Xelphatol is a dungeon

[Atoli]

I really don't care, I'm disappointed for a different reason.
Story has been hinting on Ala Mhigo for a while now, but I still believed in Yoshi's words when he said people really want flying and swimming for the next expansion, and then we got flying for 3.0 so I naturally assumed 4.0 would be swimming.
Instead this dungeons confirms we are definitely going north/northeast, and the only thing that's there are mountains and another continent aka huge landmass with no reason for swimming >.>

[Derio]

I'm guessing swimming won't come for another 4 years

[Alexander_Dragonfang]

We are still going to Meracydia, you just wait and see. For us to go into Ala Mhigo the whole Ul'dah story line has to first come to and end, and the Sultana vs Monetarist thingy is far from over, without the support of Ul'dah and for that the rest of the whole Alliance there is no chance we ever go into Ala Mhigo which is now fully fledged Imperial City and Military Base, it puts the Castrums in Eorzea itself to shame, its probably commanded by another Legatus ala Baelsar or Hydrus if it isn`t where the Emperor itself left after leaving Hydrus to continue his journey into Azys Lla (asuming he left since he hasn`t appeared again).

No, even if we now go North, Ala Mhigo still far from our reach, too many thing have to happen in the next 2 or 3 patches (if 3.6 happens) for us to have a logical and realistic chance to head that way. My bet is that we going north just to find Yda and Papalymo and get their support, but they gonna tell us they are alright and that we have more pressing matters (Stoping the whole Azys Lla imperial experiments, Hydrus, Discovering the truth of the Allamigans vs Dragon thingy and facing the warrior of darkness, which happens this patch but i don`t see ending soon) and then send us back south while they stay up there playing the guerrilla wars against the empire while we go south to finally settle things with the Warriors of Darkness.

Omega still an important thing we all have forgotten, Sharlayan needs to be rebuilt too. If we hope to take onto Ala Mhigo we need to tie all the loose ends first.

Now, story can always go "sultana mode" and do all im saying which could perfectly be in 2 patches + new expansion long events in just 2 patches. And september we beat the Warriors of Darkness we barely even crossed ways and in December we suddenly fix the whole Ul'dah thing while we stop Hydrus and suddenly all 4 states say "that was fast, ok, to Ala Mhigo then".

[Bourne_Endeavor]

I really don't care, I'm disappointed for a different reason.
Story has been hinting on Ala Mhigo for a while now, but I still believed in Yoshi's words when he said people really want flying and swimming for the next expansion, and then we got flying for 3.0 so I naturally assumed 4.0 would be swimming.
Instead this dungeons confirms we are definitely going north/northeast, and the only thing that's there are mountains and another continent aka huge landmass with no reason for swimming >.>

Seeing how inconsequential flying turned out to be, I doubt they both with swimming, at least not in any meaningful way. If it ever does get implemented, I see it just being something we do but not a major feature nor one that will remotely impact where the expansion goes.

[FeliAiko]

Just because they said it came down to either Flying or Swimming with 3.0 doesn't mean that the latter would become 4.0's theme by default. Unless they outright said it would come with 4.0, then it's only players fault for getting ahead of themselves.

[ThirdChild_ZKI]

As a pretty big lorehead, I'm excited that we're journeying east. And the big question is why? Xelphatol is simply the mountain region that makes up most of Coerthas Eastern Highlands (also what kept Garlemald away from Ishgard), and the Eastern Lowlands are a region north of Ala Mhigo. . . which is a costal area btw. So swimming and/or sea travel is still a possiblity (albeit not without some danger due to Garlean occupation). So travelling through Xelphatol (this is purely speculation) would be the less dangerous means to reach AM. That is, if that's our reason for journeying east. . .

[EdwinLi]

I kind of expected this since Ala Mhigo areas are in control of the Garlean Empire's Forces. It is basically a means to create a path into the Ala Mhigo zone before the Expansion so we have a means to reach the Expansion area.

[Creltis]

I still find myself heading out into the Shroud to see if anything was done around the Imperial Fort there. Unless it was involved in beast tribe quests and I just don't know about it.

[Morningstar1337]

I still find myself heading out into the Shroud to see if anything was done around the Imperial Fort there. Unless it was involved in beast tribe quests and I just don't know about it.

One of the Sylph quests did involve a FATE in that general area

[alimdia]

I really don't care, I'm disappointed for a different reason.

Just saying, we getting to Gyr Abania means nothing about whether the expansion will be water focused or not, Gyr Abania likely will not be the only region we'll get to access, and Gyr Abania has a coast and many islands to the south, hell, they could use 4.0 as an introduction to Othard and let us access Thavnair earlier.

Besides, the wandering minstrel in the anniversary event dropped a hint saying "thy argent blade cleaves oceans deep.", whether this means anything about a water-themed future development it's up to you to believe.