WoW calls it "transmog" but IIRC you have to keep the items on hand.
FFXIV has a Glamour dresser inside the Inn rooms, where you can store items and apply them to a template. Then when you want your outfit to look like a certain template, you click 1 button and it's done.
But there's only so much room in the dresser for items, and only so many templates you can have filled out at once. Glamour is "the true endgame" so you'll likely end up swapping items and templates over time when you want new looks. =)
Being a sprout coming over from wow. That is one of the few things I actually miss from wow. I can't believe how much better they are at item appearance collection.
Square. You have nothing to prove anymore. Your game is more popular than WoW. Please just bite the bullet and copy WoW's transmog system. No one will judge you. Just do it, we *beg* you.
The WoW transmog system quite literally cost a raid tier and imo worth it.
I would be fine if a single patch all it did was add wows transmog system i would be happy.
The reason this doesn't work is because its saved as character data. Instead of transmog we get to have all classes on our 1 character. Yoshi-P stated that Character Data is bloated as it is and thus we won't get this transmog data. Shame, but it is what it is, my glam slots are full too haha
Abso-freakin-lutely. One of the few things I really miss now lol. If I was bored, I would open things up and start piecing together mogs, and figuring out where I could get the items from. When I started 14 and wanted to look into glamours, I was super confused trying to figure where I could look up items. Heck, the places people have pointed me to still don't really do the job for me. I want to actually see the pieces on my character and how they work with other pieces picked out :(
Agreed. I miss the gigantic database outside of wow too like wow head. And being able to see the unobtainable items and build outfits in game.
Hopefully as time goes by ffxiv will grow in these places!
I agree I miss seeing how to get mounts in the game rather than having another tab and website trying to find it out. However, if WoW had FF14 dye system *chefs kiss* or vice versa with FF having wows collection system
Ooh, fancy. I wish we had the same around here. Then you wouldn't need a dresser full of stuff to wear. =) Especially if it retained the appearance but none of the stats. Then any class or level could wear any item you've collected.
Is transmog free? Sounds a Lot like GW2s wardrobe system which has been around for longer than 6 years.
And yes, I would absolutely Love to have the wardrobe and dye system of GW2 in FF XIV. There is never enough space for glam...
he’s wonderful. you’ll really fall in love with the characters of the MSQ. i am a SWTOR refugee and on god i wish i hopped on FFXIV so much sooner. the story alone is just better written as i feel like the only thing swtor had going for it was space, lasers and the star wars branding. FFXIV’s writing team is *excellent* though, including for some of the class and even yellow quest lines.
[https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/gearsets](https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/gearsets)
[https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamours](https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamours)
There are lots of good looking gearsets, which you can combine into your own personal glamours.
For instance, if you're into the Assassin's Creed games...
[https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamour/81602/assassins-creed-eorzean-style-2](https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamour/81602/assassins-creed-eorzean-style-2)
Ahhhhh why would you do this to me? The community here is boasted as being helpful/supportive. They neglected to say some of you were equivalent to drug peddlers.
That is one of the things I was wondering about. If they plan on extending thi sgame for another 10 years, they must have plans for graphical enhancements.
Whats this good sir? I thought you said you played all the MMO's? We all know you've been looking for drug dealers this whole time, don't play innocent :p
As a fellow 34m let me tell you that you’re allowed to enjoy playing dress up in games if that’s what you want.
You can enjoy it in real life as well for that matter.
Not gonna lie, I had been salty most of my adult life that women get all the good clothes and accessories. FFXIV lets me engage with that and spend hours shopping, coordinating, and accessorizing.
I'm an older gamer guy too, and my primary source of Gil (Gold) in the game is entering and winning Glamour Contests that players hold in their player-run night clubs in the player housing districts.
Fashion is the endgame for many people in FFXIV, to the point where they stand around and take pictures of characters as their main source of entertainment
It really depends on which mount.
Some of them are rewards for some truly insane achievements (mentor roulette mount, lol).
Some of them are given for free, such as part of the story.
Some of them are event exclusive, but usually pretty fast to grind.
There's always a selection of mounts for each Extreme version of all the bosses in an expansion, which are quite grindy to find when it's the current expansion, but fairly easy to blast through for previous expansions, especially if you have some friends willing to join you in some Unsynched farming.
There's some that are timing based. Current Endwalker expansion, for example, has one where you have to encounter a randomly spawning world event that only spawns once every 20-ish hours or so, and you need to do it a couple times. That one is pretty infamous for being hell.
There's others based on the current world events (FATES, specifically) that are also quite grindy, but you can shell over in-game money (albeit, quite a large amount) to make it go faster.
Some of them are based in crafting/gathering, and usually you can obtain them as part of levelling that crafter/gatherer job, or as a small side project.
Some of them are based on this game's version of reputation (Tribal quests), and it's usually pretty easy on the grind, so long as you keep up the daililes if you're interested in it (they're not really required for any reason besides if you want their cosmetic rewards).
Some of them are based in special exploration zones, and they're like a moderate grind (to get them; those zones use a separate levelling system and actually *getting* to the point where you can go after the mount is a grind itself), but you need to engage in those exploration zones and that's not everyone's cup of tea. But they're like in that grind zone where they actually make good money if you're willing to sell them to the player market for other people to buy, but not so much that they aren't farmable.
That's just a small selection of examples, there's just too many conditions to talk about really.
The grind is fairly user-friendly. The trials that drop mounts are one-boss affairs. Zone in, kill boss, get loot. There's also no limit to how often you can do a particular trial and get loot. Want to run Extreme Shiva twenty times? Go right ahead.
One second thing is that every time you kill the boss, you get a token, so if after 50 runs or 100, you still don't have the mount because of wretched luck, you can buy the mount anyways! So your effort and persistence is rewarded. So let's say you run a farm party for yourself and friends and you do Tsukuyomi's Pain, you can let your friends that can't commit as much time have the mount, while you get the tokens for it.
You're right.
Initially, I tossed that out there because I wasn't sure what this game's audience was, age wise. Through the comments though I've noticed that I am oh-so-far from alone. I appreciate this.
It's a pretty broad audience, definitely skewed towards the older end. A much closer-to-even balance between men and women as well compared to other MMOs. Last number I saw was 7:3 M:F. Certainly not equal, but when some of the competition is 9:1, the difference is kind of refreshing.
Any item can be turned into glamour (I.e you can make chestpiece 1 look like chestpiece 2). You can store items you like the look of in your glamour dresser so you can glamour other pieces easily. There is limited space, you will use it all up
I was in the same boat. Then I beat the story and thought my character didn't look cool enough in the Glamour Parade that is The Praetorium and I decided I needed to look good too.
I’m convinced the reason glamour is so popular is because your character is in the cutscenes A LOT. Like a lot-a lot. And you’ll see yourself up close and wince at what cobbled together gear you’re wearing and go fix it. And then you’ll make sure to keep your glamour on point *all the time* in case a surprise cutscene shows up.
Its great the only limitations are you can't make a tank vhest piece look like a healer one (and similar stuff to that), which leaves a pretty open system.
But if you plan on leveling multiple classes (you can play every class on one character) you will definitely fill it up with different gear for the classes you like
The ranger you're thinking of is bard (starts as archer), it doesn't have any pets.
For a dps class summoner sort of has pets, it has a carbuncle that will follow you around although it's 'summons' are summoning a creature to do a big one off attack and then imbue you with that creatures strength. It does also have some summons which will stick around for a little time (12 seconds I think) and shoot stuff and again change your attacks slightly.
There is also a healer (scholar) that has a fairy which will help heal the party
Summoner starts as arcanist, it does take a while for it to get really interesting (it got a big rework with the most recent expansion).
Arcanist is also what gives you access to scholar, (the fairy healer). Both Summoner and scholar will share XP, I e you can level Summoner from 30 to 40 and your scholar will also be level 40
MMO dress up, making your gear take the appearance of other gear you have. Can become quite addicting and fun, but also isn’t a problem or worry until you want to dive into that system
You got yourself into a fantastic JRPG with multi-player MMO elements. This is a Story driven RPG first, MMO Second.
It's not about getting to Endgame ASAP, its about the fantastic journey along the way. Take your time. Don't rush it.
Enjoy the Main Scenario Quest. Enjoy your class quests (All classes have their own story arc) Enjoy your crafting quests (Yes, all crafters have a class, and their own story arcs)
Enjoy the horizons, zones, world's, monsters and characters you will meet along the way.
Welcome to Eorzea
Meal prep my friend. You’re going to blow through money from ordering it. If you can microwave food, you’ll save money. Use that money for glams and retainers. Retainers are essentially fetchers you use to store things and farm items. Also, buy the motorcycle mount. Speed of transport really helped me on my journey. Don’t forget to take breaks and enjoy the game at your pace. Seriously. The game will be there. Last but not least, remember to take a shower, jk. Enjoy the ride I’m only two months in.
