Feature
1UP COVER STORY
1UP COVER STORY | WEEK OF JUNE 4 | E3 2012
FFXIV Interview: Phoenix Down For a Fallen MMO
Cover Story: We interview FFXIV’s new producer, Naoki Yoshida, about reviving a dead MMO and the game’s ambitious plans for version 2.0.
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early two years ago, Final Fantasy XIV got off to a rocky start. Shortly after the disastrous launch, Naoki Yoshida, affectionately known as “Yoshi-P,” took over the project, and did something amazing: actually tried to fix the game. Even more shocking? It seems to be working.
Final Fantasy XIV is pretty enjoyable now, and it took a lot to get it there. Since Yoshida took over, Square Enix has…
- Completely rebalanced all stats and gear
- Completely remade the battle system
- Personal chocobos
- Added a Materia system to let players customize and optimize their gear
- Added a job system that lets players turn basic classes into advanced Final Fantasy staples like Monk and White Mage
- Revamped crafting
- Added many sidequests
- Added three epic boss battles
- Added four instanced raid dungeons, for mid- and high-level players
