(SPOILERS)What do you think was meant by hints for the next expansion in Heavensward?

[EirolOcarrol]

I think the next expansion is going to be entirely Vath themed.

Final Fantasy XIV Patch 6.0: Ravana's Ravenous Return. Please look forward to it!

Also, is nobody going to mention all the talk of time travel in SHB, the apocalyptic future, and the fact there's a literal giant time traveling robot just sitting in a HW zone?
"Oh, but the Alexander raids are optional, they can't have those be part of the MSQ!" Yeah, so was the Crystal Tower.

Edit - Hah, didn't even see the OP mentioned Alex. My bad.

It is indeed one of the major things connecting Heavensward and Shadowbringers, along with the Warriors of Darkness. I definitely thought to look for some hints there.

But I can't imagine much they could do with it. Perhaps Square Enix find the shuttered, ruined timeline a loose end? The closed timeline loop of the original Alexander raids doesn't seem to leave room for much else, such as being reawakened by anyone. And there could be made some kind of exception, like with Crystal Exarch.

So that leaves travelling to G'raha Tia's old timeline. If that's even possible. It seems like a broken off and disconnected timeline, now. But anything could be possible.

Or, some kind of apocalyptic event that would necessitate a similar time travel as G'raha's ruined timeline, in a desperate attempt to survive. But there's no way that could happen, again. Because we need to be able to travel back to all previous areas, something that terrible would be seen as "cheap" to do a second time. Not only would it be really awful, and great tragedy. But it would be the second time. And completely invalidate all of the areas we've been to, unless we traveled to an identical version of the world at the time left hopping to a new one. Leaving all of the places we normally travel to, basically identical.

That seems like the least likely scenario. The timeline we exist in isn't suddenly going to be destroyed, unless they wanted to create another Realm Reborn and reboot Final Fantasy XIV again. And Final Fantasy XIV is currently at its most successful point. That would be huge risk for little reward. Or unless through some time travel shenanigans, we time travel to exactly the point the Warrior of Light left off at. That seems technically possible, and more probable. But still unlikely as I think it would cheapen time travel at this point.

The Echo gives us a way to see into the past, which is like a form of time travel. But there's no need to assume that Alexander would be involved in any way. Not only would it interfere with the time loop of Roundrox's diary. But presumably, the only thing that would be necessary to see any part of the past we like, would be mastering the Echo. Of which Alexander doesn't seem to be connected in any way.

Seeing into the past with the Echo doesn't need and doesn't seem to be boosted in any way by Alexander. And Alexander doesn't require the Echo to allow time travel in others, only a 'pure heart'.