A Realm Reborn news: "FFXIV Hub"!

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn news? FFXIV only? Yep! Check the new "FFXIV Hub": visit http://ffxivhub.tumblr.com! (Sama's Potion won't host FFXIV updates anymore)

Don't forget to Like FFXIV Hub on Facebook and to follow all the updates on Twitter!

FFXIV: A Realm Reborn release date announced, new video, new producer's letter

As expected, the launch date for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has been announced today... August 27 (which is also my birthday)! Check all the juicy details, including Collector's Edition and pre-order bonuses, here (EN), here (FR), here (DE), here (NA) or here (JP).

Also, a new video, "A Tour of Eorzea - Part 2" has been published on YouTube and Letter from the Producer XLVI is now out (click).

Latest FFXIV news and future of Sama's Potion

Hi folks! First of all, here are the latest A Realm Reborn news:

• Release date to be announced today: a post has been published on The Lodestone but then quickly deleted (click!), with details about the new Collector's Edition bonuses (Helm of Light, Baby Behemoth Minion, Behemoth Barding and Coeurl Mount) and more! FFXIV French team tweeted about something happening in a few hours, so we can expect to get that Lodestone post up again and with more details (the release date itself was missing from the already published one)
• A Realm Reborn will be at E3 2013! New videos (+ trailer), "surprise" battle content, "juicy announcements": click (it is actually from The Lodestone, but there's not a URL for it since it's only a post on the home page)
• Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VII will air May 30, from 13:00 (GMT), on YouTube, details here
• Latest Dev Tracker posts: Jobs for DoL and DoH, Guardian's and Character Redesign, Armoury Chest
• Dev blog post "Getting in character" gives us a preview of revamped character creation system, offering new customization options: click!
• New PS3 screenshots showing Level Sync and more: click!
• Wallpapers and Windows themes: here and here (not sure about how to download the themes, tho)!

Also, I just wanted to give you a quick update about Sama's Potion itself: I'm currently preparing my university thesis and learning Dutch, so I don't have much time to regularly update this blog like I used to. That being said, I'm still using social networks to link you every news and more of Final Fantasy XIV as soon as I get to know of them, so please Like / Follow Sama's Potion (on the Facebook page you'll only find news and pics; on Twitter I also like to tweet with other FFXIV players and other people, so it's a little "cluttered")! :D But there's more: I'll revamp Sama's Potion soon, making it FFXIV only and adding new features. Changing its name too. That's all! :)

FFXIV: Niconico Chokaigi 2 and new info and pics on beastmen and primals

Tomorrow, Niconico Chokaigi 2 event will take place and Square Enix will be there with a FFXIV: A Realm Reborn beta demo area. Learn a little more here.

Also, today more info on Eorzea's primals and beastmen have been released, along with new pics! Check them by clicking on the following links:

• Ifrit / The Amalj'aa
• Ramuh / The Sylphs
• Garuda / The Ixal
• Titan / The Kobolds
• Leviathan / The Sahagin

"Eorzea is home to myriad unique races. Among them are the tribes of the beastmen, who are responsible for calling down the god-like beings known as primals.
Primals are possessed of terrifying power, and are effectively immortal─they can return from death's halls no matter how many times they are slain. They are wont to bless their beastman worshippers with spiritual and physical strength, and the city-states deem them a most dire threat."

Final Fantasy XIV: ARR's Limsa is alive!

Today's Developers' blog post gives us a glimpse of Limsa Lominsa in A Realm Reborn, showing us that everything feels more alive than FFXIV 1.0, also thanks to NPCs actually doing various things, like...
"Yellowjackets patrolling the streets...
Fishers repairing their nets...
Sea Wolves doing push-ups with Miqo’te sitting on their backs...wait, wha?"

"Serving wenches waiting on tables...
Peddlers gesturing to potential customers...
Unconscious prisoners hanging suspended over the sea while carefree pirates point and laugh at the poor lads' misfortune...wait, wha?"

FFXIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI video and Q&A summary

Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI is now on YouTube for you to watch at any time; subtitles are available in English and Japanese. Click here (EN), here (DE), here (FR) or here (JP) to read the whole Q&A summary.

