If you were hoping Meracydia was going to come soon, Yoshi P confirms it isnt.

Yoshi P: "I have already decided when Meracydia will make an appearance and how. But what I can say is that it is going to be quite a while away."

Source: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/fin...-gamescom-2025

I am not sure if folks saw this interview, but it is time to stop hoping Meracydia is the next expansion, in fact, I am beginning to wonder if it appears in some sort of event content or field exploration-type content and not an explorable location for an expansion at all.

It's also making me wonder if Winterers should be taken more literally and 8.0 is taking us north to explore the remaining areas there we haven't seen. I know Yoshi P. expressed the desire for another winter-themed expansion ala Heavensward. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

However, I am more convinced 8.0 is going to be Shadowbringers the Sequel and we are going to use the key to hop to one of the few remaining shards. Guess we shall see. But looks like no Australian dragons in our future (at least for now).

If they're avoiding Meracydia because people are expecting it, then we'll never get Meracydia because it will always be one of the most prominent expectations for an expansion's setting.

It also doesn't help that in the current world map, as of DT, Meracydia's outlines and shapes can be seen, so it feels like the devs are preparing for the day they set off to Meracydia.

Blindfrost is an option for 8.0, there's also the Northern Empty with Aerslaent and Isle of Yorn and all of the northern areas of Ilsabard too. I'd personally love to head North.

You know what is also "a while away"?

8.0 in 2027

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Originally Posted by DiaDeem

After Tural, I'm sadly not as interested in Meracydia anymore. I fear it's just gonna be Theme Park Australia with dragons m8! I know this has been a thing for a while, but it was particularly bad for Tural. If Garlemald was created today, the Imperial Palace would just look like this:

https://bridgetomoscow.com/files/misc/1770.png

The music would be Tetris, and everyone would be drinking Vodka as some kind of joke.
I'd rather visit another shard that it's not just a map traced over actual Earth.

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You forgot the best part, the localization will mangle it and it will just be a ham fisted euphemism while introducing lore breaking concepts like dynamis. I'm sorry, but the story is hard to take seriously when nothing matters because the writers will just use a maguffin to write themselves out of any corner. :/

That reads like Meracydia will be a part of the new story arc at some point. Just not 8.0. Meaning something else is planned ahead of that. And they already know how we will be getting there already. I'd say be patient, but I know lately the community doesn't know what that means at all.

I don't really care where we go. If the open world is nothing more than a set piece for the story made up of "go talk to NPC's" then it doesn't even really matter. I just wanna feel like an adventurer in the game again man.

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Originally Posted by Dastan

That reads like Meracydia will be a part of the new story arc at some point. Just not 8.0. Meaning something else is planned ahead of that. And they already know how we will be getting there already. I'd say be patient, but I know lately the community doesn't know what that means at all.

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Meracydia gives an impression of a place Erenville would want to explore on his journey to see everything there is to Etheirys, but a bit too hard of a project to take on as a first one, considering how cut off the island is from the rest of the world. So if it happens, I'd probably expect it in 9.0 at the earliest, with 8.0 being something more reachable. There's still the north and some lands in the east that we didn't explore. Dalmascan region post-Garlean Empire could be interesting too.

Hoping 'a while away' is a white lie, but if not, then uncovering the rest of Ilsabard.

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Originally Posted by Halivel

Meracydia gives an impression of a place Erenville would want to explore on his journey to see everything there is to Etheirys, but a bit too hard of a project to take on as a first one, considering how cut off the island is from the rest of the world. So if it happens, I'd probably expect it in 9.0 at the earliest, with 8.0 being something more reachable. There's still the north and some lands in the east that we didn't explore. Dalmascan region post-Garlean Empire could be interesting too.

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I genuinely think the areas around Garlemald are finally going to be uncovered next, so we can finally see all of Ilsabard.