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

[Riastrad]

I would legit be upset if they decided to involve timey-wimey/interdimensional shenanigans even more in the main story then they already have.

It's honestly just a lazy way to make virtually anything happen if you start getting alternate realities/timelines involved.

That's the rub. Unless both Cid and Graha bite the dust, it will always be on the table. Cid is way too useful a plot device to kill off and Graha is just so darn likeable that fans would be upset if they lost him a third time. I honestly can't see how they wouldn't add more to the story at every convenient opportunity.

I would personally prefer it if, if they do go that route, it is to update the game once more with a nice time skip, or dare I say it, an undoing of history to set things right (Yes, I want to save my favorites from their fates. I'm selfish, fight me). Yoshi did say that any major changes to the games battle systems and character rigging (skeletons and clothing) would be at 7.0 at the earliest. That's right around the corner.

Final Fantasy XIV: A World Rejoined...


The rest is just musings of an over active imagination.

I think Zenos is a red herring and is just a way of showing how conniving the true antagonist of the story is. Fandaniel is just way too happy to be free to do as he pleases to be a hype man for someone who has the most boring reason of all time to gather strength. I suspect a mass sacrifice is to take place relatively soon (he is, after all setting the stage for Zenos' rampage)and is just using the chaos to gather aether for summoning Zodiark for Zenos. But is he really? That's my question. It sounds a bit lame if you ask me. All this time losing friend after friend, just for it all to come down to a magic mecha fight between Zenos piloting Zodiark and the WoL/WoD controlling Hydaelyn? Yuck.

There is something that does interest me though, and that is whatever made the sound that drove the Ascian's magicks to run wild. Zodiark was made to deal with it sure, but it seems just too enticing a mystery to not be explained further. What if instead of trying to summon Zodiark for a brat, Fandaniel summons a weakened Zodiark for whatever made the sound? Sounds about right to sacrifice the very thing used to stop it the first time (Maybe Hydaelyn too). This is a man that wants chaos. Causing a repeat of the Final Days? If I was a mad man hell bent on causing chaos in a world of magic and possibility, that would be my goal.


Or it could all just be a fight between us and Zenos to determine who is the strongest idiot. Just clubbing each other over the head till one of us falls over dead. I'll go first.

[MikkoAkure]

Am I the only one who thinks Zenos has long overstayed his welcome and needs to be perma-dead before 6.0 comes out? At this point I don't care where we go as long as Zenos is gone and we're onto something new. I feel like his story would have been much stronger if he never came back from the Royal Menagerie and that was it for him. Yostuyu's return from the grave was a nice surprise, but having both villains coming back after supposedly dying felt a little goofy and made it feel like our efforts weren't well rewarded. Zenos continuing to be doing Zenos things gets a little tiring for 2 expansions when he's not even that interesting of a character.

It would be nice if Zenos finally kicks the bucket in 5.5 and then we go to Garlemald to finish the fight in 6.0. 7.0 can be time for something completely different like Treasures of Aht Urghan was for FFXI. The preceding expansion, Chains of Promathia left with us killing god and finishing all the known story ties to the MSQ and ToAU sent us across the sea for a story that had almost no relation to the Crystal War and the Shadowlord and it was new and refreshing. Maybe we can have a vacation from Allagans, Ascians, and Garleans and new players could start this story directly after ARR and won't necessarily need to go through the row of expansions or pay for a skip.

[RyuDragnier]

Am I the only one who thinks Zenos has long overstayed his welcome and needs to be perma-dead before 6.0 comes out? At this point I don't care where we go as long as Zenos is gone and we're onto something new. I feel like his story would have been much stronger if he never came back from the Royal Menagerie and that was it for him. Yostuyu's return from the grave was a nice surprise, but having both villains coming back after supposedly dying felt a little goofy and made it feel like our efforts weren't well rewarded. Zenos continuing to be doing Zenos things gets a little tiring for 2 expansions when he's not even that interesting of a character.

It would be nice if Zenos finally kicks the bucket in 5.5 and then we go to Garlemald to finish the fight in 6.0. 7.0 can be time for something completely different like Treasures of Aht Urghan was for FFXI. The preceding expansion, Chains of Promathia left with us killing god and finishing all the known story ties to the MSQ and ToAU sent us across the sea for a story that had almost no relation to the Crystal War and the Shadowlord and it was new and refreshing. Maybe we can have a vacation from Allagans, Ascians, and Garleans and new players could start this story directly after ARR and won't necessarily need to go through the row of expansions or pay for a skip.

He won't be dead at 6.0, it's likely we'll just kill Fandaniel, and Zenos will only die at 6.3, ending things with him, while also allowing an Author's Saving Throw.

[Draginhikari]

Am I the only one who thinks Zenos has long overstayed his welcome and needs to be perma-dead before 6.0 comes out? At this point I don't care where we go as long as Zenos is gone and we're onto something new. I feel like his story would have been much stronger if he never came back from the Royal Menagerie and that was it for him. Yostuyu's return from the grave was a nice surprise, but having both villains coming back after supposedly dying felt a little goofy and made it feel like our efforts weren't well rewarded. Zenos continuing to be doing Zenos things gets a little tiring for 2 expansions when he's not even that interesting of a character.

