Thread: Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker |OT|
Official Thread
Anyone playing the tank classes at level 80+? Thoughts on which ones are performing best at the moment?

I have all of them around level 60, except for Warrior and I'm trying to decide which one(s) I'm going to continue leveling.
 
I quit like a couple months ago but hearing all the hype I feel like I'm being sucked back in. I don't want to pay 15 dollars a month again!
 
Anyone playing the tank classes at level 80+? Thoughts on which ones are performing best at the moment?

I have all of them around level 60, except for Warrior and I'm trying to decide which one(s) I'm going to continue leveling.

I have PLD at 90, WAR and DRK at 80. I think the general consensus is that WAR is still top notch in terms of how much damage reduction it can string together and the amount of damage it can dish out. but I'm in love with the current PLD personally. at 90, the rotation is fun and it's very... safe, for lack of a better word.
 
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I quit like a couple months ago but hearing all the hype I feel like I'm being sucked back in. I don't want to pay 15 dollars a month again!
I know this model would never realistically work, but I almost wish you got billed for playtime and not real world time. I got a few month cards and activated them and haven't played in a month. So it's a ton of unused time and a waste of money. But if I was not charged for a month I didn't even log in during, I'd be more inclined to come back when the mood struck.
 
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finally finished the MSQ. it's such an emotional experience for me. some parts, even thou I know NPCs are not in danger, I would still feel for their safety. hat off to Yoshi-P and Ishikawa for weaving such a wonderful story for us. will do a NG+ play through eventually for sure now.

also, slight showing off of my collection






 
@Musky_Cheese can you change the thread title to just say

Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker |OT|​

And is there a way to edit the OP itself? I don't have an option. Guessing there's a timer that expired on it.
 
@JORMBO

I have an increasing urge to buy and play this game, assuming the bottleneck lessens and they start selling access again. I never play MMOs or pay subscriptions for games but FFXIV would certainly be the only exception.

Did the free trial, back when it was time limited and you did not get to try the first expansion Heavensword (around Stormblood I think?). Still the trial alone was one of the best games and worlds I've ever played, with the best job/actual class based job stories/crafting/gear progression system I've ever seen. Everything I ever wanted from a modern Final Fantasy...except a single player foundation.

Only major issue really was people skipping the main story cutscenes in raids.

To be honest if I do actually get into FF14 there is a very real possibility I would stop playing any other game for the foreseeable future, barring massive stuff like Elden Ring or Horizon Forbidden West.
 
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@JORMBO

I have an increasing urge to buy and play this game, assuming the bottleneck lessens and they start selling access again. I never play MMOs or pay subscriptions for games but FFXIV would certainly be the only exception.

Did the free trial, back when it was time limited and you did not get to try the first expansion Heavensword (around Stormblood I think?). Still the trial alone was one of the best games and worlds I've ever played, with the best job/actual class based job stories/crafting/gear progression system I've ever seen. Everything I ever wanted from a modern Final Fantasy...except a single player foundation.

Only major issue really was people skipping the main story cutscenes in raids.

To be honest if I do actually get into FF14 there is a very real possibility I would stop playing any other game for the foreseeable future, barring massive stuff like Elden Ring or Horizon Forbidden West.
They are actually really good about cutscenes in terms of manners and now they can't skip it if someone's watching, I believe.
 
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@JORMBO

I have an increasing urge to buy and play this game, assuming the bottleneck lessens and they start selling access again. I never play MMOs or pay subscriptions for games but FFXIV would certainly be the only exception.

Did the free trial, back when it was time limited and you did not get to try the first expansion Heavensword (around Stormblood I think?). Still the trial alone was one of the best games and worlds I've ever played, with the best job/actual class based job stories/crafting/gear progression system I've ever seen. Everything I ever wanted from a modern Final Fantasy...except a single player foundation.

Only major issue really was people skipping the main story cutscenes in raids.

To be honest if I do actually get into FF14 there is a very real possibility I would stop playing any other game for the foreseeable future, barring massive stuff like Elden Ring or Horizon Forbidden West.

