The game is perfect even for those gamers for whom online fun is associated with an endless wank of simple quests and raids in the dungeons. After all, great attention is paid to the plot with an abundance of unexpected twists and turns and cutscenes.

Addon Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood

Final Fantasy 14, upon its release back in 2010, is remembered by players as one of the worst online games in history. A lot of bugs, antediluvian graphics, a small amount of content and a stupid system of gaining experience, where it was allowed to pump the character only for 8 hours a week - all this buried the game and made a big stain on the reputation of the great series.

Subsequently, the developers even made a public apology to the players and vowed that in future additions they would revive the game and make it worthy of the Final Fantasy license line. To our delight, Square Enix is ​​not just throwing words around and in 2017 released the third expansion - Stormblood, which allowed the game to climb the Olympus of the best MMORPGs.

Story-driven MMORPG

To begin with, it's worth saying that Final Fantasy XIV online continues the tradition of the JRPG series and is focused on the story. Therefore, expect an abundance of cutscenes, dialogues and unexpected scenario turns. In this case, there is no need to know the events of previous additions or past parts of the series. The game, as befits every new release of Final Fantasy, offers a new universe, lore and characters, so both fans of the series and new players can immerse themselves in the story to the same extent.

In addition to the locations familiar from previous add-ons, in the addon players will visit Coogan, Dom and Azim lands. All locations are stylized as medieval Asian countries and differ both in nature and in the customs of the peoples that live in them. There is even an underwater city with a detailed marine landscape and ecosystem.

The plot in Final Fantasy XIV is really captivating and presents new mechanics every time, like stealth missions, where you will have to throw darts at opponents from the first person. Just one important note: there is no Russian localization in Final Fantasy XIV. Of course, this can cause problems, but it will provide a friendly and mature community where every player you meet does not threaten to take your mother to the movies.

How Final Fantasy XIV is played

The gameplay of the online Finals will be familiar to all players who once launched an MMORPG. First you need to choose one of the 6 races, choose the right look with dozens of sliders, and most importantly - decide on the class. In total, 8 classes are available, among which 5 deal damage with weapons, and the rest prefer to deal with enemies with magic. The choice of class also determines the available quests and the location the player starts from.

The combat system takes place in real time and is different for PVP and PVE battles, but in general is based on building long combos. In total, several types of attacks are available: normal weapon attacks with a 2.5 second cooldown, magical and special abilities. In battle, you have to constantly monitor the scales for filling attacks and choose skills suitable for certain opponents. At the same time, the selected class affects the type of attack, so in battles against large mobs it is better to select a motley team.

In Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood, the developers decided to expand the combat system. For each class, separate strips with the accumulation of a unique ability, which depends on the type of combat stance. In general, the combat, although it looks cumbersome, but with all the variability is easy to learn and offers a fun, but at the same time tactful reprisal against enemies.

Final Fantasy 14 - the world of catgirls and opportunities

The game will soon turn 8 years old, so it is ready to provide you with hundreds of hours of exciting content without any problems. Main, additional quests, dungeons, instances, feats (random events in the game world), PVP arenas, hundreds of possible crafting options, killing bosses that change shape during battle… You can talk about the number of available options for hours. One character editor is worth something.

Final Fantasy XIV is a great alternative to boring WOW and probably the best PVE online RPG in the world. The creation of Japanese developers harmoniously combines a long story campaign with a grind typical for MMO games, which sucks time like a vacuum cleaner. Download Final Fantasy 14 you can the official site of Square Enix, just keep in mind that the game is available for a subscription fee.

If you prefer more single entertainment, then we advise you to read the article where we talk about.

Final Fantasy XIV is an online game set in the Final Fantasy universe.

Everyone has heard of the Final Fantasy series. Yes all. Yes, even those who do not like anime, manga and Japanese computer games at all. And in terms of the number of outgoing parts, this series can be attributed to the record holders of the gaming industry.

Well, it's not about the whole series, but about the part for which the developers had to apologize for the first time. Even the most delicate of critics could not describe the 14th part of the Finale as "a very mediocre and uncomfortable MMO." Closing it, they exhaled, sought out a comrade named Yoshido Nasaki, and challenged him to try again, only this time successfully. He scratched his head (probably) and agreed. Now we have before our eyes the fruits of the labors of him and his team.

