Final Fantasy 14′s latest patch has dropped, and it’s introduced the North Horn—the next and final step in this expansion’s “exploration zone”, which has been a much-needed boon to the feeling of jolly cooperation I’m trying to get out of an MMO. This expansion is an entirely new map, filled with new Phantom Jobs to level up, critical engagements to grind, and carrots to discover.
It’s also got a horrifying milk dimension tucked under it. You know. A normal thing that FF14 zones usually have.
Tucked away in the center of the map, and only accessible through a series of winding, sloped tunnels guarded by high-level mobs (I had to use my Ninja’s sneak ability to get in), the aptly-named “dark territory” is flush with enemies I’m nowhere near enough of a grinding freak to solo yet.
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I was, however, able to get a few screenshots before I forgot I didn’t have sneak on and was subsequently merked—and in the murky depths we can clearly see horrifying, arm-swarmed structures reaching out into the inky blackness.
Image credit: Square Enix
Image credit: Square Enix
Image credit: Square Enix
Image credit: Square Enix
Image credit: Square Enix
Image credit: Square Enix
The actual lore of the zone, shared here courtesy of ffxivcollect, is neat as heck, too: “Far beneath the unhallowed hamlet lies a space steeped in Darkness. Claimed as a domain by vicious voidsent, the area suffers from the corrupting influence of another realm, its structures and even the very ground eroded into an unknown substance.
“It should be noted that, for voidsent, the term ‘domain’ holds two meanings: either a tract of existing land treated as territory, or—in the case of more powerful entities—a dimension entirely of their own making. The latter is believed to share fundamental characteristics with magical barriers, yet despite years of extensive research, their inner workings remain a mystery.”
As some on the game’s subreddit have noted, the zone bares a striking resemblance to Promyvion, a zone from Final Fantasy 11 that has a similar aesthetic of inky-black nothingness grounded only by ruined, dilapidated structures clinging to a lonely few rocks in the void.
It’s a strikingly creepy little secret, and something I’d love to see more of from Square Enix going forward—while Dawntrail’s improved outdoor zones’ sense of scope and scale, especially thanks to the shiny new graphical update, Square hasn’t always done the best job encouraging people to go out and explore it. But if there are cool little secrets like this tucked away, I might be more inclined to hoof it and see what’s out there.