Yep June is BETA test 3, players who have characters from 1.0 are going to get them back. This will give me an opportunity to grasp what the higher end content will have without having to put up with the low level stuff.
NDA is wishy washy right now. Its like its lifted but still there. I think it lifts when CBT3 drops. I say fuck it let me know what you want to know. Also dropped some new info on the other thread.
http://www.daevaofwar.net/index.php...nheart-interview-from-the-nico-nico-event-r21 Some info. He presents it in a bias way but you get the general idea. http://danforthwright.blogspot.com/2013/04/ffxiv-closed-beta-news-briefs.html
In a single paragraph, can you describe the advantages of this game over current MMOs on the market like GW2/WoW/etc? Basically, what makes it special? Because as far as I can tell (I love the graphics and style, and whatnot, but I can't tell what sets it aside).
I cant wait for it to come back out, def going to try it out again. I do love the art in this game and will always try them out.
The fact that you can play every class in the game and mix and match skills accordingly without having to create alts. SE has been known not to nerf their content every month just to cater to the noobish players. I doubt this is a biggy but Questing is only a small route to the leveling process. They will still be implementing some good ole fashion mob party grinding (where as many other MMOs are adopting questing as the main source of exp.) Along with Leves, and Hunting Logs. I do know that the thing they will do with Free Company is going to really set the big boys apart from the little ones. Free Company is sort of a form of a guild. The members can expand their Company and gain benefits from it. The Company also expands in a sense where you are allowed to bring in more players and expand Company Housing. I don't have all the details but thats how I understood it. Linkshells are mainly going to be social. So I am assuming the Linkshell will be where we just add those who will want to be with us. Where as the players who want to take it to the next level and be the best will start a Free Company and excel at what the game throws at them. There will be Personal Housing as well along with Chocobo breeding etc... all in which benefit the character in some way shape or form. To be honest its hard to put your finger on it because all of the higher end content has been locked up and soon will open up. All I know is that no matter how hard I try to pick up a game I left, this game is one of the extremely few I found hard not to go back to. Also note. The guy who created 1.0 no longer works for them. The new director Yoshi-P is the reason for all the changes. He is a fan of western style MMOs and he is turning the game into his vision. Not to mention this guy has played with the members regularly during BETA and is eating up all the feedback the players are throwing at him. It is rare to find but he is actually coming through in all of his promises thus far. Edit* forgot to add that you can almost bet anything that FFXIV ARR will not fall to the F2P model. SE is loyal to its franchise and supports the game and servers long as there are players playing them. To this day FFXI still runs on a subscription model with a good 200-300k players. Crafting is still sort of a mini game (if you want to HQ your stuff you gotta play with it). But it has been simplified. Gathering is no longer a mini game. You go up to the node *which is phased to you, no shared nodes* and click on what you want to gather from that node. Of course there is a percentage as to how successful you will be gathering specific materials.
For those interested in getting the PS3 one, Amazon has it at $40 for preorder. This is a steal considering when it releases the PS3 copy will be selling for $60
Some Articles from a FFXIV Enthusiast.... The Realm Featured Highlights: Full Active Time Events Answa here, bringing you the latest scoop from producer/director Naoki Yoshida on the Full Active Time Event system for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. FATE will be a primary system in ARR where sporadic events that start in the open world may be joined simply by being in designated locations in the map at the right time. Once joined, you have a set time limit in which to complete the mission parameters in tandem with other players that are also present. After you’ve fulfilled a certain criterion (healed your allies for x amount of HP and/or hit target monster(s) for y amount of damage) the system rewards you appropriately as long as you have not exited the general area where the FATE occurred (as in, The South Shroud, for example, not the highlighted location). While the system does not require you to party up with your fellow combatants, it is designed to inspire a sense of belonging and camaraderie between those involved by sharing these experiences and interacting during or after the event. To aid those that would want to join, the area map will automatically highlight FATEs once they’ve started. To make it even simpler, you will be able to hover your mouse over the area to find out its name so you may decide if it’s more your flavor or not (once you’ve previously been acquainted with them, of course). FATE will feature integration of the level sync system so that you may participate in lower-level battles without any stress (presumably so you may party up with your