Do you think something big is coming? (Calamity scale)

[Noitems]

I think he's just joking around for the most part about what it actually will be, but it's an idea. We'll probably be getting hints of something big that will be focused on mainly in 5.2 and go headstrong into 5.3 (Like the battle with Niddhog/Tsukuyomi as our story trial fight will be there). Then we'll probably focus on the upcoming Garlean Civil War that's been sowing it's seeds really since 4.2 which will be the focus of 5.4.-5.5

My guess is our next expac will be focused on heading to Garlemalde and from there we're going to have a big "Oh shit" moment. Shadowbringers gave us ours but there's still plenty more then they can do, especially bringing the Garleans back to light and Black Rose being such a crucial aspect to that storyline.

[Iscah]

I think it's inevitable we'll be threatened with another Calamity for the grand conclusion to the story, to raise the stakes and give us something urgent to be working against, but I don't know whether they'd go through with it. More likely that we'd successfully prevent it at the climax.

So I want some calamity that resets things and puts us on a first-like world. From interviews we know Yoshi probably also wants this. But I see no good path to get there...

What interviews are you talking about?

Right now 5.0 was amazing... but it also seems to have concluded the First... and it looks like 5.x is the Xenos expansion... No Calamity, no fully rich zones... just choppy plot wrapups...

Patches never add new zones. And you can't call it "choppy" before you've even seen what they're going to write.

Reflect aren't fragment in the way Norvandt is a continent from the same original planet, they are if I get it right aetherical aspected copies of the same world. Ascians seems to make the element aspect of each reflect overflow to the point of no return until it devour everything else for it to go back in its original recipient when the trigger is pulled on the source by a "world ending event" shaking it. The black rose probably is the trigger for the first reflect to be merged.

Indeed. The shard is brought to the brink of an elemental catastrophe, which starts to 'leak' that elemental aether back to the Source, then a corresponding disaster is triggered on the Source which triggers a dimensional collapse. The First is saturated with Light (ie. passive-aspected elemental energy) and Black Rose works on the same principle, killing by shifting the victims' aether to passivity and death. Thus it would react with the Light/passive energy flowing in from the First, break down the barrier, and bring even more aether flowing into the Source - leading to the runaway catastrophic spread of its effect that brought about the Eighth Umbral Era in the 'bad future'.

The "aetherial copies" thing is correct as well. If you look at the map of Norvrandt, it's an exact overlay of Eorzea. (See also Emet-Selch's demonstration of what Sundering means, showing a second copy of Ryne alongside her original self.)

You can't just magically drop a continent into another world, anyway - it would be a phenomenally disruptive event. And also consider that we're restoring the rest of the First via Eden.

[Theodric]

My guess is that Zenos is going to be the key to whatever catastrophe occurs. It might already have been set in motion given what happens at the end of 5.0 MSQ's.

[SaberMaxwell]

Not to mention Eden's whole plot kind of becomes moot if the First is rejoined. You gotta admit though, it'd be really bold (and have a lot of bad consequences if done wrong) move to destroy the player's ability to go to a zone entirely.

I guess worst case it could be handwaved as, post Calamity our visiting the first is in the same capacity we go back to Sastasha: a contained time bubble / memory visitation type thing.

Killing so many characters we've grown to know and love... Wicked White it'd be like losing dozens of Haurchefants at once.

[Edax]

Not to mention Eden's whole plot kind of becomes moot if the First is rejoined. You gotta admit though, it'd be really bold (and have a lot of bad consequences if done wrong) move to destroy the player's ability to go to a zone entirely.

I guess worst case it could be handwaved as, post Calamity our visiting the first is in the same capacity we go back to Sastasha: a contained time bubble / memory visitation type thing.

Killing so many characters we've grown to know and love... Wicked White it'd be like losing dozens of Haurchefants at once.

From a meta perspective, losing all the resources of the First would kill a part of the player economy.

[SaberMaxwell]

From a meta perspective, losing all the resources of the First would kill a part of the player economy.

Let's say they do rejoin the First. What if they still allowed us to use its zones and resources, with the same justification that is used to allow us to return to Sastasha--that being that we accept that us visiting the First is us visiting the past? We already accept the suspension of disbelief for duty finder purposes, why not for an entire set of zones?

I'm not saying I want this or anything, but if they did go this route I'd personally accept it.

[Granyala]

Considering the amount of DEV effort a redesign of the World (quests etc) would require and how they harp on and on being constrained by manpower when designing the gear in 3D I seriously doubt they have the necessary punch to pull off a calamity in a believable, not half assed way.

Also, keep in mind that after such a calamity the world would require years to rebuild to a point at which we would have functioning cities/infrastructure etc.

[Alleo]

I doubt it. In a game where we cant even have male stubble because its too complicated or too much work, such a calamity scale like event would mean that they have to redesign every map on Eorzea again while keeping it normal for everyone that is not at that point of the story. Which feels like way too much work for a game that already got done twice. Maybe we get something in a part that we have not seen before thus we will visit destroyed new parts of Hydealyn but I also find that hard to believe. (And it would mean that we just lost another shard with billions of lifeforms on it)

I just think and hope that its just a joke.

[Erza_Scarlets]

They don't need to change any of the zones if Eden/Post Shb story leads to us finding way to unite first with source while keeping Norvandt as a separate continent. And if your earlier in story you would be going to first like you normally do to save it.

[Edax]

Let's say they do rejoin the First. What if they still allowed us to use its zones and resources, with the same justification that is used to allow us to return to Sastasha--that being that we accept that us visiting the First is us visiting the past? We already accept the suspension of disbelief for duty finder purposes, why not for an entire set of zones?

I'm not saying I want this or anything, but if they did go this route I'd personally accept it.

Which would be quite lame. "Oh no! The First was destroyed!...Ok let's visit The First and farm Upland Wheat!"