Midgardsormr becomes an ally of the Warrior of Light eventually (not to mention a minion and a mount, at various stages of his life). But where does he come from? How does he go from a giant ghost to an adorable little dragon whelp sitting on your shoulder? We’ll cover that and more below. Note: Spoilers for basically all of Final Fantasy XIV follow – you’ve been warned!
Where Did Midgardsormr Come From?
Midgardsormr has his origins on a distant planet known as The Dragonstar (original, right). Dragonstar was at war with another planet named Alphatron, populated by mechanical beings called the Omicrons. The Omicrons were invading other planets, eventually attacking the Dragonstar. Midgardsormr was the strongest inhabitant of Dragonstar, which led Alphatron to dispatch a superweapon named Omega to destroy him. Midgardsormr bested Omega, but due to the weapon’s regenerative capabilities, couldn’t fully destroy him. So Midgardsormr fled Dragonstar with seven eggs (these would later on come to be known as the “First Brood”). He would come to rest on Hydaelyn after a huge trek through space, hatching his eggs and giving his race another shot at life on another planet. His brood eventually went their separate ways, but we’ve encountered many of them throughout XIV’s story. They play massive parts in the adventure, as villains and antagonists. Nidhogg, Hraesvelgr, and Ratatoskr all come into play in one way or another, while Bahamut and Tiamat cast a large shadow throughout the entire game.
How Did Midgardsormr Die?
Midgardsormr slumbered beneath a lake named Silvertear Falls when Gaius Van Baelsar moved to seize Mor Dhona. This was one of his first attempts to conquer Eorzea in the name of the Garlean Empire. Midgardsormr was awoken by the airships and rose to fight back, summoning his army of dragons to defeat the invaders. Midgardsormr would wrap himself around the flagship of the fleet (the Agrius) to bring it down, but tanks of ceruleum fuel exploded as he did, killing the king of all dragons outright. Dragon and ship both fell to the earth, where they would remain, tangled together, for fifteen years. This would eventually come to be known as the Keeper of the Lake – which is also the name of the dungeon in which we come to earn Midgardsormr’s allegiance. Following signs and portents that Midgardsormr’s resurrection may be at hand, we venture out to his corpse with a party of fellow adventurers to find the truth. At the dungeon’s conclusion, Midgardsormr’s soul awakens, and we have to vanquish it to continue.
What Happens After We Beat Midgardsormr’s Spirit?
After conquering the boss battle, Midgardsormr asks the Warrior of Light to state their reason for coming to his grave. It turns out that Nidhogg’s roar was what awoke him from his slumber. We essentially end up earning Midgardsormr as a follower – he takes the form of a dragon pup and can be summoned as a minion. Midgardsormr seeks to observe the player character to ensure they’re worthy of being the Warrior of Light. He made a pact with Hydaelyn when he landed on the planet, so many years ago, and believes he can act as a judge of character. From this point on Midgardsormr begins to play a much more active role as a character. He appears from time to time throughout Heavensward. This isn’t surprising, because Heavensward is basically the dragon expansion – and Midgardsormr essentially fathered them all. He plays a role in fixing the shattered relationship between man and dragon throughout the entire expansion. He also leads us to Tiamat in Azys Lla, and eventually “grows up” into a dragon large enough to ride as a mount.
What Happens Between Midgardsormr And Omega?
In Stormblood, Midgardsormr reappears in the Omega raid series to assist us in our fight against his ancient foe. Omega traps the player in a prison, and Midgardsormr temporarily assumes his full titanic form to destroy it and release us. We’re able to get a taste of Midgardsormr’s full might here. What we see of him in the rest of the game is truly a shadow of his former self. Even using his power to free us here forces him back into another slumber. Eventually, he will recover to his full strength permanently – but that might be beyond any expansions we ever see. Who knows?
Where is Midgardsormr Now?
Still sleeping, although he does get a couple of brief nods in the new Endwalker expansion. He contributes some of his magical scales to the effort to build a ship capable of space travel, fittingly named the Ragnarok. As one final bit of trivia: many of XIV’s dragon associations are themed after Norse mythology. Many of the dragons are named after important elements of the myth surrounding death, chaos, and rebirth. Naming the ship Ragnarok ties all that together quite nicely!
