As many fans are now waiting for the next expansion of Final Fantasy XIV, the team behind the critically acclaimed MMO are wrapping up the story in Heavensward. Being the fourth patch in the Heavensward expansion, the story continues and more content is added to justify the subscription fee that everyone pays. As someone who has played Final Fantasy XIV since its launch, I must say that the content that Square Enix delivers in the expansion through patches are still massive and makes it worth the subscription fee. But as time goes by, the development team are somewhat running out of ideas as the content is starting to become stale, though it’s still enjoyable nevertheless.
Soul Surrender, aka Patch 3.4, continues the story where 3.3 left off. The main focus of the new patch is the Warrior of Darkness and how they’ll put an end to his evil schemes. The Main Scenario Quests are quite short and can be finished for about two hours. For those who have been following the story since A Realm Reborn concluded, two characters will be returning to join the Scions. Also, a big revelation on a certain character will be revealed. I find the story quests to be short but the revelations got me excited enough to look forward to in maybe the last patch that Square Enix will release before the next expansion, Stormbloood, releases next year.
Aside from the Main Story Quests, there is a plethora of content that has been added. Since last patch, we received a new 24-man alliance raid, this time, the it’s time for the Alexander raid to get an update. Unfortunately, the Alexander content that will be on this patch is the last one – meaning we are really getting closer to the end of the Heavensward expansion. As usual, expect new tier of gear that you can farm in the new raid. For those who haven’t beaten the Savage mode of the last Alexander great, you can now use the Duty Finder to find a group. As for the dungeons, there are two new ones with one being the hard mode of a previous dungeon, which is the Great Gubal Library. In terms of its challenge, they’re pretty much similar to the previous dungeons released, though the new enemies are quite cool.
Crafters out there will be pleased to hear that new crafting recipes are available with this new patch. For those that think they’re not getting enough Gil last patch, now is the time to get rich again and sell the crafted items that you craft. The crafting recipes vary from the swords, rings, housing ornaments, and many more. Pretty much every job class that is available gets a new recipe that they can craft.
In addition to the new content that I’ve previously mentioned, there are more that awaits in the game. New housing feature is now available where anyone can rent an apartment. Also, there is a new Allagan Tomestone currency called Scripture, which means more grinding. The never ending grind continues in this patch as new top tier gear will be available for purchase in Idlyshire. If you have those old Tomestones, it will be converted. Like PvP? there’s the Duel mode that is now available that allows you play with your friends and train before you go into the big match with your party.
Parties who love doing Trials, the new boss of the Warring Triad awaits. This time, it’s Sophie and as always, there’s that Extreme mode that awaits after clearing the normal mode. It’s quite challenging and will bring the party together once again. As with other trials, team coordination is a must and concentration. Upon beating Sophie, a worthy loot will be rewarded to those who beats the challenge of the Extreme mode. For side-quests, the Hildebrand quest-line continues, which of course will bring laughter once again for those who plays it.
As part of Patch 3.4, there are two content packs that will be coming in November 1st. Gamers who love the Palace of the Dead, it will finally receive an update, along with the Anima weapons. Since I haven’t upgraded my Anima weapon yet, I have two weeks to prepare for the new Anima. Who knows, this might be the last Anima weapon quest that fans will tackle for the Heavensward expansion.
Verdict
The amount of content that Square Enix delivers every new patch for Final Fantasy XIV is massive and it’s something to be thankful for as other MMOs doesn’t quite do that. While that may be a good thing, it’s hard not to notice that the content that they continue to release is getting stale as these recycled updates are getting monotonous. Sure, a new update to the raid, and new dungeons are good enough to last, but maybe I am expecting something more. Nevertheless, the content that Square Enix releases for Final Fantasy XIV is still worth the subscription fee as there are a lot of things to do still that makes your money well spent.
[Editor’s Note: Final Fantasy XIV Patch 3.4 was reviewed on the PC platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