Admittedly, this time online Final Fantasy came out much better. And all that was needed was to make the world from scratch, leave a couple of good finds from the old version (like multiple classes for one character) and throughout the entire development process do not forget that an MMORPG is being made, and not just another part of the series .

The result is a very worthy MMO that was skeptical at first, but quickly gained popularity and today is already very much on its feet in anticipation of additions that further expand its content. True, she already has a lot of interesting things in stock. Interesting? Then let's start...

A little about the world

The atmosphere of the Middle Ages, originating in the 11th part of the series, has given way to "high fantasy".

Before the closure of the first "version" of this game, the developers hinted at some kind of meteorite that will blow this continent to its continent grandmother. It is obvious that the new team, when created, decided to play the role of this very meteorite. They have torn apart the continent. Almost nothing remains of the original geography. A couple of old names, however, remained, but everything else is radically new. Apparently, this meteorite not only reshaped the existing one, but also fell apart and increased the former area by several times. Now, instead of monotonous "tunnel" areas, there are vast colorful spaces that can be explored for hours.

A lot is built on the plot here. Up to most gaming features. However, do not be afraid, no one will constantly lead you by the hand. On the contrary, you will discover the main points relatively quickly, after which, again, no one will hold you back. Moreover, the sandbox mode here is quite interesting, and it will also take you a lot of interesting hours to master it.

But back to the plot. They won’t press a tear out of you, instead of it there is a well-measured dose of epic (“does not make you laugh and does not feel sick”, as they say). No, seriously, the plot is made so exciting that in the first passage you will not even think of switching to something else.

In addition, the developers clearly remembered well what they were doing MMOs, so a lot of story missions are tied to the team passing through many dungeons. By the way, the latter are made here, on the one hand, according to the classical scheme (“cut through to the boss and kill him”), on the other hand, the enemies here are so nimble, especially the bosses, that they don’t let you get bored either.

Therefore, it is necessary to work well with your team in advance, and only then will you have every chance of winning. All this makes the passage of the plot even more interesting, believe me.

Who can play?

In the world of the fourteenth "Final Fantasy" there is much more technology, the surrounding world has become more modern, and the races, although they have remained similar to their predecessors, have also evolved.

It was already mentioned at the beginning of the article that one character can, in principle, master all classes and professions. Yes, by the way, professions are also varieties of classes, with a completely separate buildup and gameplay (how). And how many of them are there, these same classes and professions? As Zadornov says, “did you get all the air ... are you ready?” So... Seventeen classes and ten prestige classes. Not impressive? And how do you like such a moment that, pumping the second class, you can attach any skills from the first (third, fifth, tenth) to it. Not a weak field for builds looms, right?

The combat classes are divided into Followers of War, of which there are six types, and Followers of Magic, of which there are only three. The peaceful professions are divided into Followers of the Hand, of which there are eight kinds, and Followers of the Earth, of which there are three more. Well, there are still ten prestige classes left. Although they should rather be called multi-classes, since in order to master them, you need to bring at least two other "basic" classes to a certain level.

At first glance, everything looks a little confusing, but this system is not only very interesting and unusual, but (which is rare) it works. That is, it is not so difficult to understand it. It is much more difficult to choose your own path. But that's the whole point, right?

Final Fantasy 14 videos

What is the bottom line?

The second attempt to bring Final Fantasy to the MMO arena turned out to be much more successful than the first. It is already clear that this is a completely independent, working and interesting project that will not only be able to hold on, but also begin to actively compete with many mastodons of the modern MMO world. He has the makings for this, and the developers do not intend to stop there, which is encouraging. So, if you miss good and interesting MMORPGs, Final Fantasy XIV: A realm reborn is definitely for you! Good luck!

From time to time, other materials from the printed "Igromania" will appear on the site ahead of schedule. When and what - we will not tell you. Stay tuned for announcements and publications.

