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Final Fantasy XIV patch 2.4 has a slightly bumpy release
Today you may not hear much from your friends playing Final Fantasy XIV, as the long-awaited Patch 2.4 is now live and kicking. It's a sizable content update full of quests, instances, and of course the new Rogue class and Ninja job. We've been reading up on the patch notes since late last week, although there are a few issues keeping this release from being completely smooth. Square-Enix noted that there are problems with chocobos getting stuck in their stables and said that new character creation may be restricted during more busy periods.
Last Week on Massively: All the MMOs
This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, everything happened. WildStar suffered significant staff layoffs, Final Fantasy unveiled another new class, RIFT launched a new expansion, ArcheAge waged war on exploiters, and Guild Wars 2 resolved its currency controversy. Keep it coming, MMO industry. Well, maybe skip the layoffs next time. Read on for a look at all of these and more top MMO stories.
The Mog Log: Dark Knight is a tank in Final Fantasy XIV
I can't really stop talking about Final Fantasy XIV when it's been weeks of news feasts for the game, can I? Hot on the heels of the last fanfest, the one-day London fanfest happened, and the development team compensated for the shortened overall time by filling the keynote with revelations. The Vanu Vanu are a thing which I currently want to cuddle, we will get personal airships, and we're getting Dark Knight -- a job that starts at level 1 with no base class, breaking all the established rules of the game. Oh, and it's a tank. There were basically two sets of reactions to this news. The first group was busy releasing its collective gasp of joy that it had been holding on to since Dark Knight was practically revealed in Las Vegas. The second group was screaming to the heavens about the fact that this job was going to be a tank instead of a DPS. So it merits some discussion, as do the other things we know about it because boy, Tank #3 is going to be a weird one.
Final Fantasy XIV unveils Dark Knight and more at London Fanfest
The second of three Final Fantasy XIV fan festivals is taking place now in London, and once again there's no shortage of information about the game's first expansion. While the Las Vegas gathering hinted at the new jobs, the first one was officially revealed today: Dark Knight, a new tank wielding a two-handed sword without any base class involved. No word on how the omission of a class will affect the leveling structure, but it was mentioned that the job will focus on dodging and parrying to reduce damage. The keynote speech also included revealing more about the game's flying mounts, which will allow free exploration of the Heavensward areas with no need for take-off or landing. Black chocobos and single-player airships were confirmed, with a grand total of six mounts currently in development. Two beast tribes were also linked, a birdlike race called the Vanu Vanu worshipping the primal Bismarck, and the insectoid Gnath who worship Ravana. There was also a hint that the next job to be revealed will be gun-focused. More news is likely to emerge as the fanfest continues.
Final Fantasy XIV posts preliminary notes for Patch 2.4
Ready to take on the lady of ice, twist down the last coil of Bahamut, and start stabbing from the shadows? Final Fantasy XIV's next patch won't drop until October 28th, but you can finish any last-minute preparations you need now with the release of preliminary patch notes. The patch includes new sidequests, new main story quests, new trials and dungeons, and of course the new Rogue and Ninja. This patch also adds in the Allagan Tomestones of Poetics, several new recipes for both Rogue/Ninja gear as well as other high-level options, and the usual assortment of bugfixes and balance improvements. Whether you're making sure to grab everything you'll need for Ninja before the patch goes live or just want to know how far you must progress before fighting Shiva, the patch notes hold a wealth of information.
Final Fantasy XIV 24-hour patch downtime and cash shop controversy [Updated]
If you've got any lingering business in Final Fantasy XIV you want to get finished before patch 2.4 launches on Tuesday, you'd better get it taken care of on Sunday. Yes, Sunday. Because of the new wards being added, database maintenance will also be undertaken while the patch is being applied, and it comes down to a 24-hour maintenance downtime from 3:00 a.m. EDT on October 27th until 3:00 a.m. EDT on October 28th. The maintenance might take a bit longer to complete, but players will want to be finished up and logged off before it starts. [Edit: Square-Enix has announced that the maintenance will be extended by one hour until 4:00 a.m. EDT on October 28th.] Patch 2.4 also introduces to the game the cash shop, which has already provoked extensive player discussion, including requests to keep past seasonal items out of the shop. Opinion on the matter is split, and there has been no official word yet from Square-Enix, although it is possible that there will be more concerns addressed during the London Fanfest this weekend.
Last Week on Massively: Drifting back to World of Warcraft
This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post. This week, World of Warcraft saw subscriptions rise to 7.4 million ahead of its long-awaited pre-Warlords of Draenor patch. Meanwhile, news rolled in from EVE Vegas, where CCP and players discussed the ships of the Rhea update, the allure of spaceship spreadsheets, the importance of community involvement, and the new player experience and potential for permadeath. Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.
