FFXIV: A Realm Reborn and Everything You Need to Know!

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This thread is a compilation of info pulled from different sources containing everything that is vital to the knowledge of FFXIV:ARR mainly for people who have played back at the launch of “version 1.0” in September 2010 and have since quit within the last two years and now wish to receive more information on what is going on with the game development and/or what this completely rebuilt version of FFXIV:ARR (Version 2.0) will be like.

To be blunt, many people including myself are starting to get excited again for the prospect of the FFXIV we all wanted from the beginning to finally materialize but have questions and concerns that seem to be sprawled out all over the Internet. This thread will serve as a hub for those questions and concerns. I will update this thread as often as I can with any content you feel that should be added in addition to an ongoing FAQ section.

OP Note: I have worked very hard to compile this information and sort it in an organized manner. Please send me a message if you have any concerns / advice to fix it. I really want consumers & players to be informed on the changes that are happening on this game and for FFXIV:ARR to be successful. I’m sure if you’re following all the changes you’ll easily see it will be, especially with this new development team.

Important foundational information to know before we start:

FFXIV is being re-launched and re-branded into FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, a game focused on the element of “rebirth.”

90% of the game is brand new (lore, maps, zones, questing/leveling, content, story, customizable UI, game engine and client.) This game will be a complete metamorphosis to its original state. The familiar 10% is the name of zones, basic NPC's,and partial layout of cities.

It now has a brand new development team that has bloated to 250 members with featuring a new head producer that everyone seems to love: Naoki Yoshida “Yoshi-P.” This man is experienced in the MMO market and seems to know what he’s doing.

When Yoshi-P, the new producer, came into play as the new lead for FFXIV:ARR back in 2010, he released “Letters from the Producer” every few weeks which served as a platform of communication for the players. In these letters he would tell us about upcoming patches and the progress of 2.0 along with other relevant information. Sometimes, a “players poll” would be released with these letters asking us numerous questions as to what we would like to see in the future game (new classes/jobs, enemies, end game content, etc..) Let me make this crystal clear: Yoshi-P has done an EXCELLENT job in communicating with players and addressing their concerns. There are official Lodestone Forums where his staff posts with the players as well. It’s because of this man people are restoring their faith in Square Enix.

The new game carries over all of your old progress from V.1.0 and puts it into the new FFXIV 2.0 where us players will have the opportunity to choose if we wish to carry on with our old data on an "old" server or start fresh on a "new" server.


Table of Contents

Part I – History of Development Over the Past 2 Years
Part II – End of FFXIV v.1.0 and Transition to FFXIV:ARR
Part III – Summary of Changes / Additions to come in FFXIV:ARR
PART IV – Official Alpha Footage
PART V – FAQ & MISC Q&A


PART I – History of Development over the past 2 years

What happened to the original game:

The game was to be directed by Nobuaki Komoto, produced by Hiromichi Tanaka, and developed by the team at Square Enix that had previously created Final Fantasy XI. Akihiko Yoshida was announced as art director, and Nobuo Uematsu as the music composer, marking his return to the game series since he departed Square Enix after Final Fantasy X. The PlayOnline system was not used for the game, instead players were linked to a Square Enix account. FFXI also partly transitioned to this service, allowing accounts for both games to be managed from one place.
Final Fantasy XIV entered into its alpha testing stage in April, 2010, with testing concluding 11 weeks later on June 19. Square Enix said that about 10% of the game was playable during the alpha and beta phases. The closed beta testing was conducted in several phases, beginning on July 10, 2010, and ending on on August 25. Invites were distributed to applicants, and the PlayStation 3 release of Final Fantasy XIII contained a key for a chance to access a beta. Open Beta commenced on September 1, 2010, lasting until September 19. The PlayStation 3 beta test never materialised. In all, the time spent in Beta was 3 months (with 65 active days), less than the 4 months previously announced as the minimum testing period.[1] News sources expressed concern that the game was not in a condition ready to be launched, with "critical bugs" so close to the release date. The game launched on September 22, 2010.
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Current state of the new game:

Final Fantasy XIV, soon to be relaunched as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, is the fourteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series and the second after Final Fantasy XI to be a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The game was developed and published by Square Enix, and is available in four languages; Japanese, English, French, and German. The original version of the game for Microsoft Windows was live from September 30, 2010, until November 11, 2012, and received widespread negative reception. In response to the heavy criticism of the game's quality, Square Enix reshuffled the development team and began completely overhauling the game. On October 14, 2011, Square Enix announced their intention to relaunch the game as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The relaunch will carry over the original game's setting, lore and intended story, but incorporate a new client, graphics engine, server and data structures, a revamped interface, redesigned maps, more game play variations and additional story content. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will simultaneously launch on Windows and PlayStation 3, and is currently slated for a mid 2013 release. Alpha testing began on October 29, 2012.
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Pretty much everyone blamed Hiromichi Tanaka for the fail of FFXIV v.1.0. Here’s what SE had to say about the flop of FFXIV when they came out in October 2011 and announced a brand new remake of the game followed by an official apology from the company: http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/teaser/index.html (Read this over for the official announcement and to view the official and comprehensive roadmap to the games completion.)