Itself was a terrible game - chapters Square Enix I even had to apologize for it. The online universe, defective, as they say, by design, caused great damage to the reputation of the series. To fix everything, only patches were not enough, so the project was soon transferred to another team led by a gambling MMORPG fan Yoshida Naoki, who had previously been designing the online . The task before him was simple - to build a game from scratch.

tabula rasa

When Final Fantasy XIV was closed, the plot was smoothly brought to the fact that a gigantic meteor was about to slam into the world of Heidelin. That meteor was Yoshida Naoki's team.

Quests are issued through simple, often unvoiced, but still cute dialogues. This is much better than the walls of text that MMORPGs usually operate with.

New developers smashed the planet to dust and started everything from scratch. The story of A Realm Reborn begins a few years after the notorious cataclysm. The changed continent of Eorsia, where the events of FF XIV take place, is only recognizable by names and urban areas like Old Gridania, left as a tribute to the past. The rest of the topology has been completely redrawn: the same valleys and forest labyrinths, characteristic of the old Final Fantasy XIV, have turned into spacious, diverse and really beautiful places where there is finally something to do.

True, A Realm Reborn needs time to accelerate: the first ten levels (a couple of hours) you will deal exclusively with quests. But then it gets better: at the tenth level, they are introduced to a number of key mechanics, at the fifteenth, they are sent to explore the world outside their native location. The storyline gradually moves away from small, almost everyday feats and gets closer and closer to the most important thing - the one for which thousands of adventurers like you appeared in Eorzea.

Paying tribute to fashion, the developers have added random events to the game in which all passers-by can participate. It didn’t turn out very well: it’s convenient and fast to develop on them, but you don’t feel the importance of events at all.	The battles are pretty typical for MMOs, but at first they are perceived strangely: the pauses between the use of skills are much longer than, say, in WoW. But it helps to focus on tactics, instead of hitting twenty-button rotations.

Because we are heroes

In the original FF XIV, the interface was gradually improved with patches, but now everything has finally fallen into place. Still not perfect, but already comfortable. And it plays well with a gamepad, although it takes some time to get used to.

A Realm Reborn relies heavily on story, and in Square Enix, unlike bioware with her, never forgot to make an online game. Your hero is undoubtedly great and important, but besides him, there are several thousand more of the same on the continent. Therefore, already from the tenth level, they will begin to prepare you for battles in a team.

Very soon, the dungeons required for the plot will appear. Before that happens, they offer to go through a series of small cooperative tasks, from which it will become clear what your role in the team is, how to coordinate, how to find tactics to fight bosses, and the like. To understand how important it is to learn this earlier, you can recall the situation that developed in the aftermath of cataclysm. The importance of the early dungeons was reduced to almost nothing there. By the sixtieth level, newcomers moved from the caramel Azeroth to the Old Believer Outlands and got into their first instance, not having the slightest idea how to act and what buttons to press.

As expected, Eorzea is full of fanservice for old fans of the series. Muggles, chocobos, and cactuars are the bare minimum.

Dungeons in A Realm Reborn work on the same principles as in most modern MMORPGs - they are obstacle courses with strong monsters, valuable trophies and cunning bosses. At the same time, they are beautiful, quite complex and very cleverly designed.

The fact that many story points are played in a team is what sets the story of Final Fantasy XIV apart. The final raids are almost more emotional than all eight campaigns of The Old Republic put together - simply because you and seven of your companions have reached the goal together through the seven circles of hell. About hell - almost literally: compared to the final boss of A Realm Reborn, Zhaitan from A Realm Reborn seems like a first-level ladybug that you kicked at the very beginning of your adventure.

This particular Final Fantasy doesn't make you cry for a second, as almost all previous parts do. It is ruled by a simple as a cork, but incredibly warming heroic epic. And this is good.

Jack of all trades

To make even the most stupid secondary quest seem like an exciting adventure, it is enough to turn on the perky background music. It's strange that Square Enix was one of the first to think of this.

Probably the only thing that the original version of Final Fantasy XIV turned out great is the class system. You choose one of them, but already at the tenth level, if you get bored, you can join any of the Eorzia guilds and retrain on the fly. A new class will have to be developed from scratch, but you can change your specialization almost at any time. There is no need for "twinks" - all possible combinations will fit on a single hero. There are also peculiar prestige classes: for example, having gained thirty levels in a spearman and fifteen in a marauder, you can deepen your specialization and learn to be a dragoon - one of the strongest attacking fighters in the game.

