Closing Fantasy 14 recreation director Naoki Yoshida says we’ll have loads of possibilities to indicate off our power within the MMO’s upcoming tales, however warns that you just may need to do some studying. Our Warrior of Mild was imagined to be on trip in Dawntrail, and, whereas that did not pan out fairly as we hoped, we nonetheless took extra of a again seat to provide the characters round us an opportunity to step up and develop. Patches 7.2 and seven.3 make it more and more clear that strategy will not be doable shifting ahead, nevertheless, so we sat down with ‘Yoshi-P’ at Gamescom to debate turning into the hero once more, fixing puzzles, and Dawntrail’s concentrate on household.
In addition to investigating his plans to handle problem in a brand new manner, Jamie additionally requested Yoshida about a few of the extra story-led points of the current Closing Fantasy 14 updates, and whether or not they’re equally indicative of a shift in path for the MMORPG. With out stepping into particular spoilers, there is a climactic second in patch 7.3 that places you proper on the middle of the motion. It undoubtedly bought me cheering, and I noticed an identical response from the many individuals I watched expertise it in their very own playthroughs. So is that this strategy one thing the workforce needs to maintain doing?
“In terms of expressing the distinctive position of the participant because the hero, and so as to showcase actually cool cutscenes and sequences the place we will present an actual ‘hero’s expertise’ and showcase the ‘power of the hero,’ we do need to put extra concentrate on this shifting ahead,” Yoshida tells us [via Square Enix translator].
A part of the enjoyment of seven.3’s most triumphant motion sequence is that you just get a customized animation primarily based in your job. It is not the one time within the patch that issues, both; the brand new dungeon separates gamers out throughout one boss struggle and fingers them completely different fight duties primarily based on their position. Healers should cleanse a Doom debuff, tanks should interrupt a harmful enemy transfer, and DPS gamers have to destroy a machine inflicting fixed injury ticks.
“Throughout the MSQ, we will not all the time present a singular expression for the roles in each patch,” Yoshida says. However “with regards to utilizing the roles in battle content material and bringing out extra of that uniqueness of every job, we’re engaged on a giant replace.” Earlier than Dawntrail even launched, Yoshi-P had teased that he wished to counteract ‘class homogenization’ in an overhaul that was deliberate for 8.0.
As for what that may appear like, he explains that “Individuals may consider it as an growth of the system that we now have within the recreation. So the gamers who already like the way in which issues are can really feel comfy that nothing goes to vary for his or her expertise. However we are attempting to do one thing new on prime of what we have already got.”
Yoshida says he is unable to share extra on this at this cut-off date, and I doubt we’ll get a lot information on the matter till at the very least Fanfest 2026, however he reemphasizes: “By way of the individuality of every job and likewise showcasing the participant character to the fullest when it comes to how they’re the hero of the sport, we need to proceed inserting significance on each of those points shifting ahead.” In case you had been amongst these annoyed by our extra back-bench position in Dawntrail’s MSQ, that’ll doubtless come as welcome information.
One other spotlight of patch 7.3 is a sequence the place the Warrior of Mild and their companions examine an previous analysis lab. Once more, I am going to keep away from narrative spoilers, however it’s an prolonged part that includes some mild puzzle parts that require finding out the surroundings, speaking to varied NPCs, and placing collectively the items to unravel. Whereas it is not fairly Blue Prince when it comes to complexity, it is a refreshing change of tempo that places you within the thick of proceedings because the participant, as an alternative of feeling such as you’re simply being dragged alongside whereas the characters round you speak to one another.
“It is not essentially the case that that form of expertise will all the time be integrated into the primary state of affairs,” Yoshida muses, “but when the concept is fascinating, and we expect that it will be enjoyable for the primary state of affairs, then there’s a chance that we’d incorporate it.” Chatting with the participant response, he notes, “After all gamers who need to immerse themselves within the story and actually expertise it as a lot as they will discovered it actually refreshing.
“Alternatively, there are some gamers who simply need to rush by the primary state of affairs as quick as they will. And for them, this type of component was extra of a burden for them and it bought in the way in which. However on the finish of the day, the vital factor is the expertise of the gamers, and the story is part of that. So we would like to check out what good suggestions we acquired and what dangerous suggestions we acquired, and we will take a look at making the very best of all that suggestions so as to create one thing new.”
Sadly, in case you’re a narrative skipper, that may trigger some small progress blockers. “They normally would skip the entire textual content simply to get to the tip of the MSQ,” Yoshida remarks, “however this time round they really have to learn the textual content so as to clear that portion.” He says it is “troublesome for us to tweak it in such a manner that it is accommodating for the gamers who actually need to immerse themselves and revel in it as a lot as they will, and likewise for these gamers who simply need to rush by the whole lot as a result of they need to play the newest excessive trial as quick as doable.”
With Dawntrail now over, there’s yet another query: who ended up as Yoshida’s favourite character? “We actually put in numerous onerous effort and work to guarantee that the entire characters’ tales would attain their completion in 7.3,” he says, “and due to all that effort and a focus, it’s totally troublesome in case you ask me to decide on only one as my favourite.” Regardless of that, he thinks for some time after which factors to the growth’s youngest star, Gulool Ja (notice that there’ll naturally be some mild story spoilers right here).
“After we take a look at Gulool Ja, he is nonetheless a toddler,” Yoshida explains. “Out of all of the characters that we have depicted in Closing Fantasy 14, I feel he can be the youngest when it comes to age. However although he’s a toddler, he has a really robust basis and a robust standing, however on the identical time, he is additionally malleable, because it had been – I feel that goes with out saying, as a result of he’s a toddler.
“However when it got here to depicting that trajectory of his feelings, I feel that was one space we did that actually stands out. One other instance is Lamaty’i and Koana taking him in as a part of the household. Exhibiting that hyperlink and bond of them turning into household was one other space that stood out. In an identical regard, I might additionally deliver up the instance of Cahciua and Erenville and their bond collectively as household as nicely.”
With these household bonds now cast, it seems to be like we’re on the point of set off to pastures new. Fairly the place that’ll be stays to be seen: The frozen waters of Blindfrost, in Othard’s North? Meracydia, maybe? Your guess is nearly as good as mine, however I might be sure that to pack your finest fight gear for this journey.
In case you’re after one thing completely different to fill the months whereas we wait, we have rounded up the very best new MMOs in 2025, together with the very best fantasy video games on PC in the present day.
Wish to share your wildest FF14 theories and hypothesis with us? You are able to do so by way of the PCGamesN neighborhood Discord server, so let me know the place you suppose 8.0 is headed.
Extra reporting by Jamie Hore at Gamescom.
