The Next Expansion cycle needs 2 things. 1) A Break from the Scions and 2)Time Skip

[JMadFour]

Both of these could be accomplished by sending the WoL to another Reflection BY THEMSELVES.

No Scions, in fact, nobody from the Source at all. Make it an entirely new adventure with an entirely new cast that is native to the Reflection.

We've been rolling with essentially the same main cast since ARR. There have been some additional characters that have come and gone per expansion, but it has mostly been the same crew of Alphinaud, Alisaie, Thancred, Y'shtola, Urianger, Krile, G'raha Tia. Alphinaud and Alisaie have been 16 for 10 years now. It's time for some growth, World Changes to acknowledge the passing of time on the Source, and some new character design for them. We've established that time moves differently in each Reflection compared to The Source.

Absence make the heart fonder, and it is time for some absence.

(yes, of course we can travel back and forth for Gameplay reasons, but it should be considered non-canon. Canonically, we go to the new Reflection and are stuck there until the Adventure is over and we find a way back)

[NekoNova]

Eh....not sold on the idea.
Don't see the benefit, or need to deviate from what's basically been a continuous story.

[Basteala]

I don't think I've ever seen a timeskip be a good idea. Ever.

Now progression of time over the expansion? That's not a horrible idea. Even if it's not explicitly stated but just hinted at.

Also real talk but most of DT main was essentially this anyway, with most of the Scions taking bit roles. That said, an expansion where they shift focus on one or two Scions, having fewer of them for most of the story but getting into their motives and feelings and fleshing those out properly could get somewhere. Kinda like what Heavensward did.

[Vyrerus]

Pretty much already got absentee Scions this expansion.

Oh yes, they were there in body, but they all felt like cardboard cutouts/had dialogue boxes numbering in the less than 5 in the 10s column.

Heck, Y'shtola was only in two scenes, and this was a good thing because you know if she'd stayed any longer there woulda been another fake out death with her.

Far more focus was spent on new characters that nobody cares about, except for perverse lizard man fetishists.

And again, another expansion goes by where almost every established side character that players have been clamoring to see more of get left in the cupboard, never to see the light of day until they're getting trashed or the cupboard is getting aired out.

I'm not exactly against what you're suggesting, but the writer would have to be really good at both introducing and making new shardies interesting. Especially since they'd mostly likely end up like Ryne, being one shot characters never to be seen again after the expansion curtails.

[Maxilor]

+1 on the Timeskip idea.

I just want to see giraffe Alphinaud and Red Alphinaud.

[Syln]

Would be great if we had a soft reboot, got stripped of a good chunk of our ether and left deeply traumatized to nerf our use of dynamis.

The settings could be that one of the city state got annihilated by an unknown force, you got gravely wounded and a lot of your closest acquaintances died in the process. Then you get abducted and quarantined in a somehow inaccessible by current known mean shard where there are no magic (for other) and very primitive technology at least at first sight.

Make it last for at least 2 expansions and I'm sold ... and please no more quirky Mickey mouse shit, i can appreciate lighthearted stuff but it's getting old.

Basically get some dark lore to justify the future stats squish and start a new story free from all what those Mary sue and other Deux ex vector for at least a few years

[AddictedToWitches]

I dunno why people are trying to push the "retire the scions" narrative thing because I legitimately hate it
we still have scions who could use more characterization even. Krile, who got kinda shafted in DT, let us bring Graha on more adventures LIKE WE PROMISED HIM, the scions B team at the rising stones, Clive, Mikoto, etc.
hell, Yshtola could use some more spotlight too in all honesty
the Scions are our JRPG party members, I would not replace them at all.

[SongOfTheWind]

let us bring Graha on more adventures LIKE WE PROMISED HIM.

Omg, how many more does he need? He had an entire expansion worth of adventures and then some. All with me not even picking that “promise” option, but he plucked it out of my WoL anyway eventually, as the game forces you.
Sorry, I wish I could give all the G’raha to those who enjoy him. He was so overused and pushed on us already.

[Daralii]

Omg, how many more does he need? He had an entire expansion worth of adventures and then some. All with me not even picking that “promise” option, but he plugged it out of my WoL anyway eventually, as the game forces you.
Sorry, I wish I could give all the G’raha to those who enjoy him. He was so overused and pushed on us already.

I wouldn't mind him as much if he acted like the same character he was in 5.0-5.3. He regressed into a teenage fanboy pretty quickly despite his extra century, and parts of his Exarch persona have only managed to slip through a few times.

[Ayer2015]

let us bring Graha on more adventures LIKE WE PROMISED HIM

His VA is likely not the same price point these days as it was