I concur with PC Gamer’s Mollie Taylor, my fellow Last Fantasy 14 enjoyer on our illustrious workers, that FF14’s Occult Crescent patch has made the sport really feel like an MMO once more. I really obtained downright emotional, hopping into my first vital encounter and seeing swarms of strangers crowding round an opportunity to provide a boss a beatdown: ‘Oh,’ I assumed, ‘I am enjoying an MMO once more’.
However with that pleasure got here a recognition of just about a full yr of malaise, seeing desolate buddy lists and linkshells lie empty. A malaise that, a minimum of unofficially, has been backed up by numbers (thanks, Automaton).
LuckyBancho has run an unofficial census for years—given these aren’t official numbers from Sq. Enix, they need to be taken with a hefty pinch of salt, however they are not a nasty temperature test for the way the playerbase is doing.
LuckyBancho compiles this census by way of the Lodestone, a personality repository hosted by Sq. Enix. To find out whether or not a personality is ‘energetic’ or not, they measure sure parameters towards their prior survey outcomes. These embrace issues like modifications in HP or XP, acquiring new minions or mounts, and the like.
Their estimate of energetic accounts is roughly 950,000—and whereas this quantity cannot be taken at precise face worth, it is considerably decrease than their prior variety of 990,000, obtained utilizing the identical methodology.
LuckyBancho additionally has a distinct batch of knowledge that tracks achievements, putting them right into a graph. This info is obtained in quarterly segments, so it isn’t fairly completed but (the newest quarter will finish in June) however there is a clear downward development, and “there was no motion to reverse” it because the final quarter.
All of this information was obtained in direction of patch 7.25, which myself and Mollie are having fun with very a lot—and it will be attention-grabbing to see if it injects some life again into Sq. Enix’s money-making child. And, to be clear, a recreation with virtually 1 million gamers in it’s in no way lifeless. However I can take a number of good guesses as to why issues’ve gotten this fashion.
FF14 has a content material launch schedule drawback—not simply within the gaps between patches, however within the prioritisation of content material itself. Dawntrail launched with no repeatable midcore content material—’Midcore’ being outlined as content material the place your mind is engaged, however you do not want tight communication or excessive mechanical abilities. In World of Warcraft, these can be world quests, repute grinds, delves, and (debatably) the early keystones of Mythic+.
As an alternative Inventive Studio 3 made, as soon as once more, the backwards resolution to schedule all of these items almost a yr after the enlargement’s launch, prioritising Savage Raids, Excessive Trials, and Ultimates over, you already know, stuff that almost all of its playerbase goes to do. Something that is not that tier of issue was both mind-numbingly simple (FATEs, treasure dungeons, society quests, and new story dungeons) or on a weekly lockout (Alliance Raids and Regular Raids).
There’s additionally the elephant within the room that Sq. Enix principally would not know do world content material. Dawntrail’s zones are downright beautiful and to be recommended, and I’ve spent principally no time in them—I grinded out all my FATEs like a month after launch, after which by no means left the primary metropolis once more until it is for treasure maps, gathering nodes, or society quests. You might be both doing a particular dungeon or raid or trial, otherwise you’re doing nothing in any respect.
Then there’s the sport’s story—FF14 has traditionally been stored aloft by big participant investments in its narrative and, whereas the newest patches have made big enhancements, the enlargement as an entire has missed the mark. You’ll be able to learn my full ideas in these hyperlinks, however that good will is really fractured. Solely time will inform if Sq. Enix can flip the great ship FF14 round, and navigate again to the glory days of Shadowbringers.