Meracydia: The first expansion with beast tribe cities?

Meracydia is this huge island continent. It's also wild and full of forests. Might this be the first continent that doesn't have Elezen, Hyur, and Roegadyn (the human races) cities?
And will instead have half-beast and full blown beast populated cities? Would be a nod to past FFs were civilized beasts used to run cities. It would be a new and wild experience.

Meracydia is almost certainly infested with allagan ruins, if not still-working constructs abd chimeical monstrosities. They came and conquered the place, enslaving it's people (Bahamut and Tiamat's brood) and just being Allagans. Even if the dragons recovered after that calamity, there's still going to be a significant allagan shadow overhead

But conquered doesn't mean that its civilized beast people couldn't have rebuilt their cities again and erase most of the allagan architecture and just leaving a few allagans places in small areas. I'd love to see everything from a city of civilized cactuars to a city of lion people (related to miqo'te)

Idyllshire, Anyx Trine, Ok'Zundu and Moghome are already like that pretty much.

don't think you're going to have much bigger settlements than that in this world.

Maybe a Miqote city !

I believe it's been strongly inferred, or outright stated, that the Miqo'te came from Meracydia. I'd be pretty thrilled to pay the place a visit, maybe see if we have any long lost cousins. I just wonder whether or not Square would give us another new playable race. There doesn't seem to be too much hassle storywise, if we're looking at the addition of Au Ra. No new cities or anything.

The lalafell too were stated as coming also from the 'southern islands' (or at least, the dunesfolk did - read: the founders and inhabitants of Ul'dah). Not to mention the ACN class also had origins as well in Meracydia. I'm not sure but hasn't it also been mentioned that there is still regular trade between Eorzea and Meracydia, suggesting at least that there would still be some habitation there, if not an actual citystate/nation. But I guess we'll find out eventually. :)

Wasn't it the plainsfolk lalafells that inhabit the "southern islands"? I recall reading somewhere that their hair colouring and small size allowed them to better hide from predators among the grassy plains of their natural habitat. The dunesfolk were a later adaptation to drier climates, such as evolving a protective film over their eyes to prevent them from drying up quickly.

I don't know about arcanamia coming from Meracydia. As far as I remember, it is said to have been developed by the people (they've never been explicitly identified as lalafellin, I believe) of the "southern islands", which may or may not include the southern continent. In my headcanon, arcanamia very probably derived from navigational calculations, as it takes a fair amount of mathematical aptitude to chart the seas for safe, open-ocean voyages.

Well, the official site just says the lalafell race itself originated in the southern islands and the descriptions for dunesfolk and plainsfolk don't mention anything specific, so I guess I just took the one most likely to fit the idea of an island nation:

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Originally Posted by Final Fantasy XIV Lodestone

The Lalafell are a folk both rotund and diminutive. Small by any race's standards and possessed of a childlike countenance, it proves difficult for non-Lalafell to gauge an individual's age with any degree of accuracy. Originally an agricultural people inhabiting the fertile islands of the south seas, they found their way to Eorzea via the burgeoning trade routes. Lalafell are welcoming of outsiders, and share prosperous relations with all of the other races of Eorzea.

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However, that reference to being an 'agricultural people' originally in Meracydia does indeed fit the plainsfolk's 'hat' more than the dunesfolk though, so maybe you're right! :D

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Originally Posted by Final Fantasy XIV Lodestone

The Plainsfolk have settled in La Noscea and other regions where the ground is flat and easily cultivated. Though many live the life of farmers, it is not uncommon to see Plainsfolk residing in Limsa Lominsa, holding positions in the navy or working in the fisheries. They are well known for their relaxed and carefree demeanor.

The Dunesfolk can be found on the scorching sands of Thanalan and other such arid areas. As the founders of the merchant city of Ul'dah, they are famous for their obsession with commerce. A natural inclination to transform ideas into action has served the Dunesfolk well in their business dealings.

