Final Fantasy XIV – The State Of The Game Heading Into FanFest
On the eve of Final Fantasy XIV’s subsequent growth announcement, the MMO finds itself in its most precarious state of affairs but. While Dawntrail was removed from a horrible growth, its stumbling put emphasis on all the opposite points that XIV gamers have been grumbling about for years. Most jobs have not modified radically since Shadowbringers, with Dawntrail particularly barely touching jobs in any respect; Even when the story has been good, gamers have begun to really feel drained in regards to the inflexible state of the sport. It’s time for a radical change, however can we count on one in any respect?
Per week in the past, I wasn’t so positive. While Creative Studio 3 had dedicated to eight.0 being a extra radical departure for the sport even previous to Dawntrail’s releasewe lacked concrete examples of what precisely adjustments the workforce was focusing on. With the most recent Live Letternevertheless, we have begun to get an thought of precisely what kind of scope we could also be . Both the glamor and dye programs for armor are set to obtain a significant rework subsequent patch, and the workforce has begun to trickle out details about how that is simply step one, because the workforce has begun to actively goal components of the sport that had been untouched for over a decade.
Next growth, gamers will not have the identical “totem farms” for Extreme Trials. Nor will Relic Weapons exist in the identical type as earlier variations; the stinger for the latest patch trailer revealed that Dawntrail’s second Ultimate raid will break sample and custom by centering round Kefka, moderately than the anticipated Stormblood or shadowbringers Main Scenario-themed battle.
Taken on their very own, these are all very minor adjustments – and we nonetheless know little or no in regards to the grander scope of them. Yet, taken within the context of the beforehand disclosed declare that 7.0 can be a “safe” growth earlier than the workforce might goal extra broader adjustments in 8.0, it is our first instance of the workforce following via on that promise. Considering that the promised give attention to battle content material for Dawntrail has principally lived as much as the workforce’s expectations, it leaves me hopeful that there’s a lot to be hopeful about with the subsequent growth.
That being mentioned, whereas I’m hopeful, there nonetheless stays quite a bit to be involved about. While I consider the workforce is focusing on bigger adjustments, Dawntrail’s content material cadence has been messy to say the least. While the sport has seen essentially the most “new” content material added to the sport with Dawntrail, the workforce has struggled in some troublesome methods to make the content material attention-grabbing and accessible to everybody. Occult Crescent is the poster little one of the difficulty, however even content material that I cherished – like Chaotic and Quantum – has been simply as a lot of a miss as successful. Both fights noticed the workforce experimenting closely with reward buildings, and whereas I respect the makes an attempt, I doubt a lot of the playerbase has something constructive to say about how issues shook out.
The query stays whether or not these struggles are emblematic of deeper points with the event of Final Fantasy XIV, or have been anticipated whereas the workforce actively experimented earlier than solidifying a plan for the sport’s future from 8.0 onward. I want to hope it is the latter, but on the identical time admissions from the workforce that Occult Crescent’s Forked Tower turned out the best way it did as a consequence of an absence of sources makes it appear extra doubtless that it was the previous; perhaps it is nonetheless doable that the workforce has had a bigger than normal emphasis on growing the subsequent growth, and we can’t run into the identical points in 8.0 and its patch cycle, however I would not really feel comfy betting on that final result. We can solely hope that the workforce has discovered from the expertise, regardless.
As far because the story is worried, it’s kind of too early to say how issues will end up. I feel there is a promise right here, now that we’re deep into the Dawntrail patch quests – however till we have seen 7.5, and the place the subsequent growth is actually taking us, I am unable to precisely say how issues will end up in the long run. I typically favored Dawntrail’s story nicely sufficient regardless of some moderately egregious writing stumbles; it isn’t like prior expansions have had writing good both, so so long as the course correction sticks the touchdown, and the subsequent story arc that we’re ramping into is attention-grabbing, I’ll be comfortable. I’m positive the remainder of the playerbase feels the identical.
Final Fantasy XIV has undeniably gotten stale. Yet, whereas there’s loads to be involved about – it seems like there’s simply as a lot to be excited for the state of the sport going ahead. The workforce clearly understands the playerbase’s considerations; the one query that is still is that if they’re as much as the duty to ship on answering them. Only time will inform, however I’m feeling hopeful. We’ll know extra within the coming weeks, and I am unable to wait to search out out what the workforce has in retailer for us.
