The Hidden Gem Of Final Fantasy XIV: Exploring Eureka

To say that Final Fantasy XIV has a substantial amount of content would be an understatement. Whether it’s Extreme Trials, Alliance Raids, Hunts, Beast Tribes, crafting and gathering, or housing, it feels like there’s an endless array of activities to dig through. Unfortunately, if there’s one component that doesn’t quite get the appreciation it deserves, it’s Eureka. Obviously, there are those who are dedicated and will continue to grind through it, but Eureka can be an intimidating component and that’s exactly why I love it. Most of Final Fantasy XIV and its post-expansion release plans have been fairly safe. Sure, the story is great, but the rollout of content hasn’t changed too much from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. Extreme Trials and Savage Raids are there for the hardcore audience, while Alliance Raids are prime attractions thanks to their nostalgia and reasonably adaptable mechanics. What each has in common is that the rewards are tied to a weekly reset, meaning you can only make so much progress at any given time. This can get exhausting at times as you’ll find yourself in the same rhythm with each major update until the inevitable next expansion. During Stormblood, Square Enix took an enormous chance on something new, and even to this day, player opinion remains divisive, but I believe it’s the best part of Final Fantasy XIV.

Eureka replaced the Zodiac and Anima weapon quests, which had players go through numerous trials and tribulations in order to get immensely powerful weapons that are now nothing more than fashion pieces. The problem was that the quests were, and still are, incredibly repetitive, especially the Zodiac questline where players will no doubt burnout halfway through as they’re tasked with completing an exhausting number of dungeons and FATES, among other requirements. It’s a little easier now because you can unsync dungeons at level 80, but it will no doubt test your patience. Anima was an improvement, but still not the most ideal way of enjoyably obtaining your next ultimate weapon. It allowed those who are crafters and gatherers to join in to make portions of it easier, and it was simplified significantly. Now that most of the components are up for purchase through Poetic Tomestones, you can get through an entire job’s questline in a single day if you’ve done a little bit of prior preparation. What both have in common is that they reuse old and existing content in order to complete your weapons, something you wouldn’t call original. Eureka changes this process completely and instead creates a community within a community that hearkens back to Final Fantasy XI.

Over the last few months, I’ve found myself inside of Eureka more than any other area, and there’s one reason: the community. There’s a sense of camaraderie that you don’t see anywhere else in the game, where players are willing to trek hazardous territories to help you out. No one wants to delevel when they die, so it’s up to those with the ability to resurrect to come to your aid when death falls upon you -- which will occur often. The introduction of four-player mounts, such as the Final Fantasy XV Regalia car and the Eden Skyslipper have helped build the community even more, with veterans shepherding lower-level players between Notorious Monsters so they can level up and progress faster. Granted, that is now less of a component since Square Enix implemented the ability to use mounts at any time with Patch 5.1, but it still really developed the community as we see it today. There are also numerous linkshells and Discords that are dedicated to helping players when they’re in need, most of which have little to no toxic behavior. Obviously, the bigger they become, the greater chance there is to encounter drama, which I have only experienced recently; for the most part, though, everyone is there to have fun and build upon what would be considered the most sustainable part of Final Fantasy XIV.

Going into Anemos for the first time is daunting. Having leveled your character up to at least 70, you’re immediately brought back down to level 1 where every single enemy on the map wants to kill you, and will in a handful of blows (or at least they did before Patch 5.1). This makes Eureka reliant on teaming up with others, but unless you go in with a predetermined party, you might not know how to get help. It wasn’t until early this year before I decided to actually start digging into it, but there were so many questions I had. Why does it take forever to level? What are Notorious Monsters? Why is everyone shouting in the chat? What the heck are “CLOGS”? There was so much I didn’t know that I felt overwhelmed and intimidated by what was going on, especially considering there were upwards of 144 players in a single instance. It takes a little while to get into, but once you’re in, you’ll be hooked. It suffers similarly to how A Realm Reborn is considered far lesser to its expansions, as it takes some time before the content truly becomes exceptional. Fortunately, it doesn’t take fifty hours to get to the later parts of Eureka, and once you hit Pyros, you’ll be able to quickly get to the end game content. I had found myself overwhelmed at points, especially going in for the first time, but it shouldn’t discourage you from experiencing what it has to offer.

Why Pyros stands out above the first two areas is the introduction of Logograms and Logo Actions. Players were thrown in the deep end with little aid in Anemos and Pagos, but finally Square Enix extended their hand. What Pyros does is implement a system that allows players to enhance their abilities or strengthen their defenses based on the various combinations of appraised items called Logograms. The word intimidating will continue to pop up to represent Eureka, and that’s once again the perfect descriptor for Logograms. They’re a great change that allows portions of Pyros and Hydatos to be more manageable when playing solo, but actually understanding what each does and finding how to construct the perfect combination of actions is another story. It’s no longer as simple as going out in the vast open area and attacking a single monster until it’s dead; well, you can do that, but there’s less chance of death when