The Raid Quality Leap of FFXIV Stormblood

[@michaelmoore2679]

For the Ridorana Lighthouse just remember that 1 is not a prime number.

[@TheGoodColonel]

Counting is hard, man

[@Mejandora]

I love that boss soooo much!

[@Kekira]

*crying

[@Froggsroxx]

I genuinely don't understand why this mechanic is considered hard lol...

[@Froggsroxx]

@@JustinK0 very helpful, thank you :)

[@ChrisMorray]

Kyle, that thing you're doing with the "as the patches come out" is going to pay off wonders in Shadowbringers. The 8-man raid series is so interwoven with the MSQ that the final wing requires completion of the 5.3 MSQ, and the trial series are referenced directly in the MSQ as a certain character leaves the MSQ cast and gets their own questline complete with trials and solo duties. he only exceptions are the alliance raids (the NieR: Automata crossover raid series), which are not connected to the main story so you can do those whenever. You can, of course, still do those alongside the MSQ, but you wouldn't miss out if you didn't.

[@Amovetv]

Awesome!

[@deanbronz7157]

The confusion mechanic doesn't randomly change your directions, you run in the direction that the finger is pointing. If you stop moving the finger starts spinning, when you start moving the finger locks in a direction and you move that way until you stop again.

[@Amovetv]

Ooooo

[@MrLightlike78]

@@Amovetv stutter stepping can be really help with that particular mechanic.

[@CF-qb2cg]

Best way to do this mechanic is tap forward until you head in the direction you want to go

[@SmallerRidley]

@@MrLightlike78 if you do it at a constant rhythm you actually run in a circle.

[@iantaakalla8180]

I remember that mechanic, but not because I got that far. That mechanic was used in the Fall Guys minigame as a confusion tactic in one of the Stage 1 stuff and I always dealt with it poorly.

[@omgnerv]

it's so refreshing seeing gaming streamers genuinely having fun 🙂

[@Amovetv]

Easy when the game is so good.

[@udiar]

You don't die to the red chocobo you get baptized in the fire of their meteor. Now whether you like it or not welcome brother

[@Kekira]

Every time I see it pop I treat myself to Red Choctober. The meteors, ash, and pile of bodies really makes the ground quite cozy.

[@Amovetv]

*elmo fire gif

[@Tooney712]

I remember when Rabanastre first came out, and everyone had to do the opening quest. Just to give a taste. You had to go fight just a couple of red chocobos in the open world to advance the quest. But because it was opening day, everybody was there trying to advance the quest. There were so many red chocobos and choco meteors. Just everywhere. There were so many bodies. Everybody just kept dying over and over. I have screenshots, I wish I could share on youtube.

[@LovelyRitaholic]

@@Tooney712 omg flashbacks to just dying over and over again that was hilarious and also a shitshow xD

[@udiar]

@@Tooney712 lol oh yeah my fc healer had to come over to heal me while I killed them because I was getting bashed 🤣

[@MizukiTheUnderPro]

At this point, someone should probably note that most of the FF tactics/ FFXII team which this raid tier is based on is now working on FFXIV

[@DracoSuave]

Most of that team has been working on FFXIV the whole time. Matsuno was the only one they brought in for RtI.

[@BlumenCT]

This is why Ul'dah is basically FF12 Rabanastre

[@Ladywizard]

And the 12/tactics producer said this is actually the canon ending to that world

[@DracoSuave]

@@Ladywizard No he didn't. Neither Matsuno nor Ito said any such thing. Matsuno was telling a new story that has character names and location names based on FF12 and Tactics, he wasn't actually writing a continuation of that story. Which kinda makes sense seeing as the entire cosmologies are different. 'Oh yeah, Gabranth was actually Basch's grandson and not twin brother' isn't gonna be a valid continuation my dude.

[@Dreded100]

@@Ladywizard Pretty sure you got your alliance raids confused. Yoko Taro said the Nier raids were a canon ending to the Nier story. This raid is typical FFXIV cross-over where the names are the same but it isn't actually the same people.

[@JordanKennedy]

My first thought was "How are they gonna squeeze a whole video from Rabanastre?" But I love how much you contextualize not just where you are coming at it as new players but also from a larger view about development and using the collaboration to expand the visual design/world in ways that can take a bit of the pressure off the main dev team.

[@Amovetv]

Glad you liked this more bite-sized framing of a single wing. We were both talking about it and realized we had too much to say just about this first wing.

[@YumiGoblin]

17:19 so there was never a trash fight here or anything but what is cool is that each alliance gets their own path that's visibly different. Y'all were in the one with the falls between different pools, one of the alliances has to dive underwater to get through their secion, and the last group has the lamest one where they just jump down a bunch of pipes. Then at the end each alliance has to activate a switch so that central platform at the end can rise up. It's just a very cool set piece.

[@Amovetv]

That's really cool!

[@ralstlin939]

You can save your UI and other settings in the character selection, to upload it to the server.

