Looking forward to an excellent new year in Eorzea!
With the turn of the page, a new year starts. What does it mean for Eorzea and FFXIV players? It means more improvements to the game, enjoyable content, and things to look forward to. The life of a live-service game means consistent updates, so this is just part of the norm. However, 2023 is unique because of a few things. They may not relate to farming FFXIV Gil much, but we’re sure players will have fun nonetheless.
Fan Festivals are Returning This 2023
The FFXIV Fan Festivals were significant events that celebrated the game. Cosplays, exhibits, keynotes, and even performances are part of the schedule. It’s where players from all over can congregate and share their love of all things Final Fantasy XIV.
Due to the pandemic, the restrictions didn’t allow this event to be held in person. The developers turned to digital platforms to stream the festival, but it was never the same. It’s different from experiencing the crowds, seeing cosplays in person, and picking out merchandise you can touch instead of buying from the in-game FFXIV store.
Fortunately, the Fan Fest is returning to its former format of an in-person event this year. It will be held in 3 locations and on different dates:
- Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada (US) July 28-29, 2023
- ExCeL London, London (UK) October 21-22, 2023
- Japan (no specific venue yet), in early 2024
The last one has yet to be concrete, so fans living nearby must wait longer for their festival. Still, it’s an exciting thought to reconnect with fellow players and enthusiasts physically.
Content Updates in 2023
According to a roadmap released early last year, all sorts of things are planned until the next expansion’s release (patch 7.0). As of February 2023, the game has reached patch 6.3. Its highlights include:
- New Main Story Quests
- New Quests
- Updates to FATEs, Areas, and Housing
- New Ultimate Raids
- Changes to a few systems
In April or May, we can expect patch 6.4, and then later in August or September, patch 6.5 will come. Beyond those, nothing has been announced to be sure. However, some sharp-eyed redditors noticed that because the next expansion is teased in parts every Fan Fest, they expect 7.0 to come mid-2024. Director and producer Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) wanted to give the team more time to rest during the development cycle. By doing so, they can keep up the high quality of game updates, all while leaving enough time for leisure breaks and stress relief.
Fans will have to wait longer than usual for new patches, and those stack up to a long wait for the next expansion. Still, this can result in better-quality releases, and the dev team will be better prepared for the surge of players on release. There wouldn’t be a need to suspend new sales to manage it, and everything would go smoothly.
A Controversial Win
If you’ve been watching the news about FFXIV, you’ve probably heard about the controversy with the first clearers of the Omega Protocol (Ultimate). It’s been found out that they cheated during the raid and had their FFXIV accounts’ achievements revoked.
The developers may overlook graphics overhauls, extra camera features, or modded hairstyle, but they draw the line at getting advantages in raids. That is the primary reason for revoking their achievement because it was an unfair win. This could mean a stricter restriction on the use of mods, but hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.
Though this ultimately is not something to celebrate or be happy about, it certainly makes things more interesting. With the titles revoked, they’re up for grabs again, and maybe this time, the next team can get them reasonably.
With all kinds of content updates and things you can never really predict, FFXIV is sure to keep its players on their toes in anticipation.
Look Forward to 2023 in FFXIV!
Many things are still uncertain about the updates and plans, but we know that whatever the dev team has planned, we’ll enjoy whatever they release for the game. Also, with the Fan Fest, players and fans alike have somewhere to go physically for the first time in forever.
There’s so much fun to be had with FFXIV, in real life or in-game. Sometimes, it drives players to buy Gil, but that’s their preference for how they enjoy the game. Keep on playing FFXIV, and go on your adventures in Eorzea.
