Revelations from Fan Festival Around the World 2021

[Seraphor]

Perhaps a "Land of Summons" type deal in Hydaelyn's Core? Where we get to speak not only with Venat and those who made up Hydaelyn, but with others who became primals or "deified" and were later summoned as them (like Ifrit perhaps)? It'd be a way for them to bring back some characters like Ysayle and also give some major exposition.

It does look like somewhere the Occuria from XII would hang out.

[WhiteArchmage]

I'm hoping that it'll be a hierarchy-shift, myself. We've got Hoary, Ochre, Coultenet, Aenor, Riol, etc. hanging around as the "JV Squad". What if we let our main roster retire and let them shine? Let them struggle and grow and learned about them for a while, all while we recruited a third tier to replace their "stand around and say neat stuff" positions and make it feel like our purpose was growing and evolving as we accomplished our main purpose and re-branded for whatever we'll be in 6.1+

I HAVE been saying that it's time for the "B-Team" Scions to step up into the spotlight. Hoary had said they would back in 4.55 and then they stayed in the back while the main Scions ran around Norvrandt with the WoL. Hoary and Coultenet completed the TRIALS OF THE BRAVE, for the Twelve's sake! They're already familiar with Thavnair! Of course, since I'm also betting on some of the 6.0 areas to be more prominent for the "Season 2" storyline in 6.1+, and Radz-at-Han as the "small city" is most likely to be the endgame hub, that could be the "in" for our new adventuring crew.

Also, slightly selfish, but considering all the Dancer imagery in Thavnair, I hope the job gets some time to shine there.

[Cilia]

I'd be fine with some of the current cast being benched after 6.0; they've had a lot of time in the spotlight and there's only so much you can do with their character. Eventually they just become plot devices... better to have their stories conclude on a high note than drag them around as figurative zombies.

Wouldn't mind if the B-Team took center stage either. They're all likable characters and I've been saying for years Riol deserves more screentime. (Spymaster rivaling Thancred? Echo-less primal slayer?! Former member of the Company of Heroes?! Why doesn't this man have more screentime?! Then again if he were more center stage he couldn't do his job as a spy very well.)

Apropos of nothing, I found the "Gillionaire" segment kind of funny. Most of those questions were pretty easy but they had such a hard time with it.

[Lauront]

Reaper...

Although I don’t usually play melee dps except as secondary jobs (I'll probably pick it up along with DRG, and ditch SAM), I am pleased with Reaper’s vibe and aesthetic, as well as the fact that they make no bones about the fact that it is drawing on the Void. One of my ideas on how they could do Necromancer is through drawing on Voidsent and forcing them into corpses, and this isn’t too far off from that, with the Reaper channeling this Voidsent avatar’s power into their own body, as well as the dark power of that world. There’s strong parallels here to the way DRG draws on the power of dragons. I liked some of the art it inspired, like:
1.
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3.
4.

I hope this puts to rest the idea that they won’t introduce darker jobs, and I also hope we will one day see a caster in a similar vein, be it Necro or something else – assuming BLM doesn’t embrace its darker lineage. The get up Yoshi was in also had some strong Bloodborne vibes. While we don’t know its lore yet in full, I believe what was shown was sufficient as a door for other jobs of a similar ilk.

Also, the ghostly foe fought in the Reaper showcase looks a lot like a certain Voidsent (the Persona), but with a lighter shade (and going purple from below.) Reminds me a lot of the changes we saw in the Thavnair zone.

The last reference to the Reaper I recall is from here.

Fearless creatures, we all learn to fight the Reaper
Can't defeat Her, so instead I'll have to be Her

Guess Zenos got the memo.

Estinien...

Really enjoyed Estinien’s presence in the trailer. Reminds me a lot of the guy in the free trial vids, almost like a case of art imitating life given his CGI design. Curious to see how they’ll explain him partnering up with Vritra (apparently toungest of the brood) but with Tiamat about I think we can guess. It was also a highlight that his lines followed on from Emet’s. Likewise, Thancred and Urianger look as good as ever.

For those who say the derplander could never be a caster in a trailer because it wouldn’t be exciting enough or whatever, we’ve had a trailer where the most action scenes come from a RDM, a Sage and a DRG using their most aetherically heavy attacks. Perhaps they wouldn’t do it for other reasons, but IMO their style of trailers could easily allow for it, even without resorting to the usual panoply of defensive/control spells casters tend to use.

New city...