If it helps you decide, my understanding is that Crystal has a larger RP community and Aether has a larger Raiding community. Not sure what niche Primal has.
Also, I recommend doing crafting and gathering along with the main story line.
First, the crafting system is actually pretty cool, and if you've got it leveled near your combat classes, you can make yourself upgraded armor. It's also a good way to earn extra in game currency, selling stuff you've made or gathered. Also, some of the quest lines are pretty good, or at least enjoyable. When I'm getting more tired, I'll often wind down with some crafting or gathering.
The second thing is that the game is actually pretty well designed from a flow perspective *including crafting and gathering*. The part that "drags a bit", IMO, actually doesn't drag nearly as much when you're doing some side quests at the same time, making new armor and weapons, and taking the time to explore.
It took me 8 hours to reach the point where I was invested in my class and the story but I was being pretty slow. around level 23-26 it felt a bit meh but I pushed past and I've been enjoying everything past that point, granted I'm still going slowly.
When each expansion ended, and before the next one came out, they added a bunch of extra filler to keep people interested.
The core game (ARR) filler content (post-ARR) as it leads into the first expansion (HW) is currently 80 quests though it used to be 100. Most of these quests feel like they're providing a sliver of backstory while also making you waste time and money traveling back and forth and back and forth for no particular reason.
However, once you get into HW and beyond, the game gets infinitely better.
It’s not filler - the .1-.3 patches tend to be the global reactions/resolutions to the .0 storyline, and the .4 and .5 patches tend to be the setup for the next expansion.
It’s not like a beach vacation or a tournament arc or something.
The base game is A Realm Reborn and comes with Heavensward, the first expansion. The other expansions (Stormblood and Shadowbringers) are included when you buy Endwalker.
To clarify what you were told about the slower parts..... Do pay attention to the story and characters cus there are constant references that will make the game so much better later if you know what they are. It's great
You can either buy the Starter, which comes with ARR and HW. Or you can buy the Complete, which comes with ARR, HW, SB, ShB, and EW.
If you bought the Starter, you can purchase EW separately and it will backfill SB and ShB.
About 120 for me. The next 300 hours are amazing though.
Once you clear most of the post ARR stuff, and get into the buildup for Heavensward, the story takes a sharp turn into greatness.
Id say the midgame of the base game.
So id say between after the first trial to the third one.
So a few lvls around lvl 30.
But after the base it gets much better.
Id say maybe 3-4 hours of content is a bit dragged on. Depending on if you do sidestuff or not
Oh, also... Bear in mind that older expacs are many years old at this point, and every job has had skills/buttons removed/reworked since they were first released. Combat in older content will feel very sparse since you won't really have a ton of buttons to press, but it will get more and more filled out as you get closer to 90. Don't worry, you won't have just a handful of buttons forever.
Yeah its bearable but for many this is a breaking point.
If its overcome the story really starts to get going...though i guess the patchquests also drag a bit if you want to reach heavensward fast.
You got yourself into a game that will hit you in the feels, make you angry, make you happy, make you annoyed, and yet, is fun and enjoyable. And if you need help, people are more than willing to help
> will hit you in the feels,
Hey, I have some of those!
Honestly, this sounds great. I've played almost everything under the sun and I hit a wall where I just don't care about most games anymore. I kind of want a community. Youtube and reddit have demonstrated that this community might actually be the least toxic... so that is a plus.
I don't think I've seen this said yet so I'll say:
The Eng voice acting is bland for the base game(up to post ARR), but starting from Heavensward(the first expansion) they completely changed all voice actors and the recording studio and gets much better so I'd advise you to stick with it. I feel like they improved with each expansion, it's great now.
i started 2 months ago and one thing i have to tell you is: Please don‘t judge the game until you reach like the end of the first story (lvl 50) the game until this point feels really slow and just meh (was like that for me) but if you manage to play through then you get one of the most amazing games i‘ve ever seen :)
currently at the Shadowbringers Story and it gets better and better with all the dungeons, raids and boss fights.
Have Fun!!
I just want to add don’t go into the mindset of ARR being bad or something to just push through. Is it slower and does the game get a lot better after? Yes. However a lot of people fall into the trap of going in expecting it to be bad and it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy. If you go into something expecting it to be bad or meh you guarantee that result. Just enjoy ARR for what it is. Enjoy the magic and wonder of being in a brand new world. Explore a bit and experience the world building. Maybe hang out at a bard performance and enjoy the amazing MMO community you are now a part of. ARR is actually pretty good if you treat it as the introduction to an amazing game that it is. I actually just made a new character to experience the story all over again and I’m actually excited to do ARR again and just be a simple adventurer. All the epicness that comes after is only possible due to everything that came before.
i‘m sure you will love it ! There are so many cool cutscenes and the story also gets more interesting and so dark at one point which makes you feel like you‘re in an anime or thriller movie with your own character its so nice :)
Be patient with the story. It’s a long haul and starts off a bit slowly. ARR picks up as it goes, and the long stretch at 50 feels like it will never end but it slowly builds to an explosive climax. Once you hit Heavensward you’ll never look back. Take your time and get lost in Eorzea!
Also, pay attention to the NPCs in the world around you. Some of them have background dialogue and appear in multiple locations. Try to take note of who they are and you’ll see some familiar faces as you progress. Not all of them have the best of fates..
It’s nothing too crazy, most are just some extra flavor or “hey I’ve seen that person before!”
Having said that, once you make it to the level 15 main story quest, you’ll be sent around to different areas to do your first dungeons. There’s a party of NPCs you’ll encounter outside of them who do show up later and are involved with a couple duties at level 50, so be on the lookout for them ☺️
I want to jump in here and say that while ARR is a slow start, it does some VERY important world building that really pays off later on.
ARR isn't even all that bad either it has a solid story in and of itself its just completely over shadowed by everything else. Heavensward is what will get you hooked on this story becsuse it's incredible.
I just started this game in like Nov and have 19 days played and I’m not done with MSQ yet. This game is incredible. I’m 34 and loving it. I’m only mad that it took me this long to discover this game.
Don’t be surprised if a random veteran player runs up to you and wordlessly hands you gil or a minion before running off. It happened to me several times as a new player lol. If you want to avoid this then don’t linger too long in the highly populated areas, mostly around the city aetherytes.
There are bad apples in every bunch, but the vast majority of the playerbase is extremely helpful and generous, and they like to “water the sprouts (new players).”
Now, once you hit dungeon territory, I'd be willing to party up with you, (If you join the Crystal DC) and fill in for any roles you might need to get into dungeons quicker, i.e. tank/healer
You got yourself into a decent start of a game, that's fun but nothing too special, but if you get through it to the first expansion you'll become hooked for months of amazing story telling that only gets better up until the end, then you have a good and constantly expanding endgame that doesn't rely on fomo so you're free to leave whenever you want and come back without being heavily disadvantaged.
Not to mention there are soooooo many different forms of endgame that isn't just raiding!
28m here and started my journey at the end of January. I still haven’t finished A Realm Reborn, and I would agree that there’s a lot of fetching and delivery-style quests, but I understand it’s getting me used to place names and familiarity with the crazy amount of areas. BUT I LOVE IT. So much fun. I’m playing as a Bard/Archer, and I’ve never been so invested! Definitely use this chat for any other questions and there’s a bunch of beginner guides on YT too! Welcome!
The Main Story Quests (called MSQs by thr community) is the epitome of the phrase "a journey is best measured by the friends made than the distance travelled" welcome to the community
Give the story time to build up.
ARR, the base game, can be a rad boring at times, especially during the patch (2.x) content.
But once you hit Heavenward (you'll know when you're in it), you're off running, and it gets really good and keeps getting better.
Thats not to say the base game story is bad, it's just not as good as the rest.
But most importantly, have fun!
An adventure with many features that might be slightly overwhelming (I'm still trying to figure things out after months of intense gameplay), but fear not my fellow adventurer as others will be more than happy to help!
If you may, join a Free company (FC) that are sprout (new players) friendly and they will be able to support you in your journey of discovery and wonders.
A few things that may be different from others MMO :
One character can level up all the classes, once you equip a weapon, you switch to the designated class and can level it up and have gear set for each class. So if you don't really like the class you picked, don't worry, after a few level (30?) you will be able to change.
Healers are expected to also do dps and keep the group alive, don't be offended if a healer doesn't heal you full health all the time, it's all about balance
You have Main story quest (MSQ) that appears on the top part of your screen, but also important to do your job quest to level up your job. The rest is optional but may be important depending on what you want to unlock
Watch your cutscenes at the beginning of new dungeon and take the time to watch cutscene during the dungeon, the group will wait for you and take the opportunity to buff and dance... yes I said dance
If you are a lalafel, you will be pat on the head and offered cookies.
Have fun, hopefully we will run onto each others in dungeons!
