The developers of Final Fantasy 16 have clarified some of the strange rules regarding the Dominans and Eikons that exist in the setting. FF16 will be one of the entries in the series where the summon monsters have a central role in the story, rather than just being a flashy and powerful spell that the player can call upon. In FF16, the summon monsters are referred to as Eikons, and they are among the most powerful beings in the world.FF16 has Dominants and Eikons, which are a major part of the game. The Eikons cannot take physical form on their own, which is why they choose a mortal among the human population to act as a conduit for their power. These mortals are referred to as Dominants and the trailers for FF16 have revealed that they can transform into kaiju-style versions of the Eikons. The developers of FF16 have discussed how Dominants and Eikons work on the official Final Fantasy 16 website, with more information recently revealed in a Famitsu interview that was translated by aitaikimochi on Twitter.
Eikons Are The Final Fantasy Summons & They're Bound To Human Dominants
The trailers for FF16 have confirmed the existence of eight Eikons: Ifrit, Phoenix, Bahamut, Odin, Garuda, Titan, Ramuh, and Shiva. Not all of FF16's Eikons and Dominant characters have been revealed, as a tapestry shown in the latest trailer seems to depict Leviathan among the Eikons, as well as a mysterious creature that is seen above them, suggesting that there are at least two more Eikons and Dominants to be revealed.
A Dominant is granted their powers at birth, and it's unclear whether the Eikon specifically chooses the Dominant, or whether it's a random occurrence. Once a Dominant has their powers, then they retain them until they die. It has been confirmed that when a Dominant dies, they turn to stone, rather than decomposing. The world of FF16 is home to six nations: The Grand Duchy of Rosaria, The Holy Empire of Sanbreque, The Kingdom of Waloed, The Dhalmekian Republic, The Iron Kingdom, and The Crystalline Dominion. Each of the nations in the land of Valisthea in FF16 nation treats Dominants differently, with some being allowed to rise to high positions of power, while others are killed when their magical powers are discovered, out of fear of what they can become. In some cases, Dominants are the rulers, with the current King of Waloed being the Odin Dominant.
FF16 Has Rules That Determine The Number Of Dominants
In FF16, there can only be one Dominant in existence for each Eikon at any one time. The producer of FF16 has confirmed that the death of a Dominant doesn't immediately cause a new one to be born. It's actually possible for a Dominant to not appear for centuries, suggesting that it's not a random occurrence. This means there are points in history where only a few Dominants have been in play. This explains why FF16's different kingdoms and realms would be interested in killing Dominants upon arrival rather than trying to weaponize them, as it could potentially lead to decades or centuries without the risk of giant monsters running around. The wording of the Famitsu interview is unclear, but there might also be a case where Eikons of a specific element cannot exist at the same time, which is why Ifrit and Phoenix's appearance seems to be the catalyst of the game, as they both share the fire element. It's also possible that there are good and evil versions of the Eikons, as Ifrit is specifically referred to as the "Dark Eikon" in the text.
Clive Rosfield is the protagonist of FF16 and it's strongly suggested that Clive is the Dominant of Ifrit. This raises a lot of questions about the story of FF16, as his description on the FF16 website mentions that he was expected to be the Phoenix Dominant, but it was his younger brother that was chosen. Perhaps the story of FF16 involves Clive being given the power of the Ifrit Eikon as an adult and he uses it to steal the power from other Eikons, as the snippets of FF16 gameplay footage show an interface that lists several of the Eikons.
In terms of powers, the Dominants appear to have two forms that they can turn into; an Eikon form and a hybrid form. The FF16 trailers detailing the game's kingdoms show Eikons clashing among the armies of Valisthea, with the Dominants facing each other on the battlefield while transformed into giant monsters. There have been instances where the Titan Dominant, Hugo Kupka, is fighting in a human-sized form that has elements of the Titan transformation, suggesting that they have a smaller power-up that they can use whenever turning into a giant isn't feasible, which has its own set of strengths and weaknesses that it confers to the user.
FF16 Is Set At A Time When All Dominants/Eikons Are Accounted For
One of the most interesting tidbits revealed about the Dominants and Eikons in recent interviews is that FF16 is set during a time when all Dominants are present at one time, and while many of FF16's named characters and Eikons are accounted for, there are still some unknown players, including the identities of the Ramuh and Shiva Dominants. This means every Eikon has a Dominant in play, which could potentially lead to earth-shattering events in Valisthea, as they all come into conflict with each other.
The story of FF16 involves the source of magic fading from the world, leading to dead zones, where life ceases to grow. The cause of this loss of magic is unknown, but it's likely linked to the Eikons. The FF16 trailers have depicted epic battles between Dominants and Eikons, while Clive has his own quest for revenge that he's following. FF16 will have a Mature rating, so violence is definitely going to be part of Clive's story. Ifrit has been described as the Dark Eikon, suggesting it somehow disrupts the natural order, while Clive's quest could involve the death of his brother, as he gets revenge on the Eikons. Clive might have to face off against all of the other Dominants in Final Fantasy 16, as part of a mission that may bring peace to Valisthea.
Sources: aitaikimochi/Twitter, Final Fantasy 16, Famitsu