Question regarding 9 new areas

[SecretCrowds]

The livestream mentioned 9 new areas. I have a question regarding this.

Currently, we have major areas such as The Black Shroud, Thanalan and La Noscea. We also have zones within these major areas such as Central Shroud, North Shroud, etc.

My question is, will those "9 new areas" be 9 new major areas or 9 new zones?
Will there be like a "Northern Floating Continent" or "West Ishgard"?

[Starlord]

My question is, will those "9 new areas" be 9 new major areas or 9 new zones?
Will there be like a "Northern Floating Continent" or "West Ishgard"?

Well if we are going off of the information they told us that each new area will be 50-100% bigger than the 2.0 areas. If it is 100% bigger, that's 2 2.0 zones put into 1. If they wanted too, they could have separated the 2 zones into 2 smaller zones ( what we have now in 2.0)

So if we were to get technical, if we use 2.0 logic we are getting ( Including Ishgard/Floating continent *FC*) around 12-18 new areas.

However, since this is 3.0 and they are expanding the areas for the new zones we see it as 7 new areas ( excluding Ishgard and FC)

If you do the math, we are getting roughly the same amount of land to transverse in 3.0 comparing to 2.0. ( maybe a little bit more than 2.0)

[Antanias]

Ishgard Foundation, Ishgard Pillars, Coerthas Western Hignlands, Dravanian Forelands, Dravanian Hinterlands, The Churning Mists, The Sea of Clouds...and if I had to guess the Floating Continent might be split into two.

[OMEGA_HACK]

Do we know for a fact that the Floating Continent is going to be an overworld/free-roam area and not the new 24-man raid content? I thought the FC was just teased at the end of the "Exploring the new realms" in a montage flash of stuff (I could be wrong).

But if that is the case and FC is a raid dungeon, then that means they have only shown us 7 of the 9 new areas (as FC would no longer be counted as an area).

So possibly: Ishgard Foundation, Ishgard Pillars, Coerthas Western Hignlands, Dravanian Forelands, Dravanian Hinterlands, The Churning Mists, The Sea of Clouds, Ruins of Sharlayan, and Ruins of Ala'Mhigo

EDITED 10:42
Based on the image shown with the "demon book" in the library and Sharlayan being destroyed there is a good chance we will have to go to that area since Sharlayan was a scholarly place.

[Whocareswhatmynameis]

If I had to guess, I would say THIS is the floating continent. It doesn't look like a raid to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B00X-tzngoA

[OMEGA_HACK]

If I had to guess, I would say THIS is the floating continent. It doesn't look like a raid to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B00X-tzngoA

That is the Sea of Clouds Zone: shown also here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2UJyq9NyVY#t=5m41s

Floating Continent during the montage at the end of that video and here are some screen captures.

Concept Art:


Video Screen Captures:



Basically FC has that green/red/yellow hue sky. Which the setup of it makes it appear to be a dungeon/raid more than anything else.

[Blueyes]

But if that is the case and FC is a raid dungeon, then that means they have only shown us 7 of the 9 new areas (as FC would no longer be counted as an area).

I'm not sure if I should go into too much detail, but there are two certain areas from 1.0 that people have begun to speculate may return.

[OMEGA_HACK]

I'm not sure if I should go into too much detail, but there are two certain areas from 1.0 that people have begun to speculate may return.

Which zones would that be? I played 1.0 in its entirety, what zones would you be thinking of? I mean I know there is the fabled West Shroud that is apparently in the game but not there limbo, if that is what you are speaking of, but not quite sure the other zone, oh wait the south side of Mor Dhona?

I could possibly see West Shroud getting implemented but the way that the "northern" part of the Lake in Mor Dhona leads directly into Thanalan makes me wonder how they will justify that.

[Kotemon]

Which zones would that be? I played 1.0 in its entirety, what zones would you be thinking of? I mean I know there is the fabled West Shroud that is apparently in the game but not there limbo, if that is what you are speaking of, but not quite sure the other zone, oh wait the south side of Mor Dhona?

I could possibly see West Shroud getting implemented but the way that the "northern" part of the Lake in Mor Dhona leads directly into Thanalan makes me wonder how they will justify that.

Coerthas Western Hignlands was the area where Snowcloak lead to before it was frozen off by the wall of ice. However that's the only 1.0 area I'm aware of by name. The Sea of clouds is listed on the atlas and fishing maps as being the area around or in back of Ishgard. To my knowledge it was never more than the place you go sky fishing at behind Whitebrim.

It's speculated that the Central Lowlands (the area between Mor Dhona and Coerthas) could be a second 1.0 area but I doubt Alexander is shown in Ewe Lake. That field in the Dravanian Hinterlands clip looks more like the location of that raid. Unless that PVP area in the letter was an old 1.0 location for quests.

[OMEGA_HACK]

I made this back in 1.0 but to serve as a reference. Those are the only areas in which I can think were not in the 2.0 (the south part of Eastern Thanalan was obviously ruined by the calamity (which is now the area with the mirrorknights) instead they gave access to a completely new area (south thanalan proper) with the desert and the Am'ja stronghold.

The other half of Mor Dhona just simply "vanished" it doesn't look to wrecked when you look across the lake but still cannot access. West Shroud just up and disappeared, I assume calamity destroyed most of it because the zone line from C.Shroud to N.Shroud has dead trees and no grass as if something wrecked it to hell and back. Which leaves us with the old "southern" portion of Coerthas that magically disappeared, as the lake doesn't exist anymore, however it in that portion of the map where Darkhold or Aurum Vale was, iirc, so unless Darkhold/Aurum Vale magically moved more north then the southern part of Coerthas is already included but has suffered from massive geographical changes.

All in all it just seems that the only two places they could add that were existing 1.0 places would be West Shround, Southern Eastern Thanalan or the other half of Mor Dhona.