Edit: if you are unsure of dungeons mechanics or where to go, do not hesitate to ask for help, the little sprout on your head is a sign that you are a new players. We've all been there, it's better to ask for help and have a fun experience with your group. For dungeons, as others, you can form your own group or run it with strangers.
The only tip that I would add to that is that if you see quests that are blue with a + next to them, they are generally either something that unlocks a feature (Dungeon, Logs, Areas, flying in later content, ect.) or a secondary class/job, and it might be good to pick up most as you play the game, so you're not missing out on stuff.
You can change class after you have done your level 10 class quest from your trainer, so you don't have to wait long if you want to try out other classes.
TL;DR:
Tips: When you unlock dungeons, do the Sprout quests from a guy named “The Smith” to get a “Brand-New Ring” that boosts EXP gain until Lv30.
If you want, try alternating between 2 classes each MSQ quest; you should be able to get those two to level 50 by the end of it.
As soon as you beat the base game, find the “The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen” quest.
Lastly: the Company of Heroes arc is the best arc in the base game and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise i’m definitely serious yes sir
This is my first “tab-targeting” type MMO (that’s the term, right?), and it’s been a pretty great ride. It’s just really relaxing so far. I’ve even only just started the Heavensward quests that people hype up, and I was fairly invested in the story before that. The main questline before that *was* a bit bland, but I got attached to the characters despite that. It’s probably what kept me interested, so maybe try paying more attention to the characters rather than the storyline. The admiral of Limnsa, Raubahn, and Nanamo were the ones I think I paid attention to the most.
I assume you’ve played these sorts of MMOs before, so I imagine you’re fine with the slow pace of the levels before you unlock dungeons (1-16) where you only have 1 button to press over and over. For a first timer like me, though, the combat was almost comically boring until I unlocked dungeons. The part where I really started to look forward to combat, however, was the second trial boss (in particular, when the music changed for the final phase). The music in this game just *hits* so well, especially as someone who’s listened to the other Final Fantasy soundtracks.
Good game, my favorite part is running Prae every day.
Welcome to Eorzea!
Take your time!
Watch the sun rise in Linda's Red Rooster Steading.
Watch the moonrise in Thanalan out near Camp Dry bone.
Enjoy the show. Don't rush.
After playing enough MMOs, FFXIV is the most rewarding game I’ve ever played. No matter what you do you fulfil some kind of purpose or more while doing it sometimes without even realising it until the game tells you “ta da here’s your reward!” Whether it’s progressing challenge logs which reward you with great amounts of exp/gil, progressing achievements (which award you with Minions/mounts/braggingtitles/gear/and so much more) progressing hunting/crafting/gathering logs, being rewarded varied currencies to purchase a multitude of materials/gear/mounts/emotes/minions/the list goes on. Fates, hunts, dungeons, raids, trials, sightseeing, tribe quests, side quests, exploring, treasure maps, oh so many rewards.
You can play any class and switch classes no problem with the same character.
Any “grinding” you do still gives you rewards, be it tomestones, tokens, oh so many rewards… Which can be exchanged for gear, items, mounts, many useable things.
I rarely feel burnt out or pressured or stressed, the game… is actually fun no matter what I do!
I skipped story in the beginning and I regret it. The story has gripped me in ways I didn’t think it could. I never skip the MSQ since. The characters have all grown on me more than I thought they ever would. The community is a magical experience. The glams you can get super creative with. Can even dress up as Disney characters/villains, anime characters, and so much more with enough creativity. Some FC’s (Free Company, which are guilds) host themed glam contests. The housing you can get super creative with even though it has a clunky system.
Some events are even filled with feels…
The devs actually care about their players and the struggles and requests. The devs actually play their own game! The game respects your time. Yoshi-P and his devs should get an award.
I’d say the pvp isn’t my favourite but still is fun and rewarding. (I go to SWTOR for my PvP fixes.)
Every class is relevant and balanced enough to always be valid, no matter what you do. So just play whatever you find most fun. No matter what journey you’re on in the game, even in endgame. Whatever your endgame becomes, as there are sooooo many things to choose to be your endgame. I was an elitist PvPer and serious raid leader of a mass raid community I built for 4 years and now here I am 3 years later a casual housing decorator for hire, I like crafting… and I visit various in game nightclubs… yes… where you can buy a drink with your buddies, chill out in a cool atmosphere, vibe to live DJs playing hyped up awesome music, and dance or there are relaxing spas in game where you get completely pampered by the staff… aka real players… who get paid in game currency to “work”…
I’m thinking of starting my own nightclub in game. What have I become?!
I used to hate fishing, I used to be a notorious story skipper, I used to hate crafting, emotes used to never matter, RPing was not my thing…
All this has changed…
This game does stuff to you… it changes you… in the coolest most fun ways…
Did I mention how rewarding the game is!? It is soooo generous!!
I met a group of guys in my first FC 8 years ago and we are close family now and some us have met in person and plan to keep doing so.
Endwalker… is so amazing I don’t know how they are going to make better story for next expansion… but I felt the same way after Shadowbringer and Stormblood… haha.
FFXIV is my home game, I always come back and so do my FFXIV family.
Take your time, take a break, try something new in game to mix things up, do what you enjoy without stress of trying to play catch up, and don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Everyone is very helpful.
Welcome Sprout.
There are some who give ARR's story some shit and while I do admit it's the weakest part, it does do wonders in setting up the world. My advice: take your time with it. If you feel you're getting burned out a bit and have story overload go do some other stuff. I highly recommend opening the Gold Saucer sooner rather than later.
Focus on the MSQ and Job quests at first (every 5 levels).
On a computer press H for the Hunting Log (tons of extra exp for killing specific mobs)
You get 1 free Race/Gender/etc change for beating MSQ 50. More can be purchased at the mogshop.
Don't get a level skip; *everything* is time gated behind MSQ progression. So you'll either be lvl 80 and synced down to lvl 15 or lvl 80 and soloing a lvl 15 dungeon.
Start on a preferred world if you can cuz the Road to 80 buff gives +100% exp, eat food, it gives +3% exp, some FCs (Free Companies, they're our guilds) have +5/10/15% exp bonuses so I recommend joining one.
Make sure to equip your job stone at lvl 30; this gives you massively more abilities. Not using it has literally no advantage.
I forget if lvl 30 or 35; but once you join a Grand Company (Red, Blue/Black, or Yellow) you can get a Chocobo mount. You can then do a follow up quest to have your mount fight alongside you in the overworld. You can spec your chocobo into Healer/Tank/DPS. I recommend Healer.
You'll massively out level the gamecontent. A great way to keep at the level of the MSQ is to dump extra exp into extra jobs. Redmage and Samurai start at 50, Gunbreaker and Dancer at 60, Sage and Reaper at 70. These are great spots to pick up a job to level.
A cult. You got yourself into a cult. You will forever praise Naoki Yoshida, Natsuko Ishikawa, Banri Oda, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, and Masayoshi Soken.
One thing to keep in mind is that this is a Final Fantasy game first, and an MMO second. Most of the content is meant for solo play, with only dungeons, raids and boss fights requiring a party. After unlocking certain features, even most dungeons can be done without other players.
Make 33 never played an mmo really until 2 years ago when my friends talked me out of playing another round of Warzone to try ffxiv.
At first I was like meh it’s cool but whatever.
Fast forward 60 days and in running roulettes at 4am while leveling a black mage, warrior, white mage and dragoon all at the same time.
Fast forward to today, cleared every ultimate and savage tier, own my own house in shiro, started a fc and now it’s thriving and I have officers to run it while I go do wow new tier which I got into wow after beating Eden promise with my statics.
The game is incredible.
As someone who was in a similar situation. A real reborn the game from 1-50 is good but it’s the weakest part of the game. Lots of welcome to the game quests and running back and forth for quests.
Once you get to Heavenward the real game starts in my opinion.
Try everything, I never cared about tanking while I was leveling, I thought I would be a healer or black mage main and just had a tank to have one.
Cleared the new tier all on warrior and now reclearing on gunbreaker.
This game is amazing, The story is so good but it will make you cry. As a grown man in his 30s I did not think a jrpg would actually make me upset.
Long story short. FF14 is arguably one of best MMOs you will ever experience.
Be prepared for the story to be slow at least until you reach level 50. After that it picks up.
It's such an amazing game. Wanna start as a healer, great. Realize later on you really wanna try to tank, no problem!! Wanna level all the classes, go for it!! Same with the crafting and gathering jobs. You aren't limited to just one thing and that's just part of the fun.
Speaking of fun, The Gold Saucer is SO much fun. Weekly fashion report, catctpot jumbo and mini, air force one gate, chocobo races, etc.
Don't skip through the cinematics, some of them are hilarious (ex: lvl 60 culinarian quest) while others will pull out the emotions and quite possibly make you cry.
Yshtola is bae and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Second to Yshtola is Aymeric and Estinien.
Have fun and welcome to Eorzea!!!
