Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers

 PC
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 1547 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,419 out of 1547
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 1547
  3. Negative: 102 out of 1547

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  1. Derex46
    Aug 29, 2019
    0
    Great story, and that's it. Awful job design ruins everything. Tanks and healers butchered, GNB after patch 5.01, NIN, DNC, SMN, RDM deals no damage, MCH is a bunch of bad ideas. I would recommend searching for other games first before going to this one.
  2. Arctics
    Aug 26, 2019
    10
    The best Final Fantasy game in 2 decades. The story will grab you and not let go, and you'll love every minute of it.
  3. vielinekr
    Aug 20, 2019
    9
    This is one of my favourite games of the year and it's one I'd encourage any previous Final Fantasy fan to consider. Besides the brilliant nods to the series past — adorable retro touches like pixel art character menus and classic game soundtracks.
  4. CrispyJakal
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    Great Expansion, Story has only gotten better with XIV as time has gone on, great new features such as the trust system, personally loving the Monk rework making it a true powerhouse dps.

    No better time to come back to the game.
  5. hereismyopinion
    Aug 16, 2019
    10
    I love the story and everything about this expansion. If people here is reviewing the game based on the previous expansion then their reviews should be invalid. This is the not like any other MMO like Wow where you can skip cut scenes and dialogues and call the game decent. The story captivated me to keep playing the game and wanting more. It all adds up, the story make sense, theI love the story and everything about this expansion. If people here is reviewing the game based on the previous expansion then their reviews should be invalid. This is the not like any other MMO like Wow where you can skip cut scenes and dialogues and call the game decent. The story captivated me to keep playing the game and wanting more. It all adds up, the story make sense, the character keeps growing and it sucks you in. This is one of the best final fantasy game I have ever played and will continue supporting this game as long as they listen to their players. The community so far is less toxic than the other MMO game I played for almost 14 years. I hope that SE will continue the path they're going and succeed.… Expand
  6. Azsalyn
    Aug 16, 2019
    10
    I have played a lot of MMOs and a lot of RPGs, and none of them come close to the masterful storytelling that Shadowbringers brought to the table. The villain is one of the most relatable antagonists we've seen in an RPG to date, and while his methods may not be acceptable, they are completely understandable. The emotional roller coaster we got this time around easily rivals Heavensward,I have played a lot of MMOs and a lot of RPGs, and none of them come close to the masterful storytelling that Shadowbringers brought to the table. The villain is one of the most relatable antagonists we've seen in an RPG to date, and while his methods may not be acceptable, they are completely understandable. The emotional roller coaster we got this time around easily rivals Heavensward, or even strong single player RPGs like FFX, and storywise is simply the best I've seen in an MMO, period. The new zones have a beautiful aesthetic from the second you set foot in the First, all with truly memorable music from the brilliant Masayoshi Soken (Amh Araeng is a personal favorite theme!). The new characters wrench our heartstrings in just the right way. The combat has largely improved many of the flaws held by many of the jobs - MNK getting a 4th stack of Greased Lightning and being able to keep stacks up between pulls, BLM getting a single-target foul, more instants to assist mobility, and Umbral Soul to keep Umbral Hearts and Enochian up between pulls/transitions, MCH getting rid of ammo and heat system, and DRK getting rid of Dark Arts all feel so much smoother than ever - and that's only naming a few! The new jobs are both very fun and engaging and bring a lot of entertainment to the table, DNC especially being one of the most engaging and enjoyable ranged DPS jobs I've ever played, while GNB gives us an alternative to WAR as a dps-oriented tank that likes to give our healers heart attacks. Overall, I really have nothing negative to say except - GIVE BLACK MAGE ULTIMA NEXT TIME. Absolutely worth picking up if you're a fan of MMOs or RPGs in general!… Expand
  7. BryceSoker
    Aug 16, 2019
    7
    Ok, first of all Story is a goddamned gem, 11/10, beautiful, pulls all your heartstrings as long as you're already emotionally attached to the characters, one of the best Final Fantasy stories ever created, and by far the best MMO story I've ever experienced.

    Now that we got that out of the way let me tell you why this isn't a 10/10. Well for starters it's the formula. it is the same    Ok, first of all Story is a goddamned gem, 11/10, beautiful, pulls all your heartstrings as long as you're already emotionally attached to the characters, one of the best Final Fantasy stories ever created, and by far the best MMO story I've ever experienced.

