FFXIV Upcoming Patch Information 2.3 (July 8)

[Cutriss]

Related to the Coerthas map discussion:



Note that on this map, there are zone lines indicated. At the Big Bridge, the zone line text indicates that it would return to Gridania (in 1.0, this route led through Coerthas Eastern Lowlands past Owl's Nest into the Crimson Bark area (where Thornmarch/Turning Leaf used to be). Additionally, there are ambiguously marked zonelines for the current Mor Dhona route (which could be changed to insert Coerthas Central Lowlands) and the current "shortcut" into Northern Tinolqa (Black Shroud). Other zonelines are marked for what would be Coerthas Eastern Highlands, Coerthas Western Highlands, and Dragon's Aery.

[Rocl]

I'm wary of using that old concept art nowadays. The Northern Thanalan one had half the zone removed and put into Castrum Meridanium and some of the La Noscea shit was like Wanderer's Palace being not-a-dungeon.

And, using Reinheart's translation of the map here:
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/6...tandardffx.jpg

the zone jump to Gridania would be exactly where it is in 2.0, the Griffin Crossing Bridge is still a "dead end" in this map as it is currently in game

well, maybe, i can't read jap so maybe some of that teeny text says something different, but the Griffin Crossing bridge should take us to Camp Glory if old Coerthas exists

[Qeomash]

1.0 was actually seamless zones? I thought that because there was a full loading screen zoneline between the regions SE had just fudged the whole thing and made massive zones the size of FFXI regions. TIL

[Rocl]

yes the black-screen loading in 1.0 can be best described as changing "regions" in FFXI terms, Thanalan was still divided into several zones and if your connection was shitty/the game was being finicky you could run through a zone line (which was invisible) and see no monsters only for all of them to suddenly spawn and murder you

[Jinn]

yes the black-screen loading in 1.0 can be best described as changing "regions" in FFXI terms, Thanalan was still divided into several zones and if your connection was shitty/the game was being finicky you could run through a zone line (which was invisible) and see no monsters only for all of them to suddenly spawn and murder you

/curls into ball in corner

oh memories~

All this seamless talking got me wondering how they want to introduce swimming and flying then... Dungeons only? The outer worlds getting fucked by instanced zones and crazy ilvl... everythings a pushover D:

[Rocl]

idk but going to the Sahagin city on the bottom of the Indigo Deep is on my bucket list

[Kaisha]

All this 1.0 talk makes me kinda wish SE kept a couple servers running the old game as a bit of a no-frills museum thing for ARR subscribers. Only ever explored the starter regions when it launched, nothing more. Wouldn't be a bad way to get the backstory in with the battles proper, while watching my video card catch on fire.


Shiva feels like it'd have to be an expansion pack primal. I just don't see them budgeting a new open zone for one primal off a typical content update, and there isn't really anywhere they could squeeze her in currently that wouldn't feel contrived further than the existing bunch. Only the Sylphs got themselves a nice chunk of land (borrowed from 1.0 I assume), where-as the rest got a dinky outpost/cavern, with a couple blocked passageways for whatever additions they make in the future.

[Rocl]

I don't understand the "borrowed from 1.0" comment? All of the beastmen areas, sans Sahagin are the same size/place they were in 1.0?
The difference is, from a lore perspective, places like Zahar'ak and Natalan aren't the main 'city' of the beastmen whereas Moonspore Grove was for the Sylphs.

The homelands of the Ixal and Amalj'aa are still locked, and it's implied the Kobold have more cities underneath Vyldbrand.

[Seravi Edalborez]

The dinky caverns were pretty much 1.0 as well. At least in the case of the Amalj/Ixal/Kobolds. Granted it was a bit more of an ordeal to get deeper in since open world mobs were mildly threatening.

[Sephiroth]

I think there's definitely more Coerthas maps to come. SE went into the trouble of specifically labeling the existing zone Coerthas Central Highlands rather than just Coerthas. Mor Dhona being the only other single zone region right now is just called Mor Dhona.

[Raldo]

Only the Sylphs got themselves a nice chunk of land (borrowed from 1.0 I assume), where-as the rest got a dinky outpost/cavern, with a couple blocked passageways for whatever additions they make in the future.

I believe it was said at one point back in 1.0 that the beastmen strongholds were more of an outpost than the actual main living area where most of the beastmen live. This is the most obvious for the Sahagin, since their main city is underwater. The Kobold probably live underground and/or along the sides of the mountains (you can see houses/furnaces adorning the sides of the mountain, and their presence in Lower/East/Upper/Outer La Nosc. indicates that the mountain isn't the only place they reside. The Sylphs seem to be the exception, however, as that area back there seems to be their main place of residence.

Alternate reasoning: The beastmen strongholds added in 1.0 were patched in, but the Sylphs had their shit in from the very beginning. It was pretty freaking huge and dangerous too (and almost entirely unused for anything interesting, except for one story quest).

[Rocl]

Mor Dhona being the only other single zone region right now is just called Mor Dhona.

Honestly, even though Mor Dhona always felt small, I still want the southern half of it back :\

[Cutriss]

Same.

Also looking forward to A Beadeaux Reborn.

[OWS_Tonx]

never ever that

[Jinn]

Same.

Also looking forward to A Beadeaux Reborn.

Quadavs O-o?!

[Qeomash]

I'd be okay with FFXI's Orcs coming back to be Shiva's beastmen.

[Waraji]

If Orcs/Yagudo/Quadav, I'd hope they'd spruce up the originals designs... Orcs were always Meh looking, as opposed to every other orc in the Square/Enix universe. Yagudo with those raised asses (under all those feathers). And the Quadav... Not sure how else to represent a Turtle but.. I mean I don't want some Turtle people from FF7 or anything.

[Edelweiss]

Aren't Orcs supposed to be... well, pigs?

[OWS_Tonx]

I never really thought of them as pigs, just kinda their own creature

[Kaisha]

I believe it was said at one point back in 1.0 that the beastmen strongholds were more of an outpost than the actual main living area where most of the beastmen live. This is the most obvious for the Sahagin, since their main city is underwater. The Kobold probably live underground and/or along the sides of the mountains (you can see houses/furnaces adorning the sides of the mountain, and their presence in Lower/East/Upper/Outer La Nosc. indicates that the mountain isn't the only place they reside. The Sylphs seem to be the exception, however, as that area back there seems to be their main place of residence.

The homelands of the Ixal and Amalj'aa are still locked, and it's implied the Kobold have more cities underneath Vyldbrand.

I was more going on the actual real-estate SE provided to the players which already felt contrived, but I wasn't aware they were that small in 1.0 also.

I recalled seeing some shots of an inaccessible area in 1.0 Coerthas that had a fuckton of Ixali flags about it, and assumed there was more like that. All you get as a tease in ARR regarding visible beastmen homes is the Ixali's large amounts of outposts to the south east of Natalan, and the pointlessly inaccessible amount of wall-houses for the Kobolds and Amalj'aa, with not much of a clue how they even access those outside of a blocked gate or two.

Guess I could say I've been spoiled by XI having proper 'outposts' for most of their beastmen races and was just expecting a little more, and wanted said 'more' for Shiva when she gets her eventual appearance.

And on the subject of Orcs/Quadav/Yagudo for XIV, I'm all game, as long as they get the proper retop/texture treatment, unlike half of the shit they lifted from XI/XII and slapped a specular layer on top, that stand out pretty bad amongst mobs that originated from 1.0.