I enjoyed the story overall but certain story beats didn't seem to hit quite as hard when the community expects it to, it was honestly kind of disappointing. Thankfully the expansion makes up through its content, the duties/instances were unforgettable! It ended up having one of my favorite post-MSQ experiences ever!!
This review contains spoilers
My first experience through Heavensward was one I regret. Because of my initial response with A Realm Reborn, I was less interested in what came after as well. Heavensward didn't manage to grab me as much as I wanted to and as a result I didn't pay a lot of attention to its dialogue and because I initially played it in Japanese, even its voiced acted cutscenes didn't resonate or stay with me. There's key moments I remembered, but also major points that were incredibly important to certain characters or the overall plot that I completely missed.
So now, replaying it after a newfound adoration for A Realm Reborn, I was very excited to get into Heavensward. From the start, benefitting from post-A Realm Reborn's ending, the story kicks off with interesting premise on both a political and personal level. Through the new environment of Ishgard, we get glimpses of its current conflict through Aymeric and House Fortemps that warmly welcomes the Warrior of Light, Alphinaud and Tataru. It's immediately engaging and intrigues the player into the political landscape, while becoming endeared to these new characters with a pre-established warmth through Haurchefant.
The story really kicks off with the introduction of the dragons. Estinien and Ysayle give us two skewed perspectives on the long conflict between man and dragon. Ysayle has a great character arc, letting us empathize with the dragons while having her own journey of self-discovery, but Estinien is the real star of this storyline. A character that has, builds and lost connections with so many of our cast, most important the Warrior of Light, Aymeric and especially Alphinaud. With these connections, Estinien parallels and contrasts one of the most important dragons in this story, Nidhogg. Both lost close ones, dear to them and set out on a path of vengeance, yet Estinien is able to forge bonds with those connections mentioned before, to put him on a path of healing.
While there is a lot of focus on the plot of conflict with dragons, it also serves and interconnects with Ishgard's internal political conflict with Thordan VII. Nidhogg is a more compelling antagonist overall, especially with his ending in Revenge of the Horde, but that doesn't diminish any of Thordan's qualities as another great antagonist of base Heavensward. His determination to keep the peace no matter what, to defeat the Ascians even if it means becoming a primal, he becomes an antagonist you can understand despite flawed measures to get where he got. But without him, Lahabrea wouldn't be defeated.
And despite it being detached from Heavensward's main story, the inclusion of the Warrior of Darkness and his crew was something special. Incredibly efficient with setup starting from As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness and completely focusing on the group in Soul Surrender with some of the most emotional writing and character conclusion thus far.
All of this culminates into a beautiful story that is Heavensward with its patches continuing to build on what the base game set, soaring into higher peaks that make me love the characters I already know so much more. Alphinaud, Estinien, Alisaie and the Warrior of Darkness stand out as some of the best content and characterization.
I'm happy to say that Heavensward is finally part of my huge love for Final Fantasy XIV, as I couldn't wholeheartedly say that in my first, very flawed playthrough.
So now, replaying it after a newfound adoration for A Realm Reborn, I was very excited to get into Heavensward. From the start, benefitting from post-A Realm Reborn's ending, the story kicks off with interesting premise on both a political and personal level. Through the new environment of Ishgard, we get glimpses of its current conflict through Aymeric and House Fortemps that warmly welcomes the Warrior of Light, Alphinaud and Tataru. It's immediately engaging and intrigues the player into the political landscape, while becoming endeared to these new characters with a pre-established warmth through Haurchefant.
The story really kicks off with the introduction of the dragons. Estinien and Ysayle give us two skewed perspectives on the long conflict between man and dragon. Ysayle has a great character arc, letting us empathize with the dragons while having her own journey of self-discovery, but Estinien is the real star of this storyline. A character that has, builds and lost connections with so many of our cast, most important the Warrior of Light, Aymeric and especially Alphinaud. With these connections, Estinien parallels and contrasts one of the most important dragons in this story, Nidhogg. Both lost close ones, dear to them and set out on a path of vengeance, yet Estinien is able to forge bonds with those connections mentioned before, to put him on a path of healing.
