What areas of lore would you like to see more of?

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Originally Posted by VargasVermillion

Juggernauts are believable but the actual warships? Not so much, unless they have ambush tactics for when they decide to land I would simply assume they are too high in the sky to simply shoot down with magic. It's more so how the lore hypes up garleans as this threatening military force with destructive weapons and warmachina yet they are shown to be quite easy to eliminate, I mean it'd be like having one side with airplanes and one with 1700's weaponry. It's pretty obvious which one would lose. Not to sound harsh but I think the lore within the actual plot is quite lazily implemented whereas the world surrounding it is quite in-depth and makes some degree of sense, it's just once that comes into the MS it becomes underwhelming.

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Don't be so quick to discount Eorzean military technology and the apparent 'superiority' of Garlean machina - we ourselves after all shoot down a fully armed and armoured Garlean dreadnought airship during CM with a single ground-based anti-aircraft cannon (granted the cannon was also Garlean made, but that's beside the point) and the ship quickly becomes scrap metal after only a couple of hits.

The various wrecks seen in the Fringes are still on fire so their destruction was fairly recent, and was probably caused by Alliance cannons mounted on the Wall (which is very tall), so problems with range would have been reduced or eliminated.

To say nothing of research guilds like the Garlond Ironworks and the Skysteel Manufactory utilizing Garlean magitek concepts and adapting them for their own use, thus allowing the Alliance to effectively turn Garlemald's might against them.

Either way, don't write off the ability of the Alliance to bring down Garlean airships reasonably easily, as it's clear they indeed are more than capable of doing it.

I want to see the lore of certain equipment. I believe they said, years ago, that they were working on some sort of in-game log to give some of the most special equipment, lore.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

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These are all good points but I feel like if these examples reflect reality it should be made more clear and kinda goes back to what I'd like to see more of within the lore, specifically when stormblood's MS took center stage. Because it basically feels like we've gone from being scared of fighting the imperials head on to just doing it with little change in circumstances, Also retaking Doma castle in particular was very underwhelming but I'm just assuming they got lazy with the cutscenes before the dungeon and we are to guess more happend off-screen.

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Originally Posted by Tanathya

I want to see the lore of certain equipment. I believe they said, years ago, that they were working on some sort of in-game log to give some of the most special equipment, lore.

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This is something I'd like more of as well, little descriptions on unique sets would be nice.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Don't be so quick to discount Eorzean military technology and the apparent 'superiority' of Garlean machina - we ourselves after all shoot down a fully armed and armoured Garlean dreadnought airship during CM with a single ground-based anti-aircraft cannon (granted the cannon was also Garlean made, but that's beside the point) and the ship quickly becomes scrap metal after only a couple of hits.

The various wrecks seen in the Fringes are still on fire so their destruction was fairly recent, and was probably caused by Alliance cannons mounted on the Wall (which is very tall), so problems with range would have been reduced or eliminated.

To say nothing of research guilds like the Garlond Ironworks and the Skysteel Manufactory utilizing Garlean magitek concepts and adapting them for their own use, thus allowing the Alliance to effectively turn Garlemald's might against them.

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It wasn't a dreadnought, it was an assault craft. Far smaller and presumably less armed/armored. Nor was it only the one cannon or "a couple of hits". There are three or four cannons in the area, and while I don't remember the exact amount, it takes somewhere around 5-7 shots before the assault craft's hull integrity is compromised, with another two after that to ground it.

Also the fact that it was a Garlean cannon is a point. The design between Eorzean and Garlean cannons is completely different, and the ones used by Eorzean ones, outside of possibly Ishgardian artillery, are for the most part incapable of handling anti-air duties in any suitable manner unless the Garlean aircraft takes to the ground (for some reason. I'll never claim to know why they do) or if they're otherwise already level with the target, the chances of which are negligible since the point of air to ground attacks is to take advantage of the high angle of attack available. Ishgardian dragonkillers are relegated to a possibility due to their uncertain usage. If they only fire harpoons as in Bismarck and Steps of Faith, then they're incredibly inefficient due to a low rate of fire and accuracy (since there's apparently no way to aim outside of a sense of good timing; Bismarck is too big to miss). For Bertha cannons, it's unknown if the Ishgardians made some modification to allow them to adjust their angle of fire high enough to be of use, otherwise the highest angle of fire would be somewhere around like, 30 to 40 degrees. All instances of Berthas being used involve firing at a target that they're either level with or slightly below of, so I doubt they did. Garlean cannons (more like mortars with their design) on the other hand have a high angle of fire, are apparently simple to load and fire since the WoL and members of his posse can handle them with ease and no training, and are presumably far more mobile than Eorzean cannons.

