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Back in 2013, I met Elidibus for the first time. If I recall correctly, he first appeared to Minfilia in the Waking Sands, uttering complex sentences that only Urianger could hope to understand. He was enigmatic, confident, and bold.
Back then, I thought he would be the next big bad evil. We would do some fetch quests for a random townsperson, learn more about the primals, and ultimately face Elidibius, ending his charade once and for all. How wrong I was. Ten years later, we’re in Endwalker and still interacting with the Ancient counterpart of the Ascian Elidibus, Themis.
But in these ten years, Elidibus come and go. He’s not a fighter, as he claims, but an emissary. Only when the going gets tough that he risks himself. But never on his authentic body or name, only borrowing the warrior next door’s corpse. Until there’s no more running anyway, he faces the Warrior of Light (Darkness at the time) and meets his doom.
In this Elidibus FFXIV guide, I will do my utmost to flesh out one of the most iconic antagonists not only in this acclaimed MMORPG but in the entire crystal franchise. May I honor his history as no one else, including his Ancient peers, has ever done.
Key Features
- Full Name: Elidibus is his Convocation of Fourteen name and title. Real name is most definitely Themis unless Square is baiting their entire player base.
- First Appearance: Final Fantasy XIV, in the Waking Sand as a threatening figure.
- Race: Ancient.
- Gender: Male.
- Playable Character: No.
- Special Powers: Has dominion over aether-aspected magicks, can learn new ones quicker, such as interment, but doesn’t seem to specialize in one specific power.
- First Encountered: Elidibus gallivants into the Waking Sands to dialogue with Minfilia.
- Characteristics: After living for millennia, Elidibus is suffering from amnesia. His only focus is on duty, although he doesn’t remember why. While he collaborates with his fellow Ascians due to necessity, Elidibus doesn’t trust them to do their part. As Themis and before oblivion hit him, he held the Convocation of Fourteen and its members in the highest regard.
Appearance(s)
There are two looks here to be discussed. That of Elidibius, member of the Convocation of Fourteen and Ascian emissary, and of Themis, the Ancient who took over the seat of the Convocation. First, I will discuss the Ascian since his appearance is more straightforward.
As an Ascian, Elidibus wears a white robe with golden ornaments and a reddish mask. He claims it is because of his role as an emissary and to distinguish himself from his fellow unsundered Ascians. However, the actual appearance behind his first sightings is a mystery. Ascians hop from body to body, so Elidibus could be wearing a simple NPC face which was only suited as a spokesperson. But so far, it wasn’t revealed.
In Stormblood, Elidibus possesses the body of Zenos after the crown prince dies. His guise is a gigantic man with long blond hair and a Garlean eye resting on his forehead. In the Shadowbringers expansion, the Emissary assumes the identity of Ardbert to rouse the crowd and try to undermine the achievements of our protagonist. Finally, Elidibus assumes the identity of the iconic Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy I and the poster boy from Dissidia. He wears bluish armor with gold detailing, a horned helmet, and long silver hair, which matches his Ancient appearance.
As an Ancient, Elidibus was the boy Themis. This corroborates what Emet-Selch says about him, calling him a young man with a small stature. His true identity looks like a boy filled with joviality. Bristly, innocent turquoise eyes inhabit his face, and silver hair rests on his shoulder, similar to the Warrior of Light primal form. Themis wears a white robe, like Venat. Emet-Selch says that robes of this color are reserved for impartial and trustable advisors.
Personality
Elidibus is one of the most duty-bound characters I’ve met in my entire RPG journey. At first, he seems the antithesis of the shonen hero. The anti-hero who rivals the protagonist and indirectly motivates them, driving them to new heights. The so-called cold and calculating personality that every youth entering high school aims to mimic. Therefore, it’s a rule that he despises his peers, even though they share the same goal.
Most of the time, Elidibus is conceited and has a holier-than-thou attitude toward what he considers lesser races, but his politeness is never lost. He claims we are all pawns in the Ascians’ grand scheme and rarely puts his hand to the wheel, cunningly scheming in the backstage. Despite being an Unsundered Ascian, like Lahabrea and Emet-Selch, Elidibius suffers from growing amnesia. His sole motivation and drive are to fulfill his duty as Emissary of Zodiark and restore the true God.