The best part of the trailer was confirmation that we’re going to old Sharlayan. They couldn’t really wrap up the story without touching on it. I’ve long wanted to see it, and it is every bit as beautiful as the colony led me to think it’d be, with a very Greco-roman style to its architecture. Catchy song too, although this stab at the lyrics (though I think it's saying vows rather than foes, but anyhoo) does make me think back to the following in the Fiend:

Necessity is an inventive mother
Promising sanctum that She cannot provide
She is the hand that rocks the cradle
The wind that breaks the bough and leaves you to die

But also Zodiark from XII (thanks to Kizuya for bringing this one to my attention.)

The re-creation of Amaurot on the moon (the product of the Ascians’ longing for their ancient home?), and Labyrinthos, have me intrigued. Sea (in the moon sense) of Lament or Sea of Sorrow I guess is the intended meaning – wonder if it’s what Fandaniel meant by moldering memories. The Allagan junk on there means they must’ve got there at some point, but maybe were sent packing by Elidibus.

One thing the trailer did, which I found cool, was tying in lines from prior expansions’ themes, giving them a fresh meaning, especially with the “two-toned echoes” line playing as Y’shtola, still clad in her sorceress outfit, snake jewellery and all, confronts the Forum.

Fourchenault, though said to be a powerful member of the Forum, is far from the only one. His lore blurb mentions he respects the right of others to make their own decisions even where he disagrees, which reminds me a lot of Emet-Selch’s own stance towards his own brethren, for example with Elidibus’s approach not to draw on his memory crystal. The wording used in the key note suggests we will learn more of him as early as part 2 of 5.5, and that he has an important role to play, which I guess is obvious enough; but I can’t help but wonder if the NPC said to appear this patch, with the crucial role to play in the H/Z arc, is someone else. My hope is that he will be used to explore Sharlayan’s stance and convictions, rather than writing them off as obstinate and foolish. He seems to be in a difficult situation, what with the fist clenching... and there was also this, which seems clearly to tie back to him. Also of interest is that in the French version of the trailer, Fourchenault says even if the star dies, they will live on, so what they have in mind is curious. They study the stars - have they got some destination in mind? In turn, is that what Labyrinthos is being outfitted for?

Between the shell designs (Amaurot one here), the scholarly focus, the Greco-roman names, its system of governance (also stumbled on this) and its non-warlike policy, there’s plenty of parallels to Amaurot – aside from the fact that Amaurot was working on a way to stop the problem and halt it via eikons like Zodiark. There may have been debates in Amaurot about the suitability of intervening, but it ultimately was a very outward-looking city. Sharlayan is going with a different approach. I’m keen to see what has pushed them in this direction.

New character...

On the new character at the top of the artwork, my current guess is Venat, especially with her hand position on the chest being like that of Venat and the Word of the Mother. That said, the mask is unmistakeably ancient, if not more ornate (some similar curls to the slab attached to Anima in its design as well as the book G'raha holds), and the white robes remind me a bit of this third scene from the murals. While another possible association is the white robes of an Emissary, given who I think this is, the former interpretation makes sense. Probably will have a better idea by 5.5 part 2. With Moon Amaurot and sky Amaurot in the picture, it could be something else, but with the crystal behind her, I believe Venat is a good guess. I'm also wondering if she is the [redacted] Ishikawa alluded to with regard to Fandaniel. If the "Venant" etymology for Venat checks out, there is this link:

In ancient persian mythology, Venant (Vanant) is one of the Four Royal Stars (modern designation Regulus) who worked for the good under Ahura Mazda, is the guardian of the summer solstice, and is known as the Watcher of the North.

Regulus in turn being linked to Leo. So if we assume that all holds up, it seems like a possible link. Thanks to ShadowMeowth for pointing me to this.

Either way, I wonder if she's going to have an active role in Sharlayan, given its ample Amaurot references, maybe seeking to recreate something of it after she (inadvertently?) sundered the world. My current view is that any links to Fandaniel will be relevant to the ancient world rather than present but I'm not ruling that out.

Other zones...

Thavnair certainly seems very vibrant and colourful, with very bright colours. It would seem the Iifa-tree styled dungeon, with the Matanga busts, is indeed located in Thavnair. The tower there is putting out energy closer to a shade of purple, so I wonder if that marks a transition phase in the plan, with the red part being to bring on the Final Days (corresponding to the “sound” and panic it caused), and the purple to begin channelling aether into whatever thing Fandaniel is planning on summoning, feeding off Zodiark’s (and Hydaelyn’s?) power. The large elephant statue makes me wonder if Ganesha will be making an appearance. The Magus Sisters are described as the other big foe, besides Anima, and yet they’re shown in the dungeon art, so are they just there to cause mischief? I’m wondering if they’ll be invoking Ganesha in some sense, given the theming of the dungeon.

