One of the long-awaited pieces of story DLC for Final Fantasy XV — Episode Ignis — is set to launch next month. Players have already spent time with Gladiolus and Prompto, each receiving their own starring episode earlier this year. But Ignis’ episode is a special one, given the emotional fervor around its release.
Teased after the ending of Episode Prompto, Episode Ignis will answer one of the biggest mysteries left unsolved at the end of Final Fantasy XV: How did Ignis lose his eyesight? The constant companion to Noctis goes blind at some point during the battle against the mammoth divine creature Leviathan, but we never learn exactly what happened.
The most recent trailer for Episode Ignis offers some clues. But in order to catch them, you may want to go back and watch Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the prequel CGI film that was released last summer. Here’s why.
Spend Time With Ravus
Ravus is the elder brother of Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the leading lady of Final Fantasy XV. Ravus, unlike Luna, has agreed to help Niflheim on its mission of global conquest. He serves as the country’s high commander and answers to its Emperor. Since their parents died when they were children, Luna is the only living family Ravus has left. So naturally, he is angered by her willingness to sacrifice herself to get Noctis the power he needs to save his country.
Despite all of this, Ravus loves his sister and is torn between supporting her and supporting the empire he serves. In the main game of Final Fantasy XV, we spent little time with Ravus — that is, until we fight him as a boss battle. We know that he is resentful of Noctis and that he supports the empire, but little else. However, in Kingsglaive, we learn more of what Ravus is about, as the film sets up his character and his goals.
Ravus will be a major character in the Episode Ignis DLC. Players who aren’t completionists may have missed small details in Final Fantasy XV that filled in gaps in Ravus’ story. But a few hours with Kingsglaive will help place some of those pieces.
What Is the Ring of the Lucii?
In the Episode Ignis trailer, we see Ignis put on a ring — the same ring we’ve seen Luna carrying in flashbacks and brief cutscenes. If you watched Kingsglaive already, you’ll recognize the Ring of the Lucii and the devastating power it bestows on its wearer.
The Ring is meant to be worn only by those with the royal blood of the house of Lucius. Anyone else who puts on the Ring, if they are not worthy, will face the destruction of their body. We see this happen to Ravus in Kingsglaive. When he puts on the Ring, his arm begins to burn, and when we see him again in the main game, it is hidden under heavy armor.
We also see Nyx, the protagonist of Kingsglaive, put the ring on as well. But because Nyx wants the power for a noble purpose, the spirits powering the Ring give him one night to wield it. When the sun rises, his duty done, he dies.
Kingsglaive shares more information about the uses and dangers of the Ring of the Lucii than the main game; we also see why Luna is carrying it, and not Noctis, when the game begins. When Ignis puts on this ring in the Episode Ignis trailer, he screams and black spots burn away his vision.
This is a pretty substantial hint regarding what happens to Ignis’ eyesight. We’ll know more when Episode Ignis drops on December 13.