Additionally, the destruction in the Fringes is far more likely to have been a result of Shinryu and Omega's conflict, which occurred on the Ala Mhigan side of Baelsar's Wall if I recall correctly. Particularly since Raubahn informs you when you initally join him at Castrum Oriens that the only conflict up to that point had only been light skirmishes when Alliance and Garlean patrols encountered each other. I think he would have mentioned if Alliance forces had destroyed a noticeable amount of Garlean armor/air.

Furthermore, the only contribution to Eorzea that we've been told Garlond Ironworks provided was the introduction of magitek. Which from all appearances appears to be limited to unarmed cargo/passenger airships and various appliances. Of their adventuring gear, Rowena has the sole rights to supplying it. On to the Skysteel Manufactory, outside of their already available artillery, munitions, and manpower, I fail to see how they might have come up with any significant innovations for the Alliance in the absurdly short time between the end of the Dragonsong War and Operation Rhalgr's Beacon.

On top of all this, there's the matter of Garlean armor plating. A quest in Mor Dhona shows that the Garleans use armor plating made of cermet in their airship hulls. Cermet in the real world is a composite material composed of ceramic and metallic materials. In more relevant terms, it's basically used for ceramic armor, provided that SE intended the parallel. Ceramic armor's used for things like tanks, other armored vehicles, and personal armor, and its effectiveness as vehicle armor is such that "not a single British Army Challenger tank was lost to enemy tank fire during Desert Storm". So it's unlikely that Eorzean artillery would do anything more than dent the hull unless their munitions are far more advanced than they have any right to be.

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Well, Drest's situation in Eastern La Noscea pretty much showed that the Alliance actively shoots down Garlean fighters such as Juggernauts with cannons (his Juggernaut he specifically stated was shot down by Maelstrom cannons), which would also explain the various wrecked airships and machina lying around the Fringes as well.

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You stated this in an earlier post, but combing over quests that Drest is involved in with Garland Tools Database shows no evidence to support your statement. Drest was part of a Garlean scout unit which was ambushed by Maelstrom forces in heavy rain, but at no point does he state that "his" juggernaut was shot down by Maelstrom cannons.

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Also End of an Era showed BLMs and THMs easily destroying magitek armour with mere fire and thunder spells, so for all their blustering, Garlean machina isn't quite as indestructible as they make it out to be.

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Another earlier post from you, but aside from it being a CGI cutscene with Cutscene Power to the Max, the spells used don't look in any way to be "mere" fire and thunder spells. The spells used are very obviously powerful with lengthy cast times (15 seconds for the BLM's second fire spell).

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

Ishgardian dragonkillers are relegated to a possibility due to their uncertain usage. If they only fire harpoons as in Bismarck and Steps of Faith, then they're incredibly inefficient due to a low rate of fire and accuracy (since there's apparently no way to aim outside of a sense of good timing; Bismarck is too big to miss). For Bertha cannons, it's unknown if the Ishgardians made some modification to allow them to adjust their angle of fire high enough to be of use, otherwise the highest angle of fire would be somewhere around like, 30 to 40 degrees. All instances of Berthas being used involve firing at a target that they're either level with or slightly below of, so I doubt they did. Garlean cannons (more like mortars with their design) on the other hand have a high angle of fire, are apparently simple to load and fire since the WoL and members of his posse can handle them with ease and no training, and are presumably far more mobile than Eorzean cannons.

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It would be very, very odd for Ishgardian dragonkillers to not be able to fire upwards, since that's where their intended targets tend to be. It would also be very odd for dragonkillers to be inaccurate, since I doubt dragons present easy targets. If they are so useless against their primary foe, why were they still in use?

As for ease of use, the WoL and comrades can easily use Eorzean artillery just as well as Garlean ones (eg Steps of Faith, Stone Vigil Hard). Evidence leans more towards these being easily usable rather than the WoL being special.

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Additionally, the destruction in the Fringes is far more likely to have been a result of Shinryu and Omega's conflict, which occurred on the Ala Mhigan side of Baelsar's Wall if I recall correctly. Particularly since Raubahn informs you when you initally join him at Castrum Oriens that the only conflict up to that point had only been light skirmishes when Alliance and Garlean patrols encountered each other. I think he would have mentioned if Alliance forces had destroyed a noticeable amount of Garlean armor/air.

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On the other hand, I would assume there would be mention of Garlean interference in the battle between Shinryu and Omega if it happened. Before that, when Shinryu was still encased, we were told that the Garleans sent an airship (no classification given) to investigate. The airship was destroyed, and the Garleans decided not to press the issue, avoiding the area thereafter.

