Final Fantasy 14has recently unveiled a ton of news for its upcoming major content update: patch 7.2. Among the usual suspects of anFFXIVupdate, Square Enix snuck in a few quality-of-life changes that are going to be a godsend for players. New raid tiers, of course, are nice for the short term, but sometimes, it’s the small things that truly have an impact, especially forFFXIV’s long-term development. Finally,FFXIVis taking another look at traversal and is changing a genre staple that has been ingrained within MMOs for quite some time.
The feature in question is the restrictive cast time for summoning a mount, which requires a character to stand still throughout the cast. With theupcoming release ofFFXIV’s patch 7.2, the Warrior of Light has conquered this restriction, allowing for movement while a mount is being summoned. Beyond the change on an individual level,it’s encouraging to see Square Enix dedicating some time to taking another stab at these quality-of-life features, and will hopefully extend that effort towards other notorious systems (like the accursed glamour chest).
FFXIV Will Let You Call A Mount Even While Running
It’s Never Too Late For Quality Of Life Improvements
FFXIVhas a lot of stop and go. During the main story, a common flow is established. I accept a quest and trigger a cutscene. After the cutscene ends, I wait a few seconds to mount up. Then, I move towards the next objective, almost always an NPC, and trigger another cutscene. It’s a routine that the main story ofFFXIV, almost to a fault, has maintained. Allowing for movement while mounting, even if it functionally doesn’t dramatically decrease travel time,does introduce more fluidity into the noticeably static experience.
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While the cast-time to summon the mount appears to be exactly the same,the simple addition of being able to move during the cast is a change that will have a bigger impact than it sounds. Waiting for a mount to be summoned is so common in MMO’s that this is truly going to be new territory for many players.
Having To Wait To Call Mounts Was An Annoying Part Of FFXIV
FFXIV’s Most Ubiquitous Cast
There’s a reason that, traditionally, mounts have cast times in MMOs. For many early MMOs, where open world PvP was a primary feature,it would be completely broken if mounts could be summoned while moving or instantly. It would make evading fights far too easy, and lead to a frustrating PvP experience. This is, as far as I can tell, the primary use of a mount’s cancelable, unmovable cast time, and why it’s such a static feature in MMOs.
Another amazing change is allowing for a permanent sprint effect in cities with the (slightly slower than sprint) jogging status.
It begs the question of whyFFXIV,which will never have open world PvP, chose to have the feature in the first place. Functionally, it achieves nothing for the game beyond forcing a player to wait for their beloved steed, like thefantastic mounts added inDawntrail, to be summoned. It’s a needless inclusion, likely added for the sake of tradition, that does nothing but slowFFXIVdown.FFXIV,then, is saying hello to the future, and hopefully, will extend the mindset behind this positive, if understated, change to systems which desperately need modernization.
Of course,Final Fantasy 14is, by this point, quite a long-running game. Clunkiness is bound to be present. At the same time,there comes a point where a change needs to occur. The entire transmog system, for instance, comes to mind; it’s a system that has received Band-Aid fixes for years, and is due for proper reevaluation. Similarly, inventory management is a massive QoL issue, with there being far too many storage locations – chocobo saddlebags, retainers, armory chest – that make inventory management a frustrating endeavor. Hopefully, the mount change is an indicator of more to come.
Many Changes Are Coming To FFXIV’s 7.2 Update
More Than Just A Raid Tier
Along with these changes, 7.2 is coming with a host of content updates, including, finally,the addition ofDawntrail’s take on relic weapons. While the zone, Occult Crescent, which will serve as the primary means of acquiring the weapon, won’t be released until May (in patch 7.25), there’s still plenty to look forward to in the meantime.The excellent, wrestling-inspired Arcadian raid will be receiving its second tier:the Cruiserweight Division, which, based on its predecessor, is sure to be an exciting experience, especially when savage mode releases a week after patch day.
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A new crafting and gatherer end-game activity, à laShadowbringers' Ishgardian Restoration, will also be coming toFFXIV’s 7.2. Cosmic Exploration will launch in April, and see Warriors of Light working together to colonize various inter-galactic planets through non-combat means. Unfortunately,Dawntrail’s third new job, the Beastmaster, will not be arriving in 7.2, despite its early announcement duringDawntrail’s road to launch. Hopefully, these features will be worth the wait when they do arrive, but until then, there are plenty of activities to undertake inFFXIV’s patch 7.2.
