With millions of subscribers and an ever-growing world of content to explore, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has struck a chord with the larger MMO community — and it shows no signs of relenting. In fact, Square Enix revealed today that its upcoming expansion, Heavensward, will debut on June 23rd of this year. It will introduce massive new zones, flying mounts, three new jobs and more to the already staggering Eorzean landscape.
During the Game Developers Conference earlier this week, my colleague Ryan Clements and I spoke with Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida about his tireless work on Final Fantasy XIV. Of course, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to ask for new details pertaining to the upcoming Heavensward expansion.
Yoshida, with his immaculately styled hair and impressive collection of metal rings, exudes a calm, confident air, despite the tremendous expectations placed upon him and his team.
Heavensward promises to add an incredible amount of new content to Final Fantasy XIV, but Yoshida notes that none of the FFXIV team members are dedicated to work solely on this new expansion. While developing Heavensward, the team has also been working to implement new content into the existing FFXIV experience — including the fan-favorite Gold Saucer and Triple Triad, a fully featured deck-building card game that hearkens back to Final Fantasy VIII and is playable across Eorzea with NPCs and other players alike.
It was a conscious decision to add lots of new content, including Gold Saucer, near the end of the FFXIV 2.X storyline, to make sure players have plenty to do until Heavensward launches.
“Gold Saucer was always part of the 2.X roadmap. It was always part of A Realm Reborn,” Yoshida explains. “The thought of pushing it back until Heavensward never crossed my mind.”
Zones in Final Fantasy XIV are already huge — they’re designed to fit within 2km by 2km boundaries — but there are new scenarios to consider since Heavensward will introduce flying mounts (including flying chocobos and single-rider airships) for the first time. Flying mounts will get you around approximately three times faster than ground-based mounts, but Yoshida’s team is making sure to include surprising elements and discoveries within each zone to keep players exploring.
Yoshida estimates that there will be around 1.5 times as much area to explore in Heavensward’s new zones — while there may be fewer zones, there will end up being just as much traversable area in Heavensward at launch as in A Realm Reborn.
Final Fantasy XIV recently celebrated the milestone of four million registered accounts, but this success isn’t changing the team’s plans:
“The number of subscriptions doesn’t necessarily affect the development of the game, since the number of people who can enter a certain zone or server is limited,” says Yoshida. “There may be opportunities to increase the number of servers to accommodate more players, but the content itself isn’t affected by the number of people playing.”
He went on to explain that the development team is conscious of a gap between newer players and FFXIV veterans, and that they continue to look for ways to bridge content and help new Eorzeans transition into high-level content, eventually becoming veterans themselves.
“One advantage of having more players subscribe is more revenue,” he continued, “not only for Square Enix but for us to put back into the game. By having more players join us, we can feed that back into polishing the quality of your gameplay experience.”
Yoshida-san himself is an MMO veteran, and this has informed certain aspects of FFXIV’s design. An early inspiration was Ultima Online, which first opened his mind to the idea of players across the globe gathering in a virtual world to play together. The concept of PKs and PKKs also illustrated that while cooperation is fun, fighting against other players can be fun as well.
Yoshida has taken a particularly close look at large-scale PvP in other MMOs, like World of Warcraft’s Horde vs. Alliance scenario and Dark Age of Camelot’s Realm vs. Realm. He specifically wanted to avoid situations in which one group would have a distinct advantage over another, hence FFXIV’s Frontlines mode that sees three Grand Companies competing against one another.
Other MMO influences include public events from Warhammer, which saw further refinement in Guild Wars’ dynamic events. When they wanted to incorporate this kind of system into A Realm Reborn, Yoshida relayed to the dev team that they should have spontaneous live events that involve players who happen to be nearby. This eventually became the F.A.T.E. system, now a staple for FFXIV players of all levels.
Final Fantasy XIV features hours and hours of original content, but it’s not afraid to borrow from the series’ rich history, either.
“What we strive to achieve with FFXIV is like a Final Fantasy series theme park,” says Yoshida. “You have original attractions that have to be good, but we also want to incorporate elements that Final Fantasy players from any generation will recognize and be attracted to.”
The team is conscious of the series passionate fan base though, and they’re careful to respect any source material they implement into FFXIV:
“The relationship between Cloud and Sephiroth, for example, is very iconic to Final Fantasy fans. If we were to depict that in FFXIV, there’s a risk that Final Fantasy VII fans might see it and be shocked to see these characters behaving differently than they might have imagined. We don’t want to modify these characters’ stories — players have a strong affinity with them, and we want to respect that.”
