Summary
AlthoughFinal Fantasy 14players can call forth a variety of adorable minions, the real-world popularity of Moo Deng the baby hippo has affected the game’s Hippo Calf minion. At the time of writing, the market board price of the Hippo Calf inFinal Fantasy 14had skyrocketed to rates approaching the 1 million Gil mark on certain servers.
ThroughoutFinal Fantasy 14, players can collect miniature minions as vanity collectibles, and some can also be used as playable units in the Gold Saucer mini-game Lords of Verminion. In eachFinal Fantasy 14content update, Square Enix adds more minions that can be obtained via quest rewards, retainer ventures, and occasionally as a rare drop from instanced content. In the case of the Hippo Calf minion, it can be obtained either via the level 85 main story dungeon called Vanaspati or from treasure sacks that can be obtained inthe Eureka Orthos deep dungeon.
Given that the Hippo Calf can alsobe sold on the player-run market boardfor Gil, its availability and price are at the mercy of players' whims.According to GamesRadar, the Hippo Calf minion’s rise inFinal Fantasy 14has jumped due to the popularity of a real-world baby hippo making the rounds on social media. A 2-month-old pygmy hippo named Moo Deng, from the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, has become an Internet sensation after images and videos of her went viral. Due to the vast number of visitors who want to see Moo Deng in person, the zoo imposed a five-minute visitation limit on Moo Deng’s enclosure and is seeking ways to use the hippo’s sudden popularity as a fundraiser for the zoo’s upkeep and maintenance.
Final Fantasy 14’s Hippo Calf Benefits From The Rise of Moo Deng
As for the Hippo Calf ofFinal Fantasy 14, the minion’s price on the market board has jumped toward the six-figure mark on various data centers, with some listings going over 1 million Gil. On the Aether data center in North America, the cheapest listing of a Hippo Calf at the time of writing was 304,500 Gil, with other listings jumping up to 2,100,000 Gil. Expansions likeEndwalkerandDawntrailare host to various collectible minions, though some minions like the Hippo Calf can be tricky to obtain.
WithFinal Fantasy 14launching Patch 7.1 in mid-November, more adorable minions will be available for players to collect. It remains to be seen what those collectible critters are.
Final Fantasy 14 (2010)
WHERE TO PLAY
Begin your adventure in FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm RebornCreate your very own Warrior of Light and embark upon a quest to deliver the land from an eternity of Darkness.Take to the skies in FINAL FANTASY XIV: HeavenswardTake your first steps in the reclusive nation of Ishgard, locked in a seemingly never-ending struggle with dragons.Rekindle the fires of hope in FINAL FANTASY XIV: StormbloodJourney to the East and rise up against the might of the Garlean Empire.Become the darkness in FINAL FANTASY XIV: ShadowbringersTravel to a world where light ushers all unto oblivion. But hope is not yet lost, for where there is light there is shadow.Journey to the very stars above in FINAL FANTASY XIV: EndwalkerA great calamity has been building - a second advent of the Final Days. The Warrior of Light must journey ever higher and stand firm as hope’s last bastion.Set forth for new horizons in FINAL FANTASY XIV: DawntrailBlue seas, clear skies, and boundless possibilities await! Explore uncharted territories with familiar faces as hope’s light dawns once more.
