The Worst World To Live In

[Forsaken Lover]

Which FF world would be the best to live in?
Second best?
Etc.
Which would be he absolute wrost to live in?

Basically which planet could you live a nice, long happy life on. And then just keep going down from there to the place where you'd be totally f**ked since everything be destroyed or just plain depressing.

[Wolf Kanno]

Going from best to worst.

Best-

Spira (FFX) - So if I die, I either get sent to a paradise world in the Farplane, reincarnate into a snazzy monster that can eat people, or transform into snazzy Jedi Zombie that can't be killed and is 10x more powerful than when I was alive? Seriously, why are people fearing death in this title again? When you kinda have a guarantee how the afterlife works, I can't imagine why death is considered a big deal anymore. Despite the rampant death, its trauma is negated by the afterlife system being more cool than terrible.

FFVIII - Except for the proxy wars and the Lunar Cry, VIII probably has the most peaceful world in the series. Even when cities are taken over it doesn't feel like a big deal like it does in other worlds.

FFV - Ignoring the global Crystal crisis and that one tiny moment when most of the world got swallowed by the Void, V has a pretty damn happy and friendly world. Even the places that got destroyed come back the same as before and except for having to relearn where everything is, its a pretty big and epic world.

Blue Planet (FFIV) - One Imperial power causing problems and another crystal conspiracy but only three locations get wiped off the map and at least two can be recovered. Half the cities get smacked around but nothing as bad as other titles.

FFIII - Most of the world is frozen in time and pretty much every city has some asshole servant of Xande stirring crap up but half of them are laughable while the other is actually pretty serious. Most of the monsters are just causing havoc and there is very little actual bloodshed to speak of except for a few locations. More annoying than terrible in my opinion.

FFXII - Wars, monsters that want to eat you and others that want to transform you into undying servants... It has a lot of potential for greatness but also has some pretty terrible scenarios as well. Though the afterlife is kinda known, it seems more like a bleak existence to me...

FFII - Evil empire that brutally conquers its territories, lets monster loose around the world and kidnaps and brainwashes war victims to become their soldiers. Not a very happy game until Emperor Mateus is gone.

FFVII - Another brutal regime that uses brutal methods to conquer and keep secrets. Half the world is already in bad shape thanks to Shin-Ra and even death isn't much of a comfort cause they use the souls of the dead to power people's electric toothbrushes. Meteor and the WEAPONS are pretty nasty diversions but I feel Shin-Ra has done more to make VII a bleak world. Even their destruction probably caused more harm than good.

FFIX - Wars, Mist powered monsters, Civilization is kinda small and holding onto a thread by the end thanks to ever major city being destroyed. Most of the planet is uninhabitable and you've got aliens killing you and then screwing you out of the cycle of life and your chances of reincarnation... IX's world sucks. There are still a few untouched and peaceful places but most of the world is in pretty bad shape when its all over and once the Ilfa Tree gets destroyed most of the world's Mist powered technology goes with it.

Worst -

FFVI - Oppressive Imperial empire with a psycho clown brutally destroying crap as well as performing unethical genetic experiments. Release of ultra powerful Espers and monsters that wreck havoc on the entire planet. Entire planet gets destroyed, monsters mutate into super monsters, mad man playing god and destroying towns, huge population lost and mass extinction. Even with Kefka gone and his will no longer hampering the planet from recovery, it doesn't change the fact that most of the planet got destroyed and turned into a bleak 80's post apocalyptic world. Its the War of the Magi on repeat.

[Christmas]

FF VII ---> Honey Bee Inn FTW~~~:bigsmile:

[Mirage]

Vana diel!

Idk, FF8's world is pretty neat


FF9's would be pretty annoying

[Forsaken Lover]

Spira (FFX) - So if I die, I either get sent to a paradise world in the Farplane, reincarnate into a snazzy monster that can eat people, or transform into snazzy Jedi Zombie that can't be killed and is 10x more powerful than when I was alive? Seriously, why are people fearing death in this title again? When you kinda have a guarantee how the afterlife works, I can't imagine why death is considered a big deal anymore. Despite the rampant death, its trauma is negated by the afterlife system being more cool than terrible.

Your FFX hate is showing. >>

People probably fear death in Spira for the same reason they fear death in real life; it's human. It doesn't matter if you kow, or think you know, there's Heaven after you die. You still don't want to die.

And thinking about it more unselfishly, I'm sure the possibility of starting a family and then having your kids killed by the giant unstoppable monster is a source of great fear.

Honestly Spira as of FFX is the most depressing and grim place to be in any FF game short of the World of Ruin.

[Loony BoB]

FFX seems pretty crap to me, too. I mean, you could turn into a monster that can be killed if you aren't "sent", right? Something like that. I forget.

FFVII's world was okay but nothing special, it was the story that made it great. FFVIII's world seemed nice, I gotta say. I'd probably go with that, off the top of my head.

[Raistlin]

FFI would be pretty bad (though maybe not FFIX bad). How many random encounter enemies have insta-kill attacks in that game?

I agree with WK that FFVIII's world would be pretty nice, despite being FFVIII.

[Depression Moon]

IX and X go up for the worst places to live. There are no care to get around and in X during the events of X you had to live in fear every ten years when a demonic whale that's the size of a football stadium ressurrects itself.

