Final Fantasy XIV Official Release Thread

I'm happy to help! Ahhh I see, I too played the betas for them but was mostly focused on WoW (Legion was a great expansion by the way, in my experience. There's still lots of content there worth seeing if you're interested and people run old stuff for various gear/appearances, mounts, battle pets etc..). I am unsure if you're using the same SquareEnix account on your trial as the one you used back during the betas (I assume you never applied a retail key in the past), if not no worries but if you are, you MIGHT qualify for some extra in-game goodies, though I am unsure if beta experience alone confers them. I'm glad to hear about your business' success and that you now have time to come back to PC gaming - there's a ton of great content released in the past couple of years!

Its great that you're enjoying the trial so much and have decided to convert to full retail! Before you do so, just PM me an email address and I can send you the Recruit-A-Friend link to qualify. It will provide you with the 20% XP Boost < Level 25 Helm (which as you likely know can be used over and over again for every Job/class). Its kind of funny, the helm used to be a Moogle hat of sorts but they changed it to a more minimalist circlet appearance hehe), 99x Aetherite Tickets (use them for free teleportation between crystals. Can save you money especially early on. Here's a hint - cost increases the distance between Aetherite crystals, so I chose to only use mine on longer trips as opposed to those in the same/closeby zones), a fist-bump emote (this is new, I am unsure if you can get this outside of RAF. One neat thing about FFXIV is they had multi-player/partner emotes like dances and this fist-bump!) , and Silver Chocobo Feathers (can be turned in for gear at your discretion. Higher level gear requires more feathers per piece but overall its designed to give you gear to help you level up. Level 20 Weapons, Level 50 Equipment, and Level 60 Weapons/Equipment are available).

Regarding the purchase of the Complete Edition, remember there are multiple editions and potential for discounts! If you're a diehard FF fan, you may enjoy the Complete Edition Collector's version which offers a variety of in-game widgets that were part of the CE's for each A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood! Many of them reference older FF characters or items and wil be appreciated by a hardcore fan. If I am correct you can upgrade and get the in-game CE items later through SquareEnix Account / MogStation, if you choose to pick up the Standard version of the Complete Edition. More info here - https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/product/ with a breakdown of the various options. In any case, you can buy a Complete Edition at discount online either Standard or CE; I assume you need a NA region key (EU ones seem to be much cheaper but of course will not serve your needs account wise as they are region locked) At the moment, I'm showing that the best Complete Edition Standard price is a 33% discount on Steam itself! Note that if I am correct, if you buy a copy through Steam you can both launch through Steam or use the client you already have through the Trial . The Complete Collector's Edition is a bit harder to find on sale, but I can get it for 10% off from the Humble Store thanks to my Humble Monthly subscription.

I'll add what I meant about monetization when I edit this post, but I wanted to get this info to you first :D
Note that the steam version and from SE store are incompatible. If you buy it from steam then you will also have to keep buying future expansions on steam and vise versa.
 
Note that the steam version and from SE store are incompatible. If you buy it from steam then you will also have to keep buying future expansions on steam and vise versa.

Is this still accurate? Last I checked you couldn't use "other/direct" and activate on Steam, but since you still require a SE account on which to apply the key etc.. you can buy future keys that activate directly in your SE account. Thus a Steam version could still interact with/use SE direct keys (ie use either the Steam version or non-Steam client) but those with SE direct accounts couldn't use the Steam version.

Still I would definitely double check before making a final decision, just to make sure as things could have evolved differently with the varying expansions. If there's any concern or ambiguity, at worst the "Steam" and "Non-Steam" keys/versions can be treated as separate; buying a non-Steam will probably give you the greatest variety of places to buy keys from in the future and thus, discount potential.


I'm pretty sad that I missed Legion to be honest with you. WoW was one of those once-in-a-lifetime games for me, having never really experienced anything like it before, and having met so many friends who I still talk to today (and some I meet up with). I think at some point I might jump back in and see what I've missed, but it'll probably wait until Classic is released (I'd definitely like to do that). I put in both email addresses that I usually use for games and it seems that I never registered a Square Enix account with either of them, so I'm afraid I'm not really sure what I used to play the beta's with for FF XIV. I ended up just registering for the trial with one of my gaming-focused email addresses and went from there.

I'll PM you now about the recruit-a-friend link, I'm really looking forward to the perks from that, thanks again for the offer to help! I did look around to see what CE's were available, and it looks like each expansion has it's own physical CE with figurines (referencing Stormblood in particular with it's figurine and book). I'm a sucker for CE's (every game I've bought for the PS4 that had a CE available had to be snatched up immediately).