    Now that we got that out of the way let me tell you why this isn't a 10/10. Well for starters it's the formula. it is the same formula that we already got used to over and over the years. The maps are still the same old, you do killing events for mediocre rewards that have no actual soul put into them, the maps feel static, dead.

    The classes got a bit of revamping but mechanical wise they are the same, except now they are normalized and each class does whatever te other class of the same type do for the sake of "balance". Well, it just made them boring. No, it did not make them faster to play as some in here might make you think, there are still GCDs and the rotations work the same way as before, the core class concept was not changed at all.

    The graphics, well, if you like the graphics from ARR, HW and Stormblood then you're gonna love the ones we have right now cause they are absolutely the same. MMOs nowadays upgrade their textures, meanwhile, FFXIV still is pixelated as crap. After 6 years they haven't updated their engine at all, they still have several limitations from FFXIV 1.0 and I doubt they are ever going to fix them until they make a new FF MMO. Seriously don't even get me started at looking at the game from above (flying) it looks like a game from 2008. Yes the art style is awesome, yes once you get used to it it gets a little better but whether you agree or not it doesn't matter, the textures are not in a place where a 2019 game should be.    … Expand
  8. leviathonlx
    Aug 14, 2019
    7
    When it comes to Shadowbringers if story is all you're looking for then this game is great and far better than the disjointed story of Stormblood and if that's all you're looking for then sure this game is pretty high up there compared to other MMO's which cannot compare as you sure as hell won't be playing WoW for the story.

    Almost every so called 'critics' review I read focuses on how    When it comes to Shadowbringers if story is all you're looking for then this game is great and far better than the disjointed story of Stormblood and if that's all you're looking for then sure this game is pretty high up there compared to other MMO's which cannot compare as you sure as hell won't be playing WoW for the story.

    Almost every so called 'critics' review I read focuses on how the story was great. And the story is good but FF14 is an MMO and not a single player RPG and so the game should also be scored on things besides just the one time story. Though if you do that you realize that ShB is literally just HW 3.0. If Blizzard were to have released 3 expansions in a row that all did the same thing (only 3 max level dungeons, no new side content, no dailies/wq, and just a 4 boss raid) they'd be absolutely destroyed by said critic but WoW is apparently just held to higher standards than mediocrity. There is no new type of end-game content or systems similar to what you'll get with a WoW expansion (regardless of your feelings on artifacts or Azerite at least Blizzard tries new things). Dailies are, as per usual, going to be relegated to patch content and overall all you'll be doing at max level is grinding tomestones like we have been for the past 6 years. You can grind FATE's for a bit to get things like pets which at least may somewhat help keep the outside world from becoming the barren desert it tends to become due to a lack of things like WoW's world quests and world bosses.

    Class change wise it'll depend entirely on what you play. If you're a healer you most likely will be pissed with this expansion as Square has decided to give up on balancing healers by just making them all exactly the same. I personally play a DRG and I found the job enjoyable with it's changes and the removal of skills that existed just for the sake of having a button like Heavy Thrust and the excessive role action skills.

    The 2 new races are something that my opinion on will develop as the expansion progresses. Currently viera and hrothgar only have 1 gender which in itself doesn't necessarily bother me but most the helmets in the game do not work on these 2 new races (I could just imagine the pitchforks the WoW playerbase would have if Blizzard were to release even allied races like that). Allegedly more helmets will become usable in later patches so we'll have to wait and see but then again the 'more customization' the viera and hrothgar were supposed to have to make up for the lack of helmets is not there and even helmets that are NEW with this expansion don't even work on the new races which is just unacceptable. A big negative is that hrothgar hair is attached to their faces and the only way to change that is to pay Square 10 dollars for a fantasia which is pretty scummy.

    World design I feel the game has at least improved a bit when compared to Stormblood but besides the more 'realistic' textures of FF14 the zone detailing is still leagues behind what Blizzards world design team is capable of but given the typical problems of having little reason to go out in the game world I guess that's less an issue. I like a lot of the music for the zones and dungeons/trials though places like Rak'tika are a perfect example of my issues with FF14 music due to how zones have just 1 day and 1 night track that runs about ~4 minutes that plays over and over which causes the music to get repetitive very quickly compared to WoW's far more varied (and sometimes better in my view such as Zuldazar's 8.1.5 pieces) music.