Later, when Merlwyb attempted to describe (poorly) the battle between Shinryu and Omega, she just said that Shinryu and Omega fought over Gyr Abania. Nothing about any Garleans in the vicinity.

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Furthermore, the only contribution to Eorzea that we've been told Garlond Ironworks provided was the introduction of magitek. Which from all appearances appears to be limited to unarmed cargo/passenger airships and various appliances. Of their adventuring gear, Rowena has the sole rights to supplying it. On to the Skysteel Manufactory, outside of their already available artillery, munitions, and manpower, I fail to see how they might have come up with any significant innovations for the Alliance in the absurdly short time between the end of the Dragonsong War and Operation Rhalgr's Beacon.

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I blame the time bubble. Due to that, Skysteel Manufactory will forever be just on the cusp of providing Ironworks designs to the masses, while never actually doing so.

Also I haven't done the Sky Pirates raids, so I don't know if their manacutters are armed.

Dragonkillers can fire skyward; the ones you use during the Steps of Faith launch into the sky before coming down on Vishap. Timing is essential in its use, but this is true of any weapon (particularly ranged weapons). Their exact range remains unknown; due to the heavy projectile it is not likely to be particularly great, but it is incredibly destructive. Their use during the Bismarck fight is... suspect at best, given the speed at which we were flying would make aiming a nightmare despite Bismarck's great size (they should be pointed at least a few degrees more towards Bismarck's face so after they launch the wind doesn't make you miss).

Despite Garlean machina's physical sturdiness, it is just as vulnerable to magicks as anything else. The Gilded Magitek Armor explicitly notes that even the thickest magitek armor isn't enough to deal with magicks, leading to the development of the gilded plating which is now standard issue. Even this can only dampen the effects of magicks, not nullify them outright. Thus, the counter to Garlean warmachina is clearly magicks.

The Ironworks' stated goal is "freedom through technology," not "superiority through technology" (or Allagan ingenuity). Cid's main goal with the Ironworks seems to be the production of consumer goods to improve Eorzean quality of life, not developing weapons for them to use; this makes sense, given his involvement with the Meteor Project and subsequent desire to atone for it. The Alliance has yet to use Ironworks-developed machina in combat against the Empire - the only known instance of magitek being used against the Empire was when we used a hijacked magitek armor to tear up the Praetorium near the end of Operation Archon, and that armor was made by the Empire (albeit modified by the Ironworks).

The Empire isn't incompetent; they just had a lot of issues and a bad commander in Stormblood. Despite everything, we were able to liberate Doma; this, combined with shinobi sowing dissent in the Imperial provinces, left the other legions unable to aid Zenos in Gyr Abania for fear of another civil war. Zenos himself is largely to blame for the Empire's loss - he could have won at Rhalgr's Reach but left due to boredom, then kept ordering retreats and surrenders to set up a big battle on the streets of Ala Mhigo that he ultimately lost. Note that despite appearances this still took tremendous effort - it took the combined might of all Othard to liberate Doma, and several battles were fought across Gyr Abania (Rhalgr's Reach, Castellum Velodyna, Specula Imperatoris, Castrum Abania, and finally Ala Mhigo), all of which took a heavy toll on the Alliance and Garlean forces alike. (We aren't shown most of this outside Specula Imperatoris, but it is there.)

... it's not a matter of the Empire being portrayed as incompetent or weak. It's a complex situation that shows the Imperial army has weaknesses like any military, all of which had to be exploited to win.

Side note: the Manacutters are not equipped with any sort of weapons. There is no reason they could not be, though.

Didn't Sadu take down juggernauts with magic during the Doma raid? And Sunbro solo'd one with an axe... I dont know, when I saw that cutscene, I figured Garlean only had arial superiority because no other faction had flying mounts. AFAIK the Ala Migho Griffin calvary was gone, and none of the other city states had air cavalry.

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Originally Posted by Grayve

Didn't Sadu take down juggernauts with magic during the Doma raid? And Sunbro solo'd one with an axe... I dont know, when I saw that cutscene, I figured Garlean only had arial superiority because no other faction had flying mounts. AFAIK the Ala Migho Griffin calvary was gone, and none of the other city states had air cavalry.

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Yeah, the yol riders were the main defense against juggernauts during our attack on the castle. Doma might not have fallen in the first place if the auri communities weren't so isolationist.