[@Zendelxex]

Even your in game macros as well It can also be done when you play on another server but that requires you to copy your files from the PC

[@Ankfank]

You can also save them as a file from the launcher so you have 2 back-ups.

[@proy3]

Just wait until they hit the third boss of the second wing. I look forward to watching them flail as they try to figure out *that* mechanic. If you know, you know.

[@deathnote136]

What the HELL is a prime number

[@stevieblunder2656]

It's not hard, but people panic in the moment (I know I did) and it's hilarious chaos.

[@richboywinston5097]

@@stevieblunder2656 That's the best part about it. It's technically not hard, but with high pressure, some people can easily derp out

[@Ashtari]

@@stevieblunder2656 I had issues with it because I have dyscalculia. Basically the numbers version of dyslexia. Numbers just do not really register in my brain and I can not do basic math without using my fingers or a calculator. Luckily a healer usually yanks me into the right circle.

[@colnelScar2]

Oh God the numbers...the godsdamned numbers

[@ShiSeKin]

19:40 Yes absolutely! One of the best feelings in raids as a tank is dodging a mechanic by the smallest of steps and then naturally making it easier for your dps to hit positionals

[@Eiensakura]

Yeah, figuring out that I can just dodge the AoE in the fight with Gaius in Castrum Meridianum by just shuffling a little, felt good.

[@andilus]

As for your speculation at 25:55, Kyle, in case no one's mentioned it before, Alliance Raids are released on the .1, .3 and .5 patches. I believe it's been this way ever since ARR. The schedule definitely helps with incorporating guest designer ideas for sure, but the release schedule has always been this way. Also worth mentioning is that 8-man raid tiers release at the .01 (2 weeks after expansion release), .2, and .4 patches. In this way, the Alliance Raids provide catch-up gear and tokens to help get people to BiS before the next raid tier drops. For example, during the release of Return to Ivalice, the maximum ilvl was 340, which dropped from the Alphascape Savage raids. ilvl 330 gear was purchasable via Tomestones, which could be upgraded to ilvl 340 if you got a certain type of non-gear drop from Alphascape Savage raids. Once 4.1 rolled around, every week you completed Ivalice earned you a coin, which you could then trade for one of those Savage drops, upgrading your ilvl 330 tomestone gear to ilvl 340. Ivalice also dropped ilvl 330 gear (with differing substats), which was a way to make Savage more accessible, too. In summary, getting to the max item level is more doable once Alliance Raids release, hence their place in the "odd patches."

[@Amovetv]

I am no use to such planned and structured content releases coming from WoW!

[@DarthDarrik]

@@Amovetv Gaming Kinda just released a video with a spreadsheet that compares the patch frequency to WoW

[@dafire9634]

@@Amovetv FF14 has had a very tight 4 month per patch release schedule since ARR(excluding the 5.4 i think, the covid patch) Big shock from 8month content drought into 8 month content drought into 8month content drought

[@hounddog5]

@@Amovetv You are going to flip when you get to endgame and discover how player-friendly the gearing is.

[@FingerPuppetSarcasm]

This Raid series made me go back and replay FF12 which is now one of my favorite games.

[@JackWolf1]

11:30 hate to be that trivia nerd with the glasses and pocket protector but… Mateus the corrupt isn’t the bound woman, its the sorcerer she’s bound to. A number of bosses in this raid series are espers (essentially the summons I. The Ivalice series) from FF12, and Mateus is the water summon that’s a stand-in for Leviathan. In the lore of the games, the espers were bound after their rebellion against the gods failed, during which The sorcerer Mateus captured an oracle and bound her to him as a shield.

[@hjt091]

Mateus is the ice summon. Famfrit is the water summon.

[@JackWolf1]

@@hjt091 ah, got mixed up as his exit animation is similar to Leviathan

[@ThatKirisame]

The first 2 bosses are from FF12 which lies in the Ivalice Universe, the last 2 bosses were designed by the Garo creator iirc for this first wing anyway.

[@TrueZero2]

If I remember right, if it isn't a summon from 12, the design was handled by Keita Amemiya, the mind behind Garo. The bosses he designed are all in the same kind of look to monsters from that series too.

[@hyperneko018]

Technically the 3rd boss has an initial concept design but the content was cut in FFT, and the Garo creator did a thing based on that, as well as an original design for Argath's Lucavi form.

[@taldir5228]

Trust me guys. Any time you see a red chocobo, bring your A game and be focused :D they do not take prisoners

[@Amovetv]

Good to know...

[@taldir5228]

@@Amovetv one day you will understand what Red Choctober means :D

[@trip30s]

The only thing a red chocobo fears is Tataru.