I would say maybe give the free trial another go once it's available again. the problem with ppl skipping cut scenes are still there, but as far as I can tell the only stuff it effect is the 2 MSQ "dungeons" and the dev had already made it so all the cut scenes in there are unskippable, so this is a little better. other wise, at the start of a regular dungeon, if someone in the party is still watching the opening cut scene of the dungeon, the whole party would have to wait until the person is out of cut scene before they can start, so that's not a big deal either. smaller in dungeon cut scenes do still get skip thou so sometimes you would still get left behind a little, but can always try to talk to the party and let them know. for alliance raids, that is indeed a bigger problem and honestly not much can be done. but I would say don't worry about them too much. just watch the cut scenes and if other ppl had moved forward, just do your best to catch up. unless you're doing a pre-organized alliance raid with level syn and what not, the ARR and HW ones are going to be cake walk either way, so no point in sweating over it too much.

and yes, good MMOs do tend to consume a lot of your time. that said, FFXIV is probably the MMO out there that respects your time the most and give you the most choices to do what you want. want to just do the story? by all means do only that. you'll be basically playing a single player RPG with some occasional interactions with other players. want to just chill in town? plenty of folks who do that. want to do hardcore grinding stuff, there's always a clear path on how to get things and a fallback system for when you have bad RNG. want to drop the sub until next patch because you already finished what you want out of the available contend? hell, Yoshi-P encourages it. best thing is, catching up is not hard at all, so if you want to drop the sub to play other games for a while, it's perfectly fine and won't make you lacking behind too much. I hope when it's possible, you'll join the game and enjoy the story at the very least. let us know if you do and we can help with what we can.
 
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the problem with ppl skipping cut scenes are still there, but as far as I can tell the only stuff it effect is the 2 MSQ "dungeons" and the dev had already made it so all the cut scenes in there are unskippable, so this is a little better.
I think they also learned after ARR that they probably shouldn't put important cut scenes in places where people watching them will cause other people to have to wait.

Post-ARR when you go into a dungeon you'll get a short flythrough intro cutscene of the dungeon and then maybe another similar one right before the final boss, both of which you can skip and not miss anything.
 
I'm up to lv88 now. I thought the story was good until around 85, then the tone switch seems really weird. Then it drags out a lot. I am hoping it gets back on track when it wraps up.
 
Finished the main story. I'd say…
Shadowbringers > heavensward > endwalker > storm blood > ARR
 
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Though my trial account has been inactive for several years I see I now have access to Heavensward? My character is still there as a level 50 blackmage.

Could I renew the subscription or is renewing not possible right now? Really want to try out Dark Knight, Scholar and revamped Summoner (or is that only for later expansions?) All the jobs I remember had pretty interesting storylines. Last major storyline and events for Realm Reborn I remember was
the Scion headquarters getting raided by assassins and then assaulting the major Imperial fortress that was acting as a forward base against the three starting Nations. Also there was something about Cids family being Imperial Nobility? Shit I might need to start from the beginning again I've forgotten so much lol.
 
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Though my trial account has been inactive for several years I see I now have access to Heavensward? My character is still there as a level 50 blackmage.

Could I renew the subscription or is renewing not possible right now? Really want to try out Dark Knight, Scholar and revamped Summoner (or is that only for later expansions?) All the jobs I remember had pretty interesting storylines. Last major storyline for Realm Reborn I remember was
the Scion headquarters getting raided by assassins and then assaulting the major Imperial fortress. Something about Cids family?

Not sure. I know they disabled trials and buying the game due to overcrowding. I'm not sure how that applies to your older trial account though.
 
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I beat the MSQ of Stormblood last night and now I'm moving on to all of the unlockables and pre-Shadowbringers quests.

Playing a Gunblade currently but may switch things up for Shadowbringers to keep things fresh. I'll still play a tank, but may switch to Paladin or Dark Knight
 
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I beat the MSQ of Stormblood last night and now I'm moving on to all of the unlockables and pre-Shadowbringers quests.

Playing a Gunblade currently but may switch things up for Shadowbringers to keep things fresh. I'll still play a tank, but may switch to Paladin or Dark Knight

congrats on the progress. I still maintain my position that SB is actually as good as HW, especially in the later patches. the fights are awesome and while the story has pacing issues, it's still very good. as for switching jobs, I would say either keep leveling GNB or go DRK for ShB. I know DRK is not in the best place right now but since ShB's main theme is darkness and DRK was also the poster boy for that expansion, might as well go for it.
 
I'm glad that they have data center travel coming out soon. hopefully they can figure out region travel too so we can visit other region worlds. they also seems to be aiming for the future with their plans, so that's nice too.
 

