The new Final Fantasy XIV patch update out today adds a new storyline quest to the game with ties to the franchise’s past. Patch 5.25 brings a new enhancement quest series titled “Save The Queen,” which should trigger the Spidey-Sense of any longtime Final Fantasy fanatic. Written by game designer Yasumi Matsuno–the writer of XIV’s Return To Ivalice raid series, as well as Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII–the ‘Save the Queen: Blades of Gunnhildr’ questline introduces new weapons and raid battles.
A press release from Square-Enix says “Adventurers can obtain powerful weapons and learn more about the Hrothgar homeland, the Bozja Citadel through this all-new quest series that will receive regular updates in future patches. Players will experience new Resistance Weapon Quest Battles consisting of multiple boss fights, with progress being saved as you advance.” The update also includes the new Extreme Difficulty Trial for parties of eight, as well as a new questline for gatherers and crafters for obtaining upgrades to their Skysteel Tools.
There’s a lot of Final Fantasy legacy going on in this patch, not only with the inclusion of Matsuno’s work but with the phrase “Save The Queen.” Most notably, Save The Queen is a weapon that repeatedly appears across the franchise, mostly used by female characters and usually in the form of a sword. The first official appearance of Save The Queen is in Final Fantasy Tactics, which seems apropos given who is at the helm of this patch’s storyline.
Perhaps the most famous use of Save The Queen is in Final Fantasy IX, as a hidden superweapon that is only obtainable through late-game synthesis and is un-equipable by any party member (though it can be thrown by Amarant). What gives? Save The Queen belongs to Beatrix, head of the evil queen’s royal guard, the love interest of Steiner, and at one time a playable character in the game. Things changed at some point and she was taken out of the final version, but enough remnants of Beatrix exist that modders have patched her back into the game’s PC version in a way that makes her appear seamlessly.
And, of course, she can equip Save The Queen. Keep an eye out for the famed weapon in Patch 5.25 of Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers, out today.