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

It wasn't a dreadnought, it was an assault craft. Far smaller and presumably less armed/armored. Nor was it only the one cannon or "a couple of hits". There are three or four cannons in the area, and while I don't remember the exact amount, it takes somewhere around 5-7 shots before the assault craft's hull integrity is compromised, with another two after that to ground it.

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'Dreadnought' seems to be a catch-all term used for all Garlean warships, so it's still appropriate to use regardless of the actual design (after all, the real-world term comes from HMS Dreadnought, the revolutionary warship design of the British Royal Navy that precipitated the very idea of a modern heavily armed and armoured battleship to the point all battleship designs that followed were called 'Dreadnoughts').

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

You stated this in an earlier post, but combing over quests that Drest is involved in with Garland Tools Database shows no evidence to support your statement. Drest was part of a Garlean scout unit which was ambushed by Maelstrom forces in heavy rain, but at no point does he state that "his" juggernaut was shot down by Maelstrom cannons.

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He stated he was "shot down by the Maelstrom", and even though I concede he did not specifically state it was a cannon that laid his craft low, come on, to say otherwise is just splitting hairs, a pistol shot is not going to lay a Juggernaut low, only heavy firepower like the cannons on the Maelstrom's warships could do the job.

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

A quest in Mor Dhona shows that the Garleans use armor plating made of cermet in their airship hulls. Cermet in the real world is a composite material composed of ceramic and metallic materials. In more relevant terms, it's basically used for ceramic armor, provided that SE intended the parallel. Ceramic armor's used for things like tanks, other armored vehicles, and personal armor, and its effectiveness as vehicle armor is such that "not a single British Army Challenger tank was lost to enemy tank fire during Desert Storm". So it's unlikely that Eorzean artillery would do anything more than dent the hull unless their munitions are far more advanced than they have any right to be.

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That is a really interesting point about cermet which I admit I was not aware of (it's real world existence) - I took it to be yet another FFXI reference as cermet is a plot point in FFXI (it's an exotic material referred to by npcs as resembling 'eggshells' that the ancient Zilart civilization manufactured and built most of their structures from, such as the teleport Crags and the Crystal Line, and that it has the property of being able to conduct and channel crystal energy - FFXI's version of aether - and that the present day Republic of Bastok had apparently discovered how to produce it, given that there was a location in the Bastok Metalworks called the Cermet Refinery), which as FFXIV takes a lot of references and ideas from, it would have made sense.

Either way, the Empire being able to manufacture such a material would not be surprising, given that the materials that their soldiers' uniforms are made from appears to be synthetic and/or exotic (and which Eorzeans are incapable of manufacturing themselves). But that does not mean they're indestructible (if that was the case their troops would be literally invincible!) - when we have to source some Garlean uniforms in order to sneak into Castrum Centri we end up badly tearing them when we 'relieve them' from their former owners, the fact mere sword/spear/axe blows/arrow shots/fist hits/magic spells can damage them all but shows that their materials are not as hard wearing as they seem.

Anyway, thanks again for that info about cermet. :)

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

Another earlier post from you, but aside from it being a CGI cutscene with Cutscene Power to the Max, the spells used don't look in any way to be "mere" fire and thunder spells. The spells used are very obviously powerful with lengthy cast times (15 seconds for the BLM's second fire spell).

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Again you are taking everything at face value. Yes cutscenes do often throw actual gameplay functionality to the wind, but the point is, it shows magic can be more than a match for Garlean technology (I mean, back up: why else did Garlemald develop magitek in the first place? They couldn't use magic!) That doesn't mean magitek is superior to magic after all, it just means they can fight on equal terms.

I'm sorry if it seemed like I was having a go at you as I'm not, it's just that it's pretty clear that despite their bluster the Garlean Empire's supposed superiority came from more from an element of surprise and scheming behind the scenes (which is how Ala Mhigo fell, Gaius string-pulled the Ala Mhigan people to tear their nation apart from within - he did not merely fly in with guns blazing) and relied on a fear of their advanced technological warfare and expanded army (filled with draftees from conquered nations) to browbeat nations into submission. But like all bullies, once their bluff is called, once resisted, they crumble.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

I'm sorry if it seemed like I was having a go at you as I'm not, it's just that it's pretty clear that despite their bluster the Garlean Empire's supposed superiority came from more from an element of surprise and scheming behind the scenes (which is how Ala Mhigo fell, Gaius string-pulled the Ala Mhigan people to tear their nation apart from within - he did not merely fly in with guns blazing) and relied on a fear of their advanced technological warfare and expanded army (filled with draftees from conquered nations) to browbeat nations into submission. But like all bullies, once their bluff is called, once resisted, they crumble.

