Predictions for 5.3?

[Crushnight]

Volume 2, there is a whole page of Koshu and Kugane's history. From it being one of the only places that wasn't touched by the Allagans to the clan wars that followed in the future. I don't have the book handy at the moment but you really just have to open the book to the Kugane section.

I could be remembering wrong, but it would be a weird portion of the book to bring up Meracydia, since the few pages are dedicated to Hingashi.

Volume 2 page 79
A Forgotten Past:

"Regrettably, there is little to no information concerning Hingashi prior to the Forth Astral Era. Extant Allagan records currently available for study make no mention of the islands either. Therefore, it must be assumed that while the Allagan Empire ruled the Three Great Continents at the height of its power, it's dominion did not extend to what would be later known as Hingashi. This presumption is further supported by the fact that, in the limited archaeological surveys of the island undertaken with the permission of the bakufu, not a single Allagan ruin has been discovered. That is not to say there was no evidence of Allagan influence whatsoever, though, as small artefacts such as jewelry and tombstones were unearthed.

The prevailing theory at this time is that the islands were either deserted or home to only a token population prior to the Forth Umbral Calamity, at which point refugees fleeing the collapse of the Empire came en masse. The Allagan trinkets found in Hingashi were brought by these new arrivals, who subsequently cast off the last vestiges of their fallen society and strove to create a new one free from the trappings of the past. Again, it should be stressed that this is a theory based on limited evidence, and it should not be taken as incontrovertible fact."

So basically Hingashi was never part of the Empire and became populated after the Forth Umbral Calamity. If you want to say Meracydians populated it your free to but a person saying people fled from Aldenard populated it instead is equally right, there is very little evidence for any prevailing theory, so long as it meets the requirements of the people who came to populate Hingashi had Allagen trinkets(More likely refugees from the Three Great Continents than the recently conquered Meracydians at the time but that is just a theory.)


I may be more supporting Sharlayan but I never ruled out Meracydia, as after ShB I just can't rule anything out, but I did also note that if we do go to Sharlayan it would have a split focus with the Garlean Empire, which is looking like it is coming to the forefront (HW continuously teased Aka Mhigo every patch with Yda and Papalymo, something ShB has been doing with Garlemald).

[Cilia]

(HW continuously teased Aka Mhigo every patch with Yda and Papalymo, something ShB has been doing with Garlemald).

Ala Mhigo wasn't brought up until 3.4, when Yda and Papalymo stepped back onto the stage after Teledji Adeledji's antics branded all the Scions outlaws. 3.1 - 3.3 dealt exclusively with social unrest in Ishgard and defeating Nidhogg to reach the True End of the Dragonsong War.

Again, recent GameSpot interview hints expectations will be subverted and we won't be going to Garlemald. (Pertinent part copypasted below.)

GS:Are we going to be in Garlemald soon? We've seen a little bit of it in story moments with Estinien and Gaius but are we going to start seeing more and actually going there?

Yoshi-P:In that aspect, I think we'll be able to go against players' expectations in a good way. Content that's coming in the patch 5.3 series, there's the Sorrow of Werlyt, the latest installment in the weapon series, where you're actually fighting against the forces of the Garlean Empire. In Save the Queen, the Bozjan Southern Front is an upcoming instance that really touches upon the Garlean Empire.

Of course, it's not quite the main story but it is a pretty significant story...

Make of that what you will.

[Mansion]

Ala Mhigo wasn't brought up until 3.4, when Yda and Papalymo stepped back onto the stage after Teledji Adeledji's antics branded all the Scions outlaws. 3.1 - 3.3 dealt exclusively with social unrest in Ishgard and defeating Nidhogg to reach the True End of the Dragonsong War.

Actually, Yda and Papalymo's story starts at the end of 3.1, although it's not really explicitly said, the player recognizes where they are and what they are talking about. 3.2 shows the Griffon. I don't remember the patch but there is also a similar scene where Papalymo drops that hint that Yda is in fact Lyse.
It's faint, but it is continuous. (And that's why people were a bit let down that there was so much more about Doma than Ala Mhigo, because Doma comes in only in 3.55 I think)

I'll agree that 4.X teasing was more going towards Garlemald than another Shard, even if we did strike the Empire somehow while taking down Emet Selch. But in the current state, the Garlean Empire could be kind of put aside for some time. There are civil wars, there is Werlyt and there is Bozja. And if I may, why would we need to go there? Our action is only defending Eorzea and liberating nations. But I don't see us pushing the offense in Illsabard.

They could just write some kind of ongoing diplomacy going on once we have significantly weakened the Empire's aggressive stance (which could be as early as the end of 5.X), like something like helping the Populares getting more power (as we have done a bit). Making that threat tamed to focus on something else.

[Vyrerus]

Actually, Yda and Papalymo's story starts at the end of 3.1, although it's not really explicitly said, the player recognizes where they are and what they are talking about. 3.2 shows the Griffon. I don't remember the patch but there is also a similar scene where Papalymo drops that hint that Yda is in fact Lyse.
It's faint, but it is continuous. (And that's why people were a bit let down that there was so much more about Doma than Ala Mhigo, because Doma comes in only in 3.55 I think)

I'll agree that 4.X teasing was more going towards Garlemald than another Shard, even if we did strike the Empire somehow while taking down Emet Selch. But in the current state, the Garlean Empire could be kind of put aside for some time. There are civil wars, there is Werlyt and there is Bozja. And if I may, why would we need to go there? Our action is only defending Eorzea and liberating nations. But I don't see us pushing the offense in Illsabard.

They could just write some kind of ongoing diplomacy going on once we have significantly weakened the Empire's aggressive stance (which could be as early as the end of 5.X), like something like helping the Populares getting more power (as we have done a bit). Making that threat tamed to focus on something else.

Domans storyline came into play in 2.1. Then they're an active part of MSQ plotlines all the way up to the end of HW, where Gosetsu shows up. It wasn't really a matter of if we would go to Doma but when, and so it didn't need as much of a build up in HW.

I think people were really only disappointed with less Ala Mhigo, because most of the leveling and build up takes place in the Far Eastern zones, where the Ala Mhigan ones are the bread to good part of the sandwich. In fact that's a really apt comparison when looking at zone design. Ala Mhigo basically all desert and sandstone with a little garnish. Far East zones colorful and vibrant, stand out in a crowd sort of places.

[Alleluia]

Domans storyline came into play in 2.1. Then they're an active part of MSQ plotlines all the way up to the end of HW, where Gosetsu shows up. It wasn't really a matter of if we would go to Doma but when, and so it didn't need as much of a build up in HW.

I think people were really only disappointed with less Ala Mhigo, because most of the leveling and build up takes place in the Far Eastern zones, where the Ala Mhigan ones are the bread to good part of the sandwich. In fact that's a really apt comparison when looking at zone design. Ala Mhigo basically all desert and sandstone with a little garnish. Far East zones colorful and vibrant, stand out in a crowd sort of places.

I keep hoping they'll do something with the Ala Mhighan quarter similar to the rebuilds of Ishgard and the Doman Enclave. Or add Ala Mhigo city proper as a city state. Place is so bare.

[Vyrerus]

I keep hoping they'll do something with the Ala Mhighan quarter similar to the rebuilds of Ishgard and the Doman Enclave. Or add Ala Mhigo city proper as a city state. Place is so bare.

It would be nice, as I've always like Ala Mhigo and all references to it. I don't think they ever will though