Thread: 8.0 and World

I'm biased towards the Black Shroud and don't think it gets enough attention in the MSQ, so I think it'd be neat if underneath the Shroud, as an extension of Gelmorra, there is a whole country-sized subterranean biome similar to D&D's Underdark. It could also give some focus on Duskwight which are rarely referenced in the game.

Could also be connected to the abyss seen across the lands. In the Lancer quests, the npc Foulques falls into the North Shroud's abyss, and can be later seen as a random undead encounter in the Palace of the Dead.

Originally Posted by Tahli

I'm biased towards the Black Shroud and don't think it gets enough attention in the MSQ, so I think it'd be neat if underneath the Shroud, as an extension of Gelmorra, there is a whole country-sized subterranean biome similar to D&D's Underdark. It could also give some focus on Duskwight which are rarely referenced in the game.

Could also be connected to the abyss seen across the lands. In the Lancer quests, the npc Foulques falls into the North Shroud's abyss, and can be later seen as a random undead encounter in the Palace of the Dead.

I agree that the Black Shroud has been getting way too little attention, and that the devs could easily make an expansion out if it if they really wanted to.
Reconnecting with Eorzea should be on the agenda someday anyway imo.

Originally Posted by Carin-Eri

I don't know. I feel the only shards that should possibly be rejoined are the First and the Thirteenth since it would actually benefit them in terms of how it could balance the light (1st) and the dark (13th).

6.X has the beginnings of how to resolve that issue without requiring a rejoining.

Originally Posted by Tahli

I'm biased towards the Black Shroud and don't think it gets enough attention in the MSQ, so I think it'd be neat if underneath the Shroud, as an extension of Gelmorra, there is a whole country-sized subterranean biome similar to D&D's Underdark. It could also give some focus on Duskwight which are rarely referenced in the game.

Could also be connected to the abyss seen across the lands. In the Lancer quests, the npc Foulques falls into the North Shroud's abyss, and can be later seen as a random undead encounter in the Palace of the Dead.

I'd enjoy an expansion about going back to look deeper at a part of the world we've already been, and if we're ever doing that, 'the underside of the Shroud' is maybe the very first place we should go. But I think it'd require a fundamentally entirely different approach to how FFXIV currently does expansions; I don't think that quite makes sense in the current form of expansions we have.

Like, to just start with a dumb thought exercise that my Discord server stumbled into at one point: I think that a well-rounded FFXIV expansion should have all five Magic the Gathering land types in their zone lineup. There should be a Plains, Mountain, Island, Swamp and Forest somewhere in there as a primary defining element of a zone, just to ensure that you have a lot of aesthetic diversity. My concern with something like a 'Gelmorra Expansion' is that you're not gonna be able to hit all of those, and the expansion suffers because of it.

Originally Posted by Cleretic

There should be a Plains, Mountain, Island, Swamp and Forest somewhere in there as a primary defining element of a zone, just to ensure that you have a lot of aesthetic diversity. My concern with something like a 'Gelmorra Expansion' is that you're not gonna be able to hit all of those, and the expansion suffers because of it.

Sounds like the Island Sanctuary resource gathering destinations list (the surprise sixth addition being a cave).

But more importantly I don't think the other poster is asking for an entire expansion as the "Gelmorra expansion" – it wouldn't need to be that any more than Endwalker was the "Thavnair expansion".

(Now that I mention that... endgame hub Gelmorra please and thankyou.)

I think a zone-and-city Gelmorra would be great. Enough to make the devs actually tell us stuff about Duskwight culture for starters.

Originally Posted by Cleretic

I'd enjoy an expansion about going back to look deeper at a part of the world we've already been, and if we're ever doing that, 'the underside of the Shroud' is maybe the very first place we should go. But I think it'd require a fundamentally entirely different approach to how FFXIV currently does expansions; I don't think that quite makes sense in the current form of expansions we have.

Like, to just start with a dumb thought exercise that my Discord server stumbled into at one point: I think that a well-rounded FFXIV expansion should have all five Magic the Gathering land types in their zone lineup. There should be a Plains, Mountain, Island, Swamp and Forest somewhere in there as a primary defining element of a zone, just to ensure that you have a lot of aesthetic diversity. My concern with something like a 'Gelmorra Expansion' is that you're not gonna be able to hit all of those, and the expansion suffers because of it.

Off-topic (more or less) - but... Discord server? Presumably for Lore discussion? If so, am interested!