By Jeff Webb October 2, 2020 Tech

The latest update for the game, Patch 5.3, has arrived, and not only does it include a wealth of new material for players that are present, but it basically kicks the door wide open for newcomers too.
The development team has revisited the base game – ffxiv world status: A Realm Reborn – and made some serious alterations to make it more composed. Not only that, the Free Trial has been radically expanded and it now features a huge amount of material to play with! But what exactly does all that mean? We thought we would take a better look at what’s been done to explain exactly why it is the ideal time to jump into the game.

A Realm Reborn has been… erm, reborn

Okay, let’s lay our (Triple Triad) cards on the table: FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn in its original form was a big game. Some might say it was a bit too big…

The development team set out with the goal of ensuring a smoother travel through primary scenario for newer gamers, and took measures to streamline that original main situation, including all narrative content through Patch 2.5. Some quests are changed, others are removed completely, but it basically means you spend less time to-ing and fro-ing between different quest-givers, and more time doing the fun things like battling fearsome foes, researching the varied locales of Eorzea and undergoing the game’s fascinating story. Not only that, but components like expertise and quest rewards also have been corrected to account for the newest changes. It makes the development faster and more rewarding than ever before.

Let us be clear however, A Realm Reborn’s effort nonetheless provides an exciting adventure. This is still as rich and deep as you’d expect from a last FANTASY game – just streamlined so you can continue your experience in Heavensward and beyond a little more quickly, and a much more welcoming experience to fresh players than previously.

There are other developments to A Realm Reborn that may benefit both new and seasoned gamers. After you’ve completed”The Ultimate Weapon” pursuit (you’ll need to be at level 50), you’ll be able to research ARR areas onto a flying mount. As long distance gamers can tell you: this is a big deal. Until the latest patch, players are grounded in A Realm Reborn’s varied locales, but they now have the liberty to soar through the sky like a majestic chocobo. Or dragon. Or something more wacky – there are plenty of mounts to select from. Not only is this unusually freeing, it makes it even more fast and convenient to explore Eorzea – and ideal for anybody coming to the game for the first time.

Heavensward is included in the Free Trial and Starter Edition

Up to now, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online has seen three expansions: Heavensward, Stormblood and most recently – Shadowbringers.

Fans will debate endlessly about which of these expansions has the best story – even here in Square Enix HQ you’re hear that specific dialogue play out! Some love the political shenanigans of Stormblood, while some can not stop singing the praises of Shadowbringers’ tale of light and darkness. But Heavensward’s stirring story of war and dragons is a particular favorite among fans. Not only did it expand the world of Hydaelyn in some pretty dramatic ways, it introduced an emotional adventure that stands up alongside the best stories in the last FANTASY series – yes, it’s that good.

And today it is included in both the ffxiv data center split Online Free Trial and Starter Edition as conventional – together with all the material up to Patch 3.56. Suffice to say, that is a good deal of quests, dungeons, and content to enjoy.

Three added jobs are now also included as standard

The updates to the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Free Trial and Starter Edition add three new tasks for players of these versions of the game: Black Knight, Astrologian, and Machinist. Previously, you would not have the ability to enjoy these tasks unless you purchased the Heavensward expansion, but that it is included in the Free Trial and Starter Edition, you can dive right into at least one of these jobs as soon as you reach level 50 with a Disciple of Magic or War job and fill out the A Realm Reborn situation. This is fantastic, because they’re super-fun to play. For instance, Dark Knights are tough armor-clad warriors who may take lots of hits from enemies as they restore HP and MP with attacks from their massive greatswords – ideal for all those people who prefer to face their enemies head on. Astrologians are a great option for anyone who likes to lend a helping hand – they are healers who use their mastery of their arcana to assist their allies and help turn the tide of conflicts. Machinists are gear-heads who will bring all sorts of fun gizmos to battle – a really unique job which provides a different experience–and robots (once you’re experienced !) . Obviously, all these are at the top of all the jobs that were contained in A Realm Reborn. There is so many different ways to play – and as you can change jobs at any time, there is countless hours of gameplay to be had just experimenting with the different jobs and roles.

The Free Trial is currently MASSIVE

As mentioned, everything we have talked about so much is also from the expanded Free Trial. That means you can now essentially play two complete RPGs-worth of articles for free – no extra charge, without any obligation. Along with this additional material, the Free Trial’s degree cap has also been improved. There’s no time limitation on the Free Trial either, so don’t worry about hurrying through. Take your time, explore the world, experiment with the different jobs, hang with Haurchefant (he is the best) and you will quickly know if it is for you. We’re pretty sure it will be. Sign up for the Free Trial The new content has been automatically added to existing players’ accounts

It’s not only new gamers that have access to all of this additional content–anyone who’s played ffxiv data centres Online before, if you bought the first A Realm Reborn or the Starter Edition – may even have Heavensward and its own content and benefits added to their accounts.

To start playing, all you need to do would be re-subscribe to the match. Once you log on, you’ll find the full Heavensward adventure is already there ready to perform (when you finish a Realm Reborn, of course). It could not be simpler! Resubscribe into FINAL FANTASY XIV Online FINAL FANTASY XIV Online was always designed for a welcoming game – one that’s easy to get to grips with, which offers an enjoyable adventure for teams and solo players alike. The reworked A Realm Reborn situation makes it easier to enter – or back into – and also the addition of Heavensward for many players will provide you even more of a fantastic match… and ridiculously good value.

The game is available now – hopefully we’ll see you all in Eorzea shortly!