Final Fantasy 14 Players Have Been Using the New Strategy Board in Creative Ways

Final Fantasy 14 fans have been using the new Strategy Board to play board games, recreate memes, and even imitate classic video games like Pac-Man, Mario, and Tetris. Though this feature was made to help Final Fantasy 14 players plan for boss encounters, it has instead brought out some unexpected creativity from the community.

On December 16, Final Fantasy 14 released Patch 7.4, Into the Mist. This major update introduced tons of new features to the game, including a continuation of the Main Scenario featuring a dungeon and trial, the conclusion to the Arcadion raid storyline, and some major changes to several jobs. However, one of its most important updates was the Strategy Board, a feature that lets gamers plan their tactics for defeating various boss encounters ahead of time.

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FF14 Players Demonstrate Creative Uses of the Strategy Board

However, fans have been using the Strategy Board for some amazing things far from its intended use. In less than 48 hours since its introduction, the internet began flooding with hilarious images of Strategy Boards that recreated various games and recognizable memes from both in and outside Final Fantasy 14. Emi Rose is one such fan who used their talents to recreate classic video games like Pac-Man, Tetris, and Galaga on the Strategy Board. Loc/Suya went even further, recreating the iconic first level of Super Mario Bros. using the feature.

Other players instead went analogue, recreating old school board games instead. The ability to design on a checkered background means making classic games like chess is simple, as shown by FF14 fan Fruity Snacks. What’s more, this chess game is technically fully functional, as the pieces can be moved freely, and because the Strategy Board can be shared live with one’s party, two players can actually play chess completely within the confines of Final Fantasy 14.

Of course, some fans used the Strategy Board to recreate their real-life scenes, memes, or even iconic Final Fantasy creatures. From 51gou’s mock weather forecast to SleepieRan’s adorable Moogle, the creative ability of the Final Fantasy 14 community has been on full display with the Strategy Board.

The best part about this spark of creativity lit by the Strategy Board is that gamers can freely share these images while in a party or online via codes, allowing them to import and export their designs to one another. While this has the obvious benefit of letting players prepare for battles, it also means they can share art, mini-games, and even messages via this charming feature.

The Potential Dangers of the Final Fantasy 14 Strategy Board

Of course, the freedom granted by this feature will invite plenty of people to create inappropriate images, or even send Strategy Board layouts with rude or hateful messages to other Final Fantasy 14 players or developers. These risks are always present in online games, but the Strategy Board does technically create a new avenue through which this can be done. Hopefully, Square Enix is able to punish these offending players without impacting the fun others have been having with the Strategy Board.

Though the Strategy Board and most other features of Patch 7.4 are available in Final Fantasy 14 right now, there are still a few things gamers will have to wait for. The Arcadion Heavyweight Tier (Savage) raid opens on January 6 after the holiday season, meaning fans have a few weeks to prepare and complete the normal mode before then. Some time after, Patch 7.41 will arrive, bringing with Oizys, the new cosmic exploration destination, along with enhancement quests for both Cosmic Tools and Phantom Weapons, with Patch 7.45, featuring the Merchant’s Tale Variant Dungeon, coming later. Until then, players might want to consider mastering Strategy Board, be it through planning tactics or making memes.

Systems

Released

August 27, 2013

ESRB

T for Teen – Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence

Engine

Originally the Crystal Tools engine, but currently it’s a custom engine using parts of the Luminous Engine.

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