Of course, the breadth of the Final Fantasy universe isn’t to be underestimated, and Yoshida doesn’t expect that he’ll run out of content to nod to in FFXIV:
“You might have noticed the Floating Continent in Heavensward, and I’ve always wanted to go to the moon (like in Final Fantasy IV). There are still many classic elements from Final Fantasy that we can incorporate, and we want to continue blending them into FFXIV for fans to enjoy.”
I seized this opportunity to request that Yoshida-san and team let us fight Kefka in the future. Everyone in the room laughed, which I hope means they’ll consider it!
Questions abound regarding how the new jobs in Heavensward will be implemented, since they don’t require a base class. Yoshida added some clarity when we asked for more details:
“We were actually recently deciding what to call these jobs that don’t have a base class, and we’ve decided to call them ‘Extra Jobs.’ Just like when you can switch to different jobs when you’re at level 30, that applies to these as well. As long as any class or job is at level 30, you’ll be able to access any of these three new jobs.”
Before meeting with Yoshida-san, we put out a call for questions on Twitter, and you responded in kind — thank you! Your questions, and Yoshida’s replies, follow:
@PlayStation Will we have to finish the main campaign or reach a certain level to access Heavensward's main content?
— John Fleury (@Behonkiss) March 2, 2015
Editor’s Note: After publishing this story, we received clarification from Square Enix for this question. The updated answer follows, but we’ve left the original answer in the story for transparency’s sake.
Naoki Yoshida: You will have to already own A Realm Reborn, plus complete all of the main story quests up through Patch 2.55. After that, an introductory quest for Heavensward will become available; accepting that quest will then guide you through the gates of Ishgard. All of the job quests related to the new jobs will be in Ishgard as well, so the condition to access those will be the same. If a player had stopped playing around Patch 2.2 or 2.3, it would be best to revisit the A Realm Reborn main story quests to get back into the groove as you head towards Heavensward!
Original Answer: If you already own A Realm Reborn and you get Heavensward, you’ll be able to at least enter Ishgard. The new jobs added in Heavensward are not tied to the main story, so those are accessible as well. In terms of the story, if you want to enjoy the Heavensward story arc, since it’s tied to the upcoming 2.55 patch, it’s a prerequisite to have finished that content. If a player had stopped playing around patch 2.2 or 2.3, I’d recommend choosing one of the new jobs and leveling that up while catching up on the story, then transitioning into Heavensward.
@PlayStation What changes are going to be made to existing jobs? When can we expect the promised Benchmark? #FFXIV
— niwaar (@niwaar) March 2, 2015
Yoshida: It’s tricky to say, but there will be changes applied to each job. One common change is that the job quest will continue from where it left off starting around level 52, so you’ll obtain new skills, spells and weapon skills. So when you go into combat you’ll have a wider range of selection in what kinds of actions you can take during battle. For example, if you play as a DPS job and you learn a new skill or spell, you can implement that into the command set you have built, or build a new one from scratch and strategize how you can apply these new skills. With some of the boss characters in Heavensward, you actually can’t fight them using your older skills — they might require you to know new skills that are only available after the level cap has been raised. This will create an opportunity for players to get together with the community to strategize how to beat these monsters. It’s safe to assume that you’ll be experiencing a new gameplay experience with the raising of the level cap.
@PlayStation Will we see Ishgardians playing TT? Or will it be mostly traders/secretive in the areas since it's an 'outsider' game? :D
— Amber Grant (@Plutofaerie) March 2, 2015
Yoshida: It depends on how much dev time we allocate. In terms of Triple Triad, there will be 20 additional cards added in 3.0. Perhaps somebody in Ishgard is playing Triple Triad. Everyone’s been so focused on Triple Triad and Chocobo Racing that nobody’s doing the Hunt anymore!
@PlayStation what are the winning numbers for the next jumbo cactpot?
— Mature (@GregsVice) March 2, 2015
Yoshida: I participated and could have won first place… but I came in fifth. I was actually working that day, but rushed home to check the numbers thinking “I’m gonna win the jackpot!” but it turned out to be fifth place. But the winning numbers vary with each world. Only the Twelve know…
Quotations provided through an on-site translator. They have been edited for brevity and clarity.
With millions of subscribers and an ever-growing world of content to explore, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has struck a chord with the larger MMO community — and it shows no signs of relenting. In fact, Square Enix revealed today that its upcoming expansion, Heavensward, will debut on June 23rd of this year. It will introduce massive new zones, flying mounts, three new jobs and more to the already staggering Eorzean landscape.
During the Game Developers Conference earlier this week, my colleague Ryan Clements and I spoke with Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida about his tireless work on Final Fantasy XIV. Of course, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to ask for new details pertaining to the upcoming Heavensward expansion.
