Predictions for 5.3?

[BasicBlake]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6AXC4s-KYc

It is not for shadowbringer 5.3 but by that statement it is most likely 6.0 being the finale.

So many years of buildup. I wonder how we will all feel after 6.0

[EdwinLi]

So many years of buildup. I wonder how we will all feel after 6.0

I am honestly glad the Season 1 storyline is finally ending because it has gotten very old that basically every single bad thing in the plot has been "the Ascians are behind everything" since 2.0 storyline.

The questions I have is more on how will they handle Season 2 storyline now that it is entering unknown territory as it will be a new beginning and how will that story begin because it will certainly depend greatly on how Season 1 ends.

Season 2 can begin as WoL being a legend where people don't recognize WoL but we get mention once in a while by people talking about it since we know from certain Job quests (such as gunbreaker job quest where the our allies don't recognize WoL until the end of 70 Quests) and MSQ that most people have heard about the Legend of WoL but they do not fully recognize him/her due to only having the stories providing them information about WoL which can be greatly exaggerate in both events and appearances.

OR

Season 2 begins on a clean slate due to events of Season 1 ending requiring a certain sacrifice to guarantee our victory but we manage to survive in the end thus leading to the events that will begin our journey in Season 2.

OR

some how a mix of both outcomes.

[Mansion]

I am honestly glad the Season 1 storyline is finally ending because it has gotten very old that basically every single bad thing in the plot has been "the Ascians are behind everything" since 2.0 storyline.

Well there are bits of 2.X, 3.X and most of 4.X that had nothing to progress the Ascian storyline. We have been dealing with most of their attemps but the real story about the Ascians really started in 4.5. I'm also having a hard time believing 5.X will be the final end, but rather I see that story trickling into another. We know more about Ascians, what they were and what they do, but it brought in a whole new plot around Hydealin / Zodiark, about creation Magic, about their doomsday etc.
The main unresolved point is what will be going on in Garlemald, which I guess would be a fitting scenery for the 5.4, 5.5 and 6.X cycle.

What comes after, well the game will be around 10 years old after that (even more if we count 1.0). I'm not sure they are ready to plunge into another 10 years long storyline. I can see them doing micro stories. After all, there's still Old Sharlayan, Meracydia, the New World, Thavnair... All these places could have a short focused story to keep us in for an expansion or two.