ONE of the unique things about Final Fantasy XIV Online is the ability to see every single piece of gear you’re wearing. And I’m not just talking about armour. Necklaces, earrings and rings can too stand out as part of a full look. Except belts. You never see belts actually worn by the player. While they aren’t visible, they’re about to be taken off. During the Final Fantasy XIV Anouncement Showcase earlier today, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida talked about the reasoning as to why they’re ditching the belts for good.
Yoshida explains, “Belts have no bearing on players outward appearances, their stat values as accessories is pretty negligible and they’re not a very popular piece of equipment.” The same scenario was also talked about in regards to rings. but since they’re also an item you’re able to see on your player, they’ve chosen to keep them. Yoshida also mentions that there was a lot of player feedback wishing for belts to stop dropping in Alliance Raids because they “don’t need them.”
So what’s going to happen to all our belts? Well as of 6.0 (Endwalker expansion) belts will automatically be unequipped and handed over to Calamity Salvagers “for safe keeping.” Materia however will not be automatically returned. Meaning if you want to keep any materia you must remove them before 6.0.
Getting rid of belts also means extra inventory space which Yoshida has taken into special consideration. The 35 slots used up in the belts armory chest will be reallocated into 3 different areas. 15 slots will go to weapon storage and 15 will be for ring storage. There’s a left over 5 slots which Yoshida explained will be “saved for a rainy day.” In saying this he means they’re being put in storage for now. Not entirely sure what that means but I’m curious to know what else they have planned.