Yoshida, with his immaculately styled hair and impressive collection of metal rings, exudes a calm, confident air, despite the tremendous expectations placed upon him and his team.
Heavensward promises to add an incredible amount of new content to Final Fantasy XIV, but Yoshida notes that none of the FFXIV team members are dedicated to work solely on this new expansion. While developing Heavensward, the team has also been working to implement new content into the existing FFXIV experience — including the fan-favorite Gold Saucer and Triple Triad, a fully featured deck-building card game that hearkens back to Final Fantasy VIII and is playable across Eorzea with NPCs and other players alike.
It was a conscious decision to add lots of new content, including Gold Saucer, near the end of the FFXIV 2.X storyline, to make sure players have plenty to do until Heavensward launches.
“Gold Saucer was always part of the 2.X roadmap. It was always part of A Realm Reborn,” Yoshida explains. “The thought of pushing it back until Heavensward never crossed my mind.”
Zones in Final Fantasy XIV are already huge — they’re designed to fit within 2km by 2km boundaries — but there are new scenarios to consider since Heavensward will introduce flying mounts (including flying chocobos and single-rider airships) for the first time. Flying mounts will get you around approximately three times faster than ground-based mounts, but Yoshida’s team is making sure to include surprising elements and discoveries within each zone to keep players exploring.
Yoshida estimates that there will be around 1.5 times as much area to explore in Heavensward’s new zones — while there may be fewer zones, there will end up being just as much traversable area in Heavensward at launch as in A Realm Reborn.
Final Fantasy XIV recently celebrated the milestone of four million registered accounts, but this success isn’t changing the team’s plans:
“The number of subscriptions doesn’t necessarily affect the development of the game, since the number of people who can enter a certain zone or server is limited,” says Yoshida. “There may be opportunities to increase the number of servers to accommodate more players, but the content itself isn’t affected by the number of people playing.”
He went on to explain that the development team is conscious of a gap between newer players and FFXIV veterans, and that they continue to look for ways to bridge content and help new Eorzeans transition into high-level content, eventually becoming veterans themselves.
“One advantage of having more players subscribe is more revenue,” he continued, “not only for Square Enix but for us to put back into the game. By having more players join us, we can feed that back into polishing the quality of your gameplay experience.”
Yoshida-san himself is an MMO veteran, and this has informed certain aspects of FFXIV’s design. An early inspiration was Ultima Online, which first opened his mind to the idea of players across the globe gathering in a virtual world to play together. The concept of PKs and PKKs also illustrated that while cooperation is fun, fighting against other players can be fun as well.
Yoshida has taken a particularly close look at large-scale PvP in other MMOs, like World of Warcraft’s Horde vs. Alliance scenario and Dark Age of Camelot’s Realm vs. Realm. He specifically wanted to avoid situations in which one group would have a distinct advantage over another, hence FFXIV’s Frontlines mode that sees three Grand Companies competing against one another.
Other MMO influences include public events from Warhammer, which saw further refinement in Guild Wars’ dynamic events. When they wanted to incorporate this kind of system into A Realm Reborn, Yoshida relayed to the dev team that they should have spontaneous live events that involve players who happen to be nearby. This eventually became the F.A.T.E. system, now a staple for FFXIV players of all levels.
Final Fantasy XIV features hours and hours of original content, but it’s not afraid to borrow from the series’ rich history, either.
“What we strive to achieve with FFXIV is like a Final Fantasy series theme park,” says Yoshida. “You have original attractions that have to be good, but we also want to incorporate elements that Final Fantasy players from any generation will recognize and be attracted to.”
The team is conscious of the series passionate fan base though, and they’re careful to respect any source material they implement into FFXIV:
“The relationship between Cloud and Sephiroth, for example, is very iconic to Final Fantasy fans. If we were to depict that in FFXIV, there’s a risk that Final Fantasy VII fans might see it and be shocked to see these characters behaving differently than they might have imagined. We don’t want to modify these characters’ stories — players have a strong affinity with them, and we want to respect that.”
Of course, the breadth of the Final Fantasy universe isn’t to be underestimated, and Yoshida doesn’t expect that he’ll run out of content to nod to in FFXIV:
“You might have noticed the Floating Continent in Heavensward, and I’ve always wanted to go to the moon (like in Final Fantasy IV). There are still many classic elements from Final Fantasy that we can incorporate, and we want to continue blending them into FFXIV for fans to enjoy.”
I seized this opportunity to request that Yoshida-san and team let us fight Kefka in the future. Everyone in the room laughed, which I hope means they’ll consider it!
