Thread: Predictions for 5.3?

Originally Posted by Archwizard

I think the Exarch is going to die but not stay dead.

Given how the last couple patches have been about research into the soul and developing of special Auracite so that the Scions could be safely returned to their vessels, to turn around and say "just kidding, the Exarch dies and that's it, that's how we solve it, moving on now~" would be a massive slap in the face for the past year and a half of distractions if that research goes unused. Particularly since everything after the climax of Shadowbringers has been "How do we save the Exarch?"

But we do know that the soul infusion process they were going to use would be the same as what Unei and Doga used on G'raha to transfer control over the Tower, and that the Exarch was experimenting with that same process himself with the auracite. And that whatever he did to extend his life with the Tower, he's only got a matter of time even if Elidibus doesn't kill him.

My theory is that the Crystal Exarch is going to die on the First, which will allow the Scions to be returned, but -- given how much importance has been placed on the ties between memory and soul this expansion (including us surfing memories in the Bozjan storyline, the memory of Amaurot, etc), and the emphasis on "memory" in the trailer -- that he will have infused enough of his soul into the auracite that it can be used as a vessel for his own memories to be transferred into another vessel, and that he will give us a means to re-awaken the Crystal Tower to get inside.
Then we'll go back to the Source and give the auracite to G'raha so that we can have a pseudo-Exarch who lives on through him without having to make the same sacrifices. Then G'raha will be honorarily inducted into the Scions and have his own arc about coming to terms with having two lives, maybe even having a bit of a bond with his other soul like we did with Ardbert or Ryne did with Minfilia.

(Something else worth considering is that reawakening the Tower could then lead to an expansion about Meracydia, including what we learned of it during the Warring Triad story. Food for thought.)

I feel *if* the plan is to wake G’raha and have him become a new party member, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to have no knowledge about what happened in the First with his other self and us. He’d need that knowledge to be an adventure companion because future events will be affected by what happened in the First. So if he would be filled in on everything that happened, why not just have him actually remember? I recall in CT, he would experience remembering things he nor anyone else alive should have any knowledge of. Once receiving Unei and Doga’s blood, he remembered specific things much more clearly. Maybe by a similar mechanism, it could happen again?

Originally Posted by Cereza

I feel *if* the plan is to wake G’raha and have him become a new party member, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to have no knowledge about what happened in the First with his other self and us. He’d need that knowledge to be an adventure companion because future events will be affected by what happened in the First. So if he would be filled in on everything that happened, why not just have him actually remember? I recall in CT, he would experience remembering things he nor anyone else alive should have any knowledge of. Once receiving Unei and Doga’s blood, he remembered specific things much more clearly. Maybe by a similar mechanism, it could happen again?

I would guess this is what is going to happen with Exarch. He'll die in the First, but his memories and everything will be given to present G'raha via a device we give him. This would allow him to live on and also bring our G'raha into the team easily due to now knowing everything that happened in both the future world and the First. It may also give him the ability to "link" to the First and see what's going on there without exactly being there himself.

Originally Posted by RyuDragnier

It may also give him the ability to "link" to the First and see what's going on there without exactly being there himself.

While I don't necessarily see that happening (since that is a bit of a jump with zero precedent), that could be an interesting development. Someone else with their own Echo-lite powers on the team (since Minfilia is gone) to serve as a psychically gifted info-dump, without necessarily being a backup WoL.

I know it wouldn't really be the Echo (since the Exarch and G'raha display none) and that's tied to Ascian heritage, but all manner of psychic powers we've seen so far - our/Minfilia/Arenvald's retrocognition, Krile's telepathy, Mikoto's precognition, etc. - have been tied to the Echo so when someone brings up ESP, it's an obvious comparison.

Originally Posted by RicaRuin

After watching the Trailer many, many times, I made my own theory on the order in which the events in the Trailer play out.

I suppose that Elidibert attacking G'raha comes first, with the scene within the Crystal Tower where all those Warriors of Light spawn following after that (with the line about how this will be our end deliberately placed over the trailer scene to confuse us. Eulmore will be much later, when the Warriors of Light have left the Crystarium, and the airship scene even after that when we try to leave Eulmore to do... whatever. Trial will most likely be completely unrelated to what we have seen.

Hero's Gauntlet... I'm torn. It's either after we leave the Crystarium or we are not present when the attack on the Exarch happens and it's rushing back to the Crystarium.

Mind you, all just speculation.

I think it'll start off with an innocent enough, "Go check out something in Eulmore." and we go there, and then everything goes down, and our airship being brought down by that DRG is what leads to the dungeon, the dungeon being an off the beaten track path sort of thing to get us back to Lakeland proper/Crystarium. But ehhh.

