Author: freeffxiv

World & Lore
Final Fantasy XIV is set in the world of Hydaelyn. Players can currently explore a realm of Hydaelyn known as Eorzea, though there are many other distant landmasses with numerous civilizations.180px Eorzea Final Fantasy Xiv:Game Setting
EorzeaThe Eorzean Realm.
In Eorzea, towering mountains dominate the north, their peaks forever lashed with icy winds; to the south, a bleak expanse of unforgiving desert holds sway. These inhospitable lands hold irresistible lure for man and monster alike: the currents of Aether that run through the realm. Aether is a magical substance that flows through the planet and everything living on it. It can be used in a number of ways, including fuelling magic, powering machina, aiding in crafting, and allowing instantaneous teleportation through Aetheryte Crystals. This valuable substance can start wars, as different organisations and races compete for control over it.Eorzea is said to cycle through prosperous Astral eras and disastrous Umbral eras. Eons ago, the land was inhabited by gods and goddesses, which the wandering tribes that settled the land called the Twelve. The gods blessed the tribes that came to the savage land with welfare and prosperity, in what is known as the First Astral Era. The tribes began fighting with each other, and war tore Eorzea apart. The gods and goddesses vanished, starting the First Umbral Era. There have been six such eras of calamity since the First Astral Era ushered in the age of man. Each of the Umbral catastrophes has, in turn, borne the characteristics of one of the six elements. With the end of the last Umbral Era, all the elements had been represented, it was believed the current Astral Era would last into eternity. With the end of Final Fantasy XIV 1.0, and the fall of Dalamud, a period known as the Seventh Umbral Era has started. The unleashing of Bahamut has destroyed much of the land, and numerous other dark omens signal great suffering to come. The Realm Reborn relaunch will take place in this Seventh Umbral era.

Three major city states exist within Eorzea; the bustling commercial hub of Ul’dah, the forest nation of Gridania, and the marine city-state of Limsa Lominsa. Each state hosts a Grand Company – economic and military organisations tasked with defending the land. Adventures join these organisations to further their goals and ambitions, while at the same time helping keep the peace over Eorzea.

Eorzea’s main enemies consist of the Beastmen races and the Garlean Empire. Beastmen are a group of intelligent but monstrous clans, whose ideals and objectives clash with the humanoid races, while the Garlean Empire is a magically weak but technologically advanced, multiracial (though Hyruan-dominated) nation hailing from outside of Eorzea. They seek to conquer the land and its Aether, which powers their Magitek Armor.

City States
Ul’dah

The bustling commercial hub of Ul’dah sits amid the desolate desert landscape of southern Aldenard. The city is organized strategically around the dome-shaped citadel at its center. Its towering fortifications and protective outer walls are visible for malms in all directions, and serve as a stark deterrent to would-be besiegers.

Visitors from every corner of Eorzea come to Ul’dah to partake of the city’s famed recreation, most notably the fighting arenas and gambling halls. Ul’dahn culture is known for its affluence, and the nation’s wealth comes from its abundant mineral resources and prestigious clothcrafting industry.

Historically, it is the sultan who claims sovereignty over Ul’dah, but true power is wielded by the Syndicate, an elite group of six of the most influential and richest members of society. Nald’thal is the patron deity of the city, and two great halls devoted to his two aspects can be found in the eastern and western sections of the city.
FFXIV Ul’dah Flag
The bustling commercial hub of Ul’dah sits amid the desolate desert landscape of southern Aldenard. The city is organized strategically around the dome-shaped citadel at its center. Its towering fortifications and protective outer walls are visible for malms in all directions, and serve as a stark deterrent to would-be besiegers.

Visitors from every corner of Eorzea come to Ul’dah to partake of the city’s famed recreation, most notably the fighting arenas and gambling halls. Ul’dahn culture is known for its affluence, and the nation’s wealth comes from its abundant mineral resources and prestigious clothcrafting industry.

Historically, it is the sultan who claims sovereignty over Ul’dah, but true power is wielded by the Syndicate, an elite group of six of the most influential and richest members of society. Nald’thal is the patron deity of the city, and two great halls devoted to his two aspects can be found in the eastern and western sections of the city.