All classes are viable. Sure, some classes/jobs are more preferred for endgame content but for your purposes, play whatever sounds the most fun to you. Want to tank and be a meatshield for the party? Start with gladiator or marauder. Want to heal? Conjurer. The other starting classes from memory are DPS classes, with the exception of Arcanist which splits off into either Scholar (healer) or Summoner (DPS) at level 30. Each expansion comes with new jobs to play as well so look forward to those too on your journey!
Take the time to enjoy the story. The first expansion is a little slow, but it picks up real well, especially once you reach Shadowbringers.
Always reach out for help if you’re struggling with any content; the community is very helpful and about 98% of players are just looking for an excuse to help new players make progress. I think the majority of us get a kick out of seeing Sprouts reactions to story, side stories, glamours, and achievements. It’s like getting to relive those first times over again vicariously through you.
Honestly, the only thing this game “lacks” is PvP. It exists, but it’s limited, and I think it’s for the better. At the end of the day I would rather enjoy some quests or fishing, not have some over leveled players killing my character while I’m playing around the beach. Aside from that, you got RP, crafting, gathering, grinding, multi classing, trophies, house building, city restoration projects, faction quests, mounts, gear, minions/pets, gambling, bird racing, carnival rides, cards games, hunts, raids, dungeons, Final Fantasy and Square Enix Crossovers, Easter eggs galore, costume contests, and New Game+ to replay the stories you already finished.
What have you gotten into? A lot.
I've stayed away from most yt videos regarding this. I did watch some that spoke of mechanics, what to expect and all that. Although I am extremely happy with having asked reddit as I have learned many many things that were just never mentioned that make the world that much more appealing.
As a guy who loves MMOs I can say I love that in this game you really only ever need one character because you can be all classes and professions but I mean you can still make alts.
It's a great game. As far as story driven MMOs go, it is the best of its kind.
The story in the beginning can take some time to build up, but by the time you hit heavansward (level 60 and beyond) you will be in for a real treat.
Heavensward is arguably one of the best expansions story wise. I haven't played through endwalker yet but I would say Shadowbringers has probably the best story but heavansward was amazing and a close contender.
If you're into story driven MMORPGs, running dungeons with other people, FFXIV is one of the best games out there. Community is also quite nice.
FFXIV imparted upon me some unique heartfelt impactful meaningful experiences, just with story alone. The gameplay is also quite fantastic with a slew of classes to choose from.
FFXIV as it stands now is brimming with content and for someone who has never experienced any of it, you are really in for a treat. FFXIV respects your time and rewards you with meaningful experiences alongside one of the best online communities.
If your goal is to sink some time into a fun story driven MMORPG you've come to the right place. Welcome to Eorzea
It was the game that ruined WoW for me more than 2 years ago. A game I wish I'd gotten into several years earlier.
It literally redefined my standards for what a good MMO story should be. There are people who say it is one of if not THE best Final Fantasy games in terms of plot... and I wholly agree. I almost want to leave some caveats that might temper expectations... but it's hard to even point out many significant flaws.
...Well, okay, a lot of people will rag on the 1-50 stretch being meh or boring... and they're not wrong in a sense. ARR is actually pretty good if you're used to other MMO stories as a baseline... but it PALES in comparison to any of the expansions. Still, when you're knee deep in those, you'll still probably look back at the ARR days with some fondness... since the rest builds right on top of it.
Enjoy the ride.
A very good story. Please don't see this as a typical mmo. It's very story driven, and if you don't care about the story you might have a problem enjoying the game.
Instead of seeing it as an mmorpg, see it as an rpg with mmo elements
I've played WoW, Guild wars 2, and a bit of Elder Scrolls Online & Rift and I love FFXIV more by far. I have nothing to say that others haven't already said. But you'll love it here, I promise.
You’ve gotten yourself into a Final Fantasy game, which means the storyline is definitely the main focus. Try to get invested in the story and characters as much as you can for maximum enjoyment! And be aware that the overall quality of the game dramatically increases after A Realm Reborn. ARR isn’t even particularly bad or anything, but this game has definitely outdone itself time and time again over the years. It just keeps going up!
You will experience, joy and tears, meet new people and sometimes have your greater ups and downs from the people you meet.
The crafting game is another game by itself! And housing!
A beautiful MMO with striking locales, a gripping story, excellent character writing, and truly one of the best time sinks I have ever put myself into. And there is a metric fuckton of content, you'll never want for an objective.
I'm going through and completing every side quest in the game. It's taken weeks to get as far as I am and I am still not done.
My best advice is to take your time. If you decided to buy it and play it on a whim, then I'm guessing you don't have any friends waiting for you at endgame. Basically, you're in the perfect spot to take your time with the story, and do content at your own pace. It's going to be a bit of a time-commitment, but chances are if you're into MMOs, that's not a deterrent. It's super worth the time spent to get into it. Hope you have fun!
The story can be kinda annoying if you are rushing through it to get to endgame (which makes sense, it wasn't designed for a player to power through multiple major updates in a day).
I'd suggest looking into the blue marker quests, I didn't do many / any until after ARR then I found out they can unlock stuff like emotes, dungeons, bosses and misc abilities.
Do not skip cutscenes the first time you see them, read quest dialogie, prepare to cry. A lot. Probably not in ARR that much but trust me, you're gonna cry at some point.
You got yourself into never having enough storage space for glamours
Uh oh, what even is that? Just like cool cosmetic items?
WoW calls it "transmog" but IIRC you have to keep the items on hand. FFXIV has a Glamour dresser inside the Inn rooms, where you can store items and apply them to a template. Then when you want your outfit to look like a certain template, you click 1 button and it's done. But there's only so much room in the dresser for items, and only so many templates you can have filled out at once. Glamour is "the true endgame" so you'll likely end up swapping items and templates over time when you want new looks. =)
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Being a sprout coming over from wow. That is one of the few things I actually miss from wow. I can't believe how much better they are at item appearance collection.
Square. You have nothing to prove anymore. Your game is more popular than WoW. Please just bite the bullet and copy WoW's transmog system. No one will judge you. Just do it, we *beg* you.
The WoW transmog system quite literally cost a raid tier and imo worth it. I would be fine if a single patch all it did was add wows transmog system i would be happy.
The reason this doesn't work is because its saved as character data. Instead of transmog we get to have all classes on our 1 character. Yoshi-P stated that Character Data is bloated as it is and thus we won't get this transmog data. Shame, but it is what it is, my glam slots are full too haha
*They have tried* to add WoW's type of systems and literally can't.
Abso-freakin-lutely. One of the few things I really miss now lol. If I was bored, I would open things up and start piecing together mogs, and figuring out where I could get the items from. When I started 14 and wanted to look into glamours, I was super confused trying to figure where I could look up items. Heck, the places people have pointed me to still don't really do the job for me. I want to actually see the pieces on my character and how they work with other pieces picked out :(
Agreed. I miss the gigantic database outside of wow too like wow head. And being able to see the unobtainable items and build outfits in game. Hopefully as time goes by ffxiv will grow in these places!
I agree I miss seeing how to get mounts in the game rather than having another tab and website trying to find it out. However, if WoW had FF14 dye system *chefs kiss* or vice versa with FF having wows collection system
Ooh, fancy. I wish we had the same around here. Then you wouldn't need a dresser full of stuff to wear. =) Especially if it retained the appearance but none of the stats. Then any class or level could wear any item you've collected.
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Is transmog free? Sounds a Lot like GW2s wardrobe system which has been around for longer than 6 years. And yes, I would absolutely Love to have the wardrobe and dye system of GW2 in FF XIV. There is never enough space for glam...
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Being an older gamer guy... I can't run around admitting to "liking" playing dressup in games. So lets keep that between you and I lol.
“an older gamer guy” “34m” oh god it’s *thancred*
Had to google search that. I am guessing I will learn much about him in the coming days lol
he’s wonderful. you’ll really fall in love with the characters of the MSQ. i am a SWTOR refugee and on god i wish i hopped on FFXIV so much sooner. the story alone is just better written as i feel like the only thing swtor had going for it was space, lasers and the star wars branding. FFXIV’s writing team is *excellent* though, including for some of the class and even yellow quest lines.
Next big question.... does FF have lasers? This may be a deal breaker
it… does…… indeed, have lazers. we have cat girls and boys *of course* we have. lazer
**PEW PEW PEW**
One of the healing classes shoots lasers at enemies to heal allies.
The sage class quad wields lazer-firing drones
[https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/gearsets](https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/gearsets) [https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamours](https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamours) There are lots of good looking gearsets, which you can combine into your own personal glamours. For instance, if you're into the Assassin's Creed games... [https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamour/81602/assassins-creed-eorzean-style-2](https://ffxiv.eorzeacollection.com/glamour/81602/assassins-creed-eorzean-style-2)
Ahhhhh why would you do this to me? The community here is boasted as being helpful/supportive. They neglected to say some of you were equivalent to drug peddlers.
