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Each new entry in the belovedFinal Fantasyseries introduces a new cast of characters, immersive environments, and a litany of strange nouns and words you’ve never heard before.Final Fantasy 16continues this tradition by introducing Eikons, Mothercrystals, and so many other terms that it can be hard to keep track of them all.
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Throughout the adventure, you’ll learn about a group of people known as Bearers. Even after rolling credits on Final Fantasy 16, you might be unsure about their exact role in the world and their importance toward the sprawling narrative. Whetheryou’ve played the gameor plan on hopping in for the first time, it’s best to understand what a Bearer is for the best experience.
What Is A Bearer?
Final Fantasy 16 is set in Valisthea, a nation known for its numerousMothercrystals that bless citizens with the magic they need to survive in the form of crystals. This precious resource can pull aether from the air to cast essential magicks, but they shatter after a certain amount of time. Due to the high demand for crystals across the realm, kingdoms often use an alternative, to the detriment of a group of people known as Bearers.
A Bearer is someone with the ability to cast magic without using a crystal. There seems to be no rhyme or reason behind who is chosen to have these powers, but having the ability to summon fire or ice in this world is more of a curse than a gift.
A Bearer’s Burden
Tested at birth, it doesn’t take long for society to figure out if someone is a Bearer. If a baby proves to have the potential to wield magick on their own, they are immediately taken away from their parents and branded with a mark on their cheek. For the rest of their lives, they aretraded between kingdomsand treated like slaves as they work relentlessly to power the world and preserve valuable crystals.
While most Bearers are discovered at birth,some don’t come into their power until they’re older. These Bearers are able to hide their abilities and live freely with their neighbors being none the wiser, although the threat of their secret being discovered will loom over them forever. If they are discovered, they are often shunned and outcast by all who know them, with no consideration of the things they may have done for their friends and community.
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Aside from being treated poorly by anyone who isn’t a Bearer, they also physically suffer from using too much magick. Using their bodies as a vessel for aether comes at a price that slowly turns their skin to stone. Without a cure, Bearers are forced to use their powers until their limbs become unusable, and they eventually perish from a painful death that can only be soothed with rare medicine.
Even if a Bearer can escape enslavement, the mark on their cheeks makes them a target and a social pariah wherever they go. There is a surgery that can remove the brand from the skin, but it’s very painful, and if the doctor makes a mistake, it can kill the patient before they have their freedom.
Bearer Or Dominant?
While most Bearers live tragic lives and simply use magic because they’re made to,a small handful of them — known as Dominants — are much more revered and respectedby the majority of Valisthea. Not only can Dominantsuse elemental magicks without a crystal, but they can also transform themselves into magnificent beasts and creatures known as Eikons. In an unfortunate contrast, Dominants are often leaders of kingdoms and feared for their power while Bearers are treated like the scum of the earth.
Despite his powers as a Dominant, the main character of Final Fantasy 16 — Clive — is branded as a Bearer at a young age and forced to join the military as a slave. Not only are Bearers important to the world-building and narrative of the game, but you’ll spend most of your time playing as one and witnessing the brutal world through their eyes.
Next:Final Fantasy 16 Vs. Final Fantasy 15: Which Game Is Better?
