Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is just over five weeks away.
How does that make you feel? What kind of emotions does it stir inside you? If you’re a fan of the MMORPG and the answer is anything but ‘excited,’ it’s time to take a quick step back.
With the Endwalker media tour currently underway, popular XIV YouTubers and content creators have begun uploading tons of content from the upcoming expansion, interviews with Yoshi-P, and personal opinions on the new content about to sweep players off their feet. Upon release of the full Endwalker trailer a few months back, players (like myself) who are most invested in the story are chomping at the bit for new tidbits of lore and character development. Others are psyching themselves up for more challenging content, ready for that new Level 90 cap. Final Fantasy XIV has always offered something for every type of gamer, and Endwalker is about to introduce even more options, including a very Stardew Valley-like side area for those who need a break from the daily grind.
Endwalker is giving us so much to be excited about, and yet, social media is filled with anxiety.
MMO players know: the game can feel like a job at times. XIV has always done a good job of mitigating that, with producer Yoshi-P saying point-blank in an interview that players should never feel as though they NEED to play. But with new content approaching, the stress appears–what if I don’t finish current content in time? What if my classes aren’t all leveled to 80, or my gear level isn’t high enough? There’s this sense of urgency that’s starting to appear in the community, and I’m here to ask people to take a breath.
Final Fantasy XIV is a game, and it’s a game with a notoriously friendly and welcoming community. Each moment inside Eorzea is one to be treasured, not rushed. Each second spend raiding with friends should be cherished, not seen as a means to an end. Easier said than done, I’m sure: it’s hard to be left behind when the crowd at large is plowing ever forward. But past content isn’t disappearing, and all those raids and trials you’ve put off will still be there when the dust settles.
Sidenote: I write this as a person whose husband skipped literally every cutscene in the game to catch up. He skipped every cutscene, despite knowing that Final Fantasy XIV has one of the best stories in the series, and all because he just wanted to catch up. I love my husband, but, please. Slow down. Breathe. Enjoy. Cry. Laugh. Real-life is for stress. Gaming is for the opposite.
