[NoStylin]

The beehives in wajaom woodlands... You can't use a sickle or a axe or a pick.. what are they for D:..???

[pathwriter]

Can't you just click on those to either get a Pephedro Hive Chip or an angry bee attacking you?

[Corrderio]

Well, it's been awhile however I noticed Ropchop isn't on the list. For anyone that doesn't know, Ropchop is an Orc NPC in Ghelsba Outpost behind the fence near the BCNM entrance. However, he doesn't seem to respond to anything.

[Deo2]

According to Allakhazam commentary, he lets you escape the battlefield for the Sandy Mission: Save the Children. Pay him 100 gil to wuss out.

/google'd

[Corrderio]

Hmm, that's odd. I tried to find info on him and never found that on Allah 0.o

[pathwriter]

I can't recall where I've read it, but, yes, that's certainly what I've been told about him.

[Satimasu]

This is true. Back when I first started and did that BCNM, I paid him 100g to escape...Thanks to my no help friend who was able to solo them, but he decided to work on his archery while they were beating on my weak BLM butt.

[octoberasian]

This just struck me when looking at Salvage Chariots in AltanaViewer:

Was Vana'diel more advanced maybe at or around the time of the Zilart, or after it?

Hints:
- Alzadaal Undersea Ruins and Salvage
- Olduum Civilization (They had vehicles powered by electricity according to the Vana'diel Tribune)
- Airships

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

similar to finding the Airship in FF Tactics

- Cells (The ones that look like vacuum tubes)

I think it would be absolutely awesome to have an expansion pack that has us looking for these ancient, advanced technology, and something dire relating to them that would mean the end of Vana'diel-- in a classic sense.

[Nephlite]

Good idea but wouldn't that get away from SE's classical sense of Final Fantasy? I always thought that's why they made FFXI to get away from the more advanced Final Fantasies of late.

[octoberasian]

Good idea but wouldn't that get away from SE's classical sense of Final Fantasy? I always thought that's why they made FFXI to get away from the more advanced Final Fantasies of late.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, they didn't find out about the Airship until the very end of the game.

This would put FFTactics after FF12 and before Vagrant Story, supposedly.

For FFTactics Advanced, I'm unsure when those take place and are possibly just before FFTactics PSX.

Our world is similar to Tactics in a few ways, with the advanced technology hidden about everywhere like the Strange Apparatus that I forgot to mention.

We're already going back to the past to stop... something... without it interfering with history, which we probably already have.

Another expansion that explains another side of Vana'diel when Airships were commonplace and technology was advanced. It'll probably further the story more of what Vana'diel was and what may have been, and maybe explain why we're back to this Medieval-like setting.

[Zellos]

I don't know if we've tossed the meteor causing the crater out the window, but something that supports against it is the trees in batallia downs (s). Even in the past they look like they were blasted and bent over from some kind of explosion.

[Corrderio]

That's not the meteor.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

In CS after you beat the ZM4 mission you learn how the Kuluu stopped the Zilart from opening the gates to paradise. However when they did they caused one huge explosion. Thsoe trees and blackened cliffs are probably from the explosion.

[xurion]

Where is the crater?

[Corrderio]

What crater?

[.Sotek.]

That's not the meteor.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

In CS after you beat the ZM4 mission you learn how the Kuluu stopped the Zilart from opening the gates to paradise. However when they did they caused one huge explosion. Thsoe trees and blackened cliffs are probably from the explosion.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

Didn't that happen at the 4th Mother Crystal Crag (which now has a nice old castle built on it)?
I always assumed it was caused by Bahamut MegaFlareing the Zilart capital (which was in the same place as Jeuno iirc.). But in the ZM4 CS you do see rocks flying up in the direction of the Jueno area from THotGs, so idk >.>

As a point of interest, if you go to The Hall of the Gods, just before you enter, look down the right stair way and part of the cliff has the same blackening as the areas around Jeuno, just in a U shape.

