Frontline
Frontline challenges are daily challenges found in the Duty Roulette which pit teams of players fighting under the banner of each Grand Company in training exercises that test the strategic planning and combat prowess of each participant.
The Basics
Frontline is a PvP challenge, first added in patch 2.3, in which players battle for territorial dominance. The teams are randomly assigned to a Grand Company[1] and consist of 24 players in an Alliance, allowing for 72 total combatants on a single map. Players must not only work hard as individuals, but must also work together as a team in order to prevail. Although players participate in the match with a random Grand Company, achievements tracking PvP progress will count towards the Grand Company the player is currently pledged to.
Requirements
Prerequisites
- Players must have completed the Main Scenario Quest Sylph-management, which unlocks the ability to receive Soul Crystals.
- Players are required to have completed the first Level 30 Job Quest for their respective base class, or have already unlocked a Job, in order to obtain a Soul Crystal.
- While not required for Frontline campaigns, it is very strongly recommended for new players to also unlock mounts via the My Little Chocobo questline, as all Frontline maps make heavy use of mounts to traverse the vast terrain.
Unlock
- Frontline campaigns (and the Frontline Daily Challenge) are unlocked via Like Civilized Men and Women from your respective Grand Company. Players must be at least level 30, as a Soul Crystal must be equipped in order to queue for Frontline campaigns.
Zones and campaigns
Only one particular campaign is available on a given day, but the currently active campaign rotates on daily reset. The naming scheme for Frontline is technically Zone Name (Campaign Name), though with retirement of the (Slaughter) mode on The Borderland Ruins there is functionally no distinction anymore. Zone/Campaign combos are commonly referred to by either separate part by the player base.
Current zones
Inactive/retired zones
- The Borderland Ruins (Secure) - Marked "temporarily unavailable" and removed from rotation as of patch 6.4
- The Borderland Ruins (Slaughter) - A deathmatch version added in patch 2.5 and retired in patch 4.0
Rules
Each alliance is divided into three full parties of eight players, and each Frontline match lasts for a maximum of 20 minutes.
The primary goal is to destroy objectives (Shatter), retrieve data (Seize), or conquer designated points (Danshig Naadam). A secondary goal is to KO members of opposing teams, as this awards Battle High (explained below). Earning Battle High makes it easier to gain even more, creating a snowball effect and allowing for greater chances at victory. The successful team will coordinate strategy in the pursuit of both goals.
Landing Platform
- The landing platforms are three Grand Company-specific safe zones where jobs may be changed freely and where players are revived after being KO'ed. These platforms may be revisited at any time by casting Return.
- At the beginning of the campaign, each Grand Company will be confined to their landing platform and given 45 seconds to prepare.
- Players who leave the landing platform receive a ten-second Invincibility buff that serves to discourage spawn camping by opposing teams.
Communication
- Chat is unrestricted and should be used to coordinate strategy. Emotes are also unrestricted, but excessively emoting at downed opponents is considered a Prohibited Activity that may result in account sanctions. [1]
Mounts
- Players may freely ride mounts during Frontline campaigns. However, being attacked in any form will result in being forcibly dismounted and gaining the Hoofing It debuff. This debuff must be waited out, it cannot be cleansed with Purify (PvP).
- Flying and pillion riding are disabled.
Map
- The current state of all objectives is marked on the standard map.
- In addition to showing the positions of all friendly players, the map also shows all enemy players (indicated by colored triangles) that are within sight range of any friendly players.
KDA
KDA (Knockout, Defeat, Assist) is the scoring system used in Frontline matches. If a player deals the finishing blow, they receive a Knockout, and 10 points to their Battle High gauge. If they themselves are defeated, they receive a Defeat, and lose half their Battle High Gauge. If they help knock down an opponent, they receive an Assist, and gain 2 points to their Battle High Gauge. Additionally, players who are knocked out lose points for their team, while points are awarded to the victorious team.
Battle High
Battle High is a status that increases damage dealt and HP restored by healing actions according to a player's knockouts and assists. The healing potency buff also applies to abilities that generate barriers such as Burst. The maximum rating is 100, and for every increment of 20, the status increases in strength. Being incapacitated will reduce the rating by half.
Status | Rating | Effect |
---|---|---|
Battle High I | 20 to 39 | Damage dealt and healing potency increased by 10%. |
Battle High II | 40 to 59 | Damage dealt and healing potency increased by 20%. |
Battle High III | 60 to 79 | Damage dealt and healing potency increased by 30%. |
Battle High IV | 80 to 99 | Damage dealt and healing potency increased by 40%. |
Battle High V | 100 | Damage dealt and healing potency increased by 50%. |
Each player's Battle High gauge indicates their current rating.
A player's Battle High status is indicated with an icon on their nameplate, which changes according to the rank of their Battle High.
Modifiers
Role | Damage Dealt | Damage Taken | LB Gauge Fill Time |
---|---|---|---|
Paladin |
- | -50% | - |
Warrior |
-10% | -50% | - |
Dark Knight |
-15% | -50% | +15s |
Gunbreaker |
-5% | -50% | - |
White Mage |
-10% | -25% | +15s |
Scholar |
- | -25% | - |
Astrologian |
-5% | -25% | - |
Sage |
- | -25% | - |
Monk |
- | -50% | - |
Dragoon |
-10% | -50% | +15s |
Ninja |
- | -50% | - |
Samurai |
-10% | -50% | +15s |
Reaper |
- | -50% | - |
Bard |
- | -25% | -15s |
Machinist |
- | -25% | - |
Dancer |
- | -35% | +15s |
Black Mage |
- | -25% | - |
Summoner |
-15% | -25% | +15s |
Red Mage |
- | -35% | - |
Rewards
- See also: Series Malmstones
When a Frontline match has ended, players will receive the following rewards:
Reward | 1st Place[2] | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | Condition | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PvP EXP | 1000 | 750 | 500 | ||
Series EXP | 1500 | 1250 | 1000 | ||
Wolf Marks | 1000 | 750 | 500 | ||
PvE EXP[3] | 12% of a level | 11% of a level | 10% of a level | Below the level-cap | |
Allagan Tomestones of Poetics | 50 | 50 | 50 | Above level 50 | |
Allagan Tomestones (uncapped type) | 50 | 50 | 50 | Level-capped | |
Allagan Tomestones (weekly capped type) | 20 | 20 | 20 | Level-capped |
Achievements
Main article: Frontline Achievements.
Frontline is associated with several achievements.
References
- ↑ This change was made in Patch 5.18 to eliminate any PvP advantages for being in a specific Grand Company. Patch 5.18 Notes
- ↑ Also applies in the case of a draw.
- ↑ PvE experience will only be awarded to the job used to queue into Frontline.