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. Unoskd
    Sep 7, 2023
    8
    Even though I'm not a fan of suddenly having to play in an entirely different world, this expansion is very solid and introduces us for the first time to Emet-Selch, an Ascian and the great-grandfather of Zenos.
    This, of course, made me hopeful that we'd finally learn more about the prince's past and so on, but again, no such luck. We did see Zenos here and there, but we're still left in    Even though I'm not a fan of suddenly having to play in an entirely different world, this expansion is very solid and introduces us for the first time to Emet-Selch, an Ascian and the great-grandfather of Zenos.
    This, of course, made me hopeful that we'd finally learn more about the prince's past and so on, but again, no such luck. We did see Zenos here and there, but we're still left in the dark about why he is the way he is and the overall framework for the character is still missing. A shame.

    On the other hand, Emet-Selch was introduced to us quite well. He appeared repeatedly, and it quickly became clear what his motives are and why he acts the way he does, etc.
    With this character, luckily, you can see again that Square Enix can actually write really well.

    8/10    … Expand
  2. Light_Ain
    Jul 25, 2023
    10
    Shadowbringers is where you truly get a massive pick up in story. This expansion was truly great, plenty of laughs and crying in this. Story is solid, raids are stunning and fun, crossover with Nier: Automata was perfection. If I could replay this with no memory I would easily.
  3. DeWyntr
    Jun 26, 2023
    8
    All the marks were hit with this expansion, XIV has had it's shares of ups and downs with content and I must say it's been a rollercoaster trying to figure out where much of my opinions lie when it comes to each featured expansion. Shadowbringers however I can't bring myself to fault, it brought us the new continent within one of the Reflections, a highly developed landmass telling it'sAll the marks were hit with this expansion, XIV has had it's shares of ups and downs with content and I must say it's been a rollercoaster trying to figure out where much of my opinions lie when it comes to each featured expansion. Shadowbringers however I can't bring myself to fault, it brought us the new continent within one of the Reflections, a highly developed landmass telling it's own story with it's own unique cast. Harping on tropes without relying so heavily on them as to stifle the creativity of the story itself. Shadowbringers was perhaps the best expansion of XIV to date, only just ahead of Stormblood as my personal favorite.

    From sympathetic, fleshed out and well-concluded villains to satisfying, sentimental and meaningful interactions with companions, XIV Shadowbringers holds the best of all the game has to offer within it's story. The expansion doesn't overstay it's welcome, maintaining pacing and enjoyment throughout; Shadowbringers brought us Bozja, Zadnor, some of the best high end content we've seen to date all while managing to deliver some amazing casual and story content to boot.

    This is the definitive XIV expansion to date. My only gripe is what it comes to mean when set against the other expansions, taking place in a realm outside of our own, the story felt isolated away from our experiences and as such the world of Norvrandt doesn't evolve with the newly passing expansions as we do.    … Expand
  4. remilink
    May 28, 2023
    10
    Tout simplement la meilleure extension d'ff14 niveau ambiance globale.

    Malgré le peu de contenu qu'elle et Endwalker propose
    l'écriture est un vrai délice et pas du tout incohérent .
  5. Roka
    Apr 1, 2023
    9
    This is not your ordinary expansion. It's a journey into a world of darkness and light, where the lines between good and evil are blurred, and the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

    The story is epic, the characters are unforgettable, and the gameplay is as thrilling as ever. Emet-Selch and Graha-Tia are two of the most awesome characters in my opinion. They're complex,    This is not your ordinary expansion. It's a journey into a world of darkness and light, where the lines between good and evil are blurred, and the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

    The story is epic, the characters are unforgettable, and the gameplay is as thrilling as ever.

