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This Is Hardcore

Square Enix redefines the term timesink in Final Fantasy XI.

By John Gillooly on 14 August, 2008

While I have a peripheral awareness of the existence of more hardcore MMOs than the ubiquitous WoW, every now and then news pops up that makes my jaw drop. The latest case is an 18-hour tale of failure from the world of Final Fantasy XI.

As part of the last game expansion, Square Enix added a new ‘near unbeatable’ monster to the game known as Pandemonium Warden. Very little was known of this shape-changing boss until a Linkshell (FFXI speak for Guild) aptly called Beyond the Limitation put in a marathon 18-hour session fighting him.

When I say fighting, they gave up after 18 hours because, well, people aren’t designed for 18-hour boss fights. What’s worse is that they envisaged there were still 5 hours of fight left to go and decided there was no way everyone would last.

It did get me wondering just how retarded one must be to design a fight that takes almost a day of sitting in one spot mashing buttons. But then I read through the comments on the original article and got the real shock.

There were several people basically telling those with issues over the length of the fight to harden up. That 18 hours straight was fine. Perhaps, though, the quote that best sums up my bewilderment is the following from ‘VadSeraph’:

Has everyone forgotten perspective on this? I’ve been on Seraph for five years, and the fact is that we’ve taken bosses that previously took four or five hours, and brought them within a thirty minute fight. We’ve taken mobs that previously required a dedicated, full alliance to beat and have soloed them in less time. As long as there are people to fight and mobs to beat, we will find strategies, and we will kill them. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if within two years Pandemonium Warden takes over six hours to kill.

Already infamous because of the year-plus that is required to level to endgame, even FFXI players are thinking in massive real-world time frames. Maybe I’m spoiled, but in two years the one thing I don’t want from an MMO is the need to farm the same boss, much less be happy it’s only taking a quarter of a day instead of a whole one.