Patch 7.1 brings you the first section of FFXIV: Dawntrail’s patch content, and that means there’s a new set of main scenario quests to complete, and new daily quests through the Pelupelu Allied Society. The patch content added between expansions has two primary jobs. First, it should tie up any loose ends from the plot of the previous expansion, which is Dawntrail in this case. Second, the MSQ in the patches should work to set up the next expansion, which hasn’t yet been revealed for FFXIV. Of course, this means that you might be able to start making predictions about future content by paying close attention to details in the MSQ.
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for FFXIV: Dawntrail and Patch 7.1
When you start the 7.1 MSQ, you’re investigating the identity of Gulool Ja’s mother. Since only a few people even remember seeing a Mamool Ja woman at any point, it’s not easy to get solid information about her. However, a lead directs you to an old research facility that’s been decommissioned for a while, but the possibility of it proving a hint about this mystery woman is enough for the group to head over and explore the lab. This is where you unlock the dungeon, Yuweyawata Station.
The Purpose of Yuweyawata Station
Reading the notes inside the dungeon tells you that Yuweyawata Station is where Zoraal Ja had researchers find a way to strengthen a person by letting them use feral souls through their resonators. While the project had to succeed eventually, as we see characters use feral souls to fight in dungeons and the Arcadion raid, these notes show some of the struggles that went into finding a method that worked. Given the state of the labs, the many bodies scattered around, and the amount of blood, it’s likely that Yuweyawata Station may not have been the research location that figured out the way to use feral souls, and a different location probably had to take over the project.
Allegedly, the station found volunteers for this project, but it’s possible that the people used for testing weren’t aware of what was being done beforehand. In some cases, researchers were used to test a new method. Then, you get more information after the dungeon, where you witness a vision of the past through the Echo that reveals that Zoraal Ja aimed to use the strength of the Tural Vidraal through the feral soul research. The same vision reveals the identity of Gulool Ja’s mother, Teeshal Ja.
How the Tural Vidraal Might Hint at an NPC’s Tragic Fate
The final boss of Yuweyawata Station is the Tural Vidraal, and its design is particularly interesting, because it shares resemblances to an NPC that’s already dead by the time you meet her: Cahcuia. She never mentions how she died, and the people in Alexandria either don’t remember her, or don’t bring up the subject. Even with 30 years passing in moments when the dome appeared, Cahcuia wouldn’t have died of old age, since she can live for hundreds of years as a Viera. All together, this creates a rather odd situation.
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The situation becomes more interesting when you look at the design of the Tural Vidraal and Cahcuia, since they share similar colors and braid styles, and those braids aren’t seen that often. Additionally, the Tural Vidraal is considered a distant relative to the Shetona, which is stated through the minion this boss drops. With that in mind, it’s possible that the researchers thought a Shetona soul would have a better chance controlling the Tural Vidraal.
Since the researchers tried both putting a beast soul in a mortal and putting a mortal soul in a beast, there’s one scenario where Cahcuia could’ve been used in this experiment to end up as the final boss. If her soul was extracted to be placed in the boss, her memories could’ve been separated and sent to Living Memory, where you later meet her.
Changes in 7.0 Could’ve Led to This Coincidence
This isn’t a perfect theory and there are still a lot of unknowns, but it’s certainly interesting to not mention how Cahcuia died, then have a boss that shares design elements with her. Given the way that sections of 7.1 feel like they were intended to be in the base expansion, then repurposed into patch content, this coincidence could be due to a change of plans regarding the direction of the MSQ. If that was the case, there might not have been time or enough of a reason to change the boss design as the team continued to move forward with implementing the 10-year road map they have for FFXIV.
The biggest flaw in this theory is the vision from the Echo that you have after defeating the Tural Vidraal and leaving the dungeon. The Echo shows you a scene between Zoraal Ja and Teeshal Ja, which seems to imply that the soul connected to the Tural Vidraal could’ve been Teeshal Ja.
We don’t have concrete answers to what happened to Cahcuia or who was the test subject that ended up fused with the Turaal Vidraal, but it’s possible that future patches will shed more light on these experiments, since Gulool Ja gave the data to Shale to sort through. In the meantime, you can look forward to experiencing FFXIV on mobile, as playtests begin soon.
