Final Fantasy Brave Exvius turned three years old in the Global market early in July. The anniversary has come with plenty of expected goodies, but also plenty of surprises. One of them continues a trend of the Global version putting their own stamp on the game to differentiate themselves from the Japanese version. A longtime method of doing this is through “Global Exclusive units.” Starting with the beloved Olive, all the way up to Zeno of the Beta Star, FFBE has been giving players powerful units that the Japanese version doesn’t have.

Recently, however, global players not only received a new, powerful unit in Esther but also a new chaining family – Bolting Strike. Now, some of the Fan created units, Beryl, Ellesperis, Myra, Circe, and Malphasie were given free upgrades to join the quickly growing chaining family. It is a pleasant surprise to see and gives hopes for more upgrades of their exclusive characters from the past.

FFBE Anniversary Merges Fan Festa Units and Bolting Strike Chaining Family

Anniversary Marred with Hiccups But Shows a Game Going Strong

For many, the anniversary started out on a sour note. A new update the day rewards were set to launch made the game unplayable for many Android users. It was initially thought to be complications from an imminent requirement by Google that requires all games to run only on 64-bit devices. However, when many of the affected were on devices that should have been compatible, it was obvious something else was wrong.

Luckily, Gumi and the developers realized that it was actually a much-wanted update causing the issues. For months, players had been asking for more specific details on just how equipment and materia affected a unit’s statistics. The third anniversary’s update brought this feature, but apparently, it was causing the issue that was locking certain players out of the game. It has been shelved for now as the kinks are worked out.

Others cried foul at the number of Anniversary Tickets given back, noting how many more were given out to Japanese players based on login days. They also caught an unanswered question during the livestream that asked about this very issue. However, producer Hiroki Fujimoto addressed the concern with a letter to players in-game later, noting that there were plans to reward longtime players in August.

Overall, the chatter behind the anniversary and the number of people that tuned in for the livestream show a game that is still going strong after three years. It also shows a team of developers that are dedicated to keeping the game fresh and the community engaged.

Fan Festa Unit Upgrade

No doubt the biggest surprise of the livestream was the announcement that previously released Global Exclusive units were going to be buffed – and for free. Players are very familiar with ability awakenings, which can help older units catch up with newer ones. However, these enhancements require a plethora of resources, forcing players to pick and choose who they enhance. The fact that every unit would automatically be buffed was met with glee from the fanbase.

The first batch of enhanced units already hit with an early July update. Fittingly, the Fan Festa units were the first to see enhancements. These are characters created by players of the game, voted on by the community. A few details were announced during the livestream, including boosted stats Trust Master Reward, and Super Trust Master Reward. But just how good it would make these units was still to be determined.

These characters were fun and unique upon their release but weren’t exactly the best at what they did.

Malphasie was a versatile hybrid unit who could chain with either physical or magic users. Ellesperis was a powerhouse of a unit, but her abilities also sucked away her own HP, making her difficult to actually use.

Circe was nice, but not a very powerful magic user. Beryl was unique, in that he could be both a magic tank and a damage dealer. But the nature of his move set forced players to choose either one or the other, and he wasn’t the best at either role.

Myra’s kit was probably the most solid compared to the rest as a healer. Still, she was quickly outclassed by other mages like Folka.

Looking to the Future of Bolting Strike

Players had good reason to be skeptical on the upgrades of these units. In a game where chaining is king, the units suffer from mostly outdated families. Ellesperis was part of the Divine Ruination crew. Malphasie was too, but also had abilities with tornado frames. Circe had frames for not-often-used abilities like Flood and Quake. Beryl was probably the most versatile, having Divine Ruination, Octoslash, and Chaos Wave. Chaos Wave is the only really useful one in this day and age though.

Needless to say, the best upgrade to these units were not the stats. Sure, they are great. Beryl can now reach the 2,000 mark in either magic or spirit. Circe blows the top off of other mage’s stats, easily going over 2,500 magic. People have posted Malphasie builds with her over 2,000 attack and magic at the same time. But the best part of all of this is that every one of these units got Bolting Strike abilities. This instantly makes them worth rostering again and makes the endless list of Esthers on people’s friend list easy partners for them.

It also sets a great precedent for Global Exclusive units and the Bolting Strike family moving forward. For one, it almost guarantees that most, if not all, chainers are going to get these moves. With Christine, Kryla, Reberta, Grim Lord Sakura, and Aloha Lasswell set for upgrades next month, most have to be anticipating similar treatment. From there, new units will probably get these chains as well.

The FFBE anniversary shows a bright future for the already three-year-old game.