When it was first announced, Final Fantasy XIV players were really excited about the Island Sanctuary. The brief concept art showed a player character in the middle of a farm with minions milling about. We were promised the ability to carve out our very only island home, a prospect that put the gleam in some players’ eyes.
Right now, trying to obtain a home in FFXIV is prohibitively difficult. Not only are there a small number of available housing plots, but you have to hope you can win the lottery to get one. That number of available plots isn’t growing either, as the FFXIV has temporarily turned off auto-demolition for plots that are left unattended.
So players hoped that Island Sanctuary would perhaps offer another path to owning a home. In a recent interview with Famitsu (translated via Reddit user MKillerby), FFXIV creative director and lead producer Naoki Yoshida said that housing items cannot be used on the island. The Island Sanctuary will allow you to build a home away from home, but it’s not meant to be a replacement for the housing system.
Yoshida also offered other details on the Island Sanctuary. There won’t be a grand storyline for the island, outside of the brief quests that lead you to it. Weather will change on the island, but there won’t be snow given the tropical climate. The Island Sanctuary will be on a weekly timer in terms of development, and those who stick with it can get unique rewards, including mounts.
The new addition is coming in Patch 6.2, alongside the new raid wing for Pandemonium, Criterion and Variant dungeons, new Tomestones, and the next season of PVP. We’ll hear more about the patch this Friday, when Yoshida and company host the next Live Letter from the Producer. We’ll be up bright and early here at the Linkshell to cover the entire stream.
