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FFXIV players are literally drawing fanart of a chicken

The FFXIV Zenos chicken has become the main talking point of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIV 6.2 farm livestream, prompting fan art and memes galore

final fantasy xiv ffxiv zenos chicken: Man in black armor with ginger hair stands against a background of chickens in a farm eating

To celebrate the Final Fantasy 6.2 release date Square Enix is hosting a farming livestream, which has in turn spawned the ‘FFXIV Zenos chicken’ meme. What exactly is that? We’ve got a lengthy explanation here.

For any Final Fantasy XIV player, one of the most exciting things about the 6.2 update is the new Island Sanctuary feature. An Animal Crossing-style adventure, players are gifted an island upon which they can build and explore.

To celebrate this huge new addition, Square Enix has partnered up with Mudchute Farm (a UK-based charity) to bring players the ‘Mogchute’ Farm livestream. An excuse to watch adorable farm animals run around and do cute things, the livestream has become an overnight sensation.

Amid all things adorable, however, an evil has arisen, towering above its fellows as a force to be reckoned with. This is the Zenos chicken, a particularly fowl (hah) fellow who has won the hearts of players everywhere.

final fantasy xiv ffxiv 6.2 livestream zenos chicken: man with white hair and armor fighting as blood drops from his mouth

Characterised by his flowing orange hair and black leather armour (trimmed with gold, of course) Zenos is the ‘big bad’ of FFXIV. Despite his passion for violence and latent brutality, the character etched himself into the hearts of many an Eorzean, quickly becoming a fan favorite.

As fans gathered to watch the Mogchute Farm stream, they noticed a rather aloof, black and orange rooster who just exudes power. Standing above his fellow feathered friends on a wooden plinth, players were quick to draw parallels between the Garlean general and this intimidating creature.

“Absolutely loosing it in the FFXIV farm livestream where everyone has decided this one bird is Zenos,” writes one fan, attaching several images of the stream’s chat. “Zenos perched on top of his tower,” comments one, while another replies “I will sponsor this chicken and get it renamed if it’s the last thing I do.”

It’s not just the chat that’s going wild, though. Several fan drawings of the majestic creature have popped up on Twitter, with one showing the animal in Zenos’ uniform ushering a tiny Fandaniel-inspired chick beneath his tail feathers.

It turns out, though, that Mudchute Farm has seen the hype, and are indeed changing the rooster’s name to Zenos.

ffxiv zenos chicken renamed: a twitch comment from Mudchute farm claiming they have renamed their rooster to zenos

So, love him or hate him, Zenos lives on in the guise of this chicken. Whether or not we’ll see Square Enix add in a new Zenos chicken pet or mount remains to be seen – but I know for a fact I’d be picking one up immediately if they did.

If you’re excited to dive into the new update, be sure to check out our FFXIV Island Sanctuary guide, as well as the rundown of the FFXIV Moonfire Faire 2022 event to celebrate in style.