Which Dimensional Traveler Got the Better Treatment?
In September, the legendary “super boss” Omega, an alien machine hellbent on world conquering and subjugation from the world of Final Fantasy, landed into Monster Hunter Wilds as a standard and more difficult encounter. Then, with the release of Final Fantasy XIV Patch 7.35 in October, we were introduced to the second Monster Hunter boss to be added to the MMORPG with Guardian Arkveld, an unnatural abomination that lusts for the energy of other creatures and hunting for sport.
This is the second crossover between the two franchises, with the first being Rathalos and Behemoth around April of 2018. In seven years, there’s been quite a few changes in combat design, with Monster Hunter seeing two games of innovation and FFXIV going through three expansions. As far as I’m concerned, both Arkveld and Omega were done justice in their respective games.
But, we’re on the internet. Ties are for suckers! Who got the better justice?
How This Works
I’m going to rate these two expansions on three completely objective and honest categories to keep the comparison consistent:
- The Story: Did I like how Omega or Arkveld were introduced? Did I find the sidequest compelling? Do I think one game did more than the other to make the crossover feel at home?
- The Fights: Did I think Omega or Arkveld were more enjoyable? How about their hard versions, Omega (Savage) and Arkveld (Extreme)?
- The Rewards: Are players compensated well for taking part in the event? Do the rewards both emulate the character’s home game and work well in the game they’re currently part of?
The Story
Omega: 7/10
I didn’t have any significant problems with how the FFXIV team handled Omega’s storyline. It’s a fairly straightforward lineup: Talk with the local cat hermit, converse with a Final Fantasy enemy (a Level Checker), follow that enemy around, decimate the invasive wildlife — nothing out of the ordinary for a Monster Hunter crossover.
However, perhaps the most fun part of the crossover is talking with Alpha (a little chibi-style chocobo) and Omega (a small beetle-like construct that’s part of an alien species of conquerors). As a FFXIV player, this is a nice callback to the Omega Raid series, where you prove yourself to Omega so hard that it becomes a harmless little robot and travels the world with Alpha.
These two have the bulk of the story’s impact, with their interactions driving the plot and teaching you about Omega Planetes, one of the remaining Omega models whose goal is to take over planets for their resources. Omega also provides most of the comedy for the storyline, like mentioning how the graphics are better in Wilds by remarking on how fluffy Alpha is in the new engine, or barely hanging onto a rock with one arm when getting blown back by an icy wind. Omega serves as a basic guide throughout Omega Planetes, warning you about specific attacks.
Once you’re done with the basic Omega Planetes, little Omega informs you that it may return, giving you a solidified reason that you’re able to farm it, which is nice. Overall, the story is serviceable for a crossover, albeit a bit jarring against the content of the Wilds storyline (though, it’s always going to be hard for it not to be).
Arkveld: 7/10
Similarly, I didn’t have any problems with the Arkveld storyline. A Palico (your primary partner and aide in Monster Hunter) and Seikret (the mount of Monster Hunter Wilds) pair arrive to the FFXIV city of Tuliyollal through the “Encircle” ability of Omega (a really fun reference that is missing from the actual fight). They are interested in a strange creature, the Arkveld, that is causing a ruckus to the nearby wildlife. The Palico joins you on the hunt for it, you find it quickly, prevent it from draining the life of a massive worm monster, and then chase it to its nest. You’ll make a camp outside (with a cute reference to the Meat Cut Minigame of Wilds) before taking it out, where you learn that the Seikret formed a bond with you.
The Arkveld story is a bit simpler and slightly shorter than the Monster Hunter Wilds setup, without the charming Omega and Alpha to back it up. What is fun about it, though, is that the game will actually remember if you fought Rathalos (the previous Monster Hunter fight in FFXIV) and reference that experience throughout your dialogue options. There are a lot more references to Monster Hunter scattered during your conversations with the Palico, too, which makes it fun for lore-junky fans of both series (like myself).
Overall, probably the worse story in a vacuum, but it had enough meat and variety to it that I enjoyed it well enough.
Story Verdict: Tied!
The Fight
Omega: 9/10
Holy crap, I love this guy.
Omega is perhaps the first “mech” monster in Monster Hunter history, unless you count Ahtal-Ka’s Ahtal-Neset fortress of random parts. That freshness gave the Monster Hunter team a ton of leeway to make it an especially crazy encounter. Omega references nearly every attack it’s had throughout its history in Final Fantasy: Rocket Punch, Flamethrower, Mustard Bomb, Wave Cannon, and the devastating Delta Attack are just a few of the moves you’ll be desperately dodging.
Omega shares an “Enmity” mechanic with Behemoth, where if a Hunter hits its face enough, it’ll focus fire on them for a set period of time. This references tanking in the MMO, but is notably less important than it was in Behemoth, only simplifying attacks rather than preventing a wipe. That’s still a great thing; the mech has the most party-focused attacks in Wilds, as it’s intended to only be taken on with four people. Thankfully, the Support Hunter system has been massively improved by now, meaning a single hunter can always summon some allies to take on the robot when needed.