Elidibus’s arrogant and nonchalant attitude was his downfall, however. When the Emissary notices the Warrior of Light’s interferences are disrupting the Ascian’s plans more than anticipated, he starts acting more proactively, occupying bodies with heightened physical and martial capabilities capable of taking on our protagonist and eliminating them once and for all. Elidibus epitomizes the adage, “every villain is the hero of his own story.”
After being defeated, however, he bares all his vulnerability, freeing himself from the bonds of his duty for millennia. In a sense, he commences acting honorably after being bound to the Crystal Tower, aiding the Warrior of Light to travel back in time and avert the Final Days.
Back in the days when The Convocation of Fourteen still operated, Elidibius was looked at as a younger brother by the members. Emet-Selch stated the young man was ever eager to fulfill his duty and respected and admired the Convocation to a greater extent than any other. That’s why he was chosen to be Zodiark’s heart. But when chaos ensued and he had to separate himself from the primal, Elidibus’ eagerness gave place to melancholy and forgetfulness.
As Themis, he was courteous and reasonable and held his peers in high regard. The boy was brilliant and could identify alterations in the aether with ease. His enthusiasm and eagerness while tackling the investigation also denoted his youthfulness. At the time, he already occupied the seat of Elidibus in the Convocation of Fourteen but initially kept his position a secret.
Story
The Pandæmonium Investigator
Themis was an Ancient and youngest member of the Convocation of Fourteen. The first time we meet him in-game, his name appears as Confused Boy. Themis says he has to investigate the Pandæmonium, and Azem was meant to help him. Still, the Traveler announced that a guiding star would be in his place. Guess who’s the guiding star? Exactly, us.
The platinum-haired young man comments that the Pandæmonium houses high-level creations and is run by the Words of Lahabrea organization but that an unnatural shift in the flow of its surrounding aether was detected, and all communication was cut off. Themis’ assignment is to investigate this anomaly as a member of an organization that works directly with the Convocation, hinting that he isn’t a member of Convocation of Fourteen yet. If he did compose the Convocation’s body, Themis would introduce himself with his seat title rather than his real name.
When the investigations in Pandæmonium begin, Themis comments that something is eroding the site’s protections from the inside. He needs to weave a spell to reinforce this safety, but doing so won’t allow him to participate in any possible fights, at most conjuring other warriors to help our Warrior of Light. That is, other players. I love when they insert the gameplay into the narrative.
We face Erichthonios in the first room in Pandæmonium. After defeating him, Erichthonios turns back into a warden and explains that someone is tampering with their minds and trying to release the savage creations from the Pandæmonium.
Themis says that if Convocation knows this, they undoubtedly will eliminate the entire Pandæmonium. Erichthonios tries to dissuade the boy from contacting his superiors yet. Although Themis says that emotions will not sway him, he points out that the survey has just begun. It would be unfair not to delve further into Pandæmonium. However, the warden Erichthonios says it would require mastery over interment spellcraft – a high-level shackle to keep the creatures at bay. Themis shows interest in furthering his skill of the art if Erichthonios is willing to teach him.
In my opinion, and a dose of theorycraft, this may be a foreshadowing of The Watcher, the Ancient-like created by Hydaelyn whose job was to watch Zodiark’s tethers on the moon. He may be a recreation of Erichthonios since he mastered the art of warden and shackles or perhaps the ancient Elidibus before Themis took the throne.
When we meet Hesperos, and he badmouths Erichthonios, Themis is quick to defend his most recent friend, showing a more emotional side of the boy despite him saying the opposite moments before. Hesperos comments on Themis’ aptitude and how quickly he mastered interment and could easily escape the magical prison the key warden created.
Erichthonios suspects that his father, Lahabrea, is responsible for the chaos in Pandæmonium. Themis says it doesn’t seem to be the makings of the man he knows and asks our Warrior of Light. Let’s face it, we have had particular affronts with Lahabrea that indicate he is fully qualified for vileness. Themis is stunned by our conclusion. We notice he holds those in the Convocation in high esteem despite his future Ascian attitude contrary evidence.