    Emet-Selch and Graha-Tia are two of the most awesome characters in my opinion. They're complex, nuanced, and utterly captivating. You'll find yourself drawn to their stories.
    And speaking of characters, let's not forget about Zenos. Yes, he's back, and he's as badass as ever. Still wish though they would give us some infos about his past and his general life in the castle before he turned in the person we all know today. Also his connection to Emet. There is so much they left out, it's a little bit meh in my opinion. Really wish they would show us a bit more about this character.

    Overall, Final Fantasy's Shadowbringers expansion is pretty great and it will leave you breathless.    … Expand
  6. xeryl
    Mar 1, 2023
    10
    One of the best stories ever toid in an MMO, with so many multifaceted and unique characters culminating in a storyline that you'll likely never forget that could stand on its own entirely as a great final fantasy game.
  7. NN010
    Jan 29, 2023
    10
    Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is a masterpiece of an RPG that manages to tell an emotional & heartfelt story and has some great gameplay & encounter design along the way. It still bears a few of FFXIV's pacing problems, but it's still come a long way since A Realm Reborn. The music of this expansion is also superb!

    10/10. “Remember… Remember us… Remember that we once lived.”
  8. gamingtime
    Jan 25, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly the best expansion of the game imo (haven't played endwalker, but the experience will be quite hard to surpass). The music is great as always, especially the dungeon final boss battle theme (Insatiable) gives me chills when hearing it first time. The story was fantastic! The despair and struggle of the first's people portrayed throughout left quite an impression. I was amazed that SE decided to make an extra map just for telling the story of Emet-Selch, but it really did the work nicely. I can still remember the sense of loss and loneliness when reaching the recreated undersea amaurot.… Expand
  9. LastResource
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    worth it and glad to play this game again. so much memories and nostalgia within this fourteenth game in the series. this expansion is breathtaking!
  10. Dom007
    Mar 31, 2021
    10
    Amazing story. Best in the final fantasy franchise. Characters are amazing and the main villian is the best character I have ever seen in a game. Music is the outstanding and the areas are beautiful. Masterpiece.
  11. candidKlutz
    Apr 30, 2022
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm honestly pretty disappointed in myself for not enjoying this expansion nearly as much as most FFXIV fans seem to.

    I'm going to go into a bit of spoilers to explain myself a bit on this one.

    The world of The First is very very interesting, and the story started off incredibly strongly by introducing the sin eaters and how they turn people into more sin eaters in a horrific manner shortly after reuniting with Alisae. It made me wonder how the other scions were dealing with it, or even if all of them were still okay. Seeing a world absolutely destroyed by the Light, which up to this point was only ever seen as the good side is so cool. I just wish it had better villains than Bad Kung Fu Movie Villain and Fat Power Hungry Baby Man. Ran'jit and Vauthry were so painfully boring as characters despite their voice actors doing fantastic jobs, that I just couldn't seem to get too attached to the story after their introduction, until after they're both finally dead. Thankfully, they're not the only villains of the story. Emet-Selch was much more interesting, but he barely did anything at all until the last few quests of the 5.0 MSQ. Ran'jit and Vauthry should have been dealt with much sooner, with Emet-Selch being more active and taking their place much sooner. It unfortunately dragged the entire story down for me, and I wish it didn't.    … Expand
  12. MoofiaBossVal
    Dec 26, 2021
    7
    An MMO expansion is not just its story.

    Yes, the 5.0 MSQ storyline is great. Yes, the 5.1 through 5.3 storyline is overall good. However, the rest of the expansion was noticeably lacking compared to prior expansions. We've gone from getting 3 dungeons per patch, to 2, to just getting one. Instead of getting 4 grind zones, we instead only get 2. No Hildibrand questline. We went from    An MMO expansion is not just its story.

    Yes, the 5.0 MSQ storyline is great. Yes, the 5.1 through 5.3 storyline is overall good. However, the rest of the expansion was noticeably lacking compared to prior expansions. We've gone from getting 3 dungeons per patch, to 2, to just getting one. Instead of getting 4 grind zones, we instead only get 2. No Hildibrand questline. We went from getting dozens of job questlines, to only 4 role questlines and all of them are meh, not even scratching "decent". Instead of getting 3 jobs, we got 2. We get fewer new armor sets and more recolors of old stuff we already got.

