Expansion takes place in the future, Il Mheg < Ala Mhigo

[ShinShimon]

Calling it now. Il Mheg looks like an easily derivable form of "Ala Mhigo" after a few centuries (or millennia) of sound changes. Given the repeated references to time, and Yoshida's cheekiness about revealing where exactly the expansion takes place, I'm convinced that for at least part of it we'll be traveling to various parts of Eorzea in the/a distant future.

Il Mheg of course would be a future version of Ala Mhigo/Gyr Abania. The mountainous terrain seems to match, and it looks kind of like you'd expect after the world has been blasted with way too much light. The Rak'tika Greatwood could easily be a future version of the Black Shroud, although it could also be part of the forest in Dalmasca/Nagxia, or even a part of the world that's not forested in the present.

Are there any place names we know of that could plausibly turn into Rak'tika or Amh Araeng? I'm still thinking we'll explore new areas in the present, but we'll probably have at least 3 zones that take place in the future, and Il Mheg is only one of them.

[KageTokage]

I'm leaning more towards it being another shard's equivalent of Gyr Abania if anything.

[Ceasaria]

For Rak'tika, you have Thousand Maws of Toto-Rak

[briarth0rn]

I don't think those two places look anything alike at all.

[Chewy2nd]

Il Mheg, if anything, looks more Sharlayan than Ala Mhigan

[ShinShimon]

I don't think those two places look anything alike at all.

This is presumably a few centuries to millennia after an apocalypse. Of course it isn't going to look the same. We can't even be sure that specific geographical features would look the same. But, Il Mheg is mountainous, and so is Ala Mhigo, so that renders the theory plausible at least.

Il Mheg, if anything, looks more Sharlayan than Ala Mhigan

After an apocalypse and colonization by pixies, we shouldn't expect it to look Ala Mhigan.

[briarth0rn]

This is presumably a few centuries to millennia after an apocalypse. Of course it isn't going to look the same. We can't even be sure that specific geographical features would look the same. But, Il Mheg is mountainous, and so is Ala Mhigo, so that renders the theory plausible at least.

By that logic you could say anything is any other thing. Ishgard's kind of like a snowy future Skalla, isn't it? They're both made of rocks. Maybe the Dawn Throne in the Azim Steppe is Amdapori because they both made a lot of dome-shaped things. It seems like a massive stretch.

[CaesarCV]

I'd say that it's honestly more likely to be another Shard than some sort of far-off post apocalyptic future. Minfilia went to the First shard. Said First shard is currently in danger of dying to a Flood of Light. We have to become Warriors of Darkness, the opposite of Light and its balancing point. The other scions went somewhere mysterious. Minfilia who went to the First Shard is confirmed to be with Thancred. Put the pieces together and they honestly fit pretty well.

[whiskeybravo]

I'd say that it's honestly more likely to be another Shard than some sort of far-off post apocalyptic future. Minfilia went to the First shard. Said First shard is currently in danger of dying to a Flood of Light. We have to become Warriors of Darkness, the opposite of Light and its balancing point. The other scions went somewhere mysterious. Minfilia who went to the First Shard is confirmed to be with Thancred. Put the pieces together and they honestly fit pretty well.

Well, there is the "this place certainly has changed" line

[CaesarCV]

Fair enough, but at the same time they're known to be wrong/troll with trailers. So I'm not sure. I'm just pointing out the pieces where they lie.