How is Final Fantasy XIV doing in 2023? How to best get started? And what does the game with subscription requirements even offer? We at MeinMMO answer these questions in this article.
The success story of Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most exciting in the gaming industry. From the once unplayable mess known as version 1.0, it became a solid MMORPG after the reboot, which has only gotten better over time and now spans 4 major expansions.
The last expansion Endwalker launched on December 7, 2021, and was overwhelmed by players at release, forcing Square Enix to temporarily halt sales of the MMORPG.
Almost 10 years after release, Final Fantasy XIV is still in top shape and worth a look for both veterans and newcomers. Therefore, it is a perfect candidate for “Find Your Next Game.”
What is Final Fantasy XIV?
This is how the gameplay works: If you own all expansions, you have the choice of 8 races and 19 different classes in FFXIV, which will be familiar to veterans of the FF series. For example, you can become a Ninja like Shadow from FFVI or a Black Mage like Lulu from FFX. With the release of the Endwalker expansion, two new jobs were also introduced: the Reaper and the Sage.
Classes in Final Fantasy XIV are called jobs. Outside of combat or most instances, you can freely switch between them. You just need to equip the right weapon. This automatically changes your stats and abilities that you can use in combat.
FFXIV also uses the so-called tab-targeting system. This means that you have the enemy firmly targeted in battle and do not need to aim with your abilities, as you would in action combat systems. The maximum level has been raised to 90 with Endwalker.
This is the content available: FFXIV is a classic theme park MMORPG and does not reinvent the wheel. It offers:
- Raids and dungeons for groups of 4, 8, or 24 players
- Story content told through many main and side quests
- A detailed crafting system
- The Gold Saucer casino with mini-games like Triple Triad, Mahjong, or Chocobo racing
- PvP with various modes for small arena fights and large battles
- Creative activities like a photo mode or composing music as a bard
- Housing with countless furniture
This content is regularly updated with new additions, which go online approximately every 4 months at no additional cost.
How is FFXIV financed? The business model of FFXIV is pay-to-play. This means that you need to purchase the game and the expansions. If you want to play longer than one month, you need to subscribe, which costs 10.99 € or 12.99 € per month.
In addition, there is a cash shop selling many cosmetic items, including mounts, companions, outfits, or music.
The only exceptions are “Jump Potions” and retainers. These items level up your characters to level 70 and allow you to skip the long story of FFXIV.
- The level-up potions cost €21.75 for one class to level 80.
- The story skips cost between €9.75 and €21.75, depending on how many expansions you wish to skip.
The retainers give you more inventory space to store your items. There are 2 retainers available for free from the game, and each additional one costs €1.40.
How to get into Final Fantasy XIV after 8 years?
It can often be intimidating for new players to enter an MMORPG that has been on the market for many years. But do not be discouraged by this.
This is how FFXIV eases your entry: The MMORPG is designed to make it as easy as possible for new players to get started. The difficulty level at the beginning is very low and you can explore the game at your own pace. The game allows you to play at your own pace, and no one forces you to hurry to reach the endgame.
- The tutorial system will show you an explanatory text for every new mechanic and feature.
- The main scenario quests are the red thread that guides you through all the areas of the game and tells the story of FFXIV. These quests are mandatory.
- The beginner arena teaches you the basics of combat while providing you with good gear for your first dungeon run.
- In the Novice Chat, you can ask your questions to experienced mentor players, and they will (almost) always respond kindly. The chat is multilingual, so you do not have to write in English.
- The guild master NPCs explain the basics of your classes.
- You also get a green sprout icon in the game, which marks you as a newcomer. This way, other players can easily recognize that you might need explanations of mechanics in a dungeon.
In general, the community of Final Fantasy XIV is considered helpful. Therefore, it is advisable to seek connections in forums and on social media so that you immediately have someone you can turn to with questions from the beginning.
There is a free trial version: If you don’t want to spend money at first, you can try the free version, which is available for PC, Steam, Mac, PS4, and PS5. This was massively expanded in 2020 and now includes the complete base game “A Realm Reborn” and the first expansion “Heavensward.
The maximum level of the trial version is 60 of 90. You play alongside normal players on the same servers and have access to all the content that the base game and Heavensward have to offer. You can take your time with the large amount of content, as there is no time limit for the trial version.
However, there are other restrictions. For example, you cannot join guilds, sell items at the marketplace, or privately whisper other players. You can find all information regarding the content here:
Is it possible to catch up with the veterans? One of the concerns new players have is that in old MMORPGs there is hardly a chance to catch up with veteran players. This is not the case with FFXIV.
