Xelphatol is a dungeon

[SendohJin]

Aannnd that's why you're not the one calling the shots for the story.

Why are people obsessed with spending 2 years in and around Ala Mhigo and not seeing Garlemald till what 2019-2020?

Hey look someone with basically the same idea as what I would like to see ...

My prediction

3.4 Getting a path cleared into Ala Mhigo
3.5 Us starting to save Ala Mhigo
3.55 Us saving Ala Mhigo and prepping for advancement into the Garlean Empire

Looking at it Ala Mhigo map wise just doesnt seem to have enough there to warrant a full expansion outside of maybe the opening set piece especially if they are carving up pieces of it already for dungeons. Is the entire expansion going to be the size of 1/4 of the Black Shroud? I am fine with getting into the empires territory and using Ala Mhigo as a staging base for these operations.

Ala Mhigo can be the equivalent of Idyllshire and we should make our way towards Garlemald which would be the equivalent of Ishgard. then the 4.x series of patches can have us rebuild Ala Mhigo.

Do people not realize how small Ishgard's control of the open world area was? They had Coerthas West, half of the Forelands kind of, a quarter of the Sea of Clouds and that's it. Added up it's barely 2 zones, and that's really all Ala Mhigo should get.

A portion of the Forelands, most of Sea of Clouds, Hinterlands, Churning Mists, Azys Lla were basically all foreign to them. If 4.x has similar surface area in the overworld these other 4 places is where the bulk of the expansion is going to be. And this is plenty to establish Garlemald or Doma or wherever they really want to take the story beyond just liberating Ala Mhigo.

[Felis]

As a pretty big lorehead, I'm excited that we're journeying east. And the big question is why? Xelphatol is simply the mountain region that makes up most of Coerthas Eastern Highlands (also what kept Garlemald away from Ishgard), and the Eastern Lowlands are a region north of Ala Mhigo. . .

While that with the Coerthas Eastern Highlands can be true, between the Coerthas Eastern Lowlands and Gyn Abania is still the Black Shroud.

[myerg]

Omega will be the new SoF :P

[Ceasaria]

The thing I'am thinking is what will be the path to go to the next expansion ?
I mean, for Hevansward,we go to Ishgard first and then we had access to Western Coerthas and Sea of Clouds at the same time to split players I imagine.

But, for the 4.0, will we have access to Ala Mhigo first ?
With the story around this city, I don't think so...perhaps Ala Mhigo will be our final destination.
Then, maybe we will have a new city to discover first, maybe in Xelphatol ? Or maybe in one of the isles, which will be the next Idyllshire ? And why not underearth in Black Shroud in the galleries and anciens cities of Gelmorra which could lead to Gyr Abania ?
It would be interesting to change the standard : 2.0 & 3.0 : City-state at the beginning --> City to build at the end, for 4.0 : City to build at the beginning --> City-state at the end.
I imagine if we start from this new small city in Xelphatol, maybe we will have a path in the Xelphatol Mountains and one other path in Gyr Abania.

[alimdia]

While that with the Coerthas Eastern Highlands can be true, between the Coerthas Eastern Lowlands and Gyn Abania is still the Black Shroud.

That and Eastern Lowlands is already in game, in The Fields of Glory (Shatter).

[EdwinLi]

I would actually be surprised if they some how made 4.0 include the Garlemald and give us access to the Garlean Empire's capital city.

[Frederick22]

I would actually be surprised if they some how made 4.0 include the Garlemald and give us access to the Garlean Empire's capital city.

Maybe not the capital region but at the the frontier areas.

On the map, all that part covered with clouds, could be another region.

[bass9020]

That and Eastern Lowlands is already in game, in The Fields of Glory (Shatter).

Which they keep calling the Eastern Highlands and its bugging me to no end! I wish we could get that fixed or a dev response on why it was changed.

[Altanas]

I am also leaning towards the Xelphatol region being used in 3.x from now on to lead us into the expansion and I think the use of the word "Xelphatol" for the dungeon may be slightly misleading as I think there will be at least two patches after this one for additional exploration of the region before the expansion lands.

There is a reason we cannot just go straight to Ala Mihgo. The current route would mean opening up the Gridania's only wall keeping its enemy out and traversing the foot of an albeit dormant volcano...

Gridania -> East Shroud --> Castrum Oriens // East End Wall -> The Finesand Banks (the foot of a dormant volcano) -> Velodyna River -> Ala Mihgo side of the river -> Gyn Abania -> Ala Mihgo City State -> Ala Mihgo Palace

My concern is that the expansion will feel too samey to Heavensward, the aim being to liberate a city state which we kind of just did with Ishguard. Also airships feature heavily in Ala Mihgo concept art more so than ishguard... so I guess swimming out of the picture.

[bass9020]

We also have the Black Boar gate next to the Lancers guild in Gridania. So I wonder if that will be used for accessing G.A. region?