Dawntrail, the latest expansion for Final Fantasy XIV, has officially been out just three days, arriving earlier this week after a brief early access release. Despite its story and extra 10 levels spanning dozens of hours of playtime, that’s apparently been ample time for players to complain loudly enough about one of the expansion’s brand new jobs - so much so that Square Enix have already announced a set of incoming changes planned across the game’s next run of patches.
]]>We’re only a couple of days away from the early access launch of Dawntrail, Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion and first in over two years since the climactic Endwalker. As the summery story expansion prepares to drop, Square Enix have run down everything else arriving in the MMO’s 7.0 patch, which notably includes its long-awaited graphical overhaul along with several other nice-to-have improvements whether you’re playing Dawntrail or not.
]]>If you were playing Final Fantasy XIV in December 2021, you will remember the launch of its last expansion Endwalker - though not for all the right reasons. The otherwise fantastic cap to the near-decade-long Hydelyn-Zodiark was beset by a barrage of technical problems at launch, as the MMO’s servers buckled under the weight of record numbers of players, leading to hours-long queues to login that would often end in an error that then kicked you back into the queue. As someone that sat there for literal hours watching the numbers tick down, it wasn’t a great time - even if the wait was, ultimately, worth it.
]]>After the climatic end to a decade-long saga in Endwalker, anticipation is high for Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Dawntrail. I got to try out the game and talk to Director Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P) about new Jobs and the difficulty of incorporating fan feedback (not to mention the reasons the Warrior of Light has such great skin - you'll see). But how can the Square Enix possibly hope to follow the highs of Endwalker, including space travel and a fight against the physical embodiment of sorrow? By taking us on holiday, of course.
]]>Ahead of Final Fantasy 14’s next massive expansion, Dawntrail, arriving this summer, Square Enix recently put out a graphical benchmarking tool. Dawntrail’s benchmark is especially noteworthy as it’s the first time we’ve really been able to put the MMO’s much-anticipated graphical update arriving with 7.0 into practice and see what sort of demands it might make on our hardware by overhauling the 10-year-old game’s visuals.
]]>As MMORPG Final Fantasy 14's upcoming Dawntrail expansion gets ever closer, Squeenix have released a benchmarking tool that lets you see how your rig might handle its graphical update. Not only that, but it also lets you sample the new female Hrothgar playable race. So far, folks seem to be happy with the tool and the catmoms.
]]>Final Fantasy 14’s crossover with Final Fantasy 16, as teased last year, arrives tomorrow. The crossover between the MMO and latest single-player entry in the RPG series has the usual selection of goodies up for grabs, including a very cute minion, a not-so-cute (but still kind of cute) mount, some Clive-cleavage armour and more.
]]>On top of announcing the release date for Final Fantasy 14's next expansion, Dawntrail, at PAX East over the weekend, producer Yoshi-P set Final Fantasy tongues wagging even further by mentioning the words "Final Fantasy 9" and "secret" in the same sentence. Many of the pre-order and special edition bonus items players can get with the upcoming Dawntrail expansion are suspiciously FF9-themed, you see, but when pointing this out to PAX-goers, Yoshi-P said "the reason is a secret" for now, sparking fresh rumours about Square Enix's supposed Final Fantasy IX remake/remaster.
]]>Final Fantasy 14's next expansion, Dawntrail, will launch in early access on June 28th and then release in full on July 2nd. Producer Yoshi P announced the date onstage at PAX East, while acknowledging the release date's proximity to another RPG: Elden Ring's Shadow Of The Erdtree expansion, which releases on June 21st.
]]>Fallen behind on Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s story? Whether you’re still yet to finish Endwalker or are looking to pick up the MMO for the first time in anticipation of enjoying a lovely summer holiday with your fellow Scions of the Seventh Dawn, you’re going to have to work before your Warrior of Light can kick back in next expansion Dawntrail; there won’t be a free way to simply jump to the latest chapter of the story for free anytime soon.
]]>A planned live-action adaptation of MMO Final Fantasy XIV is officially “dead”, according to the TV series’ producers. A combination of the pandemic and the “size and scale needed to do it right” are apparently to blame, with Amazon reportedly coming closest to making it a reality - but to no avail.
]]>The latest IAS Game Maker's Notebook Podcast (embedded in the full article below) is a chat between Sony's head of independent development Shuhei Yoshida and Square Enix producer, designer and director Naoki Yoshida, one of the big fish behind Final Fantasy 14 and Final Fantasy 16. In a lengthy discussion of the latter game, the two Yoshidas chew over the familiar topic of where Final Fantasy should go next. According to Naoki Yoshida, it might be time for an injection of new blood.
]]>Among the slew of reveals for Final Fantasy XIV during Fan Fest Tokyo last weekend was a new town players will visit during upcoming expansion Dawntrail. While a new corner of Eorzea to explore is exciting by itself, the cyberpunk city has added to my hope that the MMO is set to shower a bit more love on the best Final Fantasy game. That’s right: Final Fantasy IX.
