[SPOILERS] Revelations from Patch 3.3

[Fenral]

(3.3 MSQ) If we really must debate this:

The patch ended with Paladark standing over the Steps of Faith, gazing into the abyss (as it gazed back?). While it certainly doesn't have to mean anything, any more than that energy signature Nero missed out on finding below Syrcus Tower has to mean anything, I at least think I know what we're supposed to think. The Eyes will resurface somewhere in a greatly diminished role, with or without Lahabrea. I just like thinking he's trapped in there because the idea amuses me to no end. He could end up as this game's Sigma.

But... it could all have just been Eldibus confirming the kill, and Paladark's seemingly sinister smirk acually meant "Nice job, guys." We'll find out at the end of the patch cycle, I'm sure.

[Nalien]

I think the camera angles made it painfully obvious what was going on in that scene...

Starts with an establishing shot, putting us on the right side of the bridge well after the battle was won, then they specifically focus on the either Blanhaerz, or the abyss... There is an obvious focus on where we threw the eyes; It's entirely ambiguous, I really don't think we can out right say the eyes are gone for good... It could be a retrieval, or they could simply want to make sure we've lost the tool we used to slay the last Ascian, though the later seems kind of unlikely given we have Hraesvelgr and Midgardsormr at our side now, possibly even Tiamat...

I disagree with the notion that the eyes reentering the plot would make them the sole focus... We have no idea what Elidibus has in store for them, if he has anything planned for them at all... It's entirely possible that they could be used up entirely, rather than remain as they did with the Ascalon... There is also the possibility that we out right destroy them following their return, or seal them away properly... That was the plan, after all... Both Estiniens and Haldraths... Both wished to take them out of the reach of man and dragon both, and Nidhogg returned to get in the way of that... Now Nidhogg is gone-gone, and we have a scene ambiguously focusing on their new resting place... The possibility is there IMO...

And again, Yoshida mentioned that we'd find it less stupid that Estinien picked them up at the end of 3.0... Why? Nothing has made that seems any more or less stupid... All that's happened is we've thrown them away and the Warriors of Darkness are interested in that fact... At the very least, that implies we've made a bigger mistake than Estinien in casually throwing them away... Doesn't mean they'll be retrieved, but again, we have four, maybe six other eyes we can borrow to aether-blast Elidibus... I'm doubtful, after Hraesvelgr was convinced after Midgardsormr mentioned how he hopes this is a new foundation to battle the Darkness, and after Hraesvelgr already let us borrow his eye, that they'd deny us such a tool to battle the Warriors of Darkness... If Elidibus simply wanted to make sure we'd lost our aether-blasting balls, well... Might as well continue the XIV tradition of stupid antagonists, I guess... "They've lost Nidhoggs eyes after borrowing Hraesvelgrs! They have no more eyes to blast us with!", "What?! You borrowed Hraesvelgrs eye again?! Unpossible!", yeah... Lets avoid sending Elidibus out like that please...

That's to say nothing of Lahabrea, I'm not going to bother repeating that argument, everything that can be said on that has been said... I'll just continue to hope he returns because for some reason that line of speculation seems to annoy some people... I'd like a recurring villain we actually fight and who gets more and more twisted with every encounter and Lahabrea is the perfect candidate, we had our Seymour fight in Praetorium, then he came back as Ascian Prime for a Seymour Natus, now I'm waiting for him to rise out of that abyss for a Seymour Flux battle...

[Cilia]

I didn't mean it as a personal challenge, but more as a general statement to various ideas about the Eyes.

Blanhaerz (Paladark / WoD!Broegadyn - Darklander refers to him by name in the stinger) was probably just there to observe the events and make sure they all played out as per Elidibus' script and intervene if it became necessary. That's what my money's on, at least. His tilted head was likely just because he was making a call, as all characters seem to tilt their heads down, and the camera zoomed out to show us he was in Coerthas, near the Steps of Faith, and was thus observing our fight.

As for the psycho grin, it seems to be Blanhaerz' default expression (he made the same smile when trying to cut Shtola).

They could be going for the Eyes, sure. But again, due to the fact the story would devolve into a contest to see who can control them, I'm fairly confident us throwing them from the Steps of Faith into the misty abyss was a story cue that they're gone forever.

Fun fact: Blanhaerz translates to "Grand Darkness" in Roegadyn. I get the sneaking suspicion he's not a very nice person.

[Morningstar1337]

More eye speculation

Maybe without Nidhogg's "soul" the Eyes would had became just fragile rocks, devoid of ether and likely shattered at the bottom of that abyss?

[Grayve]

On the eyes:

They seemed dead to me. No glow or radiance of aether like they had before. I am not sure why we had to throw them off the bridge, perhaps they simply cannot be destroyed, but it didn't feel as final as I thought it should. They left themselves an out if they want to bring them back, which of course makes me think they will be brought back.

[Chewy2nd]

From the epilogue questline

It's interesting that Lolorito gave so many assets to the crown, maybe he really isn't that bad of a guy? lol. Raubahn definately seemed to be hinting that we're gonna have a rematch with Ilberd someday.

[Yuella]

I noticed that The Maelstorm have beastmasters in the Hullbreaker Isle. I hope Yoshida doesn't give up on pet jobs and introduce the BST job, either branching off Marauders (since they're introduced by the Maelstorm anyway) or their own advance job.

[Morningstar1337]

From the epilogue questline

It's interesting that Lolorito gave so many assets to the crown, maybe he really isn't that bad of a guy? lol. Raubahn definately seemed to be hinting that we're gonna have a rematch with Ilberd someday.

I feel like asking if this part is really spoiler worthy. The detail in question came from a sidestory on the official site

[Berethos]

From the epilogue questline

It's interesting that Lolorito gave so many assets to the crown, maybe he really isn't that bad of a guy? lol. Raubahn definately seemed to be hinting that we're gonna have a rematch with Ilberd someday.

He's a businessman, through and through, and will swing his fortune in the direction that he believes has the most benefit for him in the long run. With a move like that he's effectively buy goodwill, which could be of use to him in the future.

[SuperFlorinjin]

In Revenant's Toll the dialogue of the Scions there has been updated again and two of the NPC's specifically mention Thavanair in their dialogue. The two that fled there after 2.0's ill fated banquet.Since there isn't a whole lot of Eorzea left to explore I think it's likely that we'll be exploring those locations - and Ala Mhigo might not be an actual capital city that we visit but Thavnair will instead be our base for the next expansion. It's an island, after all - and it's been teased that the next expansion might revolve around water and swimming.

That's actually not a bad theory. Is Thavanair located anywhere near Ala Mhigo? It definitely wouldn't really make sense for Ala Mhigo to be the next hub city what with it being occupied by an army that wants us super dead.