Final Fantasy XIV
Setting: Fantasy | Developer: Square Enix | Platform: PC, PS4 | Release Date: August 27, 2013 | Model: Pay2Play | Rating on Steam: 87% Positive
What kind of game is this? Final Fantasy XIV despite its weak start has become one of the most popular MMORPGs – thanks to Square Enix’s courage to restart with “A Realm Reborn” in 2013. The MMORPG shines with a great story arc that has evolved over a decade and offers a colorful array of content for all tastes (except perhaps for PvP fans).
You can expect a vast game world with countless quests, dungeons, raid instances, and side activities. The crafting professions are treated like real classes, with experience points, level-ups, skills, and equipment. All jobs and professions can be leveled with just one character.
There is housing, an amusement park with numerous mini-games, an in-game card game, a levelable Chocobo companion, and much more. An overview of all endgame content since A Realm Reborn can be found here.
Why is the entry here easy? Depending on the chosen starting area, you will experience a different story at the beginning that introduces you to the overarching narrative of FFXIV. Features like the mentor system, tutorial pop-ups, guild calling, or the beginner arena help you to establish yourself in Eorzea.
The combat system picks up slowly, making it easy for you to learn the basics and master the fights of the leveling phase without becoming overwhelmed. Final Fantasy XIV does an excellent job of gradually increasing the difficulty level so that you are always prepared for the next challenges.
Once you obtain your Chocobo as a companion, it can support you in combat and tank, heal, or deal damage. Additionally, from a certain point onwards, you have the option to take known NPC fighters into the dungeons that can effectively handle all tasks you do not want to take on.
Due to the way the content search is structured, you should quickly find fellow players for low-level dungeons as well as for older dungeons and raid challenges. Oh, and thanks to the free trial, you can experience Final Fantasy XIV for free up to level 70 – the base game as well as the two expansions Heavensward and Stormblood are included. For more, you will need to pay and purchase a subscription.
Is there a catch? You can noticeably tell the age of the content from A Realm Reborn. The quests are dull in their presentation, the running paths are long, and variation is relatively rare. Additionally, you start with barely any skills, while cooldowns are high. Those who survive the initial, very tedious hours will be rewarded in the long run with one of the best MMORPG experiences available. This guide can help: Final Fantasy XIV – Beginner’s Guide for a smooth start into the MMORPG
