Fans unearth unused cutscene featuring Final Fantasy XIV's Titan



Any Final Fantasy XIV veteran is familiar with Titan, the earth-aspected Primal, but did you know he was originally planned to appear in Version 1.0? In the video above, fans have discovered an unimplemented cutscene that never made it in before 2013’s A Realm Reborn redo.

If you’re not familiar with Final Fantasy XIV’s Primals, let’s zoom out a bit first. Summoned monsters appear in nearly every franchise entry since Final Fantasy III. Often referred to as summons, eidolons, espers, or aeons, XIV elects to use the term Primal (rarely “Eikons”, but that’s another tale) for its host of godly monsters.

Series staples include the fiery demon Ifrit, bolt-casting beardie Ramuh, and the icicle-wielding Shiva. There’s a ton of them in the series pantheon, and most of them appear in Final Fantasy XIV, which even brings new ones into the fold. The key thing to know here is that they are summoned and usually wreck up the place. That’s where you, dear adventurer, step in to poop the party.

So if we, intrepid Eorzean adventurers, don’t summon them – who does?

Not every Primal pops into existence in exactly the same fashion, but a common culprit are the beastman tribes. Scattered throughout Eorzea, various tribes include the Ifrit-worshipping Amalj’aa in Thanalan and the Bismarck-worshipping Vundu (of the Vanu Vanu) in Abalathia. The tribe pertaining to Titan are the Kobolds, obsessed with mining the La Noscea region in Vylbrand.

What’s probably more important to understand next is how Primals are summoned. Strong will (which can come in the form of collective prayer) and an abundance of aether (a life-energy source not dissimilar from types found elsewhere in the series) will do the trick.

In the opening cinematic of Version 1.0, we see a great seal of aether burst forth during a battle at Silvertear Falls, which jettisons the energy (Titan’s silhouette can be seen here) throughout the land. This sets the stage for many of the events that pit the great races of Eorzea against the beastman tribes.

Unfortunately, the business of summoning primals comes at a high cost: the possible corruption of one’s aether (or life force) – referred to by the Scions of the Seventh Dawn as “tempering”. When you’re tempered, all you can think about is summoning and serving your new Primal god – and hoarding crystals is an easy means to that end.

Tempered tribes, splintering from their more peaceful or reclusive counterparts, are zealously emboldened. They take drastic actions against their neighbors – the immigrant races of Eorzea (who also use crystals as a key economic staple). Ranging from petty theft to unrepentant murder, the nearby city-state of Limsa Lominsa has no choice but to take up arms against the Kobolds to defend its people, severing ties with a now former trading partner. Similar tales are common around Eorzea.

“Sons of man, murderers of my children!”

It’s easy to think of the Primals as a singularly malevolent force (Ifrit and Garuda don’t do much to dissuade you from thinking this) bent on converting all to their will to maintain and empower their existence. However, the reconstructed cutscene shows more of Titan’s affection for his summoners – seemingly held higher in regard than throwaway pawns. He also proceeds to regurgitate and destroy his heart of his own will, dissipating the aether he is constructed from. Curious.

We also get a glimpse of what I guess are the Company of Heroes (primal-slaying non-Hydaelyn-empowered muggles that attempt to take your place while you’re stuck in the five-year limbo before A Realm Reborn). No sight of Trachtoum – though, is that really a surprise?

Indeed, as A Realm Reborn’s post-release scenario progresses, we begin to see that Primals like Ramuh aren’t so fond of malevolence and are more about doing their own thing unimpeded by the likes of adventurer-kind. Shiva? Well she’s a different story too, but I’ll save the spoilers for another time as I nudge you towards the Heavensward expansion I think you’ll love if you haven’t played yet.

So why did this never appear in Version 1.0?

Well, here’s where things dip into speculation, as there’s not much by way of official comment around this specific subject. Here’s a few things some have deduced:

So, when Naoki “Yoshi-P” Yoshida took over development reigns of Final Fantasy XIV, he not only resolved to build the game anew and better than before – but he would continue to update Version 1.0 as part of Square Enix’s amends to frustrated players. You can watch his presentation on how that went here.

Around this time of updating, fixing, rebuilding, and rebooting – the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan – causing Square Enix to suspend service for its online titles like Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV Version 1.0. Business and development as usual at Square Enix was understandably paused.

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The circumstances around this disaster led some to speculate that the development team shelved Titan and Leviathan’s appearance as Primals. Bosses who use earthquakes and tsunamis as signature moves could reasonably be perceived as distasteful so soon after the event, and they opted to create and implement Good King Moggle Mog XII (the last to appear in Version 1.0) as the newest Primal.

Others point to the possibility that the assets for Titan and other features existed during the bulk asset creation phase Final Fantasy XIV’s development but due to A Realm Reborn’s development goals, just never gelled with the development schedule. All of the above are quite plausible and aren’t mutually exclusive.

Thanks to a few dedicated fans who recovered and reconstructed this scene from Version 1.0’s files, we get a different glimpse at the different approach the team took in constructing Titan as a Primal in the story, as well as some fun gobs insight and speculation into the lore behi-beneath him.

“Bow down overdweller!”


About the Author

Tony Garsow Tony joined Nova Crystallis in 2015, and has spent more than a decade writing in the Final Fantasy community. He also contributes to the Nova Crystallis Twitch and YouTube channels, where you can watch select gameplay highlights, previews, and streams.

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