Final Fantasy XIV Is Getting A Mahjong With Its Own Competitive Ranking System

In Final Fantasy XIV’s latest Letter from the Producer Live broadcast, Square Enix revealed Doman Mahjon, the MMORPG’s version of mahjong that will have casual and competitive modes.

Doman Mahjong

In Doman Mahjong, four players race to complete a winning hand of 14 tiles, with points awarded for speed and difficulty of the hand. The rules are based on those used in Japanese mahjong, and players can compete against other players as well as NPCs.

Playing against NPCs

• Players may compete against three NPCs at mahjong tables within the Gold Saucer.
• Players can choose from either novice, intermediate, or advanced tables.
• Wins are tracks separately for each table.

Playing Against Other Players (Ranked)

• Players can register for games solo via the Duty Finder.
• Players will then be matched with three other players.
• Rating and rank may rise or fall depending on final placement.

Playing Against Other Players (Preformed Parties)

• Players can register for games with a preformed party of four via the Duty Finder.
• No matching is required; players will play against their chosen opponents.
• Rating and rank are not affected by final placement.

Rating

Your rating starts at 1,500, and will increase or decrease according to your finishing position in each match. To obtain certain achievements, you need to only attain the required rating once.

Rank

Players are assigned the novice rank and may rise to higher ranks upon attaining a higher rating. Although you cannot be demoted while in the lower ranks, progressing to the higher ranks puts you at risk of demotion should you perform poorly.

Moreover, only players ranked 1st dan or higher can register for Advanced Mahjong (Ranked).

For those who aren’t familiar with mahjong, there are NPCs to help out beginners with rules as well as novice opponents.

Yoshida said some fans might be wondering “why are you doing this?” but he reassured that they’re working on proper, original content as well so not to worry. However, He felt that since there are so many people playing from around the world, why not throw in other online games where it is possible?

He went on to share an example where one player who finished the latest solo content might feel like playing mahjong with an in-game friend, but instead of having to open a separate game, they could do it all in Final Fantasy XIV. He added that there likely isn’t a mahjong game with a better avatar system, so that would also be a plus.

Poker is another game they’re working on, but due to laws in some countries they haven’t been able to make it happen yet, so they wanted to do mahjong first while working on a way to get poker in the game.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on PlayStation 4 and PC.