Omega (Savage), the upgraded version of the original quest, is arguably the hardest fight in the game, requiring careful coordination, planning, and reactions to hold your own. However, unlike Behemoth (Extreme), it doesn’t feel like it’s edging too far in difficulty. Omega (Savage) is very hard, but once you get a hold of its attacks, it is a fairly lenient fight that doesn’t end abruptly (looking at you, final Ecliptic Meteor). It’s a battle of attrition, with a robot spitting lasers and flying fists constantly, and that makes it amazing.
Arkveld: 5/10
I don’t like Arkveld as much, though it’s not all bad. As yet another dragon descends on the battlefield of Final Fantasy XIV, he doesn’t make as big of a splash on the game as a giant metal mech does. The fight looks gorgeous, referencing a lot of the Monster Hunter boss’s dragon-ified ground effects and generally fantastic design. But, overall, Normal Arkveld feels pretty similar to a lot of FFXIV bosses: dodge out of AoEs, tank the tankbusters if you need to, dodge his sideswipes by reading his tells.
Previously, the FFXIV version of Rathalos introduced a handful of Monster Hunter mechanics to FFXIV, like removing magical healing for Potions, causing you to become Stunned after a few hits, and few obvious ground tells (instead requiring you to read his body movements almost entirely), which made the fight feel really unique. The Potions returned, serving as 10 full-health heals that anyone can fire during the fight, but you still get healed magically. Arkveld has a few attacks with no ground tells, but they pale in comparison to Phase 2 Rathalos.
Arkveld (Extreme) doesn’t fix too many problems here. It’s a rather simplified Extreme fight, largely parroting mechanics like Limit Cut and sweeping lasers from previous content and adding a Monster Hunter sheen. It doesn’t really feel like a Monster Hunter fight… Which is unfortunate.
That said, for Final Fantasy, the fight’s fine. It’s actually a great way to introduce newer players (like my more casual friend group) to Extreme fights, since it’s easily accessible and the “new thing.” And the rewards are incredible, making learning him and the farm after even more enticing.
Speaking of great rewards…
Fight Verdict: Omega!
The Rewards
Omega: 7/10
To be frank, I adore the rewards for fighting Omega. The Dark Knight set and greatsword have excellent references built-in and cool builds around them, the armor for Savage has great Gem slots and baseline skills, and the Sword and Shield and Insect Glaive provide a unique pair of mechanics that make them fun to play around with.
But that’s it. Outside of a Morbol outfit and weapon for your Palico, as well as an Omega Kinsect for the Insect Glaive, that’s the end of Omega’s primary rewards. The Crossover does include some cosmetics, like the Cactuar emote, Manderville Mambo (an absolutely wonderful dance from FFXIV), and a Chocobo skin for your Seikret, but those aren’t direct advantages from farming Omega.
However, a lot of people aren’t huge fans of how few weapons can be put together from the mechanized menace. The weapons we did get are references to the Dark Knight class and to Omega’s human forms, M and F (M used a sword and F used a staff). That leaves 11 weapons without an Omega option in this patch, which stings. My favorite weapon is Hunting Horn, and not getting a weapon with Soul of the Bard (either with Horn or Bow) does feel like a missed opportunity.
I tinker with all weapons, so I didn’t get as impacted by the “lack” of items like some players did. I really like the armor and weapon references, found the cosmetic upgrades to be fun, and think they did a good job designing overall. But I will dock points for not offering something for everyone.
Arkveld: 10/10
What a home run.
Beating Arkveld lets you craft so many things. Every class got either a direct Arkveld weapon from Monster Hunter Wilds (the Greatsword for Dark Knight and the Insect Glaive for Dragoon, as examples) or they got weapons styled after the Guardian Arkveld equipment that better match the class. This is an absurdly cool cosmetic option for literally everyone. And it can be upgraded quickly, thanks to the original weapon being guaranteed for any class you’d like after an Arkveld win and the upgrade materials being readily farmed.
You also get a mount for completing the base quest, a mount for farming Arkveld (Extreme), over two dozen housing items, two possible pets, music from Wilds, and an armor set designed around the Hope gear of Monster Hunter Wilds.
What is missing? Gestures, I guess? But we got so many things from the first Monster Hunter crossover that the only things that’d be missing is like… grilling meat wherever you want. I am super happy with what they provided players with this crossover, even if I’m not a fan of the fight itself.
The Rewards Verdict: Arkveld!
Final Thoughts
Overall, it’s a really close race. I’d give it to Omega, but if you really hate Greatsword, Sword and Shield, or Insect Glaive in Wilds, it could easily be Arkveld for the amazing cosmetics and simple yet effective fight to introduce newer players to high-end content. Because I’m not bothered by the lack of gear from Omega, I really found this crossover to be an enjoyable success.
The only dings I’d give to each of these crossovers is that the Omega fight is not equally rewarding to all players, while the Guardian Arkveld’s fight felt a bit too Final Fantasy. Neither is perfect, but both are worthwhile challenges nonetheless.
If you’re taking a break from Final Fantasy XIV or Monster Hunter Wilds, I think these events are a good reason to come back and take a look. But, if you’re unsure, no worries; these invaders will be here whenever you’re ready for them.
Which game do you think had the better crossover event? Let us know in the comments!
Jason graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in English and Game Design. For him, video games are not just an art form, but one of the greatest mediums to tell a story.
When not perpetuating the game journalist stereotype of being awful at a game and blaming the game for it, Jason likes writing short fiction novels that never get past chapter two, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.
