Roshar will survive

[Ixthos Luke/Luke]

There are a few theories I've seen that propose Roshar will be destroyed at the end of either book 5 or book 10 of the Stormlight Archive. While that certainly would be a twist, and I agree there are hints that this may happen, I disagree - I think Roshar is much more likely to survive, and will continue to be important throughout the Cosmere.

 

1. (Please note that I am still learning Hebrew, so take the following as being from someone who is still learning on this topic) Roshar has a strong Hebraic influence, with many names referencing Hebrew words, such as the various types of Fused (such as the Shanay-im, the Fused who can fly, referencing the Hebrew word for Heaven and the sky, Shamayim - שָׁמַיִם), Moash being similar to the original Hebrew name for Moses, and several countries having allusions to Hebrew letters, such as Alethkar (Aleph - א), Aimia (Ayin - ע), the Reshi Isles (Resh - ר), Shinovar (Shin - שׁ), etc. Under this rule, consider that the Hebrew word for head is Rosh (רֹאשׁ), and has connotations of leadership or beginnings, such as in Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the year. This implies Roshar has a significant place in the entirety of the Cosmere. Combine that with its unique placement as a seeming centre of trade and travel, with at least four worlds accessible from Shadsmar, and it implies a key role in future trade and Cognitive Realm travel.
2. Roshar is one of the few worlds known to overflow naturally with Investiture, and more safely than others such as Sel, which would make it a vital location in future stories where mass use of Investiture becomes common, at the very least allowing for a rivalry to form with any other world that tries to export its power. A three or four way rivalry between Roshar and Sel (along with Scadrial and one or more other planets such as whatever worlds the Aethers use as a base) would present a much more interesting Cosmere future than one where Roshar's source of power - which can only be gathered in bulk in the Physical Realm - is no-longer accessible. Combined with the above point on its nature as a crossroads and it implies an important economic role in the future of the Cosmere, even if the Ghostbloods are defeated - that may itself begin the conflict between the worlds.
3. Roshar is one of the most bizarre Cosmere world designed and presented thus far, with a beautiful and intricate ecosystem in both the Physical and Cognitive realm and involving a great deal of interplay between the two. As such its destruction, unlike that of Scadrial, Threnody, etc., would diminish the beauty of the Cosmere, especially as this world was specifically stated to have been designed by the Power before it was split, meaning any future attempts by a Shard to replicate it would be implicitly inferior. It also would mean that any future RPG made wouldn't let one play as Space Age Cosmere on Roshar, which while admittedly a somewhat fan-focused view is still one I think should be relevant. 
4. If Roshar is destroyed, it may eliminate Surgebinding entirely, as magic is based heavily on the world it comes from, and the Spren are a mixture of Honour and Cultivation, thus the destruction of Roshar could change or eliminate entire Orders - it certainly would spell the end of the Bondsmiths, as the three Shardspren are rooted in Roshar itself.
5. Following from the previous point, Roshar is implied to be important to Era 4, and so we have the two points of both how cool it would be to see the future of Roshar in Era 4, as well as how Era 4 will somehow feature it in some important capacity. 

 

Quote

Questioner

How many of the worlds in the cosmere do you eventually plan to talk about that we don't know about?

Brandon Sanderson

...From what's been released, you've gotten almost all the important ones. There's, like, two or three ones I would consider relevant to... for instance, the planet that the Aethers, from Aether of Night, which is an unpublished book-- that's still part of the cosmere, I'm gonna do some stuff there. There are a couple of other worlds, one is mentioned in Oathbringer, just very briefly, in one of the epigraphs. There are others that I'll get to. But, when I designed the cosmere: Scadrial (Mistborn), Sel (Elantris), and Roshar were my pillars of the Cosmere story. With Yolen, the planet where it all started, just kind of being behind-the-scenes relevant. Those are the pillars of our story. Other planets will come into it, but those three-- there's nothing more important than the ones you've seen already.

Oathbringer San Francisco signing (Nov. 15, 2017)

 

While not definite, this quote reinforces point 5 above. Note that this is listing the important planets. While it is possible for a planet to be destroyed and still be relevant, such as the inhabitants culture and magic being shaped by the world they came from even if that world is gone, it does imply Roshar itself is important in the future of the Cosmere.

 

While each point in and of itself could be countered, I think together they make a strong argument as for why Roshar will not be destroyed. Though what are your thoughts? Would you prefer Roshar persists or be destroyed? Could it continue as a central crossroad even with the planet gone, and could the Orders survive its destruction? Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a great day!

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood he/him]

that is interesting, I like it.

[KaladinWorldsinger]

I don't think anyone expects for Roshar to be destroyed completely. My theory was that a big chunk of Roshar would be destroyed, because of the vision Dalinar sees at the end of TWOK, like Maybe from natanatan  till the horneater peaks. Forcing the story to focus on the western part of Roshar, which is severely underutilized, and mass migration to shadesmar