Dev Blog: Journey (PAX) West, unto Tural!

by Xenor September 12, 2024

written by Xenor September 12, 2024

Hello, everyone!

Ali here from the FFXIV Marketing team! I’m so excited to be back with another recap, this time for PAX West 2024! As we journeyed west to Tural, so too did we journey west to Seattle, Washington to bring exciting activities to our Warriors of Light! I’m also thrilled to be joined by Francis from the Marketing team and Minaryne from the Community team who will help me paint the picture of PAX West as beautifully as any pictomancer…

The Booth
We had to bring our Dawntrail-inspired booth from PAX East, still packed with lots of activities and goodies. We even made some changes thanks to the invaluable feedback from our Warriors of Light at PAX East who took our survey! The booth featured a Dawntrail-themed Photo Op with Urianger, an FFXIV and FFXI focused merchandise counter, and the Battle Challenge and New Player Experience. Postingway (formerly Tweetingway) and a friendly moogle were also in attendance to take photos with adventurers!

Our Dawntrail-themed double-sided lanyards were back and available for all attendees, and some lucky Warriors of Light were able to grab the popular Dawntrail-themed bucket hats that returned from PAX East.

Valigarmanda (Worqor Lar Dor) Challenge
Attendees could face off against the legendary vidraal, the Skyruin of Tural! Groups that defeated Valigarmanda received a Tour Tural-inspired tote bag, featuring Tour Tural artwork and the Dawntrail key art displayed on the reverse.

New Player Experience
Our booth wouldn’t be complete without a way to invite sprouts to start their journey in Eorzea! Attendees could challenge Ifrit, Titan, or Garuda solo with NPCs, or in a group with other sprouts, and walk away with a free copy of the Starter Edition for Windows! We once again had record-breaking attendance numbers (yes, even from PAX East!) for the New Player Experience, and we even spotted a few sprouts venturing over to the Battle Challenge to get a taste for even more of what FFXIV has to offer!

Panel: Putting the ‘U’ in UI: Tailoring the FINAL FANTASY XIV Experience
Lead UI Designer Kei Odagiri took to the stage to talk about his role in the development of the many user interface-related aspects in FFXIV. Fun fact: This was not only his first gaming event, but his first time ever outside Japan – so thank you for giving him such a warm welcome!

Those who attended the panel also received a double-sided poster. One side featured an updated illustration of all of the jobs (including viper and pictomancer) and the other featured a vibrant take on Dawntrail’s key art. If you couldn’t watch the panel live, you should check out the archived video below or on our Twitch channel!

A Group Pose to Remember
After the panel, amazingly talented Warriors of Light gathered to take some group photos together for a fun FFXIV cosplay gathering. Both Odagiri and Foxclon surprised the attendees by jumping in for some photos too! Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for this special moment.

Return of the Survey
After the incredible feedback from attendees at PAX East, we brought back our survey so we could hear directly from you! Attendees who participated in our PAX West survey received a “Keep Tural Weird” sticker featuring a cuddly Alpaca, as seen on TourTural.com. We want to extend our deepest thanks to all the attendees who participated. Your valuable feedback will help us make our future events even better!