Final Fantasy 14's latest update crams a MOBA inside the MMO

As of update 4.15, Final Fantasy 14 is hiding a MOBA inside it. A 48-player MOBA. The MMO’s latest patch adds a new PvP mode, Rival Wings, complete with towers, cores and creeps. With that many people duking it out, it’s bound to get extremely messy.

The goal, as you might expect, is to demolish the enemy core, which becomes vulnerable once you take out the towers protecting it with the magitek shield that they generate. The first team to take out a core wins, but if nobody manages to before the time runs out, the victors will be determined by how much HP their towers and core have. Helping players batter each other are adorable Mammets -- little clockwork soldiers and mages programmed to take out enemy structures.

Aside from the large number of players on each team, it sounds like a pretty standard, no frills MOBA, but the addition of mechs does spice things up a little. By killing enemies and collecting tanks, players can raise enough Ceruleum to afford a tough machina, of which there are three types. The Cruise Chaser is a spry mech that can take out players and other mechs, the Oppressor specialises in besieging towers and cores, and the Bruiser is a bit more of an all-rounder. Only one of them can be deployed at a time, however.

To get access to Rival Wings, you’ll first need to complete a quest, Earning Your Wings, which is available at level 30.

Update 4.15 and Rival Wings are out now.