Summary
A few days after the release ofFinal Fantasy 14Patch 7.11, the race to clear the Futures Rewritten (Ultimate) raid was dampened by a controversial finish that ended in a team’s disqualification. One of the topFinal Fantasy 14raid teams was accused of cheating after one of their members was caught using a third-party plugin that turned up in a screenshot on social media.
The Futures Rewritten (Ultimate) raidis the latest 8-player challenge inFinal Fantasy 14. Inspired by the Eden raid series from theShadowbringersexpansion, Futures Rewritten is a five-phase gauntlet that features unique twists on the Eden raid series' later encounters, as bosses like Fatebreaker and the Oracle of Darkness make appearances. Although Square Enix does not host an official race to determine who cleared the new raid first, Echo Esports and MogTalk hosted a Race to World First broadcast, with variousFinal Fantasy 14raiding teams streaming their progress on Twitch and YouTube as part of the event.
Although theFinal Fantasy 14Race To World First saw teams complete the raid within three days of release, the race to determine the world-first clear was muddled. After two and a half days of raid progression, a Japanese team called “GRIND” claimed to have cleared Futures Rewritten (Ultimate) before any of the Race to World First stream teams, and posted screenshots on Twitter as proof of their deeds. GRIND did not stream any of their Ultimate raid progression, andFinal Fantasy 14fans called their legitimacy into question after one of the group’s members shared a screenshot that showed a red dot that normally should not be there. The red dot was an indication that a third-party plugin had been used at the time it was taken. Using third-party tools goes againstFinal Fantasy 14’s terms of service, and players caught using them have beensubsequently punished or banned fromFinal Fantasy 14for cheating by Square Enix.
Final Fantasy 14 Raid Team Disqualified From Race To World First For Using Third-Party Tools
After reviewing the cheating allegations, Echo and MogTalk disqualified GRIND from being considered the world-first raid team to clear Futures Rewritten (Ultimate). Following the decision, two of the race’s top contending teams, Kindred and Lucrezia, cleared the raid within minutes of each other in one of the closest finishes to date inFinal Fantasy 14’s raiding scene. At the time of writing, Square Enix had notcommented on the Ultimate raid controversy. It is also not clear if GRIND received any punishment from the game developers.
In response, someFinal Fantasy 14players called for future world-first races to make streaming mandatory for all teams involved. As more raid squads get through Futures Rewritten (Ultimate) andclaim their Ultimate Edenmorn weapons, only time will tell what Square Enix will do to deter cheating in high-end content.
Final Fantasy 14
WHERE TO PLAY
For newcomers to FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, this edition includes three award-winning titles - FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn the base game, and the first and second expansions: FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward and FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood. This edition also includes a 30-day free play period. Other expansions for the game include Dawntrail, Endwalker, and Shadowbringers.Join over 30 million adventurers worldwide and take part in an epic and ever-changing FINAL FANTASY. Experience all the hallmarks of the best-selling franchise - an unforgettable story, exhilarating battles, and a myriad of diverse and captivating environments to explore. Party up with friends or play solo! Experience all the main story dungeons on your own by calling upon NPC allies to fight by your side.Will you play as a healing mage or an offensive black mage? Perhaps you want to be a warrior and smash enemies in the face. The famed Final Fantasy job system lets you experiment!
