Predictions for 5.3?

[Lauront]

RIP G'raha, it was a beautiful dream.

also that image of the ancients is apparently of the convocaton. Colour correcting the image ends up with this https://gyazo.com/78fc61afb004329cc7c94b789129c825

Well Y'shtola is still trying to harness more information from Anamnesis, so perhaps it's another cutscene from there. Could be exploring the point where the 14th left. The mask in the centre is hard to see properly but looks black to me.

We also have a MSQ-related trial that they claim is against something/someone we won't be expecting...so I think that probably rules out Elidibus as our final foe (Though it wouldn't surprise me if he was still the endboss for the MSQ dungeon).

I think they're veeeery unlikely to shove Elidibus as an end boss there, unless it's like the Ghimlyt fight, i.e. he takes his leave only to return later. Given the English name I wonder if it'll be some kind of testing ground for the new WoLs - maybe one where the main character needs to go bail them out.

Well, we've been told that the big fight will be someone that we don't necessarily expect it to be, so I think that rules out both Zenos and Elidibus. The Crystal Exarch, Venat and Theyler are my best guesses at the moment.

I'd say Zenos would count as surprising at this juncture, but yes my main guess would be the Exarch. Possibly one of the newly minted WoLs. He's holding what looks like a WoL crystal - I wonder if we're coming full circle on this from the New Year's greetings:



I thought it was Elidibus which it meant, mainly because of how the French and German versions translate (with words like "even he" or "he too" should be regarded as a WoL), and as it turned out he's controlling Ardbert, but maybe it's (also) pointing to the Exarch.

I wonder if the symbolic connection between the 5.2 and 5.3 crystals is something like this: 1) Elidibus's symbol is depicted on the top of a crystal to signify he's Zodiark's heart, and is in the middle between WoL and WoD as a nod to his role as arbiter; but also 2) Elidibus is, amongst the Ascians, the awakener of souls and does just that in the Crystarium, minting several new would-be WoLs, so 3) the eventual culmination of all this is to turn the Exarch into a WoL to somehow fulfill his plan.

Wouldn't be surprised if he played a part in "activating" Zenos's own visions of the past too.

As for the presence of leafmen in Lakeland, that could potentially be explained by the pixies showing up to help in the battle and turning people into leafmen. They've done as much before after all.

True, and the zones border one another.

I saw a theory on Reddit on who we're fighting, and it's very possible. We could be fighting ourselves, or rather an "illusion" of the 14th Member of the Convocation, in order to regain our own memories of our past life in Amaurot.

Doesn't get much more FF than that! I like the idea.

[JeanneOrnitier]

I'll be super sad to see the Exarch go but at least we have another G'raha to possibly wake up?

Not surprised to see one of the Weapons go down outside a trial. Genbu didn't have a trial either in Four Lords.

Considering "My Little Chocobo" is going to be a required quest now I really really want them to reveal that our chocobo is Seto's counterpart just like we're Ardbert's.

[RicaRuin]

I keep wondering whether that Weapon in the Screenshot has a Phoenix face.

[RyuDragnier]

I'll be super sad to see the Exarch go but at least we have another G'raha to possibly wake up?

Considering that Crystal Tower is mandatory for 5.3, I'm pretty certain that our timeline's version of him is going to show up.

[KageTokage]

Someone pointed out that the Weapon in the Werlyt preview is using the Garlond Ironworks color scheme.

Unlikely as it probably is, it would be amusing if Cid decided to fight fire with fire and somehow slapped together their own Weapon using tech reverse engineered from the Ruby Weapon's remnants. I imagine it would probably be taken for a test drive against whatever Weapon decides to mess with us next, only for it to get totaled in the aftermath, since we'd need a reason to fight the remaining Weapons in a more conventional manner.

[Cilia]

Just cuz I haven't seen anybody mention it (seeing as it's not terribly important to this game's lore):

The hints at the next YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse raid being the carnival zone from that game were apparently a red herring. The next raid will be "The Puppets' Bunker," and appropriately appears to be set in the YoRHa Bunker crashed to earth.

[Iscah]

If it helps, we here in Lore have a tendency to overshoot plot twists by one or two steps.

Yeah I know. Just not sure if I even want ideas in mind or keep it blank. There's already been at least one suggestion I'd rather not think might be coming...

5.3 simultaneously should not be rushed and cannot come soon enough.

[swiss_Momo]

as someone on /v/ pointed out, the robo from the Werlyt preview appears to be Ultima Warrior from Fractal HM


I'm now gonna be extremely disappointed if we don't end up getting to pilot it for a kick ass mecha vs mecha fight

[Riastrad]

"Reflections in Crystal" and the key art is the Exarch. Ah, s[kupo]t. I'm not going to like this, am I?

A reflection in the glass
Recollections of our past...

Shadowbringer's opening lyrics feel really relevant right now.

[Vyrerus]

as someone on /v/ pointed out, the robo from the Werlyt preview appears to be Ultima Warrior from Fractal HM


I'm now gonna be extremely disappointed if we don't end up getting to pilot it for a kick ass mecha vs mecha fight

Oh hey that's the second boss from Fractal Continuum Hard Mode