Final Fantasy XIV has been riding quite the wave of hype lately. This year's annual Fan Fest event saw not just the announcement of a new expansion, Dawntrail, but also some eye-catching collaborations and a new Xbox port. While I imagine this news was enough?? to ge??t a few players back into Eorzea, those who held off are being rewarded for their patience.

From now until August 31, players who have remained unsubscribed for 90 days can play for up to 14 days for free. As usual for these? events, the 14-day timer starts whenever you choose to log back in within this window. In other words, a player who returns on August 30 can theoretically play into September if they wish. Just note that the timer will start from the moment the game begins ?downloading updates, so try to start with a strong internet connection if you wish to maximize your playtime.

It is a bit surprising to see this promotion only apply to players who haven’t played for 90 days. Normally the restriction only mandates 30 days of a lapsed sub, so players who recently unsubbed are out of luck. It would also be nice if subscribed players got some extra free time too, but them’s the breaks. On th??e plus side, 14 free ?days is better than the usual giveaway of four days, so anyone who qualifies for this can really dig their teeth into the game again.

[caption id="attachment_395760" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A good opportunity to catch up in Final Fantasy XIV

Obviously, qualifying players would do well to use this time to catch up on the main story. After all, anyone hoping to return for Dawntrail will need to clear through the story quests added to Endwalker via its many patches. Additionally, we should only see one major patch with a few smaller follow-ups this expansion, so anyone who catches up now will be nearly ready for Dawntrail.

That said, there’s a ton of content in the game, so there’s not really a wrong way to spend your time here. I may just pop in to play Triple Triad and try on the nicest clothes,?? which I estimate aligns me with roughly 95% of the playerbase.

This free period doesn’t apply to new players, not that they’d have much to gain from it. After all, the critically acclaimed free trial still lets adventurers play for an unlimited amount of time before they make the subscription jump, albeit with some restrictions. Additionally, trial players can access Stormblood soon, which will add a huge amount of con??tent to an already massive slice of? the game.

Aspiring adventurers can download Final Fantasy XIV on PC, PlayStatio?n 4, and PlayStation 5. Xbox Series X|S owners can ??join the Light Party at some point after the launch of the game’s 6.5 patch.

The post ??Final Fantasy XIV’s free login campaign for lapsed pl??ayers is live again appeared first on Destructoid.

Turns out the true endgame is cleaning my hotbar

Final Fantasy XIV has no shortage of content. Raids, dungeons, trials, mount farming, or just good ol' fishing, there's always something to do. But between every activity, I find the one thing I keep on doing in Final Fantasy XIV is messing around with the interface.

Since starting the game back in December, I've managed to go from A Realm Reborn all the way to Endwalker, the most recent expansion. (Yes, that pace was pretty fast, though sadly not on par with Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.)

In the time since, ??I've learned a lot?? of lessons: eat food to buff your stats, use retainers to sell unwanted items, and know which ledges are not safe to Dragoon-backflip next to. But in all of it, I keep on messing with my hotbars.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTTtd6bnhFs

A little fine-tuning

It's not that the interface of Final Fantasy XIV is clunky; far from it. It's actually incredibly customizable and malleable, able to do a lot with very little. Actions (read: abilities) can be set to your hotbars, and your h??otbars can be laid out in a multitude of ways.

For a long time, I was parti?al to the long rows of abilities. It feels really good to look at a big lineup of sick moves, and watch them all tick away on cooldowns. It reduced the vertical clutter on my ?screen too, in exchange for some horizontal space.

While the default interface (on mouse-and-keyboard) puts the rows right dead center with big icons, I found myself slowly eking that lineup further to the right as t??ime went on. As I got more comfortable with my combo timings and rotations, I made the icons smaller and shoved them off to the right, away from the precious center of the screen. Can't have big buttons blocking the AOE markers, right?

Soon, I was using Ctrl- and Shift- modifiers to spread my growing arsenal of options out, and forcing me?? to reach across? the keyboard less often. Eventually, my Dragoon layout looked something like this:

That was nice, with a good progression I knew. Core abilities that I used often were on the farthest left, near my WASD, while less frequent skills hung out in the 5-7 key range. This was the layout that got me through raids, trials, and Endwalker.

But then a fun?ny thing happened: I picked up a new class.

New lease on life

With Endwalker in the rear-view, I thought it was finally time to shed my selfish DPS ways and learn to heal. Sage seemed l??ike a rad choice: it's a healer that uses lasers. Who doesn't like lasers?

But while Dragoon was all about progressive combinati?ons of abili?ties and sneaking long cooldown attacks into constant strings, Sage required a bit more awareness. My cooldowns didn't just affect my damage, but the tank's likelihood of living through that next big axe swing.

So I went online to see others' take on their interfaces, and learned way too much in the process. Soon I was binding abilities to my letter keys, eschewing my pristine number line, and contorting bars to fit some Tetris-shaped monument to unnecessary buttons. Did you know you can just have a giant button sitting on th?e side of your screen, to help you know whe??n that cooldown is off? It's useful!

Anyways, here??'s what my Sage ??bar looks like, as of this writing:

Cleaning the mess

I know that's not a final product, but this journey spar??ked some curiosity for me. I started asking other playe??rs what their hotbars looked like, or how they organized their layouts.

Controller players largely scoffed, as they are commi??tted to the special crossbar layout they get to use. But for the keyboard players, I found some interesting little nuances in the way people laid out their skills. What, for example, they kept close and at-hand, and what they could shift off to other keys. How they used special buttons, hardware-specific ones sometimes, to make their rotations a little more comfortable.

I'm getting closer to being more comfortable with my new healer layout (don't ask me how the healing is going though). But I'm not sure I'll ever fully stop nitpicking the bars. Across multiple expansions of Final Fantasy XIV I kept altering my interface to? better optimize my Dragoon play. And now that I'm branching out even more, chances are I'll keep on goi?ng.

Feel free to share your own interfaces, Final Fantasy XIV or otherwise, down below!

The post My new?? obsession is perfecting my Final Fantasy XIV in??terface appeared first on Destructoid.

Free trial sign-ups are still on hold, though

It's been a little over a month since Endwalker landed for Final Fantasy XIV players. The massive server congestion seems to be easing up, and so as previously announced, Final Fantasy XIV is back on sale again.

This means players can either buy in or upgrade their already-existing free trial accounts. And true enough, a quick perusal of the Steam, PlayStation, and Square Enix storefronts show Endwalker and general Final Fantasy XIV back on sale.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTTtd6bnhFs

Free trial sign-ups are still on hold, however. In the previous announcement, Final Fantasy XIV d??irector and producer Naoki Yoshida said they would like to resume free trial registration, but they'll need to monitor server st?ability for a while longer.

This is great news for players like me, though. I got hooked on the Final Fantasy XIV train over the holidays, playing on an old free trial account I made a year ago. And it turns out the memes were right. I had already blasted through A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, and was staring at the giant stop sign for free trial players in the patch co??ntent.

Now, I can finally upgrade my account and get back on the road towards Endwalker. It's still strange to see a game lock out potential new players, but as one of those newcomers, I respect it a lot. I get now why Final Fantasy XIV players are so invested in seeing this story through. And now, with sales resumed, newcomers can ?get on the tracks too.

