Episode 140: Sumeru Awakens

If you’re looking for some refreshers on characters and lore we discussed in this episode, here is a list of previous episodes that may be helpful. Collei (E7), Sumeru So Far (E15), The Aranara Odyssey (E26), Dottore, The Second Fatui Harbinger (E32), The Gods of the Desert (E34), Liloupar and the Fall of Gurabad (E54), Remnants of Gurabad (E64), Temple of Silence (E78), Pari Land (E85), The Golden Slumber (E105), Nahida (E116), Nod-Krai’s New Moon (E129), Mauvika, the Pyro Archon (E136), and The Dirge of Bilqis (E138).

We start off the story seeing sweet baby Collei having a breakdown after all her friends have seemingly swapped identities. Worst of all is her master Tighnari who acts as if they’ve never met.

In this nightmare she also has a vision of a burning Irminsul tree, a scene we’ve seen a few times before.

Faced with trying to fix the disturbance in Irminsul, Nahida is hanging out in a bubble in the Sanctuary of Surasthana. That is until the bubble bursts and the Dendro Archon, as Bee says, pops and drops to the floor.

When you first saw the mysterious hooded figure, did you clock him as the Fatui Harbinger Pantalone like we did? This is the first time we’ve seen him in-game, but we did get a glimpse of him in the Winter Night’s Lazzo interlude.

If you’ve come this far, we’ve met the real hero of Sumeru… Isak. This little cosplay queen played a critical role in saving Lesser Lord Kusanali.

Thankfully Nahida is itty bitty, so it made it easier to sling her over our back and trek out in the sand to see our old friend Apep. Okay, maybe ‘friend’ is a stretch.

Who else forgot that the Jinn aren’t all bottles like our lady Liloupar? This agitated bunch appeared in the form of local wildlife.

Would you expect anything less from a Jeht reunion than a flirtatious moment with her saving our lives? Unless you play as Aether where she probably would have stepped out of the way for you to fall.

You know what this season has been missing? More squirrels. Thanks to Nicole, we have a larger-than-life super squirrel statue that has all the Akademiya (and Tif) giddy.

Our three jacked-pillars – Sobek (Croco), Toth (Bird-boy), and Heryshaf (Goatie) – definitely have not skipped leg day while imprisoned in the pyramid.

As if flying through the desert carrying a group of Aranara isn’t hard enough, poor Sorush got fly-swatted by Apep on their way to the Mausoleum of King Deshret.

In a moment of apparent shock and awe (what else could that look mean), Traveler is able to pass through the border with the Pyro Gnosis safely packed inside their body.

After some time, we’re finally given the Regrator reveal. Regrator, the Ninth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers… aka Pantalone… aka Feofan Sergeyevich Veksel… aka the banker, does not seem to be the older brother of Xingqiu as Feens had once hoped.

While only a bit-part in this story, our good friend and newly appointed Vision holder Rana shows up to help fight our way back into the city. Rana was a central figure in the early Sumeru storyline.

Dottore’s look changed a bit while inside Irminsul. He got a techno-makeover as his soul was plugged into the cyber tree.

We love an epic battle cutscene, but one that ends in Dottore’s death… even better. You can rewatch the drama here.

How many forms do the shades have?!?! This time around, we see them as floating symbols. From left to right, we have Istaroth – the Ruler of Time, Ronova – the Ruler of Death, and Naberius – the Ruler of Life.

How satisfying was it to see Dottore swallowed up by creepy hands? It’s not confirmed, but we think those disturbing souls are the other segments created by Zandik.

BFFs Feofan and Zandik drop a good deal of lore in their final scenes together. Including the disturbing image of the segments cutting into their creator.

You’ve worked hard, it’s time for a laydown in the warm sun with the Pyro Archon Mavuika after you’ve destroyed her gnosis.

Back in Mondstadt, the place where Collei’s journey began in the Manga, she is given the opportunity to grant Liloupar a final wish. Nicole is able to extract the god remains of Nabu Malikata from Collei and pass them to the bottle for one last reunion with her mistress.

Here are some helpful links if you’re unfamiliar with the IRL references we mentioned during the episode. Tif mentions Professor X from X-Men, Tif and Bee give Amanda the Care Bear Stare, Tif likens a sage to Doc Brown from Back to the Future, and Bee tells us his name means ‘broom-covering tree’.