Thread: [SPOILERS] Revelations from Patch 3.3

Originally Posted by Alberel

Gotta wonder where the story is going to lead though... Given the Garlean presence in Dravania it's obvious that they are still an immediate threat that needs to be dealt with. With Ishgard reunited with the Eorzean Alliance the Grand Companies are finally in a position to strike back against the invaders, and the first step to doing that is retaking Ala Mhigo. Given all the unresolved plot hooks for Raubahn and Ilberd leading us there as well it just makes so much sense for Ala Mhigo to be our next destination.

Something really random and unexpected would have to happen in 3.4 and 3.5 to cause us to consider Thavnair a more pressing priority, unless it was somehow rolled into the same expansion.

Honestly Thavnair, Doma and all those exotic locations seem to me like post-story expansions in the same vein as Aht Urghan and Seekers from XI (i.e. they're self-contained stories for after we've dealt with Garlemald and Zodiark).

Given that 4.0 was said to be taking place in another continent, it seems unlikely that Ala Mhigo would be the main focus since it's not another continent. My personal thoughts were that it would be either Thavnair or Sharlayan (the country, not the settlement). Thavnair because we have a precedent for three Scions already having gone there, and Sharlayan because we might need to kick their indifferent asses into gear and obviously, because our Scions studied there. It seems impossible to me that we won't be going to Sharlayan at some point in the future anyway.

So I finally did my MSQ:

Over all I enjoyed it. I admit I expected something more complicated in how we save Estinien but still, it worked even if it was a bit cheesy. I would point out that an event like that isn't entirely without president in FF14. Hell, in the lvl 50 WHM quest you have a guy who has been dead for a lot longer than that manifest and help. Interestingly he specifically mentioned that it was with Hydaelyn's permission and due to us being her champion that it allowed it to happen. I suspect it requires rather extraordinary conditions for it to happen.

On another note, I was disappointed Alberic didn't make a cameo (after all Estinien is his foster son) but the got major points from me for including Vedrfolnir. It's also nice to know Aymeric and Alphinaud were getting slapped around for a change as well. I kind of hope that if the Dravanians ever get involved in Eorzean Alliance stuff that Vedrfolnir makes another showing. After all, him and Aymeric seem to get on well enough.

I think this will wrap up Ishgard's story for a while. We will have a few side quest things but I doubt it will be the central focus. Estinien will almost certainly end up a Scion at some point I think though maybe not for now. He is a free agent though so we will almost certainly see him around. I am glad we will be moving away from Ishgard now. I have really enjoyed HW but I am getting a little over Ishgard, Alpine landscapes and dragons.

The hook at the end was probably the most disappointing part simply cause it really didn't give us much to go on. I think its highly likely we will see Nidhogg's eyes recovered as batteries. Yoshi P has said in the past that the Ascians will take more of a back seat after the end of the 3.x saga for a while so I think whatever is building will reach its pitch in 3.5. We also have the reveal of what Midgardsormr was guarding still to be revealed and the Heart of Sabik to make an appearance again, both which have been said will happen in this expansion cycle. Perhaps its not Omega itself which is the major threat but its power source. What if charging up the Heart of Sabik had an alternate purpose beyond just sowing chaos. 3.2 seemed to indicate that whatever the Source is, the Ascians don't have access too it. Perhaps that's what all this messing around with Ultima and Omega could be about. Destroying the seal that keeps them from the Source maybe?

Well Ill move on to the Warring Triad stuff next.

<Rambling ahead>

Are the Ascians even aware of Ilberd? I mean, they probably are but they've never mentioned him directly and as far as we know Teledji and Ilberd weren't acting due to Ascian manipulation - they did so due to greed, selfishness and misguided pride. If 4.0 is going to be light on Ascian activity then either we deal them a major blow before that point or the premise of 4.0 is based around them succeeding and we clean up after them. I'm hoping for the latter scenario, personally, since it'll feel rather cheap if Elidbus dies without succeeding after such a long build up.

Originally Posted by Theodric

<Rambling ahead>

Are the Ascians even aware of Ilberd? I mean, they probably are but they've never mentioned him directly and as far as we know Teledji and Ilberd weren't acting due to Ascian manipulation - they did so due to greed, selfishness and misguided pride. If 4.0 is going to be light on Ascian activity then either we deal them a major blow before that point or the premise of 4.0 is based around them succeeding and we clean up after them. I'm hoping for the latter scenario, personally, since it'll feel rather cheap if Elidbus dies without succeeding after such a long build up.

That's not rambling. What I do is ramble to try and cover all the bases.

There's no conclusive evidence either way. Despite strong suspicion Ascians were involved with the Ul'dahn Revolution arc after 2.55, nothing has come of that. Lolorito turned out to just be using the Handmaiden as a pawn, slipping Nanamo a different poison (one that asphyxiated then made her comatose... however that works).

It's just in peoples' nature to suspect the Ascians will be involved with Omega, given Lahabrea was so closely involved with the Ultima Weapon and the two are functionally similar. Ilberd is also a rogue element who would benefit greatly from having that kind of power at his command, so naturally people are going to try and connect the two.

That said, Omega is still a scrap heap buried in Cartenau. Given this, the fact it would take numerous master machinists to refurbish it quickly, it still needs a fuel source, and that the Ascians are going to take a more backseat approach for 4.0, the chances of them helping Ilberd (etc.) excavate, refurbish, and fuel it before then seem slim at best.

Originally Posted by Theodric

Regarding Estinien:

Honestly, for a while I genuinely thought he was in love with Aymeric. I thought the flowers were intended for him...or Alphinaud. Though it turns out they're for Ysayle, apparently. I liked the 'retracing our steps' quests. It gave some neat insight into what we've done and how things are playing out in the aftermath. I do hope we get more of it in the future.

All of the above.

Nothing to say that both aren't true. He clearly had developed respect for Ysayle during the course of 3.0, so him wanting to honor her memory makes sense. That doesn't preclude a thing with him and Aymeric, and personally, unless and until the devs say otherwise, that's my headcanon and I'm sticking to it.

Question, do the retracing quests give a time frame of how long HW has lasted?

Originally Posted by Pomelo

Question, do the retracing quests give a time frame of how long HW has lasted?

Originally Posted by Dualblade

Apparently it was all over a few days/a week at most. Which is in line with it still being 5 years after Bahamut went and raged across the land.

Personally I just discard that and go with a few months atleast, but thats me >>

It's not still 5 years after Bahamut, it's been approximately 6 years since that. As for the events of 3.0, it would make sense for them to have happened over the course of a few weeks rather than months. In 2.0, you had Minfilia periodically telling you to take a break until the next mission, or the Scions' antics at the Rising Stones to indicate a slower, somewhat more relaxed pace. Then there is also the fact that 2.0 essentially consisted of several smaller Primal killing plots contained within the overarching MSQ plot of opposing the Garleans and Ascians. On the other hand, 3.0 was a series of catastrophes happening one after the other: we babysit one Fortemps brother and then immediately move on the next one, after which we already have accusations of heresy being thrown at us and ours, and all the while the threat of Nidhogg is hanging overhead. 3.1 only gave us a brief respite, just long enough to get acquainted with Krile and be reunited with Thancred, and also introduced new foes. 3.2 gave us some devastating news about Minfilia and balanced it out with some fun and games with the Eorzean Alliance before ending on a bad note. There simply hasn't been as much time to fool around in 3.x as there was in 2.x. Not only were we in foreign lands, but we were also undergoing a crisis with the majority of the Scions missing. As such, it makes sense for the events of 3.0 to have taken place precipitately.