Revelations from Patch 5.4

[AnAverageAspie]

Honestly. I'd rather stick the end of my giants axe up his bum. He already has more mystique than the VIth legion leader and if he's gonna just appear in the expansion than he should get cleaved in it too so that would be the opposite of how 3.0/warring triad story concluded.

He essentially failed to temper Misija's dogmatic obsession and Lyon knows it. Goes to show how he really treats people while painting some grandiose facade with some warped Aristotle view of fascism, virtuous to his small groups power and not for the states/region but pretends its such. Now every time I go into Bozja skirmishes I still see dead NPCs walking >>

[Ramesses]

I'm hoping this happens, and Gabranth showing up again in the future, as either a friend or an enemy. Perhaps willing to ask for our help to deal with a problem where he is, one that we don't realize at the time is essential to his country gaining a "super weapon" to keep the other countries off them.

I am genuinely-- and keenly-- interested to see how Noah unleashes his mysterious plan. Ever since he arrived on the scene in true style, I don't think I've stopped clapping at my screen.

I'm amazed more people aren't showing a higher level of excitement about watching the Ifrit from FFXII arrive... if Yoshi gives us Nerva riding in Vayne's Sky Fortress Bahamut, I think I'll really get the goosies.

[RyuDragnier]

I am genuinely-- and keenly-- interested to see how Noah unleashes his mysterious plan. Ever since he arrived on the scene in true style, I don't think I've stopped clapping at my screen.

His planning so far gives me Vayne Solidor type manipulation flashbacks. Since it's very unlikely that the last part of Bozja will fully deal with him, I expect that Noah, Lyon, Sartauvoir, and Menenius will laugh into the sunset having accomplished some goal while we only deal with Sicinius. A man I have a grudge against for what he did to Dabog.

Speaking of Dabog, I REALLY hope the Resistance picked him up after the Murder Death Kill skirmish. My poor child, I just want him to get a happier end than death on the battlefield...preferably him joining the Garlond Ironworks as a tester, after Nero and Cid minimize that blasted magitek on him to only help with his back.

[myahele]

I wonder where Gabranth got his airship from, especially since they claim to be strapped for resources after leaving the Empire?

Looking at the artwork of Rabanaster's destruction, you can see a similar airship (could it be a Dalmascan airship) being destroyed. Either they repaired this one or there might have been at least one more that wasn't used during the rebellion, perhaps it was stationed in Valnain and rebels couldn't use it?

[JeanneOrnitier]

There are a few places the Ifrit (that's probably not what it'll be called in this game, but calling it that for simplicity's sake right now) could have come from despite the IVth being strapped for cash. The easiest explanation would be they got it before they publicly cut themselves off from the empire with Gabranth's declaration; alternatively maybe they stole it from Dalmasca or something. But I doubt we'll see Sky Fortress Bahamut - it's absolutely enormous and would really be unbelievable.

[Hank_Hotspur]

I mean, we know that the Garlean empire had a pretty strong grip from Landis to Dalmasca Inferior. While the IV Legion are now cutoff, they probably had some pretty good resources to start with, just now they have to marshal them better now they have so many fronts to fight on. So it might not be that they are weak, but even with their most powerful armaments, every one lost is one they will never replace.

I do hope that the IV Legion sticks it out past the Bozja storyline just for the supreme irony of collectively going AWOL from the Garlean empire and putting themselves high up on their kill list inadvertently saves them from the destruction Garlemald is currently undergoing that leads into 6.0.

[KageTokage]

Honestly, Gabranth's near-complete lack of presence in the Bozja storyline so far has made me less interested in him. It does make me think they intend to stretch his role in the story past 5.55 because having him be dealt with there after virtually no build-up would be a bit...underwhelming. We've seen literally nothing of him aside from vague scheming about intending to use the Tartarus tech and primals to further his goals so far.

