3.4 speculation

[EdwinLi]

I picture 3.4 to be the beginning of the City State preparations towards retaking Ala Mhigo now that Eorzea is finally fully united at last. Probably a few contacts with the Ala Mhigo Resistance and maybe the return of Ilberd from the shadows.

The other part of 3.4 we may end up having to confront Urianger about his connection to Elidibus now that a certain someone is about to join the picture soon with knowledge about Urianger's secret meetings.

I picture after 3.4 that the story in 3.5/3.55 may be the First Battle for Ala Mhigo and the battle ends up going wrong causing events that result with the WoL being stranded in Ala Mhigo and his allies are forced to leave him there until they can find a way to him with some side notice at the end stating all events after 3.55 is set in Pre-First battle for Ala Mhigo until 4.0 story begins and the story picks up right where 3.55 ended.

[Morningstar1337]

I picture after 3.4 that the story in 3.5/3.55 may be the First Battle for Ala Mhigo and the battle ends up going wrong causing events that result with the WoL being stranded in Ala Mhigo and his allies are forced to leave him there until they can find a way to him with some side notice at the end stating all events after 3.55 is set in Pre-First battle for Ala Mhigo until 4.0 story begins and the story picks up right where 3.55 ended.

Wouldn't that be better served as the plot of the expansion itself. Unlike Coerthas, Gyr Albania didn't have a zone in 2.0 and having the player trapped there would run into problems like "You escaped from Ala Mhigo? I though you were trapped there!" which are bound to happen since the content itself would also have up making appointments at Mor Dhona, the Sea of Clouds and Azys Lla. Even in a proposed 3.55 it would still cause problems since we can still teleport. (Then again, so id the plot of 2.55 now that I think about it)

[Frederick22]

I picture after 3.4 that the story in 3.5/3.55 may be the First Battle for Ala Mhigo and the battle ends up going wrong causing events that result with the WoL being stranded inAla Mhigo and his allies are forced to leave him there until they can find a way to him with some side notice at the end stating all events after 3.55 is set in Pre-First battle for Ala Mhigo until 4.0 story begins and the story picks up right where 3.55 ended.

And how are we going to ala mhigo withouth the expansion? you think we will have an area just for an instance?
Is nice to speculate but you also need to understand on the consistencies, is like saing taht the WoL has become pure evil and wants to destroy eeverything.

Having said that, I really doubt of another cliffhanger, to lost "everything" on a way just to recover it and become stronger on the process i really doubt. In orther to story to work you can put a cliffhanger at the end of every expansion so to start another one, ortherwise it will make it very boring beacuse it just more of the same.

[EdwinLi]

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For such a story ending event for 3.X era it would certainly be completely instanced into a Dungeon/Trial or at least a very long Solo Instance just like how 2.5 ended as those are the easiest reasons to allow players access into zones they cannot normally enter.

I doubt they would keep up the concept of lose everything but this would be the start of a Great War that Eorzea has all been worried about since 2.0 and not everything goes as planned when it would involve indaving a Heavily Fortified Fortress City. Compared to 3.X I actually sepculate 4.X would have a Successful Victory over taking Doom Train, by how Yoshi-P hinted he want to save it as a possible "Access" into Garlean Empire, so players end the story with Doom Train being prepared for 5.0 when we enter/infiltrate the Garlean Empire.

We weren't physically stranded in an area by the 2.55 plot though, we were just "in exile". Slightly different.

That is why I said there would be a notice stating all events after completing 3.55 is set before 3.55 until the player begins 4.0 and pick up where 3.55 ended. We would probably get a small instance area for where our character ends 3.55 and begins 4.0 as the bridge zone between the game content just like in 2.55 we got a bridge zone being the "Falling Snow"

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Other hypothesis is that...

Despite losing the first battle of Ala Mhigo in 3.5 the story ends with Papalymo and Yda finding the WoL still alive and brings him to a Ala Mhigo Resistance Hideout where the WoL wakes up in. Thus the Hideout serves as a Bidge Zone Instance between 4.0 area and the 2.0 area. 3.55 then continues the story with all Scions finally reunited and a new plan begins on how to take back Ala Mhigo with a extra scene at the end of the credits forshadowing another Ascian plot in Ala Mhigo like every single extra scene after the credits.

Another would be

the First Battle for Ala Mhigo is a victory and a foothold is established as the Base of Operations for the Eorzean Alliance and to serve as our Bridge Zone Instance for entering 4.0. A simple and easy plot as the WoL plot armor saves the day once again and defeats all obstacles in his/her path. Then a bunch of cutscenes and dialogue happens staing this Victory is only the First Step into retaking Ala Mhigo yada yada yada then we get glimps of Ilberd and his Crystal Brave showing disdain for them in the distance because he would see this as only a grab for power over Ala Mhigo and that he will free Ala Mhigo his own way to never allow something like the Garlean Conquest over Ala Mhigo from happening again.

and then extra scene after credits showing another Ascian Plot in Ala Mhigo.

The Base of Operation would look rather small and a lot of empty space during 3.5/3.55 but as 4.0 progress this Instance begins to change and develop based on where the WoL is in 4.0/4.X.

[Frederick22]

First battlle in alla mhigo

We are not going to see the expansion area withouth the proper expansion itself.
The only battle that could be related to the expansion and can be close to what you said, is a batle on castrum orients.

[EdwinLi]

We are not going to see the expansion area withouth the proper expansion itself.
The only battle that could be related to the expansion and can be close to what you said, is a batle on castrum orients.

Sorry but that was a typo on my side. I was typing too much too fast too early in the morning so I missed some typos. That is meant to be the "First battle of/for Ala Mhigo" which is a battle that begins the long War for Ala Mhigo that 4.0 may cover. Where it takes place is certainly up for debate because a Instance/Dungeon battle can cause SE to place it anywhere with the use of lore item like Airship Dropping off the WoL and his/her "Strike Team" in X location within a large battlefield.

Castrum Orients would certainly be a easy place to start as the First Battle for Ala Mhigo so they can set up the place to be the Bridge Zone Instance for 2.0 and 4.0 area.

I don't expect the First Battle of Ala Mhigo to take place inside Ala Mhigo since that will be too early and a Story scale of taking back a Garleanized Fortress City like Ala Mhigo will require a full Main Scenario being 4.0 to cover this type of storyline.

At best my expectation is that we have the battle inside Castrum Orients and/or in the area on the other side of Castrum Orients so SE can have a Dungeon that looks like a actual battlefield as the WoL and his/her Strike Team travels through the battle to reach their objective in the First Battle of Ala Mhigo. Similar to how Steps of Faith was a Trial Instance zone between 2.0 area and 3.0 area.

Though where did you find that typo? Was it before I edited my post or after becuase the forums tend to have a delay with updating a edited post on time sometimes.