friends and enjoy the content together!) There will be many different types of FATE battles, with some having continuance with subsequent FATEs. Yoshi-P gave us an example where there’s a bandit fort plump for overtaking as part of a FATE which, once conquered, will be populated by friendly NPCs. But the bandits won’t take the invasion likely! Soon thereafter, they will come to take back their home and a FATE battle will ensue which will require its defense. If won, you get to defend the fort in future battles. If lost, you get to invade it once more. Fine! Take it! We didn't want the fort anyway! In that same interview with 4gamer magazine, Yoshi-P let slip that Ifrit (and I would assume all other Primals) can also be challenged through this system! Though worry not—he won’t be appearing regularly in the field for open battle at release, that’s reserved for later, since Ifrit plays a key role in ARR’s main storyline. Am I the only one hugely excited by this? Can we assume, then, that this is how Free Companies will later be able to summon the Primals, as Yoshi-P has previously stated? My mind is reeling with possibilities! Yoshi-P has assured us that Ifrit won't be FATEing it up in starter areas... let's hope it's true Since Primals are a kind of Notorious Monster (NM), will other NMs also join the fray? The answer is yes! In Yoshi-P’s most recent Live Letter from the Producer, he made clear these fiends will (mostly) only rear their heads as FATE battles. Joining this information with the fact that rewards from FATE will be distributed automatically and based on merit, I, for one, am hugely excited as to the nature of these rewards. Are they just EXP? Will there be gil involved? Will there be heftier rewards for heftier foes? Ah, possibilities! Someone definitely ate his Wheaties ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I’d like to take this time to be completely backwards from convention and introduce myself rather formally as your Scribe at the very end of my first piece. The title pretty much says what I’ll be doing in the team: writing! A lot! I’ll send news, opinions, experiences, and many other things your way as often as I can get my hands on things of the sort. If that sounds dirty, then good! I may even conjure up a guide or two. Who knows? Let’s get right to it! Today we’re going to talk about two of my favorite aspects in MMOs, which were incredibly fun in Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 and look to be even more fun in A Realm Reborn! None of the content in this article is in violation of the NDA. My information (including pretty--ginormous--pictures!) comes from two main sources: the official Alpha First Look video on the subject and a news media first-hand account. Gathering Gathering in ARR has done away with most of the guesswork and time consumption present in 1.0. For starters, the mini-game is no longer a mini-game. There is no looking for notches where the material you want is in optimal placement—what you want is what you get. There is, of course, randomization involved. In 1.0, you chose a node and took up your hatchet. Once that happened, a graphic popped up that allowed you to go up or down to choose where on the tree you'd chop away. Each item obtainable from each tree had a spot that was optimal. This by no means guaranteed that what dropped was your desired item, just that it was a higher chance. Once you chose your notch, the gathering mini-game began, where you had to feel around for the item by timing swings on a wedged graphic. After enough attempts you'd notice the trends of what you were getting and rarely (if ever) walked out empty-handed per swing. But you still often got items that were useless over the ones you were aiming for. This is no longer the case. ARR gathering looks like this: As you can see, different gatherable items have levels ascribed to them, indicating at which level it becomes viable to farm them. Before your window looks like that, however, your menu will include several question marks and blank spots and a considerable decrease in gathering rate. The only thing that will fill these gaps is successful gathering of these unknowns, leading to a permanent increase in gathering rate for that item, as well as its identification. So let’s gather! The first ability you’ll get acquainted with is Triangulate. I even have a picture of its description for you! What does that mean in plain English? How about we go from plain English to plain picture-seeing (er…)? What can we see? Easy! It marks gathering spots on your mini-map. Now, we can only assume that these are the “mature trees” spoken about in the description. I’m guessing these fabled “lush vegetation” spots will have a different icon. So you get to your spot and draw your hatchet. You get your question marks in a little list with dismal gathering rates. You swing away. What happens? Whoo! You got a maple branch! Since it was your first time, you've recorded this victory on your gathering log. There’s a small EXP bonus (2%) for what I presume to be food and, lo and behold, you also obtained a (134 EXP) reward from your gathering log. Let’s say you obtained another branch. You then decide to swing away on an ice shard. You succeed. You got your gathering log bonus and a 14% EXP bonus that we can safely say came from the big “CHAIN #2” letters over you. What does this mean? As you succeed on consecutive gathering attempts, you obtain experience bonuses; the higher the chain the higher the bonus. The upside to chaining doesn't stop there. Higher gathering chains allow the activation of higher-tier abilities that can affect gathering rate and HQ gathering rates. Using these abilities requires the use of gathering points (GP), which are refilled only while not gathering and don’t regenerate during a gathering attempt. As I’m sure you’ve noticed from the above screenshots, gathering nodes have what look like HP bars. Once its… um… bariness(?)