2019-03-01_Official_PlayStation_Magazine_-_UK_Edition

103

E

very end is a new

beginning. The final

update to Final

Fantasy XIV’s

Stormblood

expansion, 4.5: A Requiem

For Heroes, is wrapping

some things up, but firmly

paving the road for the next

expansion, Shadowbringers,

later this year.

The introduction of a

completely new job, the Blue

Mage, was the biggest

surprise in this update. It’s

the first ever ‘limited job’ in

the game, which means it

operates by a totally

different set of rules. Being

able to learn the abilities of

monsters is adding a new

twist to the world of Eorzea.

More scenario quests

leading into the next

expansion have also been

added, alongside other

brand-new side-quests and

the final updates to the Final

Fantasy XII crossover raid

Return To Ivalice, which has

been a joy.

This massive update (face

it, most FFXIV ones are

sizeable) has also brought a

dungeon, extra minigames

to the Gold Saucer, mounts,

hairstyles, customisations,

and much more.

live games THE MONTH IN...

DROPS

We’ve been spoilt the last

few months with some

great and fun events in our

favourite ongoing games

that have felt genuinely

rewarding. But what do

we most want to get from

drops these days?

Remember

when

lootboxes were

new? They were shiny and

alluring – and the promise

of sparkly new things inside

can still get us excited.

But all in good measure.

We don’t just get excited

for random tat, we love

to work for our goodies

too. Take Overwatch’s

Bastet challenge, offering

some cool guaranteed item

drops for reaching small

milestones as well as dishing

out lootboxes along the way.

It’s about balance.

There’s just

something

about an

event, and mixing with the

community as you zero in on

the same goals, that makes

everything feel special in a

way generic lootboxes just

don’t as much any more.

We’re too familiar with them,

and the thrill of opening

them has waned. Give us

one spooky Halloween

lootbox over five normal

ones any day. Well, things

like the Fortnite Battle Pass

solve this, though perhaps

it can be daunting for those

who only play a bit at a time.

The future’s about keeping

things fresh, not normal.

@MrOscarTK

BASTET CASE

The colourful and diverse cast

of characters in Overwatch are

no stranger to world-expanding

media. A little while ago Blizzard

released Bastet, its first short

story, focusing on fleshing out Ana

and Soldier 76 in particular. To tie in

we got Ana’s Bastet Challenge in-

game, rewarding certain numbers

of victories with guaranteed

unlocks, including a cool epic skin

for racking up nine wins.

APPRECIATION DAY

If there’s one game we should

really show our appreciation for

it’s Monster Hunter: World, which

stuck with us all through last year.

Celebrating a year of constant

updates and ongoing additions

from 26 January, the Appreciation

Festival added new celebratory

gear, and returned a ton of past

events into the fold. If you missed

out on some of the first time, there

was plenty to celebrate indeed.

RED RUSH

While Red Dead Online – the online

part of Red Dead Redemption 2 – is

still technically in beta, there’s

nonetheless plenty of meat to enjoy

(check out our online verdict on

p100). Various tweaks have already

been made but the highlight is

Gun Rush mode. Essentially it’s a

32-person battle royale that you

can be play solo or in teams. We

didn’t think we needed more battle

royale; cowboys proved us wrong.

Outoftheblue

Final Fantasy XIV’s 4.5 update brings big changes

BEING ABLE TO LEARN THE

ABILITIES OF MONSTERS IS

ADDING A WHOLE NEW TWIST.

EVENT EVENT UPDATE

UPDATE

BUNNY STORY

Having heavily teased that the

rabbit-like Viera race will be

playable in the next expansion,

Final Fantasy XII’s Fran makes an

appropriate appearance in FFXIV’s

Return To Ivalice raid.