Questions abound regarding how the new jobs in Heavensward will be implemented, since they don’t require a base class. Yoshida added some clarity when we asked for more details:
“We were actually recently deciding what to call these jobs that don’t have a base class, and we’ve decided to call them ‘Extra Jobs.’ Just like when you can switch to different jobs when you’re at level 30, that applies to these as well. As long as any class or job is at level 30, you’ll be able to access any of these three new jobs.”
Before meeting with Yoshida-san, we put out a call for questions on Twitter, and you responded in kind — thank you! Your questions, and Yoshida’s replies, follow:
@PlayStation Will we have to finish the main campaign or reach a certain level to access Heavensward's main content?
— John Fleury (@Behonkiss) March 2, 2015
Editor’s Note: After publishing this story, we received clarification from Square Enix for this question. The updated answer follows, but we’ve left the original answer in the story for transparency’s sake.
Naoki Yoshida: You will have to already own A Realm Reborn, plus complete all of the main story quests up through Patch 2.55. After that, an introductory quest for Heavensward will become available; accepting that quest will then guide you through the gates of Ishgard. All of the job quests related to the new jobs will be in Ishgard as well, so the condition to access those will be the same. If a player had stopped playing around Patch 2.2 or 2.3, it would be best to revisit the A Realm Reborn main story quests to get back into the groove as you head towards Heavensward!
Original Answer: If you already own A Realm Reborn and you get Heavensward, you’ll be able to at least enter Ishgard. The new jobs added in Heavensward are not tied to the main story, so those are accessible as well. In terms of the story, if you want to enjoy the Heavensward story arc, since it’s tied to the upcoming 2.55 patch, it’s a prerequisite to have finished that content. If a player had stopped playing around patch 2.2 or 2.3, I’d recommend choosing one of the new jobs and leveling that up while catching up on the story, then transitioning into Heavensward.
@PlayStation What changes are going to be made to existing jobs? When can we expect the promised Benchmark? #FFXIV
— niwaar (@niwaar) March 2, 2015
Yoshida: It’s tricky to say, but there will be changes applied to each job. One common change is that the job quest will continue from where it left off starting around level 52, so you’ll obtain new skills, spells and weapon skills. So when you go into combat you’ll have a wider range of selection in what kinds of actions you can take during battle. For example, if you play as a DPS job and you learn a new skill or spell, you can implement that into the command set you have built, or build a new one from scratch and strategize how you can apply these new skills. With some of the boss characters in Heavensward, you actually can’t fight them using your older skills — they might require you to know new skills that are only available after the level cap has been raised. This will create an opportunity for players to get together with the community to strategize how to beat these monsters. It’s safe to assume that you’ll be experiencing a new gameplay experience with the raising of the level cap.
@PlayStation Will we see Ishgardians playing TT? Or will it be mostly traders/secretive in the areas since it's an 'outsider' game? :D
— Amber Grant (@Plutofaerie) March 2, 2015
Yoshida: It depends on how much dev time we allocate. In terms of Triple Triad, there will be 20 additional cards added in 3.0. Perhaps somebody in Ishgard is playing Triple Triad. Everyone’s been so focused on Triple Triad and Chocobo Racing that nobody’s doing the Hunt anymore!
@PlayStation what are the winning numbers for the next jumbo cactpot?
— Mature (@GregsVice) March 2, 2015
Yoshida: I participated and could have won first place… but I came in fifth. I was actually working that day, but rushed home to check the numbers thinking “I’m gonna win the jackpot!” but it turned out to be fifth place. But the winning numbers vary with each world. Only the Twelve know…
Quotations provided through an on-site translator. They have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida mentioned a while ago that the game’s expansion Heavensward would steer towards darker and more mature themes than the original game, and the ESRB rating released today definitely seems to be going in that direction.
The expansion still gets a “T for Teen,” but the blurb describes quite a lot of rather violent scenes and blood, and the related blood got bumped up from the original “mild blood” of A Realm Reborn to “blood.”
Be aware that the blurb below may include descriptions of story scenes that could be considered mild spoilers.
Content Descriptors: Blood, Language, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence.
This is a role-playing game in which players assume the role of an adventurer exploring a fantastical world. Players travel through various lands, interact with characters, and engage in battle against humans and fantasy creatures (e.g., demons, skeletons). Players use swords, spears, and magic spells to kill several opponents. Combat can be frenetic at times, accompanied by clashing sounds and brief yells. Cutscenes also depict instances of violence: an extended off-screen sequence in which a character is stabbed; a character losing an arm off-screen in a swordfight; a character impaled by a magical bolt. Blood is depicted in a handful of cutscenes in which characters are injured; bloodstains also appear on the ground in a handful of levels. The game includes some suggestive/sexual material: female characters dressed in revealing outfits; camera angles that pan suggestively on bodies; dialogue that states “[s]tay clear from them two. Gave me the crotch rot, they did!” Players occasionally encounter characters who consume alcohol (e.g., “Jussone more cup, littlemann! Hic!”). The word “sh*te” appears in dialogue.
Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward will be released on June 23rd for PS4, PC, PS3 and Mac. The Mac version hasn’t been rated yet.
Starting today, owners of Final Fantasy XIV can claim its first expansion, Heavensward, entirely for free. If you do so, you can keep it for good – but only if you go get it before June 27.
The offer coincides with several promotions by developer/publisher Square Enix to get players new and old into its MMORPG before the next expansion, Shadowbringers, releases on July 2. Most notably, the base game (Starter Edition) is free with Twitch Prime until tomorrow (May 3), so if you have Prime, you can get FFXIV and its first expansion for free, to keep. I know all this because I’ve just done it – not that I have any time to play such a huge game.
Log in to Twitch Prime and click ‘claim your loot’ to pick up the Starter Edition. For Heavensward, simply head to Square Enix here. You’ll need to log in to your account and follow some convoluted steps to receive a code, which you can then redeem on MogStation (no need to update or even install the game), and job done.
FFXIV is an old-school MMORPG, in that it has a monthly subscription fee of at least $12.99 per month (depending on your membership tier). But if you fancy a taster, you should also know about the Free Login Campaign, which gives you seven days of free game time until June 17 – click here for Ts and Cs. If you’re already an FFXIV convert, you can pre-order Shadowbringers here.
FFXIV stars Final Fantasy’s recurring nameless protagonists – the Warriors of Light. Heavensward sends them to Ishgard, a city-state in the grip of a thousand-year war with the dragons of the Dravanian Horde.
A Realm Reborn: FF14 has become one of the best MMORPGs on PC
As you explore Ishgard’s secrets and try to bring the war to an end, you’ll get to play with flying mounts and three new jobs not included in the base game, such as the Dark Knight. Call of duty black ops 3 ui. Naturally, given that the game has moved well beyond Heavensward by now, you’ll get access to all the content from its patch cycle.
- Read More
- FFXIV Shadowbringers release date
- FFXIV Gunbreaker job guide
- FFXIV Dancer job guide
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- Increased level cap from 50 to 60
- Dark Knight: Tank - Wields a two-handed greatsword and the power of darkness to deal damage to their foes
- Astrologian: Healer - Tap the power of the stars to cast potent healing magicks, while drawing energies from constellation-based divining cards to support your party
- Machinist: DPS - Deal damage from afar using a combination of firearms enhanced with various attachments, and mechanical turrets deployed on the battlefield
- Included in this expansion pack is a new race called The Au Ra, a new City-State - Ishgard, new Primals Bismarck and Ravana, and Flying Mounts
Please note that this product is non-returnable and non-refundable.
Choking Hazard: Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
- Overview
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The Warriors of Light journey now to Ishgard - a city-state mired in a thousand-year conflict with the dragons of the Dravanian Horde. Can the heroes uncover the ancient truths buried in Ishgard’s bloody history and help bring an end to the Dragonsong War? Can the Warriors of Light cast off the shadows that darken the realm?
Final Fantasy Heavensward Pc
Heroes of Eorzea, the time has come to rise once again! Set forth with players across the globe on an adventure that will take you to the heavens and beyond. A whole new FINAL FANTASY XIV awaits!
Features
A New Level Cap (50 → 60)
Flying Mounts
A New Playable Race: The Au Ra
New Jobs: Dark Knight, Machinist, and Astrologian
A New City-state: The Holy See of Ishgard
New Primals: Bismarck and Ravana
A New High-end Raid: Alexander
Airship Construction and Customization in Free Company Workshops
And More!
Learn more about Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward
- Manufacturer Contact Info
- Manufacturer Product Page|
- Website: http://na.square-enix.com/us/home|
- Support Email: [email protected]|
- Support Website|
- Return Policies
- Return for refund within: non-refundable
- Return for replacement within: non-replaceable
- This item is covered by Newegg.com's Consumable Product Return Policy.
Ownership: 1 month to 1 year
Pros: -Love the Final Fantasy Series
-The game comes loaded with promo codes for some sweet equipment
-The game comes loaded with promo codes for some sweet equipment
Cons: -GAME NO LONGER SUPPORTED BY SQUARE-ENIX FOR THE PS3!!! DO NOT BUY!!!
Overall Review: WASTE OF MONEY DO NOT BUY
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