Exploring the open world of Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is great and all, but just as in real life, there comes a time where you’ve got to put on your work hat, and get to the grind. The main story will eventually come to an end and all players will be left with is its new battle content and endgame, the meat and potatoes of any MMORPG. Heavensward does a lot of things right, but this is where it stumbles.
Although it’s going to feel contradictory to what I just wrote, the new battle content in Heavensward is actually well done and exciting. The problem is that Heavensward’s endgame is shaping up to be exactly the same as A Realm Reborn’s (2.X). Let me explain.
In FFXIV: A Realm Reborn’s post story mode content, you had a couple of main ways to occupy your time and advance your character further. You could grind tomestones through dungeons and content roulettes to purchase new gear. There are a number of different primal trials, which were quite challenging and usually offered decent gear at the time it was released. You could go on hunts, which tasked you with traveling around the world, looking for specific enemies and rare spawns which rewarded you with seals to buy gear and upgrade materials. And finally, there were two raids, one designed for midcore players (Crystal Tower) and another, The Binding Coil of Bahamut, meant for hardcore players which dropped the best equipment in the game.
This setup is virtually unchanged in Heavensward. Once you hit level 60 and complete the story, you’ll be grinding tomestones and chasing down hunts in preparation for the new Alexander raid or EX (extreme) primals.
The new dungeons follow the exact same format as before. Run in a straight line, kill enemies, come across three bosses, kill them, and then open some chests with equipment in them. That gear gets you ready for the harder stuff. While the new raid and EX primals are fresh challenges that feel different than the ones that preceded them, the overall routine and progression system is still the same.
The worst aspect of Heavensward’s endgame are the A and S rank hunts, which are just as chaotic and laggy as always. Huge amounts of players, probably bordering around a hundred, all rush to annihilate a single enemy in seconds that doesn’t even have an opportunity to put up a fight. If you couldn’t get there quick enough you’re out of luck and are missing out on the critically important Centurion Seals that are needed to upgrade high level equipment. These hunts do not test your skill in any way and aren’t fun. It’s just a mad rush to get to an area as fast as you can so you can get a couple laggy potshots in and receive credit.
Thankfully there are lesser hunts reminiscent of the original game’s hunting log that provide you with slow but steady amounts of Centurion Seals. As long as you don’t mind being a little more patient with the rate at which you get the seals, this method is a lot less frustrating.
It definitely isn’t all bad though. It all comes down to perspective.
Despite my negativity over the lack of creativity regarding the overall endgame, on a micro level, the new content so far is well made and enjoyable. As long as you’re OK with just more of the same, then hey, you’ll probably be pretty happy with Heavensward!
Visually, the new dungeons are still a treat. You’ll be fighting through a cathedral with light that beautifully stains the dungeon a eerie amber color. There’s also a library dungeon complete with demon book enemies that will bring back memories of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy IX. Sure it’s all pretty much the same stuff you’ve been doing since Satasha at level 15, but it’s still just as fun, and just as gorgeous.
The new primals are also just as brutal and unforgiving as ever, especially on extreme mode. Ravana, the completely new primal added in Heavensward, will feel similar to the older primal fights. It relies less on gimmicks and is more about memorizing its phases, avoiding attacks, and keeping that DPS high. This balances nicely with Bismarck, a thrilling and unique battle atop a floating island. As you battle his subjects, you’ll have to harpoon him in as he attempts to ram you off the edge. Once you have him snared, you’ll have an opportunity to (no pun intended) wail on him, and bring him down.
Still though as a whole, Heavensward’s battle content is underwhelming. Not because it isn’t quality content, but because when you look at the big picture, it’s no different than what players have done since FFXIV majestically relaunched with A Realm Reborn. If that’s OK with you, then go have a ball. But if you wanted a shake up of the endgame, brace yourself for disappointment. After that new content smell fades away, what you’re left with is the same old routine.
Anyway, we’re coming down the stretch with our review in progress of Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. With just a couple of things left to do, we’ll be wrapping this up with a formal review the next time we check in. We’ll take a look at how everything we discussed so far fits into the big picture, along with bringing in some other smaller aspects we’ve yet to discuss. Oh and yes we’ll finely be dishing out that oh so important review score. Be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 in the meantime. See you then!
It’s unfair to score a MMORPG so soon after release. Final Fantasy XIV’s first expansion, Heavensward, is now available and we have boots on the ground. Resident FFXIV fan and Managing Editor Ed, will be telling us about his adventures in Ishgard until he’s experienced enough of the new content to properly score the game. He has over 10 years experience with Square Enix’s MMORPGs and is more than ready to break down whether or not Heavensward will be an expansion to remember.