Game Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida recently shared some tidbits about how the two new classes of popular MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV came to be.
Yoshida revealed that the gaming community actually wanted to Reaper class for so long now and this was apparent in the North America and Europe regions. What the fans wanted was a character that could wield a very large scythe in battle.
“There was a lot of fan feedback about a character that can wield a scythe, a very large scythe, in the North America and Europe regions. And they were excited for something like that for a number of years, actually,” Yoshida said. “So, the idea for the reaper developed pretty smoothly, I think.”
The Sage was another beast though. Yoshida revealed that they had to really think it over on how to bring this class over to FFXIV. They were debating on what weapon it could wield in the game, which is why they then settled for flying weapons.
The developers did have some pretty crazy ideas like a medical kit, which was weird for a magic-wielder, throwing potions, and healing missiles. None of them seem to work and then settled for the flying weapons, which made the Sage crazy cool-looking. It looked “very sci-fi, but still, it looks very magical,” which fit the aesthetic of FFXIV.
Final Fantasy XIV is now available on PC, PlayStation 4, and PS5.
Interview source: IGN