The new Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker expansion is nearly here and it boasts many impressive new features, all of which were detailed in the latest Letter to the Producer stream earlier today - including a proper introduction to the new FFXIV PvP mode called Crystal Conflict, which sounds like it'll be a more casual-orientated version of Overwatch's Escort mode.
Square Enix previously announced that the next Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter stream hosted by producer Naoki Yoshida would provide details on the game's new "casual-orientated" PvP mode, and they delivered on that promise with the reveal of Crystal Conflict - which will be added to the MMO in patch 6.1.
In Crystal Conflict, two teams of five players have to push a giant crystal in the centre of the map to their scoring area in the other team's base. This is similar to Overwatch's payload in Escort mode except that it's far smaller-scale with more basic maps, although there will be traps or gimmicks on the map - the stream illustrated this with a big Bomberman-style explosion.
RELATED LINKS: FFXIV Shadowbringers review, FFXIV Gunbreaker job guide, FFXIV Dancer job guide
I feel pretty lucky to have grown up with Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptations of JRR Tolkien's seminal The Lord of the Rings novels. While the movies remain some of the best pieces of fantasy ever put to celluloid, and can be easily purchased and enjoyed online, the same can't be said for the best Lord of the Rings games on PC: The Battle for Middle-earth series.
There have been plenty of videogames set in Middle-earth since The Battle for Middle-earth II was released in 2006, but they've all struggled to capture the diversity and scope of Tolkien's world. Shadow of War came close with its multi-stage siege warfare, but your role as a commander is much more hands-on than in Battle for Middle-earth, so it always feels like Talion against the armies of Sauron, rather than a large-scale battle between two factions.
So, given that several major Middle-earth books have been published in the 15 years since BFME2's release, and games like Age of Empires 4 and the Total War series are proving people are still hungry for RTS games, what if there was a new Battle for Middle-earth game?
RELATED LINKS: Best strategy games on PC, Best RTS games
The big Final Fantasy XIV Letter to the Producer stream for this month detailed many interesting changes and adjustments coming to the MMO in the coming weeks, despite the slight delay of the Endwalker expansion - including the surprising change that players will now get a proper spearfishing minigame when hunting in murky waters.
Spearfishing was introduced into Final Fantasy XIV way back in the Stormblood expansion when that was released in 2017. Other than the requirement of being a level 61 Fisher and having completed various quests beforehand, the process of spearfishing is very simple and has remained unchanged since it was introduced - find some teeming waters, use the spear on them, catch fish.
That's set to change in the Endwalker expansion and patch 6.1. As illustrated by producer Naoki Yoshida in the Letter to the Producer stream, now when players go to spear fish after finding the sparkling teeming waters areas they will activate a fun little minigame instead - so they're directly harpooning the fish they catch.
RELATED LINKS: FFXIV Shadowbringers review, FFXIV Gunbreaker job guide, FFXIV Dancer job guide
Square Enix has delayed Final Fantasy XIV's Endwalker expansion by two weeks. The new slice of content was initially due to release on November 23, 2021, but will now be available on December 7. If you have early access, you can jump in on December 3.
In a blog post on the MMORPG's website, producer Naoki Yoshida explains that releasing Endwalker on time was always going to come down "right to the wire". He also points to the dual nature of his role, as he oversees the project as the producer while being the director in charge of development. In the end, Yoshida thought the expansion could be better, and making those improvements ate into the time the team would have been using to make sure Endwalker was stable enough to run for players.
"At this rate, there was a bigger risk of us reaching the release date without ensuring stability as one form of quality, and for that reason, I have decided to postpone the release at this time," he says. "As we also anticipate large amounts of congestion across all game worlds, I felt that even in this respect it wouldn't be right for us to release the expansion while lacking adequate stability. I am truly sorry."
RELATED LINKS: FFXIV Shadowbringers review, FFXIV Gunbreaker job guide, FFXIV Dancer job guide
Looking for the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker release date? Endwalker is the fourth expansion to the game in eight years of its realm being reborn from that disastrous first outing - and what a difference that time makes. It's now easily one of the best MMOs on PC and for good reason.
Thanks to an influx of information, we now know more about this expansion. It promises to be even more epic than the rest, as the post from Square Enix bills it as the climax of the story that started back when A Realm Reborn was first released. Other new features include two new jobs to master, a new playable race, several new locations and dungeons to explore, and an update to the level cap. In a recent Letter from the Producer, we now know various job adjustments are coming to Endwalker, adding new actions, but mainly tweaking existing classes.