[@Cellybeans]

"I don't want to kill the chocobos!" famous last words

[@IKMcGwee]

For those who haven't played FFT, Red Chocobos have Choco Meteor, which was a insta cast meteor. Most spells in that game have cast time and you have to target either a person or a square and wait for it to trigger, meaning that your target could either walk outta your spell, like ff14 AOE ground markers, or you stand next to targets and let the splash help. Most units have a movement of 3-5, 5 being rare and there's height for jumping, so terrain can effect targeting too. Chocobos have a move of I think 7-9 and a jump of at least 3-5. This means Red Chocobos WILL get in range and there's nothing you can do to get away from insta casts. There are end game bosses less deadly then Reds.

[@navyrayne]

As a 1.0 player, it's been so amazing watching you two go through this grandest of adventures.

[@NagaTales]

I ran Rabanastre on release day, and let me tell you, Hashmal was the wall that stalled out so many runs. My first run of the wing actually timed out, because we spent so much time trying to beat Hashmal that we ran out of time in the middle of the Thedalfus fight. Some of the community took to calling him Hashbrown the Raidbreaker, because for the first week or two, until the majority of players got a handle on his phases, you were going to wipe on him. Return to Ivalice is actually notorious for having a boss like that in every wing that became the hurdle you had to get over, and it was never the last boss of the wing. I look forward to seeing your reactions to the other 'Raid Wall' bosses from the second and third wings, because they both present challenges for very different reasons :P

[@gundampharmacist7348]

It should be noted that the final two bosses of the Rabanastre raid, Rofocale and Argath are original designs to XIV; Rofocale was mentioned in lore but never implemented to the best of my knowledge, and Argath originally was just a dude. So not only did the GARO designer have to design these two fitting in XIV’s style, they also needed to make it consistent with the style of Ivalice.

[@beholdthevoid]

Ivalice are my legit favorite raids in the game - I'm a huge Ivalice fangirl to start with but in terms of design and difficulty and mechanics it's great. I'm not someone who's overly sad of nerfing the penultimate boss of Raid 3 but I do still feel proud that I was good at fighting him before he was nerfed. Oh also yes, Tactics is wonderful. The iOS/Android version is a pretty good touch-screen based version of the best iteration, the War of Lions, and there is a credible leak that there should be a pixel remaster of FFT also coming out soon. FFXII which the raids also reference has a lot more mixed opinions but I love big political dramas and while it has some stumbles it honestly feels like a prototype FOR what XIV would become in many ways with the huge, expansive and mostly open world. I think there's a PC version on Steam.

[@SammyRebbo]

I'm glad you both are enjoying the Ivalice Raid series and am looking forward to the next two! Ivalice Raid just happens to be my favorite of the Alliance Raids.

[@scraplette9608]

God bless you for mentioning the settings back up because I had NO IDEA that was a thing! Saved future me a lot of hassle.

[@SanbyakuenMadao]

25:50 time needed for development aside, they do have a set pattern for the release schedule of non-msq (8-man raids, 24-man raids and the trial series) content since Heavensward. It goes like this in case you haven't noticed :- X.01 First Raid. X.1 First Alliance Raid. X.2 Second Raid Wing & First Trial. X.3 Second Alliance Raid. x.4 Third Raid & Second Trial. x.5 Third Alliance Raid & Third Trial with X.01 patch being the first minor patch after the expansion release

[@clangauss4155]

God, I love Stormblood. What a great example of what a huge step up it is from HW in what is just a sample of the ways. Individual character writing is still my favorite part, and Stormblood is when they were finally able to fall in love with their characters. Yes, Tactics is worth playing if you like gameplay that resembles Fire Emblem. Crystal Chronicles is too if traditional turn based FFs aren't your bag.

[@kylesmith564]

It's definitely a good thing you're doing all the patch/side content as you go through. I kinda just followed through MSQ and didnt really do much of the side content unless required but I keep bumping up on stuff monthly when I try to do things with my FC that would've been fixed if I had just taken a bit of time and done things more slowly and thoroughly. I'm excited to see your journey onwards because everything just gets more great in terms of mechanical visibility and understanding, of over-the-top graphics and oh me oh my.

[@east3rcat]

It is so awesome to watch you do all this raid and story content! As someone that skipped parts of the optional content, I finally finished them and wonder what I was thinking in skipping them. Kyle’s spreadsheet is so brilliant. Kudos to you!

[@nathanprime2434]

Various mechanics or themes that seems out of place or wierd make complete sense in context with the lore. Like with Mateus The Corrupt... that boss is actually two separate entities. Mateus is the black Scaffold thing(with the billowy cloth and actuall holding the staff). He was a lord of the Underworld and in the course of his rule, he submitted to avarice(extreme greed for wealth or material gain), and the darkness took his heart, transforming him until he was both evil and corrupt. Then in his cowardice did he bind a Goddess of the Demesne of Ice, and using her as a living shield, he challenged the gods. Defeated before their might, he fell screaming into the depths of hell, there to be imprisoned for eternity. So the woman you see is a ice sorceress which he actually seduced and enslaved. Mateus himself is a water demon. So thats why theres a weird relationship with his water and ice attacks, it's because the ice comes from her, the water, from him. There is decently deep lore for all these bosses, once you're done the raid series, I would recommend looking them up.