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I think it's important to keep in mind that the Garlean Empire does not rely "more on" either strength or subterfuge. It relies on what is needed to win, whatever that may be. (Note that I mean the overall Empire, rather than one-off madmen like Zenos or Nael.)

Ala Mhigo was conquered through subterfuge, with Gaius stirring dissent and unrest in order to minimize losses on his side. Dalmasca was conquered by brute strength, with Garlean airships bombarding the defenses with impunity until the city fell. Doma might have been a mix of both when it was conquered, and definitely both when the uprising was crushed: the XIIth Legion provided the military might, while collaborators and double agents provided the spycraft. (I don't remember when Yotsuyu betrayed the Domans; I think it was during the uprising? I know the Ninja Job quests deal with betrayal from within regarding the original fall of Doma.)

So it's equally inaccurate to say that Garlemald relies on scheming, or that Garlemald relies on brute force. It all depends on the situation, as well as the individual commanders.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

He stated he was "shot down by the Maelstrom", and even though I concede he did not specifically state it was a cannon that laid his craft low, come on, to say otherwise is just splitting hairs, a pistol shot is not going to lay a Juggernaut low, only heavy firepower like the cannons on the Maelstrom's warships could do the job.

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Allow me to clarify, I was contesting your quoting of a statement that the NPC never made. I have once again gone over all of Drest's dialogue with Garland Tools and at no point does he even hint that he was "shot down by the Maelstrom". He and his men were only ambushed by them and with Castrum Occidens literally being down the road, it's just as, if not more, likely that his unit was a simple ground patrol, if they were even deployed from there. Drest has been a deserter for three years by the time you meet him and a journal entry suggests that he had eventually found his way to his shack in Vylbrand some time during that period. I don't know where you're getting the conclusion that the juggernaut wreckage in Eastern La Noscea is specifically linked to him aside from the coincidence of proximity.Is it from 1.0 dialogue? A sightseeing log? Because with the absence of dialogue to support your quote it's equally likely that the juggernaut was there before Drest came along or even succumbed to mechanical/pilot error before subsequently being abandoned when they couldn't get it out of the marsh rather than enemy fire.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Either way, the Empire being able to manufacture such a material would not be surprising, given that the materials that their soldiers' uniforms are made from appears to be synthetic and/or exotic (and which Eorzeans are incapable of manufacturing themselves). But that does not mean they're indestructible (if that was the case their troops would be literally invincible!) - when we have to source some Garlean uniforms in order to sneak into Castrum Centri we end up badly tearing them when we 'relieve them' from their former owners, the fact mere sword/spear/axe blows/arrow shots/fist hits/magic spells can damage them all but shows that their materials are not as hard wearing as they seem.

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Uh. You're referring to light infantry armor which, by that fact alone, is going to be nowhere near as effective as vehicle armor. The durability example was specifically referring to vehicle armor; not that I said it was indestructible either. I stated that Eorzean artillery would have little effect against the armor plating because I assume that their cannons fire round shot or some sort of explosive or shrapnel shell since shaped charges akin to anti-tank rounds are a little too modern to be believable for the Eorzeans to have. Sustained fire would eventually get through the armor. A lot of hits, since I believe their propellant, firesand, is supposed to be analogous to black powder, which shouldn't be able to reach the velocity necessary to penetrate the armor. Round shot would literally bounce off.

Back to the infantry armor. By the time of the WoL's infiltration of Castrum Centri, he's killed two primals and has (hopefully) picked up at least one job crystal, thus making him a far more fiercer, and effective, combatant than your average Eorzean sellsword. In addition to that, provided that the Garleans follow typical standards of balancing mobility and protection, there are going to be weak points, generally the joints, groin, armpits, neck, etc. Also their armor doesn't protect against blunt force trauma with the exception of the helm. To a point.

Their uniforms are made of "carbon and cermet fibers", which confuses me somewhat given that from what I've read, carbon fiber is a skin irritant even with the resin coating and also prone to damage. I assume that SE meant Kevlar/aramid fibers rather than carbon fibers. But in any case, sustained hits would eventually be effective and blunt force trauma, from fists, shields, sword pommels, axes, books, or what have you, would not be protected against to any great effect.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Again you are taking everything at face value. Yes cutscenes do often throw actual gameplay functionality to the wind, but the point is, it shows magic can be more than a match for Garlean technology (I mean, back up: why else did Garlemald develop magitek in the first place? They couldn't use magic!) That doesn't mean magitek is superior to magic after all, it just means they can fight on equal terms.