After everyone pretty much quit FFXIV and the 2.0 roadmap was released, a series of patches were implemented over the months to add to the “base of the game” that would tie the player base over until the transfer over to 2.0 in 2013 :

Initial changes Due to the game's predominantly negative reception, the president of Square Enix, Yoichi Wada, announced a major shift in the development team in December 2010, with Tanaka announcing his resignation as producer and later the leaving the company.[2] Naoki Yoshida became both director and producer, with most other positions also changing. The PlayStation 3 version, originally due for release in March 2011, was delayed in order to accommodate the coming changes, with Yoshida stating he only wished to provide a PlayStation 3 version when the game was fixed.[2] The initial 30-day free trial was extended, first for two months and later indefinitely, in order to allow players to experience the new development team's updates before committing to the game.[35] Billing did not start until January 6, 2012, more than a year after the game's launch.[36]Yoshida introduced the official Final Fantasy XIV forums in order to obtain player feedback and suggestions, and stated that interacting with and growing closer to the community would be a high priority, a change welcomed by the player base.[37] Starting with patch 1.18, improvements were made to the graphics, battling, synthesis, and experience reward systems. A major alteration was the removal of the "Fatigue System", a controversial mechanic since the game's Beta, in which players who played for prolonged periods of time in one go progressively received less and less skill and experience points, eventually reaching a point where neither could be obtained.[38] In later patches significant new content was added, including the materia system, airships, beast tribe settlements, Chocobo mounts and Primal Battles. Revisions were also made to monster difficulty, magic casting, the influence of character statistics, and auto-attack was added.
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PART II – End of FFXIV v.1.0 “End of an Era”

Fast forward to this November 2012 after all the patches are complete:

On November 1st, Square Enix did a final save of all character data. This means that all old data from launch September 2010 to November 1st 2012 was saved and will be carried over to FFXIV:ARR.

The new head producer, (nicknamed “Yoshi-P”) has a plan for the new game. Instead of 8 giant dead zones (including the 3 city states) the maps/world had to be redone into a metamorphosis to create a whole new Final Fantasy experience, but it had to make sense. They couldn’t just shut down servers and pop up a whole new world. To transition to the “Eorzea 2.0,” the main story of FFXIV 1.0 (remember that snooze fest?) would conclude with the protagonists vs. the enemy fighting in Mor Dhona while Meteor (Dalamund) approached crashing into the planet thus completely changing its landscape for the future version. (A Cataclysm similar to WoW.) On November 11, the servers shut down completely at JP time midnight with the impact of Meteor and ended with a FANTASTIC cinematic that has got everyone hyped again for 2.0:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=39j5v8jlndM

Square Enix has released an official synopsis of the "End of an Era" trailer. This should help those of us who haven't been in-game for a longer period of time, to understand exactly why Dalamud fell, and Bahamut was released:
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Eorzea. A Land embraced by Gods and forged by Heroes.

Seeking control over this realm and its abundant crystal resources, the Garlean Empire (a scientifically advanced nation hailing from the north) begins gathering an army of epic proportions. To ready themselves for the coming conflict, the city-states of Eorzea reinstate the Grand Companies─comprehensive centers of command which combine the commonwealths' military and economic assets. However, the commander of the invading forces, VIIth Imperial Legion Legatus Nael van Darnus (a.k.a. “White Raven”), has plans of his own. Driven by madness, he silently plots to usher in a more permanent form of devastation: Meteor.


The Meteor project is comprised of a complex scheme employing arcane magicks and lost technology to summon the lesser moon down to Eorzea in an attempt to annihilate the realm's inhabitants in one fell stroke. Dalamud, as the celestial object is commonly known, is revealed to be a colossal machine launched thousands of years ago into the planet's orbit by an ancient civilization.


Realizing the futility of standing alone against such a threat, the Grand Companies put aside deep-rooted differences and consolidate their forces under the banner of the Eorzean Alliance.


At the behest of this new confederation, adventurers from across the realm take up arms and march on the floating islands of Rivenroad. Here, the brave heroes confront Nael van Darnus, and after a heated battle, put him to the sword. But by this time, the White Raven's plan is too far along, and Dalamud continues its descent.


