According to Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida, there will be no alternative starting point for Final Fantasy 14 with the upcoming expansion Dawntrail. MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz considers this a big mistake.
For many years now, I have been promoting Final Fantasy 14 because, in my view, far too few MMORPG fans have realized how great the game has become since the launch of A Realm Reborn in August 2013 – FF14 is worth it even in 2024.
For World of Warcraft (after all, number 1 on my list of the best games of all time), there are some expansions that were ultimately disappointing and harmed the gaming experience. Final Fantasy 14, on the other hand, gets progressively better with each addon.
However, I am also impressed by how packed the content patches for the Eorzea adventure have been (and still are) since the resurrection. As if the responsible Square team wanted to apologize for the disastrous launch in September 2010.
MeinMMO editor Karsten is very excited about Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail – here is the trailer:
The Father of Success
The previous masterpiece, in my view, came with Shadowbringers or the beginning of the Endwalker expansion. The authors managed to conclude the grand storyline surrounding the two gods Hydaelyn and Zodiark in a way that most FF14 fans are completely satisfied with. A masterpiece, considering that the story was told over a long decade.
All these achievements are closely linked to Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida, who took the helm for the reboot. Fans affectionately call Yoshida Yoshi-P. At the Final Fantasy 14 fan festivals, guests celebrate every appearance of the chief developer enthusiastically.
MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiss was on site for you at the last European Fan Festival:
False Start that Costs Overcoming
Despite the numerous strengths of the current version of Final Fantasy 14 and my recruitment attempts, many newcomers to the online role-playing game from Square Enix are struggling. The level phase up to the current endgame area takes an eternity and feels tedious and devoid of fun, especially in the beginning.
The high global cooldown undermines any form of dynamism in combination with the initially low number of skills. The running routes are long. The design of most quests is tedious. The staging of dialogues and events is often outdated. At the same time, players are bombarded with names, mechanics, and systems.
Sure, one can invest a few euros in the so-called Tales of Adventure to take a shortcut. But how many players really muster the courage to start a new MMORPG just to spend more money in the end due to a lack of proper introduction and run into the next wall?
Is the Alternative Starter Experience Coming?
When the Square developers spoke some time ago about an alternative starting point they could introduce with the upcoming expansion Dawntrail, finally there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Competitors in the genre like WoW and The Elder Scrolls Online have successfully had such tailored entry experiences for quite some time.
Furthermore, the timing for such an offer with Dawntrail would have been perfect. After all, the new story arc of Final Fantasy 14 picks up steam in the summer. According to PC Gamer, however, Yoshi-P has so far decided against this step.
As far as the story is concerned, we are currently not planning a new skip function. This is something I am constantly torn about, and we have already implemented a feature that allows players to learn more about the story, setting, and characters even if they skip the story [through the Tales of Adventure].
Naoki Yoshida via PC Gamer
The chief developer further explains that he is concerned that Final Fantasy 14 would lose value through such a function. After all, one would miss out on a globally celebrated story this way.
For my part, I am confident that Square Enix will have increasing problems attracting newcomers to Final Fantasy 14 without such a shortcut. And that is really a shame. Those who fight through the countless hours of A Realm Reborn and the first expansions will eventually find one of the best MMORPGs on the market under the tough, outdated gaming experience.