I agree with out of the ones I've played VIII's probably isn't the worst. I'd have to go with VI though man. man would I hate to have been Cid on that deserted island with Celes.

[Wolf Kanno]

Your FFX hate is showing. >>

People probably fear death in Spira for the same reason they fear death in real life; it's human. It doesn't matter if you know, or think you know, there's Heaven after you die. You still don't want to die.

And thinking about it more unselfishly, I'm sure the possibility of starting a family and then having your kids killed by the giant unstoppable monster is a source of great fear.

Honestly Spira as of FFX is the most depressing and grim place to be in any FF game short of the World of Ruin.

Like I was going to miss a chance to slam the game? ;)

In all seriousness though, I can't really buy into this.You have an incredibly well documented idea of how the afterlife works (and for the sake of not complicating this any further, we won't mention X-2 and how it basically says the Farplane is like the Lifestream) the worst case scenario is you turn into a monster and even then, you just get killed again and either become a new fiend or finally pass on.

The problem with fearing death in X is that Spira's been doing it for 1000 years and culturally, I can't buy into them not being jaded by this point, especially since the afterlife is physically happening around you. Your animalistic need to survive still justifies a sense of fear but we've got people moping around as though death in the world of Spira is becoming non-existent. Seriously, the afterlife sounds more interesting than actually being alive in this world, where I huddle in a small building praying someone else will die for me so I don't have to, when in reality, death in that world is actually the true freedom.

Despite utterly hating Seymour, I hate to admit he's the only character in the world who actually makes any sense. The culture of Spira still acts like Sin is a new phenomena but really? After a thousand years of putting up with this stuff, you would think the culture would have been far more emotionally disconnected and have a rich philosophy around the perfection of death as opposed to staying in fear of it.

I can't say a world really sucks to live in when the consequences of death are hardly bad. You know what's going to happen, you've already seen the afterlife and know its a pretty snazzy place, you can still interact with the world and if your will is strong enough you can actually continue on with your life as though nothing has happened. Where is the bad deal here?

The only reason VII and IX are ranked lower despite also having definitive afterlife's is because a big part of the plot involves the bad guys screwing with the afterlife. Being undead, turning into a monster until you get killed and sent, or even going to Farplane does not sound as bad to me as being brutally killed and then getting screwed out of the cycle of reincarnation cause one company wants to use your soul to power the lights on at a strip club and the other world has your souls being ejected out of the planet to make room for alien souls and has you also turned into a mutagen power source that is more bane than good.

To me, dying in the X world is the least of your problems in that game. The whole afterlife system really took the drama out of the whole Sin deal for me cause dying was not a bad thing in X. To be fair, I am an individual who doesn't really fear dying as I feel there are worst fates that can happen to you.

[Forsaken Lover]

Yunalesca's speech explains quite clearly why the people of Spira haven't become cold, detached psychopaths. They always had hope. For a thousand years Sin has been killing them all and for a thousand years they were promised it wold end someday. They believed this promise so to them, Sin wasn't "an inevitable part of Spira's destiny." It was something that could be fought and conquered. They truly believed this.

...only it couldn't. At leas tnot the way they were told. So with every destruction of Sin they gained about ten years of hope that this time it would be gone. Only of course it wasn't.

Most people don't want to die and even more people don't want their families to die. Living under the constant threat that you and everything you lov ewill be destroyed is utterly depressing. And the people of Spira had to endure that for far longer than any other world in an FF game.

I believe my relatives went to Heaven. It doesn't mean I'm okay with them dying. It doesn't matter what afterlife awaits you. Seeing someone you love die is always going to be heartbreaking.

[NeoCracker]

Yunalesca's speech explains quite clearly why the people of Spira haven't become cold, detached psychopaths. They always had hope. For a thousand years Sin has been killing them all and for a thousand years they were promised it wold end someday,

...Thats like believing if you keep stabbing yourself in the leg once a day, it will eventually no longer bleed.

[Jessweeee♪]

FFVIII. Balamb is such a nice place n.n

[Forsaken Lover]

...Thats like believing if you keep stabbing yourself in the leg once a day, it will eventually no longer bleed.

We're talking religion here. The faithful in some religions, mainly Christianity though, are supposed to be tested. You are not to lose your faith but have it strenghtened.

Same with Spira. They believed because they were positive their belief would eventually stop Sin form returning.

It also doesn't help that their belief was all that kept them going. If they didn't have Yevon most would, as Yunalesca said, fall to complete despair.

When you have really nothing else to believe in you'll cling to what you have with all your might.

[NeoCracker]

...Thats like believing if you keep stabbing yourself in the leg once a day, it will eventually no longer bleed.

We're talking religion here. The faithful in some religions, mainly Christianity though, are supposed to be tested. You are not to lose your faith but have it strenghtened.

Same with Spira. They believed because they were positive their belief would eventually stop Sin form returning.

It also doesn't help that their belief wad all that kept them going. If they didn't have Yevon most would, as Yunalesca said, fall to complete despair.

When you have really nothing else to believe in you'll cling to what you have with all your might.

Actually, I'm sure if a giant whale appeared in the real world and terrorized the world, the moment the church cried 'It is simply a test from God' they'd lose a chunk of followers as people turn to the people who have really big guns to solve the problem.