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To clarify once more, I was contesting your word choice, not magic's efficacy against magitek. It was and is obviously effective, my issue was with the use of the word "mere" downplaying the shown necessary magical power (they look like -ga/III level spells) to decisively eliminate Garlean armor in one attack.

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

To clarify once more, I was contesting your word choice, not magic's efficacy against magitek. It was and is obviously effective, my issue was with the use of the word "mere" downplaying the shown necessary magical power (they look like -ga/III level spells) to decisively eliminate Garlean armor in one attack.

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This also exposes an interesting gap in the Ala Mhigan and Doman Theatres. Garlemald KNOWS how to more effectively armor their Reapers against magic. The Gilded Magitek mount specifically mentions its gold plated armor turns spells more effectively and is now standard issue... yet I don't recall seeing a single one...

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Originally Posted by Rhykin

This also exposes an interesting gap in the Ala Mhigan and Doman Theatres. Garlemald KNOWS how to more effectively armor their Reapers against magic. The Gilded Magitek mount specifically mentions its gold plated armor turns spells more effectively and is now standard issue... yet I don't recall seeing a single one...

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SE probably forgot.

Or it's standard issue only to Garlean purebloods/senior officers like tribunes.

Or it's standard issue in name, but the reality is that they haven't phased out/upgraded the older model. Which makes more sense, now that I think about it. Ala Mhigo and Doma are on the fringes of the Empire's territory. Probably haven't gotten the good toys yet. Remember Raubahn Savage? I think you only see that model of vanguard like, twice in the whole expansion. Once in that duty and at least once more in the Ala Mhigo dungeon.

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

Remember Raubahn Savage? I think you only see that model of vanguard like, twice in the whole expansion. Once in that duty and at least once more in the Ala Mhigo dungeon.

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First boss of Doma castle as well, so that's 3 I remember.

The Gilded Magitek Mount states that an alloy is now standard issue. If we're to assume the one we get is plated in pure gold, that's not going to offer Reapers much physical defense, which would make it much easier to defeat them with physical weapons. What is standard issue isn't pure gold plate like the Gilded one, but alloyed plating - a combination of two or more metals, likely gold and whatever else standard plating is made out of to reach a compromise between magickal resistance and physical sturdiness. We don't see gold-plated Reapers all over the place because our Gilded one is likely a prototype or show model, not standard issue.

Gold is a very soft metal.

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Originally Posted by Cilia

The Gilded Magitek Mount states that an alloy is now standard issue. If we're to assume the one we get is plated in pure gold, that's not going to offer Reapers much physical defense, which would make it much easier to defeat them with physical weapons. What is standard issue isn't pure gold plate like the Gilded one, but alloyed plating - a combination of two or more metals, likely gold and whatever else standard plating is made out of to reach a compromise between magickal resistance and physical sturdiness. We don't see gold-plated Reapers all over the place because our Gilded one is likely a prototype or show model, not standard issue.

Gold is a very soft metal.

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I don't think they are literally gold plated, I assume it was just a function of a higher quality plating similar to gaius's armour in which you can switch it on when required.

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Originally Posted by VargasVermillion

I don't think they are literally gold plated, I assume it was just a function of a higher quality plating similar to gaius's armour in which you can switch it on when required.

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But Gaius' armor acted more as a power booster than a magickal dampener... implicitly, at any rate.

According to the Gilded Magitek Armor, "alloyed gilding" is "standard issue." Just say they painted over the gilding since everyone running around in golden magitek armor would be too much of an eyesore. Either way, magicks are still effective against Garlean warmachina, which is implicitly how the Eorzeans deal with them, and as shown by Magnai during the assault on Doma Castle, sufficiently powerful martial arms can work on warmachina as well.

It's a fantasy world. Just because the Garleans have sturdy real-world materials doesn't mean they'll be able to barrel through any and everything in their way with nary a scratch when you have people who can call down comets on them.

I would like to see Thavnair, Sharlayan, the other continents, Dalmasca and other Ivalice-related areas, the 1.x areas that are no longer accessible and the world where the Warriors of Darkness came from

I want to see the Lalas living in homes built on the backs of giant animals as described in the dunesfolk description!

Also more on the actual politics between the Mhachi and Amdapor.

More race lore would be great. It just feels that besides the naming conventions/eorzea encyclopedia it's hard to find new lore on races..

This isn't really a specific area of Lore but I'd really like to see the Echo's flashback ability used more. We've used it to view events a thousand years ago at the start of the Dragonsong War, how far much further can we see?

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Originally Posted by Ghastly

More race lore would be great. It just feels that besides the naming conventions/eorzea encyclopedia it's hard to find new lore on races..