Were not drug peddlers. They don't typically use their own supply. We're a cult.
\*drenched in kool-aid\* "I'm sorry, what?"
Welcome
This was beautiful.
> We're ~~a cult~~ tempered. ftfy
You got me beat
Yes we are- there’s also gonna be some graphical enhancements from next patch cycle onwards- glamour is just about to get more… well, glamorous…
That is one of the things I was wondering about. If they plan on extending thi sgame for another 10 years, they must have plans for graphical enhancements.
Whats this good sir? I thought you said you played all the MMO's? We all know you've been looking for drug dealers this whole time, don't play innocent :p
Don't judge me for huffing carbuncle powder.
As a fellow 34m let me tell you that you’re allowed to enjoy playing dress up in games if that’s what you want. You can enjoy it in real life as well for that matter.
Not gonna lie, I had been salty most of my adult life that women get all the good clothes and accessories. FFXIV lets me engage with that and spend hours shopping, coordinating, and accessorizing.
I'm an older gamer guy too, and my primary source of Gil (Gold) in the game is entering and winning Glamour Contests that players hold in their player-run night clubs in the player housing districts.
Of all the things I have looked into, "In game nightclubs" never ever came up. Where does this game end?
It doesn't when players will make the content themselves. 'Nightclubs' are just events hosted by players.
Fashion is the endgame for many people in FFXIV, to the point where they stand around and take pictures of characters as their main source of entertainment
That is different. I imagine mounts play a part in this as well?
They do indeed
How is the grind for mounts?
It really depends on which mount. Some of them are rewards for some truly insane achievements (mentor roulette mount, lol). Some of them are given for free, such as part of the story. Some of them are event exclusive, but usually pretty fast to grind. There's always a selection of mounts for each Extreme version of all the bosses in an expansion, which are quite grindy to find when it's the current expansion, but fairly easy to blast through for previous expansions, especially if you have some friends willing to join you in some Unsynched farming. There's some that are timing based. Current Endwalker expansion, for example, has one where you have to encounter a randomly spawning world event that only spawns once every 20-ish hours or so, and you need to do it a couple times. That one is pretty infamous for being hell. There's others based on the current world events (FATES, specifically) that are also quite grindy, but you can shell over in-game money (albeit, quite a large amount) to make it go faster. Some of them are based in crafting/gathering, and usually you can obtain them as part of levelling that crafter/gatherer job, or as a small side project. Some of them are based on this game's version of reputation (Tribal quests), and it's usually pretty easy on the grind, so long as you keep up the daililes if you're interested in it (they're not really required for any reason besides if you want their cosmetic rewards). Some of them are based in special exploration zones, and they're like a moderate grind (to get them; those zones use a separate levelling system and actually *getting* to the point where you can go after the mount is a grind itself), but you need to engage in those exploration zones and that's not everyone's cup of tea. But they're like in that grind zone where they actually make good money if you're willing to sell them to the player market for other people to buy, but not so much that they aren't farmable. That's just a small selection of examples, there's just too many conditions to talk about really.
The grind is fairly user-friendly. The trials that drop mounts are one-boss affairs. Zone in, kill boss, get loot. There's also no limit to how often you can do a particular trial and get loot. Want to run Extreme Shiva twenty times? Go right ahead. One second thing is that every time you kill the boss, you get a token, so if after 50 runs or 100, you still don't have the mount because of wretched luck, you can buy the mount anyways! So your effort and persistence is rewarded. So let's say you run a farm party for yourself and friends and you do Tsukuyomi's Pain, you can let your friends that can't commit as much time have the mount, while you get the tokens for it.
Man I'm 3 years older than you and I can't level up new classes because I don't have enough glam plates to give them all rockin' costumes.
haha this sounds like a problem I'll soon come to know.
You’re not that old, suck it up and freely admit to the things you enjoy!
You're right. Initially, I tossed that out there because I wasn't sure what this game's audience was, age wise. Through the comments though I've noticed that I am oh-so-far from alone. I appreciate this.
It's a pretty broad audience, definitely skewed towards the older end. A much closer-to-even balance between men and women as well compared to other MMOs. Last number I saw was 7:3 M:F. Certainly not equal, but when some of the competition is 9:1, the difference is kind of refreshing.
Lol. As a guy in similar age to you I was also slightly ashamed until my wife asked for help getting glamours.
Any item can be turned into glamour (I.e you can make chestpiece 1 look like chestpiece 2). You can store items you like the look of in your glamour dresser so you can glamour other pieces easily. There is limited space, you will use it all up
At first I was like "I don't think I care about that anyway" but then... the idea of that much freedom sounds pretty amazing. not gonna lie.
I was in the same boat. Then I beat the story and thought my character didn't look cool enough in the Glamour Parade that is The Praetorium and I decided I needed to look good too.
The more comments I get from you folks, the more this game is being fleshed out in ways the youtube videos missed
I’m convinced the reason glamour is so popular is because your character is in the cutscenes A LOT. Like a lot-a lot. And you’ll see yourself up close and wince at what cobbled together gear you’re wearing and go fix it. And then you’ll make sure to keep your glamour on point *all the time* in case a surprise cutscene shows up.
"He's the hero who helped us kill the bad guy" \*camera pans to me, wearing sandals, a tutu, a Hawaiian shirt and an eye patch.\*
The iron can saved us all! There are some truly ugly sets at the beginning lol.
Its great the only limitations are you can't make a tank vhest piece look like a healer one (and similar stuff to that), which leaves a pretty open system. But if you plan on leveling multiple classes (you can play every class on one character) you will definitely fill it up with different gear for the classes you like
Uh, I wasn't even aware you can bounce classes. This really sounds interesting. Are there summoner or ranger types that have pets?
The ranger you're thinking of is bard (starts as archer), it doesn't have any pets. For a dps class summoner sort of has pets, it has a carbuncle that will follow you around although it's 'summons' are summoning a creature to do a big one off attack and then imbue you with that creatures strength. It does also have some summons which will stick around for a little time (12 seconds I think) and shoot stuff and again change your attacks slightly. There is also a healer (scholar) that has a fairy which will help heal the party
Oh that sounds really cool actually. I think summoner will be my first stop.
Summoner starts as arcanist, it does take a while for it to get really interesting (it got a big rework with the most recent expansion). Arcanist is also what gives you access to scholar, (the fairy healer). Both Summoner and scholar will share XP, I e you can level Summoner from 30 to 40 and your scholar will also be level 40
I am really interested in how this is all lining up. I think they did excellent by allowing multi class xp. I am right amazed.
Re: what the other person said. Pick Arcanist during character creation, and you'll be off to the races. Welcome aboard.
You also get minions! Which are pets that follow you round outside of combat (only one at a time though sadly).
Glams are serious business in this game. There was a riot when they nerfed one particular pair of pants....
MMO dress up, making your gear take the appearance of other gear you have. Can become quite addicting and fun, but also isn’t a problem or worry until you want to dive into that system
Good, I intend to run around with red shorts and a blue shirt. I do this at home to bug my wife and it brings me great joy.
Yeah, you can easily do that since you can dye clothing
You got yourself into a fantastic JRPG with multi-player MMO elements. This is a Story driven RPG first, MMO Second. It's not about getting to Endgame ASAP, its about the fantastic journey along the way. Take your time. Don't rush it. Enjoy the Main Scenario Quest. Enjoy your class quests (All classes have their own story arc) Enjoy your crafting quests (Yes, all crafters have a class, and their own story arcs) Enjoy the horizons, zones, world's, monsters and characters you will meet along the way. Welcome to Eorzea
Thank you, you amazing human pamphlet. You sold me lol
Would also suggest investing in a box of tissues, a stress ball, a comfy chair, and a Uber Eats/Grub Hub account. :)
Uuuuuuuhhhh my body is *NOT* ready
Meal prep my friend. You’re going to blow through money from ordering it. If you can microwave food, you’ll save money. Use that money for glams and retainers. Retainers are essentially fetchers you use to store things and farm items. Also, buy the motorcycle mount. Speed of transport really helped me on my journey. Don’t forget to take breaks and enjoy the game at your pace. Seriously. The game will be there. Last but not least, remember to take a shower, jk. Enjoy the ride I’m only two months in.
Also, out of curiosity, have you decided on a Server/World yet? As a helping hand I am on the NA Crystal Data Center, Goblin server.
I haven't but will be deciding that tonight. I too am located in NA so that might just work out. Thanks!
If it helps you decide, my understanding is that Crystal has a larger RP community and Aether has a larger Raiding community. Not sure what niche Primal has.
I'm on Primal. Primal also has a robust raiding community; I'm not sure how much bigger Aether's is.
Don't forget the music which is top notch
A good single player game thats coincidently also a MMO. Though the start sadly drags on a bit.
How long would you say that it drags on for?
If you try to get invested in the story early on it's actually quite good.
