Everyone loves a big boss battle, and with so many dungeons to battle through and monsters to bash, Final Fantasy XIV is already teeming with excuses for a good round of fisticuffs.The Primal fights are the most thrilling and challenging of these and see you pitted against epic beasts modelled on the classic summons of the Final Fantasy series such as Ifrit and Shiva.
And while there certainly will be a lot of imposing dragons from the Dravanian army to fight in the upcoming Heavensward expansion, the primals are the real showstoppers. Here are the three that have been revealed so far.
Bismarck
If you’re a fan of the Final Fantasy series then you may recognise Bismarck from its appearances in FFVI and XIII, but while it has previously been modeled on a whale in the traditional sense, in XIV it spreads it gargantuan fins and takes to the skies - navigating the floating isles of the Sea of Clouds. Those new flying mounts sure are looking handy now, huh? Bismarck doesn’t seem particularly antagonistic when compared with previous Primals so far though, so perhaps we’re in for a new type of fight.
Alexander
More recognisable than Bismarck, Alexander the Primal is based on the fortress-like summon of the same name that has appeared in several series entries already (most notably in FFIX). While it’s usually called to aid you, in Heavensward you’ll be pitted against it. The thing is, Alexander is so huge that it can’t be fought head on, instead you’ll be fighting inside it, clearing floors in a bid to deactivate it after the Goblins called it into being. It’s also FFXIV’s new endgame raid, similar to the Coil of Bahamut, and will have both a normal mode and a hard one for those seeking more of a challenge.
Ravana
This is the first completely new Primal to the series, but one glance and it’s typically intricate Final Fantasy-esque design and you’ll be wondering why they haven’t done something like this before. Taking inspiration from both beetles and traditional samurai, Ravana carries four elongated blades and his feelers bear a resemblance to a Kabuto helm. He’s worshipped by the equally insect-like Gnath Beastmen tribe who reside in the new Dravanian areas. We’ve seen tastes of Eastern inspiration in the game already while learning about key-character Yugiri’s origins, and by the look of Ravana we’ll be in for a lot more come Heavensward’s release on 23 June.
Sponsored by Square Enix.
