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How to Build Your Warrior of Light in Final Fantasy XIV Online, Available on Xbox Today

Summary

Critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV Online is now available on Xbox Series X|S
Until April 19, players who purchase the full game will receive a variety of fun and useful in-game items including an item to boost experience gained
Previous open beta players and new players alike are invited to enjoy the Free Trial, which includes A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood with no restrictions on play time. Any progress made during the open beta will of course carry over

We’re excited to announce that the full release of the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV Online, has launched today on Xbox Series X|S! Players will have plenty of content to enjoy before its newest expansion, Dawntrail, arrives this summer! The full release also lifts the restrictions present in the open beta.

Even better news is that, until April 19, players who pick up the game for Xbox Series X|S will be able to receive Early Purchase Bonuses to help them on their adventures, and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to receive the Starter Edition through their Perks, giving them complete access to three games in one for free!

Final Fantasy XIV Online has so much to offer in terms of customization and playable content! Learn more about the eight starting classes and their three starting locations that you can take into consideration when creating your very own Warrior of Light.

Creating Your Own Warrior of Light

Creating your character is the first step in your new adventure! Choose the new ‘you’ without worry, as all the race and gender options are equal. And don’t fret on choices at the start too much, as all are possible to change later!

During character creation, you will select a starting class that you can level into iconic Final Fantasy series jobs. There are eight starting classes to choose from, and many more to level and master as you progress. Not just battle-focused classes and jobs, but also classes related to crafting and gathering.

Don’t fret if you want to try more than one, as you can play all the available classes and jobs on a single character. You simply need to change your main hand weapon or tool and voila!

Choose Your Role

There are three roles that the various battle-focused classes and jobs fall under: Tanks, Healers, and DPS (which itself has different types).

Tanks – High in HP and trained in defense, a tank serves as the party’s shield. Skilled at keeping a foe’s attention and bearing the brunt of enemy attacks.

Healers – Healers use restorative arts to mend wounded companions. They can also help to mitigate damage, remove detrimental effects, and even bring fallen allies back to life.

DPS Types

Melee DPS are close-range attackers. Focused on combos and careful positioning to inflict the maximum amount of damage.
Physical ranged DPS attack foes from a distance. They excel at inflicting sustained damage, and also provide support for companions.
Magical ranged DPS attack foes using a variety of arcane arts. Movement is restricted by casting times, but they excel at inflicting high burst damage.

Starting Locations

Your character’s starting class will not only determine your initial play style, but also where you begin your journey; in one of three beautiful city-states:

Ul’dah
Limsa Lominsa
Gridania

Gridania – In the eastern reaches of the Aldenard landmass, home to vast, dense woodlands and coursing rivers, lies the forest nation of Gridania. The cityscape is a mosaic of labyrinthine waterways and great wooden structures, so gracefully constructed they seem a part of the surrounding environment.
Limsa Lominsa – On the southern coast of the island of Vylbrand, under the shadow of ancient cliffs worn by the relentless onslaught of the Rhotano Sea, lies the marine city-state of Limsa Lominsa. Said to be blessed by the goddess of navigation, Llymlaen, the city is spread out over countless tiny islands, each connected by sturdy bridges of iron and wood construction, earning her the name the “Navigator’s Veil” from traveling bards who have witnessed the city’s beauty from afar.
Ul’dah – The bustling commercial hub of Ul’dah sits amid the desolate desert landscape of southern Aldenard. The city is organized strategically around the dome-shaped citadel at its center. Its towering fortifications and protective outer walls are visible for malms in all directions, and serve as a stark deterrent to would-be besiegers.

Below are where the eight starting classes begin and how they evolve into iconic Final Fantasy jobs:

Role	Starting Class	Evolved Job	Starting Location
Tank	Gladiator	Paladin	Ul’dah
Tank	Marauder	Warrior	Limsa Lominsa
Healer	Conjurer	White Mage	Gridania
Healer/DPS	Arcanist	Scholar (Healer) or Summoner (DPS)	Limsa Lominsa
DPS	Pugilist	Monk	Ul’dah
DPS	Lancer	Dragoon	Gridania
DPS	Archer	Bard	Gridania
DPS	Thaumaturge	Black Mage	Ul’dah

Of course, your adventures will extend far beyond these starting city-states and early class choices. You’ll be able to venture into a wide variety of new locations and learn a multitude of battle-focused jobs, as well as more easygoing crafting and gathering classes throughout your time in Eorzea.

Players are welcome to experience all that Final Fantasy XIV has to offer on the Xbox Series X|S today!

