[Megathread] Final Fantasy XIV

[Katchii]

I'm skeptical we will get another Eureka/Bozja in EW, given how the IVth Legion storyline was cancelled, which would have likely led given us another Eureka/Bozja in the form of Lea Monde (the capital of Dalmasca and where Gabranth was based). Which is a shame because I liked the boss fight design of the critical engagements and Castrum/Dalriada.

Why couldn't they just write a new storyline like they did for both Eureka and Bozja to introduce content similar to it in EW if that's the way they wanted to go?

Not necessarily saying I disagree with the skepticism, just your reasoning for it.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Why couldn't they just write a new storyline like they did for both Eureka and Bozja to introduce content similar to it in EW if that's the way they wanted to go?

Not necessarily saying I disagree with the skepticism, just your reasoning for it.

Eureka and Bozja style zones usually have some sort of lead-in about an expansion before we go there. The ARR patches creates the Isle of Val plot thread that Eureka later picked up. Stormblood namedrops a bunch of offscreen occupied countries such as Nagxia and Bozja, and then the Stormblood patches introduced the IVth Legion storyline.

The Shadowbringers patches begins rushing to try to close up as many lose ends as possible. At this point, there is very little left to do besides fight Zenos and Fandaniel. Ideally the 13th could have made sense as some sort of Eureka/Bozja content where you invade that world, set up a base camp, and try to push outwards, clearing away Voidsent and eventually restoring the world. But the Shadowbringers patches begins tying up that plot thread by having a band of NPCs decide to tackle it on their own, so they will probably wind up fixing that world offscreen. I doubt we will go to either the New World or Meracydia as our new Eureka/Bozja zones, as those continents are ripe to be full blown expansions (we could get Eureka/Bozja style zones set in the New World or Meracydia during a New World of Meracydia expansion).

At this point, if we are to get Eureka/Bozja style zones, they would have to pull brand new stuff out of nowhere, which would be a first. Then again, this might be dependent on how the new reboot storyline is structured. Apparently it's supposed to start in 6.1, and Yoshida keeps talking about how they want the new storyline to be a jumping on point, which leaves a lot of questions that haven't been answered yet. Will level scaling be implemented so players can start it right away, or are players given a level 90 boost so they can jump into it? Will the 6.X MSQ patches have you wandering around old zones until 7.0 drops and introduces new zones (can be awkward for a reboot storyline), or will FFXIV do the GW2 thing where new zones are introduced in patches? (would be more natural for a brand new storyline). Too many variables we don't know yet.

[Katchii]

[SNIP]

At this point, if we are to get Eureka/Bozja style zones, they would have to pull brand new stuff out of nowhere, which would be a first.

While all good points, there doesn't really have to be MUCH for them to put something together as a reason for a new zone. It could be something we see in the 6.0 story. We've also done a LOT of stuff throughout ARR, HW, SB and now ShB that don't all get nice and tidy bows put on them to wrap up the stories. There are loose ends everywhere.

Then again, this might be dependent on how the new reboot storyline is structured. Apparently it's supposed to start in 6.1, and Yoshida keeps talking about how they want the new storyline to be a jumping on point, which leaves a lot of questions that haven't been answered yet.

Another good point, they could attach a Eureka/Bozja stye zone to the new story content coming in 6.1.

Will level scaling be implemented so players can start it right away, or are players given a level 90 boost so they can jump into it? Will the 6.X MSQ patches have you wandering around old zones until 7.0 drops and introduces new zones (can be awkward for a reboot storyline), or will FFXIV do the GW2 thing where new zones are introduced in patches? (would be more natural for a brand new storyline). Too many variables we don't know yet.

I'm anxiously excited to see where they'll go with this as well.

[Granyala]

Some people hated the Heavensward relic acquisition process

Only thing that was annoying was step 2 because it was prohibitively expensive stuff. IIRC it was specialty crafts requiring you to level desynthesis or something along these lines.

Also, A1S light grinding was just ... bleargh.

If you enjoy FATEs, it boggles my mind why you dislike Bozja, because it's basically just that: do Fates for drops small and big (CE's). Contrary to Eureka, you don't even need to group up until you reach the dungeon part (Dalradia / Castrum).

[everydaygamer]

I found the overall process of getting a Shadowbringer relic to be relatively painless. Except for the 2nd last step, that one almost broke me. I mean I like Bozja but there is a limit.

[babalou1]

I found the overall process of getting a Shadowbringer relic to be relatively painless. Except for the 2nd last step, that one almost broke me. I mean I like Bozja but there is a limit.

Are you talking the 180 item part? If so, thankfully you only have to do that once. Its MUCH faster on all subsequent weapons after the first.

[Granyala]

I mean I like Bozja but there is a limit.

That's why you could farm them in old raids *chuckles*

[Maljinwo]

I found the overall process of getting a Shadowbringer relic to be relatively painless. Except for the 2nd last step, that one almost broke me. I mean I like Bozja but there is a limit.

That step was terrible

But I finally got my stupidly big gunblade afterwards.
Haven't touched Bozja since

[infinitemeridian]

Story question (just finished ShB):

If the 13th is completely lost to the void, how can the rejoining happen? Doesn't that mean the Ascian's will always be missing a star to resurrect Zodiark and thus their plans have been for nothing even before ShB?