Today's re-opening of sales also coincides with Patch 6.08???, which has some nice job changes for roles like Paladin, Monk, and Dragoon. Also, a new data center has opened for Oceania, with some bonuses for anyone who hops over.

The post PSA: Final Fantasy XIV is back on sale today appeared first on Destructoid.

Square Enix is freezing newcomers to help out the old-timers

The Final Fantasy XIV expansion Endwalker is out for everyone, and servers have been understandably stressed. But while waiting for queues isn't strange for an MMO launch, Square Enix is making some extra strides to deal with congestion. Final Fantasy XIV sales will be temporarily frozen, meaning new players will have to wait a bit to hop int??o Eorzea.

In a new statement, Final Fantasy XIV director and producer Naoki Yoshida notes that players are experiencing extremely long wait times due to a "dense concentration of play hours" that far exce?eds server capacity, especially during peak times.

To help out, Yoshida confirms that Square Enix will be temporarily halting the sales of the Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition and Complete Edition. And while players with active subscriptions (as opposed to the Free Trial) have been prioritized in queues already, Square?? will also be suspending new Free Trial registrations. The team will also? be suspending all new advertisements.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTTtd6bnhFs

Yoshida also mentions the infamous "Error 2002" that's been causing log-in queue woes. He says the team has id??entified the cause of the problem and a fix will roll out with Patch 6.01, which is currently scheduled for Dec. 21. Otherwise, Yoshida s??ays that Patch 6.05, which includes the release of Pandæmonium: Asphodelos (Savage), will be going ahead as scheduled for Jan. 4, 2022.

On a larger scale, Yoshida says Square Enix is considering adding servers to e?ach region, and will be looking at whether this will be a gradual addition or one big push. The plan in general, according to Yoshida, is to introduce a "large number of additions," and ??the team hopes to provide a roadmap by the end of Jan. 2022.

Throughout the statement, Yoshida apologizes to players who are waiting in long queues to actually get into Endwalker. And by the accounts we've seen so far, it sounds like Endwalker is delivering for eager Final Fantasy XIV players.

This isn't even the first time Final Fantasy XIV has had to temporarily halt sales of the game. It's a little bit of the 'suffering from success' joke come to life, but it's also a marker of just how massive Final Fantasy XIV has become in the years since A Realm Reborn. Does this ironically make me want to play even more? Yes it does. But it's a pretty interesting move to halt new sales to prioritize players who?? are active and playing now.

The post Final Fantasy XIV temporarily halts ne????w sales to help with server congestion appeared first on Destructoid.

Run, don't walk

The last time we talked about Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, things were lo??oking up. It only crescendoed from there.

Although the creaky foundations of Square Enix's theme park are starti??ng to show their age, they still managed to weave one hell of a story, and present it in such a mesmerizing manner that it hallows the shaky ground it's built on.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed])
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: December 3, 2021 (Early Access)
MSRP: $39.99 (with a subscription fee)

Endwalker has the gargantuan task of living up to everything that came before it from a ?narrative sense, and build its own cool little world that justifies its $40 price tag.

Amazingly, by and large, it succeeds. There are ??tons of callbacks to prior characters and events without feeling too cloying or too much like nostalgia-bait. There's big stakes, but it's not all serious all the time: there's plenty of [fun] errand running for little bunny people in-between the universe-level-threat plotting. If I had to describe the tone with one word, it would be "personal."

You know how in tons of MMOs, even ones that have been going on for years, you'll have NPCs only show up at specific times when it matters? Sure those moments might be cool, especially in high-Blizzard-budget cutscene form, but Endwalker lets you live your character's life with a team that matters, that??'s been built up for years on en??d. You aren't just told how cool Thrall is, your party actually shows up and does things,?? both on an emotional level and stylistically. You get those cool scenes, but you also?? get to savor them more.

That's the lane that Final Fantasy XIV has steered into after all these years. It took a bit, but the development team managed to connect us to these characters and the story at large. Those people who were hooked in Shadowbringers will be invested all the same with Endwalker. The way it builds its lore doesn't feel cynical; there's an authenticity to it. It's often intensely emotional, even down to its introductions of zones. I'm not even going to talk about the last two here, which Square En??ix has been careful to not spoil, but suffice to say they'll probably be pretty mind-blowing for players who have clawed their way up until that point.

You will get extra mileage out of the two new jobs, which are extremely popular based on my time in the game; both in their shoes, and as a tank (I took a Paladin to 90 for this review, fast queues!) looking at them from the outside. Reapers are flashy and functional, zipping around the battlefield with an intense degree of mobility in melee range. They bring a lot of gravitas to fights with utility, and although another DPS class addition is groan-worthy for some, they fit the beautiful aesthetic of XIV to a tee.

Sage is my favored job of the two by far. You want to talk flashy? Sage will blind most jobs on that front. While all healers are trying to do damage in XIV, Sage is able to provide a passive heal through Kardia, allowing it to go crazy and provide a bit more freedom wit??h low-intensity encounters. It's probably my most-liked of the expansion healers so far, as there's a fairly high ceiling to achieve and a ton of nuance to learn. One key ingredient is the sheer amount of off-global-cooldowns (OGCDs) it has, allowing the Sage to improvise when needed. At this point, party composition has a staggering amount of variety, something I witnessed when taking on the new ??EX (extreme/endgame) trials. If things go wrong, Sage can be challenging, but I think there's a bit of a learning curve there (mixed with some raw output balance changes, perhaps).

The main questline was a joy to progress through from start to finish. It ramps up to be? sure, but it begins with urgency. That's a great spot to be in as an MMO; to have built up a world where you aren't going to be doing boring fetch quests just to get to the "good stuff." Really, a ton of the main quest is spent lingering, hanging out, and talking. And it's refreshing.

One of the mechanics at the forefront of this concept is "following." Now I'm of two minds with the way t??his plays out. One aspect is how NPCs literally follow you around from point A to point B, letting you stop along the way at various optional scripted spots, to learn more about the world and their personal situation. While clunky at times (on occasion they'd get stuck somewhere and not follow my avatar, so I'd have to go back and get them), it's a fun way to introduce an emotional connection to the world.

The other bit is literal "follow/tail" missions, straight out of stealth games like Assassin's Creed. These aren't so joyous. Each early zone has roughly one of these, and they're so finicky, they stop the momentum of the main story quest in its tracks. Relying on l?ine-of-sight in an MMO isn't a winning formula, and having to restart four minutes of progress because an NPC sort of saw you isn't ideal.

While we're on the subject of things that bring Endwalker down a bit, there is something worth mentioning: that aforementioned theme park feel. Dungeons still follow a linear formula, to the point where they're on rails. Bosses continue to either innovate or gather up proven me??chanics, and there are going to be a few audible "whoa" moments from people. But again, they're extremely traditional, and after running the dungeon roulette for endgame currency (which is also still a thing), that might garner diminishing returns.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the queue situation. We knew this would happen, but maybe not at this level. People aren't just waiting in queues, they're being kicked from them. Square Enix has provided an admirable response, and things can't be easy to manage in this current climate. As someone who plays games full time, I can work my schedule around queues, and hop on after peak times and play whenever I need to. In fact, I played so much that I reached the level cap and completed the main story, collected every Aether Current in the game, did a ton of sideq?uests, finished all the endgame dungeons, and even saw all of both EX trial fights. I've effectively seen all that version 6.0 has to offer from a content perspective. But not everyone has that luxury. Keep that in mind if you plan on jumping on in the near future, as I'm still experiencing lengthy queues on Omega at the time of publication.