And if those guns don't work, you'd have people developing bigger, and more explosive weapons to fight, not sit idealy by as some old decrepid man says, "Just suck it up and it will eventually go away if you leave it to us' for thousands of years.

[Forsaken Lover]

And if those guns don't work, you'd have people developing bigger, and more explosive weapons to fight, not sit idealy by as some old decrepid man says, "Just suck it up and it will eventually go away if you leave it to us' for thousands of years.

I'm afraid you overestimate the intelligence or fortitude of our species. If all those people with guns were killed and all the biggest cities in the world were leveled, most people would be convinced the only thing left to do was pray. Appeasement was a big deal only last century and that was just to avoid a war with Hitler. To appease the unstoppablE killing machine? I can see the whole population bending over backwards to do it

[LunarWeaver]

Oh, golly, I suppose I'll live in VIII's, maybe give that huge ass Cactuar a visit.

I'd say the worst is VII's. Things weren't too awesome to begin with and Advent Children shows us the aftermath is pretty fucked up. A world where Denzel looks like Roxas' little sister and yet has no keyblade? No, I... I can't bear it.

[Wolf Kanno]

Noctiluca, I love you... That Denzel/Roxas joke was priceless. :D


Yunalesca's speech explains quite clearly why the people of Spira haven't become cold, detached psychopaths. They always had hope. For a thousand years Sin has been killing them all and for a thousand years they were promised it wold end someday. They believed this promise so to them, Sin wasn't "an inevitable part of Spira's destiny." It was something that could be fought and conquered. They truly believed this.

...only it couldn't. At leas tnot the way they were told. So with every destruction of Sin they gained about ten years of hope that this time it would be gone. Only of course it wasn't.

Hope is not going to erase years of traumatic experiences. Had it been a hundred years, you might have had an argument but we're talking a millennium of dealing with this. The people could have hope it might go away but it doesn't change the fact that the constant state of death would have traumatized the society and it would have adapted in a way that would create a detached society.

When every day could be your last, you are not likely to develop deep, meaningful relationships. Even if the children are not completely indoctrinated into society, the events of their childhood would most likely scar them for life and their minds would cope most likely in a negative (by our modern standards) way.



Most people don't want to die and even more people don't want their families to die. Living under the constant threat that you and everything you lov ewill be destroyed is utterly depressing. And the people of Spira had to endure that for far longer than any other world in an FF game.

I believe my relatives went to Heaven. It doesn't mean I'm okay with them dying. It doesn't matter what afterlife awaits you. Seeing someone you love die is always going to be heartbreaking.The problem is, that is even true now. We like to believe we will all go live to be old and die in our sleep but the fact of the matter is that some of us may not make it home tomorrow. Our friends and loved ones may not make it home. Death is not some calamity that only strikes the unlikely. It can strike anyone at any time. I myself could have a mysterious brain anerism after I make this post and be gone and honestly, its not going to change anything. We can die at any moment, we have no certainty of our lifespans. Life is full of amusing ironies of people who live healthy and exercise only to die at age 33 from a pre-existing medical condition.

Death is our only certainty in life, if you live in a society that experiences it every moment, you adapt and accept it. Spira doesn't, and its not because they are hopeful its more of the writers not thinking things through. Still, I feel that having a perfect understanding of death and the afterlife would make death much less frightening. Its not like you are truly gone and you no longer have to fear the nagging doubt. Besides, I've seen people suffering in their final moments and I find their deaths to be comforting cause at least they are no longer in pain. In Spira, its the dead who should be mourning the living not the other way around.

Even then, I can't say the "suffering" Sin inflicted on Spira was truly terrible. Sin only indirectly destroyed Kilika and the Crusaders were the ones started their fight with Sin. I sometimes wonder if Sin cause problems in Spira willfully or by this point in time his mere existence is a burden on the planet. Despite causing so much rampant destruction, Spira is kind of a nice scenic place. Its not a wasteland like other FF worlds. Despite killing people, humanity and the other races are pretty prevalent. This is not something a simple ten years could fix, instead I would say Spira has learned to manage with Sin when he's actually around.

I don't really feel Sin goes out of its way to destroy life anymore, since Yu-Yevon lost his mind. Chances are its existence is the only thing that causes problems and by that point I feel Sin is more or less a natural phenomena (which makes total sense because X is based off of Asian culture) no more accountable for its actions like an earthquake. To me, living in X's world would be like living in rural Japan, where I have to deal with earthquakes and Tsunamis at a moments notice except I know when I die where I will go cause I can actually go there and see my families pyreflies. Can't say I find anything remotely depressing about that.

In the end, the problem here is that I have a pecualiar concept of death and for me, its hardly a morbid or scary thing.

[PeneloRatsbane]

VIII, the towns are stylish and those trains are classy. Plus massive flying garden schools. Parts of that world seem really nice and peaceful, like Winhill.

[BG-57]

FFVIII, definately. Of all the places in FF I'd like to live in, it'd be Dollet.

[Barraza]

FFVIII, obviously. Balamb, please.


Hope is not going to erase years of traumatic experiences. Had it been a hundred years, you might have had an argument but we're talking a millennium of dealing with this. The people could have hope it might go away but it doesn't change the fact that the constant state of death would have traumatized the society and it would have adapted in a way that would create a detached society.

