by David Piner on Jun 19, 2015
Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward has now launched, a 3gig download is required, but player beware: you'll need to complete FFXIV: ARR before you can move on to Heavensward. This includes everything up until the end credits, following along the main story (main scenario) quests. This requires specific ilvl in order to complete - although with Heavensward live now, your friends can travel to Ishgard to get you vendor gear and trade it to you, helping with the process.
The expansion includes 10 new levels (that should take as long as 1-50 to complete), flying mounts, and a new raid, along with 3 new jobs and one new race. You'll need to the early access code attached to your game in order to access any of the new content and even if you're not there yet, having the early access code will let you gain EXP from the main scenario quests. So even if you're still grinding through the story, you'll be able to continue playing.
Launch has gone smoothly so far, no crashes, no sever instability, and no angry players that I can see. I was able to get the expansion installed within 10 minutes and servers are working correctly.
So come have fun in FFXIV! If the $39.99 price tag is a bit too high, various sites like Green Man Gaming are hosting 25% off the pre-purchase right now. If you play on Steam, you'll need to buy the expansion on Steam.