    There is a noticeable lack in the amount of new music produced for ShB, with one trial boss reusing the generic dungeon boss theme, the 5.3 trial boss not even getting a second theme for his second phase, no new dungeon boss theme for 5.4 and 5.5 dungeons, and Bozja pretty much just reusing FF12's ost.    … Expand
  13. Apollo5x5
    Dec 21, 2021
    10
    I got into FF14 right before this expansion came out. This review is late, but I didn't think to talk about it here til now.

    The story from the base game to the expansion before this was fascinating. There were several highs and a few lows throughout my blast through ARR, HW, and Stormblood. When this game came out I started a bit burnt out, but once I started getting into the main    I got into FF14 right before this expansion came out. This review is late, but I didn't think to talk about it here til now.

    The story from the base game to the expansion before this was fascinating. There were several highs and a few lows throughout my blast through ARR, HW, and Stormblood. When this game came out I started a bit burnt out, but once I started getting into the main story quests (MSQ) I got a HUGE second wind. I beat the MSQ in a few weeks, not because it was short, but because I couldn't stop playing.

    Music - some songs are decent, but the main song for my playthrough was called "High Treason." Such a powerful musical movement that I listen to when I'm not playing the game, even to this day. There are lots of songs like this within the game that just captivate me.

    Gameplay - I started the new Tank class, Gunbreaker, when it released and I had a lot of fun getting to learn new rotations and play through the class quest. The dungeons and bosses were a lot of fun to play through and the overall experience of the game was my favorite for an MMO at the time.

    Story and Characters - This is where the meat of the playthrough occurred. The main villain is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. Only other ones that come to mind at this level are from playstation 1 games I played back in the early 2000's that continue to live with me today (Ghaleon from Lunar 1 and 2 really come to mind). This story is also an amazing bridge to Endwalker.

    Overall - This game is a love letter to fantasy and mmo players. Story is rich with content, characters are phenomenal, and the experience within the community is something I will treasure in my gaming life. You'll notice a trend with FF14 players talking about how important it is to experience the story (and I'll mention please feel free to experience the game the way YOU want to). If you're someone who enjoys the elements I discussed above, take the time to enjoy the journey. I remember into a month of this game existing, IGN's FB group had a lot of people saying this should be game of the year, and it was mine and many other's game of the year.

    Be safe and be sure to give this game a shot!    … Expand
  14. Wweald
    Dec 15, 2021
    10
    Amazing expansion. Has the best areas, cities, characters, story and dungeons of the game imo. I think Stormblood wins on trials by a tiny bit. Shadowbringers and FFXIV in general is one of the best experiences in gaming.
  15. ZodaSoda
    Dec 13, 2021
    0
    Ah Shadowbringers what a journey, what a time, much like i said in my Heavensward Review that is was a story any JRPG should not miss, Shadowbringers makes the entire FFXIV story from ARR to Shadowbringers a story any JRPG fan should not miss.
  16. Katzena
    Dec 12, 2021
    10
    Probably one the best expansions from the game, i'm conflicted if i liked it more than endwalker or not as this point. but i loved everything about this expansion
  17. ralgr
    Dec 12, 2021
    9
    The story for this expansion is as great as everyone says. On par with any of the great RPGs available today, owing to the dedication of the whole FFXIV team. Each named side characters introduced are well fleshed out and not throwaways for the sake of the story. The music for each zone and dungeons are fitting and a joy to listen to even at many repetitions. As for the looks of the zone,The story for this expansion is as great as everyone says. On par with any of the great RPGs available today, owing to the dedication of the whole FFXIV team. Each named side characters introduced are well fleshed out and not throwaways for the sake of the story. The music for each zone and dungeons are fitting and a joy to listen to even at many repetitions. As for the looks of the zone, most of them are improvements to previous content partially owing to the use of larger range of colours.