When every day could be your last, you are not likely to develop deep, meaningful relationships. Even if the children are not completely indoctrinated into society, the events of their childhood would most likely scar them for life and their minds would cope most likely in a negative (by our modern standards) way.

The problem is, that is even true now. We like to believe we will all go live to be old and die in our sleep but the fact of the matter is that some of us may not make it home tomorrow. Our friends and loved ones may not make it home. Death is not some calamity that only strikes the unlikely. It can strike anyone at any time. I myself could have a mysterious brain anerism after I make this post and be gone and honestly, its not going to change anything. We can die at any moment, we have no certainty of our lifespans. Life is full of amusing ironies of people who live healthy and exercise only to die at age 33 from a pre-existing medical condition.

Death is our only certainty in life, if you live in a society that experiences it every moment, you adapt and accept it. Spira doesn't, and its not because they are hopeful its more of the writers not thinking things through. Still, I feel that having a perfect understanding of death and the afterlife would make death much less frightening. Its not like you are truly gone and you no longer have to fear the nagging doubt. Besides, I've seen people suffering in their final moments and I find their deaths to be comforting cause at least they are no longer in pain. In Spira, its the dead who should be mourning the living not the other way around.

Even then, I can't say the "suffering" Sin inflicted on Spira was truly terrible. Sin only indirectly destroyed Kilika and the Crusaders were the ones started their fight with Sin. I sometimes wonder if Sin cause problems in Spira willfully or by this point in time his mere existence is a burden on the planet. Despite causing so much rampant destruction, Spira is kind of a nice scenic place. Its not a wasteland like other FF worlds. Despite killing people, humanity and the other races are pretty prevalent. This is not something a simple ten years could fix, instead I would say Spira has learned to manage with Sin when he's actually around.

I don't really feel Sin goes out of its way to destroy life anymore, since Yu-Yevon lost his mind. Chances are its existence is the only thing that causes problems and by that point I feel Sin is more or less a natural phenomena (which makes total sense because X is based off of Asian culture) no more accountable for its actions like an earthquake. To me, living in X's world would be like living in rural Japan, where I have to deal with earthquakes and Tsunamis at a moments notice except I know when I die where I will go cause I can actually go there and see my families pyreflies. Can't say I find anything remotely depressing about that.

In the end, the problem here is that I have a pecualiar concept of death and for me, its hardly a morbid or scary thing.I'd like to throw out here that in FFX not everyone believes that the Farplane is the afterlife. In fact, I'm pretty sure I remember the Al Bhed claim that when you visit loved ones at the Farplane, the pyreflies are merely reacting to the images you have in your head: who you expect to see is who you see. Remember that Yuna is (essentially) in the papacy of their world and therefore has slanted views. It's kind of like how psychics can tell you that your mom says she's great and she loves you. Not everyone is going to buy it, even if it's real.

Another thing is that I felt that Sin wasn't really extraordinary: the whole point of FFX was that Sin symbolized exactly what you were saying: any of us can die at any time. Sin was, essentially, death incarnate. Yuna learned through the game that in order to conquer death she had to learn how to believe in her own abilities and discard the dogma passed down to her. Maybe not the most complex lesson, but it worked very well.

Considering that was the message, your kind of flippant view on death is somewhat disturbing. Just because cancer is not actively murdering millions doesn't mean it isn't terrible.

[VeloZer0]

Just because cancer is not actively murdering millions doesn't mean it isn't terrible.

Yes, but cancer has been around forever, and it is a known evil. If another cause of death were to suddenly appear with a similar death rate it would be viewed as immensely more catastrophic.

To me it seemed like Sin was just part of the world, and it was in balance. Sure it was terrible, but it was in no danger of destroying the world anytime soon. Had your party not interfered in the events of FFX it would still be chugging along just the same. Now compare that to just about every other FF world which was basically threatened with complete annihilation, and Sin looks like a blessing in comparison.

[Wolf Kanno]

^ This is my point exactly, I never really felt that Sin was going to wipe out Spira, just meander around causing destruction like any other natural phenomena like Earthquakes and Tsunamis. Spira's healthy population levels and prevalence of different races tell me that the people have adapted and survived and thus Spira is in no real threat of total annihilation like they were when ExDeath took the Void or Sephiroth summoned Meteor. Throw in how much Sin is one of the least proactive "death machine" in the series and at this point I feel the people are whining. Its not like other FFs where I'm racing to save the world from the worst case scenario or seen it come to past and am now trying to save the last little shred of it. Sin appears causes some problems, gets destroyed, comes back. Just like any other natural disaster.

Pyreflies are the remains of the soul and they gather in the Farplane. Yes you can't visit your relatives but it was shown you know your relatives are there cause they can only take the form of the dead (hence why Tidus only saw his mother and not Jecht, despite the entire idea of summoning the souls of dreams is utterly ridiculous) and X-2 later confirms this even more by Nojima and Kitase hinting to the fact that the Farplane is like VII's Lifestream (despite the fact they came up with this idea on a lark in the middle of development of X-2 and the fact that both the Farplane and Lifestream are shown in each game to work radically different from a cosmological standpoint :roll2 ). So it pretty much is the afterlife on the planet and its a scenic one as well.

