Sage Job Icon Design Change

Hello everyone,

This is Producer & Director Naoki Yoshida.

I'd like to begin by thanking you for your cooperation during the congestion and outages we've been experiencing these recent weeks on North American and European worlds. While the last weekend saw some worlds maxed out with their log-in numbers, we're now able to keep things running at the upper limits. In order to maintain an enjoyable play experience, we'll continue working to improve the server environment, keeping a close eye on log-ins while optimizing our systems.

Regarding the Sage Job Icon

Now then, I'd like to share some news regarding the icon for the new sage job, which was recently revealed on the Endwalker special site.

When we released new details for sage and reaper on the special site, we also included their icons, not thinking that they were particularly big reveals. However, we soon received feedback from players all over the world, who told us that the sage icon made them uncomfortable or fearful.

This aversion is known as trypophobia, and those who have it feel disgust and fear when they see clusters of small holes or bumps. The severity of the reaction varies between people, and what triggers it in some may not do so in others.

But regardless of such differences, you have given us your earnest feedback, and there's still time to change things. Considering also the fact that job icons are prominently visible in the game, and that they also appear on merchandise, we've made the decision to redesign the sage icon.

Design Concept

The design concept is unchanged, with the icon being based on the four nouliths which form the sage's armament. The holes in the original design were added for detail, but they ended up appearing as a cluster. To address the problem, the new icon reduces the holes while accentuating the design concept. Now, comparisons will inevitably be made, and some of you may prefer the original. But we believe that designs like this are things that grow on you as you play the job, and ask for your understanding as we head into Endwalker.