Spoiler POLL: What ultimately happened at the end of Xenoblade 3? (Future Redeemed spoilers)

[BradenAndEggs]

I made this timeline a few weeks ago in mspaint(lol).

Spoiler: timeline

Origin does was it was made to do and recreates the worlds separately after being reactivated in X3. The ending scene with the worlds drifting apart and the cast running to each other is supposed to represent this, and Nia's post-game ascension quest elaborates on this further.

The post-credits scene of Future Redeemed shows what appears to be worlds re-merging without destroying each other with this specific song lyric intentionally positioned after the merge. To me, indicating this is after the ending of X3. After Origin did what it was supposed to do.

Spoiler: post credits

I don't think it matters (at this point), aside from fan discussion, exactly when the re-merging happens in the future. Hell, it could be when Noah hears the flute music and maybe "disappears" in the post-credit of X3. If you want to get even more romantic about it, maybe the two points of light (one on each earth) that start glowing before the merge could be Noah and Mio's drive to see each other again. (Maybe A granted this wish in Origin when "rebooting" the worlds.)

The ending of 3 didn't land for a lot of people, and discussing the ending can be super exhausting because people get really pedantic and/or defensive about it (myself included), but I just want to say I think this shit is all really cool.

 

[Aleh]

Option 3 makes no sense, it’s what Alpha wanted to do and FR is entirely about stopping that lol

Option 2 is what was presented in the main game.

Option 1 is the correct one with what’s shown at the end of FR. Origin recreated them after they annihilated each other, and then they successfully merged without destruction. Melia and Nia already made it very clear that they would eventually get to walk hand in hand again, this time they just spoon fed us a confirmation.

 

[EtherPenguin]

That's sort of my point. Even just the logo that they did include required a Bandai Namco credit. I don't think they want Xenoblade to become too entangled with rights issues over Xenosaga stuff.

The hassle with rights would only be an issue if they planned to continue from here which I don't think is 100% going to happen. I think it's entirely possible this is a definite end for these worlds and characters and a possible Xenoblade 4 would start fresh. To me, it's more like a cap off to this saga of the Xenoblade series. Give a little nod to tell fans yes it's connected to the greater whole more or less and then end it there.

I think it lines up with that interview Takahashi gave after 2's release when he said he wanted to release the answers some day. Which would've been right around the time 3 started development.

“Xenoblade” Tetsuya Takahashi and “Persona” Katsura Hashino: What Does it Mean to Create? Creators of World Renowned JRPGs Discuss Their Philosophies

Xenoblade” Tetsuya Takahashi and “Persona” Katsura Hashino: What Does it Mean to Create? Creators of World Renowned JRPGs Discuss Their Philosophies Interviewer: Satoshi Eguchi Original text: Itō S…

xenomira.wordpress.com

 

[Aleh]

The hassle with rights would only be an issue if they planned to continue from here which I don't think is 100% going to happen. I think it's entirely possible this is a definite for these worlds and characters and a possible Xenoblade 4 would start fresh. To me, it's more like a cap off to this saga of the Xenoblade series. Give a little nod to tell fans yes it's connected to the greater whole more or less and then end it there.

I think it lines up with that interview Takahashi gave after 2's release when he said he wanted to release the answers some day. Which would've been right around the time 3 started development.

“Xenoblade” Tetsuya Takahashi and “Persona” Katsura Hashino: What Does it Mean to Create? Creators of World Renowned JRPGs Discuss Their Philosophies

Xenoblade” Tetsuya Takahashi and “Persona” Katsura Hashino: What Does it Mean to Create? Creators of World Renowned JRPGs Discuss Their Philosophies Interviewer: Satoshi Eguchi Original text: Itō S…

xenomira.wordpress.com

Takahashi also said XC3 and the DLC would give players an idea of what to expect from the future of the series, and the only thing that fits that bill is what he presented with all these connections. The ending song drives it home further

 

[BassForever]

Takahashi also said XC3 and the DLC would give players an idea of what to expect from the future of the series, and the only thing that fits that bill is what he presented with all these connections. The ending song drives it home further

When people talk about the post credits of FR being vague, I do agree with that assertion in terms of where the series goes next. Clearly there is an interest by Takahashi to connect the Xeno worlds, and obviously that requires Namco Bandai or Square Enix to play ball. I imagine functionally the story will play out in a similar fashion (the humans who left old Earth returning to and potentially being in conflict with new Earth) the difference will be if it's expressly connected to Xenosaga (or Xenogears), or if it's a new group of humans "coming home" who went to a different area of space.

