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style="font-style: italic;">Final
Fantasy XIV: A
Realm Reborn is just what the
name in implies
– a second chance for the development team at Square Enix to
get things right. The original FFXIV was a financial flop the likes of
which have never been seen. Will this latest iteration of the Final
Fantasy franchise stand up to the test of consumers? That answer is
going to have to wait, but while we are waiting, let’s take a
look at two aspects of the game as you get ready to take your first
step foot into the world of
Eorzea - the art of the game and character creation.



If there’s one thing the Final Fantasy team has done
extraordinarily
well over the years, it’s creating epic
cinematics for its fan base. The short mini-movie that kicks off before
you get to character creation is no different. The artists and
storytellers that worked on it deserve a special round of applause. It
easily lives up to any previous intro movie they’ve done
before and that’s not something every company can claim,
especially when their prior works have been so impressive. There are
other short cinematics throughout the beginning of the game (and
I’m sure further along as well), but these were created using
the in-game engine so don’t have quite the same flair.
They’re still done well, but don’t live up to the
impossibly high bar set by the true cinematic intro.


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Speaking of art in general, this is another highlight of style="font-style: italic;">FFXIV: ARR.
Even if you’re not a fan of the art style itself (and yes,
there are people that will not be fans), there is no denying the talent
and skill that was pooled together to bring such spectacular views and
animations. Square Enix has a very proud history of having some of the
absolute best artists in the industry and it’s clear they put
them all to good use. The characters look great, but the environments
are nothing short of breathtaking. I’ll freely admit I spent
a good amount of time just admiring the artwork while I wandered around
the seaside starter city of Limsa Lominsa.



Character creation in style="font-style: italic;">FFXIV: ARR
will be familiar to anyone that has
played an MMORPG. You’ll need to choose your race and class
first. There are five races to choose from - Hyurs (human-like), Elezen
(elf-like), Lalafell (halfling-like), Miqo'te (child-like), and
Roegadyn (brute-like). Each race has two clan types, so
you’ll be able to choose between them, altering the
appearance options. The system allows for such things as choosin to be
a dark elf (Duskwight Elezen), instead of a regular elf (Wildwood
Elezen). Each clan has minor differences in their stats when compared
to each other. There are no stat differences between males and females.


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When it comes to altering the appearance of your character, there are a
decent variety of options you can tweak and adjust. There are a few
preset faces to choose from, along with nose types, ear types, etc.
Even though you can’t tweak every single aspect of your
character to the image you have in your head, this isn’t a
criticism. The development team did a good job of providing players
with the means to alter their characters without overwhelming them with
an insane amount of sliders. It’s a good compromise.



Once you’ve created your character’s face and body
to acceptable levels, it’s time to choose your
character’s birthday. Though there is some flavor text for
each date, there is no indication this has any actual bearing on your
character in any way. Which god or goddess you choose to follow does
affect what elemental resistance bonuses you receive. No matter which
deity you choose, you’ll be granted bonuses for five
resistances: Earth, Fire, Ice, Lightning, Water, and Wind. Each one
will grant resistances of equal numerical value, just spread out
differently among the six resistances. The number values for all
deities is 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, and 0. See the chart below for more detail.


style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">
style="font-style: italic;">Final
Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - Deity Resistance Chart
style="width: 578px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
style="width: 70px; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Earth style="width: 70px; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Fire style="width: 70px; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Ice style="width: 70px; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Lightning style="width: 70px; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Water style="width: 70px; text-align: center; font-weight: bold;">Wind style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Althyk style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Azeyma style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Byregot style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Halone style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Llymlaen style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Menphina style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Nald'thal style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Nophica style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Nymeia style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Oschon style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Rhalgr style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 100px; font-weight: bold;">Thaliak style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">3 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">0 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">4 style="width: 70px; text-align: center;">2



After choosing a deity it’s time to pick your starting class
(class choice will also determine which city you start the game in). I
say starting class because as you progress through the game
you’ll be able to choose other classes as well. The classes
are split into different groups – Disciples of War and
Disciples of Magic. Those that choose War will start out with one of
the following melee classes:  Gladiator, Pugilist, Marauder,
Lancer, or Archer. Those that choose Magic will start with one of the
following caster classes: Conjurer, Thaumaturge, or Arcanist.



Here’s a quick description of each classes weapon of choice
to help you decide which is best for you:


  • style="font-weight: bold;">Gladiator
    – One-handed Blades
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Pugilist
    – Hand to Hand
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Marauder
    – Greataxe
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Lancer
    – Two-handed Polearms
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Archer
    – Bows
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Conjurer
    – Nature mage using wands
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Thaumaturge
    – Direct aether manipulation mage using scepter
    or staff
  • style="font-weight: bold;">Arcanist
    – Symbols of Power mage using familiars



Now you just have one more choice to make – what name shall
your character be known by? And there you go! Once this is chosen (and
approved by the system), you’ll be thrust into the world of
Eorzea, ready to conquer any challenge. Congratulations!

 


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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