[Xilurm]

Story question (just finished ShB):

If the 13th is completely lost to the void, how can the rejoining happen? Doesn't that mean the Ascian's will always be missing a star to resurrect Zodiark and thus their plans have been for nothing even before ShB?

That's true. They would have to fix it somehow. One theory is that Emet planned to take the WoL with all the Light and let him loose in the 13th. Somehow reversing the polarity back to the light just enough so it becomes stable enough for a rejoining. But it's just a theory. The Ascians never talked about it to us.

However, you should do the Void Quests, they might lead to something in the future.

[BiggestNoob]

Story question (just finished ShB):

If the 13th is completely lost to the void, how can the rejoining happen? Doesn't that mean the Ascian's will always be missing a star to resurrect Zodiark and thus their plans have been for nothing even before ShB?

They probably don't need all of them to resurrect Zodiark, and then Zodiark could fix their mistake with the void.

We haven't been told explicitly, but it's implied that Zodiark is imprisoned in the Source's moon, while Hydaelyn tells us shards of him are in each of the reflections. However, she lied about their origin (or it was retconned in Shadowbringers, we'll learn more from Venat in EW probably). In ARR the Heart of Sabik was used to cast Ultima by Lahabrea in Praetorium, which he described as only a sliver of Zodiark's power, and it was enough to drain Hydaelyn of her power to protect WoL, so clearly he does not need to be whole to be powerful. We don't fully know what that artifact was (was it a piece of Zodiark, or some kind of dark crystal that relates to Zodiark in some way like the crystals we have relate to Hydaelyn?).

There are repeated scenes on the moon with ascians who worship Zodiark, and the next expansion story will involve the end of the Hydaelyn/Zodiark story arc, and the trailer has WoL on the moon. Don't actually know what's going to happen, but Zodiark in his weakened state may be around, despite avoiding the 8th calamity.

My belief is this cutscene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb9zbshVV7I&t=9192s reveals his plan. Zenos was too weak even with the power of Shinryu to defeat WoL, and the "dreamer" they refer here is to Zodiark. I believe he plans to awaken Zodiark and then control him like he controlled Shinryu and then have a final battle with WoL. The lead up to that seems to be consistent -- they need an enormous amount of aether to do something, to power this "gateway of the gods" which then gives them what they want.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Story question (just finished ShB):

If the 13th is completely lost to the void, how can the rejoining happen? Doesn't that mean the Ascian's will always be missing a star to resurrect Zodiark and thus their plans have been for nothing even before ShB?

They didn't have any idea on how to address that yet. They were saving that problem for last.

[everydaygamer]

They didn't have any idea on how to address that yet. They were saving that problem for last.

This seems most likely. There is no reason to assume that the Ascian's had everything figured out already. They're immortal, it's not like they were in a rush.

[Granyala]

- The MSQ is simply fantastic, even in ARR, this game feels like if you are watching an Anime movie and the story is really good. The characters are amazing, you get in love of these characters as soon as you learn more about the story.

I don't want to say "I told you so" but damn ...

[Morssoe]

Can you skip The Dancing Plague or Commence with NPC party?

[Dakhath]

Can you skip The Dancing Plague or Commence with NPC party?

No, its an MSQ trial. Trusts are only for dungeons.

[Thestrawman]

That's true. They would have to fix it somehow. One theory is that Emet planned to take the WoL with all the Light and let him loose in the 13th. Somehow reversing the polarity back to the light just enough so it becomes stable enough for a rejoining. But it's just a theory. The Ascians never talked about it to us.

However, you should do the Void Quests, they might lead to something in the future.

That's not possible. It's.not just that everything is aspected towards darkness, there is no ambient aether on the 13th. That's why it's called The Void. All ambient sources of aether were spun off into the astral sea. So the only aether there is in the voidsent.

[BiggestNoob]

That's not possible. It's.not just that everything is aspected towards darkness, there is no ambient aether on the 13th. That's why it's called The Void. All ambient sources of aether were spun off into the astral sea. So the only aether there is in the voidsent.

The aether was absorbed by the voidsent, as they used to be the champions who were turned into voidsent by their abuse of auricite. It's still there, it's just not ambient. They seem to work like primals. Summoning often pulls aether out of the void by using the voidsent, such as the new Reaper job. So a flood of voidsent on the source which are defeated, releasing their aether on the source would effectively be a rejoining. The difficulty there is you need sufficiently powerful champions in the source to defeat them or else the source itself would be consumed. The war on the 13th between voidsent over the aether was the flood of darkness that destroyed it. Venat tells us the darkness is coming and the EW trailer has the source being flooded with voidsent, though it doesn't seem like Fandaniel or Zenos is interested in rejoining, so we'll have to learn why.

[Granyala]

Shadowlands sucking beyond dreams

That bad, huh?
Should I consider myself lucky, that I didn't buy the expansion? It's the first one had no interest in since TBC.
Poor Draenei all alone now. ._.

[Poppincaps]

That bad, huh?
Should I consider myself lucky, that I didn't buy the expansion? It's the first one had no interest in since TBC.
Poor Draenei all alone now. ._.

I feel like Shadowlands isn't that bad. It's just kinda mediocre and when you're coming off of BfA which was terrible, mediocre just isn't cutting it.