 

[EtherPenguin]

Takahashi also said XC3 and the DLC would give players an idea of what to expect from the future of the series, and the only thing that fits that bill is what he presented with all these connections. The ending song drives it home further

Anything's possible. It could point to the future and still not have anything to do with this world or the separate worlds whether they merged or not (I don't actually care that much about that, to be honest). Xenoblade 4 could be about what happened to one of those colonization ships in the far reaches of space with nothing to do with the previous worlds but still connected through the concepts established on the radio broadcast. Or it could be set on this possibly merged world and could dance around KOS-MOS, make it millennia later so it's irrelevant whether it was KOS-MOS or not. Just mention that something strange crashlanded on the planet 5000 years ago and technology harvested from it is being used to power this game's version of Aion or Deus or what have you. There are dozens of ways it could go.

All I know is, Takahashi had to have the forethought of what the image would invoke if it wasn't intentional. I feel like if it was something more mundane like another ship, they would've let us see it enough to see it was a ship. That fact you can't make it out other than it gives off a blue light is what makes it feel a little wink to the audience.

 

[Pokemaniac]

The hassle with rights would only be an issue if they planned to continue from here which I don't think is 100% going to happen. I think it's entirely possible this is a definite end for these worlds and characters and a possible Xenoblade 4 would start fresh. To me, it's more like a cap off to this saga of the Xenoblade series. Give a little nod to tell fans yes it's connected to the greater whole more or less and then end it there.

I think it lines up with that interview Takahashi gave after 2's release when he said he wanted to release the answers some day. Which would've been right around the time 3 started development.

“Xenoblade” Tetsuya Takahashi and “Persona” Katsura Hashino: What Does it Mean to Create? Creators of World Renowned JRPGs Discuss Their Philosophies

Xenoblade” Tetsuya Takahashi and “Persona” Katsura Hashino: What Does it Mean to Create? Creators of World Renowned JRPGs Discuss Their Philosophies Interviewer: Satoshi Eguchi Original text: Itō S…

xenomira.wordpress.com

Xenoblade 3 + FR were billed as closing out the Klaus trilogy while setting up what to expect going forward. I'd say the ending of FR pretty clearly signals a continuation of sorts, since it seems to be setting up the plot thread that not all of humanity was affected by The Experiment, and that the next arc will probably focus more on them.

 

[carlosfilho]

The main game's ending, with the whole running scene and the flute playing in Noah's world, left me the impression that the two worlds separated but the game's events left some Bionis marks on Alrest and some Alrest marks on Bionis. So they were separated but changed, kinda like in a dialectic process, though without a merger. FR's ending shows two worlds, then one, but i think it just illustrates how they're two worlds, but they're still born from the same, have their similarities and connections. Just because they're connected, it doesn't mean they have to be merged again.

 

[Aleh]

The main game's ending, with the whole running scene and the flute playing in Noah's world, left me the impression that the two worlds separated but the game's events left some Bionis marks on Alrest and some Alrest marks on Bionis. So they were separated but changed, kinda like in a dialectic process, though without a merger. FR's ending shows two worlds, then one, but i think it just illustrates how they're two worlds, but they're still born from the same, have their similarities and connections. Just because they're connected, it doesn't mean they have to be merged again.

Even then, they’re trying to communicate to the audience that the worlds will eventually come together. Otherwise Nia and Melia’s words are pointless and misleading

 

[Beelzemontheworld]

I don’t think I’m actually saying anything new or different. But after having thought on it, bit how I saw the post credits scene of FR specifically was first the figure 8 Moebius sort of shape made of blue and yellow fade back into reality and become 2 separate planets, following which 2 sources of light come from both envelop each other and then fade back into a single light and 1 planet. So going off that alone, I see a combination of 2 worlds coming back into reality, separating, and then eventually fusing.

Knowing the plot of 3 and seeing also that the worlds heading toward each other are shown as yellow and blue, and then also running with the idea of Aionis being an interlock of the 2 worlds, then how I’m interpreting it is that the worlds of 1 and 2 came back into reality and broke their interlock, going back to separate worlds following the events of 3. So here’s where I should mention I don’t think time actually stopped and that it was more symbolic of the idea of the endless now. I think the 2 worlds collided, were destroyed, but the collective fear within origin manifested as Z and the system got locked in its own merged endless now.

So the events of 3 happen and then the weird sort of interlocked world made by origin clearly separates based on the ending of 3. But if the collective fear of the people uploaded into Origin can create Aionos and cause Xenoblade 3 then I don’t see why the collective hope of the people can’t then combine those worlds through the same power of Origin. Especially after the whole game is spent showing the bonds of the people create a better future, and the whole thing about Noah and Mio finding each other over and over no matter what. I think it makes sense that the worlds become 1. Especially with the visuals of the FR ending, the lights (light being a form of communication between the 2 worlds) growing together and blending before receding back into 1 light.