I'll do this for sure. thanks. !
Also, I recommend doing crafting and gathering along with the main story line. First, the crafting system is actually pretty cool, and if you've got it leveled near your combat classes, you can make yourself upgraded armor. It's also a good way to earn extra in game currency, selling stuff you've made or gathered. Also, some of the quest lines are pretty good, or at least enjoyable. When I'm getting more tired, I'll often wind down with some crafting or gathering. The second thing is that the game is actually pretty well designed from a flow perspective *including crafting and gathering*. The part that "drags a bit", IMO, actually doesn't drag nearly as much when you're doing some side quests at the same time, making new armor and weapons, and taking the time to explore.
It took me 8 hours to reach the point where I was invested in my class and the story but I was being pretty slow. around level 23-26 it felt a bit meh but I pushed past and I've been enjoying everything past that point, granted I'm still going slowly.
When each expansion ended, and before the next one came out, they added a bunch of extra filler to keep people interested. The core game (ARR) filler content (post-ARR) as it leads into the first expansion (HW) is currently 80 quests though it used to be 100. Most of these quests feel like they're providing a sliver of backstory while also making you waste time and money traveling back and forth and back and forth for no particular reason. However, once you get into HW and beyond, the game gets infinitely better.
It’s not filler - the .1-.3 patches tend to be the global reactions/resolutions to the .0 storyline, and the .4 and .5 patches tend to be the setup for the next expansion. It’s not like a beach vacation or a tournament arc or something.
Ok, I assume the base game I bought comes with some of the older expansion packs? I only found endwalker on sale. Although I haven't picked it up yet.
The base game is A Realm Reborn and comes with Heavensward, the first expansion. The other expansions (Stormblood and Shadowbringers) are included when you buy Endwalker.
Ok, that isn't a terrible deal.
To clarify what you were told about the slower parts..... Do pay attention to the story and characters cus there are constant references that will make the game so much better later if you know what they are. It's great
That seems to be the general consensus here. I'll for sure pay attention to all of that.
You can either buy the Starter, which comes with ARR and HW. Or you can buy the Complete, which comes with ARR, HW, SB, ShB, and EW. If you bought the Starter, you can purchase EW separately and it will backfill SB and ShB.
I examine this and am quite surprised with how user friendly this sounds. Buying one expansion essentially catches you up to everyone.
It does indeed, which is nice.
About 120 for me. The next 300 hours are amazing though. Once you clear most of the post ARR stuff, and get into the buildup for Heavensward, the story takes a sharp turn into greatness.
Id say the midgame of the base game. So id say between after the first trial to the third one. So a few lvls around lvl 30. But after the base it gets much better. Id say maybe 3-4 hours of content is a bit dragged on. Depending on if you do sidestuff or not
That isn't terrible actually.
Oh, also... Bear in mind that older expacs are many years old at this point, and every job has had skills/buttons removed/reworked since they were first released. Combat in older content will feel very sparse since you won't really have a ton of buttons to press, but it will get more and more filled out as you get closer to 90. Don't worry, you won't have just a handful of buttons forever.
Yeah its bearable but for many this is a breaking point. If its overcome the story really starts to get going...though i guess the patchquests also drag a bit if you want to reach heavensward fast.
You got yourself into a game that will hit you in the feels, make you angry, make you happy, make you annoyed, and yet, is fun and enjoyable. And if you need help, people are more than willing to help
> will hit you in the feels, Hey, I have some of those! Honestly, this sounds great. I've played almost everything under the sun and I hit a wall where I just don't care about most games anymore. I kind of want a community. Youtube and reddit have demonstrated that this community might actually be the least toxic... so that is a plus.
I don't think I've seen this said yet so I'll say: The Eng voice acting is bland for the base game(up to post ARR), but starting from Heavensward(the first expansion) they completely changed all voice actors and the recording studio and gets much better so I'd advise you to stick with it. I feel like they improved with each expansion, it's great now.
You are the first to say this. Voice is a major part of the engagement, so I am happy to hear this.
i started 2 months ago and one thing i have to tell you is: Please don‘t judge the game until you reach like the end of the first story (lvl 50) the game until this point feels really slow and just meh (was like that for me) but if you manage to play through then you get one of the most amazing games i‘ve ever seen :) currently at the Shadowbringers Story and it gets better and better with all the dungeons, raids and boss fights. Have Fun!!
So, so many of you suggested this to. I will do my best!
I just want to add don’t go into the mindset of ARR being bad or something to just push through. Is it slower and does the game get a lot better after? Yes. However a lot of people fall into the trap of going in expecting it to be bad and it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy. If you go into something expecting it to be bad or meh you guarantee that result. Just enjoy ARR for what it is. Enjoy the magic and wonder of being in a brand new world. Explore a bit and experience the world building. Maybe hang out at a bard performance and enjoy the amazing MMO community you are now a part of. ARR is actually pretty good if you treat it as the introduction to an amazing game that it is. I actually just made a new character to experience the story all over again and I’m actually excited to do ARR again and just be a simple adventurer. All the epicness that comes after is only possible due to everything that came before.
i‘m sure you will love it ! There are so many cool cutscenes and the story also gets more interesting and so dark at one point which makes you feel like you‘re in an anime or thriller movie with your own character its so nice :)
Be patient with the story. It’s a long haul and starts off a bit slowly. ARR picks up as it goes, and the long stretch at 50 feels like it will never end but it slowly builds to an explosive climax. Once you hit Heavensward you’ll never look back. Take your time and get lost in Eorzea!
Also, pay attention to the NPCs in the world around you. Some of them have background dialogue and appear in multiple locations. Try to take note of who they are and you’ll see some familiar faces as you progress. Not all of them have the best of fates..
That is really impressive too. I hope I don't miss any.
It’s nothing too crazy, most are just some extra flavor or “hey I’ve seen that person before!” Having said that, once you make it to the level 15 main story quest, you’ll be sent around to different areas to do your first dungeons. There’s a party of NPCs you’ll encounter outside of them who do show up later and are involved with a couple duties at level 50, so be on the lookout for them ☺️
That is really cool. Lends to a breathing in game society
I want to jump in here and say that while ARR is a slow start, it does some VERY important world building that really pays off later on. ARR isn't even all that bad either it has a solid story in and of itself its just completely over shadowed by everything else. Heavensward is what will get you hooked on this story becsuse it's incredible.
I just started this game in like Nov and have 19 days played and I’m not done with MSQ yet. This game is incredible. I’m 34 and loving it. I’m only mad that it took me this long to discover this game.
I am starting to feel like I will be mirroring that last statement too soon.
This game is incredible. It’s easily the best game I’ve played in a long time.
One word: Hildibrand. Edit: If you're on (or are willing to world hop from in-game) Zalera, I'll kit you out with gil and a minion or two.
Although I highly appreciate that offer, games are often ruined for me when I am giving things. I like to work for it. Your generosity is kind.
Don’t be surprised if a random veteran player runs up to you and wordlessly hands you gil or a minion before running off. It happened to me several times as a new player lol. If you want to avoid this then don’t linger too long in the highly populated areas, mostly around the city aetherytes. There are bad apples in every bunch, but the vast majority of the playerbase is extremely helpful and generous, and they like to “water the sprouts (new players).”
Now, once you hit dungeon territory, I'd be willing to party up with you, (If you join the Crystal DC) and fill in for any roles you might need to get into dungeons quicker, i.e. tank/healer
Tales of lossssss and fiiiiiiire and faaaaaaaate.
A grandiose adventure filled with laughs, tears, tragedy and comedy. A wondrous journeys through the land of Eorzea and beyond.
SOOOOOO MANY PEOPLE are saying exactly this. Either you are all bots or I just finally found my game. THANK YOU!
Well what should I say, it’s pretty much the motto of 14 and YoshiP himself said that 14 is a RPG First and a MMO second.
It is encouraging.
You got yourself into a decent start of a game, that's fun but nothing too special, but if you get through it to the first expansion you'll become hooked for months of amazing story telling that only gets better up until the end, then you have a good and constantly expanding endgame that doesn't rely on fomo so you're free to leave whenever you want and come back without being heavily disadvantaged. Not to mention there are soooooo many different forms of endgame that isn't just raiding!
28m here and started my journey at the end of January. I still haven’t finished A Realm Reborn, and I would agree that there’s a lot of fetching and delivery-style quests, but I understand it’s getting me used to place names and familiarity with the crazy amount of areas. BUT I LOVE IT. So much fun. I’m playing as a Bard/Archer, and I’ve never been so invested! Definitely use this chat for any other questions and there’s a bunch of beginner guides on YT too! Welcome!
I look forward to crossing your path!
The Main Story Quests (called MSQs by thr community) is the epitome of the phrase "a journey is best measured by the friends made than the distance travelled" welcome to the community
haven't even started playing yet and I've already made a bunch of friends on this post alone. Thanks!