[@sonicroze]

Awesome you guys are having so much fun with this. ^-^ Doing these as the patches come out is actually a good tactic. While I usually like burning through the raids and not having to wait, there is something to be said for not jumping right back into it. And this should continue to do well for you through Shadowbringers. I just hope I am there for the Third of the Ivalice raids!! You've also shown here something that I've been saying all along "You do not need to know anything about Final Fantasy to enjoy this game", but it does give extra appreciation for the people who do know it. You would never have known this was a Tactics tie in but for the fans here, and because - as you say - they tie it into the world so well, it is a *part* of the world and doesn't feel out of place. Quick tip: After you run a dungeon or raid, you can use the Return button to go back to the very start of the place. This is great for checking out any lore bits you may have missed. Actually, the Second dungeon in the Raid series has an Easter egg if you go back. I've said repeatedly that I began FFXIV during Stormblood, so I was here when these raids debuted. I lived these raids before the gear started outstripping things and remember all the mechanics. Part of why I'm hoping to get a position on the third one. Though I will say this - especially if you liked Hamhands' fight: Remember these mechanics; your final exam has yet to begin.

[@rexex345]

Yeah, ivalice really starts playing with the camera, shadowbringers really starts using it really well, then in patch 5.3 they added the new overhauled animation rigs that just take things to a new level

[@jasongarrett768]

“Argath is such a giant pile of...” *leans forward expectantly* “...graphics.” We were so close to absolute accuracy. So close.

[@brandonferreolf.3100]

This was a lot of fun to run with everyone. Really enjoyed it.

[@thomasrobinson6320]

Worth noting (And I won't be the first or the last to say it I know) - a lot of this is also inspired/ripped from FF12. Which was also set in Ivalice - It's a recurring setting in FF games. Rabanastre was the literal main city in 12, many of the boss models, like Mateus are literal boss models from 12. It's quite lovely seeing them frankly. Loving the content tho, look forward to the next livestream!

[@hyperneko018]

Ivalice Alliance was a compilation like the FFVII games and FFXIII/FFXV games. It comprises of FFT, FFXII and Vagrant Story (to a very diminished effect FFTA and TA2) and Return to Ivalice has references to those 3 games. And while Ivalice is now a part of FFXIV's lore and world, it's wholly different from the Alliance in how it uses those things.

[@OkamiG15]

5:13 Not Garlean area, this raid series takes place in Dalmasca, which is one of the areas actively rebelling against Garlemald after the events of Stormblood. It’s a reference to the setting of FF12

[@TheoVorster]

Though the second wing of the Ivalice Alliance raids, The Ridorana Lighthouse, does take place in the remnants of the city-state of Goug, which the ancestors of the Garleans originated from (before they even inhabited Corvos), and Goug itself was part of the greater Kingdom of Ivalice (in the FFXIV version of Ivalice’s history to be clear). So it’s kinda “Garlean” in that regard.

[@YumiGoblin]

25:24 Not sure if anyone has explained this yet but even numbered patches (X.0, X.2, X.4) are the progression patches where we get the next Savage raid tier where as odd numbered patches (X.1, X.3, X.5) are sort of catch up patches where we get an Alliance raid that drops gear slightly below Savage ilvl as well as a coin that can be used to buy upgrade mats for the Tomestone gear. We also started getting Ultimate raids in odd numbered patches starting in Stormblood to give the high end raiders something to do with their BiS before the next Savage tier but considering it only drops a cool weapon it's not really "progression" in the sense of progressing your player power. (And ofc every patch has its own MSQ, trial, and dungeon(s) and other misc content but we're talkin about raids here) But yeah that's why Rabanastre came out in 4.1 and the second alliance raid didn't come out until 4.3.

[@YumiGoblin]

And before someone "um actually"s me, yes technically the Ultimate weapon becomes BiS when it comes out because it has 3 meld slots but let's be real that's kinda just a fun bonus thing #Doesn'tCount #ReallyJustForBraggingRights

[@TrueZero2]

For future reference, Rabanastre's last syllable is pronounced as -ster. So Ra-ba-na-ster. Also, whoever decided to put a bit of the Garo music over the show footage, I frigging salute you.

[@alrown7476]

Yes Tactics is amazing. Best way to play it is on a tablet for the bigger screen or phone if no tablet. It's also available on PSP. FF XII is set in the same world and some of the references from the raid are from XII not tactics.

[@tomcoleman8702]

Omg the ivalice raids! So good! We called them: Rabanasty, The Rhidorana Deathhouse, and the Orbonne Masoleum. The amount of deaths was hilarious.

[@leesakowski790]

You mentioned backing up your button/UI setup. On the character select screen, on the right side of the name is a little gear shaped symbol (think it is a gear) that you can use to save each individual UI setup. There is another at the top that does kind of a blanket save for all characters.

