FFXIV Goes Tribal, Races Split in Playable Clans
It’s been easy to dismiss Final Fantasy XIV as a prettier but rehashed version of Final Fantasy XI, what with its use of old races just with harder-to-pronounce names. But a new website update shows FFXIV finally getting some originality going, as each race has been divided into two distinct clans.
“Players from these clans will spend the next 39 days battling it out until one of them becomes the ultimate…”
What the… Jeff, shouldn’t you be in Samoa right now?!
“Oh, sorry couldn’t help it.”
ANYWAY, so each race gets two clans each for a total of ten playable clans. A superb translation from the ffxivcore.com community let us know the basic background of these clans as uploaded in the FFXIV Japanese game site. My altaholic ego just shed a happy tear:
Hyur race. The Midland (Left and center pic) clan has a larger population settled in towns and villages compared to the muscular Highland (Right pic) clan who have declined in numbers after their state city of Ala Mhigo fell. Highland Hyur do not have a female version, though a reason has not been explained. Maybe they got scared of the rock hard abs.
Miqo’te race. It’s a literal night-and-day difference between the Keepers of the Moon (L) who revere the Moon Goddess Menefina, and the Seekers of the Sun (R) who worship the Sun God Arzema. Both hunt best at opposite times of the day and choose to live isolated from bigger communities–a shame really, they’re cute as kitties!
Lalafell race. Geography seems to have factored in a great deal to the lifestyle of both Lalafell clans. The Plainsfolk (L) clan live like the hobbits with houses connected by underground tunnels and have a fairer complexion. The Dunesfolk (R), meanwhile, can be found in the deserts and exude a Western Asian dress code complete with forehead beads. I’ll have one of these pidgin folk please.
Elezen race. This one’s obvious enough to decipher. The Wildwood (L) clan likes to hang around foliage and have been trained to use the bow well. The Duskwright (R) clan are cave dwellers with a developed sense of hearing that give them an advantage in martial arts. Duskwright Elezen earned the ire of their Wildwood kin due to their acts of banditry so there’s that token elven conflict waiting to be explored.
Roegadyn race. Much like the Lalafells, geographical location dictates the difference between the Sea Wolves (L) and Hellsguard (R) clans. The former are called “wolves of the sea” and are adept sailors, while the latter thrive on harsh volcanic regions and are called “guardians of the flame”.
It’s up in the air whether the clans will be split down to warring factions ala World of Warcraft but the descriptions point to possible sources of conflict. It would be grand though to see Highland men raiding Midland villages for their women, claiming they only did it for their clan to survive. Kidnapping to prevent clan extinction = epic MMO storyline!
Apr. 6 Update: This post has been updated in line with the official English translations at the FFXIV US site.
(Pics from http://www.eorzeapedia.com/)
Comment by pacifista on 31 March 2010:
I think its sad, that when people think of originality, they look at the aesthetics instead of gameplay, which is what Really determines if the game is original or not. Think of warcraft 3 vs wow (even though theyre different genre, gameplay is what makes them so different, not the graphics). SE has already revealed that the gameplay will be significantly different from the predecessor, and frankly thats the only thing that matters. Even if the aesthetics were different, if the gameplay is the same old, that would be far worse. Their decision only shows that theyre focusing on the right thing. As for opposing factions, thats not going to happen. SE wants to promote cooperation, not competition.
Comment by Mick James on 6 April 2010:
@pacifista
I completely agree and am confident SE will deliver a unique MMO experience. It’s already been said a thousand times in interviews with FF creators that their main goal per series is to create two things: an original world and an original battle system. This same mantra should be the same for FFXIV. The use of similar character models, for me, is more strategic than laziness–why waste perfectly good toon models when you can allocate resources more on improving other (arguably more important) aspects of the game?
Comment by ernest on 22 April 2010:
im sure as you have said that SE will come out with a good game. but as far as cooperation goes i think from what i have heard thats out the window. sounds more like alot of the other games where people will be soloing alot instead of partying.