Yet, despite all this, I found myself balancing out these lows with the natural highs of Final Fantasy XIV. This game is still just plain old good. With years of quality-of-life upgrades under its belt, I was using things I never even really took advantage of in the past; ?little menu shortcuts and ext??ras that I ignored or just didn't have time to explore yet.

Gathering has been updated with 6.0. We're getting a new housing district soon with 6.1. Several old jobs have been reworked and have new abilities that fundamentally alter the rotations we've been using since Shadowbringers. Player housing got some cosmetic items that my Free Company (guild) and friends have been going to town with. After some EX runs, I took a break and went back to the Gold Saucer and hung out with people. I jumped back into the roulette system (random dungeons or trials) and had a blast replaying eight years of design work. With an MMO, you often take the bad with the good, and there's so much of the latter with FFXIV.

As usual, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is worth playing through in full if you're into the story. I still hope that one day �I'm talking a decade-plus from now �Square Enix preserves this tale b?y any means necessary, even with a single-player rework. It's timeless, and exceeds the quality of many other mainline games in the series. Whether you stick around for the theme park rides afterward is entirely up to you. The rides I'm goin??g on still have some life left in them.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher. The main story was completed with a level 90 Paladin, and Reaper/Sage were tested. All Aether Currents were collected in every new area, and the two current EX trials and endgame dungeons were experienced.]}

The post Review: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker appeared first on Destructoid.

Some servers are being slammed

Dealing with Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker queues? You're not alone. Square Enix has explained the situation and doled out a week of free game time as a result. Here's a rundown of what's happening straight f??rom the team.

If you've been following along, whether it's in-game or through my daily weekend update, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker has been getting slammed.

Naoki "Yoshi P" Yoshida has provided a leng?thy explanation on the game's official blog, and the short of it is "the number of simultaneous logins has reached the hardware limit." They warned us this would happen!

So as you may have noticed, some big servers are getting hit hard. On Friday and Saturday, I had some issues logging in (but eventually did get in during the morning US hours), but Sunday was the worst for me. It took me around seven hours to get in, as I kept getting booted out of a 5,000 strong, then 7,000+ strong queue. Square Enix has an explanat??ion for that:

"The first occurs when attempting to log into a logical data center (such as Aether or Primal) and there are more than 17,000 players in the login qu??eue. This leads to an Error 2002 occurring, resulting in being unable to enter the login queue.

The o?ther occurs when your internet connection experiences packet loss or a period of network instability, causing the server connection to be momentarily disconnected. At the moment, we are seeing more cases caused by this."

So literally more than 17,000 people are trying to get into the queue, which crashes the queue. It's wild, but it's why Endwalker queues are so massive. The team says you should try to use a wired connection, but I only play XIV on a wired connection, so that wasn't my issue.

So what are they going to do to fix it? Well, these issues will even out over time as the weekend rush has passed and people start going back to work/school. But short term, they're extending session times for logins, so people aren't booted out so ?quickly when queues are in full force.

They've also provided "peak times" from their internal data to avoid??:

North American Data Center: 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (PST) / 20:00 to 6:00 (GMT)
European Data Center: 3:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PST) / 11:00 to 23:00 (GMT)
Japan D??ata Center: 1:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. (PST) / 9:00 to 15:00 (GMT)

And have highlighted rumors of AFKers avoiding inactivity boots (which they deny in the blog post, but is done through a specific method), as well as people getting booted from letting the end credits run for more than 30 minutes, which is true. The team recommends that you press a button on your controller/keyboard/mouse periodically to prevent the kick from happening. As a result of all this, they're providing people ?seven days of free game?? time on December 7.

While the queues are lengthy, once I was in, I didn't notice anything major with Endwalker, which is a good thing. I was never booted via an error and ??I didn't encounter any bugs at all; not even quest pickup bugs that plagued at least one prior expansion at launch.

The post Final Fantasy XIV team ‘truly sorry’ for Endwalker queues, explains login woes appeared first on Destructoid.

The new expansion doesn't stray too far from the formula

If you're looking for the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker EX Trials, you just need to head to Old Sharlayan after you finish the main story.

For the purposes of spoilers, this article won't mention any trial by name. It'll just mention the number of trials the ex??pansion has.

Where to find the Endwalker EX trials quest

Surprise! Except it's not actually a surprise at all! The Wandering Minstrel is back, and they're ready to regale you with the tales of Endwalker EX Trials (endgame boss fights that rework existing battles from the main stor??y quest).

You just need to head to Old Sharlayan after you finish the main story. Go to the coordinates X:12.6 and Y:14.2.

There are actually two EX trials to pick up, as is customary at the start of an expansion. You'll find the EX trial that takes place near the middle of the story, as well as the one that takes place near the end.

The trial that happens at the very end before the credits roll isn't available in EX form yet. Tha?t's set to appear in a future patch. For now, you have the traditional two EX trials at the expansion launch, with the accessory and weapon reward style. By finishing them a certain amount of times you can earn totems, which you can turn in for weapons/gear.

The post How to unlock the Final Fantasy?? XIV: Endwalker EX trials appeared first on Destructoid.

Get the update, get in as soon as you can

[Update #2: Day three of early access, and my queue has gone up to 5,000 in the morning, US. After making it to around 4000, I was booted out by an error and put back in the queue at 5500. In a blog post, Square Enix explains why this is happening in terms of server limits, and decrees that it's providing a week of game time to players who are impac??ted.]

[Update: Day two for early access Endwalker login queues has been around the same, if not a? little more intense, in my personal experience. On a Saturda?y morning, US, the Omega server had a login queue of 2700. After getting down to 300, I was booted back to the main screen, though my queue position picked up at 300. Again, prepare accordingly if you're playing this weekend! Go log in before you eat, or have something planned.]

So how are Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker login queues? Well, it depends on your server, but let's just say ??you might want to get in whenever you can before it gets worse.

After trying to log into Omega just a little over the server maintenance was finished (very early in the US), I was greeted with a 2500 login queue. Folks over on the game's reddit are experiencing similar Endwalker login queues times, with some over 2000, and a few claiming 4500. Some users are even getting 2002-errors during the queue sequence, then after being booted out, return to the end of the queue. Once I was in though, I was in. The game has been fairly? smooth so far for me, with no errors or? boots.

As far as queue progress goes, things are slow going. People need to error out or log out in order to get in, and everyone is mainlining the new expansion: s??o it's not a typical MMO session. So far around five minutes of wait time equals roughly 100 people?? leaving the queue, for me. So plan accordingly!

Of course, it's the first day of a big MMO in early access. This is how things go. But Square Enix did warn us that login queues might be lengthy, and this is by far? the lo??ngest wait I've had to endure at an expansion launch. Good luck!

The post PSA: Fina??l Fantasy XIV:?? Endwalker login queues are in full force (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Every little bit helps

While leveling in FFXIV Endwalker, every little bit helps. So make sure you join a free company and eat some food as you start your journey thi??s weekend to level 90. Whether you're new or it's been a while, never f??orget the power of a few percentage points of experie?nce.

