Final Fantasy 14's perfect steamed bun animation puts its blocky grapes to shame
The most important change in Patch 6.3
Final Fantasy XIV's latest Patch 6.3 "Gods Revel, Lands Tremble" features new main scenario quests, a 24-player alliance raid dungeon, amongst many other tweaks and additions to the MMO. Really, though, it should be called "Baos Split, Tummies Rumble" as players have discovered the real highlight: a bao bun animation that'll leave your salivary glands twitching. It's beautiful. Magnificent. Almost NSFW.
Look, no look at the bun animation. Really take in every little detail, like the way a split first forms at the bottom before the crack naturally moves upwards and gives way to the bun's shiny innards. Look at the way the steam bursts outwards! Look at the layer of meat and how it mirrors the curvature of the torn treat.
Thanks to this lovely Fanbyte article, I've discovered that the bun is based off the Filipino siopao. So it's not just any old dumpling, but a special one at that. Do give the article a glance if you're interested in finding out a bit more about its history.
Alright, yes, there are other things in the patch too, I suppose. For those invested in the main story, there're some new quests involving "a half-voidsent woman named Zero". A new dungeon called Lapis Manalis takes you up to an abandoned village in the mountains of Garlemald and looks set to feature some demonic yetis. Part 2 of the "Myths Of The Realm" raid arrives too, whose lovely golden pastures give way to a horrible shadow realm. Of course, there's many other tweaks, all of which you can find in the patch notes.
Maybe the beauty of the bao bun animation marks the beginning of a redemption arc for FFXIV foodstuffs? In a previous Endwalker patch, players mourned the loss of their beloved low poly grapes whose hard edges had been rounded off to "alleviate memory usage". Now, perhaps, the jiggling dumpling and its realistic split can help those still "grapeving" (grape-grieving) to move on and find love again.