Dip your toes in with the Starter Edition which includes A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood—the equivalent of three full Final Fantasy titles! Then, once you’re ready, you can purchase the Endwalker expansion which also includes Shadowbringers, further expanding the breadth of content available! Or dive headfirst into the full offering with the Complete Edition, which includes the three Starter Edition titles and the two most recent expansions: Shadowbringers and Endwalker.

For players who are looking for even more information on how to start the game, check out our Starter Guide series. The seven-part video series offers early tips and tricks for new players to get the most out of their adventures in Eorzea. The series follows the journey of new player Kaz and his mentor Mayra, who guides him through his first steps in FFXIV. You can check out the whole series in a playlist here!

Previous open beta players and new players alike are invited to enjoy the Free Trial, which includes A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood with no restrictions on play time and progress carrying over from the open beta. Note that there are in-game restrictions associated with the Free Trial, but these can be lifted by upgrading to the full game.

Please note that by registering the Starter Edition or Complete Edition to your account, will no longer be eligible for the Free Trial and a paid subscription will be required to play. (New accounts starting with the Starter Edition or the Complete Edition will receive a 30-day free play period. The 30-day free play period can be applied once to each platform on a single service account, so cross platform users can also enjoy this benefit.) Additionally, a subscription to both FFXIV and Xbox Game Pass (Core or Ultimate) is required to play.

We look forward to welcoming you to Eorzea!

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online – Complete Collector’s Edition – Early Purchase Bonus

SQUARE ENIX

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

The Complete Collector’s Edition is perfect for new players as it includes the base game and all expansions through Endwalker – all in one comprehensive package!

Purchase by 04-20-2024 (10:00 UTC) to receive the following bonus items!
• Palom Minion
• Menphina’s Earring (including 30% EXP bonus up to level 80)

These items will be delivered in-game via the Moogle Delivery Service. Minions are vanity pets that do not have any effect on a player’s attributes. The Earring grants a 30% increase in EXP gained by defeating enemies when worn, equippable only by Disciples of War or Magic classes and jobs.

Service accounts that already claimed pre-order bonus items for FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker are not eligible for the Early Purchase Bonus items.

This edition also includes all Collector’s Edition in-game bonus items:
-Endwalker
• Arion Mount
• Wind-up Porom Minion
• Death Scythe

-Shadowbringers
• Grani Mount
• Wind-up Fran Minion
• Revolver Gunbreaker Weapon

-Stormblood
• Syldra Mount
• Wind-up Bartz Minion
• Chicken Knife Red Mage Weapon

-Heavensward
• Flying Griffin Mount
• Dark Knight Cecil-themed Baron Helm
• Wind-up Kain
• Phial of Fantasia, an item that grants you a single opportunity to edit your character’s appearance.

-A Realm Reborn
• Fat Chocobo Mount
• Coeurl Mount
• Wind-up Moogle Minion
• Baby Behemoth Minion
• Behemoth Barding
• Helm of Light

This Edition also includes a 30-day free play period*

IMPORTANT:
• *The 30-day free play period included with purchase can only be applied once to each platform on a single service account.
•All editions of the game require user registration. All editions of the game other than the Free Trial require an active paid subscription to play.
•Age restrictions and other terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the User Agreement (https://sqex.to/ffxiv_agreement) and Square Enix Account Terms of Use (https://sqex.to/ffxiv_terms) for the terms and conditions of registration and service. Please visit the FINAL FANTASY XIV website at https://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/ for additional information.
• An active Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate plan is required to play this product.

The post How to Build Your Warrior of Light in Final Fantasy XIV Online, Available on Xbox Today appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Rise of the Ronin: Developer tips for your first few hours

For Team Ninja veterans and newcomers alike, Rise of the Ronin offers a deep and satisfying combat system, set to the backdrop of the Bakumatsu era of Japan. With the game now less than a day away, I spoke to Rise of the Ronin’s Producer, Yosuke Hayashi, and Game Producer and Director, Fumihiko Yasuda, who offered their tips for players joining the Veiled Edge tomorrow.

Experiment with Combat Styles

Rise of the Ronin allows you to wield one main weapon – blades, fists and spears – and sub weapon at a time, such as revolvers, shurikens, bows, rifles and more. When starting out, you’ll have just one combat style available to you for each main weapon, and as you progress, you’ll unlock additional styles which can be attached to them, offering completely different ways to go on the offensive.