Join a Free Company

Joining a Free Company (read: what the game calls guilds), also known as an "FC," will allow you to benefit from "The Heat of Battle," which is a guild-wide buff that grants all members extra experience (5% more) when active. Now it's not automatically applied, as your guild will need to actually activate it, but 99.9% of guilds that are recruiting will be using it at the start of the Endwalker expansion.

If you don't have a Free Company, just head to a town �people ??will act?ively shout for recruitment, and players will notice that you're not part of an FC and pester you with DMs anyway. You can also look for recruitment posts in looking-for-group menus, though your mileage may vary.

A lot ??????????????????????????of Free Company leaders don't care if you join temporarily and leave after you hit t?he level cap: so if you're worried, just ask them if it's OK.

Eat food and stay fed

When leveling in FFXIV Endwalker, it?? doesn't matter what food you eat if you want a basic XP boost. It can be the basic food that you get from any vendor, gulped in stacks, or the new food that you'll pick up as part of the main story quest or via player crafters. Whether it's shiny new auction house grub or the cheap stuff, it'll grant you the same 3% XP boost, regardless of the other stats it may provide.

Keep an eye out for the food buff at th??e top of your scree?n and get used to keeping it active.

When logging off, make sure it's in a sanctuary

This one is easy to remember, but I'll remind you anyway. Whenever it's time to take a break or head to bed, log out in a "sanctuary" area to get a classic World of Warcraft style "rested XP" buff boost.

The post PSA: When leveling? in FFXIV Endwalker this weekend, join a Free C??ompany and eat food appeared first on Destructoid.

Half a day impressions

Final Fantasy XIV couldn't have blown up at a better time. With all eyes on the MMO world after Blizzard began imploding at the top, XIV found itself in the enviable position of being arguably the best it's ever been, content-wise, while maintaining a reputation as one of the most helpful communities in the MMO sphere. It was a right time, right place situation, and the newest expansion, so far, seems to be extending that ramp of goodwill. Here are some Endwalker review thoughts after a? good eight hours or so with the expansion.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (PC, PS4, PS5 [reviewed])
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: December 3, 2021 (Early Access)
MSRP: $39.99 (with a subscription fee)

So you know how these MMO reviews typically go: we provide our early thoughts on launch day, then take our time, finish the entire expansion, linger a bit, then provide a scored review after we've seen pretty much everything there is to see. We're around eight hours deep into our Endwalker review, with two dungeons, a boss trial, and plenty of main story quests under our belt (with some Reaper and Sage? testing for good measure). So far, I'm pretty happy.

As I hinted at already, Shadowbringers raised the bar so high it's going to be tough to top, but man Endwalker is really trying. There's a lot of story this time around, possibly more than ever before. Many main story quests break free of the classic MMO trappings, and are just literal walk and talks: like it was an anime rendition of a Sorkin project. Endwalker ??ramps up the "walk and talk" subgenre of quests to an all-time high even, with a "follow" mechanic that sees NPCs, at various points, walking in step with your hero.

While scripted, these allow you to take in the sights of any given area, and highlight portions of the game world where you can literally stop and chat if you want. If not, you can walk on by like you were Joel Madden in the year 2000, and move on with your life. It's a clever way to get progression out of the way for people who want to move quic??kly, while catering to the hardcore lore nuts who want to pore?? over every moment of the world.

There's a ton of worldbuilding in Endwalker right out of the gate, and even as I approach level 85 (five levels shy of the new cap of 90), it's still going. Having played nearly every major MMO on the market, I'd say it's very much on the heavy side when it comes?? to narrative; which is a testament to how much story there's left to tell in t??his massive world that feels larger than life. By the time producer Yoshi P and his team are done with this whole affair, it's likely going to have more raw text than any other game on the market.

Another huge secret sauce element that Endwalker still keeps is the joy of exploration. Aether Currents �a sort of minigame where you find collectibles to unlock the right to fly in a zone �are still present, and still fun to hunt for as your trusty compass key item can direct you toward their general area. The worlds themselves are lovely, and arguably the most incredible looking maps yet, to the point where I'd be stopping and taking in the backdrops regularly. This is par for the course for XIV, and one of Shadowbringers' best features, but that concept continues here.

It's also effective at setting the mood. Citizens of these regions are often dire and despondent, as the stakes are continually rais?ed throughout the ramping up of the tale. When you're not out and about you're probably in a dungeon, which are still linear (nothing changed here), but fun, and packed with interesting boss fights (that latter point is especially true for the first trial in the game, which is a pure win as a spectacle fight).

You can tell the team is also still experimenting with that tried-and-true decades-old MMO formula, and not everything sticks. My one big beef so far is the way the follow system operates, which can be a bit clunky at times �an NPC might not keep up with you correctly, forcing players to run back and find them again. There's also the matter of the literal follow quests (which have you "tail" an NPC), which are sometimes not that accurate in terms of NPC pathing, and being "noticed" can cause an instant fail (and a full reset). It's not like they're going full Assassin's Creed here as there's only a few of these, but t??hey exist nonetheless.

The other long punts pay off. One mission has you taking control of another character entirely to go on a Metal Gear Solid-esq??ue sabotage mission. Another asks you to take control of a c?ommon soldier and make your way through a war-torn city, fighting your way out by assembling a mech. I'm sure there's more to come on this front and I can't wait.

My gripes with Endwalker are minor, and I'm roughly halfway through. I'm anxious to see if it meets or exceeds the unrealistic bar that Shadowbringers set, but in the meantime, I'm glad I haven't stopped playing this game since A Realm Reborn l??aunched. Stay tuned for our full review next week.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review in Progress: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker appeared first on Destructoid.

It's mostly painless, like the other expansions

So Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is out, and it's time to unlock the Reaper class. You can't resist it, right? The edgy clothing. The fact that you can unlock another damage dealer to use on top of your other five DPS jobs. It's too much! I can't stop you. Here's how to unlock the FFXIV Reaper.

Thankfully, the process for the Reaper is similar to past expan??sion unlocks.

Head to Ul'dah - Steps of Nald

Go to the coordinates X:12.8 Y: 8.6 �you can view these on your in-game map without a mod. Then speak to the Flustered Attendant to begin the process to unlock the FFXIV Reaper.

From ther??????????????????????????e, just walk to the Steps ?of Thal to the next part of the loop (Ul'dah was the most confusing city to learn for me when starting out years ago) and talk to the quest NPC there at X:14.0 and Y:11.5. Walk back around the loop to talk to the last NPC in the Steps of Thal, and you got the Reaper job unlock.

You need to be level 70 on a disciple of war or mag?ic job first (read: a combat class). And that's pretty much it!

The Reaper will actually start at level 70, so you h?ave a brand new high-level character at your disposal so long as you meet the requirements??.

Here are the typical provisos for new classes:

"In accordance with the addition of these new jobs, gear for reaper and sage has been added to the rewards ??for certain duties, and will now be sold ?by merchant NPCs. Please note, however, that reaper and sage cannot be used in the Hall of the Novice, nor can they receive the first-time completion bonus from guildhests."

The post How to unlock the FF??XIV Reaper jo??b and where to find it appeared first on Destructoid.

It's mostly painless, like the other expansions

So Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is out, and it's time to unlock a new healing class. This is the one you're going to unlock first, right? The healer? And not the damage-dealing Reaper? Right? Everyone? Where'd you go? Well, here's how to unlock the FFXIV Sage.