You can play the game at your own pace. The old content at low levels is kept current through daily bonuses and is still frequently utilized by experienced players. So you will not find yourself in a situation where no one can be found for a story or leveling dungeon for days. Usually, the queues for such content rarely last longer than 20-30 minutes.
Additionally, a “catch-up system” ensures that you can upgrade your gear quickly and easily:
- After completing certain milestones such as story or job quests, you receive crates with solid gear for the respective level
- The in-game currency of Allagan stones can be easily farmed in dungeons and through dailies and exchanged for strong armor
- While the strongest gear comes from hard raids, non-raiders will have the option to upgrade their gear a few months later without epic raids, thus not falling too far behind.
If you want to dive straight into the endgame as quickly as possible, FFXIV offers the option of “Jump Potions.” They allow you to instantly bring a desired class to level 80 and skip all mandatory quests. However, they cost extra money, as previously mentioned.
Who is FFXIV interesting for?
If you have decided to play FFXIV for a longer time, a wide range of content awaits you. There are content for hardcore players who enjoy raids, as well as for those who prefer to take it easy and casual.
Japanese Style: FFXIV is a Japanese MMORPG, and you can see that at first glance. The stylized graphics are cleaner and more colorful compared to Western games like WoW or Elder Scrolls and provide an aesthetic typical for many Japanese games.
Playable races include, for example, people with cat ears and tails or with bunny ears. So if you think this type of look is cool, then you will find it in FFXIV. Fans of orcs and undead may be disappointed.
Lots of Story: Fans of long stories that keep getting expanded will feel at home in Final Fantasy XIV. You start small and work your way up to conflicts of gigantic proportions, as typical in J-RPGs or games with deep stories like Dragon Age.
The story offers you everything from political intrigue and betrayal to the deaths of beloved NPCs, to epic battles for your life. But most importantly, it raises moral questions that are very much in line with the tradition of the Final Fantasy games.
- Must children and grandchildren bear the heavy guilt of their fathers?
- Can a person’s cruel and tragic past justify their crimes?
- Does the end justify the means?
The story of FFXIV stands on par with the beloved classics of the series and other J-RPGs known for their engaging stories.
Beginner-Friendly for MMORPG Newbies: Even if you are completely new to the MMORPG genre, you should give FFXIV a chance. The learning curve is very low and well-suited for newcomers, as it is almost impossible to get lost.
You don’t need to read a lot of guides on builds or skill trees for the jobs at the beginning; you can directly start with whichever one seems fun to you. In the meta of FFXIV, no job is completely useless, and you will not be kicked out of a group because you have the “wrong” job.
So if you want to try out the genre as a MMORPG newcomer, then Final Fantasy XIV is a good option. For veterans who already know all the tricks, the entry might feel sluggish and less exciting.
Little PvP: There is not even an open-world PvP with the consent of the participating players, and according to the director’s statement, it will never come. PvP battles are held in arenas and instances.
While there are several different modes, such as large-scale battles or Rival Wings, which is reminiscent of a MOBA, they have failed to establish themselves. The wait times for a match can therefore become quite long.
If PvP in an MMORPG is unimportant to you and you prefer to focus on PvE content, then FFXIV is just right for you. PvP fans, on the other hand, will not really be happy with the game.
Creative Activities: For the creative minds who do not want to just follow the given content, FFXIV offers a photo mode and composition.
In the photo mode called /gpose, players can take enhanced screenshots and receive various filters and overlays from the game. You can capture your character in a cool pose or immortalize a beautiful sunset.
The developers are continuously expanding this mode by adding new features and filters. You can now also go into dungeons alone and execute various skills, including the fantastic level 3 limit breaks, which can then be captured in cool screenshots.
The composition is aimed at music fans. As bards, you can call up a menu in FFXIV where you can play notes on various instruments. Really skilled players form groups and hold elaborate concerts.
This feature is also continuously being expanded by the team, with new musical instruments and improved interfaces being introduced. The developers are also trying to continuously reduce the delay between key input and sound playback.
MMORPG for Solo Players: The developers of FFXIV place much importance on making their game as accessible as possible for different player types. This includes those who prefer to play alone in MMORPGs.
Most mandatory content, such as dungeons or some boss fights, can now be done with a group of NPCs controlled by AI. Previously, you had to team up with other players for this, but now it is completely solo.
The NPC system was introduced with the Shadowbringers expansion and retrospectively applied to older content. Currently, the system is only missing in the mandatory content of the Stormblood expansion, but it is gradually being patched in.
This is what awaits you in the Endgame
Difficult Endgame Content: Those seeking a challenge will find epic, extreme, and ultimate boss fights. These raids differ from those known from WoW.