In our next Letter from the Producer LIVE broadcast, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida will be sharing information on what's in store for the future of FFXIV!

Furthermore, he will be answering Endwalker-related questions during the second half of the broadcast, so head to the forum to submit your queries for him.
 
I just started playing the game on Saturday and HOLY SHIT this game is slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamin'! Met one high level player who gave me a beautiful white ferret as a pet and got invited into a beautiful platinum wedding by a couple which took almost 2 hours and I enjoyed every second of it including a cool after-party. Man, the community is out of this world amazing in the game, so vibrant, so cheerful and caring. I have played World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 1/2, Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcraft at their peak and it was still far from this incredible. Don't get me wrong, the olden days of those mentioned MMOs were really great and I played with some great people, but this is on another level.
 
Is Endwalker going to be the final expansion pack for FFXIV do you think or will there be more in the years to come given this game's success? I really gotta jump in this game soon and see where it takes me. Missing out on a FF game with FFXIV's stature would be foolish
 
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Is Endwalker going to be the final expansion pack for FFXIV do you think or will there be more in the years to come given this game's success? I really gotta jump in this game soon and see where it takes me. Missing out on a FF game with FFXIV's stature would be foolish
It's definitely an interesting question. Having the problem of being so popular and doing so well that you can't even get people online without waiting in a queue for hours is a pretty good problem to have and does make it seem like it'd be crazy not to have more content to sell later.
 
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Is Endwalker going to be the final expansion pack for FFXIV do you think or will there be more in the years to come given this game's success? I really gotta jump in this game soon and see where it takes me. Missing out on a FF game with FFXIV's stature would be foolish

Yoshi-P had already came out and said it before Endwalker's release, that EW is only concluding the Hydaelyn/Zodiak storyline. and they will be making new expansions in the future. he even went as far as saying that he considers FFXIV as his life's work and will be making it as long as SQEN allows him to. and seeing how much money the game is making them right now, I don't see any reason for them not to do it. in fact, they had already laid down a lot of hints within the EW story for the direction of the future expansions and where we'll visit.

the log in ques are much better right now as far as I can tell. during that EW launch month or so, my log in que during regular day time is anywhere from a few hundred to 3000+. right now the log in que is much better, only at 50 or so even during weekday afternoon. I think it's due to a mix of different factors, such as we're currently between patches so a lot of players are caught up on content they want to play and there are new games out at the moment, such as Lost Ark. also, with the addition of the OCE servers, a lot of players had moved over and loosened the stress on the servers in NA and JP servers.

I would say, if you're into the FF series at all, FFXIV is one of the best FF you can play in current days. an unique and emotion filled original story; lots of call back and actual elements from previous games in the FF line throughout your gameplay; player friendly gameplay design (for a MMO); friendly (for an MMO at least) community. I would say at least give it a go, play through the MSQ (the main story quest). if want to, you can always just play the free trial and get to at least the Heavensward and see if it's your cup of tea.
 
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Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida outlined the next 10 years of the massively multiplayer online RPG during the "Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXVIII" live stream, including forthcoming advancements as a solo and multiplayer RPG experience, the game's first graphical update, and the Patch 6.x series roadmap.

■ Our Journey Thus Far: Final Fantasy XIV from 2010 through 2021
  • September 30, 2010 – Official service for version 1.0 begins
  • December 10, 2010 – Development / operations team restructured
  • October 14, 2011 – Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn announced
  • November 11, 2012 – The End of an Era (1.0 service discounted)
  • Late February 2013 – Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn beta test begins
  • August 27, 2013 – Official service for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn begins
  • October to December 2014 – The first Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival
  • June 23, 2015 – Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward launches
  • August 21, 2015 – Global registered player total exceeds five million
  • June 20, 2017 – Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood launches
  • August 8, 2017 – Global registered player total exceeds 10 million
  • August 31, 2018 – Global registered player total exceeds 14 million
  • May 24, 2019 – Global registered player total exceeds 16 million
  • July 2, 2019 – Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers launches
  • December 14, 2019 – Global registered player total exceeds 18 million
  • July 22, 2020 – Global registered player total exceeds 20 million
  • December 2, 2021 – Global registered player total exceeds 25 million
  • December 7, 2021 – Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker launches
■ Final Fantasy XIV: Newfound Futures

