Revelations from EU Fan Fest (October 2023)

[SilverObi]

Yet we've already had FFXI crossover areas (Eureka is basically one big reference, Azaldaal's Legacy is basically Salvage/Azaldaal Remnants..), but yeah, I wonder if it will be a FFXI area or just again 'FFXI themed' but a new place.

I mainly mean we'll finally get something truly part of the world (at least that's my hope) like Dalmasca and the like. Alzadaal was the first time it felt actually pulled from XI, while the monster rips used in BA were appreciated it didn't feel like a place out of Vana'diel. Same with Eureka outside of the gear models they pulled in. So I got my fingers crossed that we get something possibly pulling from Adoulin as the jumping off point due to its similar vibes to Dawntrail and hopefully not just some portal to another world.

[Iscah]

Dungeons - river cruise and pretty caves.... and that weird mechanical one which is the sort of spoilers I don't really like them dangling about what is going to be some kind of left turn.

Good to see they're making a point of walking back the "summer vacation" thing, because people have been taking that far too literally.

[Enkidoh]

That mechanical dungeon.... the artwork to me... just screamed

FFVII mako reactor interior

... which explains the 'secret' label (to get up hype, especially with FFVII Rebirth's release just around the corner...

[Palladiamors]

Sakaguchi... that's a surprise.

[EthosDeus]

Another Fanfest....another few PLL's. No femhroth, but Dawn Trail looks cool!

[Enkidoh]

Sakaguchi... that's a surprise.

Not at all, it's been well known he's been playing XIV and loves it (he's said it's what he feels a FF game "should be like" - paraphrased), so I'm not surprised he was a part of the keynote.

[Iscah]

Cloud data server test will let you create characters with all the jobs automatically at level 80. Which means... I can make a whole load of alts and dress them up without having to level them!

[Cassar]

That mechanical dungeon.... the artwork to me... just screamed

FFVII mako reactor interior

... which explains the 'secret' label (to get up hype, especially with FFVII Rebirth's release just around the corner...

You think that's a huge "Mako Reactor"? What if our other hub area (radz-at-han, eulmore equivalent) is just Midgar in the middle of the desert xD

[MikkoAkure]

Oh goddess, the reference to "cereleum deposits" and a railway being built in Shaaloani (in the new desert area)... this is only going to give fuel to the headcanon theories about Garlean remnants in Tural, although I hope it's just Eorzean business interests (read: Ul'dah). Mainly because I don't want to eat my words. :P

Could've sworn I've seen cutscenes where Garleans are pushing carts with those little blue lights on the end that are shown in that "mako reactor" artwork.

Then again the railroad doesn't look very Garlean-ish and it would be more interesting if the whole thing came from a culture we haven't met yet rather than Allagans or Garleans all over again.

[Cleretic]

My general feelings on the keynote:

• Viper was cool when it was a character in Soul Calibur VI, so it'll probably be cool here; I'm still more invested in the caster, but that's me.
• I kinda don't really have anything to glean from the new areas; the ceruleum stuff in the savannah area is probably gonna be interesting, but the only positive I have there is 'it's not Garleans'.
• I'm absolutely loving the idea of the Not-Goblins as the crafter and/or gatherer contacts, that'll be great fun.
• The Eliminator looks like it's probably from that last dungeon they previewed, and mainly I think it's really neat that we keep getting new and unique 'fantasy high-tech' designs; by my count I think this is the seventh, eighth if you count the Karellians we only briefly glimpsed, and the Eliminator doesn't look like any of them.
• I am gonna need to take SUCH a crash course on FFXI.
• I'm sorry, but FFXVI Ifrit just looks like a Godzilla redesign that's trying way too hard to be cool. I'm actually happy all the cosmetics look skippably bland, though.
• ...but speaking of cosmetics, god damn that Mentor Champion Crown is gonna be a go-to for joke glams.

Basically, none of this gets me more excited than I already was (I've been pretty stably at 'this will probably be fun' since the first Fanfest), but also none of this is the content that was really primed to push me over the edge anyway; I'm the type to chomp at the bit for the caster, the identity of a new limited job (I agree with that one guy in the crowd, give me Fisher Again), and who's probably gonna be more excited about the 8-player raid than the 32-player. As it stands all this keeps my hype levels pretty stable, which I can't complain about!