Need help understanding story timeline (ENDING SPOILERS)

[Moebius]

So Aerith got killed/returned to the planet somehow I guess, not sure exactly when but she's "dead".

But the thing im very confused about is Zack's timeline. The very first part of the game where the gang is being airlifted amongst the Midgar reckage, when does this take place??

And also wanted to confirm when Zack's interlude portions take place too, thanks for any info!

[DV8ing1]

Its all very obscure on purpose. There are hints that these are 2 (or more) different timelines/worlds that are being conjoined. The devs/writers purposely wanted discussion with this confusing ending and timeline stuff but I do believe I saw them mention that it will be made clear in the 3rd entry.

A popular theory is that zack is the anchor in the timeline silliness and his choices are what cause the timeline to split, so what we see with Zack is what happens when he had a different outcome. So in his timeline Aerith is sick as well as Cloud, and he did help save everyone at the beginning.

End of the day, its purposely obscure and fan theories are rampant but nothing is conclusive. Tune into pt3!

[Moebius]

Originally posted by DV8ing1:

Its all very obscure on purpose. There are hints that these are 2 (or more) different timelines/worlds that are being conjoined. The devs/writers purposely wanted discussion with this confusing ending and timeline stuff but I do believe I saw them mention that it will be made clear in the 3rd entry.

A popular theory is that zack is the anchor in the timeline silliness and his choices are what cause the timeline to split, so what we see with Zack is what happens when he had a different outcome. So in his timeline Aerith is sick as well as Cloud, and he did help save everyone at the beginning.

End of the day, its purposely obscure and fan theories are rampant but nothing is conclusive. Tune into pt3!

Thanks very much for this, this was my other theory too given what the last chapter and Sephiroth kept talking about. I think this makes the most sense.

[theycallmetomu]

Biggs is from the "OG" remake timeline. He was transported to an alternative timeline. It's also suggested Zack was transported from the OG timeline at the time of his impending death, since it was "One moment I'm surrounded the next they're all gone"

So I don't think we can attribute the timeline that Zack is in to his own actions. What we know about the broken timeline Zack is in is that Aerith spent some time talking about events she knew were going to happen to Marlene. This largely dispels my initial theory that this is a worldline where Cloud arrived *after* the assault on Shinra Tower, since aside from what Zack is carrying, we never see a Cloud in that timeline, so there goes that theory. I don't know that it matters too much though, since at the end of the day, it's a worldline that's "accepted its fate." Zack falls through realities (for some reason that's not entirely obvious), and the metaphysical imperanence of the entire sequence of events kind of implies the whole thing exists on a less-than-all-there state in the lifestream (rather than full on alternate timelines per say), kind of like a superposition sort of thing rather than a coherent reality.

My expectation is that game 3 will focus on "Reunion" and there'll be a more explicit "Zack/Aerith/Cloud meet up again" moment, but I'd be surprised if it ends with everyone Alive For Real in the same timeline/reality.

[paxtheconfused]

Ultimate timeline is OG FF7 (1) ultimate (name) will be from the OG timeline
Zach worlds are the intermission parts of rebirth where you play zach.

1: Ultimate Aerith travels the lifestream (past present and future) to battle Ultimate sephiroth along the lifestream. Her "death" in OG is a joining with the lifestream, just like spehiroth after his "death" in nibelhiem. (he's in a giant crystal in the northern crater)
2:Terrier stamp (zach world in rebirth)
3:Pug stamp (zach world in rebirth)
4:Shiba stamp(zach world in rebirth)
5:Spitz stamp (zach world in rebirth)
2-5 cloud and aerith are unconscious, however in 4, Ultimate Aerith and Cloud from the FF7R series, enter the unconscious bodies of their world 4 counterparts. This is where aerith gives the white materia to cloud

6:FF7R series main timeline, Beagle stamp
6 is split into 2 timelines, white materia and clear materia.


Now this could be changed with the final chapter, but there are currently at least 6 or 7 timelines in play by the end of rebirth.


Stamp is the corporate mascot of Shinra. The different mascots are different timelines, this was explained in FF7 Remake and confirmed by Kitase. In each of the cutscenes ytou can determine timeline by the stamp mascot in the scene.
No the split at the end of FF7R series is not a rejoining of the timeline they were severed from at the end of remake.

Remake is sephiroth using his influence on the lifestream to effect the world and change fate. That's why the whispers fought so hard to keep timeline intact and why, at the end, echos of the OG ff7 heroes are the enemy the whispers use to try to keep fate on its proper course.