While there is a lot of focus on the plot of conflict with dragons, it also serves and interconnects with Ishgard's internal political conflict with Thordan VII. Nidhogg is a more compelling antagonist overall, especially with his ending in Revenge of the Horde, but that doesn't diminish any of Thordan's qualities as another great antagonist of base Heavensward. His determination to keep the peace no matter what, to defeat the Ascians even if it means becoming a primal, he becomes an antagonist you can understand despite flawed measures to get where he got. But without him, Lahabrea wouldn't be defeated.
And despite it being detached from Heavensward's main story, the inclusion of the Warrior of Darkness and his crew was something special. Incredibly efficient with setup starting from As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness and completely focusing on the group in Soul Surrender with some of the most emotional writing and character conclusion thus far.
All of this culminates into a beautiful story that is Heavensward with its patches continuing to build on what the base game set, soaring into higher peaks that make me love the characters I already know so much more. Alphinaud, Estinien, Alisaie and the Warrior of Darkness stand out as some of the best content and characterization.
I'm happy to say that Heavensward is finally part of my huge love for Final Fantasy XIV, as I couldn't wholeheartedly say that in my first, very flawed playthrough.
A huge stepup from the first campaign. Substantially better paced, better dungeons. And a story i actually found decent. Absolutely stunning music as well. Great time
Fantastic story and characters, but still holds a lot of issues gameplay-wise as the expansion prior
Minus a half star for being online only
This feels like a genuine actual game now! Fetch quests arent half as frequent and are much more interesting, dungeon bosses are better, and the story kicked ass! Ysayle estinien and alphenaud was a great party, and the adventure felt real.
The aether currents kind of suck but i couldn’t think of a better way to limit flight, though that one huge area cut in halves not having a single warp is pure evil. Queue times for the last dungeon and boss took over 10 minutes which was insane to me.
Also just a note, my character is a living flashbang. His name is Michael Rackpipe (my crackpipe) and he has a hulk hogan mustache, face tattoo, a red white and blue bandana (ribbon), a mullet a wifebeater, and jeans (i bought the wifebeater with the tat sleeve off the market board). Imagine going through THAT scene and the camera just cuts to this stupid monstrosity.
Also i switched jobs to astro and i think its a lot more fun than white mage
This feels like a genuine actual game now! Fetch quests arent half as frequent and are much more interesting, dungeon bosses are better, and the story kicked ass! Ysayle estinien and alphenaud was a great party, and the adventure felt real.
The aether currents kind of suck but i couldn’t think of a better way to limit flight, though that one huge area cut in halves not having a single warp is pure evil. Queue times for the last dungeon and boss took over 10 minutes which was insane to me.
Also just a note, my character is a living flashbang. His name is Michael Rackpipe (my crackpipe) and he has a hulk hogan mustache, face tattoo, a red white and blue bandana (ribbon), a mullet a wifebeater, and jeans (i bought the wifebeater with the tat sleeve off the market board). Imagine going through THAT scene and the camera just cuts to this stupid monstrosity.
Also i switched jobs to astro and i think its a lot more fun than white mage
JUSTICE, NO FORGIVENESS
VENGEANCE, NO DELIVERANCE
VENGEANCE, NO DELIVERANCE
Não me entendam mal, eu gostei MUITO de A Realm Reborn (em especial o patch content), mas é IMPOSSÍVEL negar que Heavensward é uma melhora estratosférica em tudo que foi estabelecido anteriormente.
Não esperava que eu iria chorar tão cedo em FFXIV, mas não só chorei como chorei algumas vezes. Claramente consigo apontar alguns defeitos pequenos mas todos relacionados ao fato do jogo ser um MMO e queria muito que a última quest da MSQ fosse mais longa e ainda mais aprofundada, fora isso foi um espetáculo, uma das melhores OSTs que eu já ouvi e no geral uma das experiências mais gratificantes que já tive e com um potencial de ser ainda melhor com o pós-MSQ que já promete MUITISSIMO.
