In what state will Final Fantasy XIV enter the next expansion and how will it continue for players in the near future? What went well and what went poorly with Square Enix’s big MMORPG? We look back at the year 2018.
In 2018, it became quiet around the MMORPG from Square Enix. The content updates in the “Stormblood” expansion followed the already familiar pattern. Players received new raids, dungeons, and other types of content approximately every 4 months. 2018 was a classic year between two expansions.
Compared to its predecessors, Stormblood was controversial in the community.
“Not as good as Heavensward”
What was criticized about the story: One of the major points of criticism was the story of Stormblood. Story missions have always played a very important role in Final Fantasy XIV and are highly anticipated by a large part of the community. Especially the story of the previous expansion “Heavensward” is extremely popular among FFXIV players.
However, the first complaints about the story arose in Stormblood. The splitting of the plotline between the events in two different nations, Doma and Ala Mhigo, was, according to some in the community, not a good idea. The constant switching of locations and focus failed to create a coherent narrative for the players, although some individual story quests were really well done.
What was criticized about the content: By far the most and harshest criticism was directed at the content named “Eureka”. In the new instances on the island of Eureka, FFXIV players can accept quests for their new “Relic” weapons and armor and continuously upgrade them throughout the Stormblood expansion until they become the strongest equipment in the game.
However, this did not go over well with a large part of the community, and new complaint threads emerged almost daily in the official forums and on Reddit. The reasons for this were varied:
- The disappointment of high expectations set by producer Yoshida. He promised players that this was content “that had never existed before.”
- Monotonous grinding of enemies and FATEs in one area
- Late implementation of Eureka into the game. The weapons and armor acquired there through grinding were already outdated upon release
- Poor design of the areas that made reaching FATEs and teleport crystals, and thus leveling, difficult
- Loss of a lot of EXP and levels due to careless deaths
While the feedback on the latest area “Eureka Pyros” was more positive, many players still wished for the Relic system from “Realm Reborn” and “Heavensward.”
The Stormblood raids were well received
However, there was also a lot of positive feedback regarding the content of Stormblood.
What players liked about the raid content: The 24-man raid “Return to Ivalice” was particularly well received by the players. Fans of the games FF Tactics and FFXII celebrated this raid. Many locations, characters, and summons from these games can now be experienced by players for the first time in great graphics and in true 3D.
In addition to an interesting story, players also praised the visual design of the raid and the boss fights. One of them was so tricky that it forced players to search for prime numbers on Google.
The new hardcore raid “Hero’s Song of Ultima (fatal)” was popular among FFXIV players as well. The challenging instance and the interesting boss mechanics thrilled the raider community of Final Fantasy XIV. Consequently, many were very disappointed when it was announced that no new fatal raid would come before the next expansion .
Although only a very small number of players could actually complete it, many fans eagerly followed the fight on Twitch. This brought Final Fantasy 14 briefly into the top 10 games with the most viewers.
What players liked about crossover events: The announcement of the collaboration event with Monster Hunter World came as a surprise to players and was initially met with skepticism. Previous crossover events, such as with the game Yo-Kai Watch, had forced FFXIV players into endless grinding.
However, the collaboration with Monster Hunter: World was much more comprehensive and better designed. FFXIV players received Rathalos, a monster from MHW, as a normal and hard trial battle. Additionally, the new event offered plenty of cool rewards and was very accessible with its 4-man group setup.
New expansion “Shadowbringers” causes hype
In the coming year, the development team of Final Fantasy 14 has a lot planned. Already on January 8, the next major content patch 4.5 “Requiem for Heroes” will be released. With this patch, FFXIV moves closer to the conclusion of the “Stormblood” expansion and promises a lot of action.
Even the first details about the story of the patch announce a great dramatic battle during which there will be a disaster that will strongly influence the world of Final Fantasy XIV.
What happens afterward will only be revealed to fans at the beginning of summer 2019 with the release of the new expansion “Shadowbringers.” The first teaser trailer has already generated a lot of hype in the community. Fans especially hope that the story of Final Fantasy 14 will become more exciting again.
The previous announcements regarding the expansion showed that many of the players’ wishes for new features will be fulfilled by the development team, such as the implementation of the rabbit tribe Viera.
In February and March 2019, two more fan festivals will follow, where even more details about “Shadowbringers” and its features will be revealed. Additionally, players can expect in the first half of 2019:
- The new “Limited Job” Blue Mage is the first solo job of its kind in FFXIV. It will arrive on January 15, 2019.
- Server splitting and new data centers setup: This measure aims to accommodate more new players at the launch of Shadowbringers and avoid login issues.
- “World Visit System” will break down the barriers between individual servers and allow free travel to other servers.
The year between expansions has been thoroughly utilized by the development team of Final Fantasy XIV, as a lot of new content is expected for fans in 2019, and they can definitely look forward to it.
Or to put it in the words of director Naoki Yoshida: “Please look forward to it!”
You can watch the trailer for the upcoming patch here:
Final Fantasy XIV: Watch the dramatic trailer for patch 4.5 here