But it’s not just you using combat styles – your enemies will have their own styles too, which you will need to adapt to. Recognizing which style your opponent is using will allow you to choose an advantageous opposing style, and can help overwhelm them far quicker. Changing style on the fly is key to being successful in combat.

New styles can be learned through story progression, facing off against tougher enemies, and through bond-building with certain characters and factions. Experiment with different types to find a combination that works for you.

Counterspark is important, but…

The Counterspark – activated with the Triangle button – is both an attack, and a parry. With the right timing, it can be used to deflect most of your enemies moves, even their glowing red murderous attacks. But using the Counterspark isn’t your only tool to defend yourself; combining it with your block and dodge moves will help keep opponents on their toes.

Some enemies will be extremely aggressive, others will wait for an opening to attack, and some may even leap through the air to grab you. Choosing whether you deflect, block, or roll out of the way, and recognizing which works best for the attack you’re facing, can be the difference between success or swift death.

Wander off the beaten path

Rise of the Ronin features a rich narrative throughout, but across the open world, you’ll find a wealth of side missions, characters you can bond with, landmarks to visit, and cats to pet. Engaging in this and taking on quests for monks, fellow travelers, merchants and more will not only ensure you see more of the gorgeous world, but it will help you further your progress through the game’s RPG elements, allowing you to create a build that compliments your chosen playstyle. There’s so much to be discovered away from the main story, and you shouldn’t overlook it.

Make friends and influence people

The opening hours of Rise of the Ronin will bring you to Yokohama, a port city which saw an increasing level of Western influence during the Bakumatsu period. As a result, you’ll come across a wide range of characters, all with unique beliefs on the future of Japan. Much of the story centers around this clash of views, and you’ll find yourself moving between pro and anti-Shogunate groups, as well as Western forces.

How you build your relationships with members of these factions is core to the adventure, driving a Bonds system that can affect how you experience the game. Increase your Bond with certain people and you’ll unlock new skills, weapons and items, which you would otherwise be locked out from. Your choice of faction support will drastically alter the games’ narrative and how you experience key story missions, as well as the people you can team up with during your adventures.

You can also increase your bond with each region of the map by clearing out unruly bandit bases, running errands for locals and chasing off dangerous fugitives. A high bond with each region results in discounts at merchants’ stores and other benefits.

Explore what could have been

Your choices affect how the story plays out in Rise of the Ronin, and you’ll see the consequences of your actions throughout your entire time as the Ronin. But what if you chose differently?

Unlocked once you reach the city of Edo, the Testaments of Soul feature allows you replay previously-completed missions and see what could have been had you followed a different path, making different choices and potentially altering the story you’ve previously experienced. So if you come up against a decision you really struggle with, fear not – the option to explore other outcomes is open to you.

Choose a difficulty setting that works for you

From the offset, Rise of the Ronin offers three different difficulty settings:

Dawn – enables features such as increased recovery item effect and reduced ki consumption from attacks, this mode is perfect for those mostly interested in the story and world exploration
Dusk – the default settings, offering a balanced challenge to all players
Twilight – the toughest challenge offered, this mode is ramps up the difficult, making enemies extra aggressive and attacks even more lethal

Difficulty can be reset at any point in the world, or you can increase or decrease the difficulty for key story moments as you set out on your mission. Just be sure you’re prepared for the challenge if you decide to step up to Twilight!

With these tips, you should be well prepared for the journey ahead when Rise of the Ronin launches on PS5 on March 22.

High on Life: Squanch Games Brings the Hit Franchise to Comics

High on Life is one of the most memorably absurd first-person shooters to come along in years, and it’s a game that’s practically tailor-made to work in other media. Thankfully, that’s just what’s happening, as Squanch Games and Titan Comics join forces for a new High on Life comic book series.

IGN can exclusively debut one of the new covers for High on Life #1. Check it out below:

The High on Life comic is written by Alec Robbins, a veteran of the game who also created the web comic Mr. Boop. The series is drawn by Kit Wallis (Wonderland) and colored by JP Jordan (Plough Man).

Here’s Titan’s official description for the new series:

Though they restored peace to the cosmos by killing Garmantuous, there’s no rest for the Bounty Hunter when a brutal new threat to Humans shoots its way onto the scene. Armed with plucky & determined Harper – and the rest of the Gatlian gang – the series will take them on an explosive, twisting adventure across the cosmos.

A story of GUTS, GORE, REDEMPTION, and lost love, this brand-new miniseries will be a rollercoaster romp in the world of the eponymous video game.

High on Life #1 is priced at $3.99 and will be released on June 12, 2024.