Craft professions are also separate classes. They have their own equipment, their parameters and their skills. For example, to craft something while playing a leatherworker, you need to play a small mini-game - apply as many improving skills as possible to the workpiece of the item without spoiling it. The process is uncomplicated and monotonous, but having even the slightest control over production is actually very nice. Just put some movie in the background and combine business with pleasure.

Very soon, the craftsmen will be able to put several identical items in an automatic queue. Although in-line production, control over the quality of things is lost.

It is clear that the development of each class implies a grind. But they are not forced to do it, you can go through the storyline for the main class and not think about anything else. There is not much content for those who mastered the campaign, but it is there - enough for a few weeks. On December 17, the first major patch will be released, where the first arena for PvP will finally appear, the ability to start your own house, a mountain of content for pumping and a couple of new dungeons. And, of course, the next story arc will begin.

Video about the changes in patch 2.1.

* * *

A Realm Reborn has almost nothing to do with the Final Fantasy XIV that came out three years ago. It has a sane interface and relatively low hardware requirements, and every mechanic works the way it was supposed to work from the very beginning. The result is not exactly original, but a very good online role-playing game, which many modern "innovators" should learn from.

I've been playing Final Fantasy ever since it debuted in North America. Two of the main themes that are the core of any game in this series are great soundtrack and beautiful nature. Realm Reborn includes both of these elements. The original soundtrack for ARR could be the best soundtrack in MMO history.

Realm Reborn showcases beautiful environments. Wandering around the Black Shroud area, I wanted to go there in reality. Running past streams in search of water elementals brought back childhood memories. Limsa Lominsa with its hills is a marvel to behold. Rolling green fields separate sheer white granite walls, creating a beautiful visual contrast. These views encourage you to go and look for what might be hidden behind the next hill. The game really makes you want to explore it and find everything that is there. I just wanted the environment to be more open and possible for more in-depth study. The character and armor models are great, and the effects of the spells excite with their beauty.

The gameplay is the biggest insinuator in Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn. An issue that was raised in the beta and left unresolved was game lag. Most enemies make it clear that they are about to make a special type of attack or maneuver. When they do so, the skill's cast bar appears and highlights the area that will be attacked. Players start running out of this area and still get hit by the spell.

Most people can get used to it over a period of time. But it's not something players need to get used to. This is something the developers need to fix. It's unacceptable for an MMO released in 2013 to suffer from the inability to solve problems like this.

A month after the release of the game, there are still other gameplay-related issues. The Duty Finder's automatic group search is a thorn in the side of Square Enix. You have to wait in long queues to reserve an instance server to run one of these dungeons.

The storyline is one of the most compelling stories I've seen in an MMO. Not only is it good by MMO standards, it's so good that it deserves to be called a true epic fantasy game. At the moment, a large amount of diverse content is planned for release in the coming months. Some of these innovations will develop the main storyline, while others will finally focus on adding a player versus player (PvP) combat system.

Dungeons are a huge part of leveling. Most of them consist of killing omnipotent bosses. These fights are among the most difficult and rewarding. They were designed specifically to test the hero's skill level, concentration, teamwork, without being too difficult for casual players.

Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn is a very social game and has a number of systems to support this claim. The game requires its players to explore group content in order to participate in the main storyline. Active dynamic FATE events, unique events that add momentum to world battles and adventures (similar to those in RIFT and Guild Wars 2) are made specifically to motivate group play...

Players can unite in "Free companies", analogous to traditional guilds, for joint participation in adventures, quick games "Guildleves" and "Guildhests", implemented in the form of events, as well as for trips to interesting "instances" (dungeons) where you can put together a raid, trying to find countless treasures.

