Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood
The Best DLC/Expansion of 2017
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood has raised the bar on MMORPG story telling so high, that it might never be matched by anything other than future FFXIV expansions. Stormblood got so much right, but nothing topped it’s incredible story experience that not only blows other MMORPGs out of the water, even rivals mainline numbered Final Fantasy games with its twists, turns, and memorable characters.
And unlike Heavensward which made more minor gameplay changes and added jobs like Dark Knight and Astrologian which at least at launch, felt too similar to previous existing jobs (MCH was pretty unique); Stormblood shook things up dramatically. Each job received design changes that ranged from significant to dramatic. It made them more distinct from each other, and more in line with traditional interpretations of them. Feedback from Heavensward on issues such as housing, expert dungeon roulette, and more were heard, and addressed. And Red Mage and Samurai both came into the game fairly well balanced with clear visions on how they would fit into the current job pool without feeling redundant. There’s still more to do to make Final Fantasy XIV the best experience it can be, but Stormblood felt like a great stride forward in the correct direction.
Aside from just being one of the best RPG story experiences from 2017 (of which they were many), Stormblood was a well-planned and well-executed MMORPG expansion worthy of being declared the best of 2017.