As always, the music is a treat, with both Thavnair’s and Sharlayan’s themes bound to immerse in their respective zones. Again, the use of lines from prior expansions makes me think they could reflect this in the final boss fight, going through the MC’s journey.

The question of the final zone remains unclear. We’ve seen Garlemald, Labyrinthos, the Moon, the (artificial?) sky islands (again with structures not unlike Amaurot’s, and a bit similar to Zeal from the Chrono series – Giruvegan could also be a source of inspiration; I suspect these are the islands above Garlemald on the map), and Thavnair. Have to wonder if what the Forum is looking at on the map is the floating islands, a callback to Thordan and his search for Azys Lla. The usual assumption is Sharlayan will get its own surrounding zone, but my intuition is that it may be linked to Labyrinthos in that respect, wherever it is ultimately “underground” – apparently it’s some manner of artificial training ground (Mount Ordeals ref maybe – fitting given the MC’s travel companions - however, I suspect it could also be for whatever they have in mind to survive the Final Days v2.0.) If so, that leaves one final zone. At this point it’s looking like everyone besides the bumpkins on the three main continents knows about Amaurot. :`) Mare Lamentorum’s purple hue reminds me of Pandaemonium from Dissidia but given what's stored in the moon, maybe what's inside it. The paraphernalia inside it looks similar to some stuff in Anamnesis Anyder. That may provide some hints as to whom it could link to.

Other things...

Didn’t expect much on Pandaemonium, and the new raid relating to the Twelve (possibly in a similar way Eden handled things) picks up on another loose thread that so far has been left unexplained

The dungeons, with Golbez’s theme (Clad in Dark) playing, had me intrigued, especially the design of the living biohazard sector created by Fandaniel. The shell like patterns in it (reminiscent of the spirals on Lunar Bahamut but also Sharlayan’s emblem) have not gone unnoticed. I’m wondering if the train we see running between them connects the towers in some way. The second looks like a Garlean facility with bone like, metalic structures woven through it. The Amaurotine styled dungeon, with the concepts. Strong Zeal vibes with sky area. Just need something like Lavos now for the Sound!

Also another interesting point noted here (image) which, in my mind, ties into the whole “to begin we must first see the end” line in To the Edge!”).

Going back to Anima, I found the commonality between this and this (and for more likely Amaurotine inspired things, see this and this.) If we assume an Amaurotine common thread in all these designs, it does look like Anima may link in some way to Zodiark and his bindings - my speculation being that it's his lingering consciousness. but we'll see what is done with him.

Lastly, with the surprise addition of male Viera, I am keen to see the lore they’ll be using to bring them in, though with the world now faced with an apocalypse, I’m guessing the Green Word is okay with them stepping outside the forests. Existing lore here.

As for Fandaniel, the part where he’s addressing Zenos shows some facial tension. Thinking Fandaniel might be having doubts as to whether Zenos is going to play his role in his plans effectively. I still believe that Fandaniel is ultimately in control here and is playing the role of the mummer, biding his time carefully, but he’s a little more anxious there than we’ve seen him so far. With Zenos… at least he’s transitioned from sitting to moon-gazing, so that’s progress. I suspect his avatar will tie to the souls he plans to gorge on more than anything else, and with this reference pointed out, I am wondering if he is going to rely on some manner of soul cage with an avatar as the "vacuum".

I’m intrigued enough to see where the expansion is going, and how they intend to try top the SHB base story, but it’s a pity it’s going to be a long 6 month wait. I had hoped to see something of the current jobs' new actions, maybe some AFs, and some more on Sage, but I suppose they'll need to stretch it out to alleviate the wait.

[Ronald_Bloodwings]

Penelo (aiming) and Basch (tank) glamour from Bozja. They didn't show the others armor types.
BALTHIER HOVERBIKE MOUNT

Also Belias and Shemhazai were shown as critical engagement fights which implies the IVth has some more auracite.

I couldn't help but notice in that segment; when they were showing the duel with the Inferno looking monster that they added some red to the metal portions of the model... And Dabog wears a full suite of red armor when you spot him out in the field in Bozja. I'm getting some very bad vibes for Dabog's ultimate fate because of that image...

