Environments in FFXIV

[Jaywalker]

For me at least, one of the fun and interesting things about FFXIV is seeing different cultural influences in the fictional nations and various aesthetics. I'm completely sure that people could debate me on particulars but ex. Ishgard seems pretty French inspired, the Far East parallels various East Asian nations, Limsa has elements of the Caribbean, etc.

We have Ul'dah, Ala Mhigo, and distant Thavnair all utilizing desert environments with varying approaches to Middle Eastern (and occasionally South Asian) influence. We've had tropical jungles. We've had forests and plains, oceans and freezing mountains.

Both in terms of culture and climate, is there anything that hasn't been hit that you guys would like to see more of? Doesn't have to have been foreshadowed for Shadowbringers, just a general question.

Personally I think it could be cool to have Eastern European, Sub-Saharan African, South East Asian, or South/Central American influences. Last case I could see Mayan or Aztec stuff being insanely cool and meshing in terms of visuals. I know the New World has been mentioned a few times with some references to Native Americans as well. While I think that has some incredible potential (a few Southwestern US tribes in particular could fit in brilliantly imo) I just worry that could be tricky for Square Enix to pull off effectively.

Would also love to see savanna, bog/marsh, and rainforest settings since those seem like they'd be distinct. Maybe cave/subterranean too, since duskwights are mentioned to live there.

[Nedkel]

Limsa is imo more greecish or medditerean.

[Jaywalker]

Limsa is imo more greecish or medditerean.

I can see some of that (and honestly I think most if not all places involve blends of influence), but sincere question does that include Eastern La Noscea and the pirate focus? The types of plants/buildings/water around Costa Del Sol and Wineport in particular all kind of made me think Caribbean tropics. Not saying incorrect or anything, that's just where I was coming from and I'm curious.

[Hazmick]

I'd like to see a boggy/marshy area (Dimwold in The Fringes is about as close as we've got so far, and I really like that corner of the map) and a really dark, dense snowy forest area (think East Shroud but snow).

[Mirakumi]

I second marshy zone as I would love an area or zone similar to The Sirensong Sea Dungeon, where you can see battle-torn ships and walk upon them. Just a dark-themed heavy storm and wave like currents as it would fit the Garlean theme set-up in the future.

[TheMightyMollusk]

I'd love to see a big ancient city that we can fully explore. Something like Ampdapor Keep or Dun Scaith as a larger, open-world zone. I'm a sucker for haunted castles.

[Jaywalker]

I'd love to see a big ancient city that we can fully explore. Something like Ampdapor Keep or Dun Scaith as a larger, open-world zone. I'm a sucker for haunted castles.

Oooh mentioning Ampador, can you imagine if we had an entire setting that was a kind of fungal jungle like that? Sort of Nausicaa-esque.

[Alexandre_Noireau]

We could visit the West Shroud. Or the rest of the Coerthan Highlands.
We could visit Thavnair if someone wants a more "arabian" style than Ala Mhigo which is more Byzantine. It appears that the western regions of Othard have the complicated jungle biome of golmore and the desert of Dalmascan regions, which again, are probably all the coastline between the 3 great continents.

Honestly, raids don't do justice enough to exploration, neither do dungeons. Seriously, the burn was a massive interesting landmark and we visited it as a Dungeon, where 2/3rds of it you are inside reused assets for the most part (average cave, average allag, average xeltaphol rocks) and you barely have a skybox with something interesting on it when you reach the final boss.

This game really needs more meaning and fulfilling exploration.

[Roda]

An openworld dungeon would be pretty neat. Something sprawling, but designed with a purpose to explore and infiltrate.
Kinda sad they died with 1.x and weren't left in to be explored with classes that are fun to play.
Imagine a place like ala mhigo (maybe less plot important) but opened up with several fate chains that end in a zone boss scale fate.

Sad that the tomb of king manfred was kinda left to rot without anything interesting like that going on in it.

[Shougun]

I miss the old coerthas, would be nice to visit an area like that again. Also similarly with snow, thinking like as much as possible huge mountain peaks - something where the scale just makes you feel hilariously tiny (I know our current coerthas is snowy, yes lol - but it doesn't present scale like I know they can with their 2.0+ massive zones).

The valleys and peaks making for an extreme vertical experience, think like Himalaya, Lord of the ring's mountains, exaggerated far cry 4 with more mountain gameplay (and thank thal for flying once you unlock the area). Make sure to include breaking through the cloud wall (on certain weathers at least) at some of the higher peaks .

Definitely for some ancient magical civilization feel (like Laputa from castle in the sky or Sky from ffxi).

Massive mystic red wood like area, for example Sanctuary of Zitah or the place you find the dragon covenant in dark souls 1 (ash lake). And on massive trees, lifa or clerya tree please .

Would also like to see some massive desert, perhaps with a sand sea (literally flowing sand, like ffxii). And no particular reference but a Savannah could be great.

I'd love to see a big ancient city that we can fully explore. Something like Ampdapor Keep or Dun Scaith as a larger, open-world zone. I'm a sucker for haunted castles.

Would be interesting to see something like a giant floating castle in the distance, and to find out that it's one /huge/ zone. With all the gates, levers, and exploration you'd expect out of something abandoned (has minor "phasing"/beastman mechanic, such that a draw bridge or teleporter you set up isn't there for another who hasn't done it yet - adding to "your" exploration of the place).