Final Fantasy XIV is one of the few remaining subscription-based online role-playing games. If you wanted to play for free, you had to settle for a limited-time trial version. This limit has now been lifted.
Final Fantasy 14 is one of the few online role-playing games that has managed to survive alongside World of Warcraft with a subscription model. Nearly all other theme park MMORPGs have now become Free2Play or Buy2Play, but Final Fantasy 14 remains resilient in the subscription business thanks to many paying customers.
If you still wanted to try the Japanese MMORPG for free, you had to make do with a severely limited trial version that expired after 14 days.
Final Fantasy 14 – Unlimited free play?
This annoying limit has now been lifted. From now on, you can roam around Eorzea with your trial version for as long as you like, and the 90-day period in which you had to register a full version to keep your progress from the demo has been abolished. No matter when you purchase a full version, your achievements from the trial version are now guaranteed to also be in the regular version.
So is Final Fantasy 14 now Free2Play? Not at all, because just like in World of Warcraft, the trial version still has limits.
For example, you cannot level above 35 and thus never reach the endgame. Also unfortunate: Your maximum amount of GIL (the in-game currency in FF14) is also limited. To prevent this feature from being exploited by bots and spammers, you cannot shout, use trade channels, send mails, create groups, or start guilds.
FF14 – Trial Version – Ideal for Casual Testing
Over time, the “Free2Play-FF14” should not be much fun, but it should be sufficient for an extensive trial period.
Also cool: If you have a subscription, you can maximize your gaming fun and unlock special items like Chocobo feathers and emotes via the linked “Invite a Friend” campaign as soon as you can convince a friend to subscribe.
Final Fantasy XIV – Download here
These changes will take effect with today’s Patch 3.56. To register and download Final Fantasy XIV in the trial version on the official site, click here.
Also interesting: Final Fantasy 14 – Those who have a subscription to FF14 can prepare for the Stormblood add-on
