Patch 6.1 trailer speculations

[Misplaced_Marbles]

Then the next expansion we were suddenly told "Actually, that war 20 years ago? Everyone lost and we live in a fake world that only exists because Altana got really sad and she made a new world where the forces of good won but someone who tried fighting the Shadowlord using Darkness (also from Odin) got upset that Altana wanted to get Atomos to eat her world so she's fighting Her and us."

Also known as an asspull.

[MikkoAkure]

Also known as an asspull.

While it was still a lingering plot thread, I don't think many people at all expected us to get shunted off into an alternate dimension for 5.0 right at the climax of everything going on with the Garlean Empire, yet Shadowbringers is still most people's favorite expansion.

At this point with the vast majority of the main plot threads finished, I'd rather have a 7.0 that's a very good story out of an asspull that isn't chained by expectations and the weight of having to carry an ongoing story, instead of a mediocre one from the the main plot's leavings and B-side stories. We already know that the writers make everything up as we go along so I don't know how having something new that came out of nothing is much different than how they're writing the game right now.

[Kranel_San]

Hm, the decision of 7.0 going to be in either unexplored Source continents OR another Shard is still unclear lol. They did - seem - to have hinted both in the trailer... My theories:

a) Everything Red Herring and the new direction isn't hinted at all in the trailer because it's still not going to reveal itself just yet, or maybe this reveal is the cliffhanger for 6.2

b) G'raha and the WoL disappearing on the lake is how they get to the Alliance Raid place, since as per shown by the fights it's clearly not in Eorzea. G'raha was shown in a picture to be related to one of the raid's NPCs

c) The plot will take us towards another shard, following Y'shtola's research and this patch dungeon is either just a temporary distraction (adventuring) or will serve to find a component required to make whatever she's looking into possible;

bonus: The carriage race seems to be related to the Beast Tribe quests, and I hope is a racing minigame!

What if it was both?
If I went back in time to before EW launch and said that EW will be partially about traveling back in time to the ancient days. I don't think someone would believe me
Does it suck to have one or two zones in another shard with the rest of 7.0 being in the source or somewhere else? Yes it does. Will SE do that? They did it in 6.0 so its now a possibility

[aveyond-dreams]

Throwing us over to another shard would not be my preferred direction for 7.0. However, given that there isn't much left on the Source besides 2 continents that sections of the community are *adamant* that they must be direct representations of the Americas and Africa/Australia, please by all means send me to another shard that has more in the way of traditional fantasy elements like the First. Or alternatively, make use of the rest of Ilsabard.

This game has had its fill of time travel and I cannot see a situation where any further use of it represents anything other than a detriment. Our "Wings of the Goddess" expansion was Shadowbringers, we don't need a repeat of that anytime soon.

[nighttimebunny]

I haven't done all the ShB role quests but I don't think they're necessary to explore the void.

-We have Y'shtola researching shard travel.

-Yoshi P said in an interview, I believe it was Famitsu's: "There are also different shards after all, and if we pull from the multiverse, then anything is possible. In previous Final Fantasy's, we've fought against the void and nothingness, a ton of possibilities there!" He said this when asked about Meracydia, another zone hint given by Emet-Selch.

-As far as I know, the role quests are about void restoration, not travel/exploration, and they could easily tie in the npcs back into the MSQ if needed. Or just leave them as rolequests for the people who actually enjoy those.

-There are 2 void related scenes in the trailer, both voiced, both seemingly not relating to the Myths raid or the rolequests. The summoners seem to be saying "I free the void!" but the voice is heavily distorted. The other mystery is the guy surrounded by void magic/a place that looks like World of Darkness saying "I am returned!"

-We still don't know what the heck is up with Zenos's avatar/voidsent and Yoshi P has brought it up on several occasions, including the big Live Letter.

-I can't help but wonder if those 2 mysterious Ascians, Deudephalon and Altima, will play any part in this. Yoshi P said they may be on another shard...

To me, everything points to 13th shard exploration.

[KageTokage]

I personally don't think we'll be going to the void just yet (At least not as our next expansion), and rather feel the new story arc is mostly be going to a reminder that it even exists as a problem for the people who haven't been messing with side content much.

The only time it really comes up in mandatory content at all is with Haukke Manor, where it was simply a distraction set up by the lesser Ascians.

[Kranel_San]

I personally don't think we'll be going to the void just yet (At least not as our next expansion), and rather feel the new story arc is mostly be going to a reminder that it even exists as a problem for the people who haven't been messing with side content much.

The only time it really comes up in mandatory content at all is with Haukke Manor, where it was simply a distraction set up by the lesser Ascians.

Crystal tower*
But good point. People who go straight in the MSQ from ARR to EW would probably never think of the void being a danger after the crystal tower series since the MSQ barely focused on it afterward unlike side content.
Then again, integrating one alliance raid series into the MSQ has literally shaped two expansions and continues to do more with side content. Perhaps integrating other side content quests such as Omega or void ark may open the room for many possibilities

[Enkidoh]

I personally don't think we'll be going to the void just yet (At least not as our next expansion), and rather feel the new story arc is mostly be going to a reminder that it even exists as a problem for the people who haven't been messing with side content much.

The only time it really comes up in mandatory content at all is with Haukke Manor, where it was simply a distraction set up by the lesser Ascians.

Earlier Tam-Tara Deepcroft also involved the Void, although there was no Ascian connection there I think, and just a bunch of crazed Dalamud cultists still seething that their 'god' exploded and didn't 'cleanse' the world of their enemies (who proceeded to bring back a long-dead Gelmorran king as a mindflayer). The Necrologos series of Battlecraft levequests also involved people getting pages of the eponoymous grimoire of void magic and dabbling in summoning low-ranked Voidsent, which adventurers were tasked with disposing of, but there was never any further connection to the major story at large, and just served to show "Void=BAD".

[Recon1o6]

there's still loads of the map in this world to uncover. Ilsabard (because yoshida scrapped a damn garlemald expansion) dalmasca and nagxia, the northwest of the burn and those mountains in the north of the azim steppe. Not to mention the roegyden isles in the far north.

[Kranel_San]

Just replayed the trailer again in slow motion. I'm confident in saying that the silhouette next to G'raha silhouette belongs to the WoL.
Sadly I couldn't take any screenshots, but you have to keep in mind the WoL in the trailer have PLD gear and a shield, and you could see an identical shield on the back for a very brief moment before it disappears.