8.0 speculation

[EdwinLi]

Well teaser released so...

looks like the focus will be the Shard that focus on Ice element and the main goal will be to figure out a way to fuse all shards back to the Source safely.

Also, looks like the civilization we will meet is some kind of high tech sky island civilization since they needed to advance technology to survive in the sky while everything below became frozen.

[Zero-ELEC]

the main goal will be to figure out a way to fuse all shards back to the Source safely.

Wouldn't be so sure about that, personally. "Unite the stars unto one." is not the same as "Unite the stars into one".

[EdwinLi]

Wouldn't be so sure about that, personally. "Unite the stars unto one." is not the same as "Unite the stars into one".

I do not feel it will be the same as what the Ascians had planned.

My guess is that it will be more of fusing the shards into the source so the parts that are not damaged become part of the world. Thus, all locations remain the same but now the world is much larger with places that original were the Shards but only the part not damaged by Element alignment issues the Ascian created.

[Pimsan20]

So now that we know the title of the expansion, we have to wonder why the 4th is impotent to saving the shards. Any idea?

[EdwinLi]

So now that we know the title of the expansion, we have to wonder why the 4th is impotent to saving the shards. Any idea?

Most likely related to the Elemental alignment issue with shards.

If I have to guess, allowing a Shard to become at the edge is causing instability that is also affecting the Source. If the Shard that the Ascians have already caused to be very close to full elemental instability to cause a Calamity is not rejoined or fixed soon, it may cause a chain reaction that leads to all shards destruction and eventually the Source.

[Pimsan20]

And i think the beings we see on the trailer, let's call them Jötun for now. Are like the sin eaters and voidsents. Beings created when an elemental alignments went to far on one element.

[LyrisAdamanteia]

The current trend seems to be blending the protagonists and antagonists of previous titles and having them play antagonistic roles in the plotline, which is likely why people are reading the leaves and coming up with that. I would prefer an original plotline instead of a loose adaptation of a previous entry, but that does seem to be the direction things are headed if post-Endwalker's Void Arc and Dawntrail are accurate bellwethers.

Were I a betting man (and I assure you, I am not) my money would be on X.

Gaius is just Vayne in Gabranth's armor. HW ends with a fight against Knights of the Round, Zenos is the Sephiroth expy (every trait except personality), Emet-Selch is just Zemus with better PR. There is nothing truly original in this game, the only difference is between references to more popular games which you might know and the less popular games which you wouldn't.

ETA: Anyway I've been obsessively combing over the trailer and I've noticed a couple things, what happened to the fourth feels like a second retread of the background of FFIII (specifically the DS version) whereas the Void got the 2D version of events where the land was simply flooded by darkness it seems the fourth has the freezing aspect introduced in the DS version. In both cases we see the inhabitants have taken to the skies. Also the mentions of the promised land do give me VII vibes. Also the portal Meteor and the HW boys falls out of is most definitely the opposite side of the portal we're entering in the 7.5 trailer. Finally, assuming the old lady is one too, this might be the only monoracial shard given every other shown character is an Au Ra. With that said in that way its kinda like Au Ra HW (fitting to have the crew minus Ysayle (she deserved better) there).

[Zero-ELEC]

Gaius is just Vayne in Gabranth's armor. HW ends with a fight against Knights of the Round, Zenos is the Sephiroth expy (every trait except personality), Emet-Selch is just Zemus with better PR. There is nothing truly original in this game, the only difference is between references to more popular games which you might know and the less popular games which you wouldn't.

ETA: Anyway I've been obsessively combing over the trailer and I've noticed a couple things, what happened to the fourth feels like a second retread of the background of FFIII (specifically the DS version) whereas the Void got the 2D version of events where the land was simply flooded by darkness it seems the fourth has the freezing aspect introduced in the DS version. In both cases we see the inhabitants have taken to the skies. Also the mentions of the promised land do give me VII vibes. Also the portal Meteor and the HW boys falls out of is most definitely the opposite side of the portal we're entering in the 7.5 trailer. Finally, assuming the old lady is one too, this might be the only monoracial shard given every other shown character is an Au Ra. With that said in that way its kinda like Au Ra HW (fitting to have the crew minus Ysayle (she deserved better) there).

The hooded lady is a miqo'te.

[Voidmage]

I am actually mostly interested in the mention of this being a saga of a "godless realm".
Does it allude to there being no more Ascians who could control the chaos they have caused through a rejoining, to the long lost era of the Ancients and the need of the life today to "do it's own thing" or is it actually literal in the form of there being no gods to help out mortals and such?

Right now Evercold gives me extreme Shb vibes but I don't think we will see an actual retelling of that. The focus on the old woman, the repeated mention of the pictures and Screenshots showing no ice as well as the notion of uniting the shards in some way or form makes me think, that there is some heavy bait and switch going on here.

[LyrisAdamanteia]

The hooded lady is a miqo'te.

Yeah, just rewatched the trailer, her tail is real hard to see if you're not looking for it.