Revelations from SHADOWBRINGERS

[EdwinLi]

I'd think his assassination of his father, and that he'll prolly not hide that he did it, would give the people like the Populares a chance to move in and try to get support to dethrone him. I'm thinking, assuming Gaius lives, he might very well be backed by Maximus' people to overthrow Zenos for the good of the nation. They seem to be the Garlean faction that cares about their people, but also don't want to necessarily dominate others (at least not anymore, and Gaius' feelings there always seemed complicated anyway). I'd imagine a Garlean civil war/infiltration would be more of the next xpac's plotline instead of a patch, though.

I'm surprised we're going back to the First so early, but I am in total agreement that the Grand Cosmos, among other things, is probably there. I just thought, with the send off in the post-credits scene, we'd actually be a little while before we got anything new there. I'm not gonna say I'm unhappy, though.

I expect the Garlean Civil War to be the theme for 6.0 expansion with 5.4 to 5.55 setting the stage for it as a Ally Garlean Faction reach out to the Alliance to advance the side that want to end the Garlean Conquest ways and go into peaceful methods instead.

Not to mention it would provide a good reason why garleans have pulled back enough for the Alliance to finally set foot into Garlemald due to lack of leadership they need to pull back because the Garlean Empire is now split into two factions being the Peace Faction and the Conquest Faction.

I also expect that both sides have their law and chaos, good and evil characters that will become allies and maybe friends while some become twisted enemies and maybe unexpected threats.

Politics is after all a very twisted game where everyone wear masks to hide their true agendas no matter if they are good, bad, lawful, or chaotic.

[Iscah]

I really don't want another "civil war-themed" (after Stormblood) expansion. It's so jarring to alternate between high(ish) fantasy of Heavensward and Shadowbringers and the modern-feeling war zone of Stormblood, especially the Gyr Abanian settings.

Let the war happen around the edges of the story, and give us more of a fantasy quest.

[Jandor]

Let the war happen around the edges of the story, and give us more of a fantasy quest.

Letting the war happen at all when we're not there would be a start. Seriously, the Ala Mhigan front literally just stopped in its tracks when the WoL decided to take his friends on a fishing trip to Doma.

You were gone for long enough to sail around the world, track people down, make new allies, overthrow the Garleans, and absolutely nothing happened in Gyr Abania in that time. No one even moved IIRC, Raubahn was still stood in the same spot he was when you left.

[RicaRuin]

Dunno, I kinda hope that 5.3 at the latest is removing Zenos from the plot at least. He had his expansion, I want others (Elidibus?) to take the spotlight.

But somehow, I get the feeling that helping the Scions return from the First might take some more Patches, maybe up to the next expansion...

[JeanneOrnitier]

Dunno, I kinda hope that 5.3 at the latest is removing Zenos from the plot at least.

God I wish.

[RenewalXVII]

God I wish.

It's not unlikely. Both HW and SB's X.0 stingers (i.e., Nidhogg and the WoDs, Yotsuyu's survival) were resolved within their respective patch cycles, so it's likely Elidibus's schemes and Zenos's survival will be dealt with within 5.X.

[Alleo]

Dunno, I kinda hope that 5.3 at the latest is removing Zenos from the plot at least. He had his expansion, I want others (Elidibus?) to take the spotlight.

But somehow, I get the feeling that helping the Scions return from the First might take some more Patches, maybe up to the next expansion...

I also hope that Zenos will be done soon and that his plan of "eating" Hydealyn or Zodiark never happens.

I have a feeling we will fight Zodiark first then Zenos comes in on the last moment of 6.0 and consumes Zodiark and Hydaelyn both at once to go full Kefka on the world then we have a 2nd Final Trial involving that battle then 6.1 to 6.3 is about dealing with the after math of a new world created when Zodiark and Hydaelyn are now gone thus there is no more Ascian threats nor constant war between gods anymore but Primals still remain.

Please SE dont do this. First let Kefka be Kefka and not turn another character into someone like him..and how would he even eat Zodiark? For that to happen he would need to be complete (which right now seems to be impossible because of parts being in other shards) and we dont even know if Hydaelyn can be eaten (and he needs to find a way to get there first)

Also he wanted only one of them and the other "eaten" by us to make a fair fight. Him taking both would also take away the last part of his character, which is fighting against someone who is equally powerful.

(And how would we ever take someone like that down..)

[KageTokage]

Zenos was fairly unconcerned about us being on the First and seemed content to just make preparations for when we do return, so I'm doubting we're going to be seeing much of him for a while outside of cutaway scenes showing what's going on in Garlemald.

He likely knows we'd probably just end up beating him again if he were challenge us in his current state, which is why he seems determined to find a way to level the playing field. If it's Hydaelyn he ends up targeting as a source of power that could have potentially world-altering repercussions, though it remains to be seen if it's going to happen before/after the next expansion drops. It would give us a very good reason to go to Ilsabard/Garlemald, that's for sure.

As far as Elidibus goes, I'm not really sure what he intends to accomplish by keeping us busy on First, especially with his mention of using Warriors of Light to do so.

[JeanneOrnitier]

As long as he's gone before he takes over Zodiark like he implied he wants to do. When we fight Zodiark I want it to actually be Zodiark and not Zenos in Zodiark's body. That would be an enormous disappointment.

[EdwinLi]

As long as he's gone before he takes over Zodiark like he implied he wants to do. When we fight Zodiark I want it to actually be Zodiark and not Zenos in Zodiark's body. That would be an enormous disappointment.

I have a feeling we will fight Zodiark first then Zenos comes in on the last moment of 6.0 and consumes Zodiark and Hydaelyn both at once to go full Kefka on the world then we have a 2nd Final Trial involving that battle then 6.1 to 6.3 is about dealing with the after math of a new world created when Zodiark and Hydaelyn are now gone thus there is no more Ascian threats nor constant war between gods anymore but Primals still remain.

6.4 to 6.55 I can see as the Prologue for Season 2 storyline where we are to meet new characters and good bye to old characters as they set out on separate paths now that Zodiark and Ascian threat are no more. Along side the beginning of a new journey that lead to new lands untouched by Garleans and Alliance where new Civilizations, New Friends, Allies, Old Friends may return, and a new Antagonists to this storyline that is NOT related to Zodiark and Ascians.

On another topic...

I would be amazed if they some how pull off a Noctis Job for 6.0 through I expect it to be DPS since Noctis was a DPS character by group set up while Gladiolus is the Tank.

As for Lore of a Noctis Job, i expect (due to being expect set in lvl 70 to start out in 6.0 with that lvl 90 max cap), it may involve WoL awakening his/her Original Soul powers.