As for my views of death, I've just come to terms with it and treat it like any other natural phenomena. I don't see the point of fearing the inevitable.

[Barraza]

^ This is my point exactly, I never really felt that Sin was going to wipe out Spira, just meander around causing destruction like any other natural phenomena like Earthquakes and Tsunamis. Spira's healthy population levels and prevalence of different races tell me that the people have adapted and survived and thus Spira is in no real threat of total annihilation like they were when ExDeath took the Void or Sephiroth summoned Meteor. Throw in how much Sin is one of the least proactive "death machine" in the series and at this point I feel the people are whining. Its not like other FFs where I'm racing to save the world from the worst case scenario or seen it come to past and am now trying to save the last little shred of it. Sin appears causes some problems, gets destroyed, comes back. Just like any other natural disaster. While that's true, it's tied up in their religious beliefs that this can actually go away. I know that we in America (I assume you're American) don't feel much fear of this, but if the people sincerely believed that tsunamis would go away if they prayed really hard, it'd be seen as a lot more urgent to defeat. This is the whole reason why messianic beliefs are so prevalent. I guess that total annihalation is worse than Sin, but Sin, being ongoing and (apparently) stoppable, makes it kind of sad.

Pyreflies are the remains of the soul and they gather in the Farplane. Yes you can't visit your relatives but it was shown you know your relatives are there cause they can only take the form of the dead (hence why Tidus only saw his mother and not Jecht, despite the entire idea of summoning the souls of dreams is utterly ridiculous) and X-2 later confirms this even more by Nojima and Kitase hinting to the fact that the Farplane is like VII's Lifestream (despite the fact they came up with this idea on a lark in the middle of development of X-2 and the fact that both the Farplane and Lifestream are shown in each game to work radically different from a cosmological standpoint :roll2 ). So it pretty much is the afterlife on the planet and its a scenic one as well. That's true, the Farplane is real. That doesn't mean that everyone believes that, though. That's my point.
As for my views of death, I've just come to terms with it and treat it like any other natural phenomena. I don't see the point of fearing the inevitable.That's very brave, but wait until death is at your doorpost and then feel strongly like that. That isn't mocking, by the way. And while I'm sure the vast amount of people in the world of Spira don't actively fear Sin for the same reasons you do not fear death, that doesn't change the fact that, when face to face with Sin, they might actually be terrified, inevitable death or not.

[Ultima Shadow]

I'm afraid you overestimate the intelligence or fortitude of our species. If all those people with guns were killed and all the biggest cities in the world were leveled, most already hardcore christians and followers of other religions would be convinced the only thing left to do was pray. Appeasement was a big deal only last century and that was just to avoid a war with Hitler. To appease the unstoppablE killing machine? I can see the whole population bending over backwards to do it
Fixed.

Seriously, I doubt any atheist or other non-religious person would become a christian if the church says "it's a test of god", even if the biggest cities are all leveled by this giant whale. Really. The already "strong belivers" might go even more hardcore, but the non-religious would most likely either try to deal with the problem or hide, even in that kind of situation, rather than falling on his/her knees praying.



...putting that aside, I'd probably love to live in the world of FFVIII. First of all, because it seems overall more peaceful than any other FF world. Secondly, because Triple Triad is the shiawt!

And as much as I love FFVI as a game, that's the worst world to live in by far... for obvious reasons.

[Rocket Edge]

Well VIII is the most peaceful. I'd just chill all day in Balamb and go fishing in the afternoon.

Worst to me is... probably VII. I just felt a coldness associated with that world.

[Medi]

While the Farplane may be the primary hub of the afterlife in FFX, it's not necessarily a glamorous one, regardless of the scenery. Yes, the pyreflies travel there after a deceased is sent; however, I never saw it as involving the consciousness of the deceased. Pyreflies are merely the matter that comprise a Spiran's being, and do not retain the minds of their former selves. A deceased can only retain his or her mind if they manage to remain as an unsent. This fits the Al Bhed theory of pyreflies reacting to the memory. As spiritual entities, they come into contact with the minds and memories of those who visit the Farplane and in turn coalesce to resemble the physical form of a dead loved one.

Still, I fail to see how death could be any less painful in Spira. The act of dying is no different than it is here. Even though family and friends of the deceased may visit one's form in the Farplane, communication is one-sided. It's a glorified version of looking at an old photo.

As for the comments of being unsent and remaining as a fiend - that's just disturbing. There are two possibilities for the mindset of the fiend: one retains his awareness upon death or doesn't. Either situation is unappealing. If one were to retain his old sense of self, then he'd be fully aware that he had become a monster, and would have to endure death repeatedly at the hands of traveling guardians. Then, there's the possibility of the loss of consciousness, which is the hypothesis in which I believe. The dead just become fiends and run rampant... soulless. Truly, the issue of death in FFX is grim.


As for the pertinent topic, I'd prefer to live in the world of FFVIII, particularly in Winhill because it's so gorgeous in peaceful, and I'd play Triple Triad all night long. Aside from that, I'd like to live in Gaia from FFIX... about 5 years after the events of the game, when everything would be settled. That is, by far, the most beautiful world in the series, so full of depth.

