Final Fantasy XIwas Square Enix’s firstMMOto join the prestigiousFinal Fantasyseries. It first released in 2002 and despite downsizing server-wise, is still online today. Much of its loss of player base can be attributed to Square Enix’s next MMO,Final Fantasy 14,which released in 2010 and saw many11players jump ship. However,14was received poorly, leading to an overhaul of the game and a re-release in 2013 under the titleFinal Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn.
Related:The 10 Best Jobs In Final Fantasy XIV, Ranked
Final Fantasy 14is available for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, andsoon Xbox One, according to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer.Final Fantasy 14has since gone on to become a critical success and has won numerous awards. Despite this, there are a few elements that players wish Square Enix would add to the game from its predecessor,Final Fantasy 11.
10Beastmaster
Final Fantasy 14shares many of the same jobs asFinal Fantasy 11and even has a couple of different ones, though many of the roles are quite different from their counterparts in11. However, there are noticeably a few jobs from11that haven’t yet made their way to14, and Beastmaster is one of those.
This job has appeared throughout many titles in theFinal Fantasyseries and allows players to tame monsters so that they become pets and attack on their behalf. Additionally,11had special monster pet NPCs such as Courier Carrie that Beastmaster players could summon.
9Add-ons
Some fans loved them, but some fans hated them; either way, add-ons were a big part of the later life ofFinal Fantasy 11. These were smaller than a full-blown expansion but offered players some extra content for a small price.Final Fantasy 11has add-on scenarios and add-on battlefields.
It could be argued thatFinal Fantasy 14is updated so often with new content that add-ons wouldn’t really be necessary, but if the add-ons offered content you couldn’t find elsewhere in the game then it’s likely many players would pay a small amount for a new experience.Final Fantasy 14currently has over 18 million players, so it could also be a great way for Square Enix to make some money to pump back into the franchise.
8Puppetmaster
Another job that didn’t make it toFinal Fantasy 14from11was Puppetmaster, despite the fact that the automaton puppets did make their way over in the form of more chibi-looking mammets. It would be great for the job to be added and tie in the new-look mammets as their pets.
If the job was added, some would hope for a makeover of the original artifact armor as it was largely disliked, while others might want it to stay similar for nostalgia reasons. The first job artifact armors within14generally stay very similar to those of the same job roles in11.
7Maat’s Cap / Maat
Maat was an NPC inFinal Fantasy 11that players had to deal with from level 50 to complete quests that raised their level caps. They would also have to fight him at level 70 in order to unlock the next level cap.
Related:10 Games Square Enix Should Remake After Final Fantasy VII
After this, players could fight him once again when they reached level 75 on any of the 15 jobs released prior to theChains of Promathiaexpansion. Players were not allowed to use their subjobs, but Maat would mimic whatever job they used against him while still keeping his Monk abilities. Defeating him on all of the 15 jobs total would award players with “Maat’s Cap” as a wearable trophy.
6Goldfish Scooping / Sunbreeze Festival
ThoughFinal Fantasy 14has its own special seasonal events, there is a fan-favorite event that is missing thatFinal Fantasy 11hosted every summer - the Sunbreeze Festival. The main appeal of this event was the yukatas and goldfish scooping. Fortunately,Final Fantasy 14already has the yukatas covered. The goldfish scoop mini-game is what is sorely missed.
Players could scoop goldfish from certain bodies of water and then trade them in to an NPC for rewards, including the item needed to make a goldfish bowl furnishing to keep in your Mog home.
5Geomancer
The Geomancer job hasn’t been added toFinal Fantasy 14, despite appearing inFinal Fantasy 11. It was added alongside Rune Fencer in the last expansion,Seekers of Adoulin. Geomancers use their bells to command the power of geomancy, using elemental magicks in their attacks as well as enfeebling magic for foes and enhancing magic for allies. As such, they were a support role, much like Bard was inFinal Fantasy 11.
However, inFinal Fantasy 14, Bard went on to become a proper DPS role rather than just a support role. Potentially, we could see Geomancer getting a new lease on life if it were given the same treatment and added toFinal Fantasy 14.
4Subjobs
Final Fantasy 11allowed players to equip a subjob; it was half the level of their actual job role but allowed them to use traits, abilities, and magic up until that level. This made for some interesting and effective combinations. For example, a level 75 warrior could equip a level 37 ninja subjob, allowing them to dual wield weapons among other bonuses.
Related:Final Fantasy XIV: The 5 Best Minions (& 5 Worst), Ranked
Granted, adding in this system as it stood from11would completely overhaul and arguably ruin the combat system in14, but Square Enix could add something similar. A similar system was used in14previously, where you could add a certain number of abilities from other jobs you had leveled to the one you currently had equipped, but this has since been scrapped. Perhaps Square Enix has already given up on making subjobs happen in14.
3Rune Fencer
Another job that never made the move fromFinal Fantasy 11toFinal Fantasy 14was Rune fencer. This was one of the last jobs added toFinal Fantasy 11, alongside Geomancer as part of the final expansion,Seekers of Adoulin.
It offered players a new “tank” role that had elemental-based magical attacks and defenses based on what runes the players were “harboring.” InFinal Fantasy 11the Rune Fencers specialized in the great sword weapon, which has become the specialty of the Dark Knight in14, therefore, if Rune Fencer were added to14it might be given a new main weapon specialty to keep things fresh.
2Wyvern Pets
While the Dragoon job is present inFinal Fantasy 14, the little wyvern companion that was part and parcel of the role inFinal Fantasy 11is noticeably missing. Many players believed that the little blue dragon would eventually be added to the game, but we’re now three expansions intoFinal Fantasy 14and he’s still missing.
It is important that Square Enix keep the jobs balanced, the job roles are often getting tweaked and changed to ensure that this is always the case. With that in mind, adding in a pet with some additional damage could be balanced out some other way with the next job tweak.
1Vana’diel
This one may seem far-fetched, but humor us here. Be warned - spoilers incoming if you are new toFinal Fantasy 14. We eventually learn that the world was split into 13 reflections with Eorzea being the original world, the source. In the latest expansion,Shadowbringers, players are able to travel to another of these reflections where the world is markedly different though with certain similarities. For example, many of the same races are present, but with different names.
Vana’diel could be used as another of these reflections based on the present similarities between the two games. Of course, Square Enix can’t fit the entirety ofFinal Fantasy 11into an added expansion, but it would be great fan service to throw in some areas and familiar NPCs. Maybe this will be reserved for whenFinal Fantasy 11 finally shuts down its servers as a type of memorial.