    A minor gripe storywise for me is that sometimes, even when our character is at a position to do something to resolve a situation to a happier end, they just watch instead for the sake of the story. For example, our character may be well in position physically to intercept an enemy to rescue someone but instead just looks on in shock, leading to a death that could have been avoidable. I think it would add more believability if, for example, our character was on the other side of a chasm as he looks on, but that is not the case on some NPC deaths.

    There were also changes to all classes. I can only speak of my experience playing as a Dark Knight, however. The new DRK changes are pretty straightforward and removes the spammy element. The only underwhelming skill I have encountered is the final skill which is to summon a shadowy figure to unleash some damage using DRK skills. My problem is, its just that. Its only function is to be used on cooldown as a damage increase with no interaction with the player. I was expecting it copy what the player would do, and so summoning it must needs preparation to deal the most damage, which sadly is not the case.

    Some new content available is more of the same as previous expansions. A respectable amount of dungeons each with a unqiue aesthetic and atmosphere, and three trials with an additional extreme modes for two of the three, all of which are suitably challenging. However, FATES in the new zones have been revised and now gives incentives to players to acutally do them for more than just for experience by adding a rank system and currency to it. Earned currency can be spent on various rewards ranging from mount speed increase of the zone, materials to chocobo bardings. You will have a rank for each zone which determines what items can be bought from the Gem Traders, which are the vendors for the FATE rewards. Rank goes up to 3 with the better rewards unclokced for purchase at rank 2 and 3.

    Levelling to max will take a mix of main scenario quests, dungeons, and other activities such as FATEs. More on the dungeons, Shadowbringers also introduces the TRUST sytem, which now allows our characters to do dungeons with certain NPCs that are integral to the story. This feature boosted my immersion to the story immensely as you can now take your time on the dungeons to look at every detail you desire without the pressure of potentially wasting other players' time. The NPCs also engage in colourful banter, which makes it all the more immersive. Additionally, they are helpful in learning the dungeon boss mechanics as they are coded to do them properly. The only downside would be that the TRUST NPCs will have potentially a lower damage output compared to players. Potentially. However, after completing the story, the NPC levels will drop and will require you to level them up by taking them to dungeons. They acquire a set experience per run and will require multiple runs to level up, but according to some players, your experience gain will outpace theirs, which in my opinion, is a problem.    … Expand
  18. RCSabin
    Dec 12, 2021
    9
    What a phenomenal expansion.

    Story takes a while to pick up and become interesting but since it went on a darker tone and cutscenes are pretty great you don't mind as much as in Stormblood. Once it does pick up its a blast until the end.
  19. forsakee
    Dec 11, 2021
    10
    easy 10/10 best mmo - good story and good savage fights. only thing lacking is good pvp
  20. Deadalia
    Dec 11, 2021
    10
    This game is juste amazing. The story is probably one of the best we ever had in FF games. The new map is also amazing. Can't tell more without spoil but this game is for sure one of the best MMO and one of the best final fantasy
  21. Lux7
    Dec 11, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ver good … Expand
  22. loliance
    Dec 11, 2021
    6
    MSQ very same-y, more voice acting and interesting cut scenes than previous expansions, still far too many unvoiced poorly animated cut scenes though.

    Some nice introductions, like the trust system which makes the MSQ dungeons much more engaging, lots of solo trials also as part of the MSQ... Overall the MSQ is still below par unfortunately but it's an improvement. Raids offer an    MSQ very same-y, more voice acting and interesting cut scenes than previous expansions, still far too many unvoiced poorly animated cut scenes though.

    Some nice introductions, like the trust system which makes the MSQ dungeons much more engaging, lots of solo trials also as part of the MSQ... Overall the MSQ is still below par unfortunately but it's an improvement.

