No experience, levelling in FFXIV

By Oli Welsh Published 4 August, 2009

"Freedom to grow naturally" in next MMO.

In a video interview published by Famitsu, Square Enix has revealed a few more details on its next MMO, Final Fantasy XIV - including the surprising revelation that it will not feature experience points or a levelling system.

"This time, there will be no experience points or level system," said producer Hiromichi Tanaka in the interview, which you can watch on YouTube or read about on Scrawl. "It will be a different system altogether."

FFXIV's director Nobuaki Komoto told Famitsu that Square Enix wants "people who may never have tried an online game before have the freedom to try many different things and tackle any number of quests and grow naturally from their experiences... That's our priority: players enjoying the process of character growth."

Komoto hinted at the way character advancement might work when he discussed the game's job system. Considered a strength of Square Enix's last MMO, FFXI - which allows players to combine character classes, and expand them with sub-jobs - it will return, but in a new form based around the weapons and equipment players choose to use.

"We believe the main factor behind Final Fantasy XI's lasting appeal is the job system," said Komoto. "However, the system will become something completely different. The focus here will be on weapons. Your weapon will determine how you play. Your weapon will determine how you fight.

"We want to afford players enough variety to choose a different way to play on any given day. If they could practice one skill one day, they could work on another one the next," he added. This seems to suggest a skill-based advancement system, similar to Ultima Online's.

The interview touched on several other topics: according to Komoto, FFXIV will offer good possibilities for both solo and group play; the music will be composed in its entirety by FF stalwart Nobuo Uematsu; the setting will be "high fantasy" but more modern than FFXI's, with more advanced technology; the races will be familiar to FFXI players, but carry new names and other changes.

"You can trust that we plan to create a world of new possibilities that redefine the MMO. I hope you're looking forward to everything we have in store," Komoto concluded.

We hope to have more on FFXIV from gamescom later this month. The game is due for release on PC and PS3 next year.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 3 years ago

    So it is a skill based system. Nice. The P&P world finally arrives in MMO land.

  • Genji #2 3 years ago

    /casts Fira at a tree three million times to raise magic skill
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 09:23

  • bigjimbeef #3 3 years ago

    That's some really exciting news right there. Well, for certain people. I love the idea, but I can imagine a number of people won't. Anyway, seems like a welcome change to me :)

  • ZuluHero #4 3 years ago

    It'll be interesting to see how this system works - maybe we are starting to see an evolution to the MMO - or perhaps it will be a dud. Who knows :)

    Its certainly good to see something different though, Ive started to feel that the standard MMO formula has become stale. I can only hope this innovative talk goes beyond the character advancement and into the game's quests, crafting and other mechanics and elements...
    Edited by 2 at 04/08/09 @ 09:25

  • NegativeZero #5 3 years ago

    So they're looking at a completely different audience then? FFXI was very much targeted at a hardcore player demographic, it was far too obtuse and required too much mindless grinding (which appears to be by and large the asian MMO style) for it to ever hit a mainstream casual audience like some of its three-letter-acronym contemporaries.

    I can't see how they could ditch an XP / Level system without a fundamental shift in the whole mechanics of the entire MMO structure. Most likely this is hyperbole, they'll have something which is different, but fundamentally the same thing. Sort of like the way that FFX has its Sphere Grid, and you gain the ability to progress along the tracks of the grid as you play in lieu of increasing your level. It's still fundamentally the same progression system, they've just moved aspects of it.

  • Gnort #6 3 years ago

    I doubt it would be a "skill based system" in the manner of an action game. Despite the lack of experience or levelling, you will still have to grind to get better at things, like Genji implies.

  • login_name #7 3 years ago

    Sounds good, getting very tired of all these level based games. The skill based system was one of my fav things about SWG classic. I wonder if it's a finite point based system, like the 250 points of SWG, or more open like Saga of Ryzom.

  • Genji #8 3 years ago

    It reminds me a little of the system Wizardry 8 had.

