Revelations from JP Fan Fest (January 2024)

[KageTokage]

Solution Nine actually being labeled as a town both on the world map and in media is really making me think it's not some long dead civilization and rather one that's still alive, but perhaps not known of until only recently.

It would be rather egregious if something with tech levels matching if not surpassing the Allagans had simply been sitting on the Source unknown of unless it was only revealed recently...or perhaps even arrived recently.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

Solution Nine actually being labeled as a town both on the world map and in media is really making me think it's not some long dead civilization and rather one that's still alive, but perhaps not known of until only recently.

It would be rather egregious if something with tech levels matching if not surpassing the Allagans had simply been sitting on the Source unknown of unless it was only revealed recently...or perhaps even arrived recently.

I heard somewhere it's gonna be one of our hubs. I've been hearing too much from too many places to pinpoint where, sorry. Are we sure it's on the Source? Maybe we're traveling to the New World because they found a way to get to another shard?

[YianKutku]

A bunch of the suspenders-wearers seemed to be Miqos so I assumed they were Limsan sailors.

Possible, but I'm thinking unlikely. For example, of the two women Thancred was attempting to hit on, each was wearing one of the "uniforms"; the Hyur in the red robes, and the Miqo'te in the suspenders.

And in the backgrounds (eg when G'raha was enjoying his taco), there are several suspender-wearing people, not just Miqo'te, sitting around at the food stalls. It's possible they're all Lominsans or other visitors from Eorzea, but the suspenders is kind of an odd uniform choice.

Solution Nine actually being labeled as a town both on the world map and in media is really making me think it's not some long dead civilization and rather one that's still alive, but perhaps not known of until only recently.

It would be rather egregious if something with tech levels matching if not surpassing the Allagans had simply been sitting on the Source unknown of unless it was only revealed recently...or perhaps even arrived recently.

YoshiP did state that Solution Nine is a "player hub", so it's going to be either the Marketboard hub or the Tomestone hub.

One possibility, given the mismatch of tech levels in some of the concept art, is the "current" population of Xak Tural were building on the "ancient" high-tech area, including moving in and repurposing the existing buildings; something like Idyllshire building upon the Sharlayan Emporium in Dravania. But the sheer scale of Solution Nine makes me think that might not be the case, particularly since so much of Solution Nine is still lit up and working, including what looks like shopping mall advertisements.

I wonder if it's significant that the Japanese name for Solution Nine is just "Solution Nine" in English, transliterated into Japanese katakana. As in, the "Nine" is just "ナイン", rather than "九". Usually when this is done in the Japanese script, it's a sign that it's all a proper name, intended to be read as-is rather than by the definition of each word.

[MikkoAkure]

I heard somewhere it's gonna be one of our hubs. I've been hearing too much from too many places to pinpoint where, sorry. Are we sure it's on the Source? Maybe we're traveling to the New World because they found a way to get to another shard?

Yoshi-P/Kate said it was the hub in the fan fest.

Solution Nine also shows up on the new, updated world map they showed of the Source.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

Yoshi-P/Kate said it was the hub in the fan fest.

Solution Nine also shows up on the new, updated world map they showed of the Source.

Awesome. I hope there is a good explanation for their presence and lack thereof in the past.

[Cleretic]

I think everyone's already overfocusing on Solution Nine and trying to figure out the solution to its mystery as a big grand revelation, and I don't think it's going to be, at all.

Their real origin is going to be fairly straightforward and non-relevatory, their core story relevance is instead what they've been up to in the present day, the real twist is probably closer to the Tulliyolal side of the storyline (or completely disconnected from both), there might well already be hints... and we won't notice because we've been too busy trying to build up Solution Nine as something it isn't.

We've done this before, all our predictions about Endwalker were totally broken because we bigged up the moon too much. Granted, that was fairly understandable as a mistake.

[Carin-Eri]

New content aside, Soken has done it again - the full version of the trailer music is superb! Love it!

[Nayukhuut]

I am excited for Solution Nine. I have heard lots of theories about what it could be, but given as to the hints in the name, the signs, and the vaguely Ascian looking symbol in the raid that looks to be associated with it, I am intrigued. I have heard everything from survivors of a Shard, to something to do with Azem, to something to do with something Terra like (from FF9), but it is finally something that actually makes me want to play Dawntrail to find out.

The whole beach vacation/political intrigue plot doesn't interest me in the slightest, though.

Can't say I love the look of the new classes either.

[Lady_Silvermoon]

I am excited for Solution Nine. I have heard lots of theories about what it could be, but given as to the hints in the name, the signs, and the vaguely Ascian looking symbol in the raid that looks to be associated with it, I am intrigued. I have heard everything from survivors of a Shard, to something to do with Azem, to something to do with something Terra like (from FF9), but it is finally something that actually makes me want to play Dawntrail to find out.

The whole beach vacation/political intrigue plot doesn't interest me in the slightest, though.

Can't say I love the look of the new classes either.

Yeah, who these people are and what they are doing here is the first thing about the expansion that has piqued my interest, too. Before that I was just biting my nails, hoping we don't go there and do anything evil.

While I'm gonna level both up because I level everything up, I'm not really excited about either. I'm more excited about Pictomancer than Viper which is silly of me given Black Mage is my least favorite job, so if it plays similar, those 20 levels will be torture.

And to all those who end up in roulettes with me as I level of jobs I have no interest in, let me apologize in advance. Guess I'll be doing something evil in Dawntrail regardless, huh?

[Lady_Silvermoon]

Ooooor.... Maybe it's just that it's new to us as of this FanFest and looks really really cool and unlike anything we've seen before, brain found connection and made the happy chemicals, and my neurodivergent mind loves looking for meaning in the funny letters :P

Plus, if there are any mysteries in the political Mamool Ja stuff, we don't have enough to speculate about it. What a cyberpunk city is doing in the middle of the Old West invites immediate theorycrafting.