Thankfully, the process for the ??Sage is similar to past expansion unl??ocks.

Head to Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks

Go to the coordinates X:9.4 Y:12.9 �you can view these on your in-game map without a mod. Then speak to the Sharlayan Maiden to begin the process to unlock the FFXIV Sage.

They're right near the main Aetheryte across a b??ridge pictured above.

The next step is to teleport to the Zephyr Gate at the main Aetheryte you just came from. Talk to the NPC there and answer a few questions, and you got it. You need to be level 70 on a disciple of war or magic job first (read: a combat class). An??d that's pretty much it!

The Sage will actually start at level 70, so you have a brand new high-l??evel character at your dispo??sal so long as you meet the requirements.

Here are the typical provisos for new classes:

"In accordance with the addition of these new jobs, gear for reaper and sage has been added to the rew?ards for certain duties, and will now be sold by merchant NPCs. Please note, however, that reaper and sage cannot be used in the Hall of the Novice, nor can they receive the first-time completion bonus from guildhests."

The post How to ??unlock the FFXIV Sage job and where to find it appeared first on Destructoid.

Raises hand

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker kicked off today in early access, and outside of some long login queues for some servers, so far, so good. That is...unless you forgot to attune to the Old Sharlyan Aetheryte! Look, I was wrapped up in the splendor of the city and the NPC quest, a?nd got transported to one of the new zones. If you're like me (and I'm writing th?is because a ton of people were yelling the same thing in in-game chat), here's a quick way to get back to Old Sharlyan.

Return to the Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks to get back to Old Sharlyan

So it's actually pretty simple, and I walked a few people through it in-game (that's just how the Final Fantasy XIV community does it).

If you forgot to? attune to Old Sharlyan, you can head back to Limsa, and go due west until you get to the Ferryman. Talk to them and you can get back to Old Sharlyan so long as you have it unlocked through the main story q?uest (it'll take roughly 30 minutes from the start of the expansion with cutscenes).

The coordinates of the Ferryman are X:3.5 and Y:12.0. The fastest way to get to the NPC is through the Arcanist Guild teleport ??at the main Aetheryte crystal.

The post FFXIV: Endwalker: How to get back ?to Old Sharlyan if you forgot to attune appeared first on Destructoid.

Actual housing is coming in patch 6.1

The housing market in Final Fantasy XIV, as usual, is congested. The new Empyreum housing district is going to try and alleviate that...when it actually arrives. So while Endwalker is actually upon us this we?ek and you can visit the Empyreum housing district in all its glory and stake out your plot: you can't purchase it yet.

Here's how to get into that new ??district and a little explainer on the development team's plan.

Head to Foundation

So you need a disciple of war or magic at level 60 (a battle class), and have finished the "Litany of Peace" main story quest, first off.

Then, go to Foundation, and talk to Gondelimbaud at X:9.9 and Y:11.8. The NPC is right near th?e main entry point. Then go look for Thomelin across town at X:14.0 and Y:12.6. You can head right through The Forgotten Knight tavern.

Talk to the NPC right in the Empyreum housing district, then teleport back to the main Foundatio?n Aetheryte. You can now teleport around via the Foundation Aethernet network.

You'll gain access to the Empyreum housing district, and you can look?? around to your hea?rt's content.

Here's how the lottery process works

At a? later date, you can opt-in for the lottery. Players need to be level 50 with a disciple of war or magic, and not own a current plot of land after winning said lottery (if you're in a free company [FC], you need to be a second lieutenant or a higher r?ank). Once you're in, you can apply for lotteries in individual plots.

It's going to be a bit strange and too much for a lot of people, and I don't blame them. After giving up my plot of land in The Mist that overlooked the beach a few years bac??k (after many of my real-life friends/neighbors quit the game), I'm content with an apartment.

If you want a full rundown of how the lottery system is going to operate, you can watch this video at 5:44:09.

The post Here’s how to visit Final Fantasy XIV’s new Empyreum housing district appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a big one

[Update: The full Endwalker 6.0 patch notes are live here.]

The Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker 6.0 patch is going to massive, as is the case with just about every XIV patch?. Here's some help parsing it, and so?me of the biggest changes.

For reference, you can find the full official preliminary patch notes her?e.

The new main story quest

Duh! This is probably ??the bigg??est thing to hit, as new cities have been added (Old Sharlayan, Radz-at-han), as well as new field areas (Labyrinthos, Thavnair, Garlemald, and Mare Lamentorum).

There are also other areas that are not included in the preliminary notes to avoid spoilers, but that's the gist. As a reminder, the new level cap is 90.

Of course, more sidequests, dungeons, and trials are also in via the Endwalker 6.0 patch.

FATEs and hunts got an upgrade in the new zones

So FA??TEs (public quests out in the world) have new incentives. After completing them you can obtain "bicolor gemstone??s," which can be exchanged at Gemstone trader NPCs for new rewards. Finishing more FATEs will garner new rewards, so there's another extracurricular grind if you want to partake in it. There's a "Shared FATE" menu now that you can use to track your progress with this system.

Hunts have a simil??ar mechanic, with "Sacks ??of Nuts" that can be earned and turned in via:

• Old Sharlayan (X:11.9 Y:13.2) - J'lakshai
• Radz-at-Han (X:10.5 Y:7.4) - Wilmetta

To k??ick off this mechanic, visit Old Sharlayan (X:11.2 Y:12.0) and? talk to the Diminutive Gleaner.

The new housing district is coming, but you can't buy a plot yet

Empyreum can be explored, but it's not open for business yet. You can access it via the Foundation, and plots will be for sale, via lottery, in patch 6.1, coming after the launch of the Endwalker 6.0 patch.

Here's the of??ficial word: "In preparation for the lottery sale system scheduled to be impl?emented in Patch 6.1, it will no longer be possible to relocate an estate to plots of land that are not yet ready for purchase."

Male Vieras are in

Enough said!

Reaper and Sage jobs have been added

A new DPS class (we needed more!) and a healer are a go. We'll have more details on where their locations are soon, but the gist is that you need to be level 70 and head to Ul'dah - Steps of Nald (X:12.8 Y:8.6) and Limsa Lominsa Lower Decks (X:9.4 Y:12.9) respect?ively.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCVcgZ8dtD0

Jobs have been reworked

So there's a lot of ground to cover here, but the above video really shows off some of the new ??concepts with existing jobs. We'll get the full notes with the launch of the g?ame.

Experience points previously earned from standard dungeon enemies will now be earned from dungeon bosses

That's self-explanatory, and applies to pretty? much all content. Plan accordingly??!

The Eden's Promise raid is easier via new echo enhancements

So if you haven't cleared the Eden's Promise (Shadowbringers) ??raid yet, now?? might be your time to shine. The "echo" system (where parties get stronger after they wipe) has been increased in Eden's Promise, as a "catch up" mechanic of sorts. All stats just about will be enhanced by 20% now as a result of the echo.

Old currency Allegan tomestones are out

Tomestomes of allegory (exchan?ge for poetics in 6.0), revelation exchange for poetics in 6.0, and phantasmagoria (completely gon??e) are done. Poetics can be earned via up to level 80 activities.

Retainers have been changed

Retainers (butlers,? NPCs, or extended banks) have been altered with the Endwalker 6.0 patch.