[@nspaulding07]

22:55 When it comes to the first week or two of a new raid (alliance or 8-man), people almost always go in blind. You'll see tons of parties in party finder advertising blind runs. Rarely do people look up guides or optimal strategies at this point. We all like dying to unexpected mechanics! As time progresses, yes, it's common for people to look up strategies. But week 1 of the new alliance raid is always a ton of fun precisely BECAUSE of the chaos!

[@AoiKaze2000]

The release cadence is the same cadence they've used since HW (and likely since ARR) which ties into the gearing as the 24 man gear is usually the catchup gear for that tier of savage, so the 24 man raids are always going to release on x.1, x.3, and x.5 whereas the savage raids are always going to release on x.0, x.2, and x.4. That's why a lot of us are looking forward to August because we get the second tier of the EW savage raids. The Extreme fights, however, will usually provide something helpful with the raid and they tend to follow the pattern of 2 at x.0 (typically the first two expansion trials), then the final expansion trial at x.1, the next three (x.2, x.3, x.4) extremes are for whatever trial story arch is going on that expansion, and the final trial (x.5) while the first x.0 extreme will drop jewelry, the rest of the extremes typically drop weapons that are helpful in the savage content. With all of this, the release of the 24man raids also comes with another catchup mechanic tied to the tomestone gear. It's going to make more sense when you get to endgame because that same cycle has been going on since HW.

[@internisla]

The game doesn't tell you this, but there are actually options in the character select menu to upload your client and character settings to the server. It's a relatively recent addition to the game, and while it's not nearly as good as just storing those settings server-side it's helpful once you know about it.

[@Cellybeans]

"relatively recent" being since 2014 it's easy to back up the settings. you just right-click your character at the login screen and select Backup Character Data. Click Upload. bam. done.

[@Sllandre]

@@Cellybeans Pretty sure that the character back-up at least was added in either 4.5 or 5.1

[@Cellybeans]

@@Sllandre they may have expanded what it saves but I was able to recover my macros, hotkeys, and HUD layout from when I played. I took a long (6 year) hiatus after completing 3.3 so this was a thing back in Heavensward.

[@angelgodric]

This rait is the best one for me because of the bosses it has from FF tactics and FF12. The espers rise against their creator lead by Ultima the high seraph. The 12 gods of ivalise bind zodiark the 13th esper in child form becuase they fear his power.

[@Lizzu]

Fun fact in the fight against Mateus, if you do the raid in christmas season, if you are frozen you dont become a simple frozen statue, you become a snowman !

[@karlsanjose2941]

Beware, the Red Chocobo!!! Boy, if you guys love Hashmal now, I got great news for you. Bozja!!!

[@tenebraequeene]

I looked at your stormblood playlist and it only has one video! I really wanna see your whole journey of this expansion! I've been so busy with my move that I missed 98% of it >.< Anyways, great video! Love seeing you go through this game! Can't wait til you reach Shadowbringers! :)

[@Sadtv12]

@23:00 doing first day/week alliance raids is some of the most fun in this game imo. Everything looks awesome, nobody knows what is going on and the mechanics are fairly punishing so everyone is just dying left and right getting rezzed by healers and red mages. It's not really frustrating either since usually you can just rez over and over until you beat the boss since there is generally no enrage; you usually don't full wipe more than once or twice to some gimmick. Some of the later Ivalice bosses were pretty brutal when they first came out though.

[@Personified134]

To answer since you were wondering about the physical location: Rabanastre is the capital of Dalmasca, and the central city hub of Final Fantasy 12, which like Tactics takes place in the continent/world of Ivalice. In 14, Dalmasca is one of the many territories conquered by the Empire, in a situation similar to Doma's occupation. Specifically it's situated on the westmost part of Orthard, south of The Burn and in-between Thavnair and Yanxia.

[@moznayim]

Rabanastre on Party Finder is a trip, to be sure. And Rabanastre is only the beginning of awe-inspiring spectacle in the Ivalice raids.

[@Kanamon22]

First of all, i really enjoy all your videos guys talking about your game experience, it's as good as watching you playing through the game. With that said i have to say watching your perspective for Ivalice is kinda make me change my mind about the raid. Not because of the story, and all the dialogue and cutscenes, mostly cause of the raid itself. It's a good one, hard but a fun one but since i did Ivalice out of my way to do ShB content, i just wanted to get done with it, and like i mention hard the amount of wipes and not so much of a smooth run i got made it extremely painful every time i got in on the roulete. Keep up the good content guys.

[@OmegaMetroid93]

I'm so excited for the next stream, whenever that will be.

[@ngwoo]

You can save your settings to the server (including keybinds) from the character select screen. The cog in the top right is for system settings and the little icon to the right of your character name is for character settings. I have no idea why it isn't automatic - you have to do it again any time you change something - but at least you don't have to find the files manually.

