Summary
AFinal Fantasy 14player pointed out a clever nod toFinal Fantasy 16after taking part in the Rising anniversary event and acquiring the legendary Rising Phoenix mount. Given the fact that bothFinal Fantasy 14andFinal Fantasy 16were made by Creative Business Unit 3, the Easter egg came as little surprise toFF14players on social media.
SPOILER: This article contains major story spoilers for Final Fantasy 16.
At the time of writing,Final Fantasy 14players will be able to participate in a special edition of The Rising to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the game’s relaunch asA Realm Reborn. Held every August, The Rising is a time of remembrance in the lore ofFinal Fantasy 14, as various characters observe and reflect on what has changed since the Seventh Umbral Calamity rained down destruction on Eorzea. As part of the festivities,Square Enix released the Rising Phoenix mountas a reward for players who complete the quests “Siblings Rising” and “What Drives Us” in the city of Ul’dah while The Rising remains active. However,Final Fantasyfans spotted an Easter egg after acquiring the fiery mount.
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Twitter user Aitaikimochi pointed out that the description of the Rising Phoenix mount contains references to Ifrit and Phoenix, themain Eikons ofFinal Fantasy 16. By hovering over the Rising Phoenix’s picture in the mount menu, some text appears and refers to similar quotes spoken by Clive and Joshua Rosfield throughoutFinal Fantasy 16, especially toward the end of the game. In the replies, one Twitter user said that the use of the word “forevermore” was not accidental, given the fact that this was among Joshua’s spoken lines inFF16.
However, while some users joked that the imminent crossover betweenFinal Fantasy 14andFinal Fantasy 16already started, a few pointed out that the reference to Ifrit and Phoenix was exclusive tothe English translation ofFF14. According to the replies, the German text for the Rising Phoenix contained noFF16references whatsoever. Aitaikimochi also stated that the Rising Phoenix mount quote was spoken by an NPC named Jude, one of the Studium faculty members in Old Sharlayan that crafters may recognize while playingEndwalker. Jude’s uncanny resemblance to the adult version of Joshua may be a reason why the quote was attributed to him. Whether it was an intended move by Creative Business Unit 3 or not remains to be seen.
But,Final Fantasy 14players who want to claim the Rising Phoenix will have untilPatch 6.5 is released in early Octoberto take part in the festivities. Whether the Rising Phoenix will return in the future as an Online Store mount or not remains to be seen.
Final Fantasy 14is available now for PC, PS4, and PS5, with an Xbox Series X/S version launching in Spring 2024.
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