Noel doesn’t appear in the original FFXIII. He comes from the future at the end of days.
FFXIII-2
Noel’s Story:
Noel comes from a future where humanity has fallen. He and the Yeul of his time were the last remaining humans in the world. His mission was to protect Yeul, he never knew that it was futile. Yeul was bound to die whether he protected her or not.
Blaming himself for her loss, Noel gives up on life and wanders the world alone. Lightning, as the guardian of Valhalla, reaches out to Noel and brings him to her in Valhalla. Lightning tasks Noel to find her sister Serah, and bring her to Valhalla. This puts Serah and Noel on a path to fix the future.
Noel dislikes Snow due to their similarities. Both thought they could save everyone, but Noel had already failed. His outlook on “heroes” changed after he failed and he holds it against Snow who seems to be traveling the same path.
In the end Noel fails again, unintentionally killing Etro. Serah dies in his arms as she sees the ramifications of their actions.
Noel’s Progression:
Noel starts as a Commando and Sentinel level 2, and Ravager level 1. Early game Serah beats Noel as a Commando, but through Crystarium upgrades Noel is eventually the superior Commando. Noel has high role efficiency as a Commando, Synergist, and Medic.
To maximize Noel’s Commando potential, follow the order Commando, Sentinel, Saboteur, Synergist, Medic, then Ravager for role maxing. Do this after you’ve unlocked the abilities for every role. Noel’s overall Strength and HP pools are higher than Serah’s.
I recommend getting Noel a Vajradanda as soon as possible, thus enabling Serah to get the Odinbolt. Noel’s overall stats allow him to use weaker weapons and still do heavy damage output.
Lightning Returns:
Noel tasks himself with guarding humanity from the shadows. He confronts Lightning the “so-called” Savior. He’s under the impression that Lightning is the true threat to humanity, so he must stop her to protect everyone.
This wraps up the main characters, tomorrow I will cover additional faces from FFXIII. For more FFXIII content leading into Lightning Returns, check out my 13 Days of FF13 overview.