The new level cap is 90, they can be assigned the new Sage or Reaper jobs, and their experience requirements have been c??hanged in alignment with the new XP system. In other words, they reflect most of the same guidelines as players.

There's a rad new Aethernet map

This thing is g??oing to be pretty useful, but note that it doesn't work in The F??orbidden Land, the Bozjan Southern Front, Zadnor, or The Firmament.

A lot of quality-of-life odds and ends have been added

• HP bars show up even when someone is dead.
• The party list shows off spell targets in combat.
• "An option has been added to only use aetheryte tickets when the cost exceeds a specified gil allowance."
• The Aether Compass is now in the collection menu.
• You can re-order the display for buffs and debuffs: "From the System menu, open the HUD Layout interface. After selecting any of the Status Info categories from the dropdown menu, open the UI Element Settings menu. Then, under Layout, select "Split Element into 4 Groups."
• G-pose (group pose) is easier to do now and has more options.

That's most of the big stuff! The notes have a lot more.

The post Here’s some highlights from Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker’s 6.0 patch (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

We’re just one week away from the launch of Final Fantasy XIV’s latest expansion, Endwalker, which brings forth the culmination of ten years of storytelling with gorgeous new zones, immersive quests, epic dungeons, raids, and more! As we gear up for its launch, we're sharing some last-minute advice and suggestions for sprouts and veterans alike. Here's everything you’ll want to get done to prepare for the full release of Endwalker on Tuesday, December 7.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yhh0RiSknM

Finish Shadowbringers�Main Story Quest

If you’ve been actively playing Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, you’re more than likely already caught up on the Main Story Quest. If you’ve just recently returned to Eorzea, however, you’ll want to make finishing the Main Story Quest, or “MSQ,�your first priority. This series of quests tells the full story of the Shadowbringers expansion and its completion is mandatory in order to begin Endwalker’s Main Story Quest. You’ll need to complete all Shadowbringers and Post-Shadowbringers Main Scenario Quests, the latter of which require ??a level 80 job.

You can check how far along you are in the MSQ, and brush up on the story’s so far, by opening the Journal, clicking “Complete�and selecting the “Main Scenario (Shadowbringers)�button. The next quest you’ll need to complete is featured at the top right corner of the UI. Clicking on the quest’s name will pop up a map of your next objective. On the map, Main Story Quests will feature an icon with the familiar flames of the Final Fantasy XIV logo. The final quest in the Post-Shadowbringers Main Story Quest is “Death Unto Dawn.�/p>

Complete Role Quests

Shadowbringers introduced a new type of quest, called Role Quests, which replaced individual class quest storylines and instead offered a Main Story Quest-adjacent story experience exclusive to each of FFXIV’s roles: Tank, Healer, Melee DPS, and Ranged DPS. You will have to have completed at least one series of Role Quests to progress in Shadowbringers�Main Story Quest??. All Role Quests are unlocked in the Crystarium starting at level 70. Additional quests are unlocked along the path to level 80.

Role Quests will be making a return in Endwalker and, although they will no longer be required to progress in the Main Story Quest, you’ll likely be interested in the narrative they have to offer. For this reason, we recommend completing additional Role Quests outside of those offered to your main job. New Role Quests are split into five separate questlines rather than Shadowbringers�four, now offering separate quest experiences for Ranged DPS and Caster DPS. As an added bonus, new Role Quests available only to players who have completed all five questlines will be added in Endwalker’s Patch 6.1.

Complete Previous Expansions�Raid Content

Though this latest Final Fantasy XIV expansion comes with an ominous-sounding name, don’t worry: Final Fantasy XIV isn’t going anywhere. Well, besides the moon. Endwalker is the last expansion of the Final Fantasy XIV storyline that’s b??een told over the past 10 years, since the game's release in 2010, through countless quests, dungeon?s, and raids.

Final Fantasy XIV’s directors have confirmed that there are no existing raids that will be required to complete specific Endwalker content, unlike the return of a specific raid from A Realm Reborn and its significance in the Shadowbringers Main Story Quest. However, both Naoki “Yoshi-P�Yoshida, Final Fantasy XIV’s beloved game producer and director, and Natsuko Ishikawa, lead writer for Shadowbringers and Endwalker, have recommended that players complete some specific previous expansion raid content to gain a deeper insight into the stories surrounding and personalities of certain NPCs and to broaden the understanding of Final Fantasy?’s world-building and i?ts grand overarching story ten years in the making.

Both Yoshida and Ishikawa recommend players complete the Coils of Bahamut and Omega raids. Yoshi P also suggests that players run the entirety of the epic Alexander raid series. In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Yoshi-P noted, “If you want to play through Endwalker with a deeper insight into the characters and their thoughts, I'm ??sure that these raids will enable a richer g??ame experience!"

The Coils of Bahamut

The Coils of Bahamut is a series of level 50, 8-player raids introduced in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Each of the three Coils features multiple (at the time) challenging encounters. These raids are recommended as they heavily feature a storyline surrounding Alphinaud and Alisaie who, although always relevant, will be increasingly so in Endwalker as players travel to Old Sharlayan. You can unlock this questline by speaking with Urianger in the Waking Sands and accepting the quest, “Primal Awakening.�/p>

Alexander

The Alexander raids are a series of level 60, 8-player raids from the Heavensward expansion that take players deep inside the workings of a gigantic robot that appeared and promptly began absorbing as much Aether as it can from the surrounding area. As aether is necessary for essentially all life, magic, and everything in between, naturally, players have to put a stop to this. The Alexander questline is unlocked by speaking with Slowfix in Idyllshire and accepting the quest, “Disarmed.�/p>

Omega

Finally, Omega is a series of level 70, 8-player raids introduced in Final Fantasy XIV’s Stormblood expansion. As with the Coils, the Omega raids feature many fascinating encounters focusing primarily on a storyline surrounding the deadly Omega weapon which, though defeated by the end of Stormblood, has recently made an appearance in the Endwalker trailer, teasing its relevance and a possible return in the latest expansion. The Omega questline is unlocked by speaking with Wedge in Rhalgr’s Reach and accepting the quest, “The Hunt For Omega.�/p>

Complete Hildibrand quests

Though the popular Hildebrand quests are not known to be required to unlock any content in Endwalker, it’s generally considered an inevitability that there will be new additions to this long-running questline. Also, they’re wildly hilarious. Therefore, we recommend getting up to speed with the latest ridiculous adventures of the legendary Hildibrand Manderville and company. This questline is unlocked by speaking with Wymond in Ul’dah and accepting the quest, “The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen.�/p>

Prepare your inventory

The tidying of one’s backpack and storage prior to a new expansion has long since been an MMO rite of passage. Final Fantasy XIV is, of course, no exception to this ritual, ??and we recommend clearing your bags and various storage of any unneeded items.

Ditch High-Quality Gathered Items

In an effort to reduce inventory bloat in Endwalker, the decision was made to remove all High-Quality variants of gathered go??ods. These items will remain in your inventory and will retain the “High-Quality�tag, but will no longer have any special function when used in missions, leves, or other turn-ins. Additionally, they will no longer be able to be brought or sold on the marketboard.

