We'll start off with a question from Dormer:
"Why aren't we getting more information from the beta?"
We're not sure, but we can certainly speculate. The most logical reason is that the testing is closer to an alpha than anything and they're not letting people in that they can't trust implicitly. Square-Enix has a pretty good track record at keeping things quiet when they want to, and they're likely making sure that nothing leaks out from this phase. How much of an NDA further phases of Final Fantasy XIV's testing will have is a mystery. But there's another reason for the possible dearth of information. (Which we've intentionally put behind the cut to inspire you to keep reading.)
Here's the thing. Square is a very quiet company in some ways, and they've said before that a very small portion of the beta will actually be accessible to players. It's possible -- perhaps even likely -- that all of the real testing of content is going on in dark smoky rooms two doors down from the Illuminati, and most of the testing they want is just stress-testing the servers and the systems. With only some of that accessible, there might not be much to talk about at this point that's not public knowledge.
Conspiracy theory? Of the highest order, yes. But tell me that some of the pieces don't sound just about right. Tell the people, et cetera. (Do not tell the people.)
Alejander asks:
"Is Abyssea going to be the only place where we can level to 99?"
Quite possibly not the only place, but more than likely the place you will want to be going. The obvious point is that there are several places where you can get experience at 75 -- otherwise Merit parties would be flat out of luck. That might well only last so long, but 75 has been endgame for quite a while and some of the chosen camp sites could probably serve up to the mid-80s if pushed.
However, the fact of the matter is that all of the extant areas are currently tuned for 75. It's possible to take some things and tune them upward -- expect Campaign battles, for instance, to work with rising levels -- but there are some places that making everything higher-level would break quests or even just exploration. By way of an alternative, there are three new places to explore, each of which can be balanced from the ground up to let players level to the new cap without breaking anything in game.
And let's be cynical. How much easier will it be for Square to sell you the add-ons if you more or less need them for leveling?
There's still a little more from Alejander, though:
"Will lower-level players have a purpose for Abyssea?"
There aren't a whole lot of lower-level players still playing the game, truth be told -- as many people have pointed out, the lower game is pretty thin these days. But that doesn't mean people won't have lower-level jobs to raise, if for no other reason than you'll need another twelve levels in Ninja to keep up to date with all of the dual-wielding at level cap. (That sound in the background is several Thieves and Warriors slamming their head against the keyboard.) So there are going to be people who need to dip down out of the range of the Near East and back to lower-level camping spots.
Will there be places to camp at lower levels in Abyssea? Possibly. It certainly helps Square sell the add-ons more easily (see the previous answer) and it means that all of the trumpeted improvements to the game that should be found in the region become more accessible. I'm going to say cautiously that there will be some sort of way for players to get some worth out of the new areas without being max level. (But if you're hoping to skip places like Valkurm, you might still be out of luck. At least more people will be dipping down to lower jobs, you might get lucky.)
GAMX asked:
"How does all of the party-versus-party talk relate to the promise that you can solo in FFXIV?"
There are two possibilities. (Three, really, but the third is that Square's earlier talk was just outright lies and chicanery.) The first is that you'll be able to solo for leveling, but not for any of the serious content. That is, that the game's content is going to be tiered and separated in a way similar to how World of Warcraft works. (And that's not really the way it works in Final Fantasy XI, although it might seem that way at first glance. You need a party for most everything in Vana'diel, rather than just for instances or endgame content.) The second is that "party" doesn't mean quite what we're thinking.The UI in FFXI has an indicator of whether you're in a party or solo. But technically, even when you're solo you're in a party -- it's just that it consists of a lone person. Considering that recent indication has shown that there's a mechanism to check the strength of your party as a whole against the whole enemy party, there's something to indicate that it's more a question of how the mechanics as a whole work. Put simply, there are enemies that you wouldn't fight solo simply because they're in a strong party, and the things you can pick off yourself or wandering around alone won't be worth the time to fight as a party.
We've seen repeated statements that the game can be taken at your own pace with your own preferred playstyle, so I'm leaning toward the second option. For that matter, if that's the case, who wants to bet that there can be blitz-style runs made by solo players to pick off elements of larger groups, fight them one-on-one, and whittle their strength down? That would be awesome.
Those are our questions this time around, folks, but we're here all month. (And beyond.) If you've got questions for the next time we do this, or even just general comments, they can of course be directed to Eliot at Massively dot com. Tune in next Saturday for gushing adoration toward Final Fantasy XI, as well as a possible spineless plea. (And less Kupo Law.)
