Final Fantasy 14 is coming up on its nine-year anniversary, yet it may be more popular now than it ever has been before. Square Enix has created an ever-expanding world that constantly has new content for gamers to experience, but one side effect of this is that fan-favorite features sometimes disappear as the game continues to be tweaked. Case in point, the deep dungeons called Heaven-on-High and Palace of the Dead.
Deep dungeons were huge hits when they came to Final Fantasy 14, as they offered up a new way to experience the game. Rather than typical dungeons, deep dungeons present a roguelite experience for players. Each one offered multi-floor challenges that can be tackled either solo or in a party, and each time a dungeon was attempted, the floors were randomly generated. Players progress to the next floor by defeating all the enemies that appear on their current one and activating a Cairn of Passage stone, which opens up the exit and allows them to descend even deeper. Getting to the last floor was a real challenge, even though players could continue from the last spot they made it to.
Producer/director Naoki Yoshida confirmed that the deep dungeons are returning at this weekend’s Final Fantasy 14 Fan Festival in Korea. He stated that many people around the world requested the feature, so it’s coming back as part of the 6.X patches. The 6.0 Endwalker patch was just released recently and more updates are on the way, so gamers shouldn't be waiting much longer for deep dungeons.
This will be a brand-new deep dungeon series, presumably offering new challenges and rewards for those brave enough to descend it. While it will offer hours of new content for players to experience, speedrunners are no doubt getting geared up to see how quickly they can finish it before anyone else. With one player beating a secret Final Fantasy 15 dungeon in six minutes, it will be interesting to see fans of the franchise compete for some new records.
Of course, this is not the only new content on the way. Final Fantasy 14 is currently in the middle of a Valentine's Day event, which offers unique outfits, mounts, and items to acquire, as well as its own unique storyline to explore. The 6.0 patch, named Endwalker, brought the saga of Hydaelyn and Zodiark to its finish. It added two new jobs, reaper and sage, a new level cap of 90, and a new male Viera race. New PvP content is coming as well in the 6.1 patch, Crystal Conflict.
Final Fantasy 14 is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.