If you haven't heard, the internet's latest darling is Moo Deng, a charming pygmy hippo calf from the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. After capturing the hearts of social media users, Moo Deng's popularity has now spread to the world of MMO Final Fantasy 14, where in-game prices for the hippo calf minion have skyrocketed.
As reported by GamesRadar, X user Cerulean shared a screenshot of a market-board search for the hippo calf, revealing that prices had surged from 17,400 gil in early September to nearly 300,000 gil by the end of the month. Square Enix has also joined in the fun, posting a gif of the hippo calf in a scene that echoes the Khao Kheow Zoo's viral videos of Moo Deng.
The hippo calf minion was introduced with the Endwalker expansion in 2021 and can be obtained at the end of the level 85 Vanaspati dungeon. However, its low drop rate has led to inflated prices on the market board. Before Moo Deng's rise to fame, the average price of the minion was around 40,000 gil, depending on the server.
It's rare for a minion from a previous expansion to gain such popularity, but it's likely that the Vanaspati dungeon will see increased activity over the next few weeks before Moo Deng fever inevitably fades and gives way to the next viral sensation.