ArcheAge jumps into Raptr's 10 most-played games in September
ArcheAge is seeing its debut month popularity reflected in Raptr's own tracking, as the digital service saw the MMO rise 25 spots as it transitioned from beta to launch. "Based on current trends, ArcheAge has a good chance of remaining in the top 10 in October," the company predicted. Other MMOs in Raptr's top 20 include World of Warcraft holding strong at #2 as well as Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2, Warframe, and Star Wars: The Old Republic vying for spots #12 through #15.
The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's post-fanfest shakedown
So Final Fantasy XIV players like yours truly have a mouthful of fanfest information to chew on. How did it all shake down, in the final assessment? Well, I'm not going to lie: My aim was mixed at best. A minority of demo stations covering content I hadn't anticipated, patch 2.4 a week after my prediction, and mentions of 2.5 in brief. But we did get gear details and an expansion announcement. I'd call it a mix and a wash, at the end of the day. You tried, gold star, etc. But enough about what I did and didn't get right; there's plenty more to talk about from the various panels, the Live Letter, and other revelations. So let's start in on it, kicking off with the elephant in the room that I've already been hearing about for the entirety of the past day for obvious reasons. Yes, it's a cash shop.
One Shots: Hello, autumn
House Stark once told me that "pumpkin spice is coming," and lo and behold, it is here. Autumn is in full swing, at least in the northern hemisphere, and with it come colorful leaves, scary decorations, and trips to the apple orchard. Today we have several great fall-themed pictures from players to share, starting with this seasonal shot from reader Becca. "Here my character Tendryl in RIFT gets in the spooky spirit. Falling orange leaves, a storm on the horizon, creepy mask... oh, and a FREAKING SCYTHE! I think she nailed it," she writes. Do you agree? Join us as we go crunching through the leaves in the rest of this week's player-submitted screenshots!
Final Fantasy XIV announces its first expansion, Heavensward
The Final Fantasy XIV Fan Festival is currently underway in Las Vegas, and the keynote speech brought with it the big announcement many people were waiting for: The game's first expansions has been announced for spring 2015. Heavensward will focus on the city-state of Ishgard, as seen in the trailer embedded just past the break. Gamer Escape's liveblog of the keynote notes that the expansion will feature a level cap increase to level 60, new jobs, a new race (albeit with an as-yet-unconfirmed identity), new primals, and new high-end content. More information will be available at the London fanfest taking place next week. For now, players will just have to speculate a bit on what the future holds. (The smart money, of course, is on dragons. Lots and lots of dragons. It's kind of an Ishgardian thing.) [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Final Fantasy XIV's 2.4 trailer tosses the giant crab
So what has you most excited for Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 2.4? Is it the continuation of the storyline? Is it the addition of the Ninja and Rogue? Or are you itching to tackle one of the new dungeons? No matter what it is, this new Patch 2.4 trailer will get you pumped up for this quarterly content update. Especially if seeing a mostly naked man slingshot a giant crab to the approval of a big green chicken. I mean, I know you have to have some filler for an eight-minute-long trailer, but can anyone explain what is happening at 2:40? You can watch all of the zaniness after the break! [Thanks to Bob for the tip!]
Final Fantasy XIV opens up HD fanfest streams for purchase
If you missed out on your chance to get a ticket for Final Fantasy XIV's fanfest in Las Vegas this weekend, you can still at least watch the events unfold in glorious high definition. Square-Enix has opened up the purchase option, allowing players to watch the event, pick up a moogle costume, and watch otherwise unviewable parts of the convention for $20. Players who opt for the HD stream will also have access to the archived footage until March 31st, 2015. Should you be short of the cash to drop on this stream, you still have options open, as a standard-definition stream is also available for free. This stream skips the opening keynote and closing ceremonies and does not award viewers a moogle costume, so it's up to you if $20 is worth the absence of those. Still, even if you can't make it out to the side of the convention, you'll be able to find out all of the information on the ground as it happens.
Last Week on Massively: Revisiting Revan
This post originally appeared on Massively from Editor-in-Chief Brianna Royce. At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO story last week, you've come to the right post This week, BioWare officially announced Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadows of Revan expansion, complete with reduced grind, fast-track bonuses for story-minded players, and a major overhaul of the game's class specialization system. For those who'd like to catch up on Revan-related lore, Massively's SWTOR expert Larry Everett has chronicled the relevant in-game quests. Read on for a look at the rest of this week's top MMO stories.