    If anyone remembers that.

  • Widge #9 3 years ago

    No levels, equipment based. Isn't this the Monster Hunter way? I wonder if its going to be like that mixed with a bit of FF9's method.

  • Dizzy #10 3 years ago

    "I doubt it would be a "skill based system" in the manner of an action game"

    No I am referring to P&P RPGs that have skills instead of levels (RuneQuest, CoC, Stormbringer) and where using those skills gives you a chance of raising them. The P&P versions only give you a chance to raise your skills once per play session, so I would assume that an MMO game would do something similar (once per 24h for example). Basically it is the same as EVE.

  • miiiguel #11 3 years ago

    Last Remnant already does this, also the weapon issue the dudes talks about, and it works pretty well. If it is anything similar it's good news.

  • Widge #12 3 years ago

    I'm quite excited, this sounds veritably hardstyle.

  • Dizzy #13 3 years ago

    Indeed, you can say a lot about Last Remnant, but the "level up" system is quite good.

  • legendmir #14 3 years ago

    did this remind anyone of the vagrant story weapon system?.. that would be so sugoi!!!

  • kangarootoo #15 3 years ago

    @Dizzy

    This immediately made me think of the old Call of Cthulhu P&P RPG game (I say old, it may still be going strong). At the end of a session, each skill that had been used was tested to see if it increased (and the higher the skill level, the less likely it would increase). The only decision the player made was what skills to use (the system even covered using skills the player didn't have, therefore allowing them to learn new skills).

  • miiiguel #16 3 years ago

    FFXI ?

  • Kafeen #17 3 years ago

    @Von_Adder

    They have said that PlayOnline won't be used for FFXIV.

  • Les #18 3 years ago

    "No levels, equipment based. Isn't this the Monster Hunter way? I wonder if its going to be like that mixed with a bit of FF9's method."

    Sounds like it and isn't a bad thing IMO. :)

  • Tyranix #19 3 years ago

    Sounds like it will take 'epixzorz' fever to a new level.

    Just kidding. If it's done well it will be great, if not it might be awful. Time will tell.

  • ZuluHero #20 3 years ago

    @ miiiguel

    yes 11. FF11 was released on 360 ;)
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 10:53

  • Velios #21 3 years ago

    I hope that this MMO breaks the mould, and puts Final Fantasy right at the top of the tree where it belongs :) I think I will be purchasing this one.

  • IronCladChicken #22 3 years ago

    & Hopefully it will put 'Go West' back at the top of the charts where they belong!
    Edited by 1 at 04/08/09 @ 17:01

  • collateral89 #23 3 years ago

    it sounds ok at mo but they best not ruin the ff experience :(

  • Icebox #24 3 years ago

    I'm excited to see how this turns out, I loved FFXI.

  • rogueJT #25 3 years ago

    Is this just for PS3 and PC, and not 360?

  • djed #26 3 years ago

    Just need to find a nice, secluded corner then...

  • davisorle #27 3 years ago

    Ok, I'll just say that it sounds bad on one hand.. I do wanna be able to lvl up while im learing and raising my char and his abilities/skills while my own skills improve on a game of that genre.. I think its really understood. Now if what they are trying to do is perfectly applied in the game and actually working ill be more than glad to see it I just think it will be a dissaster unfortunatelly, sorry.

  • FortysixterUK #28 3 years ago

    So XP points hidden in the background and get rewarded by carrying out numerous tasks multiple times.
    I see.
    Why the hell doesn't everyone forget about the MMO market and concentrate on making good single player games ?
    The MMO market is now admirably covered by Guild Wars, WAR, Eve,COH,LOTR, EQ, any Korean MMO and WOW.
    FF14 should be another single player final fantasy game. Simple as that.

  • medina_crow #29 2 years ago

    I very much want to see their new game. Let's see what they get. Maybe this will be a new masterpiece. And maybe a bad game. Medina from mahjong news and crazy taxi portal with best hidden object games or hidden object games online.