]]>Seemingly not content with swallowing up Animal Crossing and spitting out its own farm-and-craft minigame, Final Fantasy 14 has apparently now guzzled down Starfield and is readying to unleash its own way to sink dozens of hours into galactic wandering.
]]>Final Fantasy 14 has revealed the second new job arriving in its upcoming Dawntrail expansion. The Pictomancer is a new-oldie, bringing back the magical artist class from Final Fantasy 6 - albeit with some colourful new powers for magical ranged DPS players to enjoy. Meanwhile, we now know that the MMO's second limited job will be the Beastmaster.
]]>Two years after Final Fantasy XIV launched a pizza-eating emote to a surprising amount of controversy, anyone can pop along to the MMO’s in-game shop and buy it for under a fiver.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV’s world of Eorzea is a utopia. Sure, there’s the looming threat of Garlean invasion and/or the possibility of world destruction throughout A Realm Reborn and its expansions - but on the plus side, almost everyone you meet is up for a round of cards.
Over the last quarter-century, Triple Triad has managed to escape its origins as a fun side minigame in Final Fantasy VIII to become a fully-fledged phenomenon in XIV. The Gold Saucer runs regular tournaments, random strangers are happy to be challenged to a match - often throwing in one or more of the game’s many variant rules (though Chaos can do one) - and might even give up one of their prized cards when defeated, with almost 400 to collect as of the game’s latest patches. Emphasis on the “might”: I dread to think of the hours spent replaying NPCs in the hope of a random drop as I filled out my collection.
I headed along to Final Fantasy’s London Fan Fest last month with a fetching deck of Triple Triad cards in hand. (Square Enix provided entrance and accommodation for the event.) Where better to try and live the dream of challenging random strangers to a card game, and learn more about the community that has fallen in love with the MMO in the 10 years since A Realm Reborn released?
]]>Final Fantasy XIV’s achievements are no joke, as proved by the 10 years it took the first player to earn every achievement in the MMO. But director and producer Naoki Yoshida is up for making even more difficult achievements, if the achievement-hunting pro is game for the challenge.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV’s latest Fan Festival took place in London over the weekend, running two days of panels with the MMO’s development team, its director Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida and legendary series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. In-between announcing a new job for expansion Dawntrail, revealing anecdotes from the early days of Final Fantasy and a whole bunch of crossovers on the way, Yoshi-P and Sakaguchi found time to kick back with some very silly hijinks during the game’s boss battles.
]]>Everybody knows some version of the story around Final Fantasy XIV: it came out, it wasn’t very good, it was remade as A Realm Reborn, and now it’s beloved. Over the decade since A Realm Reborn’s release, its reputation has grown with every single expansion. FFXIV’s producer and director Naoki Yoshida (more commonly known as Yoshi P) is now so synonymous with the game that it’s easy to forget he was only brought onto the project in 2010 - after XIV had been released, to overwhelmingly negative reviews.
]]>Final Fantasy 14 has crossed over with everything from Monster Hunter and Nier to Yokai Watch and Fall Guys. But there’s one video game crossover that remains at the top of director-producer Naoki Yoshida’s list: Diablo.
]]>Final Fantasy 14’s 7.0 update won’t hit the MMO for almost another year, arriving alongside the game’s next expansion Dawntrail in the summer of 2024. Director Naoki Yoshida already has some plans for the next two major updates after that, though - but he’d really rather you didn’t ask about them.
]]>The director of Final Fantasy XIV has said he’d love to channel the chaos and freedom of nineties MMO godparent Ultima Online into his own game - but it couldn’t be FF14 itself, as the unbridled chaos would ‘break’ its players.
]]>Final Fantasy 14’s crossover with Fall Guys looks as gloriously chaotic as the original mean bean gauntlet - and it’s out very soon. The incoming minigame playable inside the MMO will see 24 Warriors of Light race across Fall Guys courses given a Final Fantasy-themed twist.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV has revealed the first of two new jobs coming to the MMO in next year’s expansion Dawntrail. The Viper is a fast-paced melee DPS armed with two swords that can transform, Bloodborne-style, into a single two-handed weapon. It’s brand new for the Final Fantasy series, too.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV is once again dipping into the rest of the storied series in a new series of raids and quests for the MMO.
]]>In an accomplishment that truly makes my head and mouse-clicking finger hurt thinking about the sheer time and effort required, someone has become the first Final Fantasy 14 player to complete every single one of the MMO’s more than 2,700 achievements.
]]>Final Fantasy 14’s next patch 6.5, Growing Light, has a release date, details and a dramatic new trailer as it plans to set everything in motion ahead of next summer’s Dawntrail expansion.
]]>On paper, Final Fantasy XIV doesn’t do a very good job of encouraging fishing. FFXIV’s lead director and producer Naoki Yoshida — known as Yoshi P — wanted to create something that was "fun, but relaxing”, and there aren’t a lot of material rewards for the time you put in. You can sell the fish or break them down into other materials, but really the only reason to fish is for the sake of fishing itself.