Say, "Goodbye!" to Belts

In an unexpected but completely sensible announcement, belts will no longer be obtainable or equippable in Endwalker. Belts don’t have any visual when glamouring, the true endgame of Final Fantasy XIV so, presumably to further reduce inventory bloat, Square Enix has given them the boot. Belts will not be removed from player inventories, but they will essentially serve no purpose. You might as well clear them out now! It’s worth noting that you will not be able to extract Materia from belts once Endwalker hits, so if you have any belts that are fully spiritbound, you might as well dismantle th?em while you still can.

Be thorough!

While often criticized for its restrictive storage availability, over the past few years Final Fantasy XIV has become a bit better about offering a variety of different storage options. Only a bit, though. To ensure you’re ready to start cramming your bags full of what Endwalker has to offer, be sure to clear not only your bags but also your Armoury Chest, Chocobo Saddlebag, and the inventories of your Retainers. For the full tidying experience, give your Ar?moire and Glamour Dresser a onc?e-over, too.

Raise your main job gear’s item level

For the first handful of levels into Endwalker, you’ll be obtaining gear that is of a lower item level than the current highest gear in Shadowbringers. Based on previous expansions, once you reach around level 85, you’ll be able to start increasing your item level beyond Shadowbringers�max.

While it’s not necessary to have best-in-slot items, you’ll still likely want to go into Endwalker with some decent gear to help make leveling and completing dungeons a bit easier. Here are some recommendations for gear sets and pieces you can still easily obtain prior to Endwalker. Don’t forget that you won’t need a Belt!

• Edenmete (Item level 510) items - These gear pieces can be purchased from Yhal Yal in Eulmore in exchange for items dropped in the Eden’s Promise 8-player raid. This raid has had its lockout removed, so you can run as many times as needed to obtain the Lost Antiquity items required to purchase Edenmete pieces.
• Exarchic (Item level 510) items - These gear pieces are crafted and can be purchased from players via the marketboard.

Get Sage / Reaper gear

If you’re planning on giving Endwalker's two new jobs, Reaper or Sage, a whirl, you’ll want to come prepared. While you’ll receive a set of gear upon unlocking the new jobs, you might want something a bit better to start taking on Endwalker’s content as efficiently as possible. The Reaper, Endwalker’s new DPS job, uses Maiming gear, previously useful to Lancer and Dragoon jobs. We recommend checking out our helpful guide to understand the value of each attribute on this gear. Unsurprisingly, as the new healer on the block, Sages will use Healing gear. You can learn more about the stats found on this gear in our guide to Disciple of Magic's Attributes.

The easiest gear to obtain at this point prior to Endwalker are Augmented Scaevan items, which can be purchased from Enna in Rhalgr’s Reach in exchange for the Allagan Tomestones of Poetics currency item. While Poetics do have a cap (2000), you can earn an unlimited amount of them each week so if you’re willing to put in the leg work you’ll still be able to assemble a full set of gear (or at least some choice pieces) just in time for Endwalker. A full set?? of gear will require spending 4055 Poetics.

Run the Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Official benchmark

If you haven’t already, you’ll likely want to run the Endwalker benchmark software to check how well your computer will be able to run this latest expansion. You can download the benchmark from the Final Fantasy XIV website here. Once the benchmark is complete, you’ll receive a score based on your system’s performance at varying levels of in-game settings. As an added bonus, you’ll also be able to create and customize the newly added Male Viera then load this data into Endwalker's character creator at launch!

Prepare to rock out

Finally, here’s our suggestion of one of the most important tasks you should complete prior to the launch of Final Fantasy XIV’s Endwalker expansion. We recommend you begin drafting letters of apology to your neighbors, especially if you live in apartments, so you’re ready to address the inevitable noise complaints you’ll receive because you’re definitely going to want to blast Endwalker’s soundtrack at unspeakable volume levels. Maybe ?include some trea??ts as a peace offering. Or, maybe, let the expansion’s killer tracks be ear candy of their own.

//twitter.com/SOKENsquareenix/status/1??465967006100848640

_{[Icy Veins is also a part of the Enthusiast Gaming network.]}

The post Preparing for Final Fantasy XIV’s Endwalker expansion appeared first on Destructoid.

It'll launch officially four days later

In a confusing turn of events for some, Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker early access will begin this Friday on December 3 at 1AM PT/4AM ET. To be clear, early access is provided for folks who pre-order, and are provided an early access code to enter in the Mogstation system (FFXIV's ve?rsion of Battle.net, basically). So if you want in, make sure you get your ducks in a row and get the code ahead of time.

If you get confused or things change, just remember that this official page will ha??ve the updated early acces?s time, as well as instructions for wh??ere to enter the code if you have??n't done so already.

Here's a breakdown of how everything is going down for Endwalker early access, starting on December 2:

• On December 2 at 4AM ET, server maintenance begins, and will follow a 24-hour cycle (the current iteration of the game will be out of commission, and Mogstation will also be down during this time, with the news site and the companion app going down a little after).
• On December 3 at 4AM ET, server maintenance will end, and the game will tentatively go live (with the Mogstation opening back up an hour later at 5AM ET).
• On December 7, Endwalker will officially launch beyond the early access period.

As someone who has been there for every early access, expect it to get messy, especially around 8AM to 10AM ET when everyone on the Europe side is getting off of work, and the US is waking up (regardless of your datacenter, people play all ove??r in all regions). If you want to guarantee a spot and avoid login queues, it's smart to get up early and get in.

The post Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker?? ea?rly access launches at 4AM ET on December 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

Because, well, yeah

We're rapidly closing in on Dec. 3, or the early access date for Final Fantasy XIV's next expansion, Endwalker. And with the massive surge in popularity Final Fantasy XIV saw this year, Square Enix is warning ??everyone ahead of time to be ready f?or some server congestion.

In a new blog post, Square Enix says that because a large number of players will be playing at a new expansion's launch, the publisher is expecting far more simultaneous log-ins than usual. The company has also seen a dramatic increase in the player base across all regions and record numbers of active users. Currently, Square Enix says it is expecting a number of log-ins it hasn't seen since the launch of Final Fantasy XIV.

Ahead of that, the publisher says it has optimized its servers in order to increase log-in caps. But, due to ongoing global shortages, it hasn't been able to expand to new Worlds (servers) before Endwalker, though it's stil??l in consideration once supplies are more readily ava??ilable.

All that said, there is a "high likelihood" of congestion. That means Worlds reaching maximum log-in capacity and lengthy l?og-in wait times.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwsnh5sgzA8

In order to combat some of this, Square Enix will have a "Vis??it Another World Server" option available, so players can head to less congested Worlds within their own Data Centers to progress through main scenario quests. Square Enix will also be prioritizing full version players in log-in queues.

There are more details in the Square Enix blog, but some extra server congestion during the launch of Endwalker seems pretty likely to happen. Final Fantasy XIV has exploded in popularity, and the new expansion is looking pretty good.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker goes live for early access on Dec. 3, and for all on Dec. 7.

The post Square Enix warns of possible Final Fantasy XIV server congestion during Endwalker’s launch appeared first on Destructoid.

This comes directly from the development team

[Update: Square Enix has provided a full text breakdown of the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker leveling plan. You can read it here.]

Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker leveling is going to be just as straightforward once the expansion is out, but there's something you should know ahead of the expansion's launch. The FFXIV team is now warning players that if you're midway to ??leveling a specific job (or more importantly, if you're right on the cusp and are about to ding): you should push them over the edge before the expansion. Let's break it down fully.