Ysayle, Estinien, Aymeric, Haurchefant, Cid, Lucia e Alphinaud, eu amo todos voces
Não esperava que eu iria chorar tão cedo em FFXIV, mas não só chorei como chorei algumas vezes. Claramente consigo apontar alguns defeitos pequenos mas todos relacionados ao fato do jogo ser um MMO e queria muito que a última quest da MSQ fosse mais longa e ainda mais aprofundada, fora isso foi um espetáculo, uma das melhores OSTs que eu já ouvi e no geral uma das experiências mais gratificantes que já tive e com um potencial de ser ainda melhor com o pós-MSQ que já promete MUITISSIMO.
Ysayle, Estinien, Aymeric, Haurchefant, Cid, Lucia e Alphinaud, eu amo todos voces
Leagues better than ARR. The combat system was something I loved and it just got better. Very in league with FF storyline, and political warfare is always a classic
This review contains spoilers
Peak for now.
The story and its presentation easily surpass some of the universally beloved mainline (?) Final Fantasy games for me. I love how writers portrayed uncertainty in your own beliefs and desire for justice without devolving it into some overly vague mess, it all comes off as very genuine, which I appreciate a lot. It felt so good to empathize with most characters, to get their motivation and frustration, and in turn they respond back by acting how I would want them to act, like Alphinaud challenging Hraesvelgr's hypocrisy, for example. I have to say, Edmont de Fortemps might be my favorite character in the whole game, his reaction to Haurchefant's death turned me into a puddle of tears, so I had to take a break from MSQ for some time. RIP Stephen Critchlow.
Some job quests remained pretty ass (WHM), while some finally offered something more than bare-bones class fantasy (DRK). Relic quest became million times better in gameplay, but I want my daddy Jalzahn back :(
The music is consistently good. Some of the field themes grabbing my attention to the point of stopping me doing anything for ~10 minutes straight, waiting for the track to loop back.
I see almost no stinkers in Heavensward duties, aside from The Aetherochemical Research Facility, mainly because I don't like Allagan design too much. The Shadow of Mhach alliance raid brought actual difference in aesthetic of each step compared to Crystal Tower. Some fights still pose challenge and can catch unprepared groups off guard, wiping the whole raid, which is refreshing for daily roulettes.
Alexander raid series just kept me smiling like an idiot while I was queueing for each tier. The slow buildup of boss themes that culminated in the last fight with the track Rise was genius. Also, I'm so glad that we can queue for them all in the Duty Finder starting with Heavensward, because finding groups for Coils in ARR was a major pain in the ass.
This expansion fixed the problems that I didn't even know were there in A Realm Reborn, and it's hard to imagine that something else might beat it, like fan favorite Shadowbringers, but I'll see for myself. Now, onto the Stormblood.
690 hours played between the start of Heavensward and start of Stormblood, 1104 hours played total
The story and its presentation easily surpass some of the universally beloved mainline (?) Final Fantasy games for me. I love how writers portrayed uncertainty in your own beliefs and desire for justice without devolving it into some overly vague mess, it all comes off as very genuine, which I appreciate a lot. It felt so good to empathize with most characters, to get their motivation and frustration, and in turn they respond back by acting how I would want them to act, like Alphinaud challenging Hraesvelgr's hypocrisy, for example. I have to say, Edmont de Fortemps might be my favorite character in the whole game, his reaction to Haurchefant's death turned me into a puddle of tears, so I had to take a break from MSQ for some time. RIP Stephen Critchlow.
Some job quests remained pretty ass (WHM), while some finally offered something more than bare-bones class fantasy (DRK). Relic quest became million times better in gameplay, but I want my daddy Jalzahn back :(
The music is consistently good. Some of the field themes grabbing my attention to the point of stopping me doing anything for ~10 minutes straight, waiting for the track to loop back.