In an eleventh-hour bid to save mankind, the Grand Companies turn to Louisoix, an enigmatic scholar hailing from the forgotten city-state of Sharlayan. The 'Archon,' as he is called, devises a plan to summon the power of the Twelve, Eorzea’s pantheon of guardian deities, and use that power to banish Dalamud back to the heavens. But for this to succeed, the rite needs to be performed directly beneath the point of Dalamud's impact. After several sleepless nights of deliberation by the realm's foremost arcanists and astronomers, that point is determined to be a vast swathe of barren lowlands in central Eorzea known as the Carteneau Flats. With this information in hand, the Grand Companies order the immediate mobilization of their forces.


Unbeknownst to the Alliance, the soldiers of the VIIth Imperial Legion, oblivious to their leader's dark intentions, have also begun gathering in central Eorzea. Ordered to defend the area with their lives, they prepare for a fight, unaware that victory will bring about their own demise.


And so, with two great hosts amassed, the Battle of Carteneau begins.


Both sides fight with a desperation-fueled frenzy, neither yielding the other ground, until from the skies, a great roar issues. Dalamud has begun its final metamorphosis. In a matter of moments, the stone and metal of the moon's crust crumble away to reveal none other than the elder primal, Bahamut, now free from his ancient prison.QUOTE


And thus do the people of Eorzea learn what it is that truly faces them. Never was it the White Raven's intention to blight the realm with Dalamud, but what slumbered within it.


Enraged after aeons of duress, Bahamut unleashes his wrath upon the realm, spewing forth endless fire and destruction. Louisoix quickly conjures a barrier to protect what remains of the Eorzean Alliance, and then begins the arcane rite that will channel the power of the Twelve and focus it into rebinding Bahamut. The sheer force of the primal, however, is too strong for even the Archon, and his efforts fail.


Realizing the end is nigh, Louisoix summons the last of his strength to call upon Althyk, the Keeper, god of space and time, to send those surviving heroes into an aetherial rift, where they are to remain untouched by the passing of the seasons until it is once again safe to emerge...and continue their struggle to forge Eorzea's future.
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And to that, the main story of Version 1.0 and its lameness came to an end! The servers are currently offline.

EDIT: For a full length detailed retell of the main story from beginning to end see this link: http://www.dualshockers.com/2012/11/14/final-fantasy-xiv-the-story-so-far-episode-1-beginnings/ - Thanks goes to Strid for the link.


PART III – Summary of Changes & Additions to Come

FFXIV “Version 1.0” General Additions between September 2010 & September 2012:

• Spirit Bonding and Materia System (similar to FFVII) where you can equip gear, it has a “spirit gauge” bar and when it maxes you can break it down into material you can equip which boosts your stats.
• Grand Companies for each city which serve as a main focal point for story quests (also issues your Chocobo)
• Primals and Weapons (Ifrit, Moogle King, Garuda)
• Airships between cities
• Auto-Attack
• Quests that grant EXP
• EXP parties with exp chains
• Jobs, Artifact Armor, Relic Armor
• Fatigue System is LONG gone

FFXIV:ARR “Version 2.0” Additions Coming

It really is best to read up on past interviews and letters to fully grasp the scope of how the game is being changed, but I’ll do my best to reiterate here.

• Complete transformation of all adventuring zones. Limsa Lominsa, Thanalan, The Black Shroud, Coerthas, and Mor Dhona were zones in v.1.0. In v.2.0 they are REGIONS split into different zones (just like FFXI) To fully grasp the complete transformation of these lands, reviewing the footage below in PART IV is necessary. (City States don’t change that much, although reports read that Ul’dah has changed the most, then LL, then Gridania. Still remains to be seen.

• Entirely new server infrastructure designed to support massive open-world content (similar to Guild Wars 2). Zones will now be independent, meaning there will be zoning points between areas (improved latency). This is similar to FFXI, GW2, and lots of other MMOs.

• An entirely new graphics engine, optimized to run on a range of differently spec’d PCs. Includes new animations, countless virtual assets, etc. (No lag whatsoever when fighting / selecting items / pushing skill bar. (Actions are INSTANT!)

• An entirely overhauled system of character creation, which includes much greater options and both sexes for all races and ability to rename character (maybe)

• Regional data centers tied to specific servers (in order to reduce latency, although a player is able to play on whatever server he or she wishes).

Two new extremely well designed UIs, one for PS3 one for PC, adjustable.

• Version 1 had 8 zones. Version 2 will have over 40 AT LAUNCH.

