Revelations from EU Fan Fest (October 2023)

[Nestama]

i hope the 11 raid series isn't done like nier and is properly integrated into xiv's lore/worldbuilding. it'd be an awful shame if they just walk back old statements about the shards not being the other games.

There's two directions they can go with it. Make it like Ivalice where it's Vana'diel in name only (familiar faces, locations and such having no relation to the source material), or have either Shantotto or Balamor transport us to Vana'diel.
Or Balamor decides that FFXIV's world is his new plaything to take over. Honestly, I'd be happy to see Balamor in general, he's a fun villain.

[KageTokage]

Mostly curious about who's behind this seeming mass-ceruleum mining operation since the tech level involved is comparable to that of the Garleans or Allagans.

I wouldn't really mind it being tangentially related to the former, but I've had enough of the latter for...forever.

[Cleretic]

Mostly curious about who's behind this seeming mass-ceruleum mining operation since the tech level involved is comparable to that of the Garleans or Allagans.

I wouldn't really mind it being tangentially related to the former, but I've had enough of the latter for...forever.

Kind of a weird line to draw there, given we've had more of the former than the latter. But I guess Garlemald does come in more flavors.

But the thing is, you actually haven't seen the 'mass-ceruleum mining operation'. In fact, the 'mass' part doesn't even exist; the slide for Shaaloani only says 'the discovery of ceruleum deposits in recent years has brought sweeping changes to the area', and we acutally haven't seen a single picture of the extraction operation; we've only seen the supporting infrastructure, some frontier towns, a railroad, some cranes. There's the mysterious tech-y dungeon (or the 'Inside A Gamer PC' dungeon), but there's also no indication it's related.

[Denishia]

Willing to bet that a conflict there is less the cerulean extraction and more that the newly introduced railroad is disrupting the migration route/hunting behavior that the locals have depended on for generations, thus creating the environmental conflict familiar to FF and a foil to the trolley enthusiasts.

[Lyth]

The trolley lives on. In our hearts and our souls and our memories.

I'd predict that there are plenty of other independent prospectors out there, like Whastrach, who have set up their own mining companies to capitalize on the ceruleum. I wouldn't be surprised if some of this eventually made its way back to Garlean hands by means of trading routes, but it looks like you'd have to go through either Sharlayan or Aerslaent to move the goods.

I suppose the real question is whether there are any bigger corporations out there that have stakes in this game. With the latest tier of Island Sanctuary seemingly being powered off of ceruleum, I wonder if anyone in Tural or the landmass to the north has thought to create their own Electric Power Company off of the principle.

[KageTokage]

Kind of a weird line to draw there, given we've had more of the former than the latter. But I guess Garlemald does come in more flavors.

But the thing is, you actually haven't seen the 'mass-ceruleum mining operation'. In fact, the 'mass' part doesn't even exist; the slide for Shaaloani only says 'the discovery of ceruleum deposits in recent years has brought sweeping changes to the area', and we acutally haven't seen a single picture of the extraction operation; we've only seen the supporting infrastructure, some frontier towns, a railroad, some cranes. There's the mysterious tech-y dungeon (or the 'Inside A Gamer PC' dungeon), but there's also no indication it's related.

The gigantic container of blue substance in that dungeon makes it scream "ceruleum refinery" to me but each to their own I suppose.

I also feel like said facility is probably the "surprise" that's being obscured in the Shalaaoni artwork.

[MikkoAkure]

But the thing is, you actually haven't seen the 'mass-ceruleum mining operation'. In fact, the 'mass' part doesn't even exist; the slide for Shaaloani only says 'the discovery of ceruleum deposits in recent years has brought sweeping changes to the area', and we acutally haven't seen a single picture of the extraction operation; we've only seen the supporting infrastructure, some frontier towns, a railroad, some cranes. There's the mysterious tech-y dungeon (or the 'Inside A Gamer PC' dungeon), but there's also no indication it's related.

The Shaaloani artwork has an industrial section with a bunch of active smokestacks amid an area with smoke/steam coming out of the ground and a train leading out of it. The description of the zone says that the changes brought on by the discovery includes the railroad so the two are 100% connected.

Plus the “tech-y dungeon” has a giant tank of blue liquid connected to pipes. Mako doesn’t exist in this world, at least not yet, but a source of energy in the form of a blue liquid does.

[Cassar]

Mostly curious about who's behind this seeming mass-ceruleum mining operation since the tech level involved is comparable to that of the Garleans or Allagans.

I wouldn't really mind it being tangentially related to the former, but I've had enough of the latter for...forever.

Oh you are going to HATE the Meracydia expansion then... Whenever that is.

Also can we talk about the Eliminator? Is that gonna be the big bad of Dawntrail? It looks gigantic, maybe he's the thing that's hidden behind the "secret" censor in Shaaloani

[Lyth]

My guess is that Valigarmanda will be the level 93 trial, and Eliminator will be the level 99 trial, given that they generally reveal the first two trial titles at FanFest alongside of the tribal quests. Hard to say if that big cylindrical glass tank connected up to pipes is designed as a sort of Mako reactor, or if something actually lives inside of it to produce those bubbles. If it's the latter, let's hope that the resulting boss fight track is a banger.

All this is speculation, of course. I wouldn't 100% anything, even if your gut tells you otherwise. If Viera could wear hats, I wouldn't be pinning one to any of this.

[Iscah]

My guess is that Valigarmanda will be the level 93 trial, and Eliminator will be the level 99 trial, given that they generally reveal the first two trial titles at FanFest alongside of the tribal quests.

Up until Endwalker didn't reveal either trial, anyway. I'd rather they keep us guessing.

Actually I'd rather not be told what to expect at all, but anyway. At least leave it uncertain when we'll be encountering the things.