Final Fantasy XIV Online | PS4, PS5, XS, PC

[jiggles]

Just realised that the Starter Edition is only available to claim as a Game Pass perk until Friday. I'd better nab it now!

Anything I need to know about server/world choice?

Changing server later costs £12 on other platforms and whatever amount of funbux that equates to on Xbox. It can sometimes be free to move, but only if moving from an overpopulated one to an underpopulated one.

You can only join a FC (guild) from your home server but you can pretty much visit any server and play with whoever you want.

I think we might have a GRcade FC but I don’t know what server it’s on. To be honest, though, you’re better joining a bigger one if you want the game to feel more “alive”. A lot of the locations you go through are going to feel pretty lonely. Mine is on Cerberus and they’re a welcoming casual crew. I could get you in if you think you’re gonna stick with it after trying it out

[rinks]

OK, cheers. That all sounds good. I'll see how I get on.

[jiggles]

OK, cheers. That all sounds good. I'll see how I get on.

Let us know your character name and server when you get started, I might drop by for a bit if I see you online

[rinks]

OK, cheers. That all sounds good. I'll see how I get on.

Let us know your character name and server when you get started, I might drop by for a bit if I see you online

Will do.

[Seven]

I'm on NA server as I tend to social more on the servers there with circles I'm in, but if the cross-region data center beta test goes well I'll be able to visit you lot come then. Or we can meet on Oceanian DC, I suppose.

But yeah the game's fun. There's lot of things to do, but it's easy enough to stick to one or two things and yeah, map is decent enough to show where to go and what to do. Also there's ability to play as all classes on one character so no need to roll another alt or two just to try different jobs.

[jawa_]

The Dawntrail launch trailer released today. The expansion arrives 2 July.

[jiggles]

Endwalker done. That was a very satisfying wrap up of everything to date. Great expansion.

Early access for Dawntrail starts in a week but the servers are shut down from Wednesday. I have 48 more quests to get done between now and then. It’s going to be extremely close

[jiggles]

Narrator’s voice: “It wasn’t”

About 15 quests short in the end. Ballooning ILvl requirements + people price gouging equipment on the market left me unable to buy the gear to get me into dungeons. Bad idea to rush it really.

Servers are off now until Friday, but the patches are out to update the clients. Got all 3 up to date and ready to roll. Just hope I can close the gap easy enough even while it’s still crazy.

[jawa_]

It is with great pleasure that we announce the patch notes for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail have been released in their entirety, including all you need to know about job actions, materia, and more!

The stage is set for new adventures as players journey to the far-western continent of Tural. There, you will encounter a thrilling story in the main scenario; two new jobs, viper and pictomancer; the newly playable female Hrothgar; and more! With an increased level cap, new actions to master, and a breathtaking graphical update, there is much to see and more to do in this exciting new update to FINAL FANTASY XIV.

The time has come, Warriors of Light─
prepare to set sail!

The patch notes are available for the Dawntrail/7.0 update - click.

[andretmzt]

Looking forward to launching myself off the arena with Aetherial Shift.

[Knoyleo]

Holy gooseberry fool, proper dynamic shadows! I'm not getting many of the other graphical benefits of the latest update on my Steam Deck running low settings, but Holy gooseberry fool does that lighting change just make everything feel different.

[jiggles]

Yeah, the graphics update is very nice. Not a generational leap or anything, but it’s enough subtle updates across the board that they all add up. I had to pop a fantasia because of it though. My male Viera’s nose went from a flat and broad one that could pass as humanlike to now having a wet sheen to it. So it was no-longer “dude with short rabbit ears” and instead “full blown furry”. I cast his ass into the fires of Mount Doom and rolled a normal human guy.

All caught up now too. I like the setup for DT and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in to a smaller stakes adventure as a cleanser after saving the whole damn universe.

[Knoyleo]

Yeah, the graphics update is very nice. Not a generational leap or anything, but it’s enough subtle updates across the board that they all add up. I had to pop a fantasia because of it though. My male Viera’s nose went from a flat and broad one that could pass as humanlike to now having a wet sheen to it. So it was no-longer “dude with short rabbit ears” and instead “full blown furry”. I cast his ass into the fires of Mount Doom and rolled a normal human guy.

"Hey Jiggles, heard you stumped up for a fantasise, what's your WOL now?"

[jawa_]

...Dawntrail hype caused a record number of players to swarm back to the game, with Square Enix boasting its most significant player count since its 2013 relaunch, A Realm Reborn...

...While the exact figure wasn't shared, it was likely quite a substantial number of players, with some 72k concurrents on Steam alone, as well as being available on both PlayStation and Xbox consoles. All told, Final Fantasy XIV is estimated to be amongst the most-played MMOs today, boasting a ridiculous 50+ million players over its lifespan.

Source: Push Square

XIV remains incredibly popular!

[Knoyleo]

Finally stepped into Stormblood proper.

I'm loving exploring the new zones, Ar Gabania looks lovely (especially in the new lighting/graphics)

I'm not loving being back to standard movement speed and having to track down aether currents.

[jiggles]

Finally stepped into Stormblood proper.

I'm loving exploring the new zones, Ar Gabania looks lovely (especially in the new lighting/graphics)

I'm not loving being back to standard movement speed and having to track down aether currents.

Now imagine you were playing any expansion on release and there’s twice as many currents.

[Met]

At least they get better with the currents later and they're usually not that far away from the places the plot takes you so as long as you keep hitting the compass you'll only need relatively small detours.

Not like that one in the last Stormblood zone (at least on launch) that needed an entire lap of the map because it was up a slightly too high ledge. That was sadistic.

[Knoyleo]

Sounds bad man.

Gotten a bit further in over the last couple of days, and I'm really enjoying this so far. I know that this is broadly considered to be the weakest expansion, but personally, I'm really excited for this story thread. The Ala Mighan resistance, and revolt against the empire in the East, it feels far more up my street as far as compelling subject matter goes. Not that the Epic dragon battles of HW weren't good stories, but I'm far more interested in tales of revolution and the oppressed rising up, than in tales of God like dragons and their generations old grievances where the people in the story are insignificant drops in a pond.

I'm going in massively overlevelled though, level 67 just entering the new zones, so the MSQ is a doddle. Surprisingly, the lvl 67 WHM job quest unlocks on the first map zone, so I've already been able to run into that, but I'm getting stomped on in no time, and might leave that until I've raised my ilvl a bit more appropriately.

[Knoyleo]

You absolutely shouldn't get booted from dungeons for inactivity if you're running with NPCs. I had an hour left on the clock for Sirensong Sea, and had to put my deck down for 10 minutes just before the final boss, and I come back to find I've been kicked.