    Overall the expansion is actually exactly what I expected from Square given their track record and that's just yet more of the same but in a different locale. Patch content will add the beast tribe dailies and the side content but given Squares track record I'm sure those things will just be Eureka 2.0 and Palace of the Dead 3.0. Maybe Eureka 2.0 will be less boring to complete this time but we'll have to wait and see and I can't score a game on something we have no information on.. There's no denying it's still one of the best MMO's on the market along with WoW but I feel they need to start innovating and trying new things and the lack of anything truly new to do that I wasn't already doing in Stormblood a month ago and Heavensward 3 years ago and A Realm Reborn before that is why I feel this expansion is worth the score I gave it. I'm sure I'll get 'reviews not helpful' from this but thankfully you can't hide opinions you don't like here like you can on reddit.    … Expand
  9. chefocho
    Aug 12, 2019
    10
    This is the best MMO experiences Ive ever had. From the music to the MSQ and everything in between.
  10. vahn
    Aug 11, 2019
    5
    I wasn't really going to come back here: FFXIV is a game with a lot of potential, but an infinite amount of issues that truly makes it hard for me to enjoy, however the reason I came back is only one: the story.
    But I'll talk about that later.
    Anyway, what to say about this expansion: It's the same exact game you played in the last years with almost the same exact way of playing, which    I wasn't really going to come back here: FFXIV is a game with a lot of potential, but an infinite amount of issues that truly makes it hard for me to enjoy, however the reason I came back is only one: the story.
    But I'll talk about that later.

    Anyway, what to say about this expansion: It's the same exact game you played in the last years with almost the same exact way of playing, which is grinding tomes every week to cap get loot then wait 4-5 months for next dungeon, upgrade it to raid level, rage about eureka 2.0 and so on for the next 2 years. It's practically been the same since 2.0 with utmost precision, with really few modifications here and there, like how leves are only for crafting now, fates give a currency and few other things.

    The major changes I did notice is in the classes, as in they removed what made them unique and homogenized them into basically one role but with fancy weapons: the 4 tanks are practically the same, and so are the melee and etc, gone all of their unique traits that made them unique and instead they're all exactly the same, with maybe one or less move in their arsenal. In a way, I applaud this idea because this means now that all classes can be used, especially when they kept saying they weren't able (or were incapable or too lazy?) to balance them out so this means now that all classes viable. But this is an online mmorpg and raiding is relegated to the usual 8 man content: eventually, a meta will come out and only 8 classes will be the winners, while the rest...well that's your problem!

    Another nice addition is the Trust System, which is another name for the Squadron but without the pain to actually levelling your team-up: it's a nice addition if only you could use it in older dungeons, instead it's going to be relegated to 5.0 dungeons and nothing else. Too bad but I guess "data limitations" and such.

    But game issues aside, my main issue and the one that first turned me away from continuing, is the horrid community that everyone keeps praising but I only see hypocrisy and spite.

    Don't get me wrong on this: I don't think ALL of the community is bad, of course I'm sure 1 out o 10 is good, however, we're talking of a community that is so blinded by this game that they will actively defend anything they do, even if it's a broken mess. I played this game since 2.0 but I was never able to say anything negative without receiving extremely harsh backlash, being called mentally disabled, a tasteless one and even death threatened because of my simple dislike of the raids (I did coil btw). I will never understand what people see of good in this community: it's the same the others. I came into this game years ago with the promise of a better community, but instead, I got so frustrated and stressed out that I actively stopped trying to be making friends and move on with my day, never saying my real opinions in fear of being backlashed.

    Which brings me to the point I missed: the story, the major selling of point of this expansion.
    I didn't follow the story until now besides some snippets but everyone kept praising it for how good it is, and how it's like the second coming of Christ or something.

    I took the challenge and spent the next 2 weeks watching long, long, LONG cutscenes and tried to see what's going on after finishing it yesterday - and waiting nearly half an hour for the queue as well, I could only say one thing: "This story is just average".
    Let me say this: I did like the setting, I liked how it's not the same world and how it has its own culture and difference. and I liked some of its secondary characters too. I also did like a couple of lines and overall, I did feel it had something in it.