[Christmas]

Wait, I think FF VIII gotto be one the worst world cause the monsters there dun drop money! :mad2:

THIS ISN'T LOGICAL AT ALL!? HOW CAN MONSTERS NOT CARRY LOAD OF CASH AND DROP IT TO US WHEN THEY DIE!? :mad2:

[VeloZer0]

When was the last time you went out and slew a wild animal anyways?

But then again, I might think twice about kicking that pigeon that lands on the street in front of me if I knew it might drop a buck or two :)

(For the sake of humor I'm assuming that most people who post on FF forums are people who don't regularly go out into the bush hunting. Could be wrong)

[Freya]

I agree with X being pretty normal. Wolf kanno hit it right on the money :p

[Ultima Shadow]

Wait, I think FF VIII gotto be one the worst world cause the monsters there dun drop money! :mad2:

THIS ISN'T LOGICAL AT ALL!? HOW CAN MONSTERS NOT CARRY LOAD OF CASH AND DROP IT TO US WHEN THEY DIE!? :mad2:
Once you've become a SeeD, you can just sit around doing nothing and still get paid every half hour or so though, so it's not like money will be a problem. And best of all: the monsters can be turned into freaking TRADING CARDS! =D

[Christmas]

Everyone seems to have missed out my point. :(

[black orb]

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[Wolf Kanno]

While that's true, it's tied up in their religious beliefs that this can actually go away. I know that we in America (I assume you're American) don't feel much fear of this, but if the people sincerely believed that tsunamis would go away if they prayed really hard, it'd be seen as a lot more urgent to defeat. This is the whole reason why messianic beliefs are so prevalent. I guess that total annihalation is worse than Sin, but Sin, being ongoing and (apparently) stoppable, makes it kind of sad.

Honestly, I feel the fact they have hope and can hold onto it is still a good thing cause it allows them to lead more fulfilling lives instead of cowering in fear. Despite being a cliche corrupt religious order, the Yevon faith is probably one of the tamest and most thoughtful. They may not have had a solution to the problem but they at least kept civilization together by laying down a lie of hope. It might be sad from an outsiders view but frankly I feel they may have done more good than harm in comparison to other Religious orders from other games.

Also, civilization in our own world has used religion as a coping mechanism for the cataclysms we encounter from natural phenomena. It may seem a bit sad that they are holding onto a lie but a lie is better than total despair.


That's true, the Farplane is real. That doesn't mean that everyone believes that, though. That's my point.

The problem is, we are not looking at this from a subjective point of view, we as the player are privy to all the information regarding how the world works and from that standpoint, Spira is not the bleak existence its inhabitants would like us to believe in. Choosing worlds based on what I know, I came to the conclusion that X for me at least would actually be a pretty nice place to visit.


That's very brave, but wait until death is at your doorpost and then feel strongly like that. That isn't mocking, by the way. And while I'm sure the vast amount of people in the world of Spira don't actively fear Sin for the same reasons you do not fear death, that doesn't change the fact that, when face to face with Sin, they might actually be terrified, inevitable death or not.

The will to live is ingrained in us all and though it can be conquered by the mind its very difficult to do so. My point before was that Spira was subjected to this level of torment for a 1000 years, they should have become much more jaded by this point. They can still fear death but I don't feel they would be affected by it as badly as our society is.


While the Farplane may be the primary hub of the afterlife in FFX, it's not necessarily a glamorous one, regardless of the scenery. Yes, the pyreflies travel there after a deceased is sent; however, I never saw it as involving the consciousness of the deceased. Pyreflies are merely the matter that comprise a Spiran's being, and do not retain the minds of their former selves. A deceased can only retain his or her mind if they manage to remain as an unsent. This fits the Al Bhed theory of pyreflies reacting to the memory. As spiritual entities, they come into contact with the minds and memories of those who visit the Farplane and in turn coalesce to resemble the physical form of a dead loved one.

Except X-2 basically throws this all out the window by making the Farplane exactly like the Lifestream, we also witness the mind still being able to exist within it. To be honest, the fact we don't retain our old sense of self is more of a blessing really. Difficult to reincarnate when you've got mental baggage. ;)


Still, I fail to see how death could be any less painful in Spira. The act of dying is no different than it is here. Even though family and friends of the deceased may visit one's form in the Farplane, communication is one-sided. It's a glorified version of looking at an old photo.

Dying affects the living more than the dead. Once again, I'm looking at this objectively, I have a better grasp of their cosmology than the people in the game do and that's how I can live a more fulfilling life there.


As for the comments of being unsent and remaining as a fiend - that's just disturbing. There are two possibilities for the mindset of the fiend: one retains his awareness upon death or doesn't. Either situation is unappealing. If one were to retain his old sense of self, then he'd be fully aware that he had become a monster, and would have to endure death repeatedly at the hands of traveling guardians. Then, there's the possibility of the loss of consciousness, which is the hypothesis in which I believe. The dead just become fiends and run rampant... soulless. Truly, the issue of death in FFX is grim.

I hardly see this as being that grim though. If you are aware, then you know you have a new shot at life as a new entity and you make the most of it though fiends are formed from negative emotions so we'll just throw that out the window, loss of consciousness frees you from the torment of knowing what you are doing and I digress that living as a monster doesn't feel like the raw deal people make it out to be. Its new, its exciting and it beats total oblivion and wormfood...

