As the alpha phase of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn concludes, the team moves forward to the eventual beta phase and release of the game. Today, director and producer Naoki Yoshida revealed the new roadmap to release, providing fans of an idea of when to expect the game — and what the beta test will consist of. First, it’s worth mentioning that Phase 1 (of 4) of the beta will begin in mid-February and consist of Legacy players who were subscribed for a certain amount of time during Version 1.0.
Later on the testing pool will open up to include everyone else, and by Phase 4 that will include PlayStation 3 users. Note: Players in possession of a Square Enix Members code that came bundled with Final Fantasy XIII will be given priority for the PS3 Beta Test. The Beta Tester application site will open in January. When all four phases complete, A Realm Reborn will launch. By the timeline given in the roadmap, this may be around June.
The official FFXIV A Realm Reborn roadmap can be viewed here. (PDF)
You can view the official statement accompanying the roadmap here.
Source: Final Fantasy Network
[26/12] Venture into the Tam-Tara Deepcroft
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, like most other MMORPGs, will have a host of instanced dungeons to spelunk throughout Eorzea. One of the first dungeons you’ll encounter is the Tam-Tara Deepcroft in The Black Shroud. In the video above, a group of four players brave its depths — tank, healer, and damage dealers alike. If you want to get a glimpse of some of the first party content available, this is for you.
It should be noted that the battle system is still under significant revision, which includes damage and enmity algorithms. The dungeon featured in the video is one of the first low-level dungeons available to undertake.
Source: Final Fantasy Network