    But honestly, I just felt it was average: its plot is your generic "go there, do chores, kill bad guy of the land, repeat" for each zone until the end where you get to beat the OBVIOUS bad guy of the game, so obvious that the game tries desperately to sway your attention from him, and failing.

    The cast is BORING, they only have one emotion throughout the entire game (Gotta love Minfilia's constant whining...NOT!) and the enemies you first meet are so one dimensional that I was glad they were gone because they were just not fun.

    And I just will not understand how the game still thinks to trick me into believing that my character will die: this is a mmorpg, of course, I'm not gonna die you idiots! How am I gonna do endgame?! For the main cast it's a different story since some did disappear.
    Maybe they'll get rid of the whiny blondie so there's hope!

    Bottom line, I don't hate it but I don't like it either: I just played tons of better jrpgs in my long gaming life and I was expecting something at least on par to some of my favorites, but if this is the best they could do then I think I'll just go back to the JRPGs I know and love.

    See for yourself and draw your own conclusion. For me, it's just average.    … Expand
  11. kittyanya
    Aug 9, 2019
    10
    Shadowbringers? More like Feelsbringers. Amazing story, captivating characters, fun side quests, and so much more to do. There's endgame and still working on the game even after the credits roll. Come for the vierra, stay for Yoshi P.
  12. descrapto
    Aug 8, 2019
    10
    Best FF Expansion since Heavensward, amazing story, OST, Combact, voice acting. Everything in this expansion is the best on this. Been plaing since half of the life of Heavensward and it gets better the more you play.
  13. darxiv
    Aug 6, 2019
    10
    Shadowbringers shows that it is possible to have an amazing story in a MMO. Not only does this expansion excel in storytelling but it takes Final Fantasy into a whole new direction.
  14. Ren0117
    Aug 5, 2019
    10
    One of the best FF’s to date! The music, the story and the backstory for the story creates a masterpiece that game developers in the west can only wish to compare to nowadays due to corporate greed! Kudos to square, Yoshida - San, and the devs of final fantasy!
  15. Kezian
    Jul 30, 2019
    10
    FF14 is amazing ! If you never played it, download the free trial and see for yourself !
  16. Monjulie
    Jul 29, 2019
    10
    One of the best MMO expansions ever released. Story wise it rivals some the best FF stories in years
  17. Solemncollector
    Jul 28, 2019
    10
    The music alone deserves a ten. The rest of it does too. What an amazing expansion it’s a must play
  18. Shyngo
    Jul 28, 2019
    10
    This has been by far the best expansion launch in any MMO I've ever seen. And the game keeps improving as the devs listens to the community pleas, 10/10
  19. PapiCake
    Jul 27, 2019
    10
    The best Final Fantasy XIV expansion so far. An amazing and emotional story that I won't forget.
  20. dkcoffey
    Jul 26, 2019
    10
    The game gets better with every expansion. The music gets better with every expansion. The story outshines the HW story in every way, making it the best story we've experience so far in the FFXIV universe.
  21. ripshocks
    Jul 26, 2019
    10
    The most amazing MMO i've ever played to this day. The release content schedule is stable and keeps on improving upon itself month after month, year after year. It's the best time to become a final fantasy fan.
  22. TomSheldrake
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    Truly a masterpiece that had me gripped from start to finish. It skipped a lot of the flaws that the previous expansion had by having a story that players felt truly invested in, without having to deal with odd story pacing.

    Would 100% recommend for any Final Fantasy fan.
  23. DestinyLord1134
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    This is easily the best game in the FF series in 10+ years. As always, I am enjoying the music, but the story is also top notch, and they brought new feel to several classes I play without affecting the core mechanics or causing more "bloat."
  24. Pandorazellas
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    Not only is this the best Expansion i’ve played in XIV, i’d go as far as to say this is also the best FF game i’ve ever played, and could even say it’s the best game overall that i’ve ever played. The music, the the visuals, the storytelling. It all left me one great big emotional mess. It’s going to be a long time before anything tops this game experience for me
  25. KaliHeart
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    Shadowbringers has an MSQ I want to relive countless times. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I questioned and reveled in each passing scene. I played solo, I played with friends, I took every opportunity I could to participate in all I came across and am still adoring in exploration.