I hardly feel the fiends are souless their entire existence is basically a physical manifestation of being a vengeful spirit. These are people who are just unwilling to accept death as a natural and hardly painful process. I also don't remember people saying that fiends are unable to be sent to the farplane if the proper rituals were used (though they still need to be killed). The fact of the matter is that Spira uses a pretty bland version of the reincarnation system and personally that's a better deal than just being killed and left to non-existence and its more info than we have on the few worlds that presumably have afterlifes (III,V, and VI) of which we know little to nothing about.

There is a safe level of security in Spira that is lacking in most of the FF worlds.

[The Crystal]

So... A world where a crazy sorceress from the future is using other sorceresses and an entire nation(Galbadia) to cause destruction everywhere, is a peaceful world? :lol:


And FFVII's world is one of the(if not the) worst to leave in. Seriously, there is someone or something trying to destroy it(and almost succeeding) every smurfing year:
- ShinRa(sucking the life of it)
- Genesis(trying to destroy it like a "true monster" would)
- Fuhito and Zirconiade
- Sephiroth and Meteor
- Sephiroth and Geostigma
- DeepGround and Omega

God!

[P4ine]

spira would be great, but i'd be scared :bou::bou::bou::bou:less on ff4's moon lol

[Rad Bromance]

Final Fantasy VII's world would be awful. Seriously, not one city in that world would be nice to live in! :D

[Flying Arrow]

XII's would probably be the best. From what I remember, there's not a lot of cities or continents being leveled. All the major events seem large-scale political, so the everyday joe in a city like Rabanastre is fairly well off. VIII's isn't so bad, either, for the same reason.

X's provides a pretty bleak existence, but goddamn if Spira isn't easy on the eyes, so I can't call it the worst.

Worst is any one of VI, VII or IX's worlds. VI for the obvious reason. IX for similar reasons. VII's is actually not so bad after Advent Children and the Compilation were entered into canon (and swiftly blocked off from my memory). But back in the day I always interpreted VII's ending to involve a complete disintegration of humanity on the Planet. That's pretty :bou::bou::bou::bou:ty.

[Forsaken Lover]

8's world isn't that bad at all. Ultimecia lives "far in the future" so more than likely we'll all be dead by the time she comes to power.

Galbadia is a mildly militarized country that more than likely fell apart after both its heads (Edea and then Seifer) were gone. Esthar be a perfect place to live if it wasn't for the Lunar Cry.

But as of the end of the game, it's probably the best world to live in. Only Spiras as of the end of X-2 comes close.

[qwertysaur]

Sin was only beaten 5 times before X started.

Living in the world of II would be pretty bad, if you walk the wrong way to get to the store a dragon will eat your face. :(

[Shiny]

Spira is the worst to me only because the only thing people have to look forward to is Bliztball to make them happy. They're constantly under the fear that their homes will be destroyed and that they'll be killed. They can rarely live in peace for more than like two years. They're also under the false belief of a corrupt religion and even more corrupt government. FFVI and FFVII would be pretty bad too. Then again, you could say pretty much all the FF's would be bad because most of them take place in dystopian settings.

[VeloZer0]

They're also under the false belief of a corrupt religion and even more corrupt government.

Well, if you don't know it's a false belief then it doesn't negatively impact your quality of life. Also, I didn't really see any evidence that the government was massively corrupt. Certainly not what it seemed to be, but I didn't really see them doing anything malicious.

I also think the threat of Sin is massively over interpreted. If Sin was truly that destructive it would eventually wipe out the population of Spira. However, in reality, a balance has been maintained for 1000 years. If Sin was truly such a massive destructive force there is no way human civilization could have survived for such a long time.

I think fear of Sin would be akin to man's fear of natural disasters. Terrible and unstoppable, yet just another part of life. I just can't fathom how Spira has not just come to accept Sin as just another part of life. The only reason that fits is that they had to make everyone act so artificially about it so you would actually care about what you are doing during the events of the game.

[arcanedude34]

Simple as this: the point of life is to survive, then thrive, then reproduce. Doesn't matter how much a paradise you believe or KNOW the afterlife to be. People, by INSTINCT, not logic, DON'T want to die. You could be the most devoutly religious person in the world, be assured of a paradise in the next life, but if given a choice between life or death, they would choose life 99 out of 100 times.

[Forsaken Lover]

Honestly, I feel the fact they have hope and can hold onto it is still a good thing cause it allows them to lead more fulfilling lives instead of cowering in fear.

Yeah it's great because we all know how wonderful it feels to have hope and be happy then you die.

It's just awesome!


Despite being a cliche

Everything in Final Fantasy is cliche.


, the Yevon faith is probably one of the tamest and most thoughtful. They may not have had a solution to the problem but they at least kept civilization together by laying down a lie of hope. It might be sad from an outsiders view but frankly I feel they may have done more good than harm in comparison to other Religious orders from other games.

This is true.



The problem is, we are not looking at this from a subjective point of view, we as the player are privy to all the information regarding how the world works and from that standpoint, Spira is not the bleak existence its inhabitants would like us to believe in. Choosing worlds based on what I know, I came to the conclusion that X for me at least would actually be a pretty nice place to visit.

