First time player here. I grew up in the PS1/PS2 era with FFVII and FFX, and this is one of the best games I've played to date.
I just beat the Paintress, had the big plot twist, and from what I can tell I'm about halfway through the return to Lumiere where sh*t is going down left and right. Renoir is in some kind of tower and the Expedition is honing in on him.
I went into this game completely blind, so I have no idea how much of the main storyline is actually left. It felt like I was nearing the (real) final boss, so I went back to the Continent and have been doing all sorts of side quests. My characters are all between levels 58-65.
Can anyone enlighten me on roughly how much of the game is left? Or is Lumiere the final dungeon? I want to explore every last part of the world, including the Gestral arenas and the tower with the trials, so I'm really hesitant to complete the storyline. The world is just too good!
Also, if anyone has any recommendations on areas to check out, I'm all ears. I finished the Paintress' Workshop and promptly got slaughtered - same with some of the harder trials in the tower. It seems like there's a fine line between the areas you're supposed to go, and the bonus bosses (a la FFVII and FFX). Thanks in advance!