Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn beta Phase 3 set for June

The second day of Nico Nico Chokaigi 2 has come and gone and with it a wealth of new information on Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.

Naoki Yoshida took the stage once again with the announcement that Phase 3 of the game’s beta test will commence in June pending Sony’s certification on the PS3 client. While he apologizes for the delay, he promises that the final open beta phase will be pushed out soon after. The PS3 version will not include a benchmark as there’s really no point as its a console with predetermined specifications. Optimization of the PS3 client is coming along smoothly – it can display 30 or 40 characters at the same time without straining the engine.

Yoshida will talk about the release date of the game some time next month – a date which will be during the “hot period” of summer. As a bonus, those that bought the collector’s edition of the original version will be gifted with the digital items from the ARR CE. Yoshida says a PS4 version is possible as the team would like to reach a wide audience, but a final decision will be made when the time is right.

Another Japanese voice actress joining the team is Rie Tanaka (Lacus in Gundam SEED). She will voice both Gridania Grand Company leader Kan-E-Senna and the primal Garuda.

In terms of game compatibility, FFXIV will support both nVidia SLI and AMD’s Crossfire. A level sync feature will be added in Phase 3. When a player enters the area of a lower level FATE he’ll be prompted with a confirmation message for level sync. It will be opt-in, as that could be an annoyance. There will be no need to change equipment, as the stats of the equipment worn at the time will be also be automatically adjusted to the appropriate level. Muskets and very large shields may be available to players in the future as well as the return of Darklight equipment.

Yoshida thought that the global cool-down in Phase 2 beta was too long. In regards to PvP, there will be no player killing. Post launch, Yoshida hopes to add in the Fat Chocobo as well as swimsuits since the game will be releasing in the hot months of summer.

Originally, the team wanted to name the servers after classic FF monsters, but as people are fond of the original version’s server names, there has been some consideration into retaining the fan’s wishes. Players will be able to choose whichever server they want to play on, regardless of region.

Limit Breaks will be taking the place of Battle Regimen – the likes of which will be included up to level 2 in Phase 3 beta. Phase 3 will include almost all the character creation options. It’s possible that it will include all of them, but probably a few more will be added for release. Yoshida says that no single starting city has any particular advantage, and that jobs will be available in Phase 3 as well. Ramuh and Leviathan will come after launch, followed by Shiva. Plans are proceeding smoothly for their implementation, and new content will follow launch at a very swift pace.

On the music front, Naoshi Mizuta expressed some interest in scoring a few tracks for ARR. Two or three songs by him may make it in for launch and more music by other FF composers may come at a later date. A new Lodestone will also launch with Phase 3 and Yoshida would like to start testing the smartphone companion app soon after, although its timing will depend on Apple and may not launch until the game proper.

Via: DualShockers.


About the Author

Erren Van Duine As a self-professed Final Fantasy fan, Erren created Nova Crystallis in 2009 as a place to collect the latest information on her favorite series. As owner and Editor-in-Chief, she also spends her time as a freelance illustrator.

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