FFXIV Evercold Speculation (based on absolutely nothing but delirium)
So, that new trailer, huh?
I'm pretty new to FFXIV; I started playing during the 6.5 patch cycle, and managed to binge all the way through to the end of Endwalker in about three months. I managed to make it to the second to last trial of the Endwalker patches the night the servers went down for 7.0 early access. All this to say, I've not yet experienced this new expansion cycle. I missed the FanFest stuff leading up to Dawntrail, so this is my first look at how these things unfold, and I am THRIVING.
And because I'm doomed to the narrative, I want to yap a bit about what I think might be coming up. This is based on pretty much nothing, just my own bonkers thoughts, but maybe it'll be entertaining to someone. I'll probably be proven wrong come Tuesday and 7.5, but I'm still gonna yap.
So first, 8.0. I don't actually think we'll hit the Fourth immediately. I think we'll have some kind of Blindfrost zone, actually, or maybe somewhere in Garlemald, which will serve as our gateway into the Fourth. Something akin to needing to really feel what the Fourth is like by being in the cold in order to "attune" to it and be able to travel there with the key. I don't imagine it will be a full zone, probably more like the Syrcus Trench for Shadowbringers, but maybe I'm completely wrong.
Once we're there, I imagine we won't actually hit the surface until the final zone. The whole expansion will be finding what we need to even get down, whether that be routes, supplies, or just general lore and history. All for the purpose of raising the suspense and wondering just what might be down there. We know there's the arcane colossi, and the endless blizzards, but maybe something else has survived. What could possibly be down there? That's going to be the driving suspension of the expansion, I think.
And then for the REAL delirium, speculating about the Godless Realms Saga as a whole. This is purely my own off-the-wall headcanons, and truly based on nothing, so take this with a grain of salt.
I think 9.0 and 10.0 will be following this same loop of finding our way to new shards that are on the brink and doing what we need to save them, be that reuniting them with the source or rebalancing them like with the first. However, because that can be rather repetitive, I imagine a large narrative weight will be placed on the fact that we're fighting against the ticking clock the entire time. Maybe we'll visit another shard in an 8.X patch and find it completely lost, being given the opportunity to truly understand what's at stake if we're not quick enough. Time is ticking, and we can't afford to go to each shard individually to stop them from whatever fate awaits them, but we also can't afford to just not go to any of them while finding ways to prevent their demise.
Anyway. That's my yapping. Odds are I'm very wrong, but it's 5:30am and I have so many thoughts.