Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers’ Twist Is a Total 180

Staff – July 2, 2019 at 11:07 AM

Until now, Final Fantasy XIV Online players have spent their entire careers in the MMORPG playing as Warriors of Light. Because this is a role-playing game we’re talking about, light and darkness aren’t just philosophical or moral concepts but cosmic entities, major forces that have a significant role in shaping FFXIV’s universe and often manifest in physical, personified forms. In fact, the Warrior of Light archetype appears a number of times throughout the Final Fantasy series, usually as a playable protagonist who is tasked with preventing the world from becoming swallowed by overwhelming darkness.

Final Fantasy XIV Online’s latest expansion, Shadowbringers, is built around an intriguing idea: What would happen if light were to overtake darkness? What if an overabundance of light could cause destruction and unruliness? And — most importantly — who would step in to restore the balance? The answer, naturally, is you, if you’re up to the challenge.

In Shadowbringers, players must doff their title as the Warrior of Light and accept their new role as the Warrior of Darkness, venturing for the very first time outside of Hydaelyn and into the First World. In addition to the new storyline, the expansion also adds two new playable jobs — the Gunbreaker and the Dancer — as well as a Trust system that opens up new ways for solo adventurers to play.

Naoki Yoshida, Producer and Director of FFXIV Online, explained that Square Enix wanted to bring nuance to the way light and darkness are presented in FFXIV’s universe. Rather than assign moral value to light and darkness, Shadowbringers’ narrative seeks to complicate their relationship and suggest that both are necessary elements of a balanced system.

“The world can’t exist with light alone, and the same can be said for darkness. As we delve into the core story of FFXIV, we feel that darkness also needs to have time to tell its side of the story,” Yoshida said. “Plus the phrase ‘the Warrior of Light becomes the Warrior of Darkness’ just sounds awesome, doesn’t it?”

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Shadowbringers’ story will take players to Norvrandt, a First World region that has been ravaged by a calamity known as the Flood of Light. The denizens of Norvrandt are not only plagued by constant light at every hour of the day but are also threatened by creatures called “Sin-Eaters.”

As players investigate Norvrandt, they’ll encounter a number of its inhabitants, some of whom are determined to fight for their lives and some of whom are resigned to their fate, awaiting their imminent doom. “As for what is correct and what is ideal — well, you’ll just to find the answer to that yourself,” Yoshida said.

Aside from blowing the mind of every hopeful Warrior of Light, what’s especially impressive about this narrative conceit is that it has a palpable visual effect on each player’s individual experience. As the player continues to help restore nighttime to Norvrandt, the world’s scenery changes to reflect this progression slowly becoming enveloped in more and more darkness. However, each player will see a differently darkened version of Novrandt depending on their past actions.

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One of the biggest challenges of designing an MMO is maintaining a continuous shared world while allowing every player to feel as though they have a meaningful role in the game’s central story. Shadowbringers mediates this tension by personalizing each player’s environment without compromising the ability to share space with others. “Even public fields will have different scenery for each different player, which is a new system we’ve implemented,” Yoshida said.

To further support the player’s individual experience, Shadowbringers provides even more tools for people who prefer to play FFXIV solo. “In order to enjoy the story, we thought it would be good to allow people to dive in on their own,” Yoshida said. “Just because it’s an MMORPG, doesn’t mean that you definitely have to play it alongside someone else.”

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The newly established “Trust” system allows players to bring the familiar faces of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn along to aid them in dungeons as NPCs, without having to rely on other humans to fill essential party roles. Not only does this make the game more palatable to solo adventurers, but it also allows players to be more attentive to the game’s story and navigate the lore at their own pace. “We were keen to emphasize the emotional bonds between players and the characters introduced in the story, and introducing the ability to fight alongside your comrades presented us with an interesting opportunity to do so,” Yoshida said.

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These additions make now a perfect time to hop into Final Fantasy XIV Online. The Trust system allows you to make your way through its robust/critically-acclaimed storyline in whatever way you feel most comfortable, and with two new jobs to try out, the game’s roster of roles is more robust than ever.

“FFXIV currently is lucky enough to receive a huge amount of passion-filled support from across the globe, and with all of them I hope to enjoy a festival of darkness,” Yoshida said. “First time players, those who haven’t played in a while, and, of course, those still playing as Warriors of Light: Let’s throw ourselves into this crazily exciting world together!”

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is launching on PC today.