It's time to take up your arms and prepare for a grand new challenge - join us as we take you through everything you need to know about Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker, including the Endwalker release date, what we know about the sage and reaper jobs, and every other new feature coming to the latest expansion.
RELATED LINKS: FFXIV Shadowbringers review, FFXIV Gunbreaker job guide, FFXIV Dancer job guide
Earlier this week, Ubisoft and EA's CEOs said they saw NFTs and the blockchain as part of the future of gaming. Now Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has joined in, telling GamesIndustry.biz that he's "a big believer" in NFTs - albeit with caveats.
We already knew that Halo Infinite's battle passes won't expire, but now 343 Industries have revealed more about its first season to IGN.
Half-Life: Alyx is a game I think about revisiting near constantly, and a short machinima called Protectors makes a strong case for finally doing so. It's six minutes long, beautifully animated, and embedded below.
This weekend we welcome many other countries to join us in Normal Time, the terrible timezones where for some reason we think it's cool to have sunset happen while people are still at work. Sure come on in, plenty of misery and vitamin D deficiency for everyone. Please, Summer Time all year round. For now, tell me, what are you playing this weekend?
Current and former Ubisoft staff have launched a petition asking for public support in their efforts to compel Ubisoft to meet their demands. They want Ubisoft to do more to reform in teh wake of last year's allegations of abuse within the company, and to include employees more in the process.
Atlus has released another of its trailers showcasing the 200+ demons of its upcoming JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V one by one.
The post Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch Gets New Trailer Showing Mara in Action appeared first on Twinfinite.
Today Kodansha Creators' Lab and Hiro Mashima had a special announcement to share during the Indie Live Expo Winter 2021.
The post Fairy Tail Creator Looking for Developers To Make a New Game From His Manga (And Will Pay For It) appeared first on Twinfinite.
Today, during the Indie Live Expo Winter 2021 Kodansha Creators' Lab and Shoji Meguro presented a brand new game titled Guns Undarkness.
The post Guns Undarkness By Persona 5 Composer Shoji Meguro Revealed With Art by Ilya Kuvshinov appeared first on Twinfinite.
Square Enix hosted the 67th Final Fantasy XIV Letter From the Producer Live revealing new details about the upcoming expansion Endwalker.
The post Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Details, Screenshots, & Videos Revealed for PvP, Housing, Gear, & Much More appeared first on Twinfinite.
The bug occurs when players attempt to remodel a villager's home while the airport gates are open.
The post Nintendo Addresses Animal Crossing New Horizons DLC Bug appeared first on Siliconera.
Less pressure on your inventory.
The post FFXIV Endwalker Gathering Cuts High-Quality Materials appeared first on Siliconera.
The upcoming 6.1 Patch for FFXIV will add a new 5v5 PvP mode, as well as series rewards that unlock special mounts, gear, and items.
The post FFXIV 6.1 Patch Will Overhaul PvP, Adding a New 5v5 Mode and Series Rewards appeared first on Siliconera.
Upon the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker launch, players may experience a level reset that could set back some of their progress.
The post FFXIV Endwalker May Reset Your Level Progress appeared first on Siliconera.
You better bend before I go in the first car to Mexico Last month I had the pleasure of previewing Forza...
The post Review: Forza Horizon 5 appeared first on Destructoid.
Happy Birthday to Me (yesterday) Hello, friends of Destructoid, and welcome to Whatcha Been Playing? This weekend is a bit...
The post Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid? appeared first on Destructoid.
Final Fantasy XIV had another Live Letter from the Producer last night, and let's get the bad news out of the way first: Endwalker is delayed. The good news is that it's only been delayed by two weeks, with the new launch date being 7 December. Early Access is still four days prior, mind, and will now be on 3 December. The other good news is that there's a launch trailer. That aside we've also got details on the post-launch schedule, with a few patches and new bits of content hitting in rapid succession shortly after launch. Endwalker delayed There's a rather sizeable post up on the Lodestone in which Yosida-san explains (and apologises for) the delay. From what I can gather this delay was extremely last minute, to the extent it may have only been decided shortly before the Live Letter itself. Yoshi-P writes that the biggest factor behind the delay was his "selfishness as the game's director." Essentially, with Endwalker being the lar...