The Next 10 Years of Final Fantasy XIV


(Yoshida assured that he has no plans to leave the Final Fantasy XIV project, unless the CEO of Square Enix tells him he needs to go—and even then, Yoshida said he would fight him on it; or if the development or operations team wanted to kick him out; or if he dies.)
  • Looking toward 7.0…
    • Advancements as a solo and multiplayer RPG experience.
    • The game's first graphical update.
    • Patch 6.x series roadmap.
  • Future concept #1: An even better RPG—alone or with friends!
    • Large-scale updates to the Trust system.
      • Trust compatibility for all main scenario dungeons and four-player trials to be added in Patch 6.1 to 6.5.
      • Patch 6.1 will make Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Patch 2.0) scenario duties Trust-compatible.
      • Further improvements will be made to some low-level main scenario dungeons and trials.
        • Eight-player trials will not be updated at this time.
        • Those updates will be considered for 7.0 or later.
  • Future concept #2: Preparing for years of service to come—Final Fantasy XIV's first graphical update.
    • Planned for implementation in 7.0.
      • Development and preparation ongoing until the expansion releases.
      • Aiming for screen-wide aesthetic appeal suited to a multiplayer environment.
      • Animation and lighting system updates also planned.
        • New graphics will not be comparable to those of standalone titles.
        • Minimum operating specifications will also change as of 7.0.
        • Will try to accommodate as broad a range of hardware specifications as possible.
        • (Yoshida assured that Final Fantasy XIV will continue to support PlayStation 4, at least until 7.0.)
  • Character appearance updates:
    • Primary features and goals:
      • Higher-resolution textures (hair, skin, gear, etc.).
      • Improved material qualities (skin, metal, fabric, etc.).
      • Better lighting and shadow effects (especially for players' shadows, etc.).
        • Overall appearance of player characters will be altered as little as possible.
        • Will be applied to old NPCs where possible from 7.x onward.
        • Testing for additional improvements will continue in the future.
      • First month of testing (sample)—map visuals:
      • Background visuals updates:
        • Primary features and goals:
          • Additional lighting points (improved visual quality, depth, and immersion).
          • Higher-resolution shadows (increased movement, decreased flickering effects).
          • Improved textures (metals, fabrics, etc.).
          • More and better auto-generated greenery (increased resolution, variety, etc.).
            • Possible improvements to fog and other ambient effects currently being tested.
            • Upgrades will be tuned to the maximum extent that performance allows.
  • Future concept #3: Continuing to provide regular updates on an appropriate schedule!
    • Patch 6.1 Series Roadmap: Planned Major Updates
      • Main scenario update (Patch 6.1 to 6.5)
      • "Somehow Further Hildibrand Adventures (Patch 6.1 to 6.5)
      • "Tataru's Grand Endeavor" sidequest series (Patch 6.1 to 6.5)
      • Myths of the Realm #1 (alliance raid)
      • Crystalline Conflict (new player-versus-player)
      • Arkasodara tribe quests and dailies
      • Dragonsong's Reprise (new Ultimate duty)
      • Ultima's Bane (Unreal)
      • Trust system for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Patch 2.0) main scenario dungeons
      • New Calling Card-style UI
      • New hairstyles for Hrothgar
      • Empyreum (Ishgard housing)
      • Custom Deliveries: Ameliance
      • New trials and other assorted updates
    • Patch 6.2 Series Roadmap: Planned Major Updates
      • Trust system for 2.x main scenario dungeons
      • Trust system for two to three Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward main scenario dungeons
      • New weapon enhancements
      • New "Criterion" dungeon with variable difficulty (for one to four players)
      • "Island Sanctuary" debuts
      • Plus Pandaemonium, Faux Hollows, other trials, and more!
    • Patch 6.3 Series Roadmap: Planned Major Updates
      • Trust system for the remaining Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward main scenario dungeons
      • Deep Dungeon series #3
      • Ultimate duty #5
      • Island Sanctuary update
      • Plus Myths of the Realm, Faux Hollows, other trials, and more.
    • Patch 6.4 / 6.5 Series Roadmap: Planned Major Updates
      • Trust system for all Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood main scenario dungeons
      • Criterion dungeons #2 and #3
      • Additional area for Island Sanctuary
      • Plus the conclusion to Pandaemonium, further Myths of the Realm, Faux Hollows, other trials, and more!
      • More plans for Patches 6.4 and 6.5 are being made as we speak!
    • Patch Schedule Announcement
      • The major patch cycle:
        • Previously: One major patch every three-and-a-half months.
        • Going forward: One major patch every four months.
        • Please allow us one extra week each for implementation and fine-tuning. (One extra week will also be added for summer and New Year's holidays.)
      • Even as we tackle new challenges, we will continue to deliver plenty of updates on a regular schedule. Join us as we embark upon the next 10 years of Final Fantasy XIV.
■ Housing Plot Sales from Patch 6.1
  • Lottery system details:
    • Each player may only enter the lottery for one plot of land during each lottery period. (Each member may enter once when purchasing land for a Free Company.)
    • Players must pay the full price of the plot upon entry—unsuccessful players will be refunded in full.
  • Four purchase systems:
    • Lottery (FC)
    • Lottery (individual)
    • First-come first-serve (FC)
    • First-come first-serve (individual)
  • Purchase system distribution:
    • One of the four purchase systems will be applied to each ward (e.g. Empyreum ward 6, Mist subdivision ward 3).
    • In Patch 6.1, all wards will use either the individual or FC lottery system. (We will consider making a few wards first-come first-serve if there is strong demand.)
■ Miscellaneous
  • Final Fantasy XIV Free Trial resumes Tuesday, February 22 (times may vary).
  • Letter from the Producer LIVE LXIX will air on Friday, March 4 at 3:00 a.m. PT / 6:00 a.m. ET / 20:00 JST. We'll be showcasing various aspects of Patch 6.1 in this first preview!
  • Final Fantasy XIV Print Collection 3 will release on April 30 for 33,000 yen (preparations for release overseas are underway). Enjoy your favorite Final Fantasy XIV illustrations in all their glory with these high-quality, framed prints!
  • Square Enix Cafe Tokyo – Final Fantasy XIV collaboration underway! Part 1 ends Friday, February 25. Part 2 begins Saturday, February 26 and runs until Friday, March 25. (Availability of certain items may vary between Parts 1 and 2. Certain collaboration items are planned to be released later on the Square Enix e-STORE in Japan.)
  • The Final Fantasy XIV development team is now hiring game designers and graphics engineers.

