Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood

1. Drakon

   Jun 20, 2017

   10

   Stormblood sets a new standard for what not just an expansion should be, but the modern mmo genre as a whole. While ultimately it is a newStormblood sets a new standard for what not just an expansion should be, but the modern mmo genre as a whole. While ultimately it is a new story featuring new and different lands, enemies, and characters from what we have known, the developers have gone above and beyond to make everything feel fresh, with smart reworks of every job, a complete overhaul of the existing pvp. and fun, *varied* dungeons. The story takes place directly after the events of "Heavensward's" finale patch "The Far Edge of Fate," and hits the ground running. I don't recall a recent game in which they explored so many aspects of war, be it the enslaved, the endangered, or the bystanders, this story is dark to say the least. It brings new cultures and ideals to the already lore heavy game without any need for a retcon. All in all this is the perfect representation of the best of 14, it is truly something special, and an adventure you won't want to miss.… Expand

   • 10 of 17 users found this helpful
2. Kouyou

   Jul 10, 2017

   10

   Some indepth review after beating all content and getting Heal, DPS & Tank to 70 reflect my opinion and thoughts.
   
   Summary: For me, mySome indepth review after beating all content and getting Heal, DPS & Tank to 70 reflect my opinion and thoughts.
   
   Summary:
   For me, my favorite MMORPG just got way better. I still love it's visual style, the new classes are amazing, as are most of the new areas. The story is a blast to play through and leaves pretty much all other MMORPG's in a big shadow. Best thing to me are the class revisions. Everything plays smoother and needs less focus on some debuff or cooldown management, you can concentrate on having fun more. Love it :)
   With this, all the new content is a blast - not only visually, but gameplay-wise as well. I can really recommend this game!
   
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   More in depth:
   
   Tech / Visuals:
   First of all, the game looks nice but not like the typical new triple A title. It is a rather dated MMO that still got a style that is rather pleasant to look at. With the discontinuation of support for PS3, we got faster travel, faster load of characters and a solid support for the PS4 Pro, where I personally enjoy the higher performance mode most.
   Visually, they created some incredibly beautiful dungeons with various themes and a lot of active dynamic animations and stuff going on.
   When it comes to the new zones, its a mix between incredibly beautiful and at parts a little bland. Possibly due to the chosen environment. A lot of the expansion plays out in a desert-like area, so don't expect much variety everywhere you go. So the contrast between some incredible Asian themed and underwater content to the latest areas is kinda stark.
   The characters are as beautiful as ever, with the new classes having amazingly animated skills with some truly spectacular effect work.
   
   Story:
   I won't be spoiling here, so keeping it simple. The original story of FFXIV was ok'ish. Heavensward did improve upon it. Stormblood though really made it some awesome Final Fantasy experience. In my opinion, simply the best story for any MMO I know of out right now.
   Only downside: Though a lot of Job quests and even a few sidequests got nice storys as well. A lot of not so complex side quest simply are your generic fetch this or move there stuff. But guess that's to be expected when considering the amount of content. Nevertheless, I would love to simply skip stuff like this or make those quests better, so I comment on this not so good part as well.
   
   Amount of content / difficulty / accessibility
   Well, the amount of content is decent. Especially for people that enjoy playing multiple classes and playing with their friends will surely spend a lot of hours in Eorzea. If you only want to focus on one class though and power through everything, the game will soon no longer have anything to offer for you. Reason being simple: This is no grindgame where you just keep on grinding levels for hours and hours. At some point you got max level and max gear, simple as that.
   Difficulty wise, the content is balanced very well right now. It is more accessible then ever, with mechanics being fair and easy to understand while still punishing enough to wipe the careless and unprepared. Maybe the game overall got easier. It is hard to say, because a lot of players are very experienced. But the big change with Stormblood seems the highest level of accessibility for all kinds of content yet.
   
   PvP:
   The changes were drastic and now I enjoy it. I mean I never enjoyed PvP before in this game. But now, with everyone being equal and PvP feeling fair, its a blast. Specially since they steamlined PvP skills and made some incredible adjustments to the bars. Now it is easy to handle your skills and focus on the actual combat. Makes for some really enjoyable 72-man battles!… Expand

   • 2 of 6 users found this helpful
4. Kamui22

   Jun 20, 2017

   10

   best mmo actually,nice story,Good dungeons,maps and content I recommend it
   
   El mejoro mmo actualmente,buena historia,buenos dungeons,mapas ybest mmo actually,nice story,Good dungeons,maps and content I recommend it
   
   El mejoro mmo actualmente,buena historia,buenos dungeons,mapas y contenido muy recomendado… Expand

   • 4 of 10 users found this helpful
5. XV_

   Aug 8, 2019

   9

   To this point, I'm not sure if Stormblood has better story or flow than Heavensward, but I can surely say that it maintains that height thatTo this point, I'm not sure if Stormblood has better story or flow than Heavensward, but I can surely say that it maintains that height that was set by the last game, so I think is just a matter or preferences.
   
   The main story of this expansion is about revolutions and geopolitical stuff, if you're like me and like that kind of thing then this is going to be a big hit, but, that's not to say that it's a bad story, it's a great one but certainly is a different beast than Heavensward, this time you focus on other characters (new and old) and it still delivers in character development, the main antagonist while maybe a little one-note it does its job and does it amazing, I'm not sure if its the acting (voiced by the incredible Kosuke Toriumi) or the writing but I was so invested in him.
   
   By this point you know how is this, you go to one map, uncover it by quests, beat some dungeons and bosses and repeat, is more or less the same, de difference is that the boss and dungeon mechanics were tightened, making to really interesting and challenging battles.
   
   As far as music goes XIV always has had a very good selection, but I think this time the composers took it to the next level, there are some tunes that I will listen for the years to come, I'm sure.
   
   While is debatable if its better than its predecessor, Stormblood maintains that incredibly high bar set by Heavensward, so I think you'll not disappointed, as, for me, I will always remember that final moment when you finally finish the last boss battle, it was a truly beautiful and powerful moment.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. Dom007

   Mar 28, 2021

   9

   ..Overall a worthy expansion. The environments in particular are fantastic.

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. DevilSurvivor

   Nov 18, 2021

   7

   It pains me to do this to one of my favorite games, but Stormblood was god awful.
   Story was infuriatingly bad, it had one of the worstIt pains me to do this to one of my favorite games, but Stormblood was god awful.
   Story was infuriatingly bad, it had one of the worst characters steal the show, no other characters get any development either so you're stuck babysititng this idiot, and on top of that most of the locations were infuriating to navigate.
   
   The only saving grace of this expansion is that the music, as always, was good, and the content was probably some of the most fun ones, at least the Trials, to ever come out, and the Ivalice raids are magnificent, both in chaos and in difficulty.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. wfevrrgegwafeqq

   Mar 14, 2023

   0

   I hate this game because the ads that is places on websites are so annoying. this is my bash against the whole game because of its absolutelyI hate this game because the ads that is places on websites are so annoying. this is my bash against the whole game because of its absolutely braindead marketing team which inspired me to go so far as to make accounts for the sole purpose of destroying its reputation. I firmly believe that the ads hasn't gotten a single conversion. if the ads for this game are so atrocious I can promise this game isn't worth playing.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

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