Final Fantasy 14’s New Raid Has a Pop Anthem Players Can’t Stop Listening To
Forget Brat summer, it’s time for “Bee My Honey” summer. The pop song that serves as the background music to one of Final Fantasy 14’s new raids is an undeniable ear worm that I, and many other players, can’t stop listening to. To make it even better, the song is sung by the adorable Honey B. Lovely, the latest character from the Dawntrail expansion to earn the undying affection of the community.
The Arcadion: Dawntrail’s Exciting New Raid Series
The Arcadion, which released its first tier of four fights with patch 7.01 on July 16, is Dawntrail’s 8-man raid series. To continue the mostly fun vibes of the expansion, the raid puts the Warrior of Light in an anime-style tournament in which they face off against progressively tougher and more eccentric foes. The second opponent you go up against is Honey B. Lovely. As her name might suggest, she’s a bee-themed boss wearing yellow and black from head to toe. The stage you fight her in is also full of bright neon pinks, purples, and yellows. In fact, it’s essentially a concert stage, with adoring fans of Honey B. Lovely sitting in the audience. Once the raid itself starts, it’s a frantic fight, and a surprisingly upbeat pop song begins to play, this is “Bee My Honey.”
Meet Honey B. Lovely
Honey B. Lovely gives a fantastic comedic performance switching between playing a pop idol persona to adoring fans while also reminding you, her opponent, that if you don’t succumb to her “you’re as good as dead.” Even if the Warrior of Light does ultimately defeat Honey B. Lovely, the idol has won the hearts of countless new fans in the community.
“Bee My Honey” Takes the Spotlight
Final Fantasy 14 is no stranger to incredible music. Composer Masayoshi Soken has created many iconic songs for expansion after expansion, ranging from operatic ballads to rock anthems and everything in between, but the pop delight of “Bee My Honey” might surpass them all thanks to its incredibly catchy lyrics. From the song’s almost vocaloid-sounding intro, you can tell that this song is going to be a hit.
What’s so impressive about “Bee My Honey” is that, as a raid song you’ll have to hear on repeat as you farm the fight for gear, it never seems to get old. Quite the opposite, it only gets better every time you listen. I’ve been listening to it on repeat the entire time I write this article, it rocks! The community seems to agree, with many sharing the sentiment that a weekly reward reset is a welcome event because it gives them a reason to go back to the Arcadion and listen to “Bee My Honey” while battling Honey B. Lovely. That’s made even funnier by the prospect that any raid drama that does arise from the Honey B. Lovely fight will always occur with this earworm in the background.
Now all we have to do is wait for the official Dawntrail soundtrack to release so I can put “Bee My Honey” on loop instead of restarting a YouTube video every time the song ends.
FFXIV Finally Reveals Who Sang the Arcadion Raid’s Iconic Song
The long-awaited Arcadion Raid series arrived last week on Final Fantasy XIV, bringing more of those certified bangers to its ever-extensive list of songs, with a special mention going to “Give It All,” the fourth boss’ theme song. And celebrating one week of release, Square Enix has officially revealed its singer.
The voice behind Wicked Thunder’s track is none other than Chrissy Costanza, lead singer from Against the Current. Immediately praised as one of the best Dawntrail soundtracks, players are greeted by it whenever they join the AAC Light-heavyweight M4 fight, another successful musical collaboration from popular artists in the game. The song was composed by Masayoshi Soken and performed by The Primals, the game’s official band.
I’m so excited to let you guys know that I’ve collaborated with @FF_XIV_EN on a song for their new raid series, the Arcadion! The song is called “Give It All” and it was such an honor to work with the legendary Soken-san! Have you beat all the new raid bosses yet?! pic.twitter.com/lpdu6vCydn
And fans have been vocal about how much they loved the song. “Your performance was incredible, absolutely huge fan of the song and your vocals absolutely put it in my new top favorites,” commented an X user under her reveal.
Others have also shared how much the theme affected them during battles. “I may have died in the raid because I was getting carried away with the music,” another user revealed. Honestly? I feel them.
Chrissy Costanza has been the lead for Against the Current ever since its formation back in 2011 and recently worked on her own single “7 Minutes in Hell.” Fortunately, she found time to work on Square Enix’s critically acclaimed MMORPG. The company has also released a Q&A with Costanza, where she revealed more about her experience working for the game.
She mentions how important music is for gaming, having been a fan of both since a young age. “Pairing the right music with the right game just completely enhances the players’ experience, and also brings the game out into the real world. It’s more than just a song, it’s more than just a game,” says Costanza.
Excitement Builds for Future Content
“Give It All” perfectly encapsulates Wicked Thunder (or Eutrope, her off-stage name) conflicted feelings about having to fight you, being a perfect song for setting the tone for the final fight in the Arcadion Raid tier. The harder version of the fight, the Savage difficulty, will arrive on July 30th, giving players more opportunities to listen to the track. The Savage fourth fight in a raid series traditionally features a second phase, which may or may not have a new theme. But if it does, let’s hope that Costanza does that one too.