Final Fantasy 16 throws players into a massive world of magic and monsters with a storied history that has influenced the game's main story. While the game offers players a journal that greatly helps them get caught up on the lore and people, there are still a few things players are left to figure out.
One of the cornerstones of the world of Valisthea are Eikons and their Dominants. Through the many kingdoms, dominants are treated very differently, despite the immense power of their Eikons.
What Are Eikons
Returning fans of the Final Fantasy series will recognize Eikons as the summons, or gods, of previous games. Each now has a slightly different look for the new game, but their core elements and abilities mostly stay the same. In Final Fantasy 16, Eikons are powerful god-like creatures that can be summoned and controlled by dominants. There is an Eikon for many major elements in the world, such as fire, ice, wind, lighting, etc. There are also a set number of Eikons in the world that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Eikons are seen as powerful weapons of war that can obliterate armies in seconds and lead to sweeping victories in battle. Eikons vary in size, with some as large as a building and others the size of a mountain. Whenever Eikons are summoned on a battlefield, the flighting around them seems inconsequential, with most of the armies being crushed and killed by the fighting of two Eikons.
What Are Dominants
Eikons are housed within a person, and that person is known as a Dominant. A Dominant is able to use the Eikon's power while a human, making them incredibly powerful wielders of the magic their Eikon also uses. Dominants can summon their Eikon, transforming into the creature and controlling it directly. Dominants are also able to transform into a smaller version of half human and half their Eikon, able to use more of its power than in their human form but not on the destructive scale of a full Eikon.
Many of the realms within the world of Valisthea have been built on their corresponding Eikons, using their power to defeat their enemies. Because of the power Eikons provide, Dominants are given different roles depending on the realm. Some realms see their Dominants as royalty and worship them because of their Eikon. Others treat their Dominants as slaves, only brought out in times of war to fight their enemies, with some realms treating their dominants as powerful soldiers meant for war.