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expansion, ffxiv, final fantasy, final fantasy xiv, final fantasy xiv stormblood, MMO, mmorpg, stormblood, stormblood squee week, xiv
SPOILER ALERT: The following post is going to touch on topics associated with the MSQ of patch 3.5, which is recent as of this post’s creation, Feb 19th. If you’ve not finished that content, you might not want to read on.
So back in June of last year, I made a blog post offering up my thoughts on what would be coming for the next expansion of Final Fantasy XIV. We now stand near the end of the final Fanfest, and I thought it’d be fun to run back to that post and see where I went horribly wrong while salvaging the thoughts that were nearly close to the mark.
Like a Lalafell Archer, my aim is a bit short.
We’re Going to Ala Mhigo Right After Ending the Ascians
So us going to Ala Mhigo is not a surprise. We all knew it heading into patch 3.5. Where I went wrong was my (admitted) biased vocal hope that the Ascian “threat” would be removed once and for all and we’d get to the more interesting villainous actions of the Garleans.
Granted, we’re not done with 3.5 yet. There’s still a second part coming in a little while, so maybe something will be done about The Organization That’s Crappier And More Boring Than Organization XIII. But if nothing else, we’re at least dealing with the consequences of Ilberd’s actions and the presumed consequences of attacking Baelsar’s Wall. I know it’s Another Ascian Plot, but at least it’s a fun one.
What I did not expect – along with everybody else – was that we’re also going to deal with Othard. So presumably, 4.0 is going to deal with us handling the Garleans on two fronts as Eorzea’s heroes work to liberate Ala Mhigo and Othard. So in a way, half of my dreams came true.
The other half of the dream will be joining in the awe at the sight of Kugane.
The Next Tank Class Will Be Corsair
So we’re not getting any tanks whatsoever. Or healers, for that matter. This expansion is mostly about giving two new DPS Jobs and trying to offer balance and adjustment to all of the existing classes. So in a bit of stubbornness, I’m going to say that this prediction is still on the table.
It’s a bit of a shame that we’re not likely going to be seeing a Corsair or any other new tanker job until 5.0, but the rationale behind the decision makes absolute sense. There is a lot of skill bloat right now, with many abilities in many of the Jobs I’ve played underperforming or outright not ever being used. So while I would have loved to see every type of player get a little love, I support the idea.
What will those changes mean down the line? Hard to say. There hasn’t been any word of what this “combat revamp” is going to be yet. My eyes will definitely be looking out, though.
Samurai Will Be A DPS Class
And will look more like Auron than a historic warrior.
I inadvertently nailed this one. While I sure wasn’t expecting Red Mage to be a thing, my line of thinking here was right. The Samurai job is all about a fighting style that wields a sword to devastating effect, which makes the addition of the Job a perfect DPS role.
What little information that’s out there involves a more Kurosawa-styled Samurai than a historically reverent one, which makes sense considering Ninja in XIV are similarly cartoon-like. While the idea of clapping the katana in its scabbard to unsheathe and unleash seems kind of silly, it will be damn fun to witness.
As before, I don’t see myself taking up either Samurai or Red Mage, but I really can’t wait to watch them work.
The Palace of the Dead Will Usher In More Randomized Content
…eh. Not really.
It’s more like “Palace of the Meh”.
The Palace of the Dead is just another treadmill, which I suppose is not a terribly shocking thing. Its application in XIV is also not exactly the sort of revelation I was hoping for either. Nothing about the way PotD is built really seems like it’s something that can be applied to other content, and after having run it a bunch of times I have to say I’m happy about that.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Palace well enough, but it’s also not something I’m rushing to get done or eagerly anticipating doing. It stays within its own wheelhouse and that’s just fine. Personally, I’d rather the devs stick to making crafted encounters instead of relying on “procedural content”. They’re much better at the former than the latter.
Where do we go from here? It’s honestly hard to know. There is a lot of time between now and June 20th so the blanks will be filled in eventually. All that said, I suppose the devs of XIV have done their job and gotten me invested in this game all over again.
What can I say? I can take a break, but I can’t quite this one. So why not celebrate it and work up a bit of good-natured squee?
Through Wolfy's Eyes 