And yet today Final Fantasy XIV is home to a close knit fishing community of over 27,000 people. This single shared interest has spun off into many different directions, including fishing as a competitive journey, the process of building a space for the hobby itself, and even a kind of metagame. But the main thread tying these all together is the love for fishing, and the community’s central hub is actually located outside of the game - in a Discord server called Fisherman’s Horizon, lovingly nicknamed Fishcord.
]]>Final Fantasy 14 has “no plans” to go fully free-to-play in the future, its director has said following the rebooted MMO’s 10th anniversary - but the team also doesn’t expect to move onto a new game anytime soon, either.
]]>Final Fantasy 14 has teased what to expect from the MMO’s upcoming patches, the last updates to hit the game before the release of incoming expansion Dawntrail next year. As usual, there’s a lot of stuff planned, from new dungeons and trials, to quests and XIV’s upcoming Fall Guys crossover.
]]>Final Fantasy 14’s fifth expansion has a name, a (rough) release date and a first look at what seems to be a notable shift in tone from the apocalyptic climax of Endwalker. Dawntrail will be a summer-themed continuation of FFXIV’s story into a “new story”, bringing new jobs, various content additions and a major visual revamp for the MMO.
]]>Final Fantasy 14 has dozens of mounts, ranging from familiar Final Fantasy chocobos and monsters to some incredible elemental horses, birds and robots. Then there’s the even wilder rides available, from space whales, sentient vegetables and flying beds to witches’ brooms, ghosts and a literal disembodied head. Even so, its latest mount might somehow be one of its best yet.
]]>Final Fantasy 14's patch 6.4 is out now. "The Dark Throne", as it's called, continues the MMO's main story, adds a new dungeon, raid and trials, and adds new furnishing to the Island Sanctuary.
]]>The BAFTA Games Awards were held last night - an annual show where a jury of developers throw weighty man-head statues at the crowd, celebrating the best games of any given year. The 2023 BAFTAs celebrated the best of 2022 with a mixed bag of games, awarding big blockbusters alongside popular indies, but the jury agrees with RPS on one front: Vampire Survivors is the best game of 2022. Good BAFTAs.
]]>From now until May 8th, Square Enix are giving away Final Fantasy 14’s Stormblood expansion for free to all new and existing owners of the MMORPG’s Standard Edition. The offer ends at 7am PDT/ 3pm BST, so you still have over a month to grab and keep the second expansion on Steam, the PlayStation store, or any other storefront that’s participating in the promotion. Squeenix have an FAQ page for more information, too.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV's latest Patch 6.3 "Gods Revel, Lands Tremble" features new main scenario quests, a 24-player alliance raid dungeon, amongst many other tweaks and additions to the MMO. Really, though, it should be called "Baos Split, Tummies Rumble" as players have discovered the real highlight: a bao bun animation that'll leave your salivary glands twitching. It's beautiful. Magnificent. Almost NSFW.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV's patch 6.3 will land in January 2023, with a new one of everything. A new 8-player trial, a new unreal trial, a new ultimate raid, a new dungeon, a new 24-player Alliance Raid, plus new main scenario and side story quests. Among all of the newness are new housing wards within existing districts, allowing more players to purchase their own in-game home.
]]>There were high expectations going into Buried Memory, patch 6.2 for Final Fantasy XIV - new raids, new story, and, most importantly, a new mode called Island Sanctuary to fulfil all of your farming dreams. There were Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing memes aplenty in the run up to release, with players hungry to customise their own cosy piece of Hydaelyn.
Meant as a casual mode to relax away from dungeons and grinding levels, Island Sanctuary has no Job level limitations and can be enjoyed by anyone. Even though you can craft your own buildings and gather materials, you don’t need to have played any gathering or crafting classes. With a base to customise, crops to tend to and a pasture full of animals to pet, it’s easy to see why comparisons were drawn to other farming games such as Stardew Valley.
]]>Fancy a holiday? Well, uber MMO Final Fantasy 14’s free 6.2 Buried Memory update arrives today, providing the opportunity to jet off to your very own tropical island sanctuary. It’s all very Stardew Valley from the look of things, so why not view the brochure by watching the launch trailer below?
]]>As a non-player, the trailer for Final Fantasy 14's Patch 6.2, Buried Memory, is indistinguishable from every other patch trailer. There's enormous boss monsters, several types of void, an incongruous cat creature, Death maybe... Where it differs is that there are also a few glimpses of the Island Sanctuary, FFXIV's new solo farming content.
Watch it below ahead of the newly announced release date: August 23rd.
]]>Final Fantasy 14's patch 6.2 will arrive in late August, and will bring with it the new Island Sanctuary. These are private homes where players can farm, build, and invite pals around to hang. Square Enix have shared a few new screenshots today showing the tropical paradise you'll be constructing your homestead upon.
]]>Final Fantasy 14's next patch, 6.2, is scheduled to launch in late August. Among its many additions will be a new "Island Sanctuary", a personal island where players can gather materials, build facilities and look after creatures. It sounds like a slice of Stardew.