• Brand new adjustable User Interface designed for PC that is very fluid. One for PS3 as well.

• New Graphics Engine and Client so PC’s can better handle game.

• DX11 Support

• 2.0 Musical OST Score

• The Free Company system. Think of these as Linkshells (FF equivalent of guilds) taken to the next level. The details are scarce at this point, but things such as company bases, company summons, and other large, cool stuff of that nature has been hinted at.

• Instanced Housing System (3 sizes, small, medium, large. Medium and Large cost high amounts of gil.) – Need to read more on this. Comprehensive Info.

• Adjustment to Gil Retention (All costs were brought down, so you will have less gil when you start.) Example: V.1.0 You had 10,000, now have 1 less numerator = 1,000.

• Auction House (...Finally)

• Chocobo Augmenting / Gearing the Chocobo/ Fights with you out in battle / Can call it anywhere outside of cities

• New mounts (Courels, Drakes)

• PVP (this will be contained to two main areas; one for small-medium scale encounters and other for much larger, objective based encounters.)

• Delivery Box (Mognet?)

• Jumping Function

• New summons (Titan and Odin)

• Rebalanced/new class abilities and traits.

• Redesigned combat / Limit Break System

• New notorious monsters (rare enemies; small and large varieties) and new enemies/monsters.

• FATE System (Info Coming Soon)

• Armory System / Job System (Classes & Jobs)

You start the game as either a Disciple of Magic or Disciple of War. These are classes you can start as. At level 30, you can advance to the designated class job, which grants you more skills, power, and equipment.

Gladiator > Paladin
Marauder > Warrior
Pugilist > Monk
Archer > Bard (P.s. Archers don’t need to buy arrows separately anymore)
Lancer > Dragoon
Conjuror > White Mage
Thaumaturge> Black Mage
*NEW* Arcanist > Summoner

Artifact Armor / Relic Weapons
Each job has a set of artifact armor (AF) that you can start gathering through a string of quests starting at level 30.

Relic Weapons have a string of quests that are much larger in length. (Anyone who played FFXI knows this)

• Leveling / Experience Points / Quests

Gone are the days of grinding. Side quests, game content, and the main storyline grant you the majority of your experience points for your job to level up to 50. There are NUMEROUS side quests. Quests pop up over NPC’s heads and have a “Where to go” feature on mini map.

• Main Storyline

The main story is brand new in FFXIV:ARR and the main storyline alone can get you from level 1 to 50.

• End Game

• CROSS-SERVER dungeon/content finder (Automatically matches you up with those that are seeking the same content.)

• Crystal Tower (TO ADD)

• Bahamuts' Labyrinth (TO ELABORATE)

Full Parties = 8 People
Alliance = 3 Parties (24 people for End Game Runs)



PART IV – Official Alpha Footage


Letter from the Producer LIVE III (Lots of battle content)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnFLSH2jkjw

Letter from the Producer LIVE IV (Lots of running around)
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAa7DFkjBos

FFXIV: ARR – Gridania (WATCH THIS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AQb_t5zkfoY

FFXIV: ARR – The Black Shroud (WATCH THIS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=asqskpLYwrI

FFXIV: ARR – The Black Shroud Part 2 (WATCH THIS)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7rduwq-Of9Y

FFXIV: ARR - Questing and Combat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zjDnM0uf0O8

FFXIV: ARR - Gathering and Crafting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-v8WeZX4QQ&feature=player_embedded



PART V – FAQ’s & MISC Q&A’s

Q) Will I have to buy the new game again to play FFXIV:ARR?
A) No. If you purchased the game before you will be able to download the new client and use your old login information for free.

Q) Will I be able to use my old account on the new game?
A) Yes. All content was transferred over as of the final save on November 1st, 2012. If you want to use your old account, you will have to start on an “old” server as opposed to a “new” server.

Q) What are the “new” and “old” servers? What do they mean?
A) New servers are where everyone starts from the beginning. There is no transferring of v.1.0 accounts to these servers. Everyone starts from scratch. Old servers allow the transfer of your old account. The reason these are split is in order to maintain balance and fairness for new people who have never been in the game before to have a fair shot at the market and so old players can’t manipulate with their millions of gil they have acquired over the two years.

Q) Is this game now F2P (Free to play) or still P2P (Pay to play)?
A) It is P2P with a monthly fee of $12.99 and $9.99 for legacy players. However, everyone who has purchased the game before will have 1 month free time to play to test it out themselves.

Q) When is Alpha? Beta?
A) Alpha began late November and is finishing up “end of December.” Beta will begin “late January/early February.” Beta applications will probably go up second half of January and you must have purchased FFXIV v.1.0 to apply.

