#for now I'm downloading jfo again

[errantgoat]

I've concluded the True Aeon playthrough. I'm satisfied. My thoughts and feelings will contain spoilers!

True Aeon…is really fun! It allowed me to act out some of my lawful stupid fantasies…you just have to be okay with the fact that you'll end up being the asshole for some people. The amount of power you feel your character possesses on this path is immense!

The only gripe I might have is with the characterization of the Aeon as a concept. It definitely shines as the keeper of Cosmic Order, you can feel in your bones that what has happened to Sarkoris shouldn't have happened at all. The barrier between Planes being broken is a Crime and demons rummaging and killing because of that is also a Crime. Every small step you take to remedy that imbalance brings a great amount of satisfaction and a feeling of 'right'. And it's not only the Worldwound, the need to punish cosmic Crimes extends further…A mortal trying to prolong their own life beyond their given lifespan is a Crime, and so is mixing the essence of the Abyss into a divine creature. It's all instinctual, the world was created a certain way, and anything breaking that balance has to be corrected. Simple.

The game wants you to treat judging and punishing mundane criminals as evenly important as all the above, which I didn't buy. At all. It would've been fine as the 'Aeon training wheels' for act III, anything beyond that feels unnecessary. If things stayed in the Cosmic Order/Order of Creation lane the path would've felt more thematically cohesive. At least that's my opinion.

THAT SAID

My favourite things that I got to do on True Aeon path:

Dispelling Jerribeth's influence over the tribe like it was nothing!

Disgruntled Xantir Vang when you restore his original body.

Redeeming Staunton Vhane and him being there in Iz to protect the Sword of Valor if you go after Galfrey.

Saving Terendelev!??!

Dispelling the fucking youth potions from Galfrey omg.

(Also I thought sending every civilian away from Drezen in Act V because they're some sort of thief/liar/ etc was stupid but also funny as hell.)

Being a void.

NOT TO MENTION THE ENDING. OH THE CHERRY ON TOP. (Super spoilers ahead) At Threshold, I was expecting the same formula I got both on Legend and Angel Path. Go deeper into the Worldwound, fight Areelu, the same scene with Suture sneaking up on you, scene in front of the Wound, choice, the end. NOPE, instead you go into the past, into the Threshold that looks brand new (a few corridors of it anyways, but still.) Right before everything happened. And there you fight Areelu - who conveniently knows who you are, but I will ignore this - and defeat her. AND THEN. You cannot exist anymore. There will be no Worldwound and no infusing mortals and demons with mythic powers. You are a paradox, and you just committed a cosmic crime, you used your powers to punish a mortal who hasn't done anything wrong yet. And so you dissolve into the darkness of the void, the only grace being the choice of leaving your companions with a memory of you. And with the ultimate sacrifice the Commander writes the grandest coffee-shop AU of all time. The World without the Worldwound.

All the ending slides you get are from the perspective of the Crusades never taking place. Kenabres is an insignificant town/village you can barely place on the map. Irabeth and Anevia never met. Seelah is a Paladin but never left the South. Lann and Wendu aren't mongrels. Without demonic influence I think Woljif wouldn't be a tiefling either. He's still very Woljif tho. Daeran grew up with all his family alive and is a respected diplomat (I think this is my favourite AU bit.) Etc, etc. Good thing I didn't recruit Arue because I'm sure the fact she'd still be a soul-sucking succubus would break my heart. True Aeon ending made me emotional. I won't lie. It peaked, it cannot get more amazing than this. :'D

[hecckyeah]

rewarding myself for handling my big injury yesterday by buying jedi fallen order for $10 on steam today <3