]]>The Steam Deck only had a few weeks of getting to know Final Fantasy XIV before the latter’s 6.08 update wrenched them apart. In less undeservedly romantic terms, it was the MMO’s newly added launcher that – unlike the rest of the game – didn’t work well at all with the Deck’s Proton compatibility software. Two months later, however, Valve have released an update on Proton’s experimental branch that fixes the launcher, making FFXIV playable on the handheld PC once again.
]]>A fresh Final Fantasy XIV patch today has made the game friendlier to solo players, with the new Duty Support System letting you go through a load of main scenario duties solo with NPC party members. Oh, but that's a tiny piece of patch 6.1, which also whams in new quests and and new items and a new housing district and new haircuts and... goodness me I'm still a little surprised when I remember how FF14 was initially so awful that Square Enix shut it down for almost a year.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV's patch 6.1 is edging closer, close enough that it now has a released date, April 12th, and a new trailer. The trailer is below, showing some of the main scenario quests which continue the story from the end of the recent Endwalker expansion.
]]>Square Enix previously laid out the roadmap for Final Fantasy XIV, including the expansion of the Trust System which helps out solo players. Now they've shared more details of patch 6.1, due mid-April, which promises the MMO's first post-Endwalker content.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker brought a close to some of the long-running MMO's story arcs, but it's far from the end for a game that proved so popular Square Enix briefly removed it from sale. In a live broadcast earlier this week, producer and director Naoki Yoshida outlined future ambitions, including making it possible to play all "main scenario dungeons of A Realm Reborn" with NPC pals instead of other players.
Yoshida also mentioned the game's first planned graphical update, and a partial roadmap of new content to come in future patches.
]]>After six long weeks, Final Fantasy XIV is back on sale. That's after Square Enix stopped selling the MMORPG after the critically acclaimed life-hog overwhelmed its servers, causing massive server queues and network errors. Thankfully, those days are behind the game now. So yes, if you've been longing to check out its excellent Endwalker expansion or famous smooth grapes, you can! And from a new Oceania server too, because Squeenix now have room for those down under to sample Eorzea's delicacies.
]]>I wish I could take credit for that strapline up there, but alas, I cannot. That's right, the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, really has created his own Final Fantasy XIV clothing label called sakaGUCCI - and he's been showing off his designs on Twitter with some truly great fashion poses.
]]>Popularity, I have learned from American teen television shows, isn't all it's cracked up to be. While Square Enix haven't been bombed by the local mafioso, joined a murderous D&D cult, or discovered their dad is a serial killer and they too have the serial killer genes (thanks, Riverdale!), they did find such overwhelming success with Final Fantasy XIV that they temporarily stopped selling the MMORPG. They couldn't expand servers quickly enough to meet demand, see, leading to login queues and frustration. But now things are settling enough to to start selling it again, and they have big plans to expand servers.
]]>Right now Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is so popular you can’t buy it anymore. To prevent overcrowding and crashing servers, Square Enix have had to halt free trials and new sales to keep the game stable after an unprecedented surge in popularity this summer. Between that and the global shortage of materials to add more servers, it may be quite some time until new players are able to experience it. If you have an active subscription and manage to brave the long queues however, you’re one of the lucky few who get to experience something truly special. For everyone else: hang in there, it will be worth the wait.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV players haven’t had it easy these last few weeks. The sheer success of its Endwalker expansion resulted in lengthy login queues and server errors. It’s become so popular that Square Enix have temporarily stopped selling the game, taking its Starter and Complete Editions off sale. All the while, some low-poly grapes stayed static in the breeze. Jagged, delicious, minding their own business. Until their blockiness was papped and thrust into the public eye. Memes ensued and the grapes became the talk of the town, so much so that they’ve been smoothed out in the latest patch, much to everyone’s dismay.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV is suffering from success, thanks, in part, to its recently released Endwalker expansion. Despite updates to ease server errors and long queue times, players are still struggling to log into the game. So, Square Enix have only gone and done it. They've temporarily suspended sales of the game, as well as new registrations for the free trial version. Even adverts are being stopped for now.
]]>After a crazy summer that saw Final Fantasy XIV’s playerbase expand dramatically during what was supposed to be a quiet period, it’s no surprise that anyone wanting to tuck into the new Endwalker expansion has a lot of queueing to do. But if you can stand the two hour waits and dreaded 2002 error then you’re in for a grand, if a little slow-starting, adventure.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is the final chapter in the story arc of warring gods Zodiark and Hydaelyn, and sees you trot across the globe to make new friends, fight old foes, and get some space travel under your belt. It’s huge. So huge that it’s going to take a few more weeks to soak it all in and do a full review justice. Between the queue times and sheer scale and finality of the story, Endwalker is a lengthy undertaking.
]]>The Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker expansion is out now, with plenty of bunnyboys jetting off to the moon. That is, if they’re able to login successfully. The servers have been overwhelmed since early access began last week and the thirst for furry friends in maid outfits simply won’t abate. Not only do the long login queues persist now it's out properly, but there are plenty of errors plaguing the process which makes the wait even more frustrating. Thankfully, an update is being deployed today that should fix those server errors, increase server capacity, and make the login process a bit smoother.
