Which location(s) are we likely to travel to in the next expansion? *SPOILERS*

Hien mentioned that he was having his ninja spread word of the Doman/Ala Mhigan liberation in other Garlean-occupied territories to stir up unrest and fuel the fires of rebellion, but I can't see that necessarily ending well without them getting some outside support.

I kind of doubt that any further peace talks are going to happen due to Elidibus' meddling, so I'm hoping we'll continue our liberation efforts as we progress towards Garlemald..

I always wanted to visit the lalafellin homeland >: D

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

I kind of doubt that any further peace talks are going to happen due to Elidibus' meddling, so I'm hoping we'll continue our liberation efforts as we progress towards Garlemald..

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Considering how things are moving currently, all things right now point to Garlemald as part of 5.0 Expansion and possible final battle within the Captial of Garlemald.

The real question is why we should be going into Garlemald in 5.0 and what other location will be involved with 5.0 while considering the reason we are going their.

The Western enterance into Garlemald is seems to be current accessable now by the Alliance as Thancred is using that enterance to scout the Western areas of Garlemald for safe zones and information while on the East side we have Alphinaud with Maxima and "shadowhunter" moving through the Burn into Garlemald.

Hoping for Garlemeld, if only to finally end hostilities with them.

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Originally Posted by Caitlyn

I always wanted to visit the lalafellin homeland >: D

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Tropical island holiday, then? (At least I assumed the Cieldales are meant to be tropical.) Sounds good when all this world-destroying crisis is over.

Of course you know we'd be lucky to get as far as sitting down on the beach before some new primal manifested on the island and we had to go deal with it....

I agree with sentiments that Garlemand will be the next stop. This expansion has been laying plenty of plot seeds along those lines, such as the revelation of the existence of opposing factions (one of which is in favor of ending or scaling back Garlean hostilities), a major character physically traveling to the area, and in general an increase in focus on the Garleans (yeah, they had a role to play in Heavensward, but they were hardly the focus).

It's not a sure thing, by any means. There are plenty of twists the plot could throw at us between now and 5.0. One might even make the case that with this expansion being so Garlean-heavy, the next one will take its focus elsewhere - it's even possible, in theory, that the "Garlean problem" will be effectively resolved within THIS expansion, with the current regime being ousted without our actually having to directly travel to Garlemand at any point. Still, I think it's more likely we'll be saving all that for an expansion of its own, with actual Garlean zones to explore. If it does happen, though, I believe the political climate will need to change drastically enough that the WoL is at least somewhat welcome on Garlean soil. It would stretch credibility a bit much for us to waltz around in plain sight without bringing the whole army down on top of us.

Hope its where we take the Lunar Whale to the moon or has it where we travel back in time before the world was mostly destroyed by Bahamut. Just hope doesn't have anything to do with the garlean empire and it's a whole new story.

Prior to the next expansion, I suspect that giant ark on a hill in the Peaks is going to be a future patch dungeon!

Also, I don't think the Proving Grounds in Ishgard (next door to the Temple Knights' HQ) has ever been used for a quest? Unless it's a job quest I haven't gotten to yet. Or potentially in place for a future one.

Between that and the characters' stories seeming to be 'waiting for further development', I wonder if we're going back there for a further story arc, at least briefly.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Also, I don't think the Proving Grounds in Ishgard (next door to the Temple Knights' HQ) has ever been used for a quest? Unless it's a job quest I haven't gotten to yet. Or potentially in place for a future one.

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Pretty sure i was in there for a quest. Blacksmith maybe?

Ah, I haven’t caught up on the HW crafting quests. Didn’t have enough inventory space to do much easily. (Getting that under control finally, though it might only last until my next attempt at leveling gatherers...)

There is a sidequest that sends you inside the proving grounds. But all it amounts to is talking to one npc, then leaving again.

You wait to hear from your patron outside the Proving Grounds in the Blacksmith questline, you go in for Leatherworker, I think.

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Originally Posted by Astrid_Stormborn

You wait to hear from your patron outside the Proving Grounds in the Blacksmith questline, you go in for Leatherworker, I think.