I see almost no stinkers in Heavensward duties, aside from The Aetherochemical Research Facility, mainly because I don't like Allagan design too much. The Shadow of Mhach alliance raid brought actual difference in aesthetic of each step compared to Crystal Tower. Some fights still pose challenge and can catch unprepared groups off guard, wiping the whole raid, which is refreshing for daily roulettes.
Alexander raid series just kept me smiling like an idiot while I was queueing for each tier. The slow buildup of boss themes that culminated in the last fight with the track Rise was genius. Also, I'm so glad that we can queue for them all in the Duty Finder starting with Heavensward, because finding groups for Coils in ARR was a major pain in the ass.
This expansion fixed the problems that I didn't even know were there in A Realm Reborn, and it's hard to imagine that something else might beat it, like fan favorite Shadowbringers, but I'll see for myself. Now, onto the Stormblood.
690 hours played between the start of Heavensward and start of Stormblood, 1104 hours played total
a big step up from a realm reborn but it still gets dragged down by some pretty uninteresting sections & more mundane fetch quests than i would like
starting to wonder if i will love any of these expansions as much as most others seem to
starting to wonder if i will love any of these expansions as much as most others seem to
So, after the absolute mess that was A Realm Reborn, I was a bit nervous to continue with the game. Yeah...turns out, they actually got their shit together. Heavensward is a massive improvement, both gameplay- and story-wise. Well, except for Bismarck, that arc just came and went with absolutely no fanfare.
Where the story "gets good." I can't talk about the gameplay since I wasn't there, but as a condensed tale with fun adventuring and a dramatic conclusion far more satisfying than ARR's, I liked it.
A massive step up from the absolute slog that is a Realm Reborn but still left quite a bit to be desired
nonetheless i had a pretty good time with this expansion
nonetheless i had a pretty good time with this expansion
está bueno
Heavensward is what I would consider a masterpiece 10/10 game
Writing, gameplay, world, ost
Every single moment is nothing but perfection
Writing, gameplay, world, ost
Every single moment is nothing but perfection
i miss old astrologian
"Nidhogg, while we can't beat you, we know who can. that's right. Go! Heavensward!"
Heavensward is the best story that Final Fantasy has ever told. Later expansions had great stories, too, but Heavensward immediately established a bar for FFXIV that it could never quite live up to. Every inch of the story is etched with meaning. The emotional burden placed upon the player in its first moments - trudging across a long bridge through the cold to reach solace in an unfamiliar land in the north. The way that Ishgard as a setting is fleshed out in every bare detail, such that the player can't help but come to call it home, even as the rot at its core is laid bare. The desperation inherent to the narrative, both that of the player character and their friends and that of the two nations at the story's heart. The way that the weight of millennia bears down upon you. Heavensward is a story about history; about the sins of our fathers; about love and loss; about holding on and letting go. There is much great storytelling in FFXIV after this point, but there is nothing else quite like all the quiet beauty of Heavensward: A calm moment around a campfire in Dravania. A push into the blinding snow of Coerthas, wind against your face. A small shared moment of resolution between two friends who have lost so much; a promise to never see another comrade fall. A last smile given to a dying friend. Many stories in Final Fantasy - and in FFXIV - are great in aggregate. Heavensward is great in aggregate, too, but its power lies in the thunderous emotion it conjures in every little moment.
Heavensward is also the best expansion that Final Fantasy XIV has ever had. This was FFXIV at the height of its creativity. Combat was still wonky and weird and dynamic like ARR before it, but increasingly complex and precise like what would come after. This was when the game's nascent raiding scene first exploded into something really worth paying attention to. It was when fight design managed to hit a point between weird uniqueness and consistent intuitiveness. The era of caster Bard and Ninja venoms and Cleric Stance dancing and Summoner rotations that require a dissertation to explain. It was FFXIV at its most intricate and layered, and ultimately at its most self-actualized.
Heavensward wasn't perfect, but it was what Final Fantasy XIV was meant to be - the truest expression of its core ideas.
