Though The Dark Throne is filled with plenty of hints about the next Final Fantasy 14 expansion, the biggest clue thus far seems to be almost completely hidden from sight. The Void storyline of Endwalker's patches has been a love letter to the iconic boss fights of Final Fantasy 4, from the Four Fiends themselves to Golbez and his Shadow Dragon, developing them into standalone characters that continue to challenge the themes of death and purpose which Endwalker toys with throughout its narrative.
True to Naoki Yoshida's word, the content updates for Endwalker have remained standalone – the Final Days have been averted and the story of Hydaelyn and Zodiark was concluded by the time the expansion's end credits hit. The Warrior of Light's excursion into the Void has served as both a new adventure to separate the next decade-long chapter in the tale of Etheirys, and a convenient way for new players to be introduced to the beloved cast of Final Fantasy 14.
However, Patch 6.4 of Endwalker hasn't shied away from teasing "The Next Big Thing" through cryptic lines and imagery, carefully scattered throughout some of its seemingly innocuous scenes. From Thancred and Urianger's discussion to Krile's paperwork, Final Fantasy 14 players frustratingly see the chess pieces being moved on the board, but no one can yet decipher where it all leads. Taking this into account, a player by the alias of notColdReactive may have just uncovered the most damning piece of evidence: the contents of Krile's letter.
As shown on the picture above, by tilting the camera a certain way while in the Baldesion Annex in Old Sharlayan, the clipping allows players to see a pixelated, yet remarkably suspicious seal. Those with a keen eye have argued that it resembles Marilith, the Fiend of Fire from the original Final Fantasy game – who was one of the four primary bosses alongside Lich, Kraken, and Tiamat. In Final Fantasy 14, Tiamat is the widow of Bahamut, and the game strongly hints that she plans to return to Meracydia. On the other hand, some fans claim the seal resembles a dragon, which again implies that Meracydia will the main setting of the next Final Fantasy 14 expansion.
An important piece of this puzzle are Erenville's off-handed comments of a homecoming in the same scene, teasing the port city of Valnain and the Golmore Jungles of the Viera in Final Fantasy 14. Given its geographical location, it wouldn't be out of reason to assume that it would serve as the perfect springboard for a voyage to Meracydia, potentially taking the role of a new capital city, starting zone, or both. Though the analysis should be taken with a grain of salt, it is nonetheless a strong theory backed by a lot of evidence. Players can expect to receive more concrete evidence during FanFest on July 28, where they will be able to allegedly square off against a Primal from the upcoming expansion.
Final Fantasy 14 is available for PC, PS4, and PS5.