… is depleted, you’re done with that node and can move on to the next one. Speaking of gathering nodes… it’s been made known numerous times by Yoshi-P that gathering nodes are unique to each player—your nodes cannot be used up by other players, as was possible in 1.0. Yay! Just as an addendum, the second ability you can see in the action bar in the screenshots is Arbor Call: Which translates to: Let’s move on to crafting, shall we? Crafting My personal favorite! What’s so freaking awesome about crafting in ARR? Well, in a word, everything! Just look! We get a crafting log, which lists the items we can craft sorted by level ranges. Each recipe shows the number of materials needed, how many you have, if you have them, and allows you to choose HQ materials, if available. Moreover, there’s a “difficulty” rating and the durability the item you wish to craft has. Let’s craft this maple lumber, shall we? The first thing I want you to notice is the presence of different parameters available to you. There’s Durability, Progress, Quality, and CP (crafting points). Let’s break them down: Durability is a measure of how many synthesis steps are allowed per item. Each action taken that has the possibility of altering either Progress or Quality will consume 10 Durability. Progress measures the overall status of the item. Filling the Progress bar to its maximum will finish the synthesis attempt in success. Quality is just that. An increase in Quality will elevate the chance that your item will be HQ. But it doesn’t stop there. More Quality means more of an EXP bonus. Where gathering gave you chain bonuses crafting gives you a Quality bonus that sure pack a punch! CP is a term unique to ARR, which was not present in 1.0. Using certain abilities consumes your CP, with no direct detriment to the status of the synthesis. I’ll clear this up in a sec. Happily, crafting gets its own completion bonuses! You may have noticed that your abilities are not in some specialized menu, but in your action bar. The abilities shown in the screenshot are Standard Synthesis is a highly successful ability (it works 90% of the time) that consumes 10 Durability and gives you a fixed boost in Progress (the boost is calculated, I presume, from your crafting attributes and the item’s level). Standard Touch consumes 22 CP and 10 Durability but offers up a boost to Quality, with a reduced rate of success. Master’s Mend uses 66 CP to recover 30 Durability. Let’s think about this for a second. Using Standard Synthesis or Standard Touch consumes Durability. The only way to increase your item’s Quality depends on CP and the only way to recover Durability also utilizes CP. It’s a marriage of resources and capabilities and I’m inclined to believe that these CP costs are not fixed and rely on class level, as is the case for DoW and DoM abilities (using TP and MP, respectively). Another huge upside to these newer crafting and gathering systems is that the animations for each attempt are much smoother and quicker than in 1.0. Yay efficiency! As one would expect, when player housing is introduced the benefits will be considerable. You can expect higher HQ rates, higher gathering rates, and just very cool stuff to craft and put over your mantle. I’ve not yet found information out there regarding the “Status” portion of the crafting menu, but I speculate it’s akin to the different orb colors we dreaded in 1.0, which gave a bonus to Quality but were more difficult to succeed with. I believe that this is all the information I can milk out of what we have without breaking the NDA (there's so much more I'd like to say here). As this was a fairly plump article, please be sure to voice any questions you may have after reading! Thanks for reading. I hope to see you around Eorzea soon! Your Scribe, Answa Martes PS: Here's that video. I didn't want to ruin any surprises... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Realm Featured Highlights: Player Housing Greetings, my Realmy brethren! Answa here, and it’s been far too long! Let us correct this by talking about one of the coolest new features in Final Fantasy XIV: Housing! I’m incredibly excited about most of the things that surround this subject and have taken the time to scour through the interwebs for those scattered nuggets of tasty information for which we so fervently salivate for your reading pleasure! Housing in Final Fantasy XI was all about money. While your own moghouse was free and provided functions invaluable to the game’s systems (like changing your main and sub jobs), its finer details ranged from inexpensive to exhaustive—the more useful things being bonuses brought from expensive furniture, storage capacity, and products acquired through gardening. For FFXIV 1.0, the housing system was completely nonexistent until instanced Inn rooms were introduced late into its life. These rooms featured four things: the sole source of rested EXP