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| Liz Maas |
What, you thought the Binding Coil was difficult already?
06.10.14 - 9:08 PM
Square Enix had lots to say about Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and its many planned future updates at this year's E3, so naturally, the only way to do it was for the MMO's producer, Naoki Yoshida and one of his famous LIVE Letters to their booth. Earlier this afternoon, we got to hear plenty on upcoming primals, classes, jobs and more.
As the last patch (2.2) had hinted at, the new class is the dual-wielding rogue. The DPS class will move quicker than others, have a stealth mode, take less fall damage, and use poison blades with different poisons for different types of situations. The new job is the ninja, which is less focused on dual-wielding and poison blades, and more on ninjutsu and hand gestures, which apparently create your combos. Even if you mess these up, this is said to be less stressful than a monk's rotation. Both will be introduced in patch 2.4, with promises from Yoshida that new tank and healer classes and jobs are in the works for later.
Just like the more difficult versions of the Primal battles, Yoshida plans to eventually introduce 'type zeroes' of the existing fights from the Binding Coil of Bahamut. These are essentially the development team's un-tweaked, un-adjusted, unbalanced versions of the fights, and much more difficult than the ones in-game. For example, you would start some fights with a debuff, and/or explode if you move in the wrong direction (Turn 8, anyone?). Beating this 'brutal' version of Coil would get players a special title for this dedication to insanity. The developers aren't even sure if they can clear this difficulty themselves, but want to see how players can handle it. So... where do I sign up?
The trailer below gives us a quick look of what the Ramuh battle in patch 2.3 will look like (as well as many other primal battles we've seen). In a recent letter, it was already confirmed that loot drops will be accessories, with rare weapon drops as well. When asked about the elder primal Shiva, Yoshida says that while her story begins in 2.3, it is a lengthy and involved storyline which will continue on through 2.4 and the expansion. We may not see her in-game anytime soon, but be sure to watch the trailer below to the very end...
As previously announced, players will get private rooms in their existing free company houses in 2.3, however, while personal housing is still in the plans, it will not be ready quite yet. The team also plans to introduce workshops for airships and 'other large things' - a project, of course, for Disciples of the Hand (crafting classes).
Many players have also requested content that they can do as part of their free company. Since free companies get up to 200 players in size, the team hopes to implement quests that can be done, in pieces, by various members of the company, so that it can still be accomplished together even if not all at the same time.
Recently, a marriage system was also announced, but the original plan was that characters had to be opposite genders. Square Enix has since decided that gender and race will not matter - and in addition, there could be a potential new mount exclusively for married couples.
Finally (although this was actually the first question asked at today's Letter), new emotes /hug and /slap will be introduced.
Patch 2.3, Defenders of Eorzea, is expected in late June or early July. There was little else to say about the expansion, but Yoshida promises we'll get more info on that during the Final Fantasy XIV FanFests in October, as well as at another live event here at E3 on Thursday morning. And there will be content specific to the festivals, which will take place in London, Las Vegas and Tokyo. Be sure to stay tuned for exact dates, to be announced soon, and more details!