Limsa Lominsa

On the southern coast of the island of Vylbrand, under the shadow of ancient cliffs worn by the relentless onslaught of the Rhotano Sea, lies the marine city-state of Limsa Lominsa. Said to be blessed by the goddess of navigation, Llymlaen, the city is spread out over countless tiny islands, each connected by sturdy bridges of iron and wood construction, earning her the name the “Navigator’s Veil” from traveling bards who have witnessed the city’s beauty from afar.

Limsa Lominsa is a traditional thalassocracy, with power lying in the hands of the ruling party and its leader, the Admiral. Its economy is driven by shipbuilding, fishing, and blacksmithing, but the majority of wealth comes from the lucrative shipping industry.

To maintain the safety of its maritime routes, the city employs a formidable navy known as the Knights of the Barracuda. However, even in the waters nearby the city, pirate bands run rampant, reaving and pillaging.

Gridania

In the eastern reaches of the Aldenard landmass, home to vast, dense woodlands and coursing rivers, lies the forest nation of Gridania. The cityscape is a mosaic of labyrinthine waterways and great wooden structures, so gracefully constructed they seem a part of the surrounding environment.

The Gridanian emphasis on natural harmony has led to its preeminence among Eorzea’s city-states in trades such as forestry, agriculture, carpentry, and leatherworking. Gridania is home to the Wood Wailers, a militant band of polearm-wielding sentries charged with the protection of their homeland.

The favored goddess of the citizenry is Nophica, the Matron, but great faith is also placed in the wisdom of the Seedseers—young oracles who guide the nation based on the will of the forest’s elementals.

In the past few weeks, I have been able to spend a little time in the reimagined world of Eorzea. Eorzea is the world in which the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is set. FFXIV was released in September 2010 to largely negative reviews. Claims that the game was poorly optimized, that it offered a sluggish and convoluted interface, and that quests felt boring and uninspired left many to feel that the game was unfinished upon release. The absence of the promised Playstation 3 version didn’t help matters. Fortunately, Square Enix realized the mistake it had made and announced in December 2010 that a major shift in the development team was taking place to correct the issues. The new dev team, lead by Naoki Yoshida, began work immediately and made several big changes and implemented patches that added significant new content. Finally on October 14, 2011, Square Enix announced its intention to relaunch the game as Final Fantasy XIV 2.0. Thus, FFXIV: A Realm Reborn came into existence.

FFXIV: ARR is set to include many changes upon launch, such as a revamped server system, redesigned graphics engine, a redesign of the game world, an optimized user interface, a revamping of the current jobs (as well as adding several more), PvP, the introduction of the FATE system and the long-delayed Playstation 3 version releasing alongside the PC version.

Well, enough of the history lesson, let’s talk about how ARR stands today. I played a few levels as a Gladiator but spent most of my time plowing through enemies as the Marauder (seen decked out above), both as as the human-like Hyur. My beta access was limited, so I didn’t get to a really high level or find any really good gear, but I did get enough of a taste of most of the game systems that I can offer some insight of what to expect.

The character creation is pretty standard fare as far as RPGs go, but I haven’t seen many MMOs with quite as extensive an offering of customization. I won’t bore you explaining every detail, but I want to make a note of the fantastic presentation. All the categories you can tweak to your liking has a distinct Final Fantasy feel to them. If you like the character design you’ve seen in the series, you shouldn’t be disappointed. Once you create your character, pick your class and choose your server, the game sends you into a dream-like cutscene sequence where you see yourself in common attire floating in space. A crystal appears in front of you, and next thing you know you see yourself decked out in high-level gear related to your class confronted by a menacing enemy that you engage in battle. The cutscene concludes with you waking up and being introduced to your character-specific starting area. I think this is a really cool way to give the player a tease of how badass his or her character will become. The cutscene also shows off how beautiful this game is. I can honestly say I haven’t seen a better looking MMO on the market. I played both the PS3 and PC versions, and while the PC version looks better, the PS3 version isn’t far behind at all and ran much smoother than I expected it to.

