*Potential Spoilers* Ironworks Expeditions

[AlenyaElizabelle]

Ironworks Expeditions function similar to Eureka and Bozjan zones, but the difference ends is that you can use all classes - both War classes and Land classes.

In Eorzea, there are places where we haven't explored, for example what lies beyond Southern Thanalan, or what lies on the other side of Mor Dhona. We all know there's a railway line in the game, in Central Thanalan when leaving Ul'dah and going towards Northern Thanlan. We also get told the Garleans use the railway during Operation Archon during the ARR section of the game.

What if Cid and the Ironworks Engineers put this railway to good use? Air travel is limited, as there aren't good places to land outside of major cities, Boat travel is limited to the shores. But the railway can be a form of mass transit.

Behold... Novus Locomotive MkLVI (Mark 56).
This is the train that will be sending you on these Ironworks Expeditions, but there will be some starting quests. Like testing if Cid's latest creation actually works.

The first expedition quest to a new zone will be called "A Train to Nowhere" as it is an entirely new zone, and you report back to Cid and set up a base of operations in that zone similar to how Eureka / Bozjan is setup. Lets say, there are 5 Zones total, there can be unique monsters to hunt down during FATEs that appear nowhere else in Eorzea, and the quest chain could help for future settlement building where we get more player houses in preparation for the future.

Though one of the quests will be called "A Train to Nowhere", potential quest names could be:

"Scorching Sands, Tumbling Train" where we explore beyond Southern Thanalan.
"Perfect Paradise, Wild Whirlpools" where we explore a picture perfect paradise located between Thanalan and the Shroud.
"Bitter Blizzards, Cooling Coals" where we explore a restoration project to Garlemald to help them get into good graces with us.

And what in the future, Cid and the Ironworks decide to make a railway in Hingashi sometime afterwards? Be good for business.

[Enkidoh]

There are two railways actually in Thanalan, one is owned by Amajina and Sons Mineral Concern and hauls ore from the Nanawa Mines (which was an actual open dungeon in 1.0) to processing in Ul'dah - ironically I recall there was a sidequest or some dialogue in the Ul'dah storyline that suggested Nanamo was trying to get the railway actually opened up for use by the public, but Teledji-Adeldji and Lolorito stonewalled her attempts to do so as the train would compete against their lucrative chocobo haulage business and teleportation fees from the aetheryte network, so nothing ever came of it (whether that is true or not I'm not sure, that was info from years ago I lack a citation for, but it does ring true).

The other railway is actually seperate and was constructed by the Empire which simply runs between Castrum Centri in Mor Dhona and Castrum Meridanium/The Praetorium in Northern Thanalan, and which is nicknamed 'the Phantom Train' owing to it's clandestine nature. It's purely for transferring Garlean troops and materiael between the two castri and so that will almost guaranteed to never be opened up, not the least because remnant forces of Gaius's XIVth Legion still maintain control of them.

Nanawa Mines isn't accessable simply because in 1.0 it looked just like Copperbell Mines and so like other former 1.0 'public' dungeons that didn't return in ARR that was considered the stand in for it (I wish the trains could be ridden though, at the very least like how the ferries in Gridania and Limsa work, but alas, I think that... um... train has departed...).

Buuuuuuut.... having said that though, I admit I love your idea (like Selphie in FFVIII I like trains ), and, that could be a way of getting the Ul'dah railway up and running (if only to finally thumb our noses up at Lolorito).

[AlenyaElizabelle]

Buuuuuuut.... having said that though, I admit I love your idea (like Selphie in FFVIII I like trains ), and, that could be a way of getting the Ul'dah railway up and running (if only to finally thumb our noses up at Lolorito).

Yup... Lolorito would have to give in and admit there would be more profits from getting these materials to their destinations faster, maybe he would eventually see some sense and it's not just all about the money and at same time, the new destinations being explored would bring in the money. Lolorito can build new housing estates in these new areas and profit from them (assuming we get him to see common sense in this purpose).

[Iscah]

Speculation is great, but please do label it as speculation and not "spoilers" as if you've gotten news of some upcoming storyline.

[AlenyaElizabelle]

Speculation is great, but please do label it as speculation and not "spoilers" as if you've gotten news of some upcoming storyline.

A veteran player like you or myself would already be passed the spoilers, yet if you're a new person to this game, you'd only know about the rail tracks in Ul'dah and not the transcontinental railway the Garleans use, hence don't want spoilers for new players

[Iscah]

A veteran player like you or myself would already be passed the spoilers, yet if you're a new person to this game, you'd only know about the rail tracks in Ul'dah and not the transcontinental railway the Garleans use, hence don't want spoilers for new players

Yes, but you're still just titling the thread "Ironworks expeditions" and then launching into a pseudo-factual description of what they entail, as if they are a thing that exists in the game, or a promotional blurb for upcoming content. You've also tagged it as "lore" without any tags indicating it is speculative.

Call it a concept. Say it's your idea. Don't just talk about it like it exists, because that blurs the line between discussing the real game and your own ideas.

The lore forum is primarily for discussing the game as it exists, not pitching concepts, so it's confusing to have threads that look like real lore threads until you get in and read them enough to work out that it's entirely speculative despite being phrased as "X will happen", "the quest is titled XYZ".