Am I missing something? (Final Boss SPOILERS)

So, you spend half the game trying to find a way out of fighting Oprhan, steadfastly refusing to fufill your Focus of destroying him, and thus Cocoon... then he pops out of the ground and your guys are just like "Hey, let's kill it!"

Was the second half of the game just pointless filler, what with the "choosing our own destiny" stuff, when they pretty much did exactly what they told Dysley they would not do? Or am I missing something?

Haha, actually, I kinda was thinking something similar at the end. I think basically the fal'Cie were intending on all the people dying rather than Cocoon's functionality. They were hoping that the big loss of life would call back the Maker. So yeah, I guess somehow enough people survived the big finale to not bother the Maker, or something. Either way, the human race was secured once more by our rag-tag group of heroes.

Yeah I was under the impression that we were not going to kill Orphan. The end left me a little confused though because his death did lead to Cocoon falling out of the sky, and Vanille and Fang saved the day. How did anyone know this was going to happen??

Or have I totally misinterpreted what happened?

I had that impression too..and yes I haven't played the game yet..I know about it though ...can't restrain my curosity.I am disappointed in the ending already and that's sad for me.I intend to still play the game though.

:mad2:

It's just kind of jarring. I mean, they spend half the game going "We'll never fight Orphan!" then Dysley turns into Orphand and goes "Fight me!" And then they're just like, "Okay... why not?" Basically, the second half of the game is filler.

For what it's worth, after reading the guide's extras area, it sums up what I said earlier - the intention of the enemy was to sacrifice the human population of Cocoon, and this was not done, hence the victory.

I'm wondering what the motivation of the party to kill Orphan was though. They knew it would destroy Cocoon and yet they did it anyway. Even though their intention throughout the game was to accomplish the exact opposite. They couldn't have known Fang and Vanille would save the world.

If they had not Orphan and disabled Cocoon, the fal'Cie would continue to rule over humans and humans would continue to 1) be reliant on them and 2) believe that Pulse was at war with them.

They fought him to free mankind from the Occuria. Er, excuse me, I meant from the fal'Cie.

Ok real fast lets take a look at something. Their focus was to destroy Cocoon not kill Orphan. On that note they defied their focus and killed Orphan and thus freed the humans from the Fal'Cie.

I wondered this as well. But I think they realised that ultimately cocoons destruction was up to someone turning into ragnarok and not simply killing Orphan, and since Fang resisted after initially transforming, the ultimate destruction didnt really occur?
Cocoon still fell though, and then Vanille and Fang willingly turn to Ragnarok... I'm actually more confused now lol.

Thought it was a pretty cool ending though. Maybe someone will explain it to me.

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Originally Posted by Darkwolf090

Ok real fast lets take a look at something. Their focus was to destroy Cocoon not kill Orphan. On that note they defied their focus and killed Orphan and thus freed the humans from the Fal'Cie.

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Ok that actually makes sense now. Cocoon still fell but as they defied their Focus enough during the battle with Orphan, fate was put back in their hands and Vanille and Fang had the chance to save Cocoon, ironically by turning into Ragnarok. I think I get it now.

I loved the revelation that Cocoon ontop of the crystal spikes is the logo of the game, and also one of the pendants. Seems like it was one of two possible fates.

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Originally Posted by Elpizo

the Occuria. Er, excuse me, I meant from the fal'Cie.

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Haha yeah I thought they were very similar. The Occuria was one of the things I really liked about FFXII though so I was happy that the theme was reused.

So pretty much they were banking the entire world on a last minute deus ex machina to just fall from the sky, eh? There's been dumber in a Final Fantasy, I suppsoe

The problem is that the game (both Cid, Dysley, and the Datalog) specifically told the party and player that the destruction of Orphan would lead to the "destruction" of Cocoon because Eden would no longer be able to coordinate the Cocoon fal'Cie, leading to humanity's demise, and the entire orb would fall out of the sky (the latter was first mentioned I believe in one of the Datalog entries).

Their focus and whether they successfully defied it or not before fighting Orphan the final time has absolutely zero bearing on the fact that killing Orphan = Eden unable to function = Cocoon fal'Cie can't take care of humans and killing Orphan = Cocoon falls out of the sky.

The party all agreed to "Protect Cocoon!!!11", and protecting Orphan was the exact reason they came back after Oerba...because as far as the party and player had been informed by the game itself, the death of Orphan amounted to exactly the same thing as Cocoon's destruction because of what would happen when Orphan died.

So, in essence, they just decided to kill Orphan because they were finally fed up with all fal'Cie and hoped some solution would present itself later...they had absolutely no plan for what would happen when Orphan died other than "hope" things worked out (the cinematic after the battle suggests Fang and Vanille already "knew something," but this was never mentioned to the party or player anywhere in the game).