Ah no worries about the betas as they were a long time ago. regarding the RAF, I'll send the invite so just make sure that you apply it on whatever your current SE Account your're using to play the Trial. Years ago SquareEnix had a wacky several-levels-deep style account system that really was confusing; during the Final Fantasy XI days (another MMO) they had a whole separate SquareEnix account versus a complex PlayOnline account and subaccount to log into the game!

Regarding CEs, indeed each expansion did have physical CEs - they may be very hard to come by these days and quite expensive unless there's some overstock somewhere (which is less and less likely for ARR and Heavensward, slightly more available for Stormblood being the most recent). However, the digital editions of the CEs provide the in-game bonuses and are much more accessible, be they bundled at time of account key purchase (ie a single expansion CE or something like the Complete Edition Collector's), or as a $40 (for all 3 current expansions) upgrade via SquareEnix/MogStation if you already have the baseline versions (such as Complete Edition Standard). If physical CEs are of your interest, once you get settled into FFXIV you may decide to pre-order the physical CE of the July 2019 expansion "Shadowbringers" to ensure you get one when it comes out!
 
Is this still accurate? Last I checked you couldn't use "other/direct" and activate on Steam, but since you still require a SE account on which to apply the key etc.. you can buy future keys that activate directly in your SE account. Thus a Steam version could still interact with/use SE direct keys (ie use either the Steam version or non-Steam client) but those with SE direct accounts couldn't use the Steam version.

Still I would definitely double check before making a final decision, just to make sure as things could have evolved differently with the varying expansions. If there's any concern or ambiguity, at worst the "Steam" and "Non-Steam" keys/versions can be treated as separate; buying a non-Steam will probably give you the greatest variety of places to buy keys from in the future and thus, discount potential.




Ah no worries about the betas as they were a long time ago. regarding the RAF, I'll send the invite so just make sure that you apply it on whatever your current SE Account your're using to play the Trial. Years ago SquareEnix had a wacky several-levels-deep style account system that really was confusing; during the Final Fantasy XI days (another MMO) they had a whole separate SquareEnix account versus a complex PlayOnline account and subaccount to log into the game!

Regarding CEs, indeed each expansion did have physical CEs - they may be very hard to come by these days and quite expensive unless there's some overstock somewhere (which is less and less likely for ARR and Heavensward, slightly more available for Stormblood being the most recent). However, the digital editions of the CEs provide the in-game bonuses and are much more accessible, be they bundled at time of account key purchase (ie a single expansion CE or something like the Complete Edition Collector's), or as a $40 (for all 3 current expansions) upgrade via SquareEnix/MogStation if you already have the baseline versions (such as Complete Edition Standard). If physical CEs are of your interest, once you get settled into FFXIV you may decide to pre-order the physical CE of the July 2019 expansion "Shadowbringers" to ensure you get one when it comes out!

On the SE site they just state that you the products bought there can’t be used via steam, and a few other sites online specify the same. Seems they’re somehow separate in that regard. Online, I found people stating that you’re locked into one or the other depending on which one you commit to.

I just grabbed the complete digital edition for around $40 on Newegg, and will be on the hunt for the collectors versions if only for the statues. I grabbed the Stormblood CE from the SE store but it seems Shadowbringer CE is sold out at the moment. Will wait to see if it springs back up somewhere.
 
Ahh indeed it does seem to still be the case. I recall awhile ago I was able to do something similar but it may be very individual (ie all my keys are non-Steam, SE direct. However I also ended up with a base ARR-era Steam key from some bundle or another and was able to use the Steam based client to log into my original, non-Steam account), but that was some time ago.

Glad to see you've picked the bundle! I was surprised to see Stormblood physical CE overstock and they're pricey, but glad you could find one! ARR and Heavensward may be quite difficult and/or expensive to find intact at this point, but you may be able to buy one "piecemeal" as well - where you buy a version with all the physical goodies but without digital codes for cheaper and then use the SE MogStation options to upgrade to the in-game CE perks (Thankfully, SE has always left this option open for a modest cost). Shadowbringers physical CE is currently waitlisted on SE's site so I assume they're coming back into stock eventually. You may also want to try Amazon and nearby physical game-selling stores (ie Gamestop, big box stores ) if they have unclaimed physical editions too. I'm sure you'll be able to pick one up before July!
 
Last edited:
I'm having a god damn blast with this game. I joined a free company yesterday of people that may as well be my clones (watch out now world!), and I'm now level 26 with the THM. Been a long time since I woke up and wanted to do nothing but play a specific game. Part of me still anchors to WoW's way of doing things, so that's a heavy point of reference, and admittedly, a bit of an internal struggle at times to come to terms with some differences. That being said, it's by far the best PvE experience I've had since WoW.

