Garlemald's redemption arc (Spoiler about 7.4)

[Raim]

Well firstly, we helped setup a small government in Garlemald and create trade relations with places like Radz-at-Han. It seems like Alphinaud and Alisaie are going back to further increase those trade relations. However, my hope is this is a way to write them out of the story, because SE knows we are sick and tired of the scions.

Secondly, if you did the Endwalker role quests, spoiler alert, Garlemald is forward-looking and finds its future on the moon.

Thirdly, we now know that winterers indeed seem to have little to do with winter itself. It's about some sort of withering of the shards themselves as a result of Hydaelyn not being around to maintain them, and the winterers are to survive that withering. As such, it's more likely we are going to other shards (and possibly even shard-hop), rather than going to Blindfrost.

The Rising poem was "In gleaming gold the sun does rise, the boundless sky it call. In silver pale the path of men, a white and endless pall," And the teaser text at the end of this patch was "Whither blows fate's wandering will? For grey clouds presage winter's chill..." Both of these HEAVILY imply at the very least a snow/ice themed expansion which could easily be Ilsabard and Blindfrost Isle. Or possibly the Sixth reflection, but it was destroyed by the ice calamity.

[Aidorouge]

The Rising poem was "In gleaming gold the sun does rise, the boundless sky it call. In silver pale the path of men, a white and endless pall," And the teaser text at the end of this patch was "Whither blows fate's wandering will? For grey clouds presage winter's chill..." Both of these HEAVILY imply at the very least a snow/ice themed expansion which could easily be Ilsabard and Blindfrost Isle. Or possibly the Sixth reflection, but it was destroyed by the ice calamity.

Maybe there will be some callbacks to the Fifth Umbral Era? Apparently its one of those where few things were recorded and knowledge was lost due to the harshness of trying to survive a literal ice age, so nobody was really jotting things down and probably burning tomes and artifacts to stay warm. It played significantly into Miqo'te lore, but that's about all that gets mentioned from that time.

I've wondered for a while now that instead of shard-hopping, Square-Enix will start falling back on previous Astral & Umbral Eras to expand on things to do and discover on the Source. Which, in a roundabout way is still "shard related content" given what caused those previous Calamities. Actually... didn't we find out at some point that when Rejoinings happen that parts of the lost worlds are absorbed into the Source, we just don't know where it all ends up?

[Pimsan20]

Maybe there will be some callbacks to the Fifth Umbral Era? Apparently its one of those where few things were recorded and knowledge was lost due to the harshness of trying to survive a literal ice age, so nobody was really jotting things down and probably burning tomes and artifacts to stay warm. It played significantly into Miqo'te lore, but that's about all that gets mentioned from that time.

I've wondered for a while now that instead of shard-hopping, Square-Enix will start falling back on previous Astral & Umbral Eras to expand on things to do and discover on the Source. Which, in a roundabout way is still "shard related content" given what caused those previous Calamities. Actually... didn't we find out at some point that when Rejoinings happen that parts of the lost worlds are absorbed into the Source, we just don't know where it all ends up?

And it’s very likely we might see ruins that belong to other shards that has their own key to travel between shards.

[Underscore]

Thirdly, we now know that winterers indeed seem to have little to do with winter itself. It's about some sort of withering of the shards themselves as a result of Hydaelyn not being around to maintain them, and the winterers are to survive that withering.

That's actually not quite true. "The withering" is a mistranslation in the English version. In Japanese, Halmarut says that a "harsh winter" is coming, following strange events that will shake the entire star. It may or may not be a winter in the literal sense, but that's the word she uses to describe it.

[Mouthbone]

I will genuinely unsub forever if the MSQ devolves into speedrunning Garlemald's "redemption arc"
I hope they never touch Garlemald ever again in the MSQ tbh

[TheMightyMollusk]

That would be nice to learn too. Not to mention if there are any Weapons left that we didn't know off.

If we get to bring back the Garland Gundam G-Warrior for another round, I'm down.

[Pimsan20]

That's actually not quite true. "The withering" is a mistranslation in the English version. In Japanese, Halmarut says that a "harsh winter" is coming, following strange events that will shake the entire star. It may or may not be a winter in the literal sense, but that's the word she uses to describe it.

Good to know, it made more sense on why Halmarut told Calyx to outlast the withering.