However, soon Themis’ beliefs prove to be confirmed. When Lahabrea appears before him, the boy makes a quick charade, asking the Pandæmonium chief to pronounce his name. Lahabrea gets it wrong, calling him Themis, something the real one would never do. The real Lahabrea appears, uttering the name Elidibius in reference to Themis’ Convocation seat and unmasking the fake, who reveals himself as Hephaistos. For reasons as yet undisclosed, Themis says he has concealed his membership of the Convocation and apologizes to the Warrior of Light.
Finally, while Lahabrea states that the best course of action is the immediate destruction of the Pandæmonium, Themis notes that some wardens may still be saved. He and Azem have debated at length about the resolution of this problem. So he is sent as Emissary to the scene to make a logical and impartial analysis and decide on the best outcome. We continue proceeding to the depths of Pandæmonium so Themis, now also known as Elidibus, can have his conclusion.
The Heart of Zodiark
When the Final Days events occurred, Elidibius was on the team that agreed to sacrifice half of the Ancients to summon Zodiark. This is unsurprising since Emet-Selch and Lahabrea stood by him, as were most of the Convocation of Fourteen. Initially, the Ancient in Loghrif’s seat was supposed to be the heart of Zodiark, but they opted for Elidibius, considering him the most suitable.
After the summoning of Zodiark, the Amaurotines were scattered around, disorganized. Elidibus detached from Zodiark to continue his duty as Emissary. At that moment, Venat summoned Hydaelyn and sundered the world and the primal of darkness in thirteen shards. Emet-Selch, Lahabrea, and Elidibus were the only Ancients spared from the split and retained their memories.
For millennia, the three Ancients, now known as Paragons or Ascians, plotted and planned how to rejoin the shards back to the Source, restoring the true god Zodiark and his people. While Emet-Selch and Lahabrea became directly and more aggressively involved with the shards, Elidibus kept a role in balancing the scale between the world’s light and darkness, avoiding another flood like that of the 13th shard.
Working in the Backstage
Elidibus usually appears in expansions post-game once the Warrior of Light proves more capable than he presumed. After we defeat Lahabrea, the Emissary introduces himself to Minfilia and to us, the players. He’s wearing a white robe and a red mask. Elidibus speaks cryptically, implying that he condemns Lahabrea’s actions but that his colleague still has time to learn. When Tataru Taru appears to talk to Minfilia, the Lalafell can’t see Elidibus. Only Echo-wielders have the faculty to see him.
After uttering puzzling allegations, Elidibus retreats from Waking Sands. Minfilia tries to catch up to him but is struck and falls. When the Warrior of Light finds Minfilia, she asks the hero to follow the Ascian. We meet him in the square of Vesper Bay, and he sends some trials by combat to us, who deal with majestic prowess. The man introduces himself as Elidibus and speaks a few more confusing words, but always opting for diplomacy.
After a while, a scene shows Nabriales questioning Elidibus’ approach to the Warrior of Light, but the Emissary shrugs. Soon, the white-robed Ascian is seen, along with Lahabrea – now possessing another clueless body – as he parrots on the shoulder of the Archbishop of Ishgard, definitely plotting the next steps in his plans.
When Elidibus approached the Scions, he allowed Urianger to contact him. The secret meetings of the two suggested there was a traitor in our midst. But later on, it’s revealed Urianger was trying to understand more about the Ascians and their motivations while attempting to predict their movements, operating as a double agent.
Tipping the Darkness Balance
When Thordan eliminates Lahabrea, and we wipe out Thordan, the scene cuts to show Elidibus in the most unimaginable place possible up to that point: the moon. Crazy to think about how this foreshadowing stretched out for almost 7 years. Elidibus notices that the balance of light and dark is leaning towards the brighter side, given our Warrior of Light’s actions in defeating any opponent that crosses his path. We were hindering the Ascians’ goals.
With zeal in his duty, Elidibus recruits the Warriors of Light from The First, dubbed Warrior of Darkness in the Source, to tip the scales between these elements. He also instigates other threats in Eorzea, such as nudging Griffin to find the Eyes of Nidhogg and sending his disciple Unukalhai to join the Scions of Seventh Dawn. Now we really had a traitor in the organization.
