My hopes for Kugane/Doma in Stormblood.

[Khalithar]

So this is something that came to my mind recently after re-watching the trailer and looking at some of the screenshots and reading the information we've gotten. First let me say that June can't be here fast enough!

That being said, watching who the Samurai fights and knowing the lore that is a generally isolationist island off the coast of Doma, I'm going to assume that Kugane is also under Garlean control and that the soldiers we see facing off against the Samurai dude are Doman/Kugane soldiers that answer to the Garleans. That lead me to what I want to see, that we overthrow the Garleans there by force and the resistance movement which I assume is still there starts to take the fight to the Garleans directly.

We are smuggled in to Kugane and the whole city is kept under a strict martial law as the Garleans tolerate no resistance or rebellion in the cities they control, there will be walled off districts and even patrols through the streets that we have to avoid. Maybe even patrolling boss level monsters that will destroy you if they spot you. Forcing you to lay low and start picking off Garlean informants and loyalists as you start to rally the various districts together. As you weaken the Garleans it soon goes in to a full on war in the streets as the previous blocked off districts are taken by the rebels, giving you access to areas deeper in the city.

Culminating in an awesome battle against whoever the current ruler is, some second in command or high ranking subordinate to whichever Garlean officer is in charge of Doma. From there the entire island of Kugane becomes the primary stronghold for the resistance as we prepare to attack Doma itself, with the help of the various factions and captured Garlean weapons we punch a hole in the walls and attack the leader directly, taking him out and forcing the rest of the Garleans to surrender to liberate the entire place.

I'd really like to see the atmosphere of the place change from the oppressed city to a free city as we slowly wrest control of the island back from the Garleans to use it as a staging point on Doma itself.

That got a little long winded, just wanted to share my thoughts on this and ask if anyone else had anything they particularly wanted to see as far as development and the storyline goes.

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

Kugane actually isn't under Garlean control, at least not officially. The Encyclopedia makes note that Yugiri and hers tried to flee to Hingashi after Doma fell, but were turned away because its leaders didn't want to provoke the Garleans occupying mainland Othard.

I'm sure the Garleans have a presence in Kugane - especially considering it's the only port open to foreign trade - but based on what we know so far, it's not an occupied territory.

As for what I'd like to see, I want it to explore Auri culture, both of the Xaela and Raen, as well as provide an exploration of what life is like in a Garlean colony. Othard isn't as cosmopolitan as Eorzea, and I'm very curious to learn more about the other cultures in the world (which will hopefully be more than just 1-1 counterparts with their real-world influences). I'm sort of in "wait and see" mode for much of the rest of it; there's a lot I'm very curious about, but good story aside, I don't have a very long list of specifics.