Once you get unleashed into the world, the game again turns into pretty standard MMO fare. What helps set ARR apart are its controls, U.I. and class system. If you’re using a keyboard and mouse, you aren’t going to see anything different than anything else on the market when it comes to the control. But if you’re using a gamepad, which you have the option to on PC and is the preferred control method on the PS3, you’re in for a treat. ARR uses a unique interface for use with a gamepad, which is a XrossMediaBar-like interface called the “Cross Hot Bar.” Playstation users will be familiar with this setup. This bar is used to access everything from configuration menus to maps to inventory to character loadout. The Cross Hot Bar also maps the action bar and macros to four icon sets horizontally arranged at the bottom of the screen. These are accessed through the combination of L2 and R2 trigger buttons and the directional pad and face buttons. Yes, it sounded a little confusing to me at first, but after a short while of using the system I couldn’t imagine playing any other way. The class system is very interesting as well. You can change classes by simply equipping different weapons, and at level 30 you can do quests to unlock an advanced version of your starting class called an advanced job. I can’t comment in detail on this as I did not personally get that far, but I like that it allows you to experiment with different classes so freely.

The questing and leveling also seemed like more of the same, but I had fun regardless. Most of the quests have gear rewards, which was highly motivating for me, especially in the beginning levels of the game. I can’t comment on how well the different Jobs work together as I didn’t run many instances with other players, but the few that I did seemed to be well-balanced. I did not get to partake in any PvP, so I can’t really comment there (personally I’ve never engaged in much PvP anyway). The battles I ran through were fun and engaging and took a bit of strategy to get through alive. One new mechanic that I find very interesting is the FATE mechanic. FATE stands for Full Active Time Event, which a large number of players can participate in no matter what their party status is. They are location-specific and vary in their objectives and offer good loot and experience if you participate. One may have everyone take down a giant monster, while others will have a specific number of a specific type of enemy that you must take down in a set amount of time. These ran seamlessly and are completely optional even if you find yourself in the middle of the fray accidentally. I’m intrigued at the potential that the Fate system has for varying the content of the game.

While the experience is almost identical on PS3 and PC, there are some differences. Unless you have a USB keyboard and mouse to hook up to your PS3, conversing with other players is going to be a chore. The U.I. is also going to take a little getting used to. If you do not use a mouse, you have to cycle through the different elements such as chat, world map, quest logs, etc., but a credit to the game is that the optional tutorials are invaluable and not intrusive. There is a bit of a learning curve, but if you can stick it out, you’ll be playing this MMO like you never have before (well a lot of you anyway). Another gripe I have about the PS3 version is there is no voice chat. When I play with friends I will more than likely play on my PC so I can use some kind of voice client. Just a few things to keep in mind.

I had a lot of fun with the limited time I got to spend with ARR and cannot wait to get my hands on more of the game. I can’t deny that it feels like most of the MMOs that are out there already, but it also feels fresh and has brought in some original systems to the table that has me intrigued. There’s no doubt that from the character creation screen to wandering around the world, it feels like a Final Fantasy game. It truly feels that Naoki Yoshida and Square Enix have gone to great lengths to make this a Realm Reborn. Look for its release on Playstation 3 and Microsoft Windows on August 27, 2013, and on the Playstation 4 in 2014.

 Hello future and present Eorzeans, thanks for returning to our Final Fantasy XXIV: A Realm Reborn Preview Series. Today, it’s all about leveling up.

If you’re an MMOer, you either love or hate the experience of leveling up; there’s really no in between.

If you love it, it’s because – let’s face it – you like lore. You like exploring. You like to get to know NPC’s, and you like to immerse yourself in the backstory. You live in this world, you may as well get the full experience of growing up in it.

If you hate it, it’s because you like to fight. You like to get to the end; you like big crits and super powerful abilities, and crawling up the ladder to get there is simply a pain in the ass.

[   MMO Leveling Formulas   ]

A few games have tried making leveling easier. The classic formulaic gather or kill quests are still in classic MMORPGs like WoW, but due to the public’s totally understandably weariness when it comes to repetitive grinding, they’ve been trying to get you to level cap more quickly.

