In the universe of Final Fantasy XIV, the First (also known as the First Reflection) is one of the thirteen mirror worlds created during the Sundering—a cataclysmic event twelve thousand years ago where the original world of Etheirys was split by the goddess Hydaelyn to seal away the dark god Zodiark. While the "Source" is the primary world where the main story takes place, the First is its closest elemental neighbor, historically skewed heavily toward the element of Light.
When the world was shattered, each shard received a copy of the original geography, flora, and fauna, which then evolved independently over millennia. Because the First was highly aligned with Astral Passive energy (Light), its history diverged significantly from the Source.
While the Source experienced a alternating cycle of Astral and Umbral eras marked by elemental disasters, the First experienced a relatively peaceful history until the Ascians—immortal beings seeking to undo the Sundering—manipulated events to tip the world’s balance entirely toward Light.
Though the biological lineages are identical to those on the Source, the isolation of the shards led to completely different naming conventions and cultural identities for the various races:
Hume (Hyur): The most widespread and adaptable race, foundational to most major settlements.
Elf (Elezen): Primarily found in the forested regions, known for their longevity and traditionalism.
Mystel (Miqo'te): Divided roughly into domestic populations and nomadic tribes.
Galdjent (Roegadyn): Heavily built individuals often working in physical labor, security, or maritime trades.
Drahn (Au Ra): Distinguished by their scales and horns, split culturally between settled citizens and nomadic groups.
Lapall (Lalafell): Highly industrious and subterranean-dwelling miners and artisans.
Ronso (Hrothgar): Fierce, leonine humanoids native to the mountain ranges of Amh Araeng.
Viis (Viera): Reclusive, rabbit-eared defenders of the ancient forests of Rak'tika.
One hundred years prior to the events of the Shadowbringers expansion, a group of mortal champions known as the Warriors of Light (led by Ardbert) successfully defeated the forces of darkness on the First. Unbeknownst to them, their absolute victory played directly into the hands of the Ascians. With Darkness completely eradicated, the stagnant element of Light grew uncontrollably, triggering the Flood of Light.
A colossal wall of pure, blinding white energy swept across the planet, erasing roughly ninety-four percent of the world’s surface. This event transformed the obliterated regions into an empty, lifeless wasteland of featureless white stone known as the Empty.
Where the Flood halted, the remaining population found themselves under constant threat from Sin Eaters. These are horrific, light-aspected monstrosities born from corrupted living organisms. Sin Eaters are driven by an instinct to consume the aether of the living.
The most powerful among them are the Lightwardens. When a Lightwarden is slain, the massive concentration of light aether it releases simply infects the nearest living being, transforming them into the new Lightwarden and ensuring that the eternal, blinding day never fades from the sky.
The only region of the First to survive the Flood of Light is Norvrandt, which corresponds geographically to Eorzea on the Source. Protected by a geographical fluke and the desperate intervention of the Oracle of Light (Minfilia), Norvrandt became the final sanctuary for mortal life. It is divided into several distinct territories:
Located in the center of Norvrandt, Lakeland is a lush region characterized by vibrant violet forests and deep lakes. At its heart lies The Crystarium, a massive, bustling metropolis built around the mysterious Crystal Tower.
The tower was summoned across time and space from the Source by an enigmatic figure known as the Crystal Exarch. The Crystarium operates as a democratic, cooperative society where refugees from all races and cultures live together, unified in their defiance against the Sin Eaters.
Kholusia is a massive coastal island defined by steep cliffs and agricultural farmlands. Perched over the ocean is Eulmore, the "City of Final Pleasures."
Under the autocratic rule of Lord Vauthry, Eulmore adopted a defeatist philosophy. Believing the world’s end to be inevitable, the wealthy elite spent their remaining days in hedonistic luxury, sustained by a magical compliance pact Vauthry held over the Sin Eaters. The impoverished masses lived outside the city walls, begging for a chance to enter and feed on Meol, a mysterious foodstuff later revealed to be processed from the flesh of Sin Eaters.
A harsh, sweeping desert located on the southern edge of Norvrandt, Amh Araeng sits directly on the border of the Flood’s vanguard. It is a land of ruins, abandoned mining operations, and the remnants of the fallen Kingdom of Nabaath Areng. It serves as a stark, dusty reminder of the absolute destruction wrought by the Light.
Once the kingdom of Voeburt, this mountainous region was abandoned by mortals during the Flood and claimed by the Pixies, Nu Mou, Amaro, and Fuath. Renamed Il Mheg, it is a whimsical, dangerous realm governed by the fae folk, packed with illusions, shifts in reality, and ruled by the Pixie King, Titania.
An ancient, sprawling forest of colossal trees, Rak'tika houses the ruins of the centuries-old Ronkan Empire. It is protected by the Viis and inhabited by the Night's Blessed, a reclusive religious sect of dark-garbed mortals who hide beneath the forest canopy to escape the blinding light of the sky, worshiping the historical concept of a dark, star-filled night.
The fate of the First was ultimately altered when the Crystal Exarch successfully summoned the Warrior of Light from the Source, along with the souls of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.
To combat the stagnation of Light, the hero had to invert their traditional role and become the Warrior of Darkness. By hunting down and slaying the Lightwardens across Norvrandt, the Warrior of Darkness absorbed the volatile light aether into their own body. With each Warden that fell, the natural night sky returned to a region of Norvrandt for the first time in a century, revitalizing the morale of the surviving civilizations.
Following the defeat of Lord Vauthry and the Ascian Emet-Selch, the world was saved from a catastrophic "Rejoining" with the Source. While the First remains heavily scarred by the historic Flood of Light, its peoples have begun the long, arduous process of exploring the Empty, reclaiming the lost lands, and pioneering technologies to restore elemental balance to their shattered world.