Sagacyte's BG corner

Warning: 3.2 spoilers will be all over this post. All over. It's 90% spoilers. So many spoilers. Spoilers. SPOILERS.

The Gears of Change have started to turn in Final Fantasy XIV and the end of the Dragonsong War looms in the horizon. Adventurers have been given a lot of new things to do, from fresh players learning the basic ropes to seasoned raiders facing the new areas within the mechanical Primal: Alexander. What did I think of it? Is the patch a success?

Main Story Quests (MSQ)

After Heavensward's great base story, the first patch's story set up a few important themes. We were introduced to Kryle "sexiest voice alive" Baldesion and the Warrior of Darkness, found Thancred, and found out - via a failed assassination attempt - that there are Ishgardians not too fond of the idea of being all friendly with the dragons in this new "the Pope lied" world.

3.2 continues with an attempt to find another missing Scyon: Minfilia, who was also missing since the events that closed A Realm Reborn. After an incursion into the Antitower (a Sharlayan research facility on the aether) we find our Scion but she's no longer herself - she is now the The Word of the Mother, an avatar of the Mother Crystal, who explains a bit of the conflict between Light and Dark before fading due to the Crystal's delicate state.

Meanwhile, Ishgard plans to have an event in Falcon's Nest to improve their relations with the dragons, but things hit a snag when the youngest son of House Fortemps accidentally has a guard kill a protester. To cool things down, Aymeric calls for a grand melee between Ishgard and the other members of the Eorzean Alliance, but not before asking you to represent his country in this event. After a fun encounter with forces from all countries, finishing with a one-on-one battle with Raubahn, you are successful and bring a rush of positivism to Ishgardians, which prompts to resume the peace talks.

Alas, at the very last moment, Estinien shows up and seriously hurts Vidofnir who was the dragon's representative. Estinien then uses the power of the Eyes to transform into Nidhogg and warns that war isn't over, throwing Ishgardians into a panic... only rage in their hearts. The Dragonsong War isn't over, but the ending conflict is near. All this happens while the Warrior of Darkness looks from the distance.

The story is much more filling than 3.1's was, as it's really starting to gear up for the end of the war, which will probably happen in 3.3 or 3.4.

New dungeons

The Antitower is linked to the MSQ so it's theoretically mandatory. It's a fun dungeon (I'd know, I capped Lore tomes by doing it over and over) that is an upside down castle where Sharlayans researched the aether at the center of the planet. The endhouses six Calcas and Brenas awaiting the adventurer, joining together to form the nightmare-inducing Calcobrena.

The Lost City of Amdapor HM takes us back to the bug-infested city, but detours into brighter areas where we attempt to stop defense mechanisms from harming elementals of the forest. This is a side quest dungeon, so it's not mandatory (unless you wanna open the Ex Roulette).

Alexander Midas

The second wing (or rather "arm") of Alexander opens and we once more venture into the mechanical colossus to stop the Illuminati goblins from whatever it is they're planning.

Midas becomes a much bigger area than Gordias, and we can see the lengths of the goblin infestation. New robot defenses face the adventurers including a set of four robots that join together to form Brute Justice - a fun homage to japanese monster shows of the 60s/70s, including a groovy theme.

The first time Alexander released back in 3.05 the story was considered one of its weakest points. It was hard to stand up to the Binding Coil of Bahamut, which was an integral part of the A Realm Reborn story; Alexander could have just showed up one day and it would make perfect sense in the context of it all. Midas takes what little we knew of it and expands it a bit further. Mide's former crush's soul is apparently trapped inside Alexander, and there's now a goblin plot of playing with time itself, something that Alexander seems to be able to do. The stakes have been raised, and I want to know where it goes.

Sephirot

The newest Primal battle pits us against the first of the three Warring Triad: Sephirot. All three Eikons are awakening, but the first one to be a danger is our current foe, thus it must be dispatched.

A tree-Primal for the ancient Meracydians, Sephirot's battle is another fun encounter with interesting mechanics. The music for this encounter (both phases) is once more one of the highlights of the patch; it includes an awesome remix of The Fierce Battle, from Final Fantasy VI.

Vath tribe quests

The poor Vath, former members of the One-mind of the Gnath, keep searching for a brighter tomorrow in the arid Forelands. When a new Vath ends up trapped in Tailfeather, he soon finds that he can be useful by providing locals with resources in exchange for food for its tribe. Thus the Vath become a sort of "Adventurer's Guild" in the middle of Avalonia, with daily requests and rewards, including a weird new mount.

Hildibrand

Our Lord and Savior is back! In a short couple of quests, you find Hildibrand stranded in the Coerthas Western Highlands. With the aid of Godbert, Nashu and a clumsy Inquisitor named Cyr, you rescue Hildibrand who in turn finds an old mammet with curious clothing. Hildibrand, the good soul that he is, offers to help find the mammet's true name and purpose!

More to come!

There's a bunch of new crafting recipes, new gear to be obtained with tomes, new minions and mounts! There's a new PvP event coming pretty soon called The Feast, which seems to be a ranked PvP mode - here's to hoping it becomes a success! I am not that much of a PvP player but people have been clamoring for a more viable and serious form of player versus player environment. Let's not forget about the Halls of the Novice and the Mentor System (which I won't touch much upon since I haven't done them yet).

The next patch, 3.3, will likely come in three months time, so we have a lot of time to catch up. My goals this patch: farm tomes, get new gear, and attempt Alexander Midas Savage. So far I'm having fun, and it looks like it will go on for a while! 3.2 is a success!

See you in Eorzea!

- Sagacyte