[@muzomuhlevilane3381]

FF12 is my all time favorite FF game, and like Tactics, it’s heavily referenced in this raid series. Music, setting, bosses, characters - the works..... Glad y’all enjoyed this as well

[@Kasaaz]

Breaking the wings up by the patch they were released in is smart. Otherwise they can really be a slog in between instances.

[@EMIL_PLAYS]

To help with one Question all 3 raids are both "Final Fantasy 12 and Final Fantasy Tactics" The Royal City of Rabanastre is a city in Ivalice, the world of Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. while the lower half is connected to tactics.

[@ArakDBlade]

I was a bit confused when I looked over and everything was black and white or a moment there. I thought my tablet was tripping out.

[@Keldiur]

Context is important. Return to Ivalice is return to not only Tactics but FF12. Both were lead by Yasumi Matsuno and both actually take place in a land called Ivalice. To boot, he was brought on as a consultant for this content. The bosses not only appear as bosses in FFT, but their art direction matches more their FF12 counterparts, where they take on that game's summons called Espers. The places you visit have both references to FF12 and FFT, and the story is somehow so well done that it takes concepts, stories and characters, reimagines them and their story, and smashes it into FF14. I seriously do not know how they did it, but seeing as how FF12 and FFT are in my top 5 FFs of all time, this is my favourite piece of content for FF14. Just you wait for the next 2 sections.

[@pillarsofsnow7940]

This raid series is a reference to both Tactics and FF12, as both are in the same setting, Rabanastre is the main City and setting of FF12 and most of the NPC’s are new takes on characters from FF12, and the characters from tactics lived centuries ago

[@writer747]

I cannot wait til their reaction to the finale of Ivalice. Some of the coolest bosses

[@NSUSashiel]

The character configuration and hotkeys can be uploaded online and then reapplied automatically from the gear on the top right of the character selection screen, so you don't have to manually save the file on an external drive.

[@Sorakovu]

Mathias, hashmal and parts of rabanastre are from final fantasy 12, I loooved that game and I looove seeing those bosses and parts of the city

[@theSLVRFOX]

As far as the “confusion run” mechanic goes, try this. Holding forward (up) stops the finger from spinning and moves your character in the direction it is pointing.

[@TheDeliciousMystery]

This was pretty much the hardest alliance raid series and got a lot of love from some of us that enjoyed it, others having to deal with that many randos having to know mechanics? not so much. But this one was special since it brought in the lead creator behind the Ivalice games. Usually FF games are all seperate continuities but Ivalice is a specific world that FF12, FFtactics and Vagrant Story take place in albeit at very different periods in time so its pretty fleshed out compared to a lot of JRPG settings and as such has a pretty diehard fanbase within the FF fanbase who were super excited for this one and for the most part it really delivers across this and Bozja.

[@maceofbass9295]

The Garamsythe Waterway is an awesome part of Rabanastre from FFXII (and maybe Tactics? IDK), and I love how they included it in the raid. No fighting necessary!

[@hyperneko018]

Iirc it was a discoverable locale in the side missions you could send your squads to explore but only in the WotL version as an Easter egg. All the scribblings in the waterway are Easter eggs from either those side missions or from help menu texts from units when you hover over them.

[@tngdragon]

I've done the 1st part and now that I'm more comfortable with the mechanics, I'll be doing the next wings. This was REALLY frustrating for me to begin with, but now that I've practiced it, I really enjoy it. I always feel so rewarded when I DON'T die! XD

[@NibelungJ]

Ivalice is my favorite alliance raid in the game, it just do that right balance between atmosphere, difficulty, and nostalgia. Up to this day, I always smile when the game gives me a Ivalice raid in my roulette. I add my voice to the pile that say once you finish the patch quests, you want to jump in Shadowbringers ASAP. So be sure to finish Ivalice, Omega, Four Lords and Eureka before you do those. Otherwise you'll only return to it much later when you forget what your level 70 rotation was supposed to be.

[@Tackleberry61]

Great video! And I agree wholeheartedly! That said, Ivalice is also a FFXII call back as well as Tactics.

[@oliviabean8264]

Damn, Indiana Jones with drama students is a perfect description of the alliance raid lol. Also you guys are looking kinda rough... glad I'm not the only one who was traumatized by the patch MSQ! By the way fair warning, I'd put some pick me up content on the schedule for after the trials in shadow bringers. I'll say no more.

[@Orchestructive]

The fact that they used the literal PS1 music for the Ivalice Raids and the guys didn't even bat a eyelash at the music is a testament to Hitoshi Sakimoto's skill.

[@FF4l1e]

He's easily my favorite composer for his work on Tactics/XII, Dragon's Crown,Vanillaware's other games with the composers at his company Basiscape, Valkyria Chronicles and much more.

[@hollamonm]

A full month late, but it's also an FFXII reference. The whole Alliance Raid is both a reference to Tactics and FFXII (for example in FFXII the Rabanastre is the starting city and Rabanastre is also the Royal City of a conquered country), I think *some* of the armor is also a reference to the gear from FFXII MCs. Also Mateus is an Esper from FFXII (don't know about Tactics) and Hashmal is in FFXII as well as an Esper too both have those titles as well.

