The best MMORPGs of 2022 - Which one is right for me?

Final Fantasy XIV – A great MMO with tons of content!

Genre: MMORPG | Developer: Square Enix | Platform: PC, PS5, PS4 | Release Date: September 30, 2010 | Model: Subscription system with an additional cheaper option for newcomers and item shop for cosmetics and boosts | Combat system: Tab-targeting

Pro

Friendly and helpful community
Four expansions with plenty of content for every type of player
Extensive, sophisticated crafting system
Regular content patches with new dungeons & raids
Interesting story with beautiful and emotional cutscenes
You can freely determine your own pace of play
Many Final Fantasy cameos and Easter eggs for fans of the series

Contra

Some old game systems from the time shortly after the reboot are hard to see for newcomers
Partially strong instancing
Very slow start, early game is not very exciting and requires patience

Why you should play Final Fantasy 14

Ideal for: Fans of the Final Fantasy series who want to dive into an MMORPG. Also, generally for lovers of classic MMORPGs who like to immerse themselves in Asian-influenced worlds, thus wanting a good alternative to World of Warcraft in a different setting.

Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV – in 2 minutes

FFXIV appeals to both casual and hardcore players. And there is probably no other MMO that receives so many huge content expansions in such a short time. Other players are also more than enough.

Is there a catch? If you want to quickly and easily jump into an MMORPG, then FF14 might not be optimal for you. The game starts very slowly and requires you to complete the entire story before you can access the endgame. This can take a really long time with three expansions.

Moreover, FFXIV only really gets good with the first expansion Heavensward. Until then, it’s a longer path that you have to grit your teeth through.

What is Final Fantasy XIV? From the once “ugly duckling” Final Fantasy XIV, it has become one of the proudest showcase projects of the RPG forge Square Enix over the last 6 years. With four released addons, the MMORPG has made tremendous progress since its launch.

The regular free content updates, released every 3 to 4 months, bring new story quests, raids, dungeons, gear and much more. In December 2021, the latest expansion Endwalker was released, which concludes the previous story and opens a new one.

The Features of FF14

The story is highly praised: One of the central aspects of FFXIV is undoubtedly the story of the MMORPG. The storytelling is epic and unfolds steadily throughout the expansions. Players start as simple adventurers and gradually rise to become true heroes. Along the way, you will uncover ancient secrets, find new friends among the NPCs, and battle powerful foes.

Fans of the old Final Fantasy games will especially enjoy this, as the story of FFXIV can easily compete in quality with the old FF classics. Additionally, FFXIV offers loads of clothing from beloved characters like Squall or Cloud.

This is how the combat system works: The gameplay is based on classic MMORPG combat systems with a global cooldown. At low levels, it may seem sluggish and slow to an experienced player, but don’t be fooled!

At max level, it shines with high dynamism and complex rotations, thanks to class-specific resource bars and game mechanics.

More on the topic

My expert opinion on Final Fantasy XIV: Holy F*ck, is Shadowbringers good

von Irina Moritz

Newcomers eager to jump into the challenging raiding in FFXIV can buy the usual booster packs in the cash shop. This means you can determine your own pace of play as you wish.

In 2020, the free-to-play version of FFXIV was greatly expanded. You can now improve your hero up to level 60 and experience all story and side quests up to patch 3.55 just before the Stormblood expansion.

Since you can learn and play all classes with one character, you have plenty of time to decide if you like the game. You can experience all jobs up to level 60 before you need to pay any money.