FF14's Beastmaster is "completely different," Yoshida says, and links to Bozja

The Final Fantasy 14 Beastmaster is one of the most anticipated additions to the MMORPG in some time, and it's due to come as part of Dawntrail's remaining patches - specifically during the FF14 7.5 rollout. This second 'limited job' joins the Blue Mage as an entire side activity of its own, and is expected to have much more distinctive mechanics than any of the standard roles. Yet details on what it'll actually entail have been relatively light. Now, however, FF14's Naoki Yoshida gives us a bit more insight into what we'll be doing, and teases that you might want to check in with the Bozjan Southern Front.

Speaking to Techradar, Yoshida makes a similar comment to the one he recently gave us, that the Beastmaster limited job "is scheduled to be released in the patch 7.5 series." That likely puts it sometime around May or June, but doesn't necessarily mean it'll arrive in the MMORPG on day one of 7.5 - it could come a bit later in 7.51 or 7.55, for example. We'll be into Fanfest season by then, and looking towards the next expansion, so I'm hopeful that the Beastmaster can deliver something substantial to keep us busy during the downtime.

As for how Beastmaster will work, I've long envisioned it a bit like a mixture of the Blue Mage and Pokemon. Instead of fighting monsters to learn a roster of spells the way the other limited job does, you'll tame them and use them to deliver attacks. Yoshida's latest description makes that sound pretty close to reality: "You ally yourself with monsters, then these monsters grow so that they can join you in dedicated battle content."

He adds that it's "something completely different from anything we've done in Final Fantasy 14 before, and it's exclusive to this limited job." Don't expect it just to operate like directing your Summoner's Carbuncle or Scholar's Faerie, then. "We've been investing a lot of resources into developing this content, and the team is super excited about it," Yoshida tells Techradar.

We have dealt with a Beastmaster in Final Fantasy 14 before - Lyon rem Helsos, a key character in 'Save the Queen,' the story of the Bozjan Southern Front's liberation that appears as side content in Shadowbringers. Asked about this  link, Yoshida confirms, "From a lore perspective, there will be a connection between Save the Queen and Beastmaster. That said, Save the Queen is not part of the main scenario questline, so of course some players haven't experienced it."

The optional nature of most side content often puts Square Enix in a slightly awkward spot when it comes to character continuity. It's the reason the Crystal Tower alliance raids were made mandatory in patch 5.3, and why beloved Shadowbringers favorite Gaia has only made a couple of token appearances that you won't see unless you've already completed that expansion's Eden raid series.

Keeping that in mind, Yoshida concludes, "There will be a connection, but whether or not characters from Save the Queen make an appearance [in the new Beastmaster content]? I'm keeping that under wraps for now." If you're an FF14 player who's looking for something to do right now, however, it sounds like a return to Bozja to catch up or refresh your memory might be in order.

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Which of FF14's myriad monsters would you most like to add to your menagerie? Let us know in the PCGamesN community Discord server. Personally, I hope we get to unleash a Morbol's bad breath on our foes.