Time passed between story arc?

[Yuella]

Anyone have any idea on how much time passed between story arcs?  For starters, some time seems have to passed between completing the opening 15 levels and the 3 starter dungeons because when you go back to your adventurer's guild to do the 3 starter dungeons, they welcome you like you've been gone for awhile

 

I also think a few weeks or months passed between Ifrit arc and Titan arc, again betwen Titan arc and Garuda arc, also between Garuda arc and Operation Archon due to the optional dungeons. (Halatali between Ifrit and Toto-rak, Qarn and Cutters Cry between Titan and going to Ishgard, Dzemael Darkhold and Aurum Vale between Garuda and Cape Westwind).  The Warrior of Light probably have time to do these dungeons before being called by Minfilia to continue the main story.

[Kage]

Unfortunately with the MMO nature of the game, we won't be getting a concrete time passage for the events of 2.0 onward. We've only been told that it was probably a sennight or a fortnight (one week or two weeks = 8 to 16 days) max for 2.55-> 3.0

 

Any real times are estimates within the time bubble.

[Aaron]

We're trapped in Limbo.

[Sounsyy]

Anyone have any idea on how much time passed between story arcs?

 

It's really all up in the air, unfortunately. According to the lore team, FFXIV exists in what's referred to as a "Simpsons Time Bubble" in which the whole of the storyline exists compressed within the span of a year, give or take a few months.

 

Before I move onto question two' date=' allow me to veer off onto a little tangent: there have been several threads about Hydaelyn’s timeline not matching up with Earth’s. If it has been two years since the release of the game, why is it still 1572 in Eorzea at the time of patch 1.23? This is a dilemma faced by a lot of MMOs. To allow everyone that joins the game, regardless of when they do, to experience the full story, there simply has to be a stoppage of time. Okay, not really a stoppage, but more of a time bubble in which a span of about a year is contained. This is why that for the duration of 1.0, Eorzea was in a perpetual 1572. Think of it as the same thing that’s happening in the Simpsons. 23 seasons gone and Lisa’s still 8, Maggie’s still a baby, and the gummy Venus still tastes oh, so sacrelicious. Pushing time along would also mean changing 1000s of lines of NPC dialogue, updating quests, webpages, etc. with every patch. Meaning it would take more than double the time to release updates, and I’m sure most people wouldn’t want to wait. In a book, movie, offline game, a strict timeline can be set without too many complications. In an online title, there are just too many variables, so we ask that you bear with our bending of space-time. It’s for the greater good![/quote']

 

Q: Long ago, you mentioned that 1.0 took place in a “Simpsons Time Bubble.” Are we still in a bubble? Or does time move now that we know Patch = Canon?

 

Fernehalwes: It’s still a bubble; you have to have a bubble. There are players joining in Heavensward that are starting at the beginning. The bubble’s just gotten bigger.

 

 

NOW, that all said, in 3.2 we have gotten a quest that appears to have put a time-passage-marker on the current timeline. See for yourself:

 

Gerolt' date=' how could you forget? When was this order placed?[/quote']

Two' date=' um...years ago.[/quote']

Hold on a minute! It's all comin' back to me now! This order came in 'round the time you barged in here' date=' rantin' and ravin' about yer godsforsaken Zodiac Weapon, distractin' me from me work! This is your fault, ye swivin', scabby-arsed, shite-eatin' streak o' piss! And you have the BALLS to ask fer that bleedin' title back!? Bollocks to that! I'm keepin' it─fer good![/quote']

 

Now, Jalzahn first comes to Eorzea from Thavnair in patch 2.2. If we take this quest as canon time passage, Drake and Gerolt suggest that its been two years (give or take) between patch 3.2 and patch 2.2. What does this mean as far as the Simpsons Time Bubble? Well, I think this means that like 1.0 existed in its own time bubble, 2.0 now existed in its own bubble, and 3.0 Heavensward will exist in its own, each consisting of about a year. We know only a few weeks passed in between 2.55 and 3.0, according to dev commentary, but that's about the only confirmed time passage as far as inter-patch time passage goes.

 

1.0 = Year 1572 6AE.

2.0 = Year 5 7UE > Year 1~2 7AE.

3.0 = Year 2~3 7AE.

Theoretically. However, this model actually works pretty well as far as roleplaying goes, so.

 

Hope this helps! ^^