Thoughts on where things can go.(Spoilers involved)

So I've beaten Dawntrail and seen the sights. I have a few thoughts on where things might go from here. Note : this is long and covers patches and expansions that I think may be in the future.

The coming patches will involve the "key" and Alexandria as well as what may likely be referred to as a Vestige of the rejoining. On mention of that, I'm guessing that even when a world is rejoined to the source there are fragments left in the place it was at. Alexandria was on one such fragment on (going by what was shown during the talk in the Crystal Tower) the 12th which succumbed to lightning. During the patches I'm going to assume we'll go there and deal with a powerful entity tied directly to the element of Lightning, similar to the Cloud of Darkness. Since we've already dealt with the Old man back in ARR and Eden, and considering the black metal known as electrope is going to be in that realm, I'm thinking we'll face Ramewl. The rest of the patches maybe more about ensuring the stability of both Alexandria and Tural. The last two set up the next story.

I think the next expansion will involve both the southern Isles and Hingashi. With the "key" available we'll get invited into Hingashi proper by one of the ruling class that wants to change something there. I think they'll have access to another vestige world, either Ice or Fire and want our help with controlling access to it. Whichever one they have access to in Hingashi proper, the other vestige mentioned will be in the South Sea Isles. Similar to Ramewl, I'd guess seeing Ifreeta and Shivalry as the owners of those elemental vestiges.

From there the next expansion could be in either Meyrcidia or the areas around Garlemald. If it's Merycidia, I'm still of the mind that it'll be a return of the Allagans and their cloning tech. Tiamat calling for our aid and we'll find that during the original war, when they cut down Bahamut, they took his eyes, and possibly a clone of him, loyal to whatever leader this Allagan group has, is now fully grown. Honestly I think that Bahamut is in some way stronger than Midgardsormer and this one will be just as strong since he would have Bahamut's eyes.

If it's the areas around what was Garlemald, then I don't really have any ideas of what it could be since I don't think they plan on taking any more inspiration from FF12 or Tactics. I suppose there could be some odd play out of auricite being parasitical beings from another star, since both Sabik and Ultima seem to be such things. In which case they could Introduce a Jenova like creature into the mix or something similar. It could lead to there being some lost city in the northern reaches from the time of the ancients.

Obviously there are also the other living shards, but I think most of those will be many expansions from now. I think the vestiges of old shards will hold some of our future trials. Obviously still plenty of places to go though.

I am of two minds about Hingashi. While I would love to get more medieval fantasy Japan zones, I am worried that exploring Hingashi would make the world feel even smaller. You need to have offscreen places you never visit to make the world feel larger than the actual game world. We are almost out of offscreen places we haven't been to yet. All that is left is Nagxia, Corvos, Meracydia, and the Southern Lalafell isles.

I would argue that if you may be generalizing a place to much then. In terms of Hingashi, that would be like saying I've been to Nagasaki City, and have therefore been to Japan. While I can't argue that you would have indeed been there, I can argue that you haven't really seen what the place has to offer. There is plenty of space in between the gaps of loading zones. Even with The ARR zones. there is plenty of landmass that isn't covered and plenty of it has stories that could be told.

First we travel to another shard
Then we travel to that shard's distant past.
Then we go to that distant past's moon.
From the moon, we travel to another shard and then back down to THAT new shard's version of Meracydia and find a way to go far, far into that Shard's future.
We find someone well versed in aetheric manipulation devices and have them craft us something that will mask our Aether signature from detection.
We then chug a Fantasia potion, change our race and name, and then go live innawoods like so many territorial male viera.
We take the magic Azem sippy cup with us and close all doors behind us while opening a series of other doors that lead someplace else entierly.

Wuk Lamat will never be able to find us now. And we shall hopefully know peace.

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Originally Posted by -Teria-

Wuk Lamat will never be able to find us now. And we shall hopefully know peace.

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Pray return to the Wuk Lamat!

I'd also prefer Hingashi to remain a completely off-limits area because we don't need to have access to the entire map. It's one of the few nations where we're not personal friends with the ruling body, and being granted access to small limited areas (such as Mount Rokkon) works well to expand the area when we need to.

Regarding the hourglass artifact, one important detail is that it glowed with Azem's symbol during the final trial cutscenes. It's either Ancient technology that reacted to our Azem stone, or was created by Azem itself.

Thus, I think the future might be about delving into the Azem character. We've always assumed they were us, but Azem probably existed post-Sundering before us in some manner if they created/delivered this artifact to the South Sea Isles. It's also entirely possible that Azem could have awakened in another reflection similar to Fandaniel, pitting us against them for some reason.

There is nowhere to go

But up

Here's my wishlist on where it would go,

- Tural has a calamity and Wuk Lamat dies
- Wuk Lamat is a Primal villain and we have to kill her
- Wuk Lamat fell off an alpaca and broke her neck (off-screen death)

:)

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Originally Posted by Kaecilius

I'd also prefer Hingashi to remain a completely off-limits area because we don't need to have access to the entire map. It's one of the few nations where we're not personal friends with the ruling body, and being granted access to small limited areas (such as Mount Rokkon) works well to expand the area when we need to.

