Final Fantasy XIV fans who were lucky enough to receive the new Encyclopaedia Eorzea III for the holidays have headed online to share tidbits and reviews of the new lore book, and despite early reports, it’s apparently a hit. A wave of concern had initially hit communities on Reddit and Twitter/X over the text’s seemingly limited scope and missing information. But these have been dismissed by several reports since the release.
While initial reviews criticized a lack of content, a confusing format, and many pointed out that the book comes from an “unreliable narrator” (an unnamed Sharlyan Scholar), therefore nothing in them can be taken as full canon. But, subsequent posts on Reddit have highlighted some of the volume's bright points.
Reddit user edeadensa revealed some interesting horse-lore from the section on the World Undersundered, bringing the immortal phrase “horse concept” into the wider FFXIV lexicon. Multiple posters noted the fact that even the lore book avoids full spoilers with a tactical use of a burn mark or smudge to prevent spoiling part of the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse raids. And Twitter/X user aitaikimochi, lore-dumped from the new volumes revealing Varshan’s child form age, some vital new info about Hrothgar, and some explanation of why Viera outfits are so skin-tight.
This all lends credence to u/---TheFierceDeity---’s point that the new volume is full of details that initial reviews and readers missed. In a post titled “I received the Encyclopedia Eorzea III for Christmas after seeing people online saying "a lot of it we already knew" and I am here to tell you: Those people only skimmed this book. The devils in the details,” the user described just some of the tidbits that make up the new encyclopaedia.
Ultimately, it seems like most people who have received the new book are ecstatic with the purchase. However, a quick glance at Twitter/X reveals a host of people desperately waiting for the book to arrive, marred with postal issues and delays. There’s also a neat trend of people photoshopping a section of the Encyclopaedia Eorzea to make it look like their Warrior of Light has their own entry.
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