The High on Life game scored an 8 out of 10 in IGN’s review, with Travis Northup writing, “High on Life is an irreverent, absurd shooter that manages to shine with its outrageous humor, silly setting and story, and some really goofy, foul-mouthed guns that pull the whole thing together for the vast majority of the time. Combat is a bit sloppy, especially during the first act, and the whole sci-fi adventure sometimes has an unpolished feel to it, but once you get some new tools of destruction and movement options, it rises to the occasion. Not all of its jokes find their punchline, but with memorable boss fights, unique alt-fire abilities and exploration, and way more terrible movies to watch than I expected, this wacky journey is definitely worth your time.”

More recently, the game received its first expansion in the form of the DLC campaign HIgh on Knife.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Riot’s League Of Legends MMO has been “reset” and likely “going dark for several years”

If you’re an MMORPG fan who’s been waiting patiently for news of Riot Game’s swing at the genre, then I’m afraid you’ll probably have to wait quite a while longer. Riot co-founder Marc Merrill announced that the project has been “reset” and won’t appear for “likely several years”, with one of the main reasons being a “need to do something that truly feels like a significant evolution of the genre”.

Assassin’s Creed Jade Reportedly Delayed to 2025 Amid Tencent Pivot

High-profile mobile game Assassin’s Creed Jade is reportedly delayed from this year to 2025 as part of a significant strategic shift at developer Tencent.

Reuters reported that Tencent, the world’s largest video games company, has redeployed hundreds of staff from the team developing Assassin’s Creed Jade onto its recently launched party game DreamStar.

Assassin’s Creed Jade is a mobile spin-off set in ancient China that has been in development for at least four years, Reuters said. IGN has asked Ubisoft for comment.

The delay is part of a pivot at Tencent, which is now looking to move away from developing Western franchises for mobile due to thin margins. Instead, Tencent wants to focus on making games like NetEase’s smash hit party mobile game Eggy Party, and miHoYo’s phenomenally successful Genshin Impact using its own intellectual property so it can keep the bulk of the profits.

Assassin’s Creed Jade is the first full game in the franchise to be made exclusively for mobile devices. It’s in the works at Level Infinite, a Tencent subsidiary, in partnership with Ubisoft. Meanwhile, Assassin’s Creed Codename Red, the next mainline Assassin’s Creed game, is due out by the end of March 2025.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Typing dungeon crawler Cryptmaster announces release date during IGF award acceptance speech

In a powerful move, one of the two devs behind Cryptmaster announced the delightful typing-based dungeon crawler’s release date last night during his acceptance speech after it won the Independent Games Festival award for Excellence In Design. Powerful. May 9th is the day, so you have time to practise your touchtyping with Mavis Beacon. I really enjoyed playing Cryptmaster’s Steam Next Fest demo, so I’m excited for the full game.

Dreams Dev Media Molecule Says Layoffs Impact Planned Community and Curation Support

Media Molecule has said the layoffs at the Sony-owned studio have affected plans for ongoing community and curation support in PlayStation 4 game Dreams.

The Guildford, UK-based developer, also known for creating the LittleBigPlanet series, entered into a consultancy with staff last year. That process ends spring 2024, when Media Molecule will lose its Curation Team.

In a new blog post, Media Molecule said that the impact to its teams means “we will be unable to deliver on all the promises” outlined in a 2023 blog post discussing plans for ongoing community and curation support in Dreams following the end of live support. This included The Impsider editorial, which will now not happen. However, Media Molecule said it will continue its streams and support of the Dreams community via social channels.

As announced, live support for DreamSurfing and DreamShaping will end in mid-April. Media Molecule said this will coincide with the launch of new playlists alongside spotlighting the Dreams Recommender playlist providing “tip-top” recommendations based on what players recently played in Dreams.

“Overall, the plan here is ensuring that Dreams transitions into a self-sustaining platform, with these changes helping to filter new creations through to regular Dreams players whilst creators reach their deserved audience for their games, animations, music and everything in between,” Media Molecule said.

Fans have expressed concern about the future of Dreams ever since Media Molecule announced the redundancies in October. Media Molecule insisted there are no plans to take Dreams offline, while admitting the last 12 months have been “tough” for the studio.

“We see a lot of talk and a lot of worry about the future of Dreams in our streams and on social media, and while it’s impossible for anyone to predict what the future might hold, we want to reassure you today that there are currently no plans to take Dreams offline, restricting access to the thousands upon thousands of amazing creations brought to life by all of our fabulous creators,” Media Molecule said.