Regarding the hourglass artifact, one important detail is that it glowed with Azem's symbol during the final trial cutscenes. It's either Ancient technology that reacted to our Azem stone, or was created by Azem itself.

Thus, I think the future might be about delving into the Azem character. We've always assumed they were us, but Azem probably existed post-Sundering before us in some manner if they created/delivered this artifact to the South Sea Isles. It's also entirely possible that Azem could have awakened in another reflection similar to Fandaniel, pitting us against them for some reason.

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We are Azem's shard. And it's entirely possible that Azem created the device possibly as their answer to the Final Days. Or they could have had prescience about either the Final Days or future events as was hinted in the Pandaemonium storyline when they told Themis a falling star would appear before him. And then we fell on him.

Aloalo is the South Seas Isles where the Millala lived.

To the OP, probably Meracydia. We've done a lot of what Emet mentioned.

"Tell me, have you been to the ruins beneath the waters of the Bounty?
Or the treasure islands beyond the frozen waters of Blindfrost, in Othard's north?
The fabled golden cities of the New World? The sacred sites of the forgotten people of the south sea isles?
What about Meracydia, the southern continent? Do you know aught of its present state of affairs?
... I thought not. Even of your little Eorzea, you know precious little. The true identities of the Twelve, for instance.

All of which is to say: expand your horizons. Go forth and seek discovery.
Some of the civilizations in the reflections will surprise you.
As the bearer of Azem's crystal, you may consider your duty to see at least that much."

Ruins beneath the Bounty - Alzadaal's
Blindfrost - N/A so far
Golden cities of the New World - Golden city in Tural
Forgotten people of the south sea isles - Aloalo
Meracydia - N/A so far
True identities of the Twelve - Myths of the Realm
Civilizations on other reflections - Alexandria/Solution 9/Living Memory and room for more with that key

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Originally Posted by TaleraRistain

We are Azem's shard. And it's entirely possible that Azem created the device possibly as their answer to the Final Days. Or they could have had prescience about either the Final Days or future events as was hinted in the Pandaemonium storyline when they told Themis a falling star would appear before him. And then we fell on him.

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We are the current iteration in the Source, but it's entirely possible Azem lived as someone else before, then died and they were eventually reborn as us. We also know that people from the Reflections can be targets for awakening as Ascians/Ancients, such as Gaia being the reincarnation of Loghrif.

"The Key" is very likely going to be a big piece of whatever is going to come next... As it had the the Sun symbol on it when it was activated by the Everqueen/Queen Eternal, that particular Sun symbol being Azem's astrological sign.
We also learned that it came to Alexandria from the Source during The Sixth Umbral Calamity, a.k.a. the great flood as it was used to open a portal by Lalafels on the Aloalo Islands to escape it.

The people over at whatever reflection Alexandria was in, were able to use The Key to open a portal to the Source. While we've only received confirmation it works between those two reflections, it doesn't mean it won't work on others.
And because of potential travel between reflections, I foresee Y'Shtola being present due to her interest in the subject.

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Originally Posted by CaptainLagbeard

The people over at whatever reflection Alexandria was in, were able to use The Key to open a portal to the Source. While we've only received confirmation it works between those two reflections, it doesn't mean it won't work on others.
And because of potential travel between reflections, I foresee Y'Shtola being present due to her interest in the subject.

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As a small detail, we know that they have also tried Interdimensional Fusion before, and that's when the Dreamborough (and other unnamed districts) ended up lost beyond the Rift, presumably on the Thirteenth for Strayborough Deadwalk (Though I don't think this is actually confirmed?)

Interdimensional fusion could be a key to fix the Thirteenth and the First, since they are heavily charged with opposite elements, absorbing excess light from the First to restore small areas of the Thirteenth, if such a thing is even possible.

I have an idea. It starts with "Speak with Wuk Lamat".

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Originally Posted by TaleraRistain

We are Azem's shard. And it's entirely possible that Azem created the device possibly as their answer to the Final Days. Or they could have had prescience about either the Final Days or future events as was hinted in the Pandaemonium storyline when they told Themis a falling star would appear before him. And then we fell on him.

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Considering Azem recommended us to Themis for confidential Convocation business, I wouldn't be surprised if they sensed the WoL's arrival in Elpis, observed magically, and learned about the future while being well out of Kairos's range.

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Originally Posted by Kaecilius

We are the current iteration in the Source, but it's entirely possible Azem lived as someone else before, then died and they were eventually reborn as us. We also know that people from the Reflections can be targets for awakening as Ascians/Ancients, such as Gaia being the reincarnation of Loghrif.

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Oh we're not the first. The Four Lords heavily hints that Tenzen is a past incarnation of Azem's shard. There would certainly have been others. That's just the only named one we've had so far.

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Originally Posted by Daralii

Considering Azem recommended us to Themis for confidential Convocation business, I wouldn't be surprised if they sensed the WoL's arrival in Elpis, observed magically, and learned about the future while being well out of Kairos's range.

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Entirely possible as well. I believe there was a recent interview where Yoshi-P said we weren't quite done with the Ancients yet and Dawntrail having an artifact potentially made by Azem would be an interesting way to delve more into that Ancient persona.