Revelations from JP Fan Fest (January 2024)

[Raiya]

For Solution 9, I'm leaning hard on them being a civilization from another shard that managed to teleport their way there during the last calamity (they're originally from the shard that was re-joined but were advanced enough to keep the core of their civilization intact during the process). They've then kept a low profile for the last number of years as they've been in the process of figuring out just what their new home looks like.

They're far too advanced looking for the source to have been there a longer amount than a couple of years as their tech would definitely have attracted the Ascians or Garlemalds attention before now. It's not impossible to rule them out being a shoot off of the Allagan Empire at some point but given their level of tech too much time would have passed for them to not have significant influence on the planet at that point. Even Garlemald at it's height had projected power and influence over half the world.

It's still all hypothesis right now but a civilization from a fallen shard that managed to survive a re-joining would be a big deal expecially for Y'shtola as she would be all over that in her side quest to develop intershard transport.

[YianKutku]

We've done this before, all our predictions about Endwalker were totally broken because we bigged up the moon too much. Granted, that was fairly understandable as a mistake.

Not necessarily. I'm approaching this as Solution Nine being like Elpis, in terms of story revelations, although its status as a player hub would probably mean it will feature early on (so maybe the second half of Labyrinthos).

And Elpis was a major story revelation, which still does not change the impact of the bigger story revelation of Ultima Thule.

I don't think this is a case of Gohn in ShB, where there was the big fiery devastation and Urianger calling Y'shtola "Master Matoya", and it turned out to just be backstory. I think it is going to have interesting lore discoveries, even if its presence here being revealed during Fanfest means it's not going to be the biggest twist.

[Cleretic]

Ooooor.... Maybe it's just that it's new to us as of this FanFest and looks really really cool and unlike anything we've seen before, brain found connection and made the happy chemicals, and my neurodivergent mind loves looking for meaning in the funny letters :P

I know it feels a little bit rude and stick-in-the-mud, but honestly, I feel like I can see the next half a year laid out in front of me in just people's responses to that particular thing, because I don't see this as just being a 'fresh new thing' sort of speculation that'll quiet down in a week or two. I think people are gonna fixate HARD on this one.

And I actually suspect that fixation's gonna lead to people making progressively more incorrect predictions, as we just start pre-emptively complexifying a twist that's probably not gonna be a huge swerve in the first place.

[Iscah]

They're far too advanced looking for the source to have been there a longer amount than a couple of years as their tech would definitely have attracted the Ascians or Garlemalds attention before now. It's not impossible to rule them out being a shoot off of the Allagan Empire at some point but given their level of tech too much time would have passed for them to not have significant influence on the planet at that point.

That depends how those "neon lights" are powered and the technological path required to get there.

Given that the area is apparently rich in lightning aether, they might have actually taken a pretty simple magical route (along with some coincidental aesthetics) to go very directly to aether-powered glowing stuff without a lot of time or development necessary.

The stereotypical route would be that it's the evil empire draining the land of aether, particularly given the allusions to FF7 – but if they wanted to go a surprising route, it could counterintuitively be "living in harmony with nature" for a very specific and unusual type of nature.

That said, it seems conspicuous that we haven't been shown or informed of any residents of this city and that may be the answer to its mystery, albeit one that I actually hope we don't get told the answer to until we play the game for ourselves.

[Kuroka]

For Solution 9, I'm leaning hard on them being a civilization from another shard that managed to teleport their way there during the last calamity (they're originally from the shard that was re-joined but were advanced enough to keep the core of their civilization intact during the process). They've then kept a low profile for the last number of years as they've been in the process of figuring out just what their new home looks like.

They're far too advanced looking for the source to have been there a longer amount than a couple of years as their tech would definitely have attracted the Ascians or Garlemalds attention before now. It's not impossible to rule them out being a shoot off of the Allagan Empire at some point but given their level of tech too much time would have passed for them to not have significant influence on the planet at that point. Even Garlemald at it's height had projected power and influence over half the world.

It's still all hypothesis right now but a civilization from a fallen shard that managed to survive a re-joining would be a big deal expecially for Y'shtola as she would be all over that in her side quest to develop intershard transport.

Well while im torn between ALIENS (lol), Allag or even Acient remains or shard, shard just suits too well after emet told us about "civilizations that would surprise us".
Though IF they are from an shard that got destroyed, they might have used ways to protect themselfs and ride along the aether flowing back, thus not helping y'stola...

[Bonoki]

Solution 9 is the name of one of Zidane's trance attacks from FF9 which Viper is indirectly based on. My guess is Solution 9, Aliens, Tera. Its a reach but I ain't got nothing else.

[Iscah]

Well while im torn between ALIENS (lol), Allag or even Acient remains or shard, shard just suits too well after emet told us about "civilizations that would surprise us".

Are we not allowed to be surprised by anything not of extra-shardic origin until we've finished ticking off Emet's bucket list?

[YianKutku]

A bit of random trivia about "Arcadion": the Japanese subtitle is "至天の座", which I would roughly translate to "heavenly seat", or possibly "the seat of (going to) heaven".

Does anyone have any insight on the source of the name "Arcadion"?

[Kuroka]

No but as they kinda pushed really hard on gettin it done... i mean, we kinda are halfway through it and now its onto the new world, which was another point. Id prefer one per expansion as well but they seem to be determined to rush through it.

We also did get teased there were others out there, so ofc we know we are not alone, meteion did not get everyone and we know even where she hit, some survived. Again, id hope for some visitors as well, its just it feels like they wanna rush through it and this would be a way gettin it done, without the pressure of us entering another shard...


Id be also very pleased about a "we wanted to find the ones that stopped her" or "we learned from where the end came and wanted revenge..." plot.

EDIT:
Right! that one concept screenshot we got: https://imgur.com/4GeAiUv

Those are ships, fighters and id say carriers? That definitely looks Alien, if not Alien Invasion....

[Anonymoose]

Does anyone have any insight on the source of the name "Arcadion"?

My first thought was that there are a lot of places IRL that use the similar name "Arcadia" to hark back to a region of ancient Greece associated with being an idyllic refuge, but that usually carried associations with unspoiled wilderness so I'm not terribly confident I'm barking up the right tree.