When your workplace is feeling lacklustre and morale is at an all-time low, sometimes your boss will want to try to reinvigorate the team, and sometimes the best way to do just that is through a team bonding day.
If you’re unlucky, you’ll be stuck in a local park doing trust fall exercises and the only bonding you’ll do is complaining over how much the day sucks. If you’re lucky, you could be treated to a day out somewhere exciting where you can all kick back and relax, and for once, enjoy your colleague’s company rather than complaining they used the last of the milk from the communal fridge. I bet it was Karen. I hate her so much.
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Final Fantasy 14 has been in a bit of a slump as of late, but thanks to patch 7.2, morale is starting to rise again. Players are returning to their Warriors of Light, dusting off their macro bars, and getting stuck back in. If Patch 7.2 wasn’t enough, Patch 7.21 launched today with Square Enix giving us our own team bonding exercise in the form ofCosmic Exploration.
Like Ishgardian Restoration, But Better
Cosmic Exploration is what Square Enix calls ‘lifestyle content’, large-scale non-combat parts of the MMORPG, with Island Sanctuary and Ishgardian Restoration previously falling into this category. Cosmic Exploration is more like the latter, being based on crafting and gathering, but it goes to great lengths to improve on the old formula and ensure that every player can participate this time around.
Ishgardian Restoration launched in the first big patch post-Shadowbringers and invited players to make the best use of their Disciples of the Hand and Land roles by reconstructing the Firmament. Until Patch 5.5, players submitted crafting materials and items to contribute to the rebuilding efforts, with timed competitive events showcasing where players were ranked based on the quality and quantity of their contributions.
Those who bagged the top spots received not only bragging rights but exclusive achievements and titles that can’t be obtained any other way. Server progress was also tracked, so you could see how your server was faring compared to others, ultimately uniting everyone with a common goal to be the very best server like no one ever was.
Even though the Firmament has long since been completed and no competitive element remains, you can still submit items to earn EXP and rewards.
Cosmic Exploration will follow a similar template, Cosmic Fortune replaces Kupo of Fortune and has a variety of coveted prizes (yes, there’s a minion), Stellar Missions to request necessary materials, and player contributions will once again be measured.
Ranking periods take place every 24 hours, and those awarded the status of Star Contributor will get a hologram of themselves displayed in-game for two (real-life) weeks, their name displayed on the Starward Standings, and they’ll even get a special visual effect while in the Cosmic Exploration zone. Essentially, other players won’t be able to miss the fact you’re a boss.
Unlike Ishgardian Restoration, where the competitive element was for a limited time only until the area was complete, Star Contributor will be a permanent fixture in the game. No more FOMO!
Cosmic Exploration Projects, similar to the Ishgardian Restoration’s FATEs, will trigger at certain milestones, while anyone who participates will reap some extra rewards. I’m also interested in delving into the Mech Ops element, large-scale directions where players pilot mech units or offer ground support, which looks like a fun way to take a break from the grind of crafting or gathering.
Not to mention, the new Cosmic Tools are also tied to Cosmic Exploration, after all you’ll want some impressive looking new crafting and gathering tools for your new obsession.
One of the biggest changes in comparison to Ishgardian Restorian is that it’s not just aimed at endgame players, but anyone level ten or above. Even if you’ve never really had the urge to level a crafter or gatherer, now is the perfect time, as the EXP and rewards from Cosmic Exploration will make this a great way to level, and the general community spirit will undoubtedly be infectious, as it always is with FF14.
We All Love A Bit Of Healthy Competition
I dabbled with Ishgardian Restoration but felt very out of my depth as I didn’t hit my crafter/gatherer stride until Dawntrail. But with Cosmic Exploration aiming to be approachable by players of all skill levels, I am particularly keen to get more involved this time around. Not just because of the rewards (especially the minion) or because it’ll be a great way to level up some more jobs, but because it will be bloody good fun.
The FF14 community needed this reprieve. We needed something to give us our mojo back. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve bonded with strangers and friends alike over new content like camping out Boss FATEs together, suffering the pitfalls of new mechanics in brand new dungeons and trials, or generally enjoying being around others actively involved in the same task as yourself.
Cosmic Exploration is going to be up there with one of the most memorable content types, and like with anything in FF14, it’s best to enjoy it at its peak, when the most players are getting involved and we’re learning it together. More importantly, the competitive spark in me wants to kick butt, so I hope my server absolutely smashes your server out of the rankings.
Maybe this was our trust fall exercise, after all. Having faith that eventually Square Enix would build on what it started with Dawntrail, we’d finally find ourselves obsessively logging in once more and glad that we didn’t cancel our subscriptions.
Final Fantasy 14
- Released
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August 27, 2013
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Engine
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Originally the Crystal Tools engine, but currently it’s a custom engine using parts of the Luminous Engine.
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Playable