[@sylas3265]

I know it’s a week late but I thought I’d mention that some bosses like Mateus and Haschmal along with Belial (you’ll see) are the scions of darkness from final fantasy 12 and tactics. Mateus specifically has a cool bit of lore where the figure on his front is some sort of sprite or angel taken captive by Mateus in his lust for power and protection in his fear of others. Once defeated the Espers become available to summon in FF12 and they’re fun and useful :D

[@krise99391]

For the spinning finher mechanic, just tap W until you're running in the right direction, which is directed by what way the finher is pointing.

[@ReddeSpectre]

23:10 So yeah, on some kinds of mechanics in FFXIV the Voice Line will tip you off as to what the mechanic is doing. They're not all just for flavor, some of them really do matter and I'd 100% recommend paying at least a little attention to them. Like Argath, for example, has a line when the angel face appears where he says "I am the truth from which you run" immediately followed by a mechanic that demands you do something, and when the Devil face first shows up he says "I am the Lies upon which you sup" followed by the same mechanic. It's a small thing, but a keen ear and eye can really save you.

[@oldmanharley4018]

you can walk inside the hole of the figure 8 for extra cool points

[@Boyzby]

On the character select screen, there's a cog next to the names and you can backup settings for keybinds and macros and a few other things. It's like 2 or 3 clicks and takes less than 20 seconds. I will say that I do wish the side content-more specifically the Alliance raids, 8-man raids, and the trial series like Warring Triad-had more voice acting. We got every boss having voice lines in the newest alliance raid, so it's a start.

[@sinom]

24:30 eof that attack it isn't that buttons are swapped. the arrow over your head spins and you always walk in the direction the arrow was at the moment you pressed any movement button.

[@CrashB111]

5:12 Royal City of Rabanastre doesn't take place in Garlemald no. There are 3 main continents in the XIV world, Eorzea in the far west (where the city states the player is from are), Ilsabard in the central/northern reaches (where Garlemald is), and Othard in the far east (where Doma is). Eorzea is joined to Ilsabard via a land bridge on Ala Mhigo's north eastern border which is why Garlemald invaded them first. Likewise, Othard is joined on it's north western border to Ilsabard. Rabanastre is the occupied capital of Dalmasca, a nation located to the west of Doma but on the same continent. They fell to Garlean occupation many years earlier in-universe because they are on that land bridge to Ilsabard or at least very near it, making them one of the first nations that Garlemald invaded on the Othard continent.

[@SticktheFigure]

There is no official confirmation of this yet, but word on the street is that we're getting an FFTactics remaster in the near future. Iirc it was one of the titles leaked in an NVidia thing some months back that has borne fruit for most of the leaked games so far.

[@brandonn161]

IMO, the alliance raid got soo good starting with this one! Also, it's a good decision to do these now rather than saving it for the end. Like Zepla said once...once you get to the final patch of SB, you will not want to stop the MSQ.

[@jasongarrett768]

Yeah, 4.3 is a great place to hit the brakes on MSQ and do everything else.

[@invaderzam]

Final Fantasy Tactics had such a visually striking artstyle. It was chibi mixed in with high fantasy, it just looked fantastic that you forgot they were pixels. Not to mention each of the classes had such a distinct uniform/costume, it gave such a strong visual identity to every class, even the starting ones. I jumped in the game during Shadowbringers but when I found out the armor sets for this raid was the costumes from the FF Tactics jobs, I had to grind em out to get my favorite ones.

[@bicks4436]

Stormblood is when the encounters on this game came really into their own. Every alliance raid (and pretty much every trial/8man raid) from here on out is just a ton of fun, the rest of Ivalice, the Shadowbringers one, and what we have so far in Endwalker all slap. Getting pulled back into CT or pirates in roulette is honestly painful afterwards

[@GamestMesa]

playing side content when it originally came out is a great way to do it, in the main story there are sometimes changes in dialog and dialog options you can pick based on things you have done in the game. for instance if you had finished the level 50 dragoon quest then estinien will refer to you as fellow azure dragoon

[@Bardran1986]

U can save everything, all the settings by uploading those on ur character screen. theres a backup setting. for both character configuration and system configuration!

[@tylorhobbs8920]

It's worth noting that FFT had a bunch of optional random encounters that you can avoid ever having to face that stepped up the difficulty a fair bit. The hardest one being Finath River, known for pitting you against five red chocobos raining down death from above.

[@tangentkatz]

The Ivalice raids are probably my favorite raids in the entire game. I hope you're able to replay this raid sometime and get Alliance b; their water tunnel ride is extra epic.