Q) When is the release date for FFXIV:ARR?
A) It was supposed to be Q1 2013 but is now slated for Summer 2013 as it the producer has decided a Q1 release date for the game would be too soon.

Q) What is “Legacy Status?”
A) Legacy Status is a status on your account indicating that you played (and paid for subscription) for at least 3 months post Jan. 2011. It was created in an attempt to keep FFXIV v.1.0 players paying and playing while the new game was being made. Legacy players will enjoy paying $9.99 a month instead of $12.99 when subscription fees start. They will also be allowed to create up to 40 characters on their account as opposed to 8 for a regular account.
 
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Very nice, sucks we gotta wait that long but near the end i felt they were getting to where they needed to be, and with ARR, they will be at a point where I feel it should have been in the first place, a great successor to XI.
 
This is a great thread, Rips.
 
Just got accepted to try out ARR Beta woot :D
 
I'd like to add that v1.23 is still running right now but nothing you do will be saved.
 
Strid said:
This would probably make a good edition to your post, it's (err, will be) the entire story of 1.0 XIV. Since ARR is functioning as a sequel, in terms of story, this will probably interest a lot of people.

http://www.dualshockers.com/2012/11/14/final-fantasy-xiv-the-story-so-far-episode-1-beginnings/
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Thanks. Added.

Davion said:
I'd like to add that v1.23 is still running right now but nothing you do will be saved.
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It's still running for those that have not canceled their character or account. Many are not able to log into the game.
 
Yeah that was due to SE shortsightedness on trying to let EVERYONE sign in regardless of cutoff dates
 
Sucks that legacy is based upon something arbitrary like those that paid a subscription rather than those that bought the game at launch. I wouldn't mind playing for 10 a month. But 13 just because I refused to support a bad game?
 
Romper said:
But 13 just because I refused to support a bad game?
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That's pretty much the thought process behind it, yeah.

I'm more jelly concerning the increased character slots and the Goobbue mount. Fat load of good waiting for the PS3 version got me. I even got a better computer in the interim.
 
Romper said:
Sucks that legacy is based upon something arbitrary like those that paid a subscription rather than those that bought the game at launch. I wouldn't mind playing for 10 a month. But 13 just because I refused to support a bad game?
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It was $13 for FFXI. It's not $13 because you refused to support the game, it's $13 because that's what the sub is.

The $10 is for people who have played through the shitness of v.1.0. all the way to the end pretty much. It's a reward for loyalty.
 
Meh. I bought the CE of XIV thinking it would be a decent game. It ended up being pretty horrible. Sticking with it would have been a waste of money. Why waste your money on a game like that?

People who bought the game back then should be equally rewarded. It's not like we had to buy it. I'm not complaining that much, but people who originally activated their accounts during the first month of XIV's original launch should be rewarded with a "Welcome back" perk if they resub when ARR drops. It's not our fault the game was horrible and hardly even playable. I mean, it looked awesome, but that was about it.

I understand wanting to reward those players that actually, for whatever reason, decided to continue paying for a monthly subscription to a broken game. But SE should reward those people who initially bought their broken game too, specially the CE owners that doled out extra $ expecting it to be worth it.
 
Consider how long it would take to break even on investing, what, a little under fifty bucks just to get a $3/month discount on the service.

It's not that big of a deal.
 
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Ecks said:
Meh. I bought the CE of XIV thinking it would be a decent game. It ended up being pretty horrible. Sticking with it would have been a waste of money. Why waste your money on a game like that?

People who bought the game back then should be equally rewarded. It's not like we had to buy it. I'm not complaining that much, but people who originally activated their accounts during the first month of XIV's original launch should be rewarded with a "Welcome back" perk if they resub when ARR drops. It's not our fault the game was horrible and hardly even playable. I mean, it looked awesome, but that was about it.

I understand wanting to reward those players that actually, for whatever reason, decided to continue paying for a monthly subscription to a broken game. But SE should reward those people who initially bought their broken game too, specially the CE owners that doled out extra $ expecting it to be worth it.
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If you bought the CE for v.1.0 SE is allowing those players to download the special edition FFXIV:ARR for free. So we,re going to get the extra perks that others have'nt.
 
Hmm. This I did not know. *pondering*
 
Ecks, you wanted DRK right? Did you know that DRK has been confirmed by Yoshi-P? The 3 jobs confirmed to come to in the future are DRK, Sam, and nin, it's just that it'll probably be at first expansion, not launch.
 
Well, if that is true ARR might be worth checking out after all. When exactly are you suppose to be able to download the ARR SE anyway? I imagine at or around launch, which.. is going to be next year sometime?
 
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