Then there are games like TERA, which is sort of like WoW, except there are BAM encounters sometimes. There are also games like Diablo III or Marvel Heroes, where there’s a smooth, compelling story and great action combat, but the story ends halfway through your grind to endgame.

Other games have tried to embrace an “open world” concept, which does its best to eschew a pre-planned linear storyline in favor of encouraging you to go out and write your own story however you wish, à la Age of Wushu.

Now, before I say what I’m about to say, I’m going to have to offer you this disclaimer: I effing love FFXIV: ARR. I just do. I’m going to pre-order the crap out of that thing, and wish I could do it twice. So now you know I’m a little biased.

That being said, I think leveling in ARR is revolutionary, and literally has something for everyone. Even you, Mr. Endgame Racerface.

[   How Classes Work   ]

Before I get too far into descriptions of the different ways to level, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page about how classes work in ARR.

There are different types of classes, and different types of gear available to them. We’re going to talk about this more in depth in a different preview article on classes, professions and jobs (they’re different), but for now, here are the basics:

• You switch classes by switching weapons
• Once you level your first class to level 10, you can then become any other class
• Some class combinations work together to later help you learn a job. Once your first combat class is level 30, and your second one is level 15, if they’re the right combination, you’ll unlock an optional job. For example, if you’re a level 30 Lancer and a level 15 Pugilist, the Dragoon job unlocks.
• A job is an advanced combat class, not a crafting class. Crafting classes are different, but also begin at level 1 and are leveled independently and can be learned by anyone.
• To level a crafting class, you equip the tool of your trade, the gear set with bonuses to that trade, and you get to work. You can quest or craft to level up your crafting profession.

We’re not going to talk a whole bunch about crafting here, since that deserves its own article as well. But I thought it was important to make sure everyone knows that you can’t level crafting while you level your combat class, you can only get experience toward one thing at a time (by equipping the appropriate weapon or tool).

That being said, let’s have a look at different ways to level your first combat class. Keep in mind that when you switch to a new class, you’ll need to travel to the city where that class’s guild resides and do the whole leveling process over again.

[   Questing   ]

There are two types of basic quests here: required and optional. You can level up without ever doing an optional quest, but you must move through the story to unlock certain things you’ll need in the game, like access to another class or the ability to travel around. Plus, it’s Final Fantasy – the cut scenes are gorgeous.

The quests you must complete (as well as the quest mobs you must kill for that quest) are denoted by a special icon that looks like a “Q” on fire.

Just like most other MMOs, however, questing is probably the easiest way to get gear, cash and experience.

[   Levequests   ]

Once you complete a quest to unlock them after level 10, you can complete Levequests. These are given at the Battlewarden, and appear in your questlog but look different than normal quests on your mini-map.

To begin a Levequest, you need to find it in your quest journal and initiate it. All of the Levequests I tried were timed and instanced, although if you were on the same Levequest as someone nearby, they could tag the quest mobs as well.

[   Guildhests   ]

Once you’ve done your first Levequest, you’ll be able to sign up for Guildhest. A Guildhest is a five man group quest where you are qued up and instanced into an encounter with an objective.

You must que for Guildhests at the Battlewarden, who is normally right next the the Levemate. If you have people in your party higher than the appropriate level, they’ll be scaled down.

You must complete the Guildhests in the order they’re listed on when you queue up. When you’re finished, you must talk to the NPC at the start of the Guildhest quickly – once, I stopped to take a few screenshots after the kill and I was ported out before I could collect my reward.

[   Hunter Log   ]

If you don’t like the whole questing and grouping thing, you can complete the entries in your Hunter Log. Found amongst the icons on the bottom left of your screen, your Hunter Log is a list of aggressive in your area.

By completing the required amount of killing listed in the log, you’ll receive bonuses and experience. This log can be used the same way for gathering and crafting.

[   FATES   ]

Much like the random group encounters in TERA or Marvel Heroes, FFXIV: ARR has FATES, which were discussed in previous articles as ways to get a quick bit of XP and cash.