Final Fantasy XIV announces special Game of the Year edition
If you've been longing to try out Final Fantasy XIV but wanted a new boxed edition of the game, you're in luck. Square-Enix has announced today that a limited edition boxed version will be available starting November 14th. Dubbed the Game of the Year Edition, it comes in a special collector's box resembling the in-game Book of Diamonds weapon, albeit most likely without the glow effects. The box contains the game with all patches loaded (including 2.4, which is scheduled for later this month), a 60-day time card, and five art cards. If you already have the game, it's unlikely that you'll need another edition, but it can make for a fine gift for friends or family who haven't yet tried the game. The edition will only be available for the PC, though, so console players are out of luck, unless you just want the box and the time card.
The Mog Log: Predictions for Final Fantasy XIV's fanfest
There's less than a week to go now. Final Fantasy XIV players nationwide will congregate in Las Vegas for the fanfest starting on October 17th, and I... will be nowhere near there. I'll be on a trip with my wife celebrating a year since our wedding. But it's not as if I could talk about the revelations from the festival now anyway, since it's not for another several days. I'm going into this just as blind as you are. But we can still speculate, can't we? Of course we can. In fact, there's some stuff that's almost a certainty going into the fanfest and some stuff that remains a bit more speculative. So I'm going to make some guesses about what we'll see at the festival and shortly thereafter, and next week we can all either laugh at my guesses or not. I won't be watching all of it in purely real-time, but I'm pretty sure we'll see the following.
Final Fantasy XIV shows off patch 2.4's story and Shiva
The next major Final Fantasy XIV patch will bring more story content. Every major patch does, after all. A new preview on the official site makes it clear that players will continue working with the Crystal Braves, delving further into the conflict that's brewing deep within Ishgard the threatens all of Eorzea. It also makes it very clear that players will be facing off against fan favorite Ultros in the next installment of the ongoing Gentleman Inspector Hildibrand storyline, which should delight Final Fantasy VI fans even more than their magitek armor mounts. You can also take a peek at a preview of the coming battle against Shiva; the Hard version is part of the storyline, while the Extreme battle requires players to first clear The Striking Tree (Extreme). It promises to be a pretty cool fight. Take a look at the previews, and keep your eyes peeled for when the patch is going live.
Final Fantasy XIV previews the Rogue and Ninja
Limsa Lominsa is a rough town. There are pirates, layabouts, and all manner of shifty people at Final Fantasy XIV's island port city. The Yellowjackets keep the order in the streets, of course, but who keeps things clean in the back alleys? Why, the dashing Rogues, of course, the subject of the newest patch 2.4 preview on the official site. They might be cutthroats, brigands, and thieves, but they've still got a city to keep in one piece. The preview also discusses Ninja, the job recently imported to Eozea from the Far East with the arrival of the Doman refugees. The preview makes it clear that both class and job will follow the usual progression for quests and gives a small slice of the flavor players can expect, but even the secondary class for Ninja is still shrouded in mystery, which is frustrating if you want to get leveling done before it goes live... but then, would you really expect the most stealthy class to give away all of its secrets?
Final Fantasy XIV shows off the dungeons of patch 2.4
We don't know exactly when patch 2.4 will drop for Final Fantasy XIV, but we know it will be soon -- and not just because it's been about three months since the last major patch, but we've also got a peek at the three new hard mode dungeons coming in patch 2.4. The Sunken Temple of Qarn and Sastasha will be updated in new forms, while Snowcloak takes the role of the completely new dungeon for players to navigate. While the massive ice wall of Snowcloak is visible in the game now, a series of tunnels will be navigable in 2.4, allowing players to enter the depths searching for the source of this formidable barrier. Meanwhile, Sastasha has become invested with a new group of apparent pirates straight from the depths of the sea, and the Sunken Temple of Qarn has proven to be less conquered by adventurers than originally thought. Take a look at the full preview for more details; you can also check out the details on viewing livestreams from the upcoming fanfest in Las Vegas.
One Shots: No airbags at 125 kph
So here's what I'm always wondering: Why do all science fiction worlds and technology look far, far more dangerous than anything we have in the present? Star Wars is horrible in this regard. Lightsabers should be lopping off users' appendages left and right, even if they have the so-called "Force." Walkways without handrails over bottomless pits are commonplace in space stations. And their trash compactors are full of metal-devouring monsters, whereas mine has but the faint odor of eggshells. Anyway, reader Joe's picture of his jaunt accross Tatooine in Star Wars: The Old Republic on a speeder made me muse about the safety issues of operating what is essentially a rocket-powered flying motorcycle in the middle of a canyon of jagged rock. Ain't no airbag on that thing that's going to save you when you dink into a wall, my friend. Safety issues are but the start of our journey through this week in player-submitted MMO screenshots!
