Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn

    Game » consists of 21 releases. Released Sep 22, 2010

    The second MMO in the Final Fantasy series, famous for its tumultuous launch and subsequent rebirth by a new development team.

    Patch 2.5(5) and Expansion Lead in (spoilers)

    Avatar image for zirilius
    Zirilius

    1700

    Forum Posts

    49

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 2

    #1  Edited By Zirilius

    Before the Fall Parts 1 and 2 has been some of the best stuff I've done in an MMO in a long time. I think Square has done an amazing job in creating content that not only ends the ARR story but creates a meaningful lead in to Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. This is pretty damn spoiler heavy so be warned if you care about the story at all.

    I came back after missing patches 2.3 and 2.4 so I had a lot of main scenario content to catch up on. While I thought the stuff with Ramuh, including the fight, was pretty lacking I did enjoy the back story of Shiva and her ties to the Ishgardians in 2.4. I really like the story behind the Ishgardian's and the roll they play in the world. They are seen as pompus but in reality are just so isolated that they don't see the danger that the Primals nor the Garlean Empire pose to the rest of the world.

    The real fun for me though came in the 2.5 and 2.55 patches. They've done a pretty fantastic job of closing out the ARR story while keeping just enough loose ends to make the next expansion intriguing.

    Keepers of the lake is a pretty fun instance. The introduction of Midgardsormr is fun but I think this instance shows how far the development team has come in terms of boss mechanics. Sure if you are a hardcore raider or have done the Primal EX fights these are pretty simple but for the casual audience there is a lot of maneuvering and coordination that needs to happen to succeed.

    Chrysallis is a huge DPS check, especially if you got people coming in right at the minimum gear level. While not a hard instance there is one spot where you have to dps a single add while the entire party is taking damage from a meteors. Use of the limit break is key here as well as good healing. If you can get past it the rest is a cake walk.

    The Steps of Faith instance is one of the best single boss battles I've ever done in an MMO. It requires good teamwork, feels epic, and feels like a nice sign of things to come. If any one person fails to do their assigned task it's almost a guaranteed wipe. The crappy thing about this instance is that wiping doesn't reset the instance. You have to wait for the Dragon to finish crushing everything in it's path which takes 10-15 minutes per try. Very frustrating if you are in a crappy party.

    As for story beats Nanamo's death is both heartbreaking if not predictable. The Crystal Braves betrayal I felt was handled poorly but I loved the fight between Raubahn and Ilberd though. I almost wish the escape out of Ul'dah had been an instance. Fighting your way out with the Scion's would have been amazing. Could have had fights with Yuyuhase and other Crystal Brave Recruits. What a missed opportunity.

    The death's (at least implied cause they still could have survived) of the Scion's was very symbolic to me. It symbolized to me that while your story continues the developers are ready to move forward (even further away from 1.0) towards new horizons and let the past die. I'm sure we'll see the return of Minfillia and Urianger I'm not as hopefully for the rest.

    Speaking of Urianger what was he was he doing meeting with Ascians???? Very suspicious indeed.

    I would recommend anyone wanting to check out the expansion to sign in at least 1-2 weeks prior to release as you'll need to complete these story beats before moving on to the expansion.

    Can't freaking wait for June.

    Browse Boards
    Jump to Top

    ×

    Move topic to another board

    Pick a board and hit submit

  • (Or search for a more specific forum)
    • Close
    ×

    Pick a List

    Close

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.