In a recent post on the PlayStation Blog, SIEA Social Media exec Ryan Clements gives us a fantastic overview of how Final Fantasy XIV‘s latest expansion Stormblood will bring new experiences to veteran players and newcomers alike. He notes that there is a huge divide between the noobs and the seasons adventurers, defined by hundreds of hours of gameplay. Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida plans to bridge that gap with Stormblood.
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“Let’s be realistic,” Clements remarks, “not everyone interested in Final Fantasy XIV has several hundred hours to spare to play through the staggering amount of content in A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. That’s why the new Tales of Adventure items exist. These optional items can be purchased to skip forward in the story, or boost a single class up to level 60 (the new cap is 70). Currently, only one job can be boosted per account, but this goes a long way in bringing new heroes into the fold.”
There are a few things to note here right away. If you want to jump into Final Fantasy XIV and experience the full story from start to Stormblood, you absolutely have that option. The game isn’t going to push you into insta-boosting past all of that rich early content just to make sure its new areas are populated. There’s a vast world out there waiting for you and your friends to explore.
If, however, you’re like me and you have a very full work schedule and very limited time to spend gaming with your friends, an instant ticket into the gateways of everything Stormblood has to offer is an incredibly appealing prospect, and something worth paying for. And it’s not like those with cash to spare are going to suddenly be bossting all of their tunes to level 60 since, as noted, you’re limited to boosting a single class per account.
It’s not just new players reaping the benefit of this ambitious new expansion, though. There have been major changes to the class and skill systems that will streamline the entire progression path for all players.
“Now, every battle class has its own unique gauge that tracks important information with colorful aplomb. Players will spend less time squinting over rows of small icons and timers, and more time focused on the flow of the battle, with critical job-specific info displayed across jeweled lights, mechanized meters, and blossoming flower petals. The change is small, but the result is colossal. It feels more like a Final Fantasy and less like a spreadsheet.”
Keep reading, because these next changes are going to make the gameplay experience much more user-friendly:
“Yoshida and his team have also made great strides in streamlining the skills our heroes learn over time, collapsing redundant skills together, enabling our hotbars to update automatically given specific leveling requirements, and reworking cross-class skills altogether.
“Now different roles (like tank, healer, and damage per second classes) share a pool of unlockable skills. No longer must a player level multiple classes to fully empower the single job of their choice. Stick with one, and sail it clear into the endgame.”
This is brilliant. Square Enix is taking drastic steps and putting in countless man-hours to make what is the best modern MMO even better; even more accessible; even more fun. It sounds like a stock PR statement, but it’s true: with Stormblood we’re truly looking at the best possible time to jump into the world of Final Fantasy XIV. Look forward to WWG’s coverage leading up to the June 20 launch.