]]>After a pre-order early access period so popular it overwhelmed servers and left players in long queues, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker has now officially launched. The fourth expansion pack for Square Enix's fantasy MMORPG continues the story with new quests, adds two new player classes, takes us to new areas to fight new enemies, and, most importantly, opens a male option for the Viera race so you can play as a bunnyboy in a maid costume. Yeah, thirst for those bunnyboys will only make the queues longer.
]]>Even before the official launch of Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion on Tuesday, the MMORPG's servers have been overloaded during its early access period for pre-orderers, leaving players in long queues to join. Oh, the perils of popularity! Sharing a status update over the weekend, game director Naoki Yoshida apologised again for the problems, and said they plan to give all active subscribers seven days of free game time.
]]>It's the launch of a new MMO expansion, and you know what that means: queues. Early access to Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion kicked off today and players are reporting hours-long waits, frequent errors and more while trying to join servers.
In a forum post, Endwalker's developers say that the game's surge in popularity over the past year means that they're expecting "a number of logins that is yet to be seen since the launch of FFXIV," but that the global semiconductor shortage means they can't fix the issue.
]]>Want to learn how to unlock Reaper in FFXIV: Endwalker? The release of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is finally upon us, and with it two new Jobs have been added to the game - the melee DPS Reaper and healer Sage. Here we’ll be running through all things Reaper, so you can follow the below steps in order to start swinging an impressive two-handed scythe and communing with your very own ghastly voidsent.
]]>Want to know how to unlock Sage in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker? Now that the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker expansion is here it’s finally time to try out the two newly added Jobs - Sage and Reaper.
If you’re into healing then you’ll definitely want to check out Sage, which uses floating crystal-gun-things called Nouliths that shoot out lasers to attack foes but can also be used to create shields and heal party members. It’s a ‘Barrier healer’ rather than a pure healer like White Mage so the focus is geared more towards using shields to help protect your party. Below we'll walk you through exactly how to unlock the Sage Job in FFXIV: Endwalker.
]]>With less than three weeks to go before the launch of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, Square Enix announced a two-week delay for the MMORPG's fourth expansion. Previously due on the 23rd of November, it's now expected on the 7th of December. Sounds like they need more time to work on stability, though game director Naoki Yoshida's explanation was a little more dramatic, offering his "sincerest apologies for the inconvenience caused to our players and colleagues due to my own shortomings."
]]>Shadow Hulk and I, we've been through a lot in MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. I've learned to love his run, and together we've been largely been taken aback at just how nice everyone in the game is. Right now, though, we've hit a bit of a wall. We're deep in what I've dubbed the 'Filler City' quest line, as we attempt to reach the game's first expansion, Heavensward. Motivation has dipped considerably as of late.
But you should have seen me at the Endwalker hands-on preview, Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming fourth expansion. I played as a tall bunny boy, not Shadow Hulk. I was suddenly at the highest level cap, not the foothills of the early-mid game. I soared over new zones and wrestled through a new dungeon in a state of delirium. And now, writing this in the present, I desperately want to go back. Motivation? Renewed.
]]>As someone who both plays video games and has worked in retail, my faith in humanity has long since taken on the form of a stain in the carpet of my brain. I've thought about scrubbing it away and starting afresh, but it's been baked in for so long, I didn't even think a double dose of Daz would do the job.
That is, until I started playing MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. So far, all the cat people and elves and gnomes I've encountered have been - dare I say it - alright. They've actually been really quite, well... nice?
]]>As someone who proclaimed that they didn't like MMORPGs anymore, I've somehow slipped into Final Fantasy XIV. Everyone says it gets really good eventually, so I'm standing resolute in the face of many a fetch quest to reach this famed ray of light.
Progress is slow, though. Not slow as in, "I'm taking my time", but slow as in, "I cannot stop creating characters, help me". Seriously, help me. Right now my progress towards that light is slow because I cannot stop running. Let me explain.
]]>If you're looking for an entire second life, we're here to judge. We're only here to serve, which is why we've curated a list of the best MMOs and MMORPGs on PC right now. There's many a massively multiplayer experience to find out there these days, running the gamut from fantasy to sci-fi and... well mostly those two things, but you can still build a little you and live in a whole new world, make virtual friends to share your life with, engage in huge battles against massive enemies, and spend your evenings on raids to grind out levels. Some of the games on this list are tried and true classics that have stuck around for the long haul, and some are newer entries, but all offer deep worlds that you can disappear into.
]]>Final Fantasy 14 continues to prep for the launch of the climactic Endwalker expansion. The latest update, patch 5.55, is apparently the last planned before the expansion's launch. Much like update 5.5, it adds additions to the main quest, more story in the Nier: Automata crossover quest, and a bunch of smaller tweaks and fixes.
]]>It's Final Fantasy's Digital Fan Fest this weekend, and last night's streams brought a series of new details about Endwalker, Final Fantasy 14's next big expansion. Chief among them, the news that it will launch on November 23rd.
