Everyone has a fighting chance
Yesterday was the first of April, so you know what that means: Hoaxes abound, with Google pitching a run of fake products and Burger King touting a chocolate Whopper. Sadly, this column was due out the day after April Fool’s Day, so I wasn’t able to join in.
Well, this is unexpected. Just a couple of weeks after making a start, my static has cleared God Kefka, bringing the curtain down on the most difficult content in FFXIV’s latest patch. I recently wrote about the raids leading up to the final encounter and said I’d revisit the topic when we cleared the fight, but I didn’t anticipate it’d happen quite so soon. Still, it did — and I couldn’t be happier.
At long last, it’s finally here. Eureka — easily one of the most eagerly anticipated features of Stormblood — launched last Tuesday, and it’s fair to say it’s unlike anything else in FFXIV. In many ways, that’s arguably its greatest strength — as well as its greatest weakness. Eureka is many things depending on who you ask, but I think one thing everyone can agree on is that it’s divisive.
When patch 4.2 was released, one of the first things I did was review the new PvE content. However, I’m not a part of a particularly hardcore group, so I wasn’t able to see much of Savage beyond the first couple of fights. A month later, we’ve cleared Kefka — and started working on taking down his bigger, badder final form. Now I’ve fought through the majority of the encounters, it’s the perfect time to put down my thoughts about the FFXIV’s current round of hardcore content.
We recently looked at the PVE content in FFXIV patch 4.2 — in particular, the raid, and Byakko, the new trial. But what about everything else that was added? The Stormblood story rages on, new housing wards have been opened up, and the Glamour overhaul that was long promised is finally here — so let’s take a closer look now we’ve had some time to play around with everything. (Warning: Minor spoilers ahead.)
This month’s FFXIV live letter was broadcast on Saturday, with producer Naoki Yoshida hosting a Q&A elaborating on — among other things — what life will be like in Eureka, a new zone and activity coming in patch 4.25.
I’m going to hold off on discussing story content for at least a week to give people a chance to avoid spoilers and enjoy it themselves. Instead, I’m going to talk PvE, after spending a lot of time this week grappling with the new high-level content. Let’s start with the second part of the Omega raid series, Sigmascape, which pits you against enemies from FFVI.
It’s time to bury the Deltascape, leave Skalla at home and say goodbye to Shinryu — because at long last, Final Fantasy XIV Patch 4.2 comes out tomorrow! Draft patch notes for Rise of a New Sun have been released, along with a trailer showing some of the Warrior of Light’s coming travails.
Square Enix has released more information about FFXIV patch 4.2, Rise of a New Sun, which is due out later in the month. They’re showing off the new glamour system, a new PVP arena and the Ananta beast tribe quests that’ll debut when it arrives. No word on a release date yet, but if you want a peek at what’s coming up, here’s what’s on the horizon.
Happy new year, everybody! 2017 was an incredible year for FFXIV, and 2018 is already looking great. There’s a lot to look forward to in the short term: a new patch is dropping at the end of the month, along with a new raid tier, a new primal, as well as a continuation of Stormblood’s story, and shortly after that we’ll get Eureka and the next relic weapon grind. If you’re lucky, maybe someone you know in game will have sent you a gift to commemorate the year gone by.