Welcome back to the era of forum signatures
Patch 6.1 of Final Fantasy XIV is live, starting off a new adventure for the Warriors of Light. Amid the new raid content and story quests though, there’s another new feature that’s been a smashing success so far. Adventurer plates are letting Final Fantasy XIV players distill their online presence to a handy card, and they’re a blast.
Adventurer plates, currently in beta, are little profile cards that essentially lay out everything about your character. Players can mark favorite classes and titles. They can adorn their profile with the sights and sounds of Final Fantasy XIV‘s hub cities. There are even markers for what time of day you’re usually online, and what kind of content you enjoy playing.
And of course, there are portraits. Players can use emotes, expressions, and camera tools to snap the perfect shot. It’s like if the DMV let you take a really good snap for your license.
this new Adventure Plate feature is great pic.twitter.com/maiGyur3ss
— Kay Yu (@kaynimatic) April 12, 2022
Self-expression is key to longevity for live service games, and few more-so than Final Fantasy XIV. I had heard jokes about how Glamour and cosmetics were the endgame, how gpose—XIV‘s extremely in-depth photo mode—is where it’s at, and scoffed. Well, they were all right. And adventurer plates are the perfect format for even more of that. These portraits can also show up in PvP, though as pointed out to me, these can differ from your adventurer plate. These portraits allow for an extra level personalization and a way to present your character in new and interesting lights, specifically towards other players.
Express yourself
And of course, Final Fantasy XIV players are already having a field day with the tool. Some have found neat ways to use it, including noticing that weapon animations still work in the plate. Players are recreating memes and joking around. Yes, they’re even making things pretty NSFW. It was going to happen, one way or another.
New adventures and quests are cool. But what I like about adding adventurer plates to Final Fantasy XIV is how they add just a little extra customization and personality to a game already rife with it. As it turns out, there are things that can make Final Fantasy XIV even more of a hallmark MMO. It just so happens to be forum signature-style cards, with just enough freedom to inspire both creativity and madness.