Don't forget to check this Facebook album, where you'll find most of the A Realm Reborn artworks, including the ones shown during this last live letter.

FFXIV A Realm Reborn: Final Fantasy VI-like Magitek clip is now online

This is nothing new to those who watched Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI (April 4): in Final Fantasy XIV we'll be able to ride Magiteks and, for the live stream, part of the opening scene of Final Fantasy VI has been remade in A Realm Reborn, together with a new version of Terra's theme (I loved it! Did you?). Today, this clip has been made available in high quality (/joy even for those who have already watched it live):

Also, click here to check all the Q&A and most of the artworks featured in Live Letter VI.

Final Fantasy XIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI Q&A and artworks

Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI ended less than 1 hour ago. Here (EN), here (DE), here (FR) and here (JP) you can check all the questions and answers. Also, new artworks were shown: I've uploaded most of them into this Facebook album.

Final Fantasy XIV + April Fools = new playable race Viangaa

Yesterday (sorry, I wasn't home!), Fernehalwes showed us a new playable race for FFXIV A Realm Reborn: Viangaa! "You may recall back when Yoshi-P used official player polls to find out what race should be added to the list of playable characters. It turned out that there was a lot of support for both the rabbit-like Viera and croco...gator...lizard-like Bangaa from FINAL FANTASY XII and the Ivalice series. However, instead of deciding on the Viera and incurring the fiery wrath the Bangaa crowd, or selecting the Bangaa and forever alienating the Viera crowd, it appears the dev team has decided to take the best of both worlds...and create the Viangaa!".

We get to know more about "the beautiful, yet fierce Viangaa":

Physical Appearance

• Taller and more sophisticated than an Elezen but with a build sturdier than a Roegadyn
• Customizable ear length, snout length, skin color, and “package” size

Basic Characteristics

• Hail from the Farreach, leading many to take up residence in the city-state of Sharlayan.
• Have excellent negotiating skills (store prices are 10% lower)
• Movement speed is 1.2 times faster than other races
• They have an extremely musky odor which other animals detest
• ...Chocobos and other living mounts will not allow Viangaa to ride them
• ...All field monsters will aggro
• Skilled at both the bow and magic (starting bonuses to DEX and INT)
• Extremely conservative. Conversation with other races is strictly forbidden.
• ...If chat window is used, a Viangaa assassin will be sent to stalk the player.

Of course, "it was all an April Fool's joke"!

FFXIV, BGM preview: Ul'dah and Thanalan

After Limsa Lominsa / La Noscea and Gridania / Black Shroud BGM previews, today's dev blog post lets us listen to tracks from Ul'dah and Thanalan! Here we go:

I'm already sooo in love with the one that starts @3:17, can't wait to hear it in full!

FFXIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part VI to air April 4

UPDATE: Streaming URL, click

Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer LIVE #6 will air April 4 from 11 am (GMT) on YouTube. To submit one or more questions:

• Before the live stream, post in this Lodestone forum thread
• During the live stream, send tweets to @FF_XIV_EN, using the hashtag #XIVLive

Read all the details here. Did you miss the fifth live letter? Then check this post.

Final Fantasy XIV, Letter from the Producer XLIV: Beta phase 2 and Guildhests

Letter from the Producer XLIV is now online: check it here! Yoshi-P lets us know that Beta phase 2 will start in early April (phase 1 will end this Monday), bringing controller support to A Realm Reborn. Also, here are some Guildhests screenshots:

Guildhests are based on Behests from FFXIV 1.0. "It's an easy way to party up with friends, and can be enjoyed before you tackle dungeons later on, so look forward to group play even in the early levels".

FFXIV: Magitek armor, new contest and more

Do you believe in magitek? Fernehalwes posted, on Final Fantasy XIV official Developers' blog, some in-game pictures of the magitek armor mount (work in progress: "Now, while the map and armor are obviously still just mockups, word has it that Yoshi-P has already given the final OK on the designs, so now comes the polish")!

We first saw one in FFXIV: A Realm Reborn CG trailer. Remember?

There's more: we get to know that we'll be able to include apostrophes in a character's name, a new version of the Exploration benchmark is now available (full screen support and bug fixes), "Chocobos Rule the World" contest winners have been announced and an Eorzean Egg Decoration Contest is now open: click here for EU (United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain only) or here for NA.