bonuses, an armoire for storing specific gear, a journal that allowed you to revisit every cutscene you’d experienced throughout your quests, and items acquired if you logged out by resting on your bed (what became known as “hecking your bed” through a notorious typo in the patch notes). The Inn rooms, accessible from all three city-states, were free to each player once they completed a simple quest (one for each city) featuring our favorite agent of inquiry (and Inspector Extraordinaire!) Hildibrand. However, as useful as these inn rooms were, they seemed empty and uninspired. As part of the incoming changes from ARR, Housing will feature a massive spectrum of innovation and detail. We start by discussing the location of one’s real estate. All three city-states will have their own instanced areas peppered with plots of purchasable land. Once a deed has been secured (Yoshi-P has alluded to how expensive it will be various times) by an individual, several individuals, or a Free Company, construction may begin. As these instanced areas will not be monotonous, different plots of land will have different views which players may choose from their aesthetic preferences or proximity to landmarks or other criteria. In an effort to reduce conflicts that may arise from this fact, plots of land will be paralleled across different instances (one can purchase a plot of land that is purchased—it will be located in another instance). Furthermore, deeds to plots of land can be sold in the market wards or traded in one-on-one transactions with other players (note that this means they can be given as gifts to other players). So pretty... (clicky for actual footage of Limsa Lominsa's housing area) Coincidentally, the developers are still evaluating how many assets will be available with the Housing system. This means that the exterior customizability is still kind of up in the air between preset houses and moldable structures. Whether these presets or customizable pieces would be strictly reserved as styles for each city-state is not known. Regardless, whether your little slice of heaven is yours alone or shared with either your Free Company or group of friends, you’ll be able to customize individual rooms inside the structure to accommodate your varying personalities. If your hoarding nature is twitching at the thought of amassing so much cool stuff to display on your house that there won’t be enough space, fear not! In a patch introduced post release we’ll have the ability to purchase larger plots that will be able to sate your mountainous instincts and effectively move to this location without any major losses. For those wishing to establish their superiority (or simply indecisive as to which city-state offers the most beautiful vistas) the development team is currently evaluating whether it will be possible to own more than one house. Now, on to the juicy feature stuff. Naturally, Disciples of Hand will bring a lot to Housing through crafting various installable components for your house. We’ve even heard passing comments of using group synthesis techniques to produce heftier components (such as airships, if you’re inclined to get excited over something that will probably not happen—like me *sob*). What is not clear yet (to me, at least) is whether these components will produce the bonuses we know will be present. These bonuses (for example, for EXP, HQ yields for DoH or DoL) will come from expansions known as towers. If there will be other sources, I do not yet know. On the Disciples of Land side, one’s estate will have the capacity of supporting a nice little private garden, presumably to amass valuable resources without leaving home. Another resource, naturally, will be attained through chocobo raising, which is for now known to be married to the Housing system. We’ve known for some time that you’ll be able to use your chocobo as a companion in battle—similar to your NPC buddy in FFXI. Through chocobo raising, you’ll be able to nurture your feathered steed to be a fighter, a mage(er?), etc. depending on your needs. I’m not aware if it’s been completely cleared up, but the subject of being able to manipulate your chocobo’s color has also been thrown in there (squee!). As has been shown through various pieces of conceptual art, you’ll be able to fit your chocobo with some cool-looking gear. And that about wraps up this episode of The Realm’s Featured Highlights. If you have any inquiries, be sure to throw them my way! I hope you’re all having a terrific time waiting for Phase 3 and beyond! Answa Martes
Free Companies Gather four people, get in a grand company, go to the grand company counter, apply for a free company, and it will be created. At that time you will have a shared box with optional configurable permissions. By completing content your free companies level increases and you can create a unique emblem and expand other features. Allying with another company allows you to share a forum and other options. You can also join a company as a guest to try out the company and see if you like it or not. Also you can invite low level players, and by helping them you can get points and special items. You can only have one free company at a time to prevent issues regarding these items. By requesting permission from a grand company, a free company can become a subsidiary of that grand company. Despite the fact that free companies are subsidiaries of grand companies, you do