Heavensward is also the best expansion that Final Fantasy XIV has ever had. This was FFXIV at the height of its creativity. Combat was still wonky and weird and dynamic like ARR before it, but increasingly complex and precise like what would come after. This was when the game's nascent raiding scene first exploded into something really worth paying attention to. It was when fight design managed to hit a point between weird uniqueness and consistent intuitiveness. The era of caster Bard and Ninja venoms and Cleric Stance dancing and Summoner rotations that require a dissertation to explain. It was FFXIV at its most intricate and layered, and ultimately at its most self-actualized.
Heavensward wasn't perfect, but it was what Final Fantasy XIV was meant to be - the truest expression of its core ideas.
Ysayle my beloved. Aymeric my soulmate. The aura this game had stunned me, as compared to its precedent expansion. This is definitely the installment that'll pull you in.
Way better than Realm Reborn on basically every front. The story was finally at a good enough point where I didn't just mash/skip dialog and actually got a little invested. The pacing dips in the last quarter when trying to get to Azys Lla but is otherwise great with interesting gameplay or content. The final fight with the knights was really fucking cool.
DO NOT LISTEN TO FFXIV FANS IT DOES NOT GET BETTER
This will probably sound very silly to MMO fans who are used to expansions of this scale, but to me this felt much more like a sequel than a DLC. New areas, new jobs, entirely new story, new dungeons, new everything, it's all a pretty incredible scale. It's almost a running joke in the FFXIV community that Heavensward is where the game finally "gets good," but having finalyl experienced it for myself I have to say I agree! This is a significant step up from A Realm Reborn in every way.
The story is probably the most staggering improvement. ARR was a slow build that was more focused on developing Eorzea than it was any of its characters, a move that I personally feel was the right one given the live service nature of XIV in general. You're going to be spending LOTS of time in this world regardless, so having that early space to really flesh it out and make it believable worked for me, even if that plot was largely lacking in stakes.
By the time we arrive in Heavensward though, all of the core worldbuilding is out of the way and so we finally start seeing legitimately interesting developments. Characters are challenged in new ways, stakes are high, and on top of it all we're still seeing more and more of this beautiful world they've created.
The new areas in this expansion sweep everything I've come to know from ARR. They're significantly bigger, not split up into loading zones, and just generally way more interesting from both a design and visual standpoint. Dungeons now all feel important as they are smartly tied into key points of the main narrative. Bosses are a huge step up as well in terms of spectacle and mechanics.
Even as I have yet to tackle the patch quests that were added post release, I've really enjoyed my time with Heavensward, I'm really starting to understand why this game is as acclaimed as it is and I look forward to seeing where the story takes me next. I'm not sure this will ever be peak FF to me like it is to so many others, but I can absolutely appreciate what the game is going for and I have tons of respect for it.
The story is probably the most staggering improvement. ARR was a slow build that was more focused on developing Eorzea than it was any of its characters, a move that I personally feel was the right one given the live service nature of XIV in general. You're going to be spending LOTS of time in this world regardless, so having that early space to really flesh it out and make it believable worked for me, even if that plot was largely lacking in stakes.
By the time we arrive in Heavensward though, all of the core worldbuilding is out of the way and so we finally start seeing legitimately interesting developments. Characters are challenged in new ways, stakes are high, and on top of it all we're still seeing more and more of this beautiful world they've created.
The new areas in this expansion sweep everything I've come to know from ARR. They're significantly bigger, not split up into loading zones, and just generally way more interesting from both a design and visual standpoint. Dungeons now all feel important as they are smartly tied into key points of the main narrative. Bosses are a huge step up as well in terms of spectacle and mechanics.
Even as I have yet to tackle the patch quests that were added post release, I've really enjoyed my time with Heavensward, I'm really starting to understand why this game is as acclaimed as it is and I look forward to seeing where the story takes me next. I'm not sure this will ever be peak FF to me like it is to so many others, but I can absolutely appreciate what the game is going for and I have tons of respect for it.
It's funny how many Final Fantasy storylines boils down to "race war temporarily halted by questionable interspecies sex but ultimately made way worse as a result"
Jokes aside the pacing and narrative is miles ahead of what ARR provided, unfortunately the presentation still feels like a major setback from what the Final Fantasy franchise showed in the last 2 decades. I can catch a glimpse of it's potential here and there but it always leaves me underwhelmed.