But no. The crater was formed by a "meteor" long before the zilart. In a future update Lunatic Pandora will rise from the waters and destroy Jeuno (or atleast fill it with monsters).
Aside from the horrible FFVIII copying, monsters in Jeuno would give FFXI a great chance to have a Battle on the Bridge remix, because Gilgamesh certainly isn't going to...

[Corrderio]

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

Didn't that happen at the 4th Mother Crystal Crag (which now has a nice old castle built on it)?
I always assumed it was caused by Bahamut MegaFlareing the Zilart capital (which was in the same place as Jeuno iirc.). But in the ZM4 CS you do see rocks flying up in the direction of the Jueno area from THotGs, so idk >.>

As a point of interest, if you go to The Hall of the Gods, just before you enter, look down the right stair way and part of the cliff has the same blackening as the areas around Jeuno, just in a U shape.

But no. The crater was formed by a "meteor" long before the zilart. In a future update Lunatic Pandora will rise from the waters and destroy Jeuno (or atleast fill it with monsters).
Aside from the horrible FFVIII copying, monsters in Jeuno would give FFXI a great chance to have a Battle on the Bridge remix, because Gilgamesh certainly isn't going to...

Well...

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

Another theory I have is the blackened cliffs/trees could be the aftermath from when Al'Taieu got blown off the map. Since that would make sense for the other areas around Jeuno having the blackened cliffs

[Varizen]

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

If you've played Final Fantasy Tactics, they didn't find out about the Airship until the very end of the game.

This would put FFTactics after FF12 and before Vagrant Story, supposedly.

For FFTactics Advanced, I'm unsure when those take place and are possibly just before FFTactics PSX.

Our world is similar to Tactics in a few ways, with the advanced technology hidden about everywhere like the Strange Apparatus that I forgot to mention.

We're already going back to the past to stop... something... without it interfering with history, which we probably already have.

Another expansion that explains another side of Vana'diel when Airships were commonplace and technology was advanced. It'll probably further the story more of what Vana'diel was and what may have been, and maybe explain why we're back to this Medieval-like setting.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

The order of Ivalice stories is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance > Final Fantasy XII > Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings > Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2 > Final Fantasy Tactics (Balthier and Luso appearing are not cannon) > Vagrant Story

Those trees are what you would call Petrified Trees. They're so old they've turned to stone. It's a naturally occurring phenomenon. Also... Batallia Downs is just south of Beaucedine Glacier. It's cold up there. They could be frozen over.

[Diexna]

Thing is, they're all bent over.

Must have been some pretty strong winds there... unless something DID happen.

[octoberasian]

Thing is, they're all bent over.

Must have been some pretty strong winds there... unless something DID happen.

This is according to what I've read so far and from the missions that every player has done at this point.

Do not read if you have not advanced in either Zilart or CoP missions.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

According to the Zilart storyline, the Kuluu mounted an attack on Fei'yin which is the control center for the generator located in Delkfutt's Tower on Qufim Island. The resulting attack caused a large surge of energy to be released along the Crystal Line and towards Tu'Lia, or in other words, Sky.

Now, if you are unsure what the Crystal Line is, it is the spine that connects all Crags, including the one in Fei'yin to Delkfutt's Tower. This "spine" also runs through Castle Oztroja, Davoi, and Beadeaux before it ends up at Crag of Mea, Holla, and Dem respectively. Each Crag houses a Mother Crystal, including one in the Northlands. That makes four Mother Crystals with the fifth being in Al'taieu.

This large surge of energy caused the most significant damage to the areas of Meriphataud Mountains and the Northlands region. Large shifts and cracks in the earth in Meriphatuad Mountains were caused by this release of energy. A ripple effect using Delkfutt's Tower as the epicenter emanated outward in all directions shearing off the cliff-sides of Batallia Downs, Sauromugue Champaign, and Beaucedine Glacier. The most highly devastated area is that going from Batallia Downs northward and westward through Beaucedine Glacier. Originally, the Northlands region was heavily forested and was never covered in snow leaving Uleguerand range as the generally coldest area there, supposedly. Part of Valdeaunia region was forested as well.

