AFinal Fantasy 14content creator set a world record in one of the game’s most infamous challenges, only to have their accomplishment topped by another player a day later. Both players shared the runs on YouTube and on social media, where otherFinal Fantasy 14players not only complimented them for their combined efforts, but some took it as a challenge to attempt to beat them.
Soon, Square Enixwill host the 2023 North American FanFest, on July 28 and 29. With the nextFinal Fantasy 14expansion expected to be the main attraction at the Las Vegas event, anticipation has been building over the future of the game. As players await the news, some of them have taken to other forms of content to pass the time. OneFinal Fantasy 14player sought to conquer an infamous challenge after seeing what another player had done before.
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On July 7, a BritishFinal Fantasy 14content creator named Pint posted a video of his world-record run of Kugane Tower, one of the most notorious jumping puzzles in the game. Located in the heart of Kugane,the main hub of theStormbloodexpansion,the tower was conquered by Pint in 43.30 seconds. According to Pint, he was inspired to take the challenge after climbing the tower in 16 minutes and was informed by his Twitch chat that other players have done it at a much faster pace. Given that Kugane Tower has no specific record listed on speedrunning websites such as Speedrun.com, Pint took to YouTube and discovered that another player named Em0_oticon had the world record that stood uncontested for five years. Em0_oticon recorded their world record of 43.58 seconds after several attempts.
After some time, Pint began to take note of what Em0_oticon did to set their world record. It involved meticuloususe ofFinal Fantasy 14’s ability to change Jobson the fly, and some specific abilities such as the Dragoon’s Elusive Jump and the Dancer’s En Avant to move quickly across the tower. Using Emo_oticon’s Job changing strategies, Pint was able to break the record. But, Pint’s time atop Kugane Tower only lasted a day. In a twist of irony, Em0_oticon returned after a long hiatus and reclaimed their world record on July 8, with a time of 38.74 seconds. The new record is nearly five seconds faster than Pint’s best.
On Twitter, Pint congratulated Em0_oticon and hoped that speedrunning websites will add a category for Kugane Tower. Though the next expansion forFinal Fantasy 14has its own hurdles to climb, it is a fitting metaphor for the current state of the game following Pint’s accomplishments.
Final Fantasy 14is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