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/02/fin...graphical-update-and-patch-6-x-series-roadmap
 
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yeah, watched some of the Live Letter last night and it's pretty cool what they're doing. good road map on what's coming and the graphic upgrade seems pretty nice for the PC crew. can't wait to see how it runs.
 
not sure if anyone had been doing the new Ultimate or not, but that's the first time I actually have an urge to do the Ultimate in XIV. oh well, one of these days.
 

Final Fantasy XIV's next patch, 6.3, is called Gods Revel, Lands Tremble and will be released in early January 2023.

Among its various updates, the duty support system will now be extended to include remaining Heavensward dungeons. That means almost the entire game, besides Stormblood, will be playable solo.

Further changes will also come in patch 6.35, including an update to the farming sim mode Island Sanctuary.

Gods Revels, Lands Tremble will provide new main scenario quests and side story quests, as well as new trials and raids, and a new Leap of Faith map in the Gold Saucer.

New housing wards will also be added to existing districts, so more homes can be bought by players.

This will be followed by patch 6.35, which will add quality of life improvements to the Island Sanctuary, as well as new ranks, crops, animals and more.

News of the future patches was revealed in the latest Letter from the Producer stream, you can watch on Twitch.

The duty support system is particularly exciting, allowing players to complete the main story of the game solo.

Yoshida told Eurogamer this was aimed at creating an entry point for new players.

"The main point is not that we are focusing exclusively on single-player content in particular, but rather that the scale of the game, its content, and development has finally grown to the extent that we can provide content tailored to solo players," he said.

"Another reason is that in further developing Final Fantasy XIV and expanding its scale, I want to guide people who have been thinking that 'connecting with other players is a pain in MMORPGs' so that ultimately they'll come to appreciate the 'fun of playing with others'. As an entry point into the game, being able to play the main scenario solo is a huge plus."

https://www.eurogamer.net/final-fantasy-14s-next-patch-will-arrive-early-january-2023
 
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How would you guys rank all the expansions including the MSQ for FFXIV?

FFXIV MSQ (2013)
Heavensward (2015)
Stormblood (2017)
Shadowbringers (2019)
Endwalker (2021)
Dawntrail (Summer 2024)

I spoke with a handful of fans the other day and they believe there will be at least another three expansions after Dawntrail. Seemed confident about it too, like three was the minimum