The release of energy altered the weather there significantly and anything in the path of that energy wave resulted in the bent trees seen in Batallia Downs and Beaucedine Glacier. Those trees closest to the cliff-side were literally crystallized, as is evident in the dark, crystal-like feature seen in the cliff faces of Sauromuge, Batallia and Beaucedine.

Not only that, a large majority of the Kuluu were transformed into the Tonberries as a result of that release of energy. Those that escaped that curse attempted to stop Bahamut and the destruction of the planet.

My guess, that I can figure out if going scientifically, as to why the weather changed dramatically in the Northlands region was that the energy released was large enough to cause the planet to tilt its axis further away from the sun. Therefore, a small northern band will receive less sunlight than other parts of Vana'diel. As a result, it will be much colder than it was previously, and the temperature would have had to drop significantly for it to keep Beaucedine Glacier locked in a much colder climate. Batallia Downs is at the southernmost edge of this and it would explain why it will rarely snow there. Qufim Island is in this northern band that got affected, therefore it, too, will be locked in this colder climate due to the shift in the planet's axis.

Now, moving forward to CoP, originally Qufim Island was a circular island, not a crescent-shaped island. Predating the events in Rise of the Zilart by centuries or thousands of years, Al'taieu was the homeland of the Zilart that played a role in that expansion pack.

The Kuluu were an offshoot of the Zilart, who were cast out of Al'taieu because they had no telepathic capabilities and were considered to be abomniations. They eventually "settled in Fauregandi and Sarutabaruta, establishing the civilizations that would, in the modern era, be called Pso'Xja and the Horutoto Ruins." (Source.) In other words, they were considered outcasts.

The Zilart capital city of Al'taieu was eventually attacked by Bahamut in a first attempt to bring upon the Apocalypse to Vana'diel. This, in effect, caused Al'taieu to freeze time itself and it's surrounding area in a bubble-field as a preventive measure to protect itself. Al'taieu pretty much activated a fail-safe device to prevent its destruction and sent itself to another region along with the fifth Mother Crystal. The result took a large chunk of land away from Qufim Island resulting in a significantly large hole there.

If you'd like to know or haven't realized it by now, the point of entry to where we enter Al'taieu via Airship is approximately dead center of where Al'taieu should be in the Sea of Shumeyo.

If I made any mistakes here, feel free to correct me or add to it. But, hopefully, this answers questions as to why the trees are bent and why the cliff-sides are crystallized.

Spoiler! --Click here to view--

Also, Vana'diel was much more advanced than it is now.

You have evidence not only in the Zilartian technology that was left behind as seen by devices like the Strange Apparatus that resemble computers to what powers the Airships and make them float, as well as the weapons used on the Junoan Airship Fleet. Sometime between the events of Rise of the Zilart and long before Wings of the Goddess, there were advanced civilizations such as the Olduum and their electric-based tecnology and possibly those in the Southern Continents.

If going by what was mentioned in the Vana'diel Tribune, the Olduum kingdom stretched between the edges of Buburimu Peninsula and Aht Urghan. They developed technology that harnessed the power of electricity and applied it to vehicles and other devices. Yes, there were something similar to electric vehicles then. I would surmise that Alzadaal Undersea Ruins would have to be built before the current reigning Dynasty in Aht Urghan and were based on Olduum technology. A lot of the cells you see in Salvage would probably be of Olduum origin itself with techniques still being carried to this day in Aht Urghan on how to make those cells.

It's pretty sad and maybe amazing to realize that Vana'diel was once a very advanced civilization. Fast forward to the present day in Vana'diel, a lot of that previous technology is all but lost save for the Airships. Imagine if there was an original design for the Airships and predated it, and how it would look vastly different than what the Airships are now.

Feels almost Chrono Cross-ish if you think about it, or even similar to Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1/PSP).

[Antwan]

I found this on FFXIclopedia concerning multiple NMs which people just don't see as having any purpose (Black Triple Stars, Blubbery Bulge, Drooling Daisy, etc.)

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/The_Miraculous_Dale