Check out the hottest topics from the past week of the FFXIV general forum.

Big news in the forums this week as Square Enix totally showed me up by announcing a second free trial extension. Thanks a lot, SE! In addition, the company reaffirmed its massive version update plans for this month and December, while also shedding light on other news including new notorious monsters, the state of the Playstation 3 version and other juicy tidbits. After the game's tumultuous start, having some good news this week was a nice change of pace.

Anyway, on with the links:

FINAL FANTASY XIV Free Trial Period Extended AGAIN (Nov. 16)

Yep, sure enough! Mere hours after I post an editorial stating why the first free trial extension might have backfired, Square Enix goes and announces a second free trial extension! Granted, I think things will be different this time around, mainly because this extension will be accompanied by actual improvements to the game. If you go to a restaurant and your food is cold and your service sucks, would you be happy with the manager telling you, "We're sorry that you didn't enjoy your meal. Here, feel free to sit here for another 30 minutes. Hope that helps." So cheers to SE for giving us a free Blazing Onion while we wait for our steak to arrive.

Comprehensive Content of Upcoming Large-Scale Version Update

Has there ever been a more important update in the history of FFXI or FFXIV? I'm going to go out on a limb and say "no." The responses in this thread show how eager (and nervous) players are about experiencing the results of this update. Will the game be saved, or will the gamers be disappointed? We'll know soon enough.

The Impossible Task of Leveling

Rank 10, easy. Rank 20, easy. Rank 40 or 50? Um, not so much. The OP in this thread calculates someone would need to play for roughly two weeks straight without taking a break to go from level 40 to level 50. I can see why this may seem discouraging to new members of the online Final Fantasy community. I, on the other hand, feel a warm sense of nostalgia when I recall how Square Enix pillaged my free time in the days before Treasures of Aht Urhgan.