I drew my prediction of "big event" before next expansion (Spoilers).

https://i.im.ge/2022/09/01/OxxEMz.nss.png

The big "world changing" event is recreation of FF5 end game event when ExDeath pulled some parts of the world (with whole cities!) to the Void. It will be similiar in FF XIV. Maybe some locations will be unavailable during time between 6.5 and 7.0 (like your favorite West Shroud!). Maybe we will see just black void orbs approaching most vital parts of whole universe (not only our world but First as well). I choose to draw Mor Dhona because this is place that likes to change, if you know what I mean :->

What is happening?

After 6.2 MSQ we know that whatever we do, it has no meaning for Golbez. For him our win belongs to "task failed successfully" cathegory. What we exactly do, and we don't know about it, is we release Enuo from Sealed Temple in Thirteen.

Enuo is historical character from FF5. We do not meet him in game, we only hear about him (with exception of GBA version of game). And in reality we do not know much bout him. That gives writers some really cool opportunities to development this character. What we know about him is that he has nearly godly powers. He was immortal, but he choose to trade it for control over Void. He was defeated by some guys with 12 legendary weapons, but he never killed. He was prisoned in place that was ending point of both light and darkness.

In current MSQ you can hear from Zero about big war years, years ago. It was battle against the Enuo.

The seal that keeps Enuo in prison is powered by darkness. Returning light to Thirteen will nullify it enabling Enuo to escape.

I don't know exactly what Enuo's motives for his new life can be. But because there is no longer immortal, and still controls Void, he can use it to trap everything in it. If I understand correctly, darkness activity slows flow of Aether. If you have controll for Void you can use it to trap everything in one moment in time. So you can still play as immortal god even if you are not technically immortal.

Next job

This one is obvious. Introduction of light/dark magic's new components focused on time (passivity of light and activity of darkness) gives you smooth way to introduce new job based on this components: Time Mage.

As you can see, IMO next expansion will be influenced much by FF5. It's because of three things. Void motives, order of older FF's influences in new expansion (FF3 in Shadowbringers, FF4 in Endwalker) and last but least: it gives this amazing opportunity to make intro cinematic containing this sweet, sweet, sweet main theme. Because, you know, You always make an expansion just to include your favorite music tracks xdddd

This is just my take. Maybe it will be totally different. It's just nice feeling to "hit" with prediction and feel like you have IQ or something.

I hope you appreciate my drawing xd

How would a TM work? We already have AST who kinda filled that role in the past.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sotaris

How would a TM work? We already have AST who kinda filled that role in the past.

---

After AST had most of its time spells gutted I could see a Time Mage getting introduced. The design space is open at least. In the way OP described? Maybe, maybe not.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sotaris

How would a TM work? We already have AST who kinda filled that role in the past.

---

Exactly, Time Mage is for all intents and purposes AST, even with many of it's 'time' spells/abilities removed, it still has a few like Lightspeed being Haste, the signature spell associated with Time Magic - also Yoshi already poured hot water on that by saying that future Jobs will be entirelly original and unique., so if that is true and he sticks to that, that means no literal Time Mage (and no Geomancer, Ranger or Beastmaster too for that matter).

As for how the story is going to go, I doubt the Void/Thirteenth is going to play too much of a role in it (our whole reason for travelling there in 6.2 was to find a way to the First so that Y'shtola and Thancred could reunite with Runar and Ryne respectively, and to try and help Vrtra finally discover what happened to Azdaja), so once

Golbez, Rubicante and Cagnazzo

are dealt with, I'm not expecting anything really too much more from the Void.

SE unfortunately can't do too much to the Void as Voidsent are a significant enemy type found in many reoccuring battles on the Source, so that would all be contradicted with the Void being restored back to normal (and remember, if even the Ascians had given up on it as a lost cause, what hope do we have at restoring it?).

