The Sims 4 pays tribute to FFXIV again with cheeky nod to the Crystal Exarch

It’s not unheard of for games to feature nods to other games and eagle eyed players of The Sims 4 have noticed a less-than-subtle reference to Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion in the latest Sims 4 Stuff Pack, Crystal Creations. 

Players noticed this rather obvious (at least to those Simmers who play FFXIV) reference in the description of the Spire-Shaped Gemstone. If you hover over the gemstone, its description reads, “Your own mini crystal tower than an exarch would be proud of.”

It’s a clear nod to a fan-favorite character, the Crystal Exarch, from Shadowbringers. That, and the actual crystal tower, the centre of everything in the First and the stage for A Realm Reborn’s Alliance Raids. Plenty there worth commemorating in a precious stone given what the 24-man raid eventually built up to.

The Sims 4 has other FFXIV secrets, too

It’s not the first time that the Sims 4 devs have thrown FFXIV references into the game, either. In the Werewolves pack, one of the items carries the name “Racked Teak-a Greatshelves.” It’s another nod to more landmarks from the MMO, The Rak’tika Greatwood, a Shadowbringers zone. 

More recently, in the Growing Together Expansion Pack featured one item, a small board filled with childrens drawings, among a long list of others. The swatches of this particular piece feature various references to FFXIV moments, one particularly obvious one being an image of a long-tailed blue bird flying around the planets. If you know, you know. 

These references are clearly intentional and the Devs behind their inclusions are not quiet about their love for FFXIV. The dev responsible for the Racked Teak-a Greatshelves, SimGuruNova, has admitted in the past that they use far too many Fantasia. Importantly, though, they noted a preference to play as either Miqo’te or Au Ra during MSQ progress. There’s something I can’t blame them for.