6.0 Story Speculations

[MrThinker]

I don't think it's "more story" in that sense, I believe Yoshi P said something along the lines that we have now more Scions than ever, which implies giving each of them more screen time for writing / development. So 6.0's MSQ will be longer in terms of quests and cutscenes, but I find it very difficult to believe this means more actual gameplay content. I'm sure they will go for 5 leveling dungeons, 3 max level dungeons, 3 trials (2 extremes), because that will be major additions in terms of use of resources, and I'm sure they would have used that in the promotion. (But I'd love to be wrong and see them shaking the habitual for once!)
What could make things blurry in the trailer is that it can show solo instances where we fight along the Scions for instance, making it look dungeon-y. Or have dungeons with very distinct parts.

I think Cilia meant that instead of having 2 optional level cap dungeons like in previous expansions, they would instead include those dungeons as part of the story for an extended max level msq sequence.

Unfortunately I have some reason to believe this is not the case in that I may have identified one of the optional dungeons in the launch trailer. Like you, I would also love to be wrong about it, and hopefully its just the camera making things hard to decipher. But we should indeed temper our expectations on the gameplay front.

This is the dungeon in question. And yes it is a dungeon; solo instances dont have treasure chests, and there is too much activity in the background for it to be an overworld FATE (which also dont have treasure chests now that i think about it). The reason I feel it is optional is because they don't show trusts fighting/running alongside us as in the other probable dungeons. Again, hopefully just the camera.

But if not, it might be to that Omega 2.0 enemy from the benchmark, what Akademia Anyder was to Archaeotania in ShB.

[YianKutku]

I think Cilia meant that instead of having 2 optional level cap dungeons like in previous expansions, they would instead include those dungeons as part of the story for an extended max level msq sequence.

Oh, good point. I was wondering how they'd squeeze in all the story from the usual x.1 to x.3 into the x.0 expansion, while still keeping to the standard levelling pace. It hadn't occurred to me that they could simply append the quests onto the end, after max level.

I'm still going to follow your advice to temper my expectations, but honestly even if there's no actual increase in gameplay content like duties and dungeons, I'd still be happy with more dialogue to pore through later.

(Completely unrelated: is anyone else having issues with giving Likes on the forum? I click the button and it doesn't seem to react, until I click it a few more times, and by that time I forget if I've actually put in a Like or if I've inadvertently cancelled that Like.)

[MrThinker]

(Completely unrelated: is anyone else having issues with giving Likes on the forum? I click the button and it doesn't seem to react, until I click it a few more times, and by that time I forget if I've actually put in a Like or if I've inadvertently cancelled that Like.)

If this is on mobile, usually a refresh helps me with that issue. Otherwise the desktop version seems to be working fine.

[Vyrerus]

(Completely unrelated: is anyone else having issues with giving Likes on the forum? I click the button and it doesn't seem to react, until I click it a few more times, and by that time I forget if I've actually put in a Like or if I've inadvertently cancelled that Like.)

A little bit. I've noticed that the Like recently on PC is turning grey as I've given one, but the number won't increase on my end until I refresh the page.

[MrThinker]

A little bit. I've noticed that the Like recently on PC is turning grey as I've given one, but the number won't increase on my end until I refresh the page.

I experimented with it just now on your comment and you are correct.

[RyuDragnier]

A little bit. I've noticed that the Like recently on PC is turning grey as I've given one, but the number won't increase on my end until I refresh the page.

It has been like that for a few weeks. I noticed it almost immediately.

[KageTokage]

I'm starting to feel like there's more to the terminus beasts then them simply being manifestations of fear between them emerging from a rift in the sky and also being able to multiply by corrupting other life forms akin to the sin eaters (Which suggests they're filled with/made of some manner of tainted aether).

It could just be that the ones spawned from the second coming of the Final Days are different somehow, but I'd like to think there's something deeper about their origins like being the product of some kind of corruptive influence in the Lifestream, which was also able to overtake the Ancients via the "sound" and turn them into living factories of the beasts.

Their souls being more resilient may be why they were not being completely mutated but were nonetheless still affected negatively.

[Vyrerus]

Well, aetherial corruption is something that has been in the game a while. First with voidsent taking over bodies, transforming the bodies to fit their form(but I guess even prior to that with the Echo and Ascians being able to do that naturally).

Next with primals and tempering. Set the tempering to well done, and you get things like those pirates being mutated into squid men like in Sastasha HM, with their concubines being transformed into merrows/lamiae.

Beyond that there's dragon blood and the consumption of great wyrm eyes forever echoing on down bloodlines, allowing those with Ratatoskr's eye Aether DNA in their bloodline to turn into dragons under consumption of dragon blood.

Mutation and transformation are actually fairly common in the world as a whole, so the Terminus Beasts being able to that is kind of par for the course.

What I find really interesting about them, even though it's somewhat mundane in a fantasy setting, is that all of them seem to be able to fly without wings. The ones in Amaurot also teleported into the location using an Ascian teleportation style void-esque animation. That may be because Emet was placing them before us, as they were recreations based on his memories. But I'd think the kind of guy who makes as detailed simulacra of his home and its most critical point wouldn't mar such a detail.

It also calls to mind how unusual it was to see Fandaniel fly alongside Lunar Bahamut on his introduction to the Scions and WoL. The Ascians have always been levitators, but to straight up Superman style fly really caught my eye. I can't think of anyone else who's done that, except for Shiva, and our occasional sojourns to the aetherial sea via Blessing/Crystal vision.

[KageTokage]

What I find really interesting about them, even though it's somewhat mundane in a fantasy setting, is that all of them seem to be able to fly without wings. The ones in Amaurot also teleported into the location using an Ascian teleportation style void-esque animation. That may be because Emet was placing them before us, as they were recreations based on his memories. But I'd think the kind of guy who makes as detailed simulacra of his home and its most critical point wouldn't mar such a detail.

It has been implied that the Ascians use a distinct form of teleportation magick that sends them through the rift between as opposed to the aetherial sea, so that could further imply that some of the terminus beasts are also coming from somewhere in the rift...which would still further line up with the minstrel's song claiming we would shine our light there at journey's end.

Considering that we've got places as unusual as Pandemonium buried within the world's depths, I would not be surprised if there's some realm between corporeal and aetherial that the beasts are coming from and I'm hoping where the post-apocalyptic looking dungeon takes place.

[Vyrerus]

It has been implied that the Ascians use a distinct form of teleportation magick that sends them through the rift between as opposed to the aetherial sea, so that could further imply that some of the terminus beasts are also coming from somewhere in the rift...which would still further line up with the minstrel's song claiming we would shine our light there at journey's end.

Considering that we've got places as unusual as Pandemonium buried within the world's depths, I would not be surprised if there's some realm between corporeal and aetherial that the beasts are coming from and I'm hoping where the post-apocalyptic looking dungeon takes place.

Just think, Zenos became capable of that with an artifical Echo too. What kind of abominations could an ancient doomsday cult have put into motion with all that ancient splendor and power.