In recent weeks, more and more larger streamers have checked out Final Fantasy XIV and were often surprised by the behavior of the community. They were warmly welcomed by the players.
This is what happened: Since July 16, the big streamer Summit1g has been playing FFXIV almost non-stop in his streams and apparently enjoys it. As a Dragoon, he is calmly progressing through the content of the MMORPG, such as the Primal boss fights, Bahamut raids, and hardcore fishing.
Meanwhile, the streamer has reached the first expansion Heavensward. The expansion is very popular in the FFXIV community due to its story. It landed at 2nd place in our poll for best expansions and is generally regarded as the point where the MMORPG really becomes good. To celebrate the event, some players in FFXIV prepared a reception for Summit1g that overwhelmed him.
In the Twitch clip, numerous players gathered in front of Ishgard on their mounts in a large formation that stretched to the city gates. Entering Ishgard is only possible in the Heavensward expansion and is therefore considered a significant moment.
Summit1g could not stop being amazed and repeatedly said: “Holy shit, those are all players, those are all players,” and he warmly thanked them for the reception.
Surprise and Speechlessness
Other streamers experienced this too: A similar action in Heavensward and other places in FFXIV has also been experienced by other streamers besides Summit1g. The WoW personality RichWCampbell was also astonished and completely overwhelmed by the honor guard waiting for him at the gates of Ishgard. In the corresponding Twitch clip, he can hardly believe that they are all real players lined up on their mounts at the sides.
Streamers JesseCox and AnnieFuchsia, who have both been around longer than Summit1g, also spoke positively about their community experiences in FFXIV. In the MogTalk podcast of well-known content creator Frosty Mogborn (via YouTube), they shared the following:
I had a great time, but I’m always amazed at how creative the players are. […] One of the coolest and most surprising moments was when I arrived in Ishgard and there were people lined up next to the stairs. And it took me a moment to realize that they were real people and they were standing there for me.
AnnieFuchsia
[…] When I started Stormblood and was a Red Mage, everyone showed up in their Red Mage outfits. And it was a really fun moment. […] I can’t believe you actually took the time for that. […]
JesseCox
The WoW streamer Esfand, on the other hand, did not start playing Final Fantasy XIV voluntarily. On July 8, he shared a picture of a tree stump on Twitter and said: “If this stump gets 10,000 likes, I will play Final Fantasy 14 next week.”
The picture collected the necessary amount of likes and even more on the same day. Today, on July 30, the stump has over 24,200 likes. Esfand kept his promise and streamed FFXIV in the following weeks. He was also surprised by the warm reception from the community.
He wrote: “The FFXIV community was so wonderful and welcoming. The chat environment was great and the game is fun. I’ve just had a lot of fun so far, thank you all” (via Twitter.com).
Here’s what it’s about: A large part of the Final Fantasy XIV community is often very eager to promote their beloved MMORPG. A slogan about “the award-winning MMORPG with a free trial through level 60” has been spread thousands of times on social media and in forums as a meme.
Therefore, this part of the community tries to warmly welcome the large streamers in FFXIV, as they know that new interested players will also start with the MMORPG with the streamers. And that contributes to growth and popularity.
The amazement of the streamers is partly due to their usual experience within games. Stream-snipes, or targeted hunting of streamers to ruin their fun, is a common practice in many multiplayer games. Accordingly, they are surprised when they receive a warm welcome that makes their gaming experience enjoyable.
Moreover, the response from Square Enix to stream-sniping has surprised some, especially streamer Asmongold. His first experience with the community in FFXIV had not been so rosy.
On his first streaming day, he was followed by snipers on large mounts to obstruct his view and harass him. However, Square Enix responded with a temporary ban of one of the snipers, and the harassment stopped. Asmongold commented: “It’s incredible how easily a problem can be solved when the company actually cares.”
Not every streamer, of course, receives a grand parade or formation, but the reactions of the big personalities in the streaming community still circulate and encourage other players to try FFXIV. Thus, the eager FFXIV promoters achieve their goal.
That’s why Final Fantasy XIV is becoming a refuge for WoW players