On a somewhat related note, I'm really hoping that circumstances in the Werlyt storyline evolve to make Valens the pilot of the Diamond Weapon because I don't think I'd feel terribly satisfied with him meeting any other kind of end. We've seen enough doom and gloom from this expansion already, so I'm praying at least one of the orphans makes it out of the mess alive.

[MoofiaBossVal]

Honestly, Gabranth's near-complete lack of presence in the Bozja storyline so far has made me less interested in him. It does make me think they intend to stretch his role in the story past 5.55 because having him be dealt with there after virtually no build-up would be a bit...underwhelming. We've seen literally nothing of him aside from vague scheming about intending to use the Tartarus tech and primals to further his goals so far.

If Gabranth isn't dealt with in 5.5, Endwalker might feel weird, where the Garlean Empire has been defeated and is rebuilding and the world has been saved from the apocalypse... and then you have Gabranth in the corner still fighting over Dalmasca.

I'm really hoping that circumstances in the Werlyt storyline evolve to make Valens the pilot of the Diamond Weapon because I don't think I'd feel terribly satisfied with him meeting any other kind of end. We've seen enough doom and gloom from this expansion already, so I'm praying at least one of the orphans makes it out of the mess alive.

I was thinking that the scientist's conscience was going to get him to sabotage the Oversoul mechanism, so when Valens orders the Diamond Weapon to Oversoul Alfonse... it doesn't work. So Alfonse would be saved. He'd turn Diamond Weapon around on Valens, who would reveal that he had a secret weapon that he hops into and begins piloting, and we'd fight Valens together with Alfonse (while in the G-warrior). Then Diamond Weapon and G-Warrior get damaged, so you have to finish the fight against Valens in the 8-man trial.

But then the 5.5 live letter straight up said we'd be fighting Diamond, so... IDK. So I guess Alfonse oversouls and we blow up Diamond Weapon in the trial while Gaius sneaks around the back in and kills Valens in a cutscene.

[WhiteArchmage]

If Gabranth isn't dealt with in 5.5, Endwalker might feel weird, where the Garlean Empire has been defeated and is rebuilding and the world has been saved from the apocalypse... and then you have Gabranth in the corner still fighting over Dalmasca.

On that point, Gabranth already seceded from the Empire, so it wouldn't be that weird that he's left as some dangling plot thread in 5.5 to be revisited in 6.1 side-content. That's already what he did in 4.5 in the stinger for Ivalice. If anything, Legati scrambling to declare themselves sovereigns of their assigned territories was part of my original guess for 6.0.

[EdwinLi]

There are a few places the Ifrit (that's probably not what it'll be called in this game, but calling it that for simplicity's sake right now) could have come from despite the IVth being strapped for cash. The easiest explanation would be they got it before they publicly cut themselves off from the empire with Gabranth's declaration; alternatively maybe they stole it from Dalmasca or something. But I doubt we'll see Sky Fortress Bahamut - it's absolutely enormous and would really be unbelievable.

I suspect they always had it.

Each Legion seems to have their own flagship if they go on campaigns to claim land. The Ifrit flagship most likely acted as Gabranth's mobile command center for his entire campaign to claim Dalmasca even before Garlemald fell apart and he got cutoff from their resources.

If Gabranth isn't dealt with in 5.5, Endwalker might feel weird, where the Garlean Empire has been defeated and is rebuilding and the world has been saved from the apocalypse... and then you have Gabranth in the corner still fighting over Dalmasca.

I suspect he will be dealt with but the real question should if he lives or dies. If he lives then his story may continue in the future to focus on what he does with his life now he has lost everything. He maybe even become a future ally in a side story focused on rebuilding Garlemald to be a better place instead of continuing down the path of conquest. However, if Gabranth's dies then that will be the end for his story.

With Garlean Empire capital in such a destroyed state, it will be no surprise if Garlemald becomes the focus for 6.X era reconstruction and maybe a lot of new side stories focusing on helping Garlemald change and become a better place similar to how Ishgard went through a long process of change thanks to the help of WoL contribution towards aiding people who seek change and reconstuction towards areas once destroyed.