If you’re in a level-appropriate zone and you see a purple circle on your mini-map, just head over and join the fray. If you’re too high or too low, however, you won’t be rewarded much.

[   Closing Thoughts   ]

Since this is beta, we can most certainly expect there to be more ways of leveling as more content is unveiled. This game is nothing if not complex and full of options in the best way possible.

Our next FFXIV previews will cover the class and job system, as well as crafting.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will finally release on August 27th for PC and PS3 and attempt to right its initial missteps.

When the game initially released on September 30th, 2010 for the PC, it was met with widespread criticism. Unfortunately, this was not only well-founded but also led to the postponement of the PlayStation 3 Release. Despite its negative reception and the announcement that came in October of 2011 that the game would be completely overhauled, the original version of FFXIV stayed live until November 11th, 2012.

The good news behind all of this is that Square Enix seems to have recognized the shortcomings of FFXIV 1.0,  and set out to right its wrongs. You can read all about that (as well as the game’s character customization) in our first FFXIV: A Real Reborm Preview.

The other good news? FFXIV has finally made it to the PS3!

Now that FFXIV: ARR is nearing its arrival, the beta version is in full swing for both PC and PS3 players. So, without further adieu, it is my great pleasure to continue the weekly breakdown of the most important aspects in this new incarnation of FFXIV.

[ FATE Battles ]

What exactly are FATE battles? Well, if you break it down they are essentially instanced battles with a Final Fantasy twist. Full Active Time Events (or FATEs) are random events that occur throughout the world in designated locations. Once initiated, these battles may be joined by anyone willing to run head first into the fight. Of course, once the FATE is completed you will be rewarded according to your participation. While the same FATE battles will pop up within set areas over time, it is still nice to be able to fight alongside other players. This is a great option for those who haven’t linked up with a party yet and delivers a great sense of teamwork.

These FATE battles also have an important part in the main quest line, and as you begin to level things begin to get a little notorious. Yes, that’s right, notorious monsters and primals will make appearances on the battlefields of FFXIV. Luckily these creatures will are restricted to these instanced battles and therefore ensure they aren’t throwaway moments. I can say from experience that during the main quest line, Ifrit makes an appearance in one such fight and is an important part of the main story line.

All of that is fine and well, but how does the system actually feel? Does it work? After hours of these FATE battles I can stand as a testament to the fact that they actually do what they set out to do. These instances do a wonderful job of creating a sense of teamwork, and when big battles (like Ifrit) do arise they feel refreshing and fun. While it may not be a game-changer or a even a new idea within the MMO world, these FATEs have enough Final Fantasy in them to make them feel distinct.

[ Level Sync ]

FATE battles also feature the Level Sync system, which allows everyone to evenly participate, even in lower level fights. Sounds great, but what exactly is Level Sync? Great question, I’m glad you asked.

The Level Sync system operating with the world of Ezorea allows all party members to be set at a designated level for a set period of time. This system may be used with your own personal party or in conjunction with FATE battles. Essentially, it scales down everyone to an assigned level so that the playing field is even and everything is dealt with in a fair fashion.

Watching this system in action and actually playing through it allows you to understand how this can only help FFXIV ensure there is always something to do. Not that you should ever feel like there’s nothing to do, it is an MMO after all, but when encountering low-level instanced battles this allows you to participate fairly. When entering into these fights you will be allowed to sync, which then lets you join the fight and reap the rewards.

[ Hot Keys – PS3 ]

Okay, so now something special for all the console players out there that will be getting into the realm of Ezorea for the first time. Let’s face it, the User Interface is a big problem in most console based MMOs; the transition from a keyboard to a controller makes this extremely frustrating. FFXIV looks to correct this problem by mapping a set of eight commands to each back trigger, L2 & R2 respectively, and a combination of either the D-pad or the face buttons. Using R1 before hand will allow you to switch between different sets of command layouts, which opens the gates for a massive amount of these combinations.

Console players staring at this UI for the first time may begin to feel a bit overwhelmed. It seems like a lot, but once you get rolling you’d be surprised. As you begin to gain abilities through leveling, you will see these slots filled up. The next thing you know, you’re swapping between potions and abilities like it’s second nature. While gameplay still seems to feel more natural on the PC, it’s clear how much work Square Enix put in to the console version of this title and the user interface is just one great example of this.