Final Fantasy XIV: new "Lore" forum section

Final Fantasy XIV official forums just got a new section called "Lore": check it here. Some secrets about the lore of Eorzea have been already unveiled in previous dev posts and, today, we get to know Roegadyn naming conventions and dictionary (grammar, spelling rules), Hyur naming conventions, Elezen naming conventions, Miqo'te naming conventions and Lalafell naming conventions.

FFXIV, BGM preview: Gridania and Black Shroud

New Developers' blog post, new BGM medley! This time, we get to listen to previews of some Gridania and Black Shroud tracks, most of which shouldn't be unknown to beta testers. Click here for the previously released Limsa Lominsa / Thanalan medley.

FFXIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part V video and Q&A summary

As expected, the video of the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part V has been published on YouTube and can now be watched at any time. Click here (EN), here (DE), here (FR) or here (JP) to check the full Q&A text summary.

Final Fantasy XIV: Letter from the Producer LIVE Part V Q&A

Letter from the Producer LIVE Part V aired on YouTube some hours ago. As always, it will be published soon as a not-live video, most likely with subtitles in different languages; in the meanwhile, check this official thread with all the Q&As (note from Bayohne: "Please note that after we create the full Q&A summary, it will be posted in the normal "Letter from the Producer" forum and this thread will be removed". I'll update the link when this happens). Click here to check the video and the full Q&A text summary in one of the available languages.

Some highlights:

• The housing system (for Free Companies and individual players) will be available with the first major update after release
• Focus right now is on developing the game for PC and PlayStation 3. No real info on a possible PlayStation 4 release
• There will be a downloadable version of the game for PC and PS3
• Summoner (and Arcanist) will be available at launch
• 1.0 players will be able to reallocate their attribute points
• Shouts (/shout) will now reach an entire area
• Legacy Config: players will be able to toggle their controls and movement system like they were in 1.0 (example: turning and running instead of backpedaling)
• Fall damage can't make you die (worst scenario: you'll be left with 1 HP)
• After the housing system, chocobo raising will be implemented as well
• Gatherers (Disciples of the Land) will have a chance to find a Treasure Map while gathering: this will contain a hint of a location, where many monsters will spawn. Defeating them will give the players a reward
• The global cooldown on actions (which was implemented in alpha) has been reduced by 0.5 seconds
• Gilgamesh will be in A Realm Reborn (mini-scenario quests)
• The first expansion, which will also come with a new playable race, will be released within two years of launch
• Different functionalities will be available on smartphones (example: check your character data or items and quests database)
• Minions: you can bring a pet along with you (example: the baby Behemoth shown on New Year's day)
• Character creation benchmark will be released after Beta test phase 3
• During Beta test phase 3, we'll get to know which world will be connected to which data center

FFXIV: A Realm Reborn beta start date and new screenshots

Today, the start date for A Realm Reborn beta test (phase 1) has been announced: February 25! Also, acceptance e-mails "will be sent out in the next few days" (source). But there's more, a new Developers' blog post, titled I left my heart..., and Letter from the Producer XLIII are here with a bunch of new screenshots:

FATE (Full Active Time Events): "These events will take place in non-instanced areas and appear at random. Players can participate by simply being within proximity of the event, and there's no need to form parties. Rewards are automatically distributed when it's over, making it easy to jump in and have fun". Screenshots:

"If you're up to the challenge, an instanced dungeon designed with level 30 players in mind will also be ready for testing. The boss has a few tricks up its sleeve that are sure to give you a run for your money":

Pics collection from Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn media tour

Here are some photos from FFXIV: A Realm Reborn media tour.

"Meetings, meetings, and more meetings today!" (click here to read this post; you can see some mandragoras on the third photo!)

From Developers' blog post From LA with love, we get to see a "radical A Realm Reborn elevator door art" and some members of North American and Japanese Community & Services team. From left to right: Devin “Camate” Casadey, Matt “Bayohne” Hilton, Paul "Okipuit" Malixi, Bethany "Rukkirii" Stout, "Triairy".

And now, some venue and gadgets pics!