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Now that you say that, i do kinda remember standing outside with the assistant and talking. And they maybe showed a short scene from before the contest started? Admittedly, i did all these quests in a fairly short timeframe and they kinda ran together in my mind somewhat.

In the past, I was wondering if 5.0 would be in Meracydia, with Garlemald going there to recover any powerful Allagan weapon after their defeats on Ala Mhigo and Doma. But I think yup, we are going to Ilsabard since it looks like everyone is heading there, maybe to close the Garlean storyarc. Maybe we would even visit east Othard places like the Burn or the blue mountains above. Also, we have Sharlayan, Thavnair, and the major island of Hingashi unclouded on the map... but... I'm not sure we will see those in 5.0.

I really doubt the New World being visitable until an even further future expansion, even 6.0 is too early for NW to me... Another place I had in mind for a future expansion was "the First" (the Warriors of Darkness' world), maybe for an expansion to close the Ascian storyarc.

It's hard to guess where we'd go after Ilsabard, especially when that place seems to be the world's hotbed for Ascian activity.

I feel Hingashi could logically feature in an expansion after the lore drops that occurred in 4.35, though.

Just my quick thoughts--note that I'm currently a returning player just working through Stormblood atm.

Are we at the point in this final fantasy story where we have the airship and all the new areas are places we've seen from the over world and heard about in towns, but never had access to them until this point in the plot?

So, my money is on islands all across the world, mentioned in story and maps, which have a particular pacific themed atmosphere. And we'll be searching for something specific, so as to eventually invade the empire, but also stumble across someone(s) who is/are very mysterious and might be the major bad guy in the future.

I realize this is vague, but my English teacher brain tells me this is the right move.

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Originally Posted by Kesey

Just my quick thoughts--note that I'm currently a returning player just working through Stormblood atm.

Are we at the point in this final fantasy story where we have the airship and all the new areas are places we've seen from the over world and heard about in towns, but never had access to them until this point in the plot?

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I mean, not really. Theres a large section of the world map for the established continents(northern aldenard, western othard) that is still covered in clouds and "unexplored"(weve also barely scratched the hingashi islands, and not seen thavnair or sharlayan yet). On top of that there are 3 other continents that we've heard of but not been to. You have Mercydia to the south, the "new world" to the west, and Ilsabard(the garlean empire) to the north. No spoilers, but some of the story beats in Stormblood seem to be pointing toward Garlemald. We've always suspected(known?) it will happen eventually, and they might be ready to pull the trigger. But you could be right that 5.0 is setting the table for a Garlean 6.0. Trips to Thavnair, Sharlayan, and wherever else to get ourselves into position to move north. Time will tell.

I'm guessing we're going to Garlemald with where things in the story are going.

I really hope that we don't go to two regions like in Stormblood.

On one hand, I can understand why SE wanted to do both 'rebel against the Empire' stories at once.

But dividing the focus I feel did more harm than good. The liberation of Ala Mhigo and Doma both felt rushed, too easy, too quick. Having Kugane as the main city makes me scratch my head because it's not tied to Doma OR Ala Mhigo. Why? The only role in the story it serves is as a pit stop on our way to Doma. So neither Doma nor Ala Mhigo get a proper city. Well maybe the Enclave when it's fully built up. Ala Mhigo is a dungeon with one corner of it in the outdoor world with nothing of note there except an aetheryte. I would have much rather focused on just Ala Mhigo, fleshed out the area more, flesh out different factions of the Resistance, explore the Skulls and other ala mhigans that support the empire more, etc. Instead we got two rushed stories. And I hope SE doesn't repeat this mistake in 5.0 by dividing the focus too much.

Ala Mhigo is a dungeon rather than a proper city in this game, but I have to wonder if we’d get access to the restored city later on.

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Originally Posted by Iscah

Ala Mhigo is a dungeon rather than a proper city in this game, but I have to wonder if we’d get access to the restored city later on.

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Maybe an Ala Mhigo Reconstruction thing?

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Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

I'm guessing we're going to Garlemald with where things in the story are going.