A lot of people told me it's one of the best expansion story-wise and I get where they're coming from, but to be frank this is just a retelling of Final Fantasy VI with much less at stake and without what makes FFVI actually enjoyable to play.
A major step in the right direction but we're not quite there yet. Looking forward to the next expansions.
Jokes aside the pacing and narrative is miles ahead of what ARR provided, unfortunately the presentation still feels like a major setback from what the Final Fantasy franchise showed in the last 2 decades. I can catch a glimpse of it's potential here and there but it always leaves me underwhelmed.
A lot of people told me it's one of the best expansion story-wise and I get where they're coming from, but to be frank this is just a retelling of Final Fantasy VI with much less at stake and without what makes FFVI actually enjoyable to play.
A major step in the right direction but we're not quite there yet. Looking forward to the next expansions.
Heavensward my beloved!!
This is where the story of XIV started getting pretty good.
In this expansion there's a little of everything, social criticism against poberty, racism and religion, intense politics, lots of drama, epic dragon fights and everything you've ever wanted!
It's very Game of Throne-ish!
This is where the story of XIV started getting pretty good.
In this expansion there's a little of everything, social criticism against poberty, racism and religion, intense politics, lots of drama, epic dragon fights and everything you've ever wanted!
It's very Game of Throne-ish!
Where the game's story finds its footing that it only loses one last time during Stormblood.
you big into aymeric de borel? don't even joke lad
We have become Heavensward
FF14 is the best mmorpg at the moment.
It has an immense amount of good content, great lore, the most complex raids and the best soundtrack of any mmorpg.
The only downside I would put is that it can be overwhelming for newbies right now by the amount of things available to the game, but if you adapt is amazing.
It has an immense amount of good content, great lore, the most complex raids and the best soundtrack of any mmorpg.
The only downside I would put is that it can be overwhelming for newbies right now by the amount of things available to the game, but if you adapt is amazing.
Theres this random ass bridge in ishgard I noticed that really sucks. Its between the airship landing and the main artery in the middle of the pillars. If you look at it for too long it is a stupid bridge. Its made of two arches, and instead of there being a support pillar being between the arches, there's two supports placed in the middle of the arches?? and between the arches is a massive pillar for holding a lantern, putting the most stress on the least structurally stable part of the bridge. Absolutely braindead structure, I dont know how ishgard stood for this long. But then when you go over the bridge its looks really good and honestly the way the support beams look is pretty cool. The vista going over it is outstanding.
I could turn this into a metaphor for heavensward itself but honestly its about the bridge. Have you seen it? its really funny
I could turn this into a metaphor for heavensward itself but honestly its about the bridge. Have you seen it? its really funny
This review contains spoilers
heavensward is very good, im mad i didn't pay more attention during my first playthrough
imo, the arc with estinien and ysayle is the best part of heavensward, they're probably the most interesting characters to come out of the expansion.
the part where you're trying to get into azys lla kinda dragged on though, i just kinda...didn't care.
thordan as an antagonist is also...kinda underwhelming. like he was this guy who was there, then he was actually evil. the final trial was cool though.
initially i hated estinien, but now after beating endwalker and having a more positive view on him, he's still an asshole for like most of the expansion. he's chill sometimes though.
i still believe that the patch quests had a better conclusion to the expansion than the actual expansion lol
imo, the arc with estinien and ysayle is the best part of heavensward, they're probably the most interesting characters to come out of the expansion.
the part where you're trying to get into azys lla kinda dragged on though, i just kinda...didn't care.
thordan as an antagonist is also...kinda underwhelming. like he was this guy who was there, then he was actually evil. the final trial was cool though.
initially i hated estinien, but now after beating endwalker and having a more positive view on him, he's still an asshole for like most of the expansion. he's chill sometimes though.
i still believe that the patch quests had a better conclusion to the expansion than the actual expansion lol