From Emissary to Fighter
In Stormblood, Elidibus has noticed that merely scheming on the sidelines wasn’t enough for his plans to come to fruition. As soon as the Warrior of Light defeats Zenos and the crown prince unlocks his body for the taking, the Emissary hops in it and assumes his identity. He directly collaborates with Emet-Selch, the other unsundered Ascian who took over Solus zos Galvus’ body long ago. Solus is Zenos’ grandfather, creating an exciting dynamic between Emet-Selch and Elidibus as pseudo-grandfather and grandson.
Elidibus intends to further rally the war between Garlemald and The Eorzean Alliance to push the emperor into using Black Rose, an incredibly powerful and dangerous bioweapon. This action would be in conjunction with Emet-Selch’s plots in The First. It would be enough to facilitate yet another rejoining, finally unleashing sufficient power for Zodiark to break free.
In Shadowbringers, Urianger comments on an alternate future where the Black Rose was discharged. Many lives in Eorzea were decimated, including The Warrior of Light. Luckily, it was not the reality of our world. Otherwise, there would be no more Final Fantasy XIV.
In the body of Zenos, Elidibus proves to be an eloquent and persuasive manipulator, dismembering the empire from within and further igniting the sparks of war. The heinous acts of Asahi, Zenos’ biggest fanboy, are all orchestrated by Elidibus. The Ascian convinces a wavering Varus to attack Ala Mhigo with Garleans forces.
On the battlefield, Elidibus defeats most of our character’s allies in Zenos’ body but is faced by us on equal footing. Then, G’raha Tia intrudes at the worst possible time, fainting the Warrior of Light with his summoning attempt. It’s Estinien who steps in and saves us from a bloodthirsty Elidibus.
The Warrior of Light Versus The Warrior of Darkness
While Warrior or Light, now known as the Warrior of Darkness in the First, has their hands full dealing with Emet-Selch, Elidibus is still trying to persuade Varis to employ the Black Rose. Finally, the emperor gives in. But by a blatant irony of fate, Zenos has resurrected and occupied another body given his artificial Echo. Despite standing in the body of a simple foot soldier, Zenos manages to overpower Elidibus and recover his own body, regaining his true identity and committing patricide against Varus.
This leads Garlemald into a state of rebellion and chaos, terminating the Black Rose development and indirectly saving Eorzea. Thank you, Zenos. This forces Elidibus out of the crow prince’s body. Or prince of nowhere since the empire is crumbling. Luckily for the Emissary, his plans fall even further off the rails when we defeat Emet-Selch in The First. Now, devoid of colleagues, Elidibus must get down to business and try to salvage what he can.
Prior to the battle against Hades, Ardbert’s soul is joined with our Warrior of Darkness. While we get a narrative boost in our strength, this means Ardbert’s body is open for the hopping. As a result, Elidibus takes Ardbert’s body for himself and rouses the population of the Crystarium to his ideals.
Elidibus made a starshower illusion to awaken the Echo in the residents of the First, claiming they are new Warriors of Light. In retrospect, it is as if the starshower was a trigger from the Final Days. This memory awakens a fragment of the soul of the Ancients, releasing the power of the Echo, which was a common thing in the past.
Despite the Scions’ inquiries, Elidibus leaves without revealing his grand scheme, as should be customary for any villain. When we meet the Emissary again, the Warrior of Darkness glimpses into his past, watching when the man first joined the Convocation of Fourteen. A little earlier, Elidibus saw the same image of an Ancient in place of our protagonist. Still, given his growing amnesia, he remembers nothing.
The Ascian reveals his plan, which is forthright. He intends to gather several warriors to defeat our character; after all, we are the main obstacle thwarting his plans. By eliminating us, there will be no one able to stand between the rejoining.
Initially, the man tries to confront the Warrior of Darkness solo in the body of Ardbert. He kidnaps Y’shtola and uses her as bait to lure the champion of Eorzea. On the clock to save the sorceress, the hero faces various tribulations from the past. When Warrior of Darkness conquers all the challenges, Elidibus takes matters into his own hands but is also defeated. He backs off and tries to find new means to gain power.
