The Races of Eorzea. Complete, or Incomplete?
With this new article came some introductions to rather familiar races that us FFXIers are already accustomed to. Perhaps... Too familiar? As we've been speculating for a long while now it has been almost certain, given the reasons, why Male Mithra would make an appearance in FFXIV. However, in this article they debut the races. The Humes (Hyuran), the Elvaans (Elzen), the Tarutaru (Lalafell), the Galka (Roegadyn) and the Mithra (Miqo'Te). One thing was kind of unsettling though... Not only the lack of no new races, but the presumption that the Mithra and Galka will once again be gender specific races...
For many people, having Male Mithra has been a big deal and begged for, for a very long time. I've gone over most of the reasons in earlier blog posts and on forums. At a business standpoint, there is absolutely everything to gain from adding them and nothing to lose. However, there is plenty to lose from NOT adding them. I don't want FFXIV to have the same rules and same dynamics that FFXI did, and most people do not wish for this either. Having Male Mithra as a more feminine, agile and cunning male race is something that has been in a very high demand for quite some time. Not adding them would be an enormous letdown to the future player base, the FFXI player base and anyone who was looking forward and hoping to have this feature available in FFXIV.
One of the main reasons we don't see Male Mithra in FFXI isn't because they are locked up sex slaves, it's not even because they are rare and mainly stay in their homeland in Vana'diel. No, the reason is because Square Enix designed FFXI and wrote the story for the females to be the only playable part of that race. By not adding them Square Enix will also be giving off a stigma they really shouldn't, a stigma that FFXIV will be all too much like FFXI in some ways. People want change and new possibilities. It's not too late and I hope Square Enix sees this and does add them, as well as at least one more new race. (In my opinion, if there are no girl Galka, the new race should be female only to offset the balance of the male-only Galka race.)
But before you panic, I want to bring your attention to something it says in the article below...
"The Miqo'te is a cat-like race who are fierce hunters. You can seperate them into "Moonkeepers" and "Sunseekers". Not many of them exist in Eorzea, they're quite the minority."Hmmm... Intersting detail there. Why would there be two clans mentioned and what would be the difference in them? Why even mention two clans? I think this could possibly be a hint, but who knows as of now, I could be completely wrong. However, it is indeed something to consider.
With all that being said, let's move on and read what we know so far, shall we?
Hyuran (Hume)
The Hyuran race will be the standard race of Eorzea. Kind of like in Vana'diel. Furthermore by translating the article says that they've migrated to Eorzea from islands and continents nearby. Also, they brought with them technology and innivation that has raised the civilization of Eorzea to new heights; which you can see from the FFXIV trailer. As for the language and culture among the Hyuran race, there's a lot of variation. Highlanders and Midlanders are the main "classifications". Basically, who migrated into the mountains and the hills.Elzen (Elvaan)
This race is native from Eorzea. They clashed with the Hyuran after the latter's massive migration. Their auditory ability is noteworthy.Lalafell (Tarutaru)
This race of farmers is above all settled near the southern sea. The Lalafells may appear to be small but their intelligence is superior to the other races.Roegadyn (Galka)
Most live in the northern sea on fishing. Some of them are hired as mercenaries or bodyguards by other races, but the other ones prefer to go towards the sea and choose to become pirates.
Miqo'Te (Mithra)
The Miqo'te is a cat-like race who are fierce hunters. You can seperate them into "Moonkeepers" and "Sunseekers". Not many of them exist in Eorzea, they're quite the minority.Another thing they go into some detail about is the fact that we will have more "customizable characters" meaning we will be able to choose skin tone, height, weight and other things such as that. Also mentioned was that the differences among races are rather minor, but differences between genders will be more important.
In the words of Square Enix themselves:
"When you make your character, aside from choosing the race, you will also be able to customize their appearance. Head, skin color, hair type, etc, there will be multiple factors. Just how exact we will be able to customize their appearance is still unknown, but we mean it in a good way when we say that it seems like it will become a worry to many players"The Jobs, the System and What We Know So Far.Well, we already knew FFXIV would have a different job and leveling system than FFXI, how much different we weren't sure, but as of today we know a bit more. Famitsu Magazine, as they have done with this article already, got to ask Square Enix some questions and get some feedback on what they had to say about the job system and how it will work. This is what Square Enix has said so far:
Final Fantasy XIV revolves around character growth. There will be no experience points or leveling system this time around, and a new system will come in to play. Square Enix wants to deliver an experience where new players have the freedom to try out any quest and many different things, growing naturally from their experiences. A deep story will be in tact in Final Fantasy XIV, including cut-scenes, but they're going beyond that by also delivering a wider variety of stories and quests. They want players to enjoy the process of character growth.
Jobs were the lasting appeal of Final Fantasy XI. They want to utilize that concept, but stack more on top of it. The focus will be on weapons, determining how you play, grow, and fight. They'll be expanding upon the basic job system. He says this also explains the Final Fantasy XIV logo, which features weapons sticking out of the name.
The main idea for Final Fantasy XIV is to provide freedom of growth through the variety of quests offered. However, players can meet up with friends and set off on adventure or they can play solo. Players won't be left with nothing to do, bored.
Square Enix is considering large scale battles, however, regular battles will be against single enemies. During quests you can gather parties and fight against multiple foes.A bit of a contradiction there, or perhaps that's just how I read it? Square Enix said they will be pulling away from the traditional FFXI system of shoot>pull>kill>shoot>pull>kill and give us more variety. They also said at times we will be fighting many enemies at once instead of just one all the time. I suppose this could just depend on where you are and what you are doing, as well as some "lost in translation" errors. Only time will tell.
So now that we know it won't be your traditional grind/exp fest and will keep your interest hooked a bit better, what do we know about the jobs? How they will work? What they will do?
So far they have mentioned 4 different starting jobs (classes for you non-FFXIers) as well as two more in depth categories for those 4. It is also said that these are just mere examples and that there will be many more to actually play.
Fighter: Swordsman, Archer
Magus: Enchanter, Sorcerer
Crafter: Smith, Cook
Gatherer: Gardener, Fisher
How will they play out? Well, what what they have said, it will depend largely on your weapon, but also VERY largely on your armor, and the level of said armor. It is also mentioned you will be able to possibly even change classes out and about, or on the battle field.
Game system is named "Armory System", it depends on character's equipment. To change play style, you need to change equipment parts: this modification is executed in real time.
For example, if you're invited to join a team of warriors to fight the enemies, you only need to wear the corresponding equipment to be ready. Once the party disbanded, you only need to change equipment to come back as a crafter, fisherman, etc.
This freedom will make the solo play easier since a warrior who wants to be cured can change into a healer himself. Thereof the number of inventory's slots is more important than FFXI. The developers thought about an easier way to change equipment.
To get more powerful in each specifications, it is advised to balance out the equipment parts between them. In FFXIV, the equipment's level is essential, even more than the character's level itself. The developers insist once again on the huge freedom of this system wherer change can be made whenever. That's probably why the name of the jobs are more neutral than FFXI. The game's team has deliberately chosen to avoid the usual job class. 
Hitskin.com
adjustable. There will also be factions within each race from which to choose, possibly the ones mentioned in descriptions on the official site. For example, a Miqo'te could belong to the Seekers of the Sun or Keepers of the Moon. While this change does not have an impact on the story, Tanaka indicates they may add more aspects to the game that further differentiate the factions.
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