I really hope that we don't go to two regions like in Stormblood.

On one hand, I can understand why SE wanted to do both 'rebel against the Empire' stories at once.

But dividing the focus I feel did more harm than good. The liberation of Ala Mhigo and Doma both felt rushed, too easy, too quick. Having Kugane as the main city makes me scratch my head because it's not tied to Doma OR Ala Mhigo. Why? The only role in the story it serves is as a pit stop on our way to Doma. So neither Doma nor Ala Mhigo get a proper city. Well maybe the Enclave when it's fully built up. Ala Mhigo is a dungeon with one corner of it in the outdoor world with nothing of note there except an aetheryte. I would have much rather focused on just Ala Mhigo, fleshed out the area more, flesh out different factions of the Resistance, explore the Skulls and other ala mhigans that support the empire more, etc. Instead we got two rushed stories. And I hope SE doesn't repeat this mistake in 5.0 by dividing the focus too much.

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Agreed. I like that we got them together, but not so much as I'm disappointed in how little was in each. Ultimately, the take on each would have to be far different if each made into their own expansion, but I'm not so attached to the Stormblood iterations to think that a bad thing.

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Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

Agreed. I like that we got them together, but not so much as I'm disappointed in how little was in each. Ultimately, the take on each would have to be far different if each made into their own expansion, but I'm not so attached to the Stormblood iterations to think that a bad thing.

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On one hand, I don't think you could do both expansions separately, not if the Doma expansion was also 'overthrow the empire.' Having two expansions of that, especially in a row, may get repetitive. I would have honestly preferred just an Ala Mhigo expansion myself though and then deal with Doma some time down the line. Or if they had at least given us Ala Mhigo as an actual city in game. Kugane's pretty but it's not even important in the story. They didn't even use the garlean embassy there for the 4.2 and 4/3 story despite the fact Kugane would have made for a good neutral ground for meeting with the Empire.

Part of me hopes there will be something more ala mhigo related in 4.4 and 4.5, but I have a feeling the next couple patches will instead have us setting up the plot of the next expansion, doesn't seem like they have much to do left in gyr abania besides maybe figure out what to do with Fordola.

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Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

Part of me hopes there will be something more ala mhigo related in 4.4 and 4.5, but I have a feeling the next couple patches will instead have us setting up the plot of the next expansion, doesn't seem like they have much to do left in gyr abania besides maybe figure out what to do with Fordola.

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The apparent Zenos!Elezen is still in Gyr Abania, having just flown off from Castrum Abania, so it's likely that 4.4 will be dealing with him and Fordola. One possible lead-in to 5.0 is that the Zenos!Elezen might enlighten us more fully on what's going on with the Zenos in Garlemald, which might naturally lead to us finally moving into the Empire, combined perhaps with Alphinaud's further adventures with Maxima and Shadowhunter.

Technically, we do get to see part of the inside of Ala Mhigo in-game. An entire district of it is on The Lochs map; it's just that it's basically the Ala Mhigan slum area where all the non-Garlean citizens lived. Ala Mhigo, the dungeon, is primarily the palace and the garden districts and some of the areas surrounding them.

I'm actually okay with how Ala Mhigo was done, as it feels like it's the largest city in the game since we can't go to all of it at once. The other cities we go to feel "scaled down" and none of them have an "impressive" feel to them. Ala Mhigo doesn't feel scaled down at all...

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Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

On one hand, I don't think you could do both expansions separately, not if the Doma expansion was also 'overthrow the empire.' Having two expansions of that, especially in a row, may get repetitive. I would have honestly preferred just an Ala Mhigo expansion myself though and then deal with Doma some time down the line. Or if they had at least given us Ala Mhigo as an actual city in game. Kugane's pretty but it's not even important in the story. They didn't even use the garlean embassy there for the 4.2 and 4/3 story despite the fact Kugane would have made for a good neutral ground for meeting with the Empire.

Part of me hopes there will be something more ala mhigo related in 4.4 and 4.5, but I have a feeling the next couple patches will instead have us setting up the plot of the next expansion, doesn't seem like they have much to do left in gyr abania besides maybe figure out what to do with Fordola.

