(Wildly speculative) idea about the next overarching threat - *spoilers*

[tinythinker]

There may not be a new major arc as large as Hydaelyn and Zodiark. But if there is, one question is who will the new master villain be? Someone we've encountered before? Someone new?

But what if there isn't a villain at all?

Etheirys was split into the source and thirteen reflections, which existed in some kind of equilibrium of mass and energy, however that is defined in terms of the physics of this fictional universe. But then the Ascians started their rejoining project, unbalancing the aetheric energies of one reflection after another and causing them to be reabsorbed into the Source resulting in a calamity on the Source.

That confirms the idea of an original equilibrium between the fourteen worlds that had been formed from the original, and that they affect one another. Simple and obvious conclusion, right? Especially when travel between reflections and the Source are possible via multiple means.

So, what if the Ascian meddling, which led to the destruction and resorption of several reflections, had led to an imbalance in the metaphysical/energetic alignments or orbits or however we picture it? Like knocking atoms of out a molecule or planets/moons out of orbit? Or simple reducing the necessary interplay and levels of substance and energy of the system?

If some kind of imbalance or structural disruption to the fabric of the sundered star has been introduced (which would have been irrelevant to the Ascians as they were planning on a full forcible rejoining, what might happen to the Source and remaining reflections? One possibility is, to borrow and modify a line from the Endwalker trailer, "the fabric of star has begun to fray...", and then, to unravel? I'm not suggesting this was a hint or clue left for us, but it fits my suspicion of the big multi-expansion threat perfectly.

It is, of course, conjecture, but it would work on many levels. For example, the "former" Scions are studying a more reliable way to travel between the remaining shards of Etheirys, so they would be studying their substance and connections. How they fit together and influence one another. Perhaps they also have to find the right resonance or frequency of each shard and then try to map things, seeing how they interact with each other. That could lead to further analysis and the realization that the shards are starting to slowly fall apart or unravel. Maybe this doesn't take place right away, but it becomes a plot point.

Now we have more urgency to visit other shards. Not just for exploration or adventure, but to take readings and measurements, to set up some way to slow or counter this imbalance that is gaining speed and threatening all shards. But of course, we would have to solve some set of crises on each shard to get the cooperation of the people living there, providing a unique set of adventures. Perhaps in the end, we may even have an anime moment reminiscent of the trailer for A Real Reborn where the peoples of all shards come together in their intense hope (another use for the concept of dynamis?) to reshape or reform or otherwise stabilize their individuals worlds within the greater whole? To create a new balance?

Anyway, there is no reason any of this should be true. It's just fun speculation. Thanks for reading.

[Cleretic]

I actually really like this idea, at least on a conceptual level. I don't want to go to other shards while there's still parts of the planet we actually live on to explore, but it'd be really interesting to have an expansion where there isn't an actual villain, there's just problems to solve. Like, picture Shadowbringers without Vauthry (or the Tempest). I guess the problem there is making a satisfying climax for that, but it's not an impossible task.

I've actually thought of similar myself before Endwalker; that Zodiark and Hydaelyn may not have been actively altering things, but they were around that things just sorta grew around the assumption they were there, and their absence causes problems because of that. I actually was right on this one, it's the focus of EW's Fisher quests, but it's entirely possible that scales up somehow.

Yoshi-P once said that a moral choice or something of the like would be an element of 7.0, I believe, which could go along with it. Sometimes things go haywire in a way where you can't save everyone, you just have to make a choice and live with what you did.

[KageTokage]

That's the direction I've been strongly hoping the plot would go in for 7.x onwards.

There doesn't necessarily need to be another large-scale villain, just a catalyst for conflict across Etheriys.

They do keep questioning why this whole Golbez deal is only becoming an issue now, and it could reasonably be that something fundamental about the nature of the Source has changed as a result of all the business in EW.

[RyuDragnier]

Yoshi-P once said that a moral choice or something of the like would be an element of 7.0, I believe, which could go along with it. Sometimes things go haywire in a way where you can't save everyone, you just have to make a choice and live with what you did.

I'm hoping said moral choice is in a faraway land, so rather than everybody not questioning you, it will end regardless of a choice with "What the hell were you thinking!?" from somebody. The continent as we know it would not really question the choice of the WoL, or at least not a large number of people here. But a questionable choice in say, Meracydia or the New World? That would have some repercussions that could follow us as our "reputation" for a while.

[Vyrerus]

Thanks for reading.

It's a nice set of ideas. It, along with some responses have triggered my desire to speculate.

My head's currently swimming with ideas about how much Golbez knows. Given that he knows all of the shards and Source exist, in addition to where his base is located, I have to wonder if he was monitoring the situation the Source through the chunk of Zodiark that's no longer there (they said in an interview that apparently all of the remaining shards of Zodiark dissipated on the other shard moons when we killed him).