I do wish this thread was a bit more active, it seems that most people just aren't playing this on [H]?
 
Last edited:
I think its more a combination of the fact that right now the game is in between the last big patch and the expansion, and that theres not been any huge changes since stormblood came out. So most people are in a groove/holding pattern. Not a lot to discuss on a forum.

Glad you're enjoying it. Just as heads up, the parts between the end of the main scenario quests (MSQ) of ARR and heavenward can be a bit slow, lots of fetch quests, but it gets really good near the end. This is commonly referred to as between 2.0 and ~2.45.
 
I'm having a god damn blast with this game. I joined a free company yesterday of people that may as well be my clones (watch out now world!), and I'm now level 26 with the THM. Been a long time since I woke up and wanted to do nothing but play a specific game. Part of me still anchors to WoW's way of doing things, so that's a heavy point of reference, and admittedly, a bit of an internal struggle at times to come to terms with some differences. That being said, it's by far the best PvE experience I've had since WoW.

I do wish this thread was a bit more active, it seems that most people just aren't playing this on [H]?

Glad to hear you're having a great time and that you found a FC your enjoy. I think one thing about the game's design and dynamic is that it, perhaps more than most "traditional, theme park MMOs" seems to be open to late-coming or returning players. This is not to say that other "big name games" are all bad but where FFXIV (and WoW for that matter) differ is part of mechanics. For instance, WoW has over the last few expansions been transitioning most stuff like Achievements, Mounts, Pets, Toys, Titles etc... to Account-Wide/Bound and has laid out this content in expansion in a way that users can "go back" and get the stuff from older content if they wish to do so plus some new incentives (ie awhile ago they added new battle pets that dropped from classic raids). This was a GREAT help, but as far as overall leveling the game design has always been more or less one of "alts" for the class based experience and progression to the level cap where the "real game starts". Though the game is better thanks to "catch up" mechanics and incentives to go back for those interested in the story, it can still be imposing for a new or returning player depending on their particular goals/feelings about the game .

FFXIV from what I can say (and its secondary/tertiary game status for me for a long time) changes this by design. While sure, every expansion still has a certain element of "getting to the new level cap and doing the new high level things", the journey itself is a more central part of the experience. Each expansion has core story quests for instance and thanks to the game mechanic whereas all "classes/jobs" are accessible from a single character (thereby eliminating the necessity to start an entirely different alt character to play another class experience. Character aesthetics/race changes are relatively inexpensive too and of course players can create actual alts if they wish), which facilitates some focus on "repeat" leveling experiences keeping them interesting. A character can go from level 50 in one Job to level 1 in another and still have to have things to do, so a simple "core, do all the quests in this area and then the next one" isn't quite enough, giving rise to the Guildleve/Guildhest repeat quest system which can also be used to maximize/grind XP - even for Gathering or Crafting classes! This means that there's likely to be someone with a job that's a close level to yours doing content you wish to do - maybe its your first level 20 class and someone else has 5 50+, but they're leveling their 6th so they're in that dungeon queue with you! Not to mention stuff like the housing and customization systems (which some people play for strong RP potential), its a pretty welcoming title from what I can tell. Every so often when thinking of going back I check around and ask (this thread or others) if its likely I'll miss out on stuff, there has been permanent content gated away etc... and I've always been happy to hear that is not the case, to date.

I'm primarily on Balmung ( one of the Legacy servers and first unofficial RP server. Its also extremely heavily populated and often has char creation disabled) , though I have considered transferring to Gilgamesh, Mateus or to a newer generation server.

Oh and what I was saying earlier about changes to monetization being my one gripe with the game. FFXIV as you know is one of the few, besides WoW, remaining mainstream subscription MMOs. Since my early days with MMOs (ie Underlight and EverQuest) I've always appreciated that monetization style - you pay your subscription you get full access to the game and all content within (save of course for large expansion packs which are again one off purchases). As I'm sure you've seen the competing Free To Play dynamic, with a la carte item purchases, rentals, loot box/gatchapon randomness and more has been imported from the East (ie Korean MMOs started with with this dynamic) and when Western companies found out they could nickle-and-dime players to WAY more than what a subscription would cost, it was brought over here and has grown to the virulent pathogen that has spread through gaming. WoW and FFXIV are the only 2 bastions of traditional subscription MMOs in the mainstream, but they have both "cracked" into alternative monetization as well. WoW for instance started selling certain mounts and battle pets a la carte - a feature I wasn't happy with save for when they did it for charitable purposes. However, I have to at least give even today WoW some credit for only coming out with a purchasable pet or mount every few months and often involving a charity. Certainly room for improvement, but player response caused them to stop/rebuke the expansion (ie they made 3 head transmogs for sale and people got rather frustrated, not buying them en masse. They didn't make any more). I'm cautiously watching their holding patten.

