While Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is critically acclaimed as one of the best games of the year, getting there is messy. Final Fantasy XIV stands by its single, continuous quest chain known as the Main Story Quest to tell the overarching plot. To even get a peek at the Shadowbringers expansion content, you’ll need to complete every expansion prior. While I think you’re in for a good time no matter the level, the base game story has been described as middling and the following Heavensward expansion picks up towards the end. One of the chief concerns about the length of the story is that you’ll need to also complete every patch addition to the MSQ, which can run you extra dozens of quests.
The most recent Live Letter from the Producer was a sort of first feedback from producer Naoki Yoshida on immediate concerns following the launch of Shadowbringers. While many class tuning and fun facts about the lore were discussed, one particular answer dropped a major plan.
The following is translated from Japanese thanks to the FFXIV Community Team on the Lodestone:
The rest of the thread is available here. Most of these answers are directly from producer Yoshida with additional information from sound director Masayoshi Soken.
Final Fantasy XIV has never tried to push newcomers into the most recent expansion. There’s never been, as World of Warcraft so constantly pushes, a free character boost to only play through the recent expansion. The Main Story Quest in FFXIV is a lengthy tale of plot points from many moons ago becoming relevant over time. Whether or not you remember that specific character or conversation, it will come back around soon enough.
You’re more than welcome to purchase a job boost and story skip if you please but mind, the impact of the narrative is in the long journey you’ve had with the characters. Still, many onlookers complain about the length of the story and indeed leveling an alt character is a Sisyphean task. Now, the only question is when the changes are implemented.
It’s very likely patch 5.3 is a ways off into next year. We’re currently sitting on Patch 5.05 going into August. The actual scope of the changes are likely to be a topic of much discussion in a future Live Letter.
Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers is out on PC and PS4.
