6.0 Predictions: Will it be Garlemald, Sharlayan, or Meracydia?

[FrightfulNight]

It makes sense because Zenos does not care about Garlemald, does not care about its struggles, only getting to Zodiark and absorbing it so we can have the greatest battle in existence. His way to Zodiark will not be in Garlemald, it will be elsewhere. If we were to go to Garlemald now, it would be cheating us out of a proper battle with the empire because the empire will no longer have the resources or the strength to fight back against us, Bozja, Dalmasca, Nagxia and the Eorzean Alliance. It will be a full on curbstomp battle that will not do it justice and frankly, would be boring as hell and wouldn't give us much to work with storywise.

Not to mention...if we've beaten Garlemald and finished the Zodiark saga in 6.0 by going to Garlemald, then there are no main villains anymore, nothing to go with. We're at a dead end, the devs would have to come up with new villains, a new reason to journey. Whereas if Garlemald is NOT our 6.0 destination, it allows them to create a comeback with Resonant soldiers, new weapons, and push back the fronts, allowing us to still have an enemy and opening new avenues of where the story can go due to the alliances being pushed back by Garlemald. This also still gives us a reason to fight. We won one war, now we have to win another.

Exactly, we would get new villians, since 6.0 is the end of the season 1 storyline it makes sense that we would move on to the next arch afterwards and that includes new antagonist, they have done almost everything they can with Garlemald at this point, having new antagonist would be a great way to start the season 2 arch. Plus i believe Yoshi P. himself said he was looking at incorporating new antagonist so that it is not just the same old same old. Plus if Garlemald is not included in 6.0 then that means all that build up including the 5.3 final cutscene would be for nothing or would just be prolonged another expansion, that's annoying at this point, it has been prolonged long enough. They said SB was the beginning of the end of the Garlean story arch, and ShB was the same for the Ascian and Zodiark storyline so what better way then to have them both conclude in 6.0 since they are season 1 plotlines and it is the season 1 finale, anything else would not be satisfying to me.

[Kesey]

Exactly, we would get new villians, since 6.0 is the end of the season 1 storyline it makes sense that we would move on to the next arch afterwards and that includes new antagonist, they have done almost everything they can with Garlemald at this point, having new antagonist would be a great way to start the season 2 arch. Plus i believe Yoshi P. himself said he was looking at incorporating new antagonist so that it is not just the same old same old. Plus if Garlemald is not included in 6.0 then that means all that build up including the 5.3 final cutscene would be for nothing or would just be prolonged another expansion, that's annoying at this point, it has been prolonged long enough. They said SB was the beginning of the end of the Garlean story arch, and ShB was the same for the Ascian and Zodiark storyline so what better way then to have them both conclude in 6.0 since they are season 1 plotlines and it is the season 1 finale, anything else would not be satisfying to me.

Okay, I've been wrong before, but here is my logic:

But is Garlemald the threat or is Zenos, Fandaniel, and Zodiark the threat? The latter is the answer. That is not the promise of an empire expansion. These guys want to fight us, summon Zodiark, and bring the apocalypse. Their play is to go where they can start an 8th calamity (and that's clearly not in the capitol of the Empire because why sit on the means of summoning Zodiark if its under your thumb?) or kill the WOL (who conveniently isn't in the Empire). And honestly, given the state of the Empire represented in Bozja and Sorrows of Werlyt, putting down Zenos and the Ascians negates the need to "finish off" the Empire. Opening the possibility of a future story about the Empire that is more organic and "less conquer the evil empire".

Yoshi-P also stated that they will be subverting expectations with this coming expansion. The obvious plot thread when you don't look at the real threats and what they really want, screams Empire. Instead our theories should center around where can the villains go to start the 8th calamity/rejoining.

[Ceasaria]

Exactly, we would get new villians, since 6.0 is the end of the season 1 storyline it makes sense that we would move on to the next arch afterwards and that includes new antagonist, they have done almost everything they can with Garlemald at this point, having new antagonist would be a great way to start the season 2 arch. Plus i believe Yoshi P. himself said he was looking at incorporating new antagonist so that it is not just the same old same old. Plus if Garlemald is not included in 6.0 then that means all that build up including the 5.3 final cutscene would be for nothing or would just be prolonged another expansion, that's annoying at this point, it has been prolonged long enough. They said SB was the beginning of the end of the Garlean story arch, and ShB was the same for the Ascian and Zodiark storyline so what better way then to have them both conclude in 6.0 since they are season 1 plotlines and it is the season 1 finale, anything else would not be satisfying to me.

I agree with you.

My best guess for beginning a season 2 would be to use the "war between Allagan and Meracydia people" story.
It would be like returning to some of the fundation of the game, + have a use for Tiamat (Azys Lla returns), + a good way to introduce Meracydia lands.
I'm sure there is another brood on this 2nd landmasse (maybe ruling), and I expect Egyptian theme there (like in Lightning Return game).