My main point, despite the babble above is that I don’t really think the specifics matter. Worlds collided -> collective fear causes 3 -> worlds separate -> collective hope recombines them. I don’t think there’s any functional difference between the worlds being destroyed and a new world being made vs the original worlds fully combining, in the end the original earth became 2 things and now they’re together again reshaped and different from what anyone who left before Klaus’s whole deal and came back would recognize. Xenoblade 3 as a whole was very character based and was telling a story about what happened to the worlds of 1 and 2 based on vibes, so I’ll interpret it in turn with vibes. And the vibes I’ve chosen are 2 worlds torn asunder reunited through the power of hope <3

What specifically happened at the end of 3? They separated, how long did they take to recombine? Idk it doesn’t really matter in the long run but I’ll hope it’s immediate so we can get Xenowarriors with all our favorites set in the post merge world

 

[Almadel]

My theory before Xenoblade 3 was announced was that the remnants of Shulks world got dumped somewhere back on Earth after Klaus met his end. Since Shulks world didn't really seem that big....So Earth (Alrest) stayed the same, but now there was a few more land masses and people from Bionis/Mechonis.

So, the two worlds becoming one.

It doesn't seem like a complete universal reset since they show us Jupiter before cutting to the two worlds.

I guess I'm sticking with that for now...? Because Xenoblade 3 still does absolutely nothing to explain how Origin works or what it actually is.

In fact, I don't even think "Origin" actually exists as a physical thing like it's represented in XC3. Whatever it is, is causing both worlds to experience a collective Encephalon Dive.

It plays out like this -

- After Klaus death, both worlds get sucked into space-time distortion/pocket dimension

- Both planets time is slowed to the point where it seems like time has frozen

- Ontos/Alvis/Alpha is the source of the rift between worlds

- Ontos is involved in creating an interdimensional, interlinked collective Encephalon Dive of all the people from both worlds

- This is how Aionios is created and how the people of both worlds actually meet and Xenoblade 3 happens

- So Melia and Nia only met through Aionios, not in their real worlds

- The ending of Xenoblade 3 happens and the worlds are released from this pocket dimension/distortion time freeze

- They emerge into the real world and what's left of Shulks world gets dumped onto Earth somewhere and life continues as normal??? as it can for now


This is the explanation that makes the most sense to me. I want an explanation of Origin more that anything else in the game lol

 

[Arynio]

Option 3 makes no sense, it’s what Alpha wanted to do and FR is entirely about stopping that lol

Option 2 is what was presented in the main game.

Option 1 is the correct one with what’s shown at the end of FR. Origin recreated them after they annihilated each other, and then they successfully merged without destruction. Melia and Nia already made it very clear that they would eventually get to walk hand in hand again, this time they just spoon fed us a confirmation.

But (as I understand it) what you are describing in the last paragraph is exactly what scenario 3 depicts. The two worlds annihilate each other (i.e. they are both destroyed), and then Origin works its magic and they are successfully recreated, first as separate entities, and then as a single merged world, if I understood the ending of FR. Is the phrasing "new world" what is throwing you off? I understood it as a new world resulting from the combination of both previous worlds.

Anyway, if both worlds are merged at the end as FR seems to heavily imply, that fixes one of my complaints about the base game, which was that nothing that happened in Aionios actually mattered beyond what the main party accomplished at the end. But after reading many posts in here and the other thread I leave with the comforting impression that growing potatoes helped solidify in Aionios/Origin the collective feeling of wanting to stay together, and this in turn looks to have rewritten the initial directive of Origin of recreating both worlds separately, merging them instead into a single one. It makes sense and ties together key themes underlining the whole trilogy.

Edit: it also resolved another of my main criticisms, which was the basis of Origin, so I'm quite happy even if there's still many things I don't fully understand.

 

[Aleh]

But (as I understand it) what you are describing in the last paragraph is exactly what scenario 3 depicts. The two worlds annihilate each other (i.e. they are both destroyed), and then Origin works its magic and they are successfully recreated, first as separate entities, and then as a single merged world, if I understood the ending of FR. Is the phrasing "new world" what is throwing you off? I understood it as a new world resulting from the combination of both previous worlds.

Anyway, if both worlds are merged at the end as FR seems to heavily imply, that fixes one of my complaints about the base game, which was that nothing that happened in Aionios actually mattered beyond what the main party accomplished at the end. But after reading many posts in here and the other thread I leave with the comforting impression that growing potatoes helped solidify in Aionios/Origin the collective feeling of wanting to stay together, and this in turn looks to have rewritten the initial directive of Origin of recreating both worlds separately, merging them instead into a single one. It makes sense and ties together key themes underlining the whole trilogy.

Edit: it also resolved another of my main criticisms, which was the basis of Origin, so I'm quite happy even if there's still many things I don't fully understand.

Yeah I just don’t think of the merged world as a “new” world, because that would still imply some degree of destruction and loss of lives

 

[MP!]

maybe it made a venn diagram with the worlds

 

[SpaceGodzilla]

i feel like anyone thinking it's not a merged world/new world with people of alrest and bionis are grasping a straws especially when at the end of 3 Z is destroyed and sulk/rex/ and alivis now in control of origin