story predictions for shadowbringers

[Anonymoose]

We know what Yoshida-san et al. want to address going into 5.0, but have no idea what they want to have resolved by 5.0, or 5.56, etc. And I've been struggling to predict the finer points of the story since about the time Shinryu showed up.

Part of the problem here is that things can change behind the scenes and it's not really a "retcon" in the sense fans are used to because nothing was ever revealed to them to begin with. If we start learning about something in 2.0 and the developers think about it in a certain way, but by the time the truth is revealed to us the developers think about it another way, it would have been very difficult for us to predict anything at all. Example: After so many hints that Omega was developed alongside Ultima, and that this took place at the Aetherochemical Research Facility, who could have predicted it was alien technology that once warred with Midgardsormr?

With Shadowbringers, there's a lot of getting to the point and tying up loose ends, and it looks to me like a lot of things may not be understood by the devs today as they understood them even at the start of Heavensward. Example: The sudden shifting of the Ascian hierarchy to provide the Source a second Overlord (who was able to get away with skipping the various overlord meetings we've seen thus far) is awkward to me. If this were an internal change, it's not a "retcon" in the traditional sense because because the devs are fantastic at using "new revelations" (addition retcons) to skirt around blatant revision (subtraction retcons), so we're left to make excuses for Emet-selch. Maybe he was too busy playing Solus to come to meetings. When Nabriales(in Japanese) pegged Elidibus and Lahabrea as "the Originals" back in 2.5, maybe he didn't know Emet was out there. Maybe he was being selective about his ranting. Maybe he was specifically referring to intrusion of the Waking Sands (which Lahabrea and Elidibus both had done) and Emet didn't apply.

At any rate, events like this make it difficult for me to guess at anything, but here goes nothing:

The Crystal Tower on the First isn't actually a different structure; it's the same tower that exists in our dimension, but from a different time. Mr. Enigma, who most assume at this point is G'raha Tia, has been using the tower either in unintended ways or at an unintended pace to subvert an unavoidable future by changing the monolithic block of 4D spacetime (in the same manner as Alexander banished himself into a stable temporal loop). By displacing the tower onto the First, the tower of today is able to interact with the tower of the future and create a bridge through which to drag the Warrior of Light via a beacon and a conveniently supercharged Echo, somehow.

From G'raha's point of view, he is changing the initial conditions of 4D spacetime and thus UN-WRITING future-history. Perhaps this is true and we're about to go down the Final Fantasy rabbit hole of alternate timelines and a whole new layer of fractal dimensions. I hope we instead just stick to the Alexander mechanics and the truth is just that, because future G'raha never crossed past G'raha's path, he just dosen't realize that this itself is now the stable loop in which history "has always existed".

Digression: I'm not sure how the body-less Scions on the First are going to get corporeal forms, but ten gil says it's either going to create a convenient excuse for assuming the Warriors of Darkness and Unukalhai weren't possessing people and/corpses or at least finally commit to that they were.

Anyroad, so the Warrior of Light is waiting on the finding of the beacon and the stalemate at the Ghimlyt Dark. Maybe we face Elidibus!Zenos again and actually defeat him like in the trailer. Beacon activates, we get sucked to the First, the Alliance goes on without us. Solus is going to attempt to synergize Flood of Light from First-side to resonate with Black Rose on the Source-side, but who knows if he'll do it now or later. Results are likely tragic.

The Warrior of Light finds themselves wrapped up in the Bringer of Night prophecy that Elidibus let Arbert believe he was fulfilling to lead his party astray. This involves embracing the idea of wielding Darkness, but I'm not sure if it'll involve embracing Zodiark. I think we're going to get more of a "Zodiark isn't evil from His point of view, but He still has goals that look evil from your point of view" than a "Zodiark is actually not that bad, and Hydaelyn's worse than you thought".

New, unpredictable adventures ensue vis a vis the Sin Eaters (who are going to require a fun explanation for how empyrean horrors manifest DURING the Flood of Light but vanish AFTERWARDS, leaving blank perfection in its wake). Blah blah blah, help out the smallfolk, gain the trust of the locals, yadda yadda yadda, cast down primals, upend power structure, Thancred gets a second chance to save Ascilia, heroism, heroism, heroism, night returns to the First, history is "changed".

Meanwhile, back on the Source, things are still playing out the way we were told leads to disaster. Thancred's plan succeeds in fracturing the Empire. Elidibus takes (or already took) an unexpected suckerpunch that skews his "balanced Calamity" plan. Shadowhunter's faction grows. The Alliance makes gains into Ilsabard. Actual!Zenos comes at Varis from stage left. Everything goes to the Seventh Hell just as the Warrior of Light gets back to ripple the changes to history outwards. (If it hasn't happened yet, Black Rose is going off somewhere in that mess.)

Insert big plot twist here.

Triumphant ending bought with the power of friendship and probably some deaths.

Post-credits stinger(s).