Hop below for an extremely melodramatic extended CG trailer.
]]>The wait is over: Final Fantasy XIV's servers are back online, and patch 5.5 Death Unto Dawn has landed. This update serves as the mid-point between the game's previous expansion, Shadowbringers, and the upcoming one, Endwalker (which will arrive sometime this autumn). It brings new story bits that lead directly into Endwalker, alongside the next part of the Nier-inspired raid, YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse. On top of that, FFXIV has added new quests, balance changes, New Game+ updates and more.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion is Endwalker, which will conclude the story that's been running through the massively multiplayer game since A Realm Reborn launched in 2013. Before that will come update 5.5, which will bridge the gap between Endwalker and the previous expansion, Shadowbringers, and there's a new trailer for it below.
]]>Every year when a new update for World Of Warcraft gets announced, or Final Fantasy XIV reveals some mad collaboration with NieR: Automata, I can't help but be sucked in again. Almost. I hover my mouse over purchase, but I can never bring myself to click.
Deep down, I know I don't like MMORPGs anymore. But for some reason I still believe that maybe, just maybe, I actually do. That this particular expansion where orcs fight in a shadow realm, or I can strut about in a new cross-promotional costume, will be like coming home after many years lost in the wilderness.
]]>Final Fantasy 14's next expansion is called Endwalker, and it's coming this autumn. Revealed during a livestream last night, the expansion to the long-running MMO will also bring its story to a close while sending players to the moon. The teaser trailer makes me want to play this game I've never touched before.
]]>Hey, did you know Final Fantasy XIV has a housing shortage? I was not aware Final Fantasy XIV could have a housing shortage, but here we are! Having already announced plans to shore up the shortage last month, Square Enix have now cemented the motion - building 720 new plots of land and erecting a new block of flats in each server when patch 5.35 arrives later this month.
]]>That chocobo-infused MMO Final Fantasy XIV has seen an uptick in player counts since expanding its free trial and apparently things are starting to get a bit too cozy in Eorzea. Player housing is a limited resource in fantasy land and it's only getting scarcer. Square Enix say they're looking to expand the number of housing plots available in time for patch 5.4.
]]>Getting into a new MMORPG is always a little daunting, never mind one as huge as Final Fantasy XIV. Fortunately, Square Enix have made that hill a little easier to climb. Closing out Shadowbringers' story may be Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal's headline act - but if you've only just started dipping your toe into the massive online JRPG, today's update gives you a hell of a lot more content to prod at with 2015's Heavensward expansion.
]]>Square Enix have revealed that Final Fantasy XIV's next major update will put all the content from the Realm Reborn questline, as well the entire Heavensward expansion in the game's free trial. That's like, hundreds of hours of Final Fantasy goodness. It's part of the upcoming patch 5.3, which is heading to the MMORPG on August 11th. There's plenty in there for players who've bought the game, too - like the finale of the Shadowbringers storyline, and the next part of the NieR-themed raid series.
]]>As in real life, there is nothing more desirable in Final Fantasy XIV than owning your own home. The plots for houses in the long-running MMO are limited and it can be a struggle to nab a space before other players, and housing is therefore an FFXIV player’s measure of in-game status.
There's another step beyond owning a house if you really want to show off, however: how you decorate that house. From bars, to modern living rooms, and even someone who managed to create a night sky in their basement, FFXIV's relatively basic housing tools can be bent or broken to create seemingly anything if you're patient and skilled. Or, if you've got the in-game currency to pay someone else to do it for you.
When I first spoke to Luthien, a teacher from the Netherlands during the day and an interior designer for hire in game, she was in the middle of making Hogwarts castle inside someone’s house.
]]>Things are plenty uncertain enough with many folks' actual housing situation as they find themselves out of work while the Covid-19 coronavirus spreads. While you've got bigger real life concerns, at least you won't need to spare a worry for your in game real estate. Final Fantasy XIV has canceled automated demolitions of unattended player houses for the foreseeable future.
]]>Now that NieR: Automata has come and gone from Final Fantasy XIV, it's time to get back to business. Patch 5.2: Echoes Of A Fallen Star arrives later this month, driving forwards the main story and returning focus squarely to gods, empires and high-fantasy politicking. Naturally, that means it's time to fight a Gundam.
What do you mean we don't get to pilot it?
]]>Several Final Fantasy XIV players have reported receiving temporary bans for 'datamining' - digging around in the game's data files to find traces of upcoming content and share the surprise. The MMORPG's rules do forbid this but it's still a surprise to see it enforced. Players do this in all sorts of live games these days, ever hungry for sneak peeks ahead of the marketing schedule. It's a weird way to treat fans.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV offers a lot to potential players. It's a polished MMO with great writing, combat, and a seemingly infinite number of crossover events. But you can also ignore all of that and spend your time designing and decorating a home. The Housing System allows you to buy an estate and play a private game of interior design using items earned, bought or crafted to decorate the space.
