Griffin Crossing

[Kaiser-Ace]

It goes to the Eastern Low Lands if I remember my Courthan Geography correctly. Didn't get there in 1.0 myself but Moose Sensei did talk about the maps of 1.0 vs the maps of 2.0 where Courthas was mentioned.

If I'm right about the low Lands then Griffin Crossing eventually leads to Xelphatol which seperates Courthas from Gyr Abania and by extension Ala Mihgo.

[Nalien]

If I'm right about the low Lands then Griffin Crossing eventually leads to Xelphatol which seperates Courthas from Gyr Abania and by extension Ala Mihgo.

I think we're going to Gyr Abania through the Shroud though, there is a pathway in East Shroud that is currently blocked off that should take us that way. I believe Ala Mhigo refugees even fled through the Shroud (some staying in fact), so there's that too. IIRC there should be a place called Autumn Crossing (or something similar, to lazy to check :x) off to the east of Eash Shroud, where Ala Mhigo and Gridania once had a little falling out.

I do wonder how much stuff has just been completely scrapped at this point... There was meant to be an Ixali dungeon in the NE part of Central Highlands, heck early concept art of Central Highlands had it semi-frozen... Central Lowlands would appear to just be gone, given we completely skip over it on the way to Mor Dhona. Then there is that little Castrum off to the west that was lucky to even get a mention... No idea why Eastern Lowlands wasn't a part of this expansion, perhaps the biggest problem with this expansion (as an expansion, anyway) was how everything was locked behind 2.55. People picking up the game because Dark Knight looked so edgy were essentially screwed over... Slap Coerthas Eastern Lowlands back in, make it a Lv30+ zone, and have the new Jobs accessed there, problem solved...

I really hope 4.0 is actually a "fleshing out" expansion, rather than progressing us through to Ala Mhigo and Garlemald... I could make an entire thread on all the dead ends that clearly lead somewhere, there's certainly enough to build an entire expansion on... Who knows, Yoshida said 4.0 wouldn't be locked behind the story like 3.0 was, and with Ala Mhigo gaining relevance in the story...

[Zohar_Lahar]

I think we're going to Gyr Abania through the Shroud though, there is a pathway in East Shroud that is currently blocked off that should take us that way. I believe Ala Mhigo refugees even fled through the Shroud (some staying in fact), so there's that too. IIRC there should be a place called Autumn Crossing (or something similar, to lazy to check :x) off to the east of Eash Shroud, where Ala Mhigo and Gridania once had a little falling out.

There is a large metal wall the Garleans set up on the border, which will make crossing difficult.

[Chewy2nd]

There is a large metal wall the Garleans set up on the border, which will make crossing difficult.

Castrum Oriens, I'm guessing it will be the final dungeon of Heavensward, our next 'Steps of Faith' or 'Keeper of the Lake'

[Anonymoose]

Castrum Oriens, I'm guessing it will be the final dungeon of Heavensward, our next 'Steps of Faith' or 'Keeper of the Lake'

I recently went on a Shroud exploration with a friend looking into this very wall. It looks way too high and way too long to just be Oriens, doesn't it? You can see bits and pieces of Oriens and it looks basically the same size as the other castrums, but that wall is gargantuan in comparison. Could it be the "Great Wall of Garlemald" between Eorzea and the Ala Mhigan Territory of the Garlean Empire?

[Chewy2nd]

I recently went on a Shroud exploration with a friend looking into this very wall. It looks way too high and way too long to just be Oriens, doesn't it? You can see bits and pieces of Oriens and it looks basically the same size as the other castrums, but that wall is gargantuan in comparison. Could it be the "Great Wall of Garlemald" between Eorzea and the Ala Mhigan Territory of the Garlean Empire?

I'd imagine so, the wall seems to run a long way, you can still see it in Larkscall, it does seem to be the big border between Garlean and Eorzean territory. Also, I seem to remember that The Ivy was planning on meeting some Imperial troops in East Shroud, who'd come from Castrum Oriens, hinting that Oriens, unlike the other Castrums across Eorzea was still in touch with Garlemald, also, are Oriens troopers XIVth leigon?

[Anonymoose]

also, are Oriens troopers XIVth leigon?

I think so, at least going by a map of Gaius' troops I made in early 2.0. Oriens should be garrisoned by the 3rd Cohort of the XIVth Legion. You actually kill the pilus prior (commander of the 3rd Cohort's 1st Century) in a FATE. I'm not sure whether that makes it more or less likely to be the portus into the Ala Mhigan Territory, though. The XIVth is here rogue, but Gaius did act as viceroy of the Ala Mhigan Territory beforehand, so why not build a castrum right on the other side of the portus? It's a good place for it. /shrug

[Nalien]

There is a large metal wall the Garleans set up on the border, which will make crossing difficult.

I recently went on a Shroud exploration with a friend looking into this very wall. It looks way too high and way too long to just be Oriens, doesn't it? You can see bits and pieces of Oriens and it looks basically the same size as the other castrums, but that wall is gargantuan in comparison. Could it be the "Great Wall of Garlemald" between Eorzea and the Ala Mhigan Territory of the Garlean Empire?

One would think, were this the case, that there would be a wall preventing us from going through Xelphatol and Gyr Abania as well, although the geography might be a problem with that. There is a path leading up to the wall though, right at X33Y21, it's very similar to how the zone to Thanalan was blocked off in beta.

Come to think of it, where are Yda and Paplymo? If they're truly building up to an Ala Mhigo expansion, that's where they'd be, right? I very much doubt the Ul'dah refugees sent them through Coerthas (right past us), to Xelphatol and Gyr Abania... Heck, even if they took my route, they'd have gone through Gridania... Ul'dah to Ala Mhigo is actually a fairly long journey, I can't see them having gone that far, not willingly at least... I'm more incline to think we have another Little Ala Mhigo going on, with Yda and Paplymo being in Paglth'an... I would imagine the Garleans are there, in much the same way they're in Sea of Clouds, keeping an eye on the Vanu Vanu.

[HikariSavoir]

Come to think of it, where are Yda and Paplymo? If they're truly building up to an Ala Mhigo expansion, that's where they'd be, right? I very much doubt the Ul'dah refugees sent them through Coerthas (right past us), to Xelphatol and Gyr Abania... Heck, even if they took my route, they'd have gone through Gridania... Ul'dah to Ala Mhigo is actually a fairly long journey, I can't see them having gone that far, not willingly at least... I'm more incline to think we have another Little Ala Mhigo going on, with Yda and Paplymo being in Paglth'an... I would imagine the Garleans are there, in much the same way they're in Sea of Clouds, keeping an eye on the Vanu Vanu.

My theory is that they're at Carteneau mucking up Ilberd/Syndicate/Garlean plans there. It would give us access to them around 3.4 while also setting up Ala Mhigo for the next expansion.

[Phyllo]

One would think, were this the case, that there would be a wall preventing us from going through Xelphatol and Gyr Abania as well, although the geography might be a problem with that. There is a path leading up to the wall though, right at X33Y21, it's very similar to how the zone to Thanalan was blocked off in beta.

There a similar path that is blocked by boulders in Southern Thanalan (X29Y35) that leads to the endless "sea of sand" beyond Sagolii in the south. (I assume that this "sea" is the actual Sagolii desert.)

Edit: after checking it looks more like natural rockiness (kinda mountain like) but it's still super suspicious x)