    We've come so far since our earliest days in the Waking Sands, and I'll be damned if the game hasn't as    Shadowbringers has an MSQ I want to relive countless times. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I questioned and reveled in each passing scene. I played solo, I played with friends, I took every opportunity I could to participate in all I came across and am still adoring in exploration.

    We've come so far since our earliest days in the Waking Sands, and I'll be damned if the game hasn't as well. The voice acting, this expansion, was truly magnificent. Even side characters and NPCs had rich, expressive voice work that surprised and delighted each and every time I came across it. The sound track is incredibly immersive - Soken really went above and beyond to bring this situations, these locations and this story to life.

    Though it's hard to put into words, Shadowbringers, has a 'classic' fantasy feel though never once lacks for pacing. The storytelling speaks to the soul on a whole new level and come it's conclusion I felt the need to take a breath and processed all I'd witnessed; satisfied and emptied, both, with a strong desire to revisit past scenes with a different take. In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I'll not go into detail but the final 'zone' leading up to it's end was incredibly impactful - to feel a sense of nostalgia and sadness bordering on the personal for a place never before visited is uncanny, and it's the truest expression I found to describe 5.0.

    For anyone out there thinking of giving it a go, don't hold back.

    My opinion is that of one voice among millions, but simply said: Thank you. Thank you, Yoshi-P and the SE team for all the time and effort, the thoughtfulness and the passion you bring to game development and the world of Final Fantasy.    … Expand
  26. Advent2718
    Jul 21, 2019
    10
    This game has surpassed my expectations and has taken up all my free time since launch and early access. Amazing game by the developers and everyone who worked hard on this and amazing music from Soken.
  27. HyperTornado
    Jul 20, 2019
    10
    All I can say is the story is insanely good and keeps me reeling in the entire time. The dungeons are super high budget and the world environment is gorgeous. Note that to get to Shadowbringers you must complete the previous expansions.
  28. jakkyr
    Jul 20, 2019
    10
    I love this game already, but this expansion made me love it 1000x more, the only real thing that is a problem now is the healer category as I've heard, other then that every other aspect of the game has been vastly improved. Story is great, music is great. I hope only for the best for this games future, because it is in my personal top 3 for games of all time.
  29. Nucah
    Jul 20, 2019
    10
    I've been playing FFXIV for around four yeara now and have thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. Heavensward was masterpiece and although Stormblood was good, I felt like it lost some of the magic that HW had.

    Shadowbringers brings back that magic and is driven by a phenomenal story with wonderfully acted cutscenes and a beautiful soundtrack by Soken. This hit all my expectations    I've been playing FFXIV for around four yeara now and have thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. Heavensward was masterpiece and although Stormblood was good, I felt like it lost some of the magic that HW had.

    Shadowbringers brings back that magic and is driven by a phenomenal story with wonderfully acted cutscenes and a beautiful soundtrack by Soken. This hit all my expectations and more. If you're a fan of XIV or just a fan of the FF franchise, this is a must play in my opinion.    … Expand
  30. dinghole
    Jul 20, 2019
    10
    I've been a fan of Final Fantasy 14 since day one but this expansion has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had in a game.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 2019
23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
9
#9 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Cubed3
    Mar 27, 2020
    70
    The active story events of ShadowBringers are good fun, but due to the grinding nature of the genre, it suffers from some terrible pacing issues. If you are invested in FFXIV, this DLC will probably excite and please you. It's a fun but forgettable romp that runs just the wrong side of boring during its hours-long retelling and bland A-B mission style. If this tickles your fancy, be sure to start and play with a team of friends - it will easily be 10 times more enjoyable, if infinitely longer.
    Read full review
  2. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 15, 2019
    90
    Shadowbringers is not just a fun and juicy MMORPG thanks to some intuitive design choices and amazing dungeons and encounters, but also a different take on the overindulged "hero saves the world" story with lots of twists and turns.
    Read full review
  3. Game Informer
    Aug 15, 2019
    90
    Shadowbringers is the best expansion yet for Square Enix’s MMORPG, a world that comes alive in the player’s hands, with weight and gravitas moving you through every whimsical corner. Old-fashioned quest design and color-dodging combat add a dull tinge to a truly magical landscape, but those imperfections can’t keep down the scale and scope of excellent environments, grandiose bosses, and majestic music.
    Read full review
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