Letter from the Producer, LX (06/23/2015)

Hello again to all of you FFXIVers out there! Yoshi-P here. It's been ages since I've written one of these letters─hopefully the frequent LIVE letters over the past few months make up for it!

But today is a very special day, and I couldn't let it slip by without penning a letter for such a momentous occasion. The journey has been long, but today, June 23, 2015 marks the official release of our very first expansion—Heavensward!

For our players new to MMORPGs, the term "expansion" may be an unfamiliar one. As the name suggests, it is an extremely large update to the core game and can be thought of as a continuation or sequel to FFXIV.

We've added a number of maps up to twice the size of previous ones, and revamped several systems to allow for flying mounts to explore them─a feature which we will continue to make use of in the future.

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The level cap has been increased for all jobs and classes, giving your character access to a host of new skills and a return to character progression that focuses on more than just item levels. And with the new Au Ra race, you can even give your character a complete makeover.

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The story, of course, also transitions from A Realm Reborn to a new adventure in Heavensward. I hope you all enjoy the exciting new challenges that await the Warrior of Light.

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The expansion requires a separate purchase, but you'll come to find it offers additions to the game worthy of a standalone RPG. We've got plenty planned for the 3.0 series of updates, so I hope you're looking forward to what we have in store for Heavensward.

It's almost hard to believe a year and 10 months have passed since the release of A Realm Reborn. Counting back from the original Version 1.0, it's been four years and nine months! We've come an incredibly long way since then, and I can only imagine how it must feel for legacy players, having waited so long for our first expansion.

Ishgard has sat cold and alone in Coerthas since Version 1.0.

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But now the gates have been flung open, and it's time to get out there and explore the city of the Holy See and the lands beyond. I hope you continue to create many memorable experiences in Eorzea.

Heavensward is not only our first expansion, but the first of many new chapters to come in the story of Eorzea. It required a nightmarish schedule and many sleepless nights, but everyone here on the development and operations teams have put their all in to creating a product we hope is worthy of your support and adoration.

We expect the servers to be fairly crowded in the coming days, and it may be necessary to conduct a brief maintenance for hotfixes. The game has undergone a number of significant system changes in preparation for Heavensward, and so we hope you'll understand as we work to ensure the game continues to run as smoothly as possible.

The expansion may finally be here, but there are still more updates to plan for, and the second expansion will be along before you know it. So here's to another fantastic year of fun in FINAL FANTASY XIV!

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