Thread: Patch 4.4 (Prelude in Violet) Speculation Thread! (Possible spoilers [NO LEAKS])

I get the impression this trailer contains a number of large of red herrings.

The spires of light in the beginning, cool and ominous as they seem, look to be the same battlefield from the Wyrmgardsormr fight later on. Perhaps it will connect to revelations about his past and home.

Y'shtola will be my lodestar here; she appears in every scene so they must be sequential (even if not in this order).

So we have a meeting in Ala Mhigo where something happens that we don't expect. Though perhaps that is the red herring. Perhaps the only unexpected thing is that the Warrior of Light starts hearing that voice then. (What sounds to me a bit like Arbert of all people at first, but more on that later.)

Kan-E says she's reaching out and trying to sense someone's soul, but it's missing. At first I thought maybe Zenos showed up at the meeting but I'm thinking it's probably more likely she just failed to find Alphinaud because he's in the Burn.

Anyroad, we revisit the Azim Steppe, where Y'shtola's doing something with the "shard of the Dusk Mother" up north there and Magnai is drawing his axe in the southern desert. This is the scene I feel I have the least context for. Is Y'shtola trying to find Alphinaud or is there something plot-related here? Is Magnai fighting Sadu? Is this them giving the "Who is my Nhaama?" thing closure? Or is someone invading?

Perhaps this is where we pick up Yols and make for the Burn, since Y'shtola is part of that party, as well. (WoL, Alisaie, Hien, Yugiri, Y'shtola, Hien)

Meanwhile, Alphinaud and Shadowkiller seem to be finding his camp destroyed. The effect used for the dead NPCs is pretty cool. Is this an Ascian-related death or an Empire one.

While the balloon ceremony in Mor Dhona EDIT (Mor Dhoma ... Dhoma ... Confound it!) Doma seems to be a red herring (related to the Doman Reconstruction moreso than a death), we have a voice over expressing loss (or merely the fear of loss, as would be reasonable right now, even) and a scene of her looking broody in Limsa Lominsa. Why in Limsa Lominsa? Do we just fail to get Alphinaud back or is there more to it?

Maxima is missing and we have one scene of Urianger surprised to see something ... Rising Stones?

That just leaves the oliphant in the room: the voice.

That sounds suspiciously like Gendry Arbert to me, but the door's open for Alphinaud, too (I need to compare accents). Maybe it's more that the time has come to kill Alphie, instead, lol. (Notice that in the artwork, his ear looks bloody.) That puts a few of the pieces into place, but that's also exactly the red herring they'd throw at us. Either way, it seems a good candidate for the source of the visual oddities in the patch - contacting the Warrior of Light through distant echoes.

"Twin dooms only you can forestall." against what sounds like hints about a Flood of Light and about a Calamity. Occam would suggest that, whoever it is, is warning us about Elidbus's plans to set up a Calamity via the Garlean War, and that seeing as we'd only just saved the First from a Flood, only we can prevent these "twin dooms". However, that sword of possibility cuts both ways. "Throw wide the gates that we may pass." ... the alternative is far darker.

Would the devs really put the loss of a shard on our shoulders?

Originally Posted by Anonymoose

While the balloon ceremony in Mor Dhona seems to be a red herring (related to the Doman Reconstruction moreso than a death)

The balloon ceremony takes place at the Doman Enclave from the Doman Reconstruction questline.

Originally Posted by RukiaFae

I'm thinking the WOD are coming back and are going to play a big role in what is about to happen.

I'm on the same boat as you; I can't help but feel that the WOD are coming back because something BIG is coming and they are probably going to step in to keep whatever that's coming from happening ooor they gonna add fuel to the fire. Who knows...

Originally Posted by DreamAngel-Ren

I can't help but feel that the WOD are coming back because something BIG is coming and they are probably going to step in to keep whatever that's coming from happening ooor they gonna add fuel to the fire. Who knows...

Hm. The voice of the guy who is asking for opening the door. Now as you say it, this voice could be the same as the one of the WoD.