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I imagine they'd have to be thematically distinct, despite that both have Garlean-held lands.

Ala Mhigo (let's call it Stormblood, still) could be about the two sides of loyalty or identity, old and new, wherein you have rival factions, cooperating publically but at tension beneath the surface, among both the Garleans, or Garlean supporters, and the insurgents. Have a genuinely good imperial commander -- though nonetheless ruthless when viewed by any specific event -- and also a far more vindictive and sacrificing commander among the insurgents. Magictek and Attunement for post-cap progression, sprawling VII-esque urban landscapes with something that feels a bit like a particularly gritty version of faction or nearly FFA world-PvP alongside auto-generated forest and mountain environs in which to raid Imperial supply lines, steal walkers or gunships, or even raid Imperial bases with said vehicles. Frighteningly intelligent human combatants alongside mechs of devestating firepower provide intense fights even when the enemy hasn't much more stats than anyone in your party or even without continuous uptime (as you dive, duck, and dodge, build countermeasures, set up traps, etc, dive enemy casters or healers for their magitek fast enough to get in and out before being blown to bits... King's Road for elements of FFXness (a subtler version of the Feyth), for your more high fantasy lore, and maybe even some sort of HoH-like autogenerative content but with real gear (and further attunement upgrades) that's only boss fights as you progress upwards in the chapel/cathedral/conservatorium/whatever, that builds towards a concept of the Farplane which extends beyond 4.x alone. Etc., etc...
Ambiently and in reflection you're likely to feel underpowered, feel perplexed, and feel something sublime and/or overwhelming about the whole ordeal.

Doma (let's call it Bannerfall or Horizons or whatnot), on the other hand, could be more about having all that power, and making use of it appropriately. You're liberating lands, but you're also partaking in conquest of your own. It invites you to feel the hero, to feel somewhat cocky, moving from a 11 Assassins sort of makeshift troop ordeal towards ranks of horseman in impressive traditional garb or resplendent armor, etc. Conspiracies, pirates, merchant confederacies, treasures, relics, fortifications, tithes, warlords, and resolute moral leaders. Zenos enters in full force, taking some of the themes from the "good guy" Imperial leader killed in the last expansion, and turning each on its head in a world order of (bored) hunter or (boring) prey, punctuated only by transient rivalries. Alliance features for between FCs, holding onto new territory. Factions having passed (apart from the Xaela tribes, who contest each other, but cannot quite afford open war with the Imperials so near), you support territories of your own choosing, increase your own following, etc. All this alongside the flip-side to "conquest" in the more daoist themes of the highland environments, whereby one glimses more of the likeness of the Farplane, things of potentially greater importance than even the Empire, despite its returning strength. Etc., etc....

1.,x, ARR, HW, SB, and likely our next expansion have all had and likely will have Garleans and, to an extent, liberation (throwing off the shadow of the Garleans if not their shackles outright). There's no reason for that to stop us from differentiating the expansions.

Again, I'm mostly fine with how the content was covered, on paper. I'm just unimpressed by things of scale and pace, whereby a nation that was allegedly little larger than Ulduh at its Zenith has city some thousand Ulduh's size, where so many warring Xaela tribes can apparently be within kilometers of each other, where an entire nation apparently has only about 40 civilians and less than a hundred people in total, and the like...

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Originally Posted by Bright-Flower

They didn't even use the garlean embassy there for the 4.2 and 4/3 story despite the fact Kugane would have made for a good neutral ground for meeting with the Empire.

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I don't think it really makes sense for a meeting (let alone large-scale prisoner exchange) between Doma and Garlemald to be held in Hingashi. It also gives a different impression to Asahi turning up in Doma itself with his "we come in peace" act - plus he's actually going there with the ulterior motive of finding Yotsuyu.

I think having the Garlean Embassy there is either setting it up ready for future events, OR what they really want in place is the Thavnairian Consulate, but having multiple nations represented there makes it less conspicuous.

(Also I know we went there at least once for a random delivery sidequest. I can't remember if we were there for anything more important.)