Also another thing to remember is despite the ominous warnings about a "big event" to come that will shake the world in 6.3 that will lead towards the next expansion, don't expect it to be truly game changing like the Calamity was, and that is for sheer pragmatism - the Source (or at least Eorzea), has to remain more or less as it is now for the benefit of new players joining (this is why EW didn't have 'Final Days' events wrecking the realm despite what the EW opening movie would have you believe, and why Ishgard's Foundation was ignored in the Reconstruction - they all have to remain as they are for new players joining, and phasing the landscape to reflect changes in the story is just too great a technical challenge to do wholescale.

Personally I'm going to wait and see what happens, as lets face it - no one predicted EW's resolution or story direction correct (we all thought Zodiark and Fannyboy were going to be the final bosses,

but instead Big Z was unceremoniously disposed of halfway through when Fanddangalangadingdong killed himself, and we then got a time travel scenario back to Ancient times and an intergalactic space trip to confront a female version of Necron from FFIX

), so the direction post EW is going probably will be in a way no one will guess.

As ever though, we will find out soon enough though. :D

I imagine Time Mage as DPS (maybe with support abilities like bard) not healer. And, with Sage, we know that name of job could be much different than it;s gameplay. So we can get Time Mage that are casting spells with gigantique pocket watch yoyo, or smthing xd

But most importantly, because no one commenting on this: what do you think about that art? xd

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gaido

But most importantly, because no one commenting on this: what do you think about that art? xd

---

Looks dope, did you make it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gaido

I imagine Time Mage as DPS (maybe with support abilities like bard) not healer. And, with Sage, we know that name of job could be much different than it;s gameplay. So we can get Time Mage that are casting spells with gigantique pocket watch yoyo, or smthing xd

But most importantly, because no one commenting on this: what do you think about that art? xd

---

The art is really really good! You clearly put a lot of effort and thought into it! (So please, don't get down by my comments, after all, I can't entirelly discount it going in a direction similar to what you came up with! I just presume it won't for the reasons I mentioned).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sotaris

Looks dope, did you make it?

---

Yes. I was inspired by idea how that events could look like, and I wanted to make something similiar in style of artists from FF XIV. It was challenging, but I'm happy with it. Even if they are mistakes here and there xd

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Enkidoh

The art is really really good! You clearly put a lot of effort and thought into it! (So please, don't get down by my comments, after all, I can't entirelly discount it going in a direction similar to what you came up with! I just presume it won't for the reasons I mentioned).

---

It's okay . This predictions are more something what I want to happen, based at what I know from story. But you have right that it is FFXIV with own story, so it'll be much different. Still I think that Yoshida and Stuff like to hit players with nostalgia combo attacks, so there still will be some inspirations and winking the eye towards other Final Fantasy players, but it still FF XIV. Thank you :)

They're not going to make any areas inaccessible, as there are far too many reasons for a player to visit them.
Players still progressing the story. Hunts, Fates (for relics), gathering nodes, BLU spells, etc.

Seeing as Golbez is talking about his crusade, I'd wager it's more likely he plans on invading the source.
This would mean bring portions of the thirteenth into the source.
But as these would be permanent zones, the only end goal option would be saving the thirteenth and seemless shard travel, so that these zones are still just as accessible.

I really enjoyed this concept art! Hope we get this or something similar to it in the future, and fully support the addition of your version of Time Mage to the game.

I really love the concept art, well done.

If I'm to be honest though, I'd rather explore space in the next expansion.

Starfield can't get here soon enough. ; __ ;

Honestly? Spaghetti code excuse or not, FFXIV not being able to facilitate ideas like this is actually a bad thing.

So many better things could be implemented if only they'd do something about their crappy framework. Of course, something tells me an expansion where the villain gains any ground at all and one of the Scions is imperiled is no longer welcome as a narrative by this community so they'd literally never do any of this even if they had the hardware to.

Nice art, though.

Great art!

I'm with you on hoping that the development team do something bold to help kickstart the game's second season of storytelling into high gear. A lot of people like to say that they can't do X, Y or Z because of A, B or C and yet...other MMO's have done similar things to various degrees of scale and success.

Even many of the single player Final Fantasy games have done such things and this game is in itself designed to appeal to a broad variety of personal tastes and players. I think it'd get pretty boring rather quickly if every major threat continues to wrap up in a neat little bow with little in the way of lasting, world changing consequences.