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I'd like to build on that and suggest race-based side quests in each of the city-states.

To make this manageable, the side quests could perhaps be limited to just the race (ie, hyur, elezen, miqo'te, lalafell, roegadyn and au ra), and not go down to clan differences.

Such stories would not just add to the depth of lore behind the city-states, but also give further insight into how the different races integrate in the different societies.

I'd also like to see actual side quests related to the Grand Companies, dealing with their ideologies, their tactics, and their politics. As of now, the only connection we have is via Company leves and the adventurer squadrons. In other words, it's really bare bones, and runs contrary to the original intention for the Grand Companies to create a greater sense of belonging towards their respective city-states.

And oh, while we're at it, it'll be awesome to be able to continue the stories for the various adventurer classes, ie, gladiator, conjurer, arcanist, and so on. Some of them have featured in later job storylines, but I'd still like to be able to check on K'lyhia (the arcanist trainer) and Sylphie (the gifted girl from the conjurer storyline), and see how they've progressed.

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Originally Posted by FJerome

This isn't really a specific area of Lore but I'd really like to see the Echo's flashback ability used more. We've used it to view events a thousand years ago at the start of the Dragonsong War, how far much further can we see?

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Potentially, it's only limited by the lifespan of the individual whose memories are being drawn on, hence why we saw back a thousand years to the origins of the Dragonsong War, we were viewing Hraesvelgar's memories of the event (being an ageless dragon, no wonder we were able to do so). Usually though we're more likely to only see back mere years or decades at most, limited by the shorter lives of most of the spoken races we encounter (besides the dragons, the only other race really that could potentially hold memories older than a century which we could view would be the padjal, given they too are ageless).

Either way, I'm sure there is much planned to delve further into the Echo's many mysteries, given it's been a fundamental part of FFXIV's lore since 1.0.

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Originally Posted by Wyssahtyn

Allow me to clarify, I was contesting your quoting of a statement that the NPC never made. I have once again gone over all of Drest's dialogue with Garland Tools and at no point does he even hint that he was "shot down by the Maelstrom". He and his men were only ambushed by them and with Castrum Occidens literally being down the road, it's just as, if not more, likely that his unit was a simple ground patrol, if they were even deployed from there. Drest has been a deserter for three years by the time you meet him and a journal entry suggests that he had eventually found his way to his shack in Vylbrand some time during that period. I don't know where you're getting the conclusion that the juggernaut wreckage in Eastern La Noscea is specifically linked to him aside from the coincidence of proximity.Is it from 1.0 dialogue? A sightseeing log? Because with the absence of dialogue to support your quote it's equally likely that the juggernaut was there before Drest came along or even succumbed to mechanical/pilot error before subsequently being abandoned when they couldn't get it out of the marsh rather than enemy fire.

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You're right, I was so certain that Drest mentioned he was shot down by the Maelstrom that I went searching back through my screenshots... and alas, as you mentioned he only stated he was marooned when he was attacked by the Maelstrom (not shot down) while out on a reconnaissance patrol, yet I was so sure I remembered the dialogue differently, that he was shot down (proving memory is not infallible and to not assume).

In hindsight, I guess I merely put two and two together and came up with five, assuming the wrecked juggernaut was "obviously" the craft of a marooned Garlean who just happened to be living in a shack nearby (there are no other wrecked Garlean craft anywhere in La Noscea, so it's highly likely). Either way, you're totally right so I stand corrected. Thanks for that clarification. :)

More job lore! The job quests don't do much by ways of explaining in more detail how your job works after the level 50 quests. I want to know what the heck Life of the Dragon and Nastrond is. Guess I need to wait for the next Lore Book.

I believe they ceased tying abilities so heavily to job quests as of 4.0 to prevent the job quests having to revolve around explaining the new abilities.

I kinda feel like that reasoning is misguided at best, though; surely the purpose of a Job Quest is to be about the Job? I understand the stance when every Job quest needed to reward a skill, but when it's one skill after five quests, writing an interesting story about the acquisition of a powerful new skill (or where said skill is gained as a result of the story's event) shouldn't be too difficult.

Admittedly, this is one of my own sticking points, but ideally, if the game gives you something as a reward - be it gear, food, a mount, or a new combat ability - there should be an in-universe reason you received it. The more rewards are arbitrary meta elements, the more a player's sense of immersion is broken, something that unfortunately has only become more of an issue as time has gone on.