[YianKutku]

Honestly with all the zones and artwork showcased, I'm a little curious about whether we'll still be going with the "six zones per expansion" thing. We already have Thavnair (the area around Radz-at-Han), the floating sky islands, Labyrinthos, and Mare Lamentarum on the Moon, with the assurance that Mare Lamentarum is not the only area on the Moon we'll be going to. Maybe some of the zones will have drastically different styles within a single zone, like the Tempest containing the seabed and Amaurot. Labyrinthos is the obvious suspicious locale: when I heard that it was supposed to be underground, I immediately thought "Lunar Subterrane".

Then again, maybe we're being trolled and the Zeal-like floating islands is actually where we'll be doing our Harvest Moon farming life.

The dungeons, with Golbez’s theme (Clad in Dark) playing, had me intrigued, especially the design of the living biohazard sector created by Fandaniel.

I thought it was Golbez's theme as well, but I've since been told that it's actually the Tower of Zot theme. Which is Golbez's theme sped up and dungeon-ified, so still technically correct. Certainly fitting for an infiltration into a tower.

[Katie_Kitty]

If they have to kill off a scion, I hope it's y'shtola. Nothing against her, it's just that she's cheated death too many times and I'm tired of them teasing it. Just get it over with and move on.

[Nanchi]

I'm honestly super excited for all the maps they have shown so far, especially the moon based one, which was a surprise. I honestly thought they wouldn't reveal anything specific about the moon but that just tells me that the final map will go against our expectations ?

Reaper looks amazing, very interested in how the WoL will aquire that very...questionable soulstone. They said we will have 5 jobquests as in Healer, Tank, Meele, Phys. Ranged and Cas. Ranged I assume? Which is honestly a shame, I loved the individual questlines for the jobs pre-SHB (summoner was really interesting and drk of course was a joy to play through) So I'm a bit sad that they will be abandoning those questlines, I understand it would get too convoluted so they had to trim it down.

On another note, I'm one of the few who really love Zenos and the Endwalker Art where he's being lined up with the Scions is super intriguing to me. From a design standpoint, you wouldnt really portray one of your villain in those mellow colors, let alone make him center line up with the other "good guys". I saw people saying that we had Emet and other Villains/Antagonists in the title artwork before, which is true however symbolically they were always placed seperately from the heroes. Endwalker stands out because this time only the scions are portrayed except from our newbie at the top and Zenos at the left, it's certainly something to take note of. Which is good, I cannot wait to see what the writers came up with and hope they will go against expectations!

[KizuyaKatogami]

Honestly with all the zones and artwork showcased, I'm a little curious about whether we'll still be going with the "six zones per expansion" thing. We already have Thavnair (the area around Radz-at-Han), the floating sky islands, Labyrinthos, and Mare Lamentarum on the Moon, with the assurance that Mare Lamentarum is not the only area on the Moon we'll be going to. Maybe some of the zones will have drastically different styles within a single zone, like the Tempest containing the seabed and Amaurot. Labyrinthos is the obvious suspicious locale: when I heard that it was supposed to be underground, I immediately thought "Lunar Subterrane".

Then again, maybe we're being trolled and the Zeal-like floating islands is actually where we'll be doing our Harvest Moon farming life.



I thought it was Golbez's theme as well, but I've since been told that it's actually the Tower of Zot theme. Which is Golbez's theme sped up and dungeon-ified, so still technically correct. Certainly fitting for an infiltration into a tower.

We have 5 zones shown and one hidden zone. That’s how they’ve always done it i believe.

[KizuyaKatogami]

On another note, I'm one of the few who really love Zenos and the Endwalker Art where he's being lined up with the Scions is super intriguing to me. From a design standpoint, you wouldnt really portray one of your villain in those mellow colors, let alone make him center line up with the other "good guys". I saw people saying that we had Emet and other Villains/Antagonists in the title artwork before, which is true however symbolically they were always placed seperately from the heroes. Endwalker stands out because this time only the scions are portrayed except from our newbie at the top and Zenos at the left, it's certainly something to take note of. Which is good, I cannot wait to see what the writers came up with and hope they will go against expectations!

I really don’t think his positioning means anything. SB art had Yotsuyu and Fordola next to Hien and Lyse. Also they’ve always had the expansion’s main villain in the artwork, so it stands to reason this is no different.