Final Fantasy XIV’s annual All Saints’ Wake event has been around since the original version of the MMO in 2011, and scary clowns may make 2022's event the scariest of them all. The seasonal celebration is themed after Halloween, and it usually begins in October and ends at the beginning of November. Past iterations of the event have featured a number of traditional Halloween monsters, but none of them have been as universally scary as this year’s clowns.
From January 20 through February 02, FFXIV is bringing All Saints’ Wake back. The last time the event was held in the game was in 2019, since 2020’s event was canceled as a result of the pandemic. After this, fans were especially disappointed when the next All Saints’ Wake, scheduled for November 2021, was pushed back due to the delayed release of FFXIV's Endwalker expansion.
In just a few days, however, fans will be able to enjoy their long-anticipated FFXIV Halloween celebration. Even though this All Saints’ Wake event is several months late, the premise of the new story promises no shortage of Halloween spirit. Scary, murderous clowns have a long history in pop culture and have been portrayed in virtually every medium: books, comics, movies, TV shows, video games, and more. They’re a staple of the horror genre, and that’s what Halloween is all about.
Why FFXIV’s 2022 All Saints’ Wake Event Could Be Its Most Frightening
Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is one of the more common phobias out there. Even people who aren’t severely scared of clowns often find their presence unsettling and intimidating, especially when the clowns look like they’ve just stepped out of a horror film (or a particularly harrowing FFXIV dungeon, like the Tower of Babil). Of course, most Halloween enthusiasts want to be scared and intentionally seek out places or stories that can give them the thrill they’re searching for. For them, FFXIV’s clown storyline will be an enticing prospect because of the terror it promises.
To make things even scarier, rewards for the upcoming event include a full set of clown gear and a clown face paint option. This means there will likely be quite a few FFXIV players running around Eorzea dressed like clowns, which will only make the whole event scarier for those who are afraid of them. Once again, however, many of those who participate in the event are seeking out something - like a pack of killer clowns - to make their skin crawl.
Based on the information Square Enix has already revealed about the 2022 release of FFXIV's All Saints’ Wake, it appears the celebration has a lot of potential to be popular. Despite the disadvantage of taking place months after Halloween, the event will likely boast a large player turnout. Though fans will have to play through the seasonal quest to find out for sure, Final Fantasy XIV’s 2022 All Saints’ Wake seems positioned to go down in history as the game’s scariest event to date.