Final Fantasy XIV - Thoughts and Theories

The Armchair Empire have an article up on Final Fantasy XIV where they look at what's known about the game so far, what directions they think the game may go in, and what lessons Square-Enix may have learned in MMO development since the release of Final Fantasy XI.

One thing that will probably make a lot of people happy is that there are plans to completely retool how characters get stronger in FFXIV. Characters won't be gaining experience points and gaining levels here, following the contentious grinding system discussed earlier. Instead, character growth appears to be centering around weapon usage in some way. Square hasn't gone into detail as to how this works, but it does suggest that this game will step away from the level grind that many complained about in FFXI. My only concern with this is that weapons will get stronger through continued use in a fashion similar to, say, World of Warcraft. If they go this route, I fear that one form of grinding will just be replaced with another. This change in how characters get stronger could be a key feature in whether FFXIV can appeal to a wider audience like the game's developers seem to want.