[ Wrap Up ]

Now that we have had a little time to go through some important issues within the combat realms of FFXIV and one specifically for the console players, it’s clear that this is shaping up to be a valiant effort by Square Enix. Don’t worry, we’ll be back with another preview of FFXIV: A Realm Reborn soon. Remember to keep checking back here at Exilic for the latest on FFXIV and all your MMO news, reviews and previews. Make sure to let us know your favorite primal or NM and how these battle systems sound to you in the comments below.

Looks like today is the day of Final Fantasy XIV, with news on several topics hitting us like a machine gun. In the past few days we reported about the  Before Meteor: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack Music Blu-ray  that will be released in Japan this August. Many within the game’s community wondered if it’ll be released in the west, even because the code for the bonus minion included in the package will probably be region locked, making importing less practical.

Today we have a partial answer to that question, as a German Community Manager from Square Enix Europe shed some light on the issue while answering a question from a fan:

Hey, don’t worry. You will be able to purchase the soundtrack and receive the Dalamud Minion in Europe. We’ll soon make an official announcement, so please have a little patience.

The soundtrack on Blu-ray includes 104 tracks for over six hours of music and a MP3 version for each track to be used with one’s portable MP3 players. It will also come with a bonus track that will feature the “The End of an Era” trailer  with the music recorded in 5.1.

The tracklist has spans the whole score used for the original Final Fantasy XIV, including those composed after its release by Masayoshi Soken, Tsuyoshi Sekito and Naoshi Mizuta, in addition to those by Nobuo Uematsu.

Fans that will purchase the Blu-ray will also get a code to download a special “Dalamud minion” for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Details on on release date and pricing for the European market aren’t yet available.

Below you can see a rendering of the minion and the box art of the soundtrack. Of course, since it will be released in Europe, a North American release is also most probable.

          

The third phase of Final Fantasy XIV’s beta is here, and with it, the NDA is summarily gone. Images from phase 3 can be posted; video and audio cannot. This is the fast track to finally being back in the game for real, to play your old characters once again, to enjoy the game again.

Am I excited? Of course I am because I haven’t been able to play yet. I’m writing this from the past, and by the time you read this, I will be awash in Eorzea.

There was also a major industry event this week, one that’s known officially as the Electronic Entertainment Expo and known more colloquially to everyone in the world as E3. Final Fantasy XIV was there making an impression, revealing jobs at long last, and generally carrying on as if it owned the place. So let’s talk a little bit about what we saw from E3 if you can tear yourself away from the beta client for, like, five minutes.

The new trailer for the game was released, and it was… well, odd. For starters, the voice acting sounded very stiff on the whole. You can point to a couple of rough moments in Final Fantasy X, but by and large Square-Enix has been good about getting solid talent and good direction in games; perhaps I’ve been spoiled recently. I’m also not a fan of Cid’s new look, seeing as how he appears to be sporting a big old failure beard.

But we also saw more of Gaius (who’s shaping up to be a bigger bad with Darnus out of the picture), other high-ranking Imperials, and some gorgeous work all around. A large chunk of the trailer, if not all of it, was in-game footage rather than pre-rendered, something I always like to see. And of course, it reminds veteran players that while we’re no longer staring down a moon, things have not exactly improved over the last five years in the game world.

Trailers are just pretty pictures, though, and what FFXIV needed to do was win hearts and minds. PAX East was a dry run for this, I think, a chance for people who had scarcely heard of the game beyond “the launch didn’t go well” to sit up and take notice. And in that regard, the game did pretty darn well. People were forming crowds, eagerly trying to find out about the game, and it’s been getting more overall coverage than it has in a long while.

Not that Naoki Yoshida was just preaching to the unconverted. We also got a look at Summoner, Arcanist, and Scholar, which was always going to be a rough collection of jobs and classes.