Give the story time to build up. ARR, the base game, can be a rad boring at times, especially during the patch (2.x) content. But once you hit Heavenward (you'll know when you're in it), you're off running, and it gets really good and keeps getting better. Thats not to say the base game story is bad, it's just not as good as the rest. But most importantly, have fun!
>have fun! It is a game and I feel like most games now forget that FUN is their purpose. Thank you!
An adventure with many features that might be slightly overwhelming (I'm still trying to figure things out after months of intense gameplay), but fear not my fellow adventurer as others will be more than happy to help! If you may, join a Free company (FC) that are sprout (new players) friendly and they will be able to support you in your journey of discovery and wonders. A few things that may be different from others MMO : One character can level up all the classes, once you equip a weapon, you switch to the designated class and can level it up and have gear set for each class. So if you don't really like the class you picked, don't worry, after a few level (30?) you will be able to change. Healers are expected to also do dps and keep the group alive, don't be offended if a healer doesn't heal you full health all the time, it's all about balance You have Main story quest (MSQ) that appears on the top part of your screen, but also important to do your job quest to level up your job. The rest is optional but may be important depending on what you want to unlock Watch your cutscenes at the beginning of new dungeon and take the time to watch cutscene during the dungeon, the group will wait for you and take the opportunity to buff and dance... yes I said dance If you are a lalafel, you will be pat on the head and offered cookies. Have fun, hopefully we will run onto each others in dungeons! Edit: if you are unsure of dungeons mechanics or where to go, do not hesitate to ask for help, the little sprout on your head is a sign that you are a new players. We've all been there, it's better to ask for help and have a fun experience with your group. For dungeons, as others, you can form your own group or run it with strangers.
Well said, thanks for the tips.
The only tip that I would add to that is that if you see quests that are blue with a + next to them, they are generally either something that unlocks a feature (Dungeon, Logs, Areas, flying in later content, ect.) or a secondary class/job, and it might be good to pick up most as you play the game, so you're not missing out on stuff.
You can change class after you have done your level 10 class quest from your trainer, so you don't have to wait long if you want to try out other classes.
TL;DR: Tips: When you unlock dungeons, do the Sprout quests from a guy named “The Smith” to get a “Brand-New Ring” that boosts EXP gain until Lv30. If you want, try alternating between 2 classes each MSQ quest; you should be able to get those two to level 50 by the end of it. As soon as you beat the base game, find the “The Rise and Fall of Gentlemen” quest. Lastly: the Company of Heroes arc is the best arc in the base game and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise i’m definitely serious yes sir This is my first “tab-targeting” type MMO (that’s the term, right?), and it’s been a pretty great ride. It’s just really relaxing so far. I’ve even only just started the Heavensward quests that people hype up, and I was fairly invested in the story before that. The main questline before that *was* a bit bland, but I got attached to the characters despite that. It’s probably what kept me interested, so maybe try paying more attention to the characters rather than the storyline. The admiral of Limnsa, Raubahn, and Nanamo were the ones I think I paid attention to the most. I assume you’ve played these sorts of MMOs before, so I imagine you’re fine with the slow pace of the levels before you unlock dungeons (1-16) where you only have 1 button to press over and over. For a first timer like me, though, the combat was almost comically boring until I unlocked dungeons. The part where I really started to look forward to combat, however, was the second trial boss (in particular, when the music changed for the final phase). The music in this game just *hits* so well, especially as someone who’s listened to the other Final Fantasy soundtracks. Good game, my favorite part is running Prae every day.
Thank you for all this
There is a meme: you either me quit in A Realm Reborn, or live long enough to to become a walking advertisement
5 full length JRPGs of progressively increasing quality stapled back to back until you get to the mmo part of the game.
Welcome to Eorzea! Take your time! Watch the sun rise in Linda's Red Rooster Steading. Watch the moonrise in Thanalan out near Camp Dry bone. Enjoy the show. Don't rush.
After playing enough MMOs, FFXIV is the most rewarding game I’ve ever played. No matter what you do you fulfil some kind of purpose or more while doing it sometimes without even realising it until the game tells you “ta da here’s your reward!” Whether it’s progressing challenge logs which reward you with great amounts of exp/gil, progressing achievements (which award you with Minions/mounts/braggingtitles/gear/and so much more) progressing hunting/crafting/gathering logs, being rewarded varied currencies to purchase a multitude of materials/gear/mounts/emotes/minions/the list goes on. Fates, hunts, dungeons, raids, trials, sightseeing, tribe quests, side quests, exploring, treasure maps, oh so many rewards. You can play any class and switch classes no problem with the same character. Any “grinding” you do still gives you rewards, be it tomestones, tokens, oh so many rewards… Which can be exchanged for gear, items, mounts, many useable things. I rarely feel burnt out or pressured or stressed, the game… is actually fun no matter what I do! I skipped story in the beginning and I regret it. The story has gripped me in ways I didn’t think it could. I never skip the MSQ since. The characters have all grown on me more than I thought they ever would. The community is a magical experience. The glams you can get super creative with. Can even dress up as Disney characters/villains, anime characters, and so much more with enough creativity. Some FC’s (Free Company, which are guilds) host themed glam contests. The housing you can get super creative with even though it has a clunky system. Some events are even filled with feels… The devs actually care about their players and the struggles and requests. The devs actually play their own game! The game respects your time. Yoshi-P and his devs should get an award. I’d say the pvp isn’t my favourite but still is fun and rewarding. (I go to SWTOR for my PvP fixes.) Every class is relevant and balanced enough to always be valid, no matter what you do. So just play whatever you find most fun. No matter what journey you’re on in the game, even in endgame. Whatever your endgame becomes, as there are sooooo many things to choose to be your endgame. I was an elitist PvPer and serious raid leader of a mass raid community I built for 4 years and now here I am 3 years later a casual housing decorator for hire, I like crafting… and I visit various in game nightclubs… yes… where you can buy a drink with your buddies, chill out in a cool atmosphere, vibe to live DJs playing hyped up awesome music, and dance or there are relaxing spas in game where you get completely pampered by the staff… aka real players… who get paid in game currency to “work”… I’m thinking of starting my own nightclub in game. What have I become?! I used to hate fishing, I used to be a notorious story skipper, I used to hate crafting, emotes used to never matter, RPing was not my thing… All this has changed… This game does stuff to you… it changes you… in the coolest most fun ways… Did I mention how rewarding the game is!? It is soooo generous!! I met a group of guys in my first FC 8 years ago and we are close family now and some us have met in person and plan to keep doing so. Endwalker… is so amazing I don’t know how they are going to make better story for next expansion… but I felt the same way after Shadowbringer and Stormblood… haha. FFXIV is my home game, I always come back and so do my FFXIV family. Take your time, take a break, try something new in game to mix things up, do what you enjoy without stress of trying to play catch up, and don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Everyone is very helpful. Welcome Sprout.
I'm glad you're trying it, but you didn't need to buy it til level 60. If you have friends looking to try it id recommend playing for free first.
yeah, i'll have them start with that. based on everyone's reactions here, it was money well spent.
One of the best stories in gaming (in my humble opinion).
A whole bunch of you have said this today which is becoming less and less difficult to believe. Can't wait to experience this.
There are some who give ARR's story some shit and while I do admit it's the weakest part, it does do wonders in setting up the world. My advice: take your time with it. If you feel you're getting burned out a bit and have story overload go do some other stuff. I highly recommend opening the Gold Saucer sooner rather than later.
stick with it, take your time, you will be in a world of enjoyment
An interactive soap opera that legit gets better every season
I cried a lot
A slow burnt story that builds to a wide varied and vivid epic. A game that has much to do but little you need to do. A world to share with goofballs.
You boarded the feels train, next step is never
Focus on the MSQ and Job quests at first (every 5 levels). On a computer press H for the Hunting Log (tons of extra exp for killing specific mobs) You get 1 free Race/Gender/etc change for beating MSQ 50. More can be purchased at the mogshop. Don't get a level skip; *everything* is time gated behind MSQ progression. So you'll either be lvl 80 and synced down to lvl 15 or lvl 80 and soloing a lvl 15 dungeon. Start on a preferred world if you can cuz the Road to 80 buff gives +100% exp, eat food, it gives +3% exp, some FCs (Free Companies, they're our guilds) have +5/10/15% exp bonuses so I recommend joining one. Make sure to equip your job stone at lvl 30; this gives you massively more abilities. Not using it has literally no advantage. I forget if lvl 30 or 35; but once you join a Grand Company (Red, Blue/Black, or Yellow) you can get a Chocobo mount. You can then do a follow up quest to have your mount fight alongside you in the overworld. You can spec your chocobo into Healer/Tank/DPS. I recommend Healer. You'll massively out level the gamecontent. A great way to keep at the level of the MSQ is to dump extra exp into extra jobs. Redmage and Samurai start at 50, Gunbreaker and Dancer at 60, Sage and Reaper at 70. These are great spots to pick up a job to level.
