We already knew that Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will rely a lot on fanservice and elements from previous Final Fantasy games in order to make fans feel right at home. The fantastic gameplay trailer released during E3 is a clear indication of that, spurring enthusiasts to squint and search every frame for familiar cameos like Cloud's Buster Sword. And there's more.

About a year ago a contest on the official Lodestone Forums unveiled an illustration (you can see it above) of a monster that was clearly Final Fantasy XIV's own version of the series' staple Ultima Weapon (or Ultimate Weapon if you prefer the English version). More precisely it shown a striking resemblance with the version included in FInal Fantasy VII (portrayed below).

Unfortunately nothing else was shared since, and most forgot about it, until the release of the new trailer that you can find at the bottom of this post. If you squint at around 2:00, you'll notice the unmistakable resting form of the weapon carried by three Imperial Juggernaut airships.

From what we can see in the trailer the Imperial legatus (and prominent Judge-like villain, not to mention cover boy for the game) Gaius van Baelsar intends to unleash it upon Eorzea "to deliver the misguided masses from their ignorance". That's how you do it Gaius, without a doubt.

Considering that an Imperial Juggernaut is quite massive in its own right, players should prepare to fight a rather enormous beast. Considering that they put it in the trailer, it's also likely that it'll play a rather relevant part in the story. Are you ready for the challenge?

Personally, I can't wait.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/HHnxfrvgdqw