Final Fantasy XIV: Up into the skies
In Final Fantasy XIV, something like “there is too little to do” is forbidden, except for the biggest hardcore players. This is already due to the fact that you can unite 21 classes or jobs in one character and switch at the touch of a button. Thanks to the multi-class system.
While WildStar and The Elder Scrolls Online had a lot to do last year to solve ongoing issues, rushing from fire to fire to stamp out the problem sparks overlooked at the release, Final Fantasy XIV has already extinguished the big fire years ago. And God knows: It really burned there.
Now, they are in the luxurious situation of moving forward and doing what they planned. The content updates bring new instances, raising the pyramid to the next level. Now they have taken a step off the path and brought the Gold Saucer minigames into the game.
Meanwhile, they are introducing a new class, improving housing, allowing players to marry, announcing that they want to bring out a big expansion every year and allowing the first expansion “Heavensward” to come out – with three new classes, flying mounts, and all that jazz.
And they do this “just like that”, “on the fly”, without having to – like with WoW – leave the game stagnant for a year and telling the players: “Sorry, we would love to, but… difficulties.”
What other MMOs struggle with seems to be an achievement for Square Enix: They have a relatively tight schedule and stick to it. Provided that ambitious goals are followed by actions, as before.
Final Fantasy XIV, however, is still not a “mass phenomenon” like World of Warcraft was back then, even if some numbers want to convince us of it. It is idiosyncratic, relies on relatively small zones, a tab-target combat system, and does not shy away from its Japanese aesthetic but embraces it and hides hints of the FF franchise everywhere. However, it is probably the game with the most satisfied user base. Maybe they just all complain in Japanese, Kupo.
To page 6: World of Warcraft: Somehow currently unremarkable