Being outside parties gives us a greater knowledge of details but the inhabitants undoubtedly know more of the atmosphere and general feeling of their world than we do. Being able to read the Ultimania doesn't mean you can ignore how the entire game tells you this world is a craphole.



The will to live is ingrained in us all and though it can be conquered by the mind its very difficult to do so. My point before was that Spira was subjected to this level of torment for a 1000 years, they should have become much more jaded by this point. They can still fear death but I don't feel they would be affected by it as badly as our society is.

They're not. Death is a pretty common thing in Spira and they accept it. It's just they want to do their best to stop it.



Dying affects the living more than the dead. Once again, I'm looking at this objectively, I have a better grasp of their cosmology than the people in the game do and that's how I can live a more fulfilling life there.

So knowing very well your chances of dying are great at which point you also have a good chance of becoming some weak dog fiend thingy that gets promptly destroyed over and over again, makes it better for you?



I digress that living as a monster doesn't feel like the raw deal people make it out to be. Its new, its exciting and it beats total oblivion and wormfood...

Tch, ya! Who wouldn't want to die then promptly come back as a giant hideous monster and murder people?



I hardly feel the fiends are souless their entire existence is basically a physical manifestation of being a vengeful spirit. These are people who are just unwilling to accept death as a natural and hardly painful process. I also don't remember people saying that fiends are unable to be sent to the farplane if the proper rituals were used (though they still need to be killed). The fact of the matter is that Spira uses a pretty bland version of the reincarnation system and personally that's a better deal than just being killed and left to non-existence and its more info than we have on the few worlds that presumably have afterlifes (III,V, and VI) of which we know little to nothing about.

It's amazing how you manage to work in an insult with every single comment. It must take work.


That's really not reincarnation at all. In fact you only become an animal in one of the three possible outcomes after death. You could transcend to the Farplane, stay as you are or become a vengeful spirit that degenerates into a fiend.

Reincarnation is all about karma; this life determine your next life. In Spira, you could be a saint but after you die it's possible you'll just become a bumblebee.\

I'm not even sure the last option counts as reincarnation. Once you become a bumblebee thing, that's it for you until you move onto the next life. So yeah, not really reincarnation at all.


There is a safe level of security in Spira that is lacking in most of the FF worlds.

Oh yeah, because just look at FF2 and 12. That nasty old evil empire is so much worse than an unstoppable Godzilla monster and you becoming a murderous beast after being killed by that unstoppable monster.

Yes I'm in an irritable mood tonight and I felt like replying to this finally.

[Persephone Stephanie]

I'd like to live in Ivalice. I love the desert/Arabian culture of Dalmasca, and the Archadians seem pretty cool too... the architecture is beautiful, the weather is nice (except in the Westersand, yuck) and people seem fairly open-minded. It's also a huge world with lots of wild places left to explore. Awesome.

[PeneloRatsbane]

VII would be tough going but at least you'd have a laugh. I mean they've got the Honey Bee Inn, The Gold saucer and the colourful characters. Sure you might die or live in poverty but you could have fun doing it

[Skyblade]

I'd like to live in Ivalice. I love the desert/Arabian culture of Dalmasca, and the Archadians seem pretty cool too... the architecture is beautiful, the weather is nice (except in the Westersand, yuck) and people seem fairly open-minded. It's also a huge world with lots of wild places left to explore. Awesome.

I have to agree. Pre-Cataclysm Ivalice easily gets my vote for being the number one spot to live. You get everything there. A huge, sprawling world, most of which is still unexplored. Friendly, lively cities. A world which isn't actually out to kill you...

Seriously, Ivalice is the only world which is safe to live in. In all the Ivalice games (save Post-Cataclysm FFT), there hasn't really been a threat to the world itself. The Occuria are jerks, but they aren't as all powerful as they seem, since they primarily occupy themselves with a couple countries and their own interior power struggles, and don't seem to bother with actual tyrranical control the way FFXIII's fal'Cie do. The Neukhia may be a valid threat, but the whole structure of the seals and the Grimoires makes it a much less pressing one, and it falls further off the radar because of the way the primary plot of FFTA2 felt so unfinished.

Ivalice also has the advantage of not being elitist. Your characters are strong, but the focus of the Tactics games clearly shows that such strength can be acquired by anyone, while in most games, you are a chosen hero type person. You get to join up with a clan to get you help as you fight baddies, and give you a lot of friends to talk to while you wait for the next mission.

For me, Ivalice easily tops the list of best places to live.

[Mo-Nercy]

My favourite worlds to live in would probably be in FFXII and FFVIII. Archades and Dollet would be my places of choice.

And I wouldn't want to live anywhere in FFVI or FFVII. And the only places I enjoy the vibe of in FFIX are Alexandria and Lindblum. And I'd appreciate it if my city wasn't destroyed, thanks. So no to that too.

[Hot Shot]

Either IX or XII would be the best to live in. IX seems so magical and romantic and XII seems so exotic and beautiful.

The worst world to live in would be VII because it seems so dull and depressing.

[black orb]

>>> With kefka firing lightning bolts everywhere FF6 is the worst world to live, you wouldnt last a day there..:luca:

[PeneloRatsbane]

I'd so have to go to the Honey Bee Inn if i lived in FVII,