It can feel more like you’re playing The Sims than an MMO, but for many players inhabiting a home through their character gives them the satisfaction of a job well done. Plus the houses exist in actual neighbourhoods, with other players’ houses visible and accessible from your front yard. My next door neighbour has built a nightmarish labyrinth in his cellar, for example.
]]>The heartbreakingly human androids of Nier: Automata today returned, sadly not with a sequel but in a Final Fantasy XIV crossover. Bully for you if you play the MMORPG, I suppose. For me, well, I suppose it makes me a little more sad - and isn't that what Nier is really all about? You're having an inferior Nier experience if you do play the new raid, frankly. The update also added new main quests, added quests for anime baby pixies, improved the tools for playing musical instruments, adding a trombone... lots of things. Me, I'm interested for the lost little robots.
]]>Move over, GarageBand. Get outta here, Ableton. Final Fantasy XIV's jam sessions are getting a nice big update in Patch 5.1, bringing the MMORPG one step closer to being a legitimate piece of audio engineering software. This week, Square Enix detailed the new ensemble features arriving in Patch 5.1, that update wot has the Nier stuff in it.
While all those raiders go off to fight sad robots in the new endgame challenges, picking up an instrument and getting on stage with your pals is about to become easier than ever. Who needs gear, anyway? Performing is its own reward.
]]>You know what Final Fantasy XIV was missing? Existentially depressed robots, probably. Truth be told I've never played the MMO. Nor Nier: Automata, for that matter. I'm sure it has all that clever storytelling and philosophical guff you lot say it does, but I never got past the whole "explode yourself to see some robot panties" layer. Really, that's just how it goes.
But hey! Suppose if I ever chance my mind on either, I can always kill two birds with one stone. Next month's Shadowbringers update finally brings the two together in the first Yorha: Dark Apocalypse raid.
]]>While ostensibly a subscription-based World Of Warcraft-alike, Final Fantasy XIV is secretly the biggest and probably best-written JRPG out there. It has made me cry over a bizarro-world Chocobo, and now features one of my favourite RPG villains ever. It has held my attention for five hundred hours, and it's updated more regularly than any comparable game I can think of.
It's recently received another hefty update with the Shadowbringers expansion. But with everyone else so far ahead, is it worth starting six years after the game's rebirth and re-launch? I think so, yeah.
]]>The last part of Final Fantasy XIV's new expansion, Shadowbringers, dropped into place this morning. The humbly named Patch 5.01 adds the first chapter of the Eden story arc, continuing after the main plot ends and providing players with four increasingly tough eight-player boss battles. Not unusual for the game, but these are some spectacular fights, including a huge nod to Final Fantasy 8. Below, some thoughts where I shall endeavour to dance around spoilers like so many AoE markers while still giving you some idea of what to expect, and how to start these new fights.
]]>Thanks to its international nature and the magic of time-zones, Final Fantasy XIV's third expansion, Shadowbringers, is out now, defying its listed July 2nd release date. It's a massive chunk of new story for the MMO-JRPG, this time taking a break from Eorzean politics to drop players into a post-apocalyptic parallel world. Here, the sky always glows with holy light and carnivorous angels prey on the few enclaves of survivors; a bit grim, then. Players who pre-ordered got a few days of early access, but now it's open to all. From the bit I've played, it's more of a good thing.
]]>Picture from Brendy's coverage of the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest.
Maybe they shut down the Final Fantasy XIV servers today to give today's surprise announcement of a TV adaptation a chance to sink in. As covered by Hollywood Reporter, there's a live-action series in the works based on Square Enix's popular fantasy MMORPG. It's produced by Hivemind, the crew behind The Expanse and the upcoming TV version of The Witcher.
The TV show will tell a tale of "struggle between magic and technology to bring peace to a land in conflict", and Hivemind say that notable characters from the game will make an appearance, including heartthrob engineer Cid.
]]>Au Ra are absent and Lalafell get to have a lie down, as it'll take a full day to prepare Final Fantasy XIV for the launch of its new expansion, Shadowbringers. Tomorrow at 10am BST, Square Enix bring the MMO's servers back online, and pre-ordering players get to jump into the new story. For everyone else, the 5.0 patch is making sweeping changes to the game, although a few notable features have been delayed until the expansion's first big episodic update. Below, a story-dense launch trailer, and highlights from the patch notes that players can expect when FFXIV returns.
]]>June's upcoming Final Fantasy XIV expansion, Shadowbringers, isn't just going to bring players another fifty-odd hours of story to chew on, but overhaul a lot of the popular MMORPG's fundamentals. Announced during a "Letter From The Producer" stream last night (archived on Twitch here), Square Enix and producer Naoki "Yoshi P" Yoshida outlined some of the big changes coming in Patch 5.0, whether you buy the expansion or not. They also released a free benchmark tool for the upcoming expansion complete with updated character creator. You can find it here.
]]>If you own Final Fantasy XIV on the Square-Enix store (as opposed to Steam), you can claim the increasingly popular MMORPG's first expansion, Heavensward, free here until June 27th. FFXIV is gearing up for the release of its third major expansion, Shadowbringers, but thanks to the game's commitment to a linear story, unless you don't care about the plot (you should) you're best off getting the expansions in order anyway. Today is also the last day that Twitch Prime subscribers (and free trial users) can claim a 'free' copy of the base game here, compatible with this giveaway.
