Thread: Question about the 2.0 zones in Endwalker

We might see skybox changes and background details like the towers, but actual changes to the old zones I don't expect to see.

Honestly I'm not even expecting the scene with the WOL/Alisae/Alph at the wanderer's palace to literally happen in the msq.

Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Probably not, at least, nothing substantial, and what there is will almost definetely be instanced. As the existing zones have to remain as they are for new players just joining (this is why the Foundation of Ishgard has remained in ruins permenantly and was completely ignored by the Reconstruction effort - it needs to be so for the benefit of players just arrived that from their perspective have just arrived after the Horde ransacked the place).

Basically, never trust a trailer, they usually stylized at the very least.

They've already shown they can make adjustments to zones that are based off story or tasks you've completed, so this isn't entirely correct. For example when playing with my ex a few years back, his version of the Churning Mists was different from mine because he hadn't done the moogle beast tribe quests to rebuild the plaza while I had. Also they can do things like changing skyboxes, like how after Baelsar's Wall there's a different sky than before which lasts for a patch or two, and how even right now there are new elements in the distance that people who haven't reached the end of the current story line won't see.

Even just the shadowbringers zones have changes every time you defeat a light warden that change the zones for those who have progressed the story that far and those who have not.

Originally Posted by kaynide

Pretty sure this is the area around Nym and could just be Upper La Noscea. There already has been an undead-dragon type monster in the area (albeit they are not red and part of an event...), so I think it's safe to assume we'll see instanced bits..likely where the Coeurl are.

I think that it's Outer La Noscea, but there is in fact a part of it that we can't access where the tower is. I think we already know where all of the new areas are though, so it would most likely be just some battle instance.

I'm with those saying the extent of what we'll likely see is at most sky box changes (as per Shadowbringers and the everlasting light as well as the meteor showers in 5.3), off map scenery changes (like the towers) and maybe a solo duty running through Floating city of Nym or the like).

But it's also possible most of the story will assume you're sticking to the new areas until you're done so won't see it. Sure it means if (for example) you go fishing in Lower La Nocsea you'll see a world that is noticeably not ending but at that point you're already putting your quest to stop the imminent apocalypse on pause to go fishing so, whatever.

Originally Posted by Enkidoh

Probably not, at least, nothing substantial, and what there is will almost definetely be instanced. As the existing zones have to remain as they are for new players just joining (this is why the Foundation of Ishgard has remained in ruins permenantly and was completely ignored by the Reconstruction effort - it needs to be so for the benefit of players just arrived that from their perspective have just arrived after the Horde ransacked the place).

Not necessarily. Note Alexander, for instance. I could have sworn new players will not see him in Dravidian Hinterlands until they reach that part in their questline, regardless of how the zone appears to those who've already reached that part in the story. Foundation could have done much the same.

I don't think we'll be spending enough time in the La Noscea/Thanalan/Black Shroud zones for SE to remake them for 6.0. At most, we might have a solo instanced duty with the zones being instanced to handle the heavy traffic at launch.

If there was going to be an entirely new La Noscea zone, I would imagine it would have been unveiled at the Fan Fest.

Originally Posted by Shurrikhan

Not necessarily. Note Alexander, for instance. I could have sworn new players will not see him in Dravidian Hinterlands until they reach that part in their questline, regardless of how the zone appears to those who've already reached that part in the story. Foundation could have done much the same.

Right. The bubble is there but appears to be empty at first. Parts of Alexander don't appear until the 3.0 MSQ is completed and then another change when the player continues deeper into the raid quests. But most of the change occurs inside the bubble where players can't go (the spots where the "hands" appear for the raid portals being exceptions).

We do see changes to parts of zones for many of the beast tribes and Doman Enclave but other than Doman Enclave, those specific locations aren't part of MSQ or you're past the point where the location is relevant to the MSQ before you can unlock the beast tribe.

What changes we've seen that are directly related to MSQ have tended to be backdrop/skybox. It's likely to avoid continuity issues if friends are helping friends. It's still a problem in a few spots (the Magitek Shield Wall in Yanxia is an example) but I'm sure SE would prefer to limit those problem places.

Those spots that change were also created with that intent in mind, I don't know if they could so easily make it apply retroactively to areas built without that in mind.

Nor would it necessarily be worth it when the focus of the expansion will be on new zones.

Originally Posted by Jojoya

Right. The bubble is there but appears to be empty at first. Parts of Alexander don't appear until the 3.0 MSQ is completed and then another change when the player continues deeper into the raid quests. But most of the change occurs inside the bubble where players can't go (the spots where the "hands" appear for the raid portals being exceptions).

Ahh, shoot, yeah that makes the visuals largely irrelevant then, unless they could maintain the very same collision boxes (which, actually, could probably occur for most of the Foundation's mess).

Though I have to wonder why one of the newest MMOs has managed so little in regards to phasing that even far older MMOs have long since been capable of...

Heck, it's not like we couldn't greatly benefit from our quests being more than just "run from shiny right-click circle to purple punch-punch circle to shiny right-click circle" regardless...

In the Shadowbringers trailer we saw Y'shtola and Urianger watching Rak'tika Greatwood being destroyed like it's burning everywhere too, can't remember seeing that in the game later though. Perhaps things in the trailers don't necessarily exactly happen in the game.