2.5 Trailer?

[Omegakiyohime]

This.

A lot of people are incorrectly assuming that the ending of the current story arc is in the second part (2.55) yet ALL of the major battle content, including the 'mystery' trial which is presumably the final boss of the 2.x story arc, is in the initial 2.5 drop. 2.5 will conclude the 2.x story. The 2.55 content is the introduction to the expansion; essentially the pre-expansion patch that most MMOs have.

Unfortunately, no. Before the fall part 2 contains the "curtain' to the main story (stated by Yoshi in the New Years Letter) or the second arc of the patch 2.5 main scenario, as stated by the devs at fanfest.

[Alberel]

Unfortunately, no. Before the fall part 2 contains the "curtain' to the main story (stated by Yoshi in the New Years Letter) or the second arc of the patch 2.5 main scenario, as stated by the devs at fanfest.

You missed my point. The second half of the main scenario in 2.5 is pertaining to Midgardsormr's resurrection which will be the reason Ishgard opens its gates to beg us for help. It is essentially both the epilogue to current arc and prologue to the next.

The first half will be killing our first Ascian (most likely the rematch with Lahabrea that Louisoix's prophecy spoke about). Defeating Lahabrea once and for all will be the end of the 2.x story. Midgradsormr's resurrection is the prelude to the expansion. The second half is being called the 'curtain' because it explains how events so far lead us to Ishgard.

Put it this way: how can the second half be the real ending if the actual final boss of the 2.x story is in the first half?

[lololink]

You missed my point. The second half of the main scenario in 2.5 is pertaining to Midgardsormr's resurrection which will be the reason Ishgard opens its gates to beg us for help. It is essentially both the epilogue to current arc and prologue to the next.

The first half will be killing our first Ascian (most likely the rematch with Lahabrea that Louisoix's prophecy spoke about). Defeating Lahabrea once and for all will be the end of the 2.x story. Midgradsormr's resurrection is the prelude to the expansion. The second half is being called the 'curtain' because it explains how events so far lead us to Ishgard.

Put it this way: how can the second half be the real ending if the actual final boss of the 2.x story is in the first half?

I think you shouldn't jump to conclusions so easily, unless you are working at SE and knows about it.

[Alberel]

I think you shouldn't jump to conclusions so easily, unless you are working at SE and knows about it.

Sigh, it's not jumping to conclusions, it's a logical deduction. If you've been paying attention to the story at all up until now then you'll know that two things need to happen before the expansion:

1. The Ascian hold over Ishgard must be destroyed.
2. Midgardsormr must be resurrected.

There's no jumping to conclusions in making that deduction because we know that both things have to have occurred by the time 3.0 launches.

We have two pretty clear and entirely separate events that need to take place in order to set the expansion up and there are two story updates to be released prior to that. Factor in that the 2.4 story was all about finding a weapon to kill an Ascian and it is inevitable that we will free Ishgard by killing the Ascian manipulating the Holy See; any other turn of events would simply be bad story telling.

Now we KNOW that the final story fight is in the first half in the form of this mystery trial so we KNOW that our fight with Lahabrea will be in the first half. Since one of the events DEFINITELY takes place in the first half the other event will be in the second half.

I'm not jumping to conclusions. We have all the info we need to know what happens next.

Where did they explicitly say the final boss of the ARR story comes with 2.50? For all we know the conflict with the Ascians could be happening within the Battle of Ishgard, and everything leading up to it (including Odin, 2.5's primal) could be in preparation for such an event. We still need a Blade of Light, and the victory cutscene from the Odin fight at the Las Vegas Fanfest showed that his sword was left behind upon his defeat.

If the Battle of Ishgard was a dungeon or raid they would have told us by now to build hype. If anything it's likely a world event as most MMOs always launch an expansion alongside a world event. As such it is very unlikely the Battle of Ishgard will contain any major story events.

Instead we have three trials confirmed to be in 2.50. One is unnamed. Whenever SE has explicitly withheld the name of anything pertaining to a future patch it was because to name it would spoil the story. It is, therefore, very easy to deduce that the unnamed trial in 2.50 is main story related. Since no such trial or dungeon exists in the second half of the patch it is again easy to deduce what that trial actually is based on the current direction of the story.

[Viridiana]

Sigh, it's not jumping to conclusions, it's a logical deduction. If you've been paying attention to the story at all up until now then you'll know that two things need to happen before the expansion:

Actually, you don't know that the first thing you have listed (btw, spoilers much?) must happen. Do you really think that the Scions will become aware of and resolve that issue within one patch? We-the-players know what's happening there, but we-the-characters don't. To think that SE will resolve that entire plot line within 2.5 is. . .well, probably not realistic. You also don't know that the mystery trial will be what you say it is; that's the entire point of a mystery trial. I seriously doubt we'll see the end of Lahabrea anytime soon, but I could be wrong.

[Alberel]

Actually, you don't know that the first thing you have listed (btw, spoilers much?) must happen. Do you really think that the Scions will become aware of and resolve that issue within one patch? We-the-players know what's happening there, but we-the-characters don't. To think that SE will resolve that entire plot line within 2.5 is. . .well, probably not realistic. You also don't know that the mystery trial will be what you say it is; that's the entire point of a mystery trial. I seriously doubt we'll see the end of Lahabrea anytime soon, but I could be wrong.

Considering that we're inhabiting Ishgard as a city state in 3.0, yes, we do know that we have to break the Ascian hold over Ishgard before then. If they were still in control of Ishgard they would keep the gates barred against us and not let us in.

[lololink]

Considering that we're inhabiting Ishgard as a city state in 3.0, yes, we do know that we have to break the Ascian hold over Ishgard before then. If they were still in control of Ishgard they would keep the gates barred against us and not let us in.

That doesn't mean killing an ascian, we will discover that they were pulling some strings, and even if we fight him, nothing says that it will be before the battle of Ishgard, it's even more likely to fight them at the end of this battle or in 3.0, you can't really know that they manipulate the pope if you never even set foot in the city.

[gamesmart]

Considering that we're inhabiting Ishgard as a city state in 3.0, yes, we do know that we have to break the Ascian hold over Ishgard before then. If they were still in control of Ishgard they would keep the gates barred against us and not let us in.

The Scions and the Warrior of Light don't even know that the Ascians are controlling Ishgard as of 2.4, only we as players do. How are we supposed to learn about it and then break it within a single patch?

[Viridiana]

Considering that we're inhabiting Ishgard as a city state in 3.0, yes, we do know that we have to break the Ascian hold over Ishgard before then. If they were still in control of Ishgard they would keep the gates barred against us and not let us in.

There are actually any number of ways we could get into Ishgard without defeating the Ascians. Just off hand, we could infiltrate Ishgard, or there could be a civil war. . .

[Welsper59]

Considering that we're inhabiting Ishgard as a city state in 3.0, yes, we do know that we have to break the Ascian hold over Ishgard before then. If they were still in control of Ishgard they would keep the gates barred against us and not let us in.

It's quite possible that access to it becomes a part of the actual expansions beginning story. Similar to the way we need to progress the 2.0 story in order to access GCs, mounts, retainers, etc. They don't have to set everything up before the actual release. Where's the fun in that if the expansion is pretty much laid out for us from the get-go? :P