Disappointed in the turn the Garlean Empire has taken

[ObsidianFire]

Look, There simply is no point arguing about it anymore when the first line of the Shadowbringers reveal is to “take down the garlean empire”. That just kills the story up north for me.

That was the tagline before patch 4.5 dropped and before the reveal that all the new zones in the next expansion were not on the Source, but were on the 1st Shard. I'm almost certain the "take the fight to the Garlean Empire" bit was a red herring since the reveal that we are going to the 1st Shard happens so late in-game and the developers didn't want to spoil it before patch 4.5 was even out.

[Kallera]

That was the tagline before patch 4.5 dropped and before the reveal that all the new zones in the next expansion were not on the Source, but were on the 1st Shard. I'm almost certain the "take the fight to the Garlean Empire" bit was a red herring since the reveal that we are going to the 1st Shard happens so late in-game and the developers didn't want to spoil it before patch 4.5 was even out.

So that was a misdirection?

[Mansion]

So that was a misdirection?

Could still be something like the Garlemald plotting (through Solus) is happening via what he's doing on the First. And we end up being summoned there too, it's a bit too much for a coincidence.
Because right now, Garlemald is just a part of Ascians' plans. Dealing with one will impact the other.

[EdwinLi]

Could still be something like the Garlemald plotting (through Solus) is happening via what he's doing on the First. And we end up being summoned there too, it's a bit too much for a coincidence.
Because right now, Garlemald is just a part of Ascians' plans. Dealing with one will impact the other.

They may have Garlemald as the final Map we go to after the 1st Shard Map. basically keep 80% of the story in 1st Shard then we are sent back to fight in Garlemald in the last 20% of the story.

[ObsidianFire]

All six zones are going to be in Novrant. The data-mining community has known the names of the six zones and two city areas used by the game's computer code for a while now. And the first thing that is indicated in the name is what region of the world the zones are in. Which just so happens to be the same for all the new zones. This wasn't the case in 4.0 when some of the zones were in one region and some of the zones were in another.

[LineageRazor]

Yeah, I doubt it's was entirely misdirection (though the whole amazing surprise reveal of the trip to the First Shard was NOT handled well, in my opinion). It's absurd to think that the Garleans are going to twiddle their thumbs for an entire expansion, when the final patch of this expansion left their war machine scratching at the very gates of Ala Mhigo.

However, if they ARE going to put an end to the Garlean Empire this expansion, when (apparently) every zone is on the First Shard, it suggests that the Garlean resolution is going to be a B-plot to the First Shard's A-plot, and that doesn't sit well with me at all.

[Cilia]

The point I was trying to make is that the Empire's methods do not work. They are not designed to work - on the contrary, they are designed to set up and perpetuate conflict. Regardless of whether or not one finds their past sympathetic or tragic, or whether one believes their methods have some merit to them, or one just wants to be a contrarian... that is the reality of the situation.

I am not wont to engage in pointless battles; never have I ever advocated taking the most extreme method of dealing with the Empire (wanton slaughter). However, if things are going to get better for the people of Aldenard and Othard (and arguably Ilsabard as well), the Empire needs to change - and if we're to take Varis' performance in the second half of the parley at face value, unless something drastic happens he's not the leader the Empire needs for that change to happen; and until that change happens there is nothing wrong with fighting back against aggressive invaders, which, politics and ideology aside, is all the Empire is.

That said yeah, it is kind of awkward that they'd relegate a war with the Empire to the B-plot, but, ehh, whatever... I'll judge how well it's done when we get there in a couple months...

[Mansion]

All six zones are going to be in Novrant. The data-mining community has known the names of the six zones and two city areas used by the game's computer code for a while now. And the first thing that is indicated in the name is what region of the world the zones are in. Which just so happens to be the same for all the new zones. This wasn't the case in 4.0 when some of the zones were in one region and some of the zones were in another.

Oh do we have the sixth one now? I thought it was still kind of a mystery!
I'm also one to think everything is happening on the first anyway.

[MrThinker]

Oh do we have the sixth one now? I thought it was still kind of a mystery!
I'm also one to think everything is happening on the first anyway.

It hasn't been officially revealed, but they have already put the name and region in the game files apparently.

Yeah but I can't find anything about it so I'll have to wait I guess

From what I understand, its not as if the actual names are on the files, but they have somesort of identifier for 'zone name' and 'region' like say ZN1_REG.file and that all of the new zone files have the same (REG).

Of course this understanding could be fundamentally flawed.

[Mansion]

It hasn't been officially revealed, but they have already put the name and region in the game files apparently.

Yeah but I can't find anything about it so I'll have to wait I guess