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Originally Posted by SendohJin

Idyllshire, Anyx Trine, Ok'Zundu and Moghome are already like that pretty much.

don't think you're going to have much bigger settlements than that in this world.

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Those are not nations though. They're just beast tribe settlements. I'm looking at something like an Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, or the like made up of real beast tribes (non-humans) only. Could be a mix of a lot of them, that would be dreamy.

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Originally Posted by Ghastly

Those are not nations though. They're just beast tribe settlements. I'm looking at something like an Ishgard, Limsa Lominsa, or the like made up of real beast tribes (non-humans) only. Could be a mix of a lot of them, that would be dreamy.

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that's what i mean by not in this world, beast tribes don't have nations, that's part of what makes them beast tribes.

if they made a new race specific nation it would most likely be a playable race.

I'm extremely interested in visiting Meracydia.

The 5000 years since Allag took the place would have allowed plenty to happen, growth, habitation, population... etc etc. I can imagine that they set up things there that have bern taken back by nature, converted to settlements and who knows what else.

Everything said about about the place indicates a warm place, teeming with various wildlife, forested and in some parts perhaps a jungle or two. There's lore galore there, mystery and plenty of other things... I really do hope we get an expansion there, I see a lot of potential from it.

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Originally Posted by Ghastly

But conquered doesn't mean that its civilized beast people couldn't have rebuilt their cities again and erase most of the allagan architecture and just leaving a few allagans places in small areas. I'd love to see everything from a city of civilized cactuars to a city of lion people (related to miqo'te)

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Wouldn't the Ixali be a prime example of a beast civilization that rebuilt itself from the fall of the Allagan? The gist of their lore and that one tourist placard in the Fractal Continuum suggests they were created there for maintenance. At some point they were knocked out of Azys-la, and lost their wings, possibly due to an unmonitored defect in their genes. Their lore about Garuda might be related to the winged serpents the Vanu-Vanu ride, or the assumed primal research in that place. I Wouldn't be surprised if Garuda was originally a modified flying Ixali or harpy that got out and came back. Either way they did establish a home in the Highlands, and eventually made their way into Twelveswood. They have always been considered a local tribe/race like the Sylphs, Quirin, Amalj'aa, etc..

However, given their origins it makes me wonder why they can't build a ship strong enough to get back into the sky (without asking Cid, despite MacGyvering the first local airships out of scrap), or why there are only Ixali in tubes (grown and programed in there?) and none anywhere in Azys'la doing maintenance. Let alone why the Ixali for an odder reason is less technologically advanced/inclined than the goblins and illuminadi. Either why, if their current existence is the result of 2k+ years after Allagans fall. I doubt any surviving race would have been able to rebuild their society to what it was. Garland and Gigas are a different theory craft.

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Originally Posted by Kotemon

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I have a theory that I would say that actually Garuda was an allagan that may have being fell pitty for them desided to help them scaping, gaving them motivation and purpose. Eventually the ixalis made her their leader and was like one of them. Like the story of moises, i think is a good example.

we know where Ixali civilization is NOW we don't know how what has happened with them between escaping and now. We know Amalj'aa were once a part of the social order of Uldah when they were at war with Sildah, does this mean perhaps they were full on members of the Beldan or previous setups? Perhaps the Ixali were much more capable in previous Astral eras we are just seeing them trying to climb out of a low point? Perhaps they were key in building the void Ark...

Meracydian expansion? More story to Bahamut x Tiamat brocon? Yes please

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Originally Posted by Kotemon

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Actually, eorzean airships where partly invented by an ixal. And some of them (those that aren't zealots or stay under Garuda's influence) are still decent engineers/crafters capable of creating some amazing top-notch technology, as seen in the ixal quests (with some help, but still).

