Thread: Predictions for Patch 4.4

Originally Posted by YianKutku

"The Burn" and "Suzaku" are just tentative names for now, probably because they're mostly just describing what goes on in those instances, and they haven't figured out a suitably poetic name for the actual duty location yet.

I'm also wondering why we're going back into Saint Mocianne's Arboretum. More seeds? Violet seeds, maybe?

Suzaku would be waiting on a title (since trials are named by location rather than opponent) but unless there's a more specific location name, "the Burn" seems in line with normal dungeon naming pattern. (Those two are labeled 'tentative' in the original article though, I'll correct that.)

I figure the Arboretum might just be a 'disconnected sidequest' like the original one was. I checked the quest script and we were originally going there to obtain seeds for the Idyllshire residents to grow crops. What could possibly go wrong - especially when it concludes with someone saying they have a feeling that "growing [the seeds] will make getting them seem easy"???

Originally Posted by Iscah

I figure the Arboretum might just be a 'disconnected sidequest' like the original one was. I checked the quest script and we were originally going there to obtain seeds for the Idyllshire residents to grow crops. What could possibly go wrong - especially when it concludes with someone saying they have a feeling that "growing [the seeds] will make getting them seem easy"???

They might have already paid off the seed quote a little bit(im doing this from memory, so it might not be 100% right). This happened during the stormblood botanist questline. Youre helping the botanists of idyllshire try to shore up their food supply, and at some point in that series you get told that some of what they already have growing is because of the seeds you helped get from the arboretum. And indeed, you had to jump through a few hoops to get everything going well, so growing them wasnt super easy.

Originally Posted by Frizze

They might have already paid off the seed quote a little bit(im doing this from memory, so it might not be 100% right). This happened during the stormblood botanist questline. Youre helping the botanists of idyllshire try to shore up their food supply, and at some point in that series you get told that some of what they already have growing is because of the seeds you helped get from the arboretum. And indeed, you had to jump through a few hoops to get everything going well, so growing them wasnt super easy.

Ah, that makes sense. I haven't got to the Stormblood gathering quests yet.

Um, alternate idea..... the Illuminati got in and are breeding new and dangerous(er) varieties of morbol or something.

On the topic of Fordola and her loyalty to Gaius...

I think it's pretty clear the Fordola's convictions have been severely shaken by many things. She's had her faith in the invincibility of her Garlean masters shaken by the defeats of both Gaius and Zenos. She's also had Zenos as an example of a tyrant who is ruthless not for pragmatic reasons (as Gaius was) but for selfish reasons. It's implied that her righteousness belief that the Ala Mhigans needed to be brought to heel was fueled in no small part by the death of her father at their hands - but now her Resonance has forced her to witness the suffering she's caused others, doubtless including many youth whose own fathers she'd personally taken from them.

I'm not sure what she'd do if presented with a still-living Gaius, but I think immediately taking up the Garlean cause once more is pretty low on the list of probabilities. Fortunately, it doesn't really seem like the Shadow Hunter is going to be a flag-waving Garlean poster-boy either; he's working for the betterment of Garlemand, but no longer by way of conquest and subjugation. Is this merely because he lacks the resources? Or because he no longer believes that to be the best way to advance Garlean interests?

It's possible that Gaius has had a change of heart, as well. His conviction was pretty clear that the strong must rule the weak, in order to prevent the weak from calling on higher powers (and deliberately or inadvertently unleashing eikons upon the land). He was confused and frustrated that someone as powerful as the Warrior of Light would follow leaders weak enough to have faith in eikons, and even moreso that the WoL themself worships the Twelve. And yet, the WoL proved themself to be the strongest of all. With his conviction that the strong should be calling the shots, wouldn't he then be forced to try to consider the WoL's point of view? Certainly, the Shadow-hunter did not display any of Gaius's bombastic preaching; he was pretty subdued, in fact. Perhaps Gaius's convictions have been shaken, as well.

It could be interesting to see how a changed Fordola and a changed Gaius would interact. It might be good for both of them, in fact, to compare notes.

My big takeaway from this other the issue with Gaius is the fact that we see an image of Solus sos Galvus in the artwork. Please correct me if im wrong but we have had nothing but an image in artwork and a name as far as he is concerned and what snipets we had before his demise. I am fully hoping and expecting we get some information into his relationship with his son, grandson and Gaius and how he factors into the current events. After around 4 to 5 years I am fully prepared and ready to dig in to the meat of Garlemald lore and backstory ( No pun intended ) I am also hoping and expecting for good things with Maxima!