I've recently entered the Cortheas area of the game which is where
Dalamud fell and the epic battle in the opening CG cinematic took place. The area is the first are to be seperate from the three Eorzean Alliance city states. Cortheas is part of Ishgard, a religeous city, and the gates to the city have been closed ever since Dalamud fell.
The cool thing about the zone is the much more serious tone and art style, as well as a more dramatic battle theme.