[@gysahlfields7506]

Great video!! So, to answer some questions: 1) FINAL FANTASY TACTICS, FINAL FANTASY XII, and VAGRANT STORY are set in the same World. Ivalice is a Region in that World, just as it is in XIV. (TACTICS ADVANCE series, is... hmmm, I don't want to spoil anything, but let's say, story wise, you MUST play them after the above, and they could be considered the same but also different series. Forget them for now, and don't spoil yourself). 2) Don't play only TACTICS, play also XII after it (Tactics 1st, XII after). VAGRANT STORY is an amazing side game too if you get deep in that World and want more of it. 3) Wait before playing TACTICS. The best version available is the Mobile version, BUT, there has been a big Remaster of it in the works for PC and Consoles, it has been leaked and it is basically confirmed but not announced yet. XII has its best version available everywhere and it is called FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE. 4) Rabanastre is the starting Town in FINAL FANTASY XII. 5) Ivalice Raid in XIV is heavily inspired from XII/TACTICS. Most of XIV's older staff were the creators of TACTICS/XII, with Yasumi Matsuno as the head of the Studio before he stepped down. Yasumi Matsuno is the reason Yoshi-P got into gaming creation and he idolizes Matsuno. Matsuno is the guest creator working on Ivalice in XIV. So, it's like a reunion for the XIV team. 6) Bojza, is a side content called Field Exploration (like Eureka) in SHADOWBRINGERS. Bojza is a straight continuation of the IVALICE Raid Story in XIV, same aesthetic but with WAY more amazing things, and it is also being helmed by Yasumi Matsuno. Ivalice Raids are required to step foot in it. (Do NOT look anything about Bozja online. Huge Plot twists will be ruined even by battle Thumbnails. Do not search it before doing the Story, especially before the half way point of it. Believe me you will ruin an amazing moment for you). 7) You have so much fun ahead of you. Rabanastre was easily the worst Raid of the IVALICE Raid Series. Not even close to the other two. 8) XII = 12 (which is a total masterpiece of a gaming achievement) 9) Lucky Bastards!!! I want to play them fresh too again :(

[@Momoryuto]

Ivalice was my first alliance raid (I started right when stormblood started and didn't have to do crystal tower), it was honestly all so crazy. I've only seen Mataeus from the back and, until now, thought it was a blue skeleton or whatever... feels like I missed out lol.

[@OddManeuver]

I think the waterways part is there so that your cooldowns are reset. I think you’re basically going from one major boss fight to another, so devs probably wanted the players to have all their abilities ready.

[@Enju93]

If no one hasn't told you this but you can back up your settings and marcoes and hotbars in game, at the Character select screen there is a back up settings button where it puts your settings in a cloud file which is specific to your account, so it will be there for you for another PC / wiped PC.

[@LukeGarou]

"Pbbbbbt." - Garrett, 2022

[@moodudable]

like every fights do it enough times and you will get the mechanics and will be able to stand on the edge of every aoes and it felt awesome. but the sad thing is many people dislike this raid because they thought it was too hard and will leave immediately or try to not make this raid pops up in roulette. then people don’t get to practice and end up dying and wipes and such. it’s a vicious circle. and shadowbringers camera works and animations, especially facial expressions are *cheff kiss, please look forward to it.

[@Darkflyer71]

Are you guys planning to do Stormblood's Savage content? It's the first available Savage tier I feel is worth doing - some of the fights are extremely cool. Hope you enjoy the rest of Ivalice!

[@TheAlzack]

The raids are always on a set schedule. X.1 is the first wing of the 24, x.3 is the 2nd, x.5 is the last. Even number patches x.05, x.2,x.4 is the 8 man raids

[@cyphi474]

Btw you can save your settings in Character selection screen, clicking on that small clog wheel next to your character name. But i never had this problem, even after having to do complete reinstall of entire system after hard drive crash.

[@SarahExpereinceRequiem]

Fun fact, this isn't the first time Ivalice is referenced in FF14. The first two bosses that you fight here are named after the Scions of Darkness/Espers from the Ivalice universe. Each scion of darkness had a corresponding scion of light - these scions of light lent their names to the Ascians in FF14. Although this is a name reference with no lore implications it does tell us that one or more people on the 14 team is a big fan of the Ivalice setting games. (It's Yoshida

[@KeiEnd]

Cant wait to see the next Ivalice AR reaction :)

[@Jacqli-Rivoli]

If you guys are ever up for a chaotic run full of randos, let me know. ^^

[@Mad-Slick]

FFXII is my favourite FF after XIV and I loved this raid series. Fighting the Espers again was great.

[@MellowFungus]

The log in screen provides an option to "Back-up" your settings. Maybe have a look to see if you can find it next time your on the character log in screen.

[@nhonstop]

Don't forget to backup your key bindings and hot bars. Just before you login to your characters, there is a cogwheel on the upper right to save your UI configurations!

[@kuronaialtani]

I wiped to Mateus for the first time ever last week Was fascinating to see mechanics I hadn’t ever known about despite playing this game for two and a half years now Idk if people had bad gear, or some folks weren’t doing any dps, or what, but the ttk was just not there and I got to see an entire add phase to the full enrage bar