Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, HRL, Square Enix

Final Fantasy XIV Has A New Red Vs Blue-Style PVP Mode: Rival Wings

Final Fantasy XIV probably isn't the first game to come to mind when you think of competitive PVP, but Square Enix has been working pretty hard in the last year and a half to provide a reasonable staple of PVP offerings. With today's release of Patch 4.15, we got a new PvP mode, in which two teams compete in 24-v-24 player combat with a brand-new ruleset. The Patch also introduces bard-specific "Performance Actions," in addition to new mounts and items.

In Rival Wings, teams compete to destroy the core within their opponent's base, which is heavily protected by a magitek field. In order to deactivate this field and access the core, players must first destroy two enemy towers while defending their own towers from mammet soldier NPCs. Teams may also take control of goblin machina after fulfilling certain conditions, which can effectively eliminate enemy structures and players. And naturally, it's a Red vs. Blue thing — because gaming teams come in only two colors.

Today's launch of Patch 4.15 also marks the start of Season 6 of The Feast PvP, which will run until the release of Patch 4.2. Players can strive for the top of the rankings to earn some unique rewards. Performance actions for bards, which also arrive in Patch 4.15, are the latest roleplaying feature in FFXIV. After completing a new quest, bards may utilize these new actions to create their own musical masterpieces and bring the hills of Gyr Abania to life with the sound of music.

Naturally, the first thing bards on my server did this morning was pick up that skill and start playing the Mario theme song. I'm sure Square Enix would love that. That said, the impromptu concerts were something of a joy to experience. Because what else are we to do in between that sweet, sweet end-game MMO grinding?

And of course, SE are still running their Free Trial program for FFXIV, which allows new players to download the game, level up to 35, and get well on their way to becoming the snazziest Warrior of Light they can be for two lovely weeks of free playtime. The free trial allows anyone to access all available content up to level 35 (including the new Rival Wings PvP), create up to eight playable characters, and experience the different playable races, classes, and jobs with no restrictions on playtime. New players who wish to experience the free trial may register here. I'm totally not telling you that you should play this game, but if you do, I'm over on the Coeurl server.

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