Yes, as Croyles points out, defying their focus and becoming free of it enabled them to save Cocoon in the end, but there is no suggestion until the final cinematic that they had any idea how they would do that.

They "hoped" things would work out -- as it happened their "hope" made a miracle happen: the great deus ex Raganarok conveniently bailed out our mighty heroes for doing exactly what they had agreed not to do for some thirty hours previous.

I dont remember it being said anywhere that destroying Orphan would lead to Cocoon falling. Which Datalog are you referring to? I got the vibe that it was Ragnarok which destroys Cocoon.

Straight out of the guide for those still confused...

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Originally Posted by Official FFXIII guide

What is the grand scheme of Barthandelus?
Barthandelus is an achitect among fal'Cie, an assigner of roles, who believes that the world has fallen in to ruin since it was created. He also believes that the only way to put things right is to recall the Maker, and he intends to do this through an act of immolation; sacrifice on a grand scale.

And so begins and audacious plan. Cocoon is created; a place to nurture and support human life beyond the natural realm. In contracst to the ferocity and uncertainty of Gran Pulse, Cocoon is a paradise of needs met and desires served. With great ease, humans are drawn out of their ordinary place in the scheme of things to lead lives of pleasure and plenty on the new satellite.

Cocoon is a revealing choice of name. It is a protection, shielding its inhabitants, but also holding them tightly and maintaining them in a juvenile state of development while warding off all outside influences. The larva waits in its cocoon until its day of glory.

Barthandelus intends that rebirth to be a dramatic end to both, because the conclusion of the plan is to sacrifice all life on Cocoon. This is the terrible secret of the place that is home to so many, but the reasoning is brutally simple: with such massive demonstration of death, the Maker must surely respond by returning to his creation.

Why doesn't Barthandelus destroy Cocoon himself?
Powerful as he may seem, Barthandelus is as limited in scope as any other fal'Cie. He must rely on l'Cie to discover the true extent of human potential. As the Analects put it, fal'Cie were made with the Maker's urpose but humans were made with pieces of the divine spirit. The power of a fal'Cie is fixed but humans may attain a much greater power if they pursue it.

Furthermore, Barthandelus simply does not have the means or the strength to achieve his plans directly. That is why he needs to trick others into doing his bidding, and why his plans are founded on lies and deceit. Another translation of the name Barthandelus is "Baldanders", a reference to a mythical creature of many shapes and guises, as would befit the fal'Cie who masquerades as Sanctum hierarch Galenth Dysley. He is a master of illusion, as he demonstrates to the party by imitating Serah and, in the final scenes, by trying to trick Fang into believing that her friends have already turned into Cie'th. It is said that he possesses a rukh familiar called Menrva (referencing the goddess Minerva, or Athena, whose symbol was an owl), but it is possible that this is his true form.

The player may even notice that boss battles with Barthandelus are not rewarded with CP, and that he seems to survive each defeat unscathed, indicating that the party has been fighting a phantom or illusory form each time rather than the real fal'Cie. The secret of Barthandelus is that he possesses no real power of his own, but relies on his ability to manipulate the minds of others. Among the people, he spreads fear and mistrust. His design for the heroes is to inspire despair and hatred, knowing that he can then provoke them into attacking what they hold dearest.

If the heroes don't want to destroy Cocoon, why attack Orphan?
The opening of the Ark and the ensuing rampage of Pulsian beasts continues the part of the plan that began with the Purge. The people will be led to believe that war has broken out. Cocoon has been created as a gigantic sacrificial altar, in which all of the Sanctum fal'Cie have played their part, so the heroes face a dilemma. If they destroy Orphan, they will be playing into the hands of Barthandelus. But if they do nothing, people will still die and the fal'Cie will simply continue to pursue their deranged machinations. While orphan continues to exist, humanity will never be free.

How do Fang and Vanille save Cocoon at the end?
Having undergone all of the tests and trials that Barthandelus placed in their path, the party is strong enough to carry out the final stage of his plan. If just one of them loses hope and becomes Ragnarok, they will have both the power and the furious desire to tear whole worlds apart. And this is exactly what Barthandelus intends.

But with the strength they find in each other, Fang and Vanille make their own choice. Deliberately, they take on the power to become the destroyer of worlds, but use that power in deciding their own fate.

With Orphan defeated and the whole of Cocoon now heading for destruction without its power source, Fang and Vanille assume the form of Ragnarok to dig roots deep into the rock of Gran Pulse. They may be completeing the Focus they were set 500 years ago, but they are now wise to the manipulation of their masters. Creating a massive bridge of matter between the two worlds, they embrace their fate and turn to crystal - and so save the people of Cocoon, supporting the imperiled globe on the crystalline pillar created by their eternal sleep.

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There is more in the guide, but I think this is the stuff which best explains how things played out in the end, the focus and why things happened.