Elidibus plans to take control of the summoning magic of the Crystal Exarch. When he invades the Crystal Tower, the Exarch manages to trick the Ascian and trap him inside the building. However, the Emissary obtained summoning power from a G’raha crystal. Through this power, Elidibus summons heroes from beyond, imbuing him with might and making him the primal Warrior of Light. This scene is wonderful and gave me chills. It also dismantled many theories I had at the time, such as that we would eventually become a primal due to the amount of adoration we amassed throughout our adventures.
Before the Warrior of Light clashes against the Warrior of Darkness, grab your popcorn cause it’s the villain’s monologue time. Elidibus reveals that when he first appeared at the Waking Sands, his plan was to use our protagonist as a means to avoid darkness from flooding the Source. However, his calculations did not expect us to be so badass as to defeat Lahabrea and Emet-Selch. After being left alone, Elidibus remained duty-driven. He didn’t know the reason underlying his duty, but he had to keep moving forward.
After defeating him, the Warrior of Darkness hands over all the memory stones he had to Elidibus. The Ascian recalls his entire past. In one of the most emotional scenes in Final Fantasy XIV, the Ascian becomes a boy again, cloaked in his white robe. We now know that behind that garment is Themis. Upon realizing his duty was to save his people and friends, he regrets being alone. Elidibus technically dies, but his essence is trapped in the Crystal Tower.
Averting The Final Days
While Scions thought the Ascian threat was over, the most annoying enters the fray, Fandaniel. With no Elidibus supervising their plan or ordering the sundered Ascian around, Fandaniel found it fit to go rogue and do as he pleased. He allied himself with Zenos to carry out his hidden agenda.
And Fandaniel succeeded. He tricked us, the Warrior of Light, into facing and defeating Zodiark. The defeat of the Primal of Darkness caused the Source protection to disappear and the Final Days to return. Blasphemies started popping up worldwide, and the Scions were unsure what to do. The Watcher on the moon gave us a clue related to Elpis, an unknown term. Scions suggested we resort to Elidibus at the Crystal Tower and his fathomless knowledge.
Elidibus tells us that Elpis was a place from the past, a facility to test the Ancients’ creation magicks. The man says he learned to channel the power of the Crystal Tower and can send the Warrior of Light back to that time, but that would be his last act. So he does. As he vanishes, Elidibus says that the fate of Source is now in the hands of Hydaelyn and her champion.
FAQs
Question: Was Elidibus the First Warrior of Light?
Answer: That’s inconclusive since the game never explicitly elaborated on it. I dare say he created the first heroes of every shard that suffered a Rejoining in the days of old in the Source. I don’t believe they were necessarily called Warrior of Light, even though Norvrandt legend tells a tale of them. When Elidibus turned primal, he assumed the appearance of a Warrior of Light to face our Warrior of Darkness while also pleasing the franchise’s longtime fans.
Question: What’s Elidibus’ Real Name?
Answer: Themis. The sidequests for the Pandæmonium raids see Lahabrea addressing the boy as Elidibus. He later confirms it to be true.
Question: Is Elidibus the last Ascian?
Answer: As far as I know, yes. After defeating Emet-Selch, Elidibus is the last unsundered Ascian. That is, an Ancient whose soul wasn’t split between the shards. However, his essence is stuck in the Crystal Tower after we defeat him. Then, we kick Fandaniel’s Zodiark butt to smithereens, leaving Elidibus, or at least his essence, as the last Ascian alive. But he fades as soon as he transports the Warrior of Light to the past.
Conclusion
Initially, Elidibus is the most unobtrusive unsundered Ascian of the trio. Perhaps his forgetfulness didn’t make him as weary and jaded as Lahabrea and Emet-Selch, who have been trying to put their plan into fruition for millennia. Nonetheless, he was just as devoted to the duty as his peers.
The Emissary’s role was to raise heroes throughout, tipping the scales of light and darkness and managing elements for the Rejoining. Eventually, he found it necessary to become the hero himself in order to face the villain of his story, the player. In the last moments, Elidibus remembers his past and duty, creating a bittersweet scene for those who witness it. He may not have been as spherical and deep a villain as Emet-Selch. Still, he was undoubtedly the best to follow up on his fellow Convocation member’s act.