    Raids offer an acceptable level of difficult which makes them accessible to the vast amount of players, but could do with a more difficult version of savages/ultimates to extend the amount of content in the game for PvM players.    … Expand
  23. Torexid
    Dec 11, 2021
    9
    Great story and great music. Definitely worth the money and so worth playing!
  24. sable10
    Dec 11, 2021
    10
    This expansion cemented my love for this amazing MMO. Fantastic story telling, memorable zones and characters. I was sad to leave it when Endwalker was announced. Super great expansion!
  25. grot00
    Dec 11, 2021
    9
    Perfect expansion. If only devs could muster up some courage and finally kill some major npc. The only thing this story lacks is some stakes, actual risks.
  26. jokerdamate8
    Dec 10, 2021
    10
    Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is one of the best video game experiences, period. The story of the game thus far has slowly been rising in quality, but in this expansion, the growth was exponential—so much so that it has become one of the best video game narratives I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The foreboding tone, the themes of indolence and finality, and the overallFinal Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is one of the best video game experiences, period. The story of the game thus far has slowly been rising in quality, but in this expansion, the growth was exponential—so much so that it has become one of the best video game narratives I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The foreboding tone, the themes of indolence and finality, and the overall "feel" were very consistent and executed to nigh-perfection. Supporting this narrative was a cast of characters that felt more real and relatable than any before, with the returning Scions truly feeling like a group of companions and friends one can rely on. It must be said that no few tears were shed in some scenes and character moments. Gameplay-wise, it is more of the same which is not a bad thing; in fact, some dungeons and trials still stand out as fun and interesting.

    Shadowbringers was the expansion wherein I finally told myself, "That FFXIV might be among the best JRPGs I have ever had the joy playing".    … Expand
  27. KP1994
    Dec 9, 2021
    10
    It's kinda ironic that this 2019 Final Fantasy Fourteen Shadowbringers is much better than 2013/2018-? Grand Theft Auto+Red Dead Online not to mention remind me to 2020 Hades PC too.
  28. yon19794
    Dec 2, 2021
    10
    This is the first time I play FFXIV in general, as a long time (over 8 years) WoW player.
    I simply cannot explain how good this game actually is. From the story, to the zones, to the system, to actually having meaningful choices.
    It's sooo good. If you're looking for a MMORPG/RPGMMO, this is the game for you, it does not waste your time, it respects it, this is one of the many things    This is the first time I play FFXIV in general, as a long time (over 8 years) WoW player.
    I simply cannot explain how good this game actually is. From the story, to the zones, to the system, to actually having meaningful choices.

    It's sooo good. If you're looking for a MMORPG/RPGMMO, this is the game for you, it does not waste your time, it respects it, this is one of the many things that the game does right.    … Expand
  29. eugenji
    Oct 9, 2021
    10
    Mit Abstand das bisher beste FFXIV Addon.
    Tolle Geschichte Super Musik
    Nier 24er Raids
    FF7 Weapons als 8er Raids
    … Wer wollte zB Rubin Weapon nicht auch mal in „modern“ sehen ;)
  30. Ykkaru
    Aug 24, 2021
    10
    Fantastic game with a really nice and welcoming community. I was baffled by all the things you can do in this game.
    Especially the healthy faction system and the player housing was a breath of fresh air for someone coming from wow with it's toxic faction system, that is reflected in the toxic behavior of wow players. Not all of them of course. Many are just tired and frustrated by it but    Fantastic game with a really nice and welcoming community. I was baffled by all the things you can do in this game.
    Especially the healthy faction system and the player housing was a breath of fresh air for someone coming from wow with it's toxic faction system, that is reflected in the toxic behavior of wow players. Not all of them of course. Many are just tired and frustrated by it but aren't toxic. So yeah, it's nice to see that Square Enix is managing their factions and the community in such a healthy way.
    FF XIV is great!    … Expand
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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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