The PSA comes right around this mark in the video, following a short break. Here's the full transcript from the translation, commun?icated by Naoki "Yoshi P" Y?oshida in the recent Letter from the Producer Live stream:

"So we'd like to discuss system adjust?ments. So jumping right in...once again we will be implementing downscaling. So this will be all classes and jobs, re??tainers, and trust NPCs will be affected. That being said, the time, number of duty clears and so on required to level up will remain unchanged. But there is one thing that we need to let you know ahead of time, ahead of this downscaling.

With Final Fantasy XIV leveling your jobs and alt jobs is much quicker compared to other games, and most of you have already maxed out your characters...but if there are people who are still leveling...I'm sure there may be people who are still in the middle of that. I'm terribly sorry if you are still in the middle of leveling, but for any EXP that's kind of in the middle of your progress, it will be reset with 6.0. It would have been great if we could bump you ??up ??to the next level available."

So to be clear, the team is not shrinking existing levels or anything like that. Instead, they're wa?rning people that they are implementing a "mid-level EXP reset."

The reason they give for not bumping everyone up is that "a billion numbers would have needed to be rewritten" to manually overrid??e leveling values. Th?is would have required "pausing the servers for maintained for three weeks."

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=t75AzYm0soM

The post (Update) PSA: If you have any Final Fantasy XIV jobs close to leveling, do it before Endwalk??er appeared first on Destructoid.

Space whales will have to wait

One of the most highly anticipated November releases around the Destructoid "office" is Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. Serving as the final chapter of the game's current narrative and the start of something new, plenty of staff around the site are excited to see what Yoshi-P has in store. And we're going to have to keep that excitement going for a little longer as an Endwalker delay was announced last night in a Letter from the Producer live stream on Twitch.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker will now release on December 7, with the start of Early Access beginning on December 3. The shift in schedule means some of the planned patches also have new release dates. Patch 6.0.1 will be available starting December 21, while Patch 6.0.5 will go up on January 4, 2022. In a blog post on the Final Fantasy XIV website, Yoshi-P explained the delay is due to him and his team fine-tuning the game to make it the best experience they could. Unfortunately, all those adjustments pushed into the time set aside ?for final quality assurance checks, with Yoshi-P writing:

At this rate, there was a bigger risk of us reaching the release date without ensuring “stability�as one form of quali??ty, and for that reason, I have decided to postpone the release at this time. As we also anticipate large amounts of congestion across all game Worlds, I felt that even in this respect it wouldn’t be right for us to ?release the expansion while lacking adequate “stability.�I am truly sorry.

If there is one thing I've come to learn about the FFXIV fanbase since starting the game up myself a few years ago, it's that they're highly forgiving and appreciative of everything Yoshi-P and his staff have done to turn around this game from its near-disastrous debut. The Letter from the Producer stream touched on more than just the delay as many of Endwalkers features were detailed during it. You can watch the stream linked above to find out everything, or you can just hop onto the FFXIV Twitter account to get a good summary of everything talked about, including how Ishgard housing will work.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwsnh5sgzA8

I am still a few expansions back from being where I need to be to play through Endwalker, but I'm?? really enjoying this journey toward its end.?? Hopefully, sometime in 2022, I'll be able to catch up with the rest of the player base and experience everything fresh and new as it's added to the game.

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Island Sanctuaries sound like a great way to unwind

The wait for Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion is getting into its final moments, where the community is just ready for the damn thing to come out. But before that flood of players (both new and old), there's a lot to reflect on and discern from the little information we have on some systems. That includes the lovely Island Sanctuaries mechanic for FFXIV.

Thanks to a new blurb on the official Endwalker site, we know that the very chill-oriented Island Sanctuaries system in FFXIV will let you br??ing out your minions to some degree. This was hinted at in the initial promotional image, but co??nfirmed here:

"After a hard day's a?dventuring, come and relax in your own personal paradise, where you may let your minions roam free and while away the hours to your heart's content."

It's a small thing, but it's something people are going to go bonkers over. Final Fantasy XIV has been doing a fantastic job of giving pretty much every game facet a point, or a way to engage in a time sink. Minions have become a hot button collector's item for many players, so if you can do more activities with them, the more people will stay interested. I mean, I did the full Yokai Watch event! I know how much minions mean to a lot of people.

If you're interested, Square Enix has been filling out the site with tons of other little details in past weeks: so there's plenty to pour over until Endwalker hits on November 23.

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And you can take that to the bank

Square Enix has announced that it has taken steps to ban the accounts of over 5000 Final Fantasy XIV players, after the publisher discovered evidence that the owners of said accounts were engaged in real-money trading (RMT) and other "illicit activities" within ?its online? RPG.

The account purge - which took place during the final week of February 2021 - was noted on the official Square Enix website in a very officious statement, also asking the FF XIV community for its help in the identifyin?g and reporting of traders and in-game cheaters.

"Real money trading (RMT) and other illicit activities upset the balance of the game and, as such, are prohibited under the Terms of Service," said the publisher. "Players who discover any confirmed cheats should, under no circumstances, exploit or disseminate such informat??ion. Instead, we ask that players file a report by using the in-game command [System Menu] > [Support Desk] > [Contact Us] > [Report Cheating]."

"In addition, any witnessed RMT advertisement can be reported by right clicking the character name in the chat log and selecting the menu [Report] > [Report RMT Activity].
The report will be processed automatically, and if determined to fall under RMT advertising, the reported character's comments will be restricted. We will continue to take stringent disciplinary action against any accou??nts with confirmed involvement in RMT/illici??t activity; players should take care to steer clear of any activity that violates the Terms of Service."

Final Fantasy XIV launched on PC back in the fall of 2010 and is still going strong over a decade later, with an approximate 20 million players having logged in to the continent of Eorzea since the title's launch. A brand new expansion, Endwalker??, is currently in development at S??quare Enix, and is scheduled to launch in-game this fall.

Final Fantasy XIV bans over 5,000 pla??yers for using real money in-game [PCGamesN]

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One of these days Alice, bang, zoom, you're going to the moon

Final Fantasy XIV is arguably the most celebrated MMORPG on the market today, and this fall, Square Enix wants to take it to the moon. During a livestream on Friday night, producer Naoki Yoshida announced its next expansion, Endwalker.

Really liking that Star Destroyer in the logo.

Like prior expansions for FFXIV, Endwalker is bringing a lot of new content. The level cap is rising to 90, and there will be new regions to explore, including Thavnair, as well as new cities, such as Radz-At-Ham and Garlemald, the capital of the Garlean Empire. A new eight-person raid known as Pandaemonium will also debut in Endwalker, as will two new classes. S??age, a new healer class that you can check out below, was revealed during the ??stream with the second, a Melee-DPS class, set to debut this May.

A new feature called Island Sanctuary was also announced for the expansion, offering a more laidback way to enjoy the world of FFXIV. Judging but the concept art shown, it looks like the MMO is cashing in on t??he farming genre.

While the name "Endwalker" might lead people to believe this is the end of Final Fantasy XIV, Yoshida promises the 6.0 expansion is merely the end of the Hydaelyn and Zodiark saga. Starting with version 6.1, players will embark on an entirely ?new adventure. During the livestream, Yoshida said the game is his life's work and he has no plans to stop working on it.

Even more information, such as the removal of belts, was announced du??ring the livestream, which I've embedded below for a?nyone who missed it.

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