It would be nice if Zenos finally kicks the bucket in 5.5 and then we go to Garlemald to finish the fight in 6.0. 7.0 can be time for something completely different like Treasures of Aht Urghan was for FFXI. The preceding expansion, Chains of Promathia left with us killing god and finishing all the known story ties to the MSQ and ToAU sent us across the sea for a story that had almost no relation to the Crystal War and the Shadowlord and it was new and refreshing. Maybe we can have a vacation from Allagans, Ascians, and Garleans and new players could start this story directly after ARR and won't necessarily need to go through the row of expansions or pay for a skip.

Zenos was created to be a foil to the Warrior of Light's characterization which is probably why they kept him around after Stormblood. The likelihood that we are done with him at 5.5 is likely zero, given that 5.3 scene to point to Zenos' actions being the catalyst for the final chapter in the tale of the star. Zenos is going to be around for 6.0 if not further into 6.1+.

As far as what happens after 6.0 expansion, that's really hard to say. If the current story does concluded, I suspect they would likely not plan another multiple expansion storyline unless they knew they'd be able to conclude it properly so I suspect they would probably be more one-off. Though I still suspect they would still require the completed of the 6.0 storyline mostly to keep characterization constant but whether it would be a continuous thing after that is too hard to say without more information on what happens next.

[Erendis]

Tbh, at this point I'd rather have Lahabrea yet again, than continue with Zenos...

[MrThinker]

But this did happen in the alternate timeline. They are living in an apocalypse so horrible their only option was to send someone back in time.

Zodiark did not escape from his prison, which was exactly what I was addressing. If he had, they certainly would have mentioned it, and they most likely all would be dead, offered up to restore the Ancients. The last tales from the Shadows, was the people of that timeline beginning to move into the 8th Astral Era. This would mean that the Ascians would be able to continue their plans to continue the rejoinings to eventually restore Zodiark, but he did not escape yet.

But Hydaelyn is 14/14...? Not to mention her power to sunder things is, frankly, more thematically appropriate to Zenos than anything else.

Working it out mathematically, Zodiark still has more raw aetherical power at 8/14 then Hydaelyn does at 14/14, assuming the Sundering was linear. Not to mention the fact that Hydaelyn herself chooses to remain aetherically deprived. Fandaniel himself says that Zodiark is Zenos's "prey" and I honestly dont see how the power to Sunder is thematically appropriate to Zenos when what he wants is the biggest Monster battle ever.

[KageTokage]

He won't be dead at 6.0, it's likely we'll just kill Fandaniel, and Zenos will only die at 6.3, ending things with him, while also allowing an Author's Saving Throw.

If they're sticking to the pattern, I feel like both of them are liable to be dealt with by the end of 6.0 and a new problem is going to arise in their wake.

There's going to be a huge mess to clean up in Ilsabard/Garlemald in the aftermath of their meddling as it's extremely unlikely that all of the Garleans are going unanimously agree on who their new ruler is going to be, nor will they readily accept peace with Eorzea and their other neighbors.

[Veloran]

Working it out mathematically, Zodiark still has more raw aetherical power at 8/14 then Hydaelyn does at 14/14, assuming the Sundering was linear. Not to mention the fact that Hydaelyn herself chooses to remain aetherically deprived.

How...? I mean if he controls her Zenos could just absorb all the aether he wanted.

Fandaniel himself says that Zodiark is Zenos's "prey"

Doesn't that imply killing Zodiark? If anything that aligns Zodiark with WoL.

and I honestly dont see how the power to Sunder is thematically appropriate to Zenos when what he wants is the biggest Monster battle ever.

You don't see how the power to split things is appropriate to Mr. Katana?

[Kesey]

How...? I mean if he controls her Zenos could just absorb all the aether he wanted.


Doesn't that imply killing Zodiark? If anything that aligns Zodiark with WoL.


You don't see how the power to split things is appropriate to Mr. Katana?

But Zenos himself says he wants relive the transcendant moment, you know when he merged with Shinryu. So if his target is Zodiark then he is looking to merge with Zodiark.

[Kesey]

If they're sticking to the pattern, I feel like both of them are liable to be dealt with by the end of 6.0 and a new problem is going to arise in their wake.

There's going to be a huge mess to clean up in Ilsabard/Garlemald in the aftermath of their meddling as it's extremely unlikely that all of the Garleans are going unanimously agree on who their new ruler is going to be, nor will they readily accept peace with Eorzea and their other neighbors.

I think this is the goal, with Gaius as the likely candidate to take over the Empire. Although the Empire may galvanize under a more solid, not Ascian aligned, ruler, as Zenos and Fandaniel have seemingly dealt with the Populares and stopped the civil war off screen.