Ishgard

The Implacable Empire subdued and imprisoned the Warring Triad, shackled them to machinery that sustained the Icon's forms, whilst at the same time bleaching away their infinite energies.

For five millennia did the Warring Triad languish thus in dreaming servitude, their slumber undisturbed until Archbishop Thordon, seventh of Ishgard, rattled the bars of their cage.

The Archbishop had come to Aziz Law seeking to absorb the Three's power and make of himself a god without rival.

It was fortunate then that the Warrior of Light and his companions thwarted Thordon before he realized his tyrannical ambitions.

Basically, everyone's seen them around.

But one woman, who looks the spittin' image of the Ishgardian noblewoman Crone, had some very specific details about where we could find these so-called Grand Sirs.

You lapsed into your Julianne voice, Jen.

I don't even have a

Egalitarian utopia indeed.

Oh, well, about that.

We were actually investigating the tenants for defrauding Ishgardian women.

Slowfix is not okay with fraud happening under his utopian roof.

So we go beyond the lion chamber and we find what appears to be the upper class area or maybe like the temple district or something of the nature.

But this is kind of Ishgard-pilled in that there are these elevated stone pillars, arches, whatever, that span a cloudy abyss below.

Yeah.

So this presumably is like out on the mountainside beyond the edge of the mountain with a big steep drop below.

He's now the personal musician to House Hyenart.

So now here's our mandatory dip into Ishgard.

Hey, we're in Heavensward.

Gotta go to the Heavensward places.

Something I noticed in the NA and EU Evercold keynotes was the lack of lifestyle content.

More specifically, exclusive content for crafters and gatherers like Ishgard Restoration, Island Sanctuary, or Cosmic Exploration being mentioned.

Now this could be because they're being purposefully vague, like they have been with improving zones and quests and whatnot, but it does make me a tad bit concerned.

I am optimistic that the world raids will scratch the exploration zone's itch, at least somewhat, but if Evercold lacks casual crafter-slash-gatherer side content, I feel like that will be a huge miss.

And then what a switcheroo of them taking over.

And the fact that it was the first time we get to, like, really...

Obviously, we could see Ishgard since the start of Realm Reborn, and if you want to include 1.0 as well, so you knew that was coming, and Emmerich was there, in the cutscene of the banquet, there was just a lot, so much was happening, there was this political intrigue, the Sultana was going to abdicate, it was crazy, and then she dies?! What?! ! I will just say she dies there, because it genuinely felt like that was the direction they were going for, but whatever.

I was crazy.