Introduction to the World First Raid Race
The world of Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail is known for its competitive raid races. After the release of Patch 7.05, teams globally jumped into action, setting up their parties and preparing themselves for the grueling task ahead. This race is not just about defeating bosses; it’s about doing it first and claiming the prestigious title of ‘world first.’
Raid Structure and Competition
Final Fantasy 14 organizes its raids into tiers, each consisting of four boss fights. The game features two difficulty levels: ‘normal’ and ‘savage.’ While the normal difficulty can be tackled without much hassle, the savage difficulty poses a significant challenge, perfect for hardcore players. Teams had two weeks between the release of normal difficulty and savage mode to prep and ensure their crafters were ready.
The Arcadion Raid: A Photo Finish
This particular raid, the Arcadion, witnessed an extremely close finish. According to MogTalk, both Grind and Serenity cleared the final encounter in the exact same minute but the winner had to be determined using the in-game Eorzea time. Grind finished at 3:14 Eorzea time, narrowly beating Serenity, who clocked in at 3:21. An Eorzean minute is roughly three seconds in real-time, making the difference just 21 seconds overall.
Real-World Competition
The race was intense, starting and finishing on the same day with both teams completing the four fights in 8 hours and 59 minutes. Fascinatingly, neither Grind nor Serenity were consistently neck-and-neck throughout the tier; things only heated up towards the end. Although neither team livestreamed their attempts, the competition adhered to strict submission regulations. Each team had to provide a screenshot with the UI visible or a video of their clear, ensuring a fair competition.