Summoners, I think, are the hardest class to implement in an MMO, period, because there have always been two roles for the class to fill and neither one works in a shared environment. Either summons consist of hugely damaging area blasts that simply ruin everything around them or they involve discarding your allies for a uniquely powerful companion. (Or wasting a bunch of MP on a stupid toy in Final Fantasy XII, but the mechanics in that game had problems anyhow.) Final Fantasy XI wound up turning them into buffing machines with unusable pets, which wasn’t really an ideal solution, but it was about all that could be done in the game’s engine.

Scholars, on the other hand, are barely present in the series. They show up in a grand total of three games in the main series, and one of those is only in the epilogue. It’s hard to say much firm about them beyond the fact that they’re presented as Red Mages with slightly more magic and slightly less battle acumen. The one thing they have in common with Summoners is that there is a lot of vagueness to their defined talents.

Obviously we don’t know all of the details yet, but I think we can safely speculate. Summoners focus more on the pet aspect of the class while Scholars focus more on the utility side of things, with the latter probably working in a healing role and the former acting as support and damage. This is, to my mind, a really great way to use the job system in the first place.

Something I’ve discussed on multiple occasions is the need for specialization, the idea that two characters at the same level with the same gear should be able to play differently. Part of that is simply a matter of letting players focus on the aspects of a given class that they find most interesting. Giving multiple jobs to focus on different abilities replicates some of that feel, letting you back up your class choice with some endgame utility based on what you already like to do.

Also, I’m glad that we don’t have another class with staves. Seriously, there are lots of weapons out there.

Beyond that, a lot of the information revealed over the convention is already known to fans, although the fact that the game will be coming to the PlayStation 4 is a welcome revelation. It’s also the sort of forward thinking that didn’t really exist with Final Fantasy XI, but since that was in the days when having an MMO on a console seemed even more ridiculous, I think we can agree that it was an understandable oversight.

Now we’re moving into the real meat of the relaunch. Yoshida has placed his cards on the table, people have seen that the game is out there, and the next two beta phases are going to show how well or how poorly everything comes together. So let’s get to it.

As of the 17th of July, Final Fantasy XIV’s The Lodestone beta version is scheduled to be shut down. It will be wiped and reinstated at some unknown point in the future. If you have anything you wish to save on the site, I recommend you go in and and save it to a document as soon as possible. Upon the launch of the beta, Square Enix had shared the plans to wipe the beta version once the testing was done. As it stands it probably won’t be re-opened until phase four of the actual game’s beta.

In conjunction with The Lodestone being unavailable, Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn’s beta phase 3 is ending today at 5am eastern time. Expect the game to be unplayable for at least two weeks, but up to a month. All Legacy characters will revert to the pre-phase 3 save data that Square Enix had, other characters will be wiped. Any progress made once phase four begins should be carried over into the live version. Legacy character server transfer requests will be processed before phase four begins as well.

All of this is leading up to the full launch on August 27th. While fans will be annoyed at their inability to play the game during the downtime, they can rest assured that Square Enix will be putting their best efforts into finishing all the necessary adjustments in time for launch. So if you are reading this before 5am est, please enjoy what’s left of the Final Fantasy XIV phase three beta and be patient with Square Enix while they improve the quality of the game for us to enjoy.

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The Clock Ticks Down

As I type this, there are just a few short hours until part 2 of phase 3 for the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn beta opens up. This weekend will be the first time, since the original servers shut down late last year, that we’ll be able to play our 1.0 characters. This means that players will get to see more of the mid-level or end game content since they won’t have to focus as much on leveling. This will also be the first hands-on look at the jobs (advanced classes) since shut down; although only characters transferred from 1.0 servers will have access to jobs.

High Hopes and Deep Thought

I have high hopes for this weekend, I’ve dusted off my main account just for this section of the beta. Up to this point, it didn’t matter which account I was using because the experience would be the same. However, from this point on, I can use my old characters. So, I can play through my level 45 Dragoon to decide whether I want to finish that character or start over from scratch to experience the game the way it was meant to be experienced. These next few beta segments will be a very important time for me as I have a huge decision to make regarding the path I take.

“In this day and age, it’s all about the communication between players. They are our best marketing asset. They’re the ones who are going to tell other players, “You should play this game.” You’re going to listen to your friend, rather than listen to a big corporation”.- Naoki Yoshida

I’ve been following all things Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn religiously.

