Cloud of Darkness (Final Fantasy XI)

The Cloud of Darkness is the main antagonist of the Rhapsodies of Vana'diel story arc. Also known as the Void, the residents of Tartarus know it as the Cloud of Darkness, and that it is a primordial being that resides in the space between worlds. It consumes light and darkness, ceasing all life in its path while leaving a lifeless realm called Escha in its wake.
== History ==
The Cloud of Darkness is a primordial being or force that consumes any reality in which the winds of time have stagnated. This force is neither aligned with the light of the mothercrystals or the darkness of the Promathian Chains; rather, the Cloud of Darkness emerges in any reality where these two forces are no longer opposed, or where one overtakes the other. As a result, many of those living in other realities have learned about the Cloud of Darkness, such as Selh'teus and Balamor.
Before the events of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, the Cloud of Darkness is repelled from Vana'diel from the actions of the Adventurer who fights for the force of light. In the Nation missions, the darkness came from the shadow lord and the beastmen armies. In Rise of the Zilart, the darkness was from the Zilart brothers, Kam'lanaut and Eald'narche. In Chains of Promathia, it came from Promathia himself, as a result of the work of Nag'molada. After the death of Promathia, Odin steps in to balance the scales of light and darkness through his actions in Treasures of Aht Urhgan and Wings of the Goddess. In Seekers of Adoulin Balamor's master, Hades, fights for the force of darkness. However, the winds of time eventually stagnate in the world of Vana'diel; the first indications of this are the opening of portals between Vana'diel and the world of Escha. 
== Characteristics ==
=== Appearance ===
The Cloud of Darkness is a collection of amorphous shapes levitating together, most of which has a dark blue-green hue. Unlike many of the of the other appearance of the Cloud of Darkness in the main series, in Final Fantasy XI the Cloud of Darkness appears androgynous. Its size seems to be a function of how much of its existence is gathered into one place: when the Adventurer fights the Cloud of Darkness the first time in Reisenjima, it appears to be enormous, filling the horizon; when it reappears in Selh'teus's mothercrystal at the end of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel, it is much smaller.
=== Personality ===
The only 'personality' that can be attributed to the Cloud of Darkness is seen through its thrall, Volto Oscuro, as it does not directly interact with the characters. However, even Volto Oscuro has very little personality. This is referenced by Balamor when talking to the Adventurer and Arciela about it: he claims that it's difficult to know whether or not the Cloud of Darkness is best characterized as a being or a force.
== Story ==
Final Fantasy XI: Rhapsodies of Vana'dielThe Cloud of Darkness began to seep into Vana'diel when Promathia's destruction weakened the winds of time, despite numerous adversaries that maintained the balance of light and darkness. In one future, the Cloud of Darkness would fully appear in Vana'diel once all five mothercrystals have been shattered from the corrosion caused by it. The future version of the Adventurer attempts to defeat the Cloud of Darkness by expelling their darkness to become a god, but the plan fails and their counterpart is turned into the Cloud's thrall Volto Oscuro. Both Volto Oscuro and Iroha, daughter of Tenzen, are sent back in time; the former tries to bring the Cloud of Darkness to Vana'diel while Iroha tries to stop it.
Volto Oscuro acts to invoke the Cloud's manifestation prematurely in present day Vana'diel while Iroha attempts to stop this. Iroha informs the adventurer and the Tenshodo about the looming threat of the Cloud of Darkness. Zeid's investigation of the World of Escha validate Iroha's story. But, because of her lack of understanding of the Cloud of Darkness, the Tenshodo mistake the Void for the Emptiness. As a result, many of their attempts to stop both, Volto Oscuro and The Void fail. These failures lead the adventurer to seek out the council of Altana, who explains to them that the winds of time have indead stopped since the death of Promathia. It is revealed that, to restore the winds of time and repeal the Cloud of Darkness once more, the adventurer will need to transcend and become a deity of light, while Volto Oscuro needs to break free from the grip of the Void and assume his role as the deity of Darkness. The adventurer uses the orb that Iroha had gifted to aggregate the light of all of the warriors who have fought for the light of the Mothercrystals from the initial battle with the Shadow Lord to the assault on Hades. The aggregated light of all of these warriors allows the adventurer to transcend humanity to become a deity of light, and Volto Oscuro is freed by Shinryu, a matured remnant of Promathia which resides in the world of Abyssea.Both, the adventurer and Volto Oscuro traverse to the plain of the gods to meet with Altana. She explains that, as the deities of light and darkness they must fight in order to restore the winds of time, and this is what they go on to do. Though the Adventurer and their counterpart restore the winds of time before rejoining, a small remaining fragment of the Cloud of Darkness remains in Vana'diel and enters the Reisenjima Mothercrystal to gather its strength with Iroha attempting to hold it off. The adventurer and Tenzen make their way to the Reisenjima Sanctimonious to fend off the this last remnant, but even this fragment proves too powerful for the two. The adventurer finds that alter egos of all of the comrades past are called forth to aid in the battle. Tenzen and the alter egos are able to hold the Cloud of Darkness off long enough for the Adventurer to make it into Selh'teus' mothercrystal. Once inside, the adventurer discovers that the exposure to Phoenix's power from Iroha consolidates the Cloud of Darkness into physical form so it can be destroyed. After the battle, the Cloud of Darkness implodes with only its mask remaining before it shatters.
==Gameplay==
File:CoDFFXI3.webp|Cloud of Darkness (Final Boss)
The Cloud of Darkness is the final boss of Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. Here are some notes about the encounter. 
*Casts elemental magic based on the day and ever-changing weather in the arena.
*Auto Attacks:
**Type 1: AoE damage and knockback around the Cloud of Darkness.
** Type 2: Ranged Attack that inflicts damage.
**Type 3: Damage and TP reduced by 25%.
* Absorbs either physical or magic damage after the use of Primordial Surge which draws players in and absorbs their HP.
*The gem on its head will glow red while this phase is active.
*Iroha's combat style changes to avoid doing a damage type that heals the Cloud of Darkness.
*Ends this absorption phase after the use of Waning Vigor or Expunge (<25%).
*Damage dealt increases based on damage absorbed. 
*Dark spheres will appear around the field as the Cloud's HP decreases with a max of 10 appearing over time.
*Standing in these aura's will inflict, gravity, slow, addle, and paralysis.
==Behind the scenes ==
The Cloud of Darkness seeps into Vana'diel after it no longer has a balance between the light of the Mothercrystals and the darkness of the Promathian chains. This is a reference to the loss of balance between light and darkness in the Cloud of Darkness's first appearance in Final Fantasy III. In that game, there was a flood of light a millennium past, which required the Warriors of Darkness to correct the flood. The player characters must fight that Cloud of Darkness after a flood of darkness threatens the balance of the world.
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XI
Category:Final bosses