Unbelievable Triumph and Heartbreak: Final Fantasy 14 Player Shatters World Record Only to Lose It Overnight

A content creator for Final Fantasy 14 achieved a world record in a well-known in-game challenge, only to be surpassed by another player shortly after. Both players shared their accomplishments on YouTube and social media, resulting in praise from other members of the Final Fantasy 14 community. Some even saw it as a challenge and attempted to surpass them.

As we approach the 2023 North American FanFest, scheduled for July 28 and 29 and hosted by Square Enix, anticipation is growing for the upcoming Final Fantasy 14 expansion, which is expected to be the highlight of the Las Vegas event. While fans eagerly await news about the future of the game, some have turned to other forms of content to keep themselves entertained. Inspired by the achievements of fellow players, one Final Fantasy 14 enthusiast decided to take on a notorious challenge.

On July 7, a British Final Fantasy 14 content creator, Pint, posted a video showcasing his world-record run of the challenging jumping puzzle, Kugane Tower. Situated in the heart of Kugane, the central hub of the Stormblood expansion, Pint successfully conquered the tower in an impressive time of 43.30 seconds. Pint was motivated to attempt this feat after completing the climb in 16 minutes and learning from his Twitch chat that others had achieved much faster times. Surprisingly, there was no official record for the tower on speedrunning websites like Speedrun.com. Thus, Pint turned to YouTube and discovered that a player named Em0_oticon held the uncontested world record for five years, with a time of 43.58 seconds.

Curiosity sparked, Pint closely studied Em0_oticon's techniques that led to their previous world record. This analysis involved skillfully utilizing Final Fantasy 14's ability to switch Jobs swiftly and capitalizing on specific abilities such as the Dragoon's Elusive Jump and the Dancer's En Avant to traverse the tower rapidly. Armed with Em0_oticon's Job changing strategies, Pint managed to surpass the record. However, his triumph atop Kugane Tower was short-lived. In a surprising turn of events, Em0_oticon returned from a lengthy hiatus on July 8 and reclaimed their world record with an astonishing time of 38.74 seconds. This new record is nearly five seconds faster than Pint's personal best.

Pint expressed congratulations to Em0_oticon on Twitter and expressed hopes for speedrunning websites to include a category for Kugane Tower. While the upcoming expansion of Final Fantasy 14 presents its own challenges, it serves as an appropriate representation of the game's current state after Pint's achievements. Players can currently enjoy Final Fantasy 14 on PC, PS4, and PS5.