But it should be noted that there is nothing truly evolutionary in the game. The ability to level multiple chosen classes with a single character is currently rare, but is actually a common holdover from Final Fantasy XI with a few tweaks. The weapon system of the game is just a new face of the old system of binding a class to a certain type of weapon. Using a Chocobo as a companion in battle is a handy feature, but it's nothing new. The hardcore boss battle mode has been around for a long time. True quick games are a new twist on the old quest design. Now one person acts as the whole hub. Even the crafting system, a bright spot in the game, doesn't offer anything that hasn't been done before. What Square Enix has really done, and done very well, is that it has combined in one project all the traditional systems familiar to us from other MMOs, and brought them to near perfection, which is rarely seen today. This is what we see at Blizzard and what has done World Of Warcraft so successful.

Creating an MMO is no small feat. Trying to remake a game and give it a second life is something that not everyone can do. Final Fantasy XIV: Realm Reborn is arguably one of the best MMOs in recent times, and I would even say better than Guild Wars 2. It's fun, interesting, and a great game.

Final Fantasy XIV, released a few years ago, was heavily criticized by gamers and journalists, pointing out the very poor quality of the game. This year, Square Enix is ​​back with an updated version, promising that it's a brand new game. After spending a lot of time with the PlayStation 3 version, we have to agree.

The fourteenth installment of the Final Fantasy series is written in history as one of the most sensational defeats in the MMO market. The game was released in late 2010 on PC and was extremely critically received by fans. The game was sterile, sealed, weird, wrong, and empty, and as if all that wasn't enough, the public had little to no contact with the developers. Square Enix tried to save the game, but it was too late. In the end, the publisher decided to take the desperate step of withdrawing Final Fantasy XIV from circulation in order to quietly refine and transform the product.

The basic version of Final Fantasy XIV was so weak that few people believed in the success of the Japanese plan. But the game came out transformed for the better, and quite successfully returned to the gaming product market. It's nice because it's one of the few games of this type available on the console, and in particular on the PlayStation 3.

Final Fantasy and MMO.

The action of the fourteenth part takes place in the world of Hydaelyn, on the continent of Eorzea, which has experienced a serious cataclysm. We are talking, of course, about the famous herald of "death", by the name of Bahamut, indirectly symbolizing the fate of the first version of Final Fantasy XIV. In the game, you play the role of heroes who participated in these events, but do not remember anything from their past. Thus, Square Enix explains the development of the universe and the fact that veterans of the first part of the game and completely new faces now meet in it. The characters are united by one goal - to help restore the world and overcome the forces that threaten it.

As a rule, it happens in such games, the plot is conveyed in the description of the tasks. Only a few of the quests have voice acting, so get ready to read a lot if you want to keep a close eye on developments. Admittedly, there are interesting themes in the plot, and they evoke pleasant associations. Moreover, it is connected with the mechanics of the game - for example, with service in one of the three factions, local city-states. Final Fantasy XIV also operates with a traditional design for the series - absolutely serious questions are closely intertwined with completely absurd ones. Therefore, expect a mixture of pathos and humor, provided, for example, in the form of fights with both powerful beasts and crazy pudding. Thanks to this, Final Fantasy XIV becomes a little more colorful than other parts of Final Fantasy.

Character classes.

The mechanics of the game have also been updated, which now looks more thoughtful. Let's start with the fact that in the game we create a hero representing one of the eight classes that fit the classic MMO roles; tank, healer, support classes and DPS - the first of them is designed to concentrate the attention of the enemy, the second is to heal, the third is to strengthen allies, and the fourth is to deal damage. An interesting fact is that, starting from a certain point, the class can be freely changed and leveled up, thus acquiring additional skills, and even opening up new areas of development. Not all abilities of another class can be used, but still there are plenty to choose from. As a result, the mechanics of the game seem to be quite simple at first, but over time it allows you to create various combinations and creates a large field of activity. One option is to unlock a special profession that combines the traits of several others - for example, an archer can develop into a bard. It's a good idea because it kind of eliminates the need to create multiple heroes to try out all the options.

Professions work on a similar principle, they allow you to collect raw materials, or create items. We develop each of them separately, and if I'm not mistaken, there are no restrictions here. In addition, even a miner or an alchemist has his own skills - some of them allow you to track minerals, others make mining easier or increase the chances of crafting success.

The game leads us by the hand with a system of journals pointing to the next thing to craft or farm. On a positive note, we've also avoided having to craft hundreds of items to level up - instead, we're more likely to work on a single item, improving its quality. In addition, Final Fantasy XIV offers daily quests dedicated to each of the disciplines.