not need to be members of the same Grand Company in order to create or join one. They also plan on making it possible to place your free company's crest on certain equipment. Current LS features will be carried on to Free Companies and it will be possible to delegate leader rights. As for Linkshells, in A Realm Reborn they will be treated as chat channels. Gil Cap Reduction There will not be a gil wipe though the cap is being cut to 1/10th of its original value; instead of 1 Billion its 100 Million. Your gil, NPC buy and sell prices, and gil received from quests will be cut to 1/10th of its original value, as should market ward prices. Everything is being scaled down proportionally. Items sold at single digit gil will be adjusted or destroyed in 2.0. For those items that will be destroyed the gil will automatically be returned at 1/10's of current value. In 2.0 archer will not require arrows because of the gil adjustment. This is the only reason behind it. There are no other intentions of deleting players gil. Housing System Players will purchase the land and also the right to own a house. Once you build a house, players will be able to create their unique house by selecting from a list of parts. Also, players will be able to place furniture created by Disciples of the Hand and build a chocobo farm in their yard. Concept art clearly depicts entire zones that will be dedicated to housing. Each housing zone looks similar to a neighborhood, with a layout, plots, and gardens ready to be claimed. Each city will also have their own housing style to fit the look of the city and surrounding areas. Control Methods Control options in A Realm Reborn not only change how you control your character, but also how the user interface is presented to you. Using a keybaord and mouse in A Realm Reborn will be very different from what we're used to in Final Fantasy XIV, though if you are familiar with other MMORPGs you may feel more comfortable. Like World of Warcraft, RIFT, and many other MMORPGs, A Realm Reborn will be adopting the 'Global Standard' for keyboard and mouse controls. Having an original keybind doesn't make a game fun, and trying to learn a new game with a unique control scheme can be stressful. In order for an MMORPG to succeed the bare minimum requirement is a standard set of controls, and changing them for the sake of being unique isn't the way to go every time. However, if you perfer the original Final Fantasy XIV controls you are free to swtich to them, but the default keybind setup will be based on World of Warcraft and RIFT. When playing on PC you have the option of choosing either a keyboard and mouse, or a controller as your control method. On the Playstation 3 you will not have this option, and will be limited to to using a controller because of the memory distribution. Just like the keyboard and mouse in A Realm Reborn, the controller will also function differently from Final Fantasy XIV. When playing with a controller the hotbar becomes a hybrid interface called Cross Hotbar, however there are no details on this feature at the moment. Starting Out When starting a new character the first quests you’ll encounter are tutorial based to help you understand the new systems in A Realm Reborn. For example there is a specific method for controlling the camera, and by learning how to use it you will complete a quest. There are ten categories that a new player will need to go through, once completed you will obtain gear to help you get started. By following the quests, not only will you understand the story and gameplay, but you can also obtain items that will help you on your adventure. For completely new players who start A Realm Reborn for the first time, you will eventually be comfortable with the gameplay and interface around level 15. This is also an ideal level to start setting up a party and trying out dungeons for your level. If you don’t get sidetracked too much and focus on the main quest progression, it will probably take around 30 hours to reach level 15. Progression was planned at this rate to make sure the concepts and features of A Realm Reborn are fully understood. If early progression happened too fast it could make later parts more difficult because of the lack of experience. Instead of cramming essential information all at once, it is spread throughout levels to help you remember concepts better. If you play for two hours a day it should take roughly two weeks to complete, of course if you’re playing just for efficiency you could get through much faster. For those players who have high level characters being brought from Final Fantasy XIV, you will be able to complete these early quests as well which is highly recommended. The battle system and user interface navigation has changed a lot, because of this it may take time to get used to. Jumping You are able to jump while running through fields, and even while riding on mounts. There are no zones in A Realm Reborn where you are required to jump to get access to an area. Because A Realm Reborn is not an action game, jumping will not be required for players who do not enjoy it or are not good at it. Jumping was simply added to make traveling throughout each field easier and more enjoyable. Battle System For the battle system in A Realm Reborn the focus is on an instantly gratifying experience, fast kills with good progression to the combat that leaves you feeling accomplished. Currently in Final