greater Eikons like Bahamut. Mothercrystals across continents crumble successively, churning Aether flow into deadly temporal instability. Jill lies comatose, kept alive but only barely.
And the architect behind this creeping doomsday – Ultima herself – finally emerges to pronounce that humanity‘s end marks creation‘s genesis.
"Rejoice, mortal flesh, for thy dissolution heralds the birth of a new world…Thy purpose fulfilled, thy use expired!" (Ultima)
Wading through the chaos, a determined Clive fights his way into the blight-consumed royal capital where Joshua awaits. His brother reveals everything unearthed during captivity under Ultima and Liesa:
Ancient tablets, ritual notes and arcane diagrams detail the gods‘ grand plan to assimilate Mythos like Clive before launching their magical new world birthing ritual.
To fuel this planet-sized spell, the gods will force a cataclysmic release of Aether energy harvested within the Mothercrystals network…now dangerously destabilized after Clive‘s unchecked rampages.
Channeling this massive magical deluge first requires Ultima to merge with her divine kin already evoked from their slumber.
Finally, Ultima seeks to inhabit Clive as the sole Mythos vessel capable of directing the chaos without perishing immediately.
In other words – cosmic-scale genocide by opening magical dams around the land, flowing into a god-fusion seeking Clive‘s body as final puzzle piece to ascend creation itself!
Confronted by this apocalyptic truth, Clive rushes to face the ultimatum – submit…or see reality unravel around him. And thus the stage is set for FF16‘s final, visually stunning showdown between the indomitable wills of man and divine.
Aftermath and Implications
What follows next is a multi-phase battle for the fate of Eikons, humanity and Valisthea itself that blurs the lines between physical, magical and spiritual realities. Both Clive and Ultima wield strength drawing from allies and belief…as well testing the limits of their own conviction.
In the end – through perseverance and his unbreakable connection to those he cherishes – Clive prevails over the ruthless goddess hellbent on total extermination of mortals. However, victory carries dire costs…the land now lies ravaged by unchecked Aetheric forces.
Furthermore, having witnessed the sheer extent of destruction magic is capable of, Clive takes it upon himself to purge it entirely from Valisthea – by destroying the Mothercrystals altogether. This final sacrificial act stabilizes the environment but also claims Clive‘s own life.
"Magic is too dangerous – it needs to go. I would give my life, both now and forever. This is my duty as lord commander." (Clive)
In the closing scenes, mourning allies hold out hope Clive survives as a shooting star streaks across the sky…a bittersweet coda capping this wistful JRPG tale.
So in summary – FF16‘s climax centers on themes like hubris, costs of power, free will vs predetermination and self-sacrifice for the greater good. It sees myths and legends fade as civilizations ebb and flow…but resilience and goodness persist nonetheless.
A Fitting Finale
As a hardcore RPG veteran, I found Final Fantasy 16‘s climax deeply poignant and thematically rich. It hits narrative beats veterans would expect – world ending stakes, god-slaying battles etc – but shapes them with restraint and emotion.
Despite his power, Clive remains grounded and guided by bonds to family. Unlike other entries, gods here aren‘t depicted as simply heroes gone rogue…but as fundamentally detached from human condition. This lends more complexity and tragedy to the conflict.
instead of depicting gods as detached from human condition. This lends more complexity and tragedy to the conflict.
Addition of framing devices like lore books and oral retellings also remind that what we witnessed shall too pass into myth and memory…mirroring our own real world legends shaped through millennia.
While FF16‘s overall ending remains unambiguous, these motifs hint at life renewing amidst ruins…with future generations inheriting both stories and resolutions paid for by difficult sacrifices of past heroes.
And that poignantly bittersweet note on the cyclical nature of existence is what makes Final Fantasy 16‘s final chapters so thematically resonant. I believe series fans and RPG connoisseurs will find much herein to unpack and muse over for times to come!
