Final Fantasy XIV’s Best Tank Can Be Played With A Cosmetic Greatsword

Super Louis 64 has invented yet another fascinating way to play Final Fantasy XIV. Focusing on the Dark Knight, Louis has programmed a fully functional Deathbringer Greatsword allowing him to live out the fantasy of being one of the best tanks in the game. The details of this remarkable invention were posted on his Twitter and seeing how this was put together is truly shocking, despite Louis being known for his unique creations.

ITS DONE!! After months of broken parts I've finished the Deathbringer Controller for DRK.

Activate abilities by doing the corresponding motion control. Some motions were toned down due to small room space but overall I'm so proud it actually works 😭 🧵 time (1/?)#FFXIV #FF14 pic.twitter.com/N48iujvYKv

— Superlouis64 on bsky🤠 (@SuperLouis_64) April 3, 2023

Based on Arduino, the greatsword works as a controller by primarily utilizing motion detection for abilities and rotations. This is tied directly to the Dark Knight’s animations in-game, meaning that you’ll be able to perform the ability by mimicking the animation. Players who main the job will know these animations by heart which should make the process a lot easier.

Elaborating on his invention, Louis stated that his goal was to create a new algorithm to rotate through the hotbar so users don’t have to do it manually. Another aim of the project was to learn how to turn a prop into a controller by creating modular parts. The motion controls use gyro/accelerometer data to track the job’s motions in Final Fantasy XIV and translate it to real life. 

Furthermore, the controller has a fail-safe in place allowing you to continue your rotation in case you forget what part of it you were on. This tends to happen in fast-paced sequences like Savage and Ultimate content. While playing a job for a long time develops muscle memory, errors can still happen due to several factors. 

With the release of multiple expansions over the years, Final Fantasy XIV has fleshed out its jobs with new abilities and other specifics. While this has caused some friction, jobs now have more skills than ever before increasing the complexity of rotations due to players having to press a whole bunch of buttons. This task can prove problematic at times for people in the game’s Duty Finder and Party Finder systems.

Louis explains that he programmed the abilities for Dark Knight up to level 50. The controller can be used for the job regardless of what level it’s at, however, the ability range is limited to A Realm Reborn. Having been on a roll with creating fun and creative ways to play video games, Louis continues to amaze us with his latest invention. 

In other news, the division behind Square Enix’s critically acclaimed MMORPG with an expansive free trial is working on Final Fantasy XVI. The game has recently shown a lot of footage and is one of 2023’s highly anticipated titles. Beyond that, Final Fantasy XIV is due to get a graphical overhaul with the launch of its next expansion. Director Yoshi-P has stated that the information will start flowing at the North America Fan Fest. 

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Steam, and MacOS.