Before the addition of Crystalline Conflict to Final Fantasy XIV, the game’s ranked PvP content was a matter of dropping two groups into an arena and letting them beat the stuffing out of one another until one or the other could not get up any longer. Now, however, FFXIV drops two groups into an arena and lets people beat the stuffing out of one another until one side pushes a big crystal to one end or the other of a predetermined track. It is very slightly different. And it’s also the format for the game’s upcoming PvP tournament for North America.
If you’d like to watch the beating-and-crystal-moving for yourself, the quarterfinals will be broadcast on April 18th, while the semifinals and finals will be broadcast on April 19th, both days starting at 8:00 p.m. EDT and running for an hour. (If you’re accustomed to the average length of a Crystalline Conflict match, this makes perfect sense.) Anyone who’s eager to cheer for one side or the other is encouraged to catch the matches once they start up later in April.