You might be onto something there, though, as it seems that the more inclined that a beast tribe gets to summon a primal, for whatever reason, the less advanced they become. It makes sense that being divided, at war, and with their people being tempered, they will lose some brilliant minds on the way. It's inevitable that what once was, or what could be, a great culture gets lost because of it. Maybe the ascians have some side interest in that too, besides the whole summoning thing for the balance, Zodiark, and yadda-yadda.

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Originally Posted by SendohJin

that's what i mean by not in this world, beast tribes don't have nations, that's part of what makes them beast tribes.

if they made a new race specific nation it would most likely be a playable race.

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I believe the nations of Xelphatol, O'ghomoro, and Paglth'an truly belong to the Ixal, Kobolds, and Amalj'aa respectively. From the looks of it, they will be accessed from the Goldleaf Dias (blocked road north), Zahar'ak (gate leading east), and the U'ghamaro Mines (gate leading north).

I'm at work right now and can't verify this atm. I'll look for more info later.

Technically, for Paglth'an at least, it seems the player did already access Paglth'an back during 1.0's main scenario - during one story cutscene the player's Path Companion of the time mentions that the cell in Zaha'rak where they were imprisoned in prior to being brought to the Bowl of Embers as being in "darkest Paglth'an" - although it's possible that may now be a retcon:

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Originally Posted by version 1.0 main scenario quest 'Lord Errant'

Female Miqo'te Path Companion: "Truth be told, a cell in the darkest depths of Paglth'an barely entered my thoughts."

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It does suggest though that Zahar'ak is at least connected to Paglth'an, if not already part of it without the player even realizing it. Either way, it's possible there is already some regional overlap with current zones into these areas.

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Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Technically, for Paglth'an at least, it seems the player did already access Paglth'an back during 1.0's main scenario - during one story cutscene the player's Path Companion of the time mentions that the cell in Zaha'rak where they were imprisoned in prior to being brought to the Bowl of Embers as being in "darkest Paglth'an" - although it's possible that may now be a retcon:



It does suggest though that Zahar'ak is at least connected to Paglth'an, if not already part of it without the player even realizing it. Either way, it's possible there is already some regional overlap with current zones into these areas.

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There's a lot of potential handwaves for that though (which I'm a fan of since I personally envision Paglth'an as a little more savannah-esque than another Thanalan since the Amalj'aa myth describe Thanalan as scorched by Ifrit's flames) including:
a) our path companion isn't a reliable source of information (wasn't? are they canonically dead yet?)
b) we're perhaps on the outskirts of Paglth'an bordering Thanalan

and I maybe there's not as many as I thought, but either way I chalk that up to retcon/regional overlap. Even if we have a slightly better jump from Thanalan to the Shroud, we've gotten a worse jump from the Shroud to Coerthas and Coerthas to Dravania since 1.0!

I'd also caution that Xelphatol, O'ghomoro and Paghlth'an aren't technically nations, as far as I'm aware, but simply regions of Eorzea. Sort of like how the region is Thanalan or La Noscea and not Ul'dah or Limsa Lominsa. O'ghomoro, I think is actually the name of the volcano on Vyldbrand though I wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong and it's the name of northern Vyldbrand.

I do sincerely hope we don't leave the beast tribes we met in 1.0/2.0 by the wayside going forward though; paling around with Amalj'aa and Sahagin are still some pretty fond memories for me after knowing them only as enemies for so long!

My burning question: Would a Meracydia expansion allow us to play as beast races? I burn for a proper beast race.

Per some comments below - I expect we will be doing more with the beast tribes of 2.0, but the primary focus during 3.x is going to be the Gnath and the Vanu Vanu.

Yoshi-P has mentioned that having the beast tribe quests in 2.x will play into things in 3.x. Now, I don't really know if that means that 3.x beast tribes are gated behind the 2.x beast tribes or it it means we will be able to get help from them in relation to dealing with 3.x beast tribe things...who knows at this point.

I personally don't see a race ever be playable, but I do see them getting to a "nation" that is more beast centered than playable race centered.