Hello everyone, today we’re going to talk about character development within Final Fantasy XIV, specifically the unique “leveling” system that is planned for the game. While any detailed information from Square-Enix has not been laid to date, the developers have dropped a few hints in various interviews. Emphasizing their mantra of character growth and development, XIV’s “leveling” system will not be based upon experience points. Also, the developers have on multiple occasions stated that weapons will have a heavy influence upon how the character advances within the game. While this would certainly be a unique way of advancement within an MMORPG, this new system is not without precedent in Final Fantasy history.

Indeed, there are several previous instances of unique leveling systems throughout the 20+ year history of Final Fantasy. For starters, Final Fantasy II did away with traditional experience points and levels all together. Instead the game used a unique skill-based system. For instance, characters that got hit constantly in battle and ended up with low HP have a chance to gain additional HP. Or characters that use magic not only improved with those magics, but also gained MP doing so. Having and using specific weapons also played a key element in growing the characters abilities. Could FFXIV’s advancement system be based upon this unique system? Possibly, but there are also a couple other historical precedents that we haven’t looked at yet.

Zooming a head a couple console generations, we then come up to Final Fantasy X and the Sphere Grid. Rather than gaining experience points, characters gained AP which allowed them to move about the game’s unique Sphere Grid, advancing & gaining new abilities along the way. This allowed each character to grow and develop their own unique set of skills during the course of the adventure.

Also amongst the PS2 generation of Final Fantasy games, you have the License Board system of Final Fantasy XII. Combining facets of a traditional experience point system and a grid-based advancement, players could purchase both the ability to use specific weapon types and new abilities via the License Board. With every ability that was unlocked, new abilities would then open up to the player. This concept was also further expanded upon in the international edition of FFXII with unique license boards for each job.

Could any of these three advancement systems be the one used for Final Fantasy XIV? Possibly, or it could very be something that none of us have seen before. Whichever path that Square-Enix does decide to take for its next generation MMORPG, we’ll be along for the ride every step of the way.