Fantasy XIV you do not have access to weapon skills or abilities when you enter combat because of the limitations of TP. In A Realm Reborn you will enter combat with TP already, so you can use all of your weapon skills and abilities immediately. This will make combat faster and more exciting, allowing you to defeat monsters using around five weapons skills. When applied to time in-game, each battle should take roughly 20 seconds. When questing in A Realm Reborn however you will not receive experience by killing monsters, the system is designed to reward experience after the quest is completed. Gear Sets Gear Sets are special inventory expansions that allow you to create entire sets of armor that you can easily switch between based on your class or job. Equipment that is placed in a Gear Set will not show up in your inventory, however new equipment obtained while adventuring will be placed in your inventory. Initially you start with one Gear Set to switch between two classes, and as you learn the armory system you can complete quests to increase the amount of Gear Sets available. Zones Currently in Final Fantasy XIV there is a large seemless world to explore, however in A Realm Reborn zones familiar to Final Fantasy XI players will be returning. The world will be broken into regions, and each region will be broken further down into zones. For example the “Forest Region†outside of Gridania will be broken into four or five sections, allowing for a more natural forest design instead of a frustrating maze. Zones also allow for more dramatic environmental reveals and area changes, leading you towards a seemingly beautiful area that ends in a different environment than expected. Questing When you first reach an area you will see many quests available indicated by exclamation marks. By following these quests you will learn the story and game systems while leveling in a natural progression. As a new player following the quests you can reach level 8 quickly, and also helps teach the new style of play in A Realm Reborn. Starting out you may feel as though you are being limited in what you can do, however it is easy to get over-whelmed so direction is in place to help progression. Story There are three major story arcs in A Realm Reborn, the first being the battle against the Garlean invasion. This is the story that carries over from Final Fantasy XIV, and will continue as the major plat line for A Realm Reborn. The second story arc is the battle against the Primals, which not only affects Eorzea but the entire planet of Hydaelyn. The battle isn’t just against the Primals though, the Beastmen Tribes are the ones fueling this war. The final story arc focuses on the 7th Umbral Era, and will naturally progress to the next expansion. Why did so much destruction happen? Why is the world in this state? Is the 7th Umbral Era over? These questions are the focus on the third story arc, and answers will be received throughout the year until the next expansion is released. Leve System In Final Fantasy XIV the progression method was based on the leve system, however in A Realm Reborn the preferred approach is following the quests. The quest system is the only progression method until you graduate from beginner at level 10, at which point you will be able to take on leve quests. Leve quests are repeatable daily-style quests which are more suited for players who do not wish to read standard quests. There is a lot of content to choose from, and A Realm Reborn is designed so obtaining experience isn’t done by one method. For those players who want to gain experience efficiently its best to do as many different things as you can. Content Finder In A Realm Reborn there is a wide variety of opportunities to experience content, including solo, in parties, or in a combination of the two through public scenarios. Around level 20 you will start to utilize the Content Finder feature, which will help you find other parties running content suited for groups. Usually if you cannot find specific content on the Content Finder, it is probably more suited for a solo experience. If you aren't looking for specific content, then upon login or when changing areas you will be shown recommendations of various types of content that is suggested for your class and level. Ten options will be shown, offering about two hours of gaming content for you to choose from. Limit Break System Limit Break is a new party battle system that replaces battle regimen. Limit Breaks are charged as your party participates in combat, slowly filling the gauge until the Limit Break is available. Using a Limit Break will require the entire party to coordinate together to decide who will use it. The entire party contributes towards the same gauge, so if someone uses the Limit Break it will empty the gauge entirely. Regular combat will increase the Limit Break gauge normally, however by playing exceptionally well you can increase the gauge much faster. This feature is called ‘Fine Play’ and rewards party members for healing or blocking at the right time, however there are adjustments being made so ‘Fine Play’ is not required to enjoy Limit Breaks. For comparison sake, the gauge system is very similar to the Limit Break system in Final Fantasy 7. Limit Breaks have various levels associated with them that will allow adventuring parties to begin using Limit Breaks at mid-level ranges. Limit Breaks have multiple levels such as 1, 2, and 