His plan is to shatter the dimensional divide and return the 13th to the Source so that the natural order of life and death can resume for the inhabitants of the 13th. This is, in essence, a Rejoining by another name.

However, if a Rejoining were to happen now, now that there are no stabilizing forces (Zodiark and Hydaelyn), and The Source is still awash in 10,000 years of directed Dynamis... what could possibly happen if Dynamis hammered in Golbez's nail?

What if Golbez inadvertently rejoins Etheirys, and Dynamis does it in a mostly happy manner (other than whatever the implosion trigger's devastation is i.e. destroy what's left of the 13th). Like what if instead of the Scions learning to Shard hop, the Shards get brought to us... Wholesale grafted right onto The Source, as if they'd been there all along.

Surely there'd be all sorts of conflicts to resolve with new, mysterious nations suddenly in close contact with the ones we know. It'd also let us go to places we've yet to visit on The Source, while also visiting Shard locations, without the constant hassle of dimensional hopping. And the how of it is basically solved by Dynamis being real magic.

Idk, it's not any more likely than your idea. Fun to think about, though.

[Lyth]

A standard rejoining involves the source absorbing back the aether of its shard, killing all its inhabitants. If you rejoined the First, for example, it's not like you'd have Eulmore physically sitting next to Limsa (or superimposed on it?) You'd be killing all the people of Eulmore and sending their aether to the Source.

If what Emet said was true, the Thirteenth is an exception to that rule, in that it was 'unsuitable' for a rejoining. It's unclear whether this means that it can't be merged in the traditional sense, or if they'd created an aetheric black hole that would do the opposite (i.e. the Thirteenth absorbs the aether of the Source and drains it of all life, turning it into a Void). So perhaps this means that the Thirteenth can be merged with the Source in a non-standard way and change its geography. But it also raises the question on what happens to all the aspected aether that triggered the Flood of Darkness in the first place. Perhaps this is the 'Ouroboros', or snake eating its tail mentioned in the Golden Dhyata prophesy.

[Iscah]

Yoshi-P once said that a moral choice or something of the like would be an element of 7.0, I believe, which could go along with it. Sometimes things go haywire in a way where you can't save everyone, you just have to make a choice and live with what you did.

Endwalker has left me sadly wary of what the writers may regard as a "moral choice" and how our character responds. I would rather have a more straightforward adventure.

[Cassar]

His plan is to shatter the dimensional divide and return the 13th to the Source so that the natural order of life and death can resume for the inhabitants of the 13th. This is, in essence, a Rejoining by another name.

This is interesting because didn't the Ascians themselves give up on rejoining the 13th because the balance went too far towards darkness? If the Ascians couldn't figure out a way to rejoin it, how on earth could Golbez figure it out?

[RyuDragnier]

Endwalker has left me sadly wary of what the writers may regard as a "moral choice" and how our character responds. I would rather have a more straightforward adventure.

They changed the writer, remember? New guy has worked on the following.

[Raiya]

That's the direction I've been strongly hoping the plot would go in for 7.x onwards.

There doesn't necessarily need to be another large-scale villain, just a catalyst for conflict across Etheriys.

They do keep questioning why this whole Golbez deal is only becoming an issue now, and it could reasonably be that something fundamental about the nature of the Source has changed as a result of all the business in EW.

My guess is Golbez was able to absorb or devour the Aether of Zodiark's fragment on the 13th, it's pretty clear he was able to get to the moon at some point in the past and whack the watcher there, his base is even in the 13th's Cradle of Darkness. He couldn't do anything before because the main body of Zodiark was on the source and he was likely too weak to be able to do any damage to it but the minute Fandaniel decided to Yeetus Deletus Zodiark back to the lifestream on the source that fragment lost cohesion and he was able to absorb it at that moment. That amount of power is small compared to all of Zodiark but absorbing a fragment of a god that comprised of half of Ancient Etherys gave him a massive power boost to pull off what he was planning. From his view his world is quite literally beyond salvaging, broken and unable to even die and be reborn properly they're trapped in a neverending hell so whats the answer for him? Break down the barrier between the 13th and the source completely and finish the job the ascians originally screwed up on the first attempt, with the power of a fragment of Zodiark he's likely gained enough power that he could feasibly pull it off. it doesnt matter if so many people die on the source to them they'll be reborn again in a few hundred years anyways but more importantly it means an end to the hell for the voidsent once and for all, they'd finally be able to die properly and return to the lifestream after 10 millennia. For him a calamity on another world is an inconvenience compared to their hell but something that would pay off in the long run.

I honestly think 6.4 is where we actually face him but he's going to be just like Nael was in the original 1.0, we defeat him but at that point his plan is already set in motion, 6.5 is the final act of trying to mitigate the said effect of a rejoining to one of the continents (Im guessing Meracydia as the only hints to it's status in the past is that it got wrecked hard during Xande's Invasion and it's supposedly still in poor shape). Meracydia being the new ARR for the next adventure would make sense.