Revelations from Patch 5.4

[LineageRazor]

Yeah that probably makes the most sense.

In regards to the sword's origin,

Headcanon/theory until I'm proven wrong that the Heart of Sabik was another Allagan auracite experimental weapon. That ties both into the Ultima spell/Ultima seraph connection as well as the Werlyt Weapons based on Ultima Weapon using synthetic auracite.

Well, as far as the Heart of Sabik, goes, we have dialogue that explicitly marks it as being pre-Allag. Dialogue that many players see again and again and again and again, thanks to the unskippable cutscenes in The Praetorium:

The Heart of Sabik. It is the weapon's core - an enigma whose surface even the vaunted scholars of ancient Allag failed to scratch.

So, no, the Allagans did not create the Heart of Sabik, from auracite or anything else. They found it, and their scholars barely understood it, but they learned enough about it to use it as a component when creating the Ultima Weapon (probably as a power source).

It might have an auracite connection, but if it does, it was not the Allagans' doing. If word straight from the mouth of someone who'd lived though the era isn't enough, then I'm not sure what kind of proof you require! I suppose Lahabrea could have lied, but given the circumstances it's tough to see a motive for doing so.

[Vyrerus]

In Japanese, though they refer to it directly as, "Black Auracite: Sabik?"

[ICountFrom0]

So, on that subject.

Ultima weapon was old tech, partly solved by allagans, and then used and tinkered with by the Empire.

The towers, they look like a merger of Allagan and Empire tech. Could they be something else that was started by the Allagans, and then finished by the Empire?

Given that the Ascians have been involved since the start, could these multi empire projects really be Ascian projects?

[Hank_Hotspur]

Seeing how both the Allagan and Garlean empires were created by Ascians, I think that can be seen as a given.

[KageTokage]

When I first saw the towers, I more readily associated them with Mhachi designs then anything else, and the presence of distinctly Mhachi architecture in Endwalker further makes me think they're a combination of their arcane know-how and Garlean magitek.

Considering the drastic transformation the Garlean royal palace seems to undergo by 6.0, it wouldn't surprise me if Fandaniel is able to just magick the things into existence somehow despite his presumably limited power as a sundered Ascian.

[Ceasaria]

About Gabranth, it seems like we will deal with him (and with his lieutenants if not defeated before) in next expansion in a secondary content (as Ivalice raid & Bozja).
The hint is Bwagi saying Gabranth is already heading for Dalmasca because he doesn't care anymore about Bozja, but he keep us a last surprise with the big ship.
Indeed, Gabranth has cut all of his relationship with Garlemald, and doesn't care about this city/region either. Dalmasca is his new ideal home, or this is what he wants.
If 6.0 is big enough, we could deal with him in the main story, but I have doubts. It doesn't go well with the main plot and no Dalmasca region was confirmed in the 1st showcase.

[JeanneOrnitier]

It's certainly possible Gabranth could continue into 6.x but I don't see him ever coming into the MSQ. It's one thing to make a single raid series mandatory like they did for ShB, but making all the Bozja grinding mandatory for EW would be insane.

[Theodric]

I wouldn't be against Gabranth appearing in the MSQ's. With that said, I'm also hoping that we don't defeat him and come to some sort of compromise instead.

I don't think Bozja would need to be mandatory, either. He hasn't exactly shown up to any major extent...so far, at any rate. He could be introduced in the MSQ's with a nod for those who have done Return to Ivalice and/or Bozja, yet for those who have not he can be discussed slightly differently.

[Hank_Hotspur]

I could see them having Gabranth be MSQ or the very least a story that doesn't need all of Bozja to complete if they don't have him appear before us in Bozja storyline, so there wouldn't be any awkward situations of him not addressing us as having met in a future storyline.

I do wonder what will be next for them. I don't really see Bozja as the final capstone for this story, our forces seemed to have lost too much ground, and since the IV Legion has essentially taken over the Garlean Empire as the conquering force in Othard, seems like a pretty sudden story shift for the rebellion if both the IV and Garlemald collapsed suddenly.

Since Garlemald as we know it will be gone by the next expansion, I wonder if they will keep Gabranth and IV Legion's "New Nation" as a source more "grounded" turmoil in future patches, a threatening, conquering force but without the eugenics baggage most Garleans had since this is supposed to be a "nation of where all are equal" (or at least those who serve and climb are equal).

[WhiteArchmage]

Crystal Tower is kind of different in that the plot of 5.0 and especially 5.3 makes no sense if you don't do the CT series. We've seen before with Coil that some dialogue changes if you've done the content or not, which seems simple to integrate Gabranth into the MSQ if he's not fought in Bozja and is instead relegated to an "As you know, Noah van Gabranth was the Legatus of the IV Legion, he broke from the Empire and blah blah blah", and removing the "As you know" if you didn't do the content.

Otherwise, I see no problem with his storyline continuing in the next expansion as a sidequest, especially if it involves Dalmasca or Lea Monde.