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Originally Posted by Hinoto-no-Ryuji

I kinda feel like that reasoning is misguided at best, though; surely the purpose of a Job Quest is to be about the Job? I understand the stance when every Job quest needed to reward a skill, but when it's one skill after five quests, writing an interesting story about the acquisition of a powerful new skill (or where said skill is gained as a result of the story's event) shouldn't be too difficult.

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And then the game balance side of the devs tell the writing team "hey, we're shuffling around and removing some of the skills". In fact, it's more likely that the game balance devs don't bother telling the writing team until after the fact, or tell them ex cathedra without opportunity for feedback.

For example, Scholar Job quests and Leeches.

I generally just hand-wave such things as a consequence of game-play and story segregation.

Azim Steppe, and the Raen of the Ruby Sea. Didn't see near enough of them.

On another note, I want more Garlean stuff! Garlemald! Playable Garlean race!!! Or Hyur sub-race. PleasE!

Just give me more of the Allagan Empire. Lots of it. An avalanche of it.

I had asked for this on the forums back in 2013 and I won't tire of asking... why? Ultimately because their story holds the key to a lot of mad mysteries. In fact, I expect expansion 6.0 or 7.0 to send us to the past so that we can fully comprehend this magnificent civilization (similar to how in the WoTG expansion for FFXI, we were able to be transported to the Crystal War era).

I mean, those Allagan chaps developed all these...

https://i.imgur.com/sa86sv8.jpg

https://imgur.com/qzvdS72

https://i.imgur.com/5Jwl00T.png

https://i.imgur.com/ljJ4lQV.jpg

https://imgur.com/l4clMTE

https://i.imgur.com/GJdbhIg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wEHnpKC.png

What's this one? The one in the middle.

https://imgur.com/l4clMTE

m e r a c y d i a

Its history, characters, to o to the actual place. I'd be sold completely if/when they ever make an expansion there.

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Originally Posted by Rhykin

What's this one? The one in the middle.

https://imgur.com/l4clMTE

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That's the Labyrinth of the Ancients, the first raid section of the Crystal Tower (we used to call it the "basement" of the Crystal Tower)... released in December 2013 I believe.

https://i.imgur.com/h2npRbO.jpg

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Originally Posted by AlexionSkylark

m e r a c y d i a

Its history, characters, to o to the actual place. I'd be sold completely if/when they ever make an expansion there.

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Yeah I really want to see Sephiroth's plant people and Sophia's followers...
It's always known as the land of the dragons but Meracydia has so much more in it. It's where the miqo'te came from..and it seems to be full of a lot of hybrid human/animal people. So its cities and towns are 100% unique and probably have no hyurs or any of eorzea's races. So the possibility for really unique lore and history is endless.

I feel like Meracydia is where the story will reach its climax, as it's the only continent besides the current three we know much of anything about and seems like the most probable destination after Ilsabard/Garlemald are dealt with.

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Originally Posted by Ghastly

Yeah I really want to see Sephiroth's plant people and Sophia's followers...
It's always known as the land of the dragons but Meracydia has so much more in it. It's where the miqo'te came from..and it seems to be full of a lot of hybrid human/animal people. So its cities and towns are 100% unique and probably have no hyurs or any of eorzea's races. So the possibility for really unique lore and history is endless.

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Assuming the calamities and Allag didn't leave it a ruin.

Did anyone mention the New World yet? Because I would love a New World expansion. The only things from there that I can recall off the top of my head are the Mamool Ja and that one costume we can craft that kind of walks a fine line between homage and misappropriation.

Between the New World and Meracydia, there's still a lot more to explore. For starters, I would just like to know if those continents are actually populated with mankind.

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Originally Posted by Mysterysword

Did anyone mention the New World yet? Because I would love a New World expansion. The only things from there that I can recall off the top of my head are the Mamool Ja and that one costume we can craft that kind of walks a fine line between homage and misappropriation.

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Misappropriation? Not at all - as with many things within FFXIV it is inspired heavily by real world cultures and has been implemented in a very satisfying and respectful manner.

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Originally Posted by Daralii

Assuming the calamities and Allag didn't leave it a ruin.

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Sadly, according to the lore book at least, the Allagans did leave Meracydia a terrible ruin. Between their powerful robots, the machinations of Omega, and all of thier other crazy superweapons it has apparently been reduced to a mostly uninhabitable wasteland. That doesn't necessarily mean we can't ever go there, but it won't exactly be intact. Going to the New World would be fun too! It could be interesting to have the various factions and nations all trying to learn more about it and exploit it and everything. Would bring a fun 'explorer' feel, and it would also nice to see Limsa Lominsa take center stage in an expansion for once instead of Ul'Dah.