“This was an incredibly tough time for the studio as a whole and it meant the world to see support from folks on our social channels. While we’re still working through the process, the studio as a whole continues to work on our exciting new project which we’ll talk about when we’re ready.”

The redundancies at Media Molecule were announced months before Sony confirmed plans to lay off around 900 staff, or about 8% of its global PlayStation workforce. The devastating wave of cuts affected a number of PlayStation studios, including Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Firesprite, and, most significantly, PlayStation’s London studio, which is to close. Alongside the layoffs, a number of in-development games were canceled, Sony said.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Venba wins IGF Grand Prize for 2024

The winners of the 2024 Independant Games Festival were announced at GDC last night, and it was Visai Games’ Venba that came home with the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. The cooking adventure was up for four IGF awards in total, including nominations for Excellence in Audio, Narrative and Visual Art. But there was no runaway winner at this year’s IGF Awards, with all prizes going to completely different indie games. Come and celebrate the full list of winners below.

Review: Princess Peach: Showtime! (Switch) – Peach Breaks A Leg In A High-Class Production

Bend and slap.

It’s kinda hard to believe, especially given how ridiculously popular the whole Mushroom Kingdom thing is, that we’ve had so few games starring its actual ruler as the protagonist over the years. Yes, there was Princess Toadstool’s Castle Run on Nelsonic Game Watch back in 1990, Princess Peach’s very first leading role (which you probably don’t need to rush out and buy), and Super Princess Peach on DS, but nothing that feels like a proper turn as the core of a full-on adventure. Until now, that is.

Yep, whilst we were fully expecting this to be a throwaway sort of experience given the above track record, it turns out Princess Peach: Showtime! is easily Ms. Toadstool’s finest hour (shocker), and a far more engaging romp than we had prepared for. It’s still 100% a game aimed squarely at children, mind, and there’s really not a whole ton of challenge for those seeking it, but for younger gamers, for relatives or friends sitting down to have a good old Nintendo sesh with some smaller kids, there’s a whole lot of fun to be had with this one.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Helldivers 2 Dev ‘Deep Down in the Trenches’ Digging Into Current Crash Problem

If you’re playing Helldivers 2 and finding the game crashes more than usual, you’re not alone. Developer Arrowhead has said a lot of players are currently being affected by a crash issue, which is linked to the release of a recent patch, and it’s on the case.

The crash problem began with this week’s release of patch 1.000.103, which nerfed planet hazards and patrols spawning on players, among other things. A crash causes the game to freeze and forces a restart. Given Helldivers 2 missions can take around 40 minutes to extract with all obtained resources and objectives complete, getting a crash towards the end is extremely frustrating.

In a post on the Helldivers Discord, Arrowhead community manager Twinbeard addressed the crash problem, and said the developer is on the case.

“We know that many of you are experiencing a lot of crashes at the moment (seemingly linked to the patch deployed earlier today, which at least resolved the persistent friend request issue for a lot of players),” Twinbeard said. “Our team is deep down in the trenches digging into the issue as we speak. We are on alert ready to update on any changes here. We’re very sorry @everyone for not being able to supply you with the glorious feeling of bug and bot stomping and hope to have the game more stable as soon as possible.”

Helldivers 2’s problems don’t end there. A rare message from Game Master Joel, who pulls the meta narrative strings as players fight to liberate planets from the Terminids and Automatons, revealed the Galactic War is not tracking player contribution properly.

“A message for @everyone from the Game Master,” began the post on the Helldivers Discord. “Helldivers! We’re aware of an issue with the Galactic War not tracking your effective spread of Liberty properly. We are investigating this urgently and will keep you posted as soon as we understand the issue and have a fix to communicate to you. Thanks very much for your patience while we squash some software bugs.”

Yesterday, March 20, Arrowhead deployed additional fixes to the game’s backend to address Eagle kill stats not increasing as expected and missions completed stats counting twice per mission. Three fixes were made for the pesky friend invites problem that Arrowhead said should resolve some of the issues there.

These problems come amid Helldivers 2’s latest Major Order, which tasks players with liberating a number of planets controlled by the Terminids. Players are hoping Arrowhead will extend the Major Order deadline as a result.

If you’re looking for more on Helldivers 2, check out IGN’s feature on the Let Me Solo Her of Helldivers 2, a player who has answered over 100 SOS Beacons as part of a mission to help others. Helldivers 2 has become one of the surprise hits of 2024 since launching in February, topping the charts on Steam and reportedly selling around three million copies. According to at least one analyst, it’s still growing. Check out IGN’s Helldivers 2 review to find out why it’s going down so well.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.