Copied and pasted from a Reddit post I made, but here's what I think will be the rough order.

- I think the Amaurot/Anamnesis stuff comes first. Y'shtola is still there at the end of 5.2, and we go to meet her after she summons us (rather than her leaving and going back there again, which seems a little pointless). These scenes do seem to have a slower/calmer feel to them which makes me think they take place before all hell breaks loose. I think we could see Y'shtola have her first bout of aether sickness here.

- There's a bit of a "blind spot" here as to how we get from there to Eulmore, but since the end of 5.0 shows us ending up on the shore of Kholusia after we leave that area, that could be a possibility. Not exactly sure how or when Thancred comes back from his scouting either, but at some point we all end up in Eulmore together. Either way, that's where I think we're going next.

- Here we see the starshower/Amaurot rising out of the sea and realise that something is going wrong at the Crystarium (the scene where the Exarch gets stabbed looks to be reasonably early in the patch given that none of his clothes are crystalised at that point - I'm guessing the stabbing accentuates the crystalisation). The plan is to go to the Crystarium to investigate/notify the Exarch, but after another bout of aether sickness, it's decided that the adults will stay behind as it's too dangerous for them (I'd LOVE Ryne to stand up for herself here and assert that she is able to go alone - they've foreshadowed twice to us that she hates it when Thancred gets hurt or is ill, and wouldn't want him to risk his safety. They also need to show her independence in the MSQ for people who haven't played Eden and this would be a good way to do it). The Twins, due to their shorter time on the First, are also able to go as they are not yet experiencing the dizziness.

- We secure a Eulmoran airship and the kids head off in the direction of the Crystarium. Shortly afterward, the WoLs attack both Eulmore and the airship at once. Urianger tells the Warrior of Light to go and find where the airship went down and make sure the kids are OK (it seems we stay with the adults at first? The scene where Thancred gets attacked seems to have us standing next to him on the walkway).

- We find the airship crashed around the border of Il Mheg and Lakeland, and everyone is safe; this is where we potentially run into an escaping Exarch (not in a very good condition) and possibly Lyna. This is where the dungeon takes place, where we're fighting through an enemy-infested Il Mheg and Lakeland to get back to the Crystarium. I think it's clear the adult Scions will not be available for the dungeon and that the Exarch will be the tank for it, at least.

(Continued in the next post as I hit the character limit!)

Originally Posted by Alleluia

A completely off the wall guess, but based off the fact that we have a rock version of Amaurot's theme incoming with the patch, and due to glam!aurot being involved in events somehow, and due to the fact we have been told we won't be able to guess the final trial....

I think, due to shenanigans involved with memory magic and aetherial residue, Elidibus messing about with glam!aurot is going to somehow result in a final remnant of Hades showing up. Temporarily. Just long enough to be involved in the final trial.

And he'll side with us.

(Elidibus low-key called this down upon himself when he trash talked Hades' judgement back in Rak'tikka. Never speak ill of the dead, especially when they're that sassy.)

Also, Ardbert might make a cameo, too.

And possibly Hythelodeus. In the fight, I mean. Its already likely that he's the Amaurotine we see the WoL talking to in the trailer.

But yeah. I predict Hades' temporary return for the final trial.

It'd bring the feels, if nothing else.

Hades yells at Elibidus about how he knows how much he hates being woken up from his sleep, how dare he wake him up! But oh, my friend from the days of Amaurot, guess it's time to beat Elidibus' arse, huh? I GUESS I CAN HELP, if it means I can go back to sleep!

I dig it

Spoilers for MSQ:

Someone pick up that phone, cus I freakin called it. XD

Originally Posted by Alleluia

A completely off the wall guess, but based off the fact that we have a rock version of Amaurot's theme incoming with the patch, and due to glam!aurot being involved in events somehow, and due to the fact we have been told we won't be able to guess the final trial....

I think, due to shenanigans involved with memory magic and aetherial residue, Elidibus messing about with glam!aurot is going to somehow result in a final remnant of Hades showing up. Temporarily. Just long enough to be involved in the final trial.

And he'll side with us.

(Elidibus low-key called this down upon himself when he trash talked Hades' judgement back in Rak'tikka. Never speak ill of the dead, especially when they're that sassy.)

Also, Ardbert might make a cameo, too.

And possibly Hythelodeus. In the fight, I mean. Its already likely that he's the Amaurotine we see the WoL talking to in the trailer.

But yeah. I predict Hades' temporary return for the final trial.

It'd bring the feels, if nothing else.