My theory for the next six zones in 7.0

I have a old topic currently updated on the lore forums about each of the unexplored areas (though zones have been added that was never on the map before).

Right now the rest of Ilsabard is a giant Question Mark whether more is going to be uncovered this year or next before the big 7.0.

I think we know completely sure Meracydia is on the horizon, and I think it will comprise of two zone slots plus the City State. I suspect these zones are going to be pretty big to fit most of Meracydia to be explored.

I think there is a 50/50 chance we're going to the Southern Isles on the way to Meracydia as there is a theory that the Southern Isles might be between Aldenard and Meracydia, so it could make up for 1 zone + City State.

If it does happen get ready for the Lala Ultimate. :)

If there is a slight chance we're also going to the New World as well in 7.0 I think will take up the next two zones + City State.

The Final Zone is typically the endgame crazyness, so who knows where that will be located.


Alternate Theory:

Corvos instead is the one zone + City State instead of the Southern Isles, so we got a lot of mention of Corvos unless it appears before 7.0 for some reason.

I wouldn’t say that Meracydia is a given just because it’s an unexplored landmass that exists and there’s a few dragons in the current story. Yoshi-P said that until we get to the actual run-up to the expansion, which should be 6.5, we will have no idea where we’re going next.

Then again, him saying that could also be misdirection or gross underestimation of player imaginations. But if what we’re doing right now has not even a single link to 7.0, then anything and everything is on the table and we may as well just throw a dart blindfolded at the map and that will be just as good of a guess.

my theory for the next six zones in 7.0

- midgar
- ultimecia's castle
- inside sin
- bowser's castle
- leyndell
- fortnite island XD

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Originally Posted by MikkoAkure

I wouldn’t say that Meracydia is a given just because it’s an unexplored landmass that exists and there’s a few dragons in the current story. Yoshi-P said that until we get to the actual run-up to the expansion, which should be 6.5, we will have no idea where we’re going next.

Then again, him saying that could also be misdirection or gross underestimation of player imaginations. But if what we’re doing right now has not even a single link to 7.0, then anything and everything is on the table and we may as well just throw a dart blindfolded at the map and that will be just as good of a guess.

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To be fair people have been expecting Meracydia since it was one of the places mentioned by Emet at the end of EW.


"What about Meracydia, the southern continent? Do you know aught of its present state of affairs?"

From what I vaguely remember, Meracydia should be mostly wasteland with a few scattered civilizations, who are rather hostile to outsiders. The way Emet says it though it does suggest that something might be going on there. I don't know what could though.

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Originally Posted by NekoMataMata

To be fair people have been expecting Meracydia since it was one of the places mentioned by Emet at the end of EW.


"What about Meracydia, the southern continent? Do you know aught of its present state of affairs?"

From what I vaguely remember, Meracydia should be mostly wasteland with a few scattered civilizations, who are rather hostile to outsiders. The way Emet says it though it does suggest that something might be going on there. I don't know what could though.

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Agreed that Meracydia is next, Yoshi delayed the game 2 weeks before the launch of EW to make sure Emet-Selch gave us that information so I give us 99% odds of going there. As to how it looks, if you look at the continent from the Moon, you will see that a few areas along the coast are green, the rest are desert or very close to that. Its quite similar to Australia and New Zealand so, expect a lot to be drawn from those locations. Also consider that the Mad Max films came from Australia so I also agree that we should see a post-apocalyptic setting with some areas that have recovered but otherwise lots of ruins.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NekoMataMata

To be fair people have been expecting Meracydia since it was one of the places mentioned by Emet at the end of EW.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hyperia

Agreed that Meracydia is next, Yoshi delayed the game 2 weeks before the launch of EW to make sure Emet-Selch gave us that information so I give us 99% odds of going there.

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Per an interview, that line was planned since the early stages of writing Endwalker to give a feeling of "the adventure continues" and isn't necessarily a map of where we're going next, besides the undersea ruins bit that was an obvious throw in to make 6.1's direction slightly less awkward than it is.