@SquareEnixUSA posted a particularly interesting interview USgamer did with director Naoki Yoshida on Twitter. Yoshida’s first response in the interview addressed my biggest concern so far in the beta: voice overs in cut scenes. Well guess what? It has been confirmed that we will have voice-overs in FFXIV: ARR cut scenes at launch! Voice-overs, however, are just the tip of the iceberg; USgamer wanted to know what A Realm Reborn would be like from an MMO novice’s perspective.
A Realm Reborn isn’t just an MMO, it’s a Final Fantasy!

Yoshida starts out by comparing A Realm Reborn to previous console games, stating how the battle system is similar to that of the most recent Final Fantasy titles.

I must admit the battle system does feel similar to Final Fantasy Type-0 (a Japan only release), which had no turn-based aspect to the combat at all. You had to move out of the way of attacks and find openings for your own; XIV plays a lot like that. He also commented that the graphics and voice acting will feel like those newer Final Fantasy titles as well.
Player based marketing?

When asked how they planned on pulling in new players, Yoshida said it will be done by Final Fantasy fans. Fans will see that ARR is a good game, and tell their friends. To be honest, I’ve been telling people it’s a good game since the NDA was removed, so I’m already proving Yoshida right. I like this approach; focusing on creating a game that’s so good that it will have the Beta testers telling their friends, “hey man, you should try out this game!” It really puts the fans in control of their own destiny with an MMO; using the voice of the fans to bring in new players.
What? No Grind?

On the topic of “grinding”, Yoshida was pretty straight forward about not wanting leveling to take a whole lot of time. His reasoning was that the real game doesn’t start until 50. Similar to companies like Bioware, with their MMO SWTOR, the Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn staff has already prepared end game content in advance so the game won’t die out because people hit level cap with nothing to do.

Yoshida also mentioned how they had a schedule set up, so they can continue to bring out new content regularly. There will be no want for content in the near future once the game is released, because Yoshida’s team is all on top of that!
And much more!

Yoshida spent time talking about the Armory System, the necessity of alts (alternate characters), and inventory. There is also an in depth  response about why Yoshida decided a clean slate was needed instead of modifying over time. The interview is a real eye opener, so if you have the time read the whole thing over on USgamer.

As of today, Final Fantasy XIV is offering world transfers for version 1.0 characters. This is to make sure that all regions have plenty of population on their worlds. This is a good move to keep regions like Europe and America playing with people in their similar time zone.

If you are already on a named server you will be automatically transferred to a server with the same name. If you want to go to a different world for a different region you must apply for a transfer. To guarantee you choose the correct world for your region there is a table of world regions for you to check out. Be aware players are free to transfer their characters to any region.

Version 1.0			FFXIV: ARR
World Name	Location		World Name	Location
Ridill	Japan	>>>	Ridill	Japan
Masamune	Japan	>>>	Masamune	Japan
Durandal	Japan	>>>	Durandal	Japan
Aegis	Japan	>>>	Aegis	Japan
Gungnir	Japan	>>>	Gungnir	Japan
Sargatanas	Japan	>>>	Sargatanas	North America/Europe
Balmung	Japan	>>>	Balmung	North America/Europe
Hyperion	Japan	>>>	Hyperion	North America/Europe
Excalibur	Japan	>>>	Excalibur	North America/Europe
Ragnarok	Japan	>>>	Ragnarok	North America/Europe

Your friends list as well as any items you possess will be transferred with you, and you will be able to keep your name as long as someone on that server doesn’t already have it. Characters with conflicting names will be many so don’t fret, the guidelines for choosing who keeps their names are clearly defined by this priority.

1. Characters that qualify for Legacy status.
2. Characters whose subscriptions ended after September 30, 2012.
3. Characters that were created first.

The application period for transfers will be from PDT, June 21 (Friday) to 07:59 PDT, July 15 (Monday), 2013. The transfers will take effect at the beginning of phase 4 of the beta, so you might wanna get ahead of the pack and request your transfers now.