CLASSES:

• - Arcanist (scholar or summoner") - deals damage, heals, summons;
• - Archer (bard) - deals damage, offers support;
• - Conjurer (white mage) - heals, resurrects;
• - Gladiator (paladin) - tank;
• - Lancer (dragoon) - deals damage;
• - Marauder (warrior) - tank;
• - Pugilist (monk) - deals damage;
• - Thaumaturge (black mage) - deals damage, crowd-control.

Over time, we get new opportunities, often in places we have visited before. An example is a very good system of three associations, in which we carry out special levequests, supply raw materials or products and receive seals. You can exchange them for rewards, such as a chocobo that plays the role of a horse. There are also dynamically appearing events called "Destiny", most often based on fighting a group of enemies and a boss. These missions, which are especially generous in terms of experience points, are very popular. To this should be added raids of various levels - full-fledged dungeons, smaller, group and so-called "tests". You can start them with a pre-arranged team or rely on finding a party. This can be slow, but it works well, and besides, the search happens in the background, so we don't have to stand still waiting for the group to dial.

It's great that almost any form of pastime can be used from an early level. Because of this, in Final Fantasy XIV you can find a lot of activities in any location, we always have a lot of opportunities to gain experience. Abundance and variety are the hallmarks of the fourteenth installment - and Square Enix can be commended for that, because there was a fear that the company could not cope with filling the players' time.
And Realm Reborn is by no means revolutionary in terms of combat mechanics, but it offers solid solutions. This system is based on abilities that require a cooldown time and a certain number of points, tactical or magical. The game displays the area of ​​effect of some attacks, so in many fights, you need to constantly move. All in all, a fairly typical MMO combat, with all the advantages and disadvantages of this type of game. I will say this: there are many battles, but it is interesting to play, because there are different solutions for each. You can always find something for people who just want to relax. There are also many more difficult places. Of particular concern are the dungeons and boss fights, which are implemented in an interesting way. Raid bosses often call for assistants and sometimes use non-standard moves - the lack of reaction from the raid ends in a quick death.

I spent a lot of time in Final Fantasy XIV - all the time sitting on the couch watching TV. This won't be out of the ordinary for fans of Final Fantasy XI, a game available on three platforms, including two consoles. I think PC gamers don't believe it's possible to master such complex systems with a gamepad. But I admit it's possible because Square Enix has done a lot of work on the interface. Of course, in the first moment it seems to be incredibly complex, chaotic, and strange (tracking / blocking the camera on opponents will become a problem). The console controller isn't guaranteed to be as precise as the keyboard and mouse, but it works quite well. Another thing is to write in the chat and on the forum - here it is worth purchasing additional accessories, which is probably not a problem, because the game recognizes any USB keyboard without problems. You can even connect a wireless mouse to the PlayStation 3 and play in the same conditions as on a PC.

This version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, in terms of "brakes", is far from perfect. It's probably not Square Enix's fault, just the hardware and the need to run at full capacity. In short, on the PlayStation 3, the game looks and runs very unevenly. In some locations, you can see 15 animation frames per second, while in others everything is fine. These dips occur despite a noticeable deterioration in graphics, and this is evident in low resolutions, poor quality textures, pixels, and sometimes poor frame-by-frame animation of characters and objects. Playing on a small screen will probably even give you a headache (especially around the city of Gridania).

Eorzea is saved.

After the cloudy and airtight first version of Final Fantasy XIV, Square Enix has redone a lot and is back with a project that is a lot of fun to play. Realm Reborn is addictive, the rich world of Final Fantasy, the thoughtful systems of the game, the variety of gameplay - these elements should lead to the fact that fans and, in particular, veterans of Final Fantasy XI, will be delighted.

In addition, Square Enix proves once again that MMOs can be played safely with a joystick in hand, which may not be important in the context of the past generation of consoles, but will certainly be important in the future. The publisher offers an almost finished game for the premiere of PlayStation 4. - In short, Final Fantasy XIV is truly a “rebirth of the kingdom”, and it is worth participating in this “miracle”.