Note: You may need to pick your Square-Enix store region to see the giveaway. Click the flag button in the top right corner of the page. Also, if you do buy an expansion later, the upcoming Shadowbringers comes with Stormblood (required to access it) free.
]]>Following the epic boyband road trip of Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix now plan to let us create our own pop trios in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. Today they announced the 3v3 crossover brawler, made with Dead Or Alive developers Team Ninja and released on PlayStation 4 in 2018, is coming to PC as a free-to-play edition. I think my dream pop trio might be Noctis, Kefka, and Sephiroth? Or Yuna, Lightning, and Noctis could be an interesting musical dynamic. Squeenix insist the trios do fight each other, but I assume it's mostly about building and admiring your dream lineup.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is building up to its next expansion, Shadowbringers, but there's still a few updates and a couple surprises due before its July 2nd launch. Among the goodies is a fun-looking crossover event with Final Fantasy XV. Players will get to hang out with Prince Noctis, battle magitek robots from his world, and even borrow his transforming, flying car - the expansive MMORPG's first four-player mount. The crossover is due out in mid-April. Take a gander at the event trailer below, and a peek at some of the other bits on the way.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion will launch on July 2nd, Square Enix have announced in a keynote at the Paris fan-festival.
Game director and producer Naoki Yoshida also spoke about many new details, including announcing a crossover raid that will draw on the world of Nier: Automata, called YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse.
A new trailer, helpfully grabbed by YouTuber Giuseppe's Gaming, teases many of the expansion's additions, including story beats and the new job class, known as gunbreaker:
]]>New quests, a new dungeon, a new raid, an oddball new job and mahjong of all things - today's Final Fantasy XIV update does not mess around. Patch 4.5 - A Requiem For Heroes - caps off the MMORPG's current run of content bridging from the end of the Stormblood expansion into the upcoming Shadowbringers. This update includes one final return to the world of Final Fantasy Tactics, plus the curious blue mage class, who copy skills from slain monsters. Check out the patch notes here, and a dramatic update trailer below.
]]>“If you notice,” says the catfish, “everyone is smiling around me.”
It’s true. This huge fish person has been waddling through crowds of people who grin even as they duck under the beast’s massive barbels. Several people are taking photographs. I peer into the gaping mouth of the fish. Two human hands suddenly lurch out, gripping onto the creature’s lips from the inside.
“I’m a namazu,” says Missy, the 32-year-old woman in the costume. “It’s a giant catfish… and they’re generally really dumb-looking, and I love them... I thought it would bring a lot of happiness.”
When I suggest that it is also slightly terrifying, Missy is unfazed.
“That’s a part of their joy.”
]]>At Final Fantasy 14's fan-festival today, Square Enix announced the third expansion for their increasingly popular MMORPG. Shadowbringers ups the ante, story-wise, promising players the chance to finally take on the technologically advanced Garlean empire directly. Of course, there's yet another world-ending threat to contend with too. On top of the usual new classes and a raised level cap, Shadowbringers is also introducing the "Trust" system, bringing NPC party members outside of dungeons. Check the cinematic trailer and a peek at the Blue Mage side-class below.
]]>The PC launch of Monster Hunter: World is still a few days away but one of the game's hunted monsters has escaped Capcom's cage and sought sanctuary inside Square Enix's MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. The dinodragon mascot Rathalos hits FFXIV in an update today, letting Fantasists fight the "King of the Skies" to score loot including armour made from his guts, a diddy Rathalos flying mount, and a wee Palico cat friend. The crossover goes both ways, with bits of Final Fantasy already popping up in Monster Hunter: World on consoles, though with our delayed launch it's not exactly clear what will happen with that on PC.
]]>Final Fantasy XIV and Monster Hunter: World are both games near and dear to my heart, and colliding in a major crossover event next month, at least in the case of Final Fantasy XIV. While I'm hopeful that this crossover will accompany the PC release of Monster Hunter: World on August 9th, we're poking Capcom for confirmation either way.
Headed to Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is the ever-cranky wyvern Rathalos, while Monster Hunter: World is to be visited by Moogles and Cactuars and stomped all over by a Behemoth, one of the Final Fantasy series's recurring boss beasties. Below, a pair of trailers that charmingly ape each other's styles.
]]>We've just passed the half-way point of 2018, so Ian Gatekeeper and all his fabulously wealthy chums over at Valve have revealed which hundred games have sold best on Steam over the past six months. It's a list dominated by pre-2018 names, to be frank, a great many of which you'll be expected, but there are a few surprises in there.
2018 releases Jurassic World Evolution, Far Cry 5 Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Warhammer: Vermintide II are wearing some spectacular money-hats, for example, while the relatively lesser-known likes of Raft, Eco and Deep Rock Galactic have made themselves heard above the din of triple-A marketing budgets.
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