Quote Originally Posted by jameseoakes View Post
I will be very disappointed if the next is expansion is just a very awkward cameo if another Final Fantasy
Don't worry, because raids are optional they never are directly intergrated into the main storyline (with the possible exception of Coil, which was meant to tie up the 1.0/ARR storyline and explain what happened immediately after the Calamity and add an extra line of dialogue to Alisaie during one of the HW patch storylines).

But everything else are side stories with little to no direct connection into the main storyline, and the Ivalice raids especially are indeed little more than fanservice dressed up as 'connected' to the story. Shadowbringers will stand on it's own merits and won't be a rehash of FFXII, that's just being realistic.