Activating the guildleve also activated our questing targets -- the crabs. They were highlighted on our map and were some ways away, so we still had to run through the caverns to find them. As with all Final Fantasy games, the caverns were extremely detailed. We ran past glowing fungus, beautiful rock formations, and even used lilypads to get across water. However, I should note that there's still no jumping or swimming. Sorry to those of you who like those things.
Once I got into combat, I found out that I no longer enjoyed the controls as much. Targeting is the same as FFXI, and you can still lock your target, except you're now relegated to attacking once you get enough stamina. Stamina is much like the timed battles of yore, forcing you to "wait for your turn." However, stamina also offers more options, such as attacking early and doing less damage instead of waiting for your bar to fill up completely. It's all your call.
However, all of your skills are listed in a hotbar at the bottom of the screen. Controller users will find themselves gimped, as they'll use their directional pad to move from skill to skill before using it with X. Keyboard users celebrate, as the hotbar's icons are mapped to the 1 through 9 keys on your keyboard. Even your standard attack is mapped to your hotbar, so controller users will have to D-Pad over to use a skill, and then D-Pad back to attack. This was a pain in the rear for lancers, as most of my abilities increased the damage or abilities of my basic thrust.
Our crabby friends went down quick, but not before the last one sent us on a merry chase through the caverns. This happened twice, as the monsters would lead us to ambush spots, let us kill more of them, and then run like hell to another ambush spot. This was all part of the quest, of course, but it shows just how a guildleve quest is more than just "spawn monster, kill monster." The chase ran us through the local wildlife of the caverns, which didn't attack us, but I'm more than sure there will be quests that will lead you through monsters that aggro.Upon finishing the quest, I instinctively turned to head back to the Aetherite Crystal before I was interrupted by a blue glow. I turned around to find that an Aetherite Stream had formed by the corpse of the last dead crab, giving me a place to complete my quest right then and there. Utilizing the context-sensitive main menu once again, I activated the stream and finished the guildleve. Not only was I awarded my equipment and money, I was also offered the option to teleport to any one of the area's Aetherite Crystals to start a new guildleve! No more backtracking! Let the confetti rain down from the heavens!
Final thoughts
While I didn't get to play with my TP bar (which decreases outside of battle now) or use technical skills, I feel as if I got a pretty good handle on this combat system. It's not far removed from Final Fantasy XI, yet it incorporates more options and offers more action for the PC crowd than a stack of menus.
The guildleve system, on the other hand, fascinates me. It's easy, it's malleable, and it's convenient. It lets you experience the game how you want to experience the game, and that type of accessibility means that a ton of work went into making all of the quests. Higher-difficulty quests lead to better rewards, however, so it still benefits you to play with a party. Yet, soloing is now available, and it can be done with any quest in the game.
My conclusion? I want to know more. This was just a simple taste of what Final Fantasy XIV has to offer players, and I want to see how the guildleve system is used with the game's noted storyline quests, what crafting entails, how crafters can stand as their own class and not as an "attachment" to a character, and what other locations I can explore. Plus, I just know that more complexity lies under the hood of this game -- the Nameday system and the Guardian Spirits are proof of that. Did you notice that guildleves are stained-crystal cards of the game's guardian spirits and their great deeds? Something's afoot!
My hands-on left me wanting more. It was but a brief glimpse into what this game has to offer, and I want to see what else makes Eorzea tick.