3, linking your ability to use higher level Limit Breaks directly to your characters progress. Presenting Limit Breaks at a somewhat low level allows players to get used to the Limit Break system by giving access to the Level 1 Limit Break. Unlike Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy 7, Limit Breaks in A Realm Reborn are not restricted to specific character jobs as there may be situations that affect game balance. However, even if every job uses the same Limit Break the effects will be different depending on the job that triggers it. The effect isn’t separated by Disciple of War/Magic but by each job, for example if Warrior and Paladin use the same Limit Break the effect will be different. Primals and Summons In A Realm Reborn the Primals are a primary enemy. The land of Eorzea is located on the planet Hydaelyn, which is given life through the ether energy provided by the mother crystal. Beastmen Tribes believe in specific Primals as their deity, and wish to summon the Primals to fight their wars. When a Primal is summoned they feed off of the planets energy, draining the ether from the Mother Crystal. If the Primals are summoned by the Beastmen Tribes the planet itself will be destroyed, and in A Realm Reborn the goal is to prevent that from happening. By defeating the Primals in A Realm Reborn you can to harness their power in various ways, depending on the method of engagement. Aside from the encounters while progressing through the story, there will also be much harder Primal battles that Free Companies can work towards. When progressing through the story you can obtain some power of the Primals for the new Summoner class that will be available in A Realm Reborn, which uses the power of the Primals in creatures that will fight by your side. By completing the more difficult Primal battles, the entire Free Company will earn the right to summon the full power of the Primal. This form of summon works very similar to the Limit Break system, filling up a gauge through combat and unleashing the huge attack. For comparison, think of the summons from Final Fantasy VII. Crystal Tower The Crystal Tower is a popular location from Final Fantasy III, however in A Realm Reborn it will be presented as a new type of raid dungeon that is completely unique in design. Originally in the Final Fantasy III version of the Crystal Tower you could not save your progress, however because this is an MMORPG changes need to be made so it can be enjoyable for all players. At the launch of A Realm Reborn the Crystal Tower will be the first goal for many high level characters, though it may take a long time to complete. The Crystal Tower is broken into phases that are completed individually, and as you progress through each phase you ascend higher and higher into the Tower. As updates are launched for A Realm Reborn, more phases will be added to the Crystal Tower, increasing the height of the tower and adding more challenges. Player vs Player There are two kinds of PVP scenarios that players can look forward to in A Realm Reborn. The first is an arena style colosseum where you fight a monster that is controlled by another adventurer. Battles start with a “Ready Go!†style similar to a tournament fighting game such as Dragon Ball Z Butoukai Tenkaichi. For the release of the colosseum the combat options will be 4 vs 4 and 8 vs 8 to start off. (Note: This particular translation is a bit rough, it could be players versus other players or players versus monster controlled players) The other PVP experience is much larger in scale, with the aim of having as many players as possible battling at the same time. The focus of this PVP scenario is to battle on a large map and try to take over the enemy’s castle. This mode is unique however, in that it requires at least three teams with a minimum of 8 players each. To make a comparison is it very similar to the type of battle you would see in Dark Age of Camelot. Though there are a series of quests that explain the reason for PVP, you do not have to participate in PVP as a requirement for quests. Magitek Armor Currently in Final Fantasy XIV the Imperials use the Garlean Empire machines as weapons, however Magitek Armor will be available as mounts as well in A Realm Reborn. The speed of the mount will remain the same as the current Chocobo, this way people will not choose mounts based on speed but rather by preference. Magitek Armor may be customizable by players as well, but the plans are still forthcoming and the design team is very excited for it. To obtain the mount you will need to complete a series of quests that are present in the storyline. Magitek Armor should be ready at the launch of A Realm Reborn. Golden Saucer The Golden Saucer will be a Las Vegas style experience, allowing you to play poker between players, bet on roulette, and enjoy original games as well. You can imagine the atmosphere will mesh well with the attitude of Ul’dah, where wealth equals power. With PVP content and the Housing System taking priority over the Golden Saucer, it will not be available at the launch of A Realm Reborn.
I hope this isn't breaking NDA but they were only limited time beta events and the next isn't for a while time. I didn't get a lot of time to try everything but I guess a few hours is better than nothing!
Since we are getting closer to release is there any plans on starting a division for this game since it's pretty much new...?