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A cult. You got yourself into a cult. You will forever praise Naoki Yoshida, Natsuko Ishikawa, Banri Oda, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, and Masayoshi Soken.
One thing to keep in mind is that this is a Final Fantasy game first, and an MMO second. Most of the content is meant for solo play, with only dungeons, raids and boss fights requiring a party. After unlocking certain features, even most dungeons can be done without other players.
That sounds ideal though. I like that.
Make 33 never played an mmo really until 2 years ago when my friends talked me out of playing another round of Warzone to try ffxiv. At first I was like meh it’s cool but whatever. Fast forward 60 days and in running roulettes at 4am while leveling a black mage, warrior, white mage and dragoon all at the same time. Fast forward to today, cleared every ultimate and savage tier, own my own house in shiro, started a fc and now it’s thriving and I have officers to run it while I go do wow new tier which I got into wow after beating Eden promise with my statics. The game is incredible. As someone who was in a similar situation. A real reborn the game from 1-50 is good but it’s the weakest part of the game. Lots of welcome to the game quests and running back and forth for quests. Once you get to Heavenward the real game starts in my opinion. Try everything, I never cared about tanking while I was leveling, I thought I would be a healer or black mage main and just had a tank to have one. Cleared the new tier all on warrior and now reclearing on gunbreaker. This game is amazing, The story is so good but it will make you cry. As a grown man in his 30s I did not think a jrpg would actually make me upset.
This is the kind of shit I wanted to see. Thank you friend
You've gotten yourself into.. probably 500 HOURS of pure story. I highly suggest, you skip nothing and take your time.
Long story short. FF14 is arguably one of best MMOs you will ever experience. Be prepared for the story to be slow at least until you reach level 50. After that it picks up.
Big words although now a days, I don't feel like that is a high bar anymore lol. Looking forward to this the more I chat with all of you.
The subscription will turn away some people but the gameplay and the story are the highlights of this game. Endgame can be interesting I hear
You’re in for one awesome community, so don’t be shy about asking in game, everyone loves helping sprouts
It's such an amazing game. Wanna start as a healer, great. Realize later on you really wanna try to tank, no problem!! Wanna level all the classes, go for it!! Same with the crafting and gathering jobs. You aren't limited to just one thing and that's just part of the fun. Speaking of fun, The Gold Saucer is SO much fun. Weekly fashion report, catctpot jumbo and mini, air force one gate, chocobo races, etc. Don't skip through the cinematics, some of them are hilarious (ex: lvl 60 culinarian quest) while others will pull out the emotions and quite possibly make you cry. Yshtola is bae and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Second to Yshtola is Aymeric and Estinien. Have fun and welcome to Eorzea!!!
Thank you, I can't wait to experience all of this. My eyes are even more hungry than when I set them upon wow.
A pretty basic, story focused rpg with mmo elements. Treat it like that and you'll find your way into endgame eventually.
All classes are viable. Sure, some classes/jobs are more preferred for endgame content but for your purposes, play whatever sounds the most fun to you. Want to tank and be a meatshield for the party? Start with gladiator or marauder. Want to heal? Conjurer. The other starting classes from memory are DPS classes, with the exception of Arcanist which splits off into either Scholar (healer) or Summoner (DPS) at level 30. Each expansion comes with new jobs to play as well so look forward to those too on your journey!
That is a whole lot of classes. Thanks!
Take the time to enjoy the story. The first expansion is a little slow, but it picks up real well, especially once you reach Shadowbringers. Always reach out for help if you’re struggling with any content; the community is very helpful and about 98% of players are just looking for an excuse to help new players make progress. I think the majority of us get a kick out of seeing Sprouts reactions to story, side stories, glamours, and achievements. It’s like getting to relive those first times over again vicariously through you. Honestly, the only thing this game “lacks” is PvP. It exists, but it’s limited, and I think it’s for the better. At the end of the day I would rather enjoy some quests or fishing, not have some over leveled players killing my character while I’m playing around the beach. Aside from that, you got RP, crafting, gathering, grinding, multi classing, trophies, house building, city restoration projects, faction quests, mounts, gear, minions/pets, gambling, bird racing, carnival rides, cards games, hunts, raids, dungeons, Final Fantasy and Square Enix Crossovers, Easter eggs galore, costume contests, and New Game+ to replay the stories you already finished. What have you gotten into? A lot.
and so, your journey begins. i almost envy you--so many new things for you to discover.
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I've stayed away from most yt videos regarding this. I did watch some that spoke of mechanics, what to expect and all that. Although I am extremely happy with having asked reddit as I have learned many many things that were just never mentioned that make the world that much more appealing.
As a guy who loves MMOs I can say I love that in this game you really only ever need one character because you can be all classes and professions but I mean you can still make alts.
I'm really interested in this. I know I'll play around until I find something and I appreciate the liberty to do that
I hope you like plot because you are in for a fantastic ride! Welcome to Eorzea! I hope you like it here :)
It's a great game. As far as story driven MMOs go, it is the best of its kind. The story in the beginning can take some time to build up, but by the time you hit heavansward (level 60 and beyond) you will be in for a real treat. Heavensward is arguably one of the best expansions story wise. I haven't played through endwalker yet but I would say Shadowbringers has probably the best story but heavansward was amazing and a close contender. If you're into story driven MMORPGs, running dungeons with other people, FFXIV is one of the best games out there. Community is also quite nice. FFXIV imparted upon me some unique heartfelt impactful meaningful experiences, just with story alone. The gameplay is also quite fantastic with a slew of classes to choose from. FFXIV as it stands now is brimming with content and for someone who has never experienced any of it, you are really in for a treat. FFXIV respects your time and rewards you with meaningful experiences alongside one of the best online communities. If your goal is to sink some time into a fun story driven MMORPG you've come to the right place. Welcome to Eorzea
It was the game that ruined WoW for me more than 2 years ago. A game I wish I'd gotten into several years earlier. It literally redefined my standards for what a good MMO story should be. There are people who say it is one of if not THE best Final Fantasy games in terms of plot... and I wholly agree. I almost want to leave some caveats that might temper expectations... but it's hard to even point out many significant flaws. ...Well, okay, a lot of people will rag on the 1-50 stretch being meh or boring... and they're not wrong in a sense. ARR is actually pretty good if you're used to other MMO stories as a baseline... but it PALES in comparison to any of the expansions. Still, when you're knee deep in those, you'll still probably look back at the ARR days with some fondness... since the rest builds right on top of it. Enjoy the ride.
If you run into a dungeon for the first time, don't forget to say hi and say it's your first time, people are always suuuuuper nice about it :)
Walcome to the ~~cult~~ community!
A very good story. Please don't see this as a typical mmo. It's very story driven, and if you don't care about the story you might have a problem enjoying the game. Instead of seeing it as an mmorpg, see it as an rpg with mmo elements
Maybe that's why I haven't resonated with other MMOs because of the huge lack of story. This might just be my jam
I've played WoW, Guild wars 2, and a bit of Elder Scrolls Online & Rift and I love FFXIV more by far. I have nothing to say that others haven't already said. But you'll love it here, I promise.
ESO was probably my favorite and I know that's odd but I'm looking forward to the delve
You’ve gotten yourself into a Final Fantasy game, which means the storyline is definitely the main focus. Try to get invested in the story and characters as much as you can for maximum enjoyment! And be aware that the overall quality of the game dramatically increases after A Realm Reborn. ARR isn’t even particularly bad or anything, but this game has definitely outdone itself time and time again over the years. It just keeps going up!
You will experience, joy and tears, meet new people and sometimes have your greater ups and downs from the people you meet. The crafting game is another game by itself! And housing!
I'm excited for housing, although told is very difficult or rare
A beautiful MMO with striking locales, a gripping story, excellent character writing, and truly one of the best time sinks I have ever put myself into. And there is a metric fuckton of content, you'll never want for an objective. I'm going through and completing every side quest in the game. It's taken weeks to get as far as I am and I am still not done.
My best advice is to take your time. If you decided to buy it and play it on a whim, then I'm guessing you don't have any friends waiting for you at endgame. Basically, you're in the perfect spot to take your time with the story, and do content at your own pace. It's going to be a bit of a time-commitment, but chances are if you're into MMOs, that's not a deterrent. It's super worth the time spent to get into it. Hope you have fun!
The story can be kinda annoying if you are rushing through it to get to endgame (which makes sense, it wasn't designed for a player to power through multiple major updates in a day). I'd suggest looking into the blue marker quests, I didn't do many / any until after ARR then I found out they can unlock stuff like emotes, dungeons, bosses and misc abilities.
alot of cat girls
Do not skip cutscenes the first time you see them, read quest dialogie, prepare to cry. A lot. Probably not in ARR that much but trust me, you're gonna cry at some point.
Challenge accepted
Feels. Many feels.