Not sure what angle Yoshi-P would be going on if Meracydia is hinted at in the speech at the end of Endwalker while he's simultaneously saying that the players will have no clue where we're going and it will be a big surprise, unless he's deliberately yanking our chain.

Typically, they tease the location of the next expansion in the patches of the expansion that came before the current one.

In ARR's patches, we had some people arrive in a boat escaping Doma. Two expansions later, we had Stormblood.
In Heavensward patches, we met the Warriors of Darkness who were sent back to The First. Two expansions later, we had Shadowbringers.
In Stormblood patches, I kinda forget if there was, but I suppose they told us they never intended to do Endwalker until 8.0 but changed their mind, so the references in Stormblood may have referred to what 7.0 was previously going to be, since there were many Garlean and Ascian scenes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MikkoAkure

Per an interview, that line was planned since the early stages of writing Endwalker to give a feeling of "the adventure continues" and isn't necessarily a map of where we're going next, besides the undersea ruins bit that was an obvious throw in to make 6.1's direction slightly less awkward than it is.

Not sure what angle Yoshi-P would be going on if Meracydia is hinted at in the speech at the end of Endwalker while he's simultaneously saying that the players will have no clue where we're going and it will be a big surprise, unless he's deliberately yanking our chain.

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I'm not really arguing for Meracydia being hinted.

I'm just pointing out why players seem to think it's next, despite the fact that it wasn't the only location mentioned. If anything, I'm suggesting why I don't think it will be Meracydia, considering how I mentioned that there's nothing there.

Of course the one thing to back up the idea of Meracydia is that Emet also mentioned the ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty, and in 6.1 immediately after EW we had Alzadaal's Legacy which is you know the ruins beneath the Bounty. I think it's just a coincidence though.

Besides Meracydia being a wasteland with a few hostile settlements, it's also home to a lot of stuff mentioned in older side content(the Warring Triad are the literal god-primals of Meracydia for example), and I feel like it'd be too much effort for SE to put Meracydia into the game without acknowledging that content.

I am opposed to clearing out such huge swathes of the world per expansion - I would much rather focus on a given nation one at a time rather than what both Stormblood and now Endwalker have subjected us to.

I do not believe sending us to Meracydia is a wise choice given Dragonflight is still ongoing and FFXIV releasing a dragon themed expansion now would be seen as copying WoW in that regard. Especially after how tiresome this nonsense with Vrtra and his sister has been.

I'm also not convinced going to the New World at this juncture is appropriate either, not with so much of Ilsabard still under cloud cover. I'd be most interested in seeing Corvos and the rest of the continent, which could have easily carried 1-2 expansions itself had so many storylines not been rushed and abruptly ended.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NekoMataMata

To be fair people have been expecting Meracydia since it was one of the places mentioned by Emet at the end of EW.


"What about Meracydia, the southern continent? Do you know aught of its present state of affairs?"

From what I vaguely remember, Meracydia should be mostly wasteland with a few scattered civilizations, who are rather hostile to outsiders. The way Emet says it though it does suggest that something might be going on there. I don't know what could though.

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I think there are more to it. The fact that 5.4 liberated Tiamat, and that's probably where she went (kinda like how Ardbert story is build during HW patch to become a main thing in ShB). The fact the current story is about liberating Azdaja, who also lived in Meracydia at the time, and could want to go back there. Using that whole portion of the story as a reason why we decide to go to Meracydia would be a nice touch. It would give the impression that this whole thing build to something, and was not a side story pushed in msq (RN, the MSQ feels more like a Trial or raid storylines).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aveyond-dreams

I do not believe sending us to Meracydia is a wise choice given Dragonflight is still ongoing and FFXIV releasing a dragon themed expansion now would be seen as copying WoW in that regard. Especially after how tiresome this nonsense with Vrtra and his sister has been.

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FFXIV copying WoW? Nobody would accuse it of that after WoW copied FFXIV (Shadowlands after Shadowbringers released), or copied the FFXIV Final Steps of Faith cutscene, or copied Azem's soul crystal, or FFXIV's user interface editor, or FFXIV's mentor system.