The current expansion Stormblood of Final Fantasy XIV is slowly coming to its end. It is the optimal time for interested players who haven’t quite ventured into the MMORPG to start with FFXIV.
It can be really intimidating to get into an MMORPG that has been running for over five years and is regularly updated. The amount of content can overwhelm a new player, but now is exactly the right time for FFXIV.
Base version of Final Fantasy XIV available for free as Twitch loot
How can Twitch Prime users get it? Twitch Prime members can currently secure a code for the base version of Final Fantasy XIV.
To do this, you just need to go to your Twitch loot page and click on “Claim your loot”. The code will then be displayed directly in the bar below. The offer ends on May 3, 2019.
What is included in the base edition? The loot pack for Final Fantasy XIV on Twitch includes the following:
- A code for the PC version of FFXIV
- All content from FFXIV: A Realm Reborn
- Max level is 50 (currently at 70)
- 30 days of playtime
If you create a character on one of the preferred servers, you will even receive an additional 15 days of free playtime. So it’s a great opportunity to dive into the MMORPG and test it beyond the limits of the free trial version.
Everything about account creation, servers, and the first steps in Final Fantasy XIV can be found in our beginner’s guide:
The new addon is coming
What is Shadowbringers? The new expansion of Final Fantasy XIV is set to release on July 2 and seems to be selling well already. Many new features and content have already been announced, which players can expect either at release or shortly thereafter. Coming are:
- Continuation of the story of FFXIV
- Several new jobs, including Gunbreaker
- The new race of Viera will be playable
- 24-player raid series “YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse” in collaboration with Nier: Automata developers
- 9 new dungeons
- More large areas
- At least one new primal boss
Further features and news will be announced at the Fan Festival in Japan in March. Players are expecting another job, which could be the Dancer according to a leak.
With the pre-order of the addon, you will also receive a ring from March 1 that gives you a 30% EXP boost up to level 70, allowing you to quickly bridge the slow leveling phase.
Why is this important? In Final Fantasy XIV, you must first play through the main story of the MMORPG to reach the endgame. There are over a hundred hours of content that you must play through if you don’t want to pay for a story skip.
To experience the new expansion of FFXIV along with other players and not to fall far behind in story and gear, it is advisable to start as early as possible.
If you start leveling and gathering gear now, you will have more than enough time to be ready for the release of Shadowbringers on July 2. This way, you can leisurely explore the world, the jobs, and the features of FFXIV and decide what you like and what you don’t.
Current patch is good for catching up
What are “catch-up patches”? The “odd” patches in FFXIV, such as 4.1, 4.3, etc., are designed to help players obtain strong gear without having to do high-end raids. Patch 4.5 is the last major content patch before the release of Shadowbringers.
In the current patch, for example, players can run the normal 24-player raid to obtain upgrade items that can raise their gear to the currently highest level. This also makes it easier for newer players to quickly catch up to veterans.
No further major content patches are expected before the addon release that would significantly increase the item level of gear. This means that the new players starting Final Fantasy XIV now will no longer fall behind veterans in their progress.
Server transfer will be temporarily free
Why is that? At the end of March after the Fan Festival in Japan, the FFXIV team plans to split the European data center. The servers that have been known as the “Chaos” data center will be split into Chaos and Light.
During this phase, transfers between the individual servers will be free for a while to give players the option to decide which new data center they would prefer to go to.
Why is this important? In an MMORPG like Final Fantasy XIV, social contacts with the community are important and contribute a lot to the enjoyment of the game. Since the data center split will not occur until March, you have enough time now to check out a server and try to make connections.
If you find after a while that you don’t like it there, the free transfer gives you the opportunity to move your character along with its belongings to another server.