They consist of several boss fights occurring back-to-back and are carried out in groups of 8 people. The “jump rope” principle applies. This means that the mechanics must be executed correctly by the entire group in quick succession. Otherwise, everyone fails just as in playing jump rope together.
- New epic raids are introduced approximately every 7 months.
- Extreme boss fights occur at least once per patch, about every 4 months.
- Ultimate, which are the toughest boss fights, come at irregular intervals, but there should be 2 per expansion.
Larger raids for 24 players also exist, but they are typically not very difficult.
Detailed Crafting System: Crafters and artisans can get lost in FFXIV’s crafting system, which is considered one of the most intricate in MMORPGs. Each crafter is considered a class with their own tools, armor, and skills.
To create your own items, you must use various skills in a rotation while crafting, just as you do with combat classes. The cleverer you use your skills, the higher the quality of the item will ultimately be.
While you can start crafting right at level 1, it becomes truly interesting at high levels when you have all the skills. Additionally, there are crafting books with special recipes that can only be unlocked at level 90.
Crafters also receive new content regularly, which not only includes new recipes but also delivery orders where they must deliver items of particularly high quality to NPCs. For example, crafters participated in building the housing area of Ishgard, where they had to craft and deliver countless items to rebuild a destroyed area.
Housing System with many furniture: Housing is located in large instances where the houses of players form a large neighborhood. The lucky owners can design their houses according to their preferences and decorate them with the numerous furniture from the game.
The houses are particularly popular among role players because they can be redesigned into various settings. There are bars, boutiques, hotels, or cafes where players can meet and engage in roleplay. They are sometimes also used for big events like parties that even impress some former WoW streamers.
Housing also provides gameplay advantages. Guilds can create airships and submarines and send them on expeditions to collect rare materials. In the garden of the houses, plants can be grown that are valuable for crafting.
However, it is not easy for new players to acquire their own house. Even the small houses can cost several million gil, which you have to scrape together first. You also need either a lot of money for the furniture or have to level your crafter classes. Therefore, housing falls into the endgame category as well.
What about the future of Final Fantasy XIV?
Almost 10 years after the reboot, FFXIV is doing great. Although Square Enix has seen a decline in net revenues, the MMORPG has reported a “steady increase” in active subscription numbers compared to the previous year in the financial report to investors.
It is now no longer a game fighting for survival, but a title that has managed to establish itself in the harsh gaming environment.
What does the near future bring? On December 7, 2021, FFXIV released its fourth expansion Endwalker, which was available for pre-order players from December 3, and was overwhelmed by players.
The expansion brings a large amount of new content and is said by director Naoki Yoshida to be the largest expansion yet. Endwalker concludes the overarching narrative of the gods Hydaelyn and Zodiark, which has been running for over 10 years. Additionally, it includes:
- A new raid for eight people in normal and epic
- Two new jobs: Reaper and Sage
- Several new areas
- A series of new dungeons
- Three large trial boss fights
- A ton of new gear, cosmetic items, and other items
- New content for collectors and crafters and more
In terms of size, it is a complete J-RPG, like those known from single-player Final Fantasy titles or other Japanese role-playing games.
All information about Endwalker can be found in our info hub:
What does the distant future bring? But even in the long term, the developers of FFXIV have many plans. For the year 2023, three fan festivals have been announced to take place in Europe, the USA, and Japan. There, the next expansion numbered 7.0 is expected to be announced, and its contents will be presented gradually.
Overall, according to Yoshida, FFXIV will not come to an end anytime soon. The team currently has plans that reach into 2026, and the upward trend in subscription numbers is expected to keep the MMORPG on the market for several more years.
Director Yoshida is also looking for possibilities to bring his game to new platforms. Xbox chief Phil Spencer has emphasized that he is working to bring FFXIV to Xbox. In interviews about Endwalker, Yoshida confirmed that work is ongoing, and fans should not give up hope for an Xbox release.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Final Fantasy XIV
Conclusion: Proven in the past and strong future
I have been observing the steady rise of Final Fantasy XIV for many years now and have logged over 900 days of playtime. It is one of the few examples in the MMORPG genre that, after a massive failed launch, is now doing better than ever.
It is a game that can offer its type of content for almost any PvE player. Some players are there just for the tough raids, while others spend all their time taking cool screenshots or simply maintaining their social contacts in the game. I do all of this together and find it great that FFXIV can offer me various options.
Thanks to regular updates and strong communication from the developers, I always know exactly what I am paying for with the monthly subscription fee.
Therefore, I would recommend everyone to try the free trial version of the game and suggest that you engage with it. Let yourself be surprised by how much an MMORPG with a monthly subscription has to offer in our time of free-to-play titles.
Irina Moritz
Community Manager at MeinMMO
