8.0 - 100% Confirmed.

[Musashidon]

6.x seemed to lay the roots for a Meracydia expansion, which would much more likely have FF6 and possibly FF10 themes given what we know about the place.

the 6.x post patches set up for a new shard not meracydia, and with us getting the shard merger this expansion and the current direction of this post expansion it also pointing us to a new shard.

[TaleraRistain]

the 6.x post patches set up for a new shard not meracydia, and with us getting the shard merger this expansion and the current direction of this post expansion it also pointing us to a new shard.

That may be part of the wider arc but it's not like right this second we know how to work the Key. We could go to Meracydia either just to continue Emet's list or as part of the path to learning how to work the Key and gain the ability to go to new shards.

[Musashidon]

That may be part of the wider arc but it's not like right this second we know how to work the Key. We could go to Meracydia either just to continue Emet's list or as part of the path to learning how to work the Key and gain the ability to go to new shards.

we both know in 2 patches y'shtola will know how it works. plus we dont *need* the key to go to new shards we need the key to merge them, i wont say its impossible to have a meracydia expansion but nothing besides something said during endwalker to go off of when we have had 2 post content expansions hinting at shard travel makes more sense.

[Hyperia]

the 6.x post patches set up for a new shard not meracydia, and with us getting the shard merger this expansion and the current direction of this post expansion it also pointing us to a new shard.

If I remember my lore correctly, there is a massive void gate in Mericydia and with the key to stabilize it, could be used to go to all of the shards. Going to the continent down under is also supported by the fact that quite a few developers went there for R&D, taking lots of photos several years ago.

I expect the first half of 8.0 goes down to Mericydia and the second part to the 13th to stabilize it like the 1st. After that, future expansions take place on the remaining shards until they all collapse sometime in 10.0.

[Musashidon]

I expect the first half of 8.0 goes down to Mericydia and the second part to the 13th to stabilize it like the 1st. After that, future expansions take place on the remaining shards until they all collapse sometime in 10.0.

i will say before dawntrail/base dawntrail i was thinking it would be a void only expansion, now i am torn between if they would do a 1 thing expansion like that but with maybe the 9th or maybe a split between 1st/void, i will also be happy with a brand new shard not related to any talked about so far.

course if i am honest with the recent end of patch 7.3 i kinda suspect it may be partially the 9th since we know about it, there is already a strong connection to it, the big bad of that world isnt gone both bad guy and ascian wise plus its fully broken still unlike the void or the 1st but we will have to wait til fan fest to truely find out.

since no matter how sure i feel about it, its still all speculation se can always curveball us.