Which brings me to FFXIV . For much of its life during 1.0 , ARR2.0, and even into Heavensward 3.0 they had the core subscription of course but outside of that few other items that could be purchased via MogStation. Aside from "account features" such as rename/character recreation stuff and the late coming "auto-level/skip story" account boosters, they offered 2 in-game wedding packages that cost real money (in addition to a free one, all of which are quite ornate and a treat for roleplayers, guests, and FF hardcore fans), 3 mounts (2 recolors of the MagiTek Armor you can unlock in game and one other I forget at the minute), an the rest of the content were items from in-game holidays, available for $1-5 or so, in the event you missed picking them up for free during said holiday. I didn't have a problem with any of this at all as I thought especially the holiday items idea was a great compromise to generate revenue without it being exclusive to purchase. I should also mention that they also had/had other ways to unlock game content such as the now slimmed down Veterans program (it used to have 9+ tiers if I recall which were basically subscribed-time rewards -non-continuous was okay too!). However, into Heavensward and Stormblood one thing that has concerned me is the expansion of "stuff to buy", much of it exclusive to real money purchase, atop your subscription feel. Head into the MogStation "Optional Items" section and you're greeted with pages upon pages not just of old holiday items (which admittedly still exist), but also many mounts that cost, emotes , "minions"/pets, pieces of in game housing content, costume/cosmetic items etc.. This is a relatively new phenomenon and it is really frustrating to see. Doubly so to those who enjoy roleplaying or customizing their character because it feels like a tax on our preferred playstyle, as it isn't like raiders or PVPers or anyone else needs to pay extra in order to access the parts of the game they enjoy - and rightfully so that they don't! Its rather frustrating to see a game with a subscription adding an increasing "item mall" of content, cosmetic or otherwise as it breaks with the idea that paying for the subscription cost you have access to everything within the "theme park". Sure, one can say you don't "have" to have any of these items to play the game, but would one really justify it the same way if say... there were real money keys necessary to use the dungeon finder utility? Or to allow those high level drops from PVE/PVP content to show their real appearance rather than just looking like level 1 garbage despite their max stats? Clearly such things would be frustrating to the players and the game they enjoy.

FFXIV has increased opportunity for monetization that doesn't mean exclusive cosmetics and whatnot (ie the high level start or main quest buypass boosters, other account features etc) so I wish they'd step back from this paradigm but sadly from a financial standpoint, if the populace will put up with it, its always too easy - too high a return on investment - to discount unless you have a producer/designer with real scruples and long term thinking. Despite the invalidity of the "we always need more money-making methods" ideology in gaming, I personally would rather see a higher subscription price option that covers ALL cosmetics and whatnot while subscribed (any old school EverQuest players remember the Legends server?). I'm open to the idea that a $10 or $15 subscription isn't necessarily enough anymore since it was the norm back in the late 90s, but the whole gaming industry including Square Enix seem to enjoy the psychological sneakiness of being able to nickle and dime players for a la carte sales, frustratingly. FFXIV is far from the only or worst game related to this issue (frankly, monetization policy has been the main thing that disqualifies a game for me when it comes to most MMOs) but they were doing so very well in the past striking a solid balance that was equal or better than WoW at the time, but lately it seems the floodgates have opened.
 
Glad to hear you're having a great time and that you found a FC your enjoy. I think one thing about the game's design and dynamic is that it, perhaps more than most "traditional, theme park MMOs" seems to be open to late-coming or returning players. This is not to say that other "big name games" are all bad but where FFXIV (and WoW for that matter) differ is part of mechanics. For instance, WoW has over the last few expansions been transitioning most stuff like Achievements, Mounts, Pets, Toys, Titles etc... to Account-Wide/Bound and has laid out this content in expansion in a way that users can "go back" and get the stuff from older content if they wish to do so plus some new incentives (ie awhile ago they added new battle pets that dropped from classic raids). This was a GREAT help, but as far as overall leveling the game design has always been more or less one of "alts" for the class based experience and progression to the level cap where the "real game starts". Though the game is better thanks to "catch up" mechanics and incentives to go back for those interested in the story, it can still be imposing for a new or returning player depending on their particular goals/feelings about the game .

FFXIV from what I can say (and its secondary/tertiary game status for me for a long time) changes this by design. While sure, every expansion still has a certain element of "getting to the new level cap and doing the new high level things", the journey itself is a more central part of the experience. Each expansion has core story quests for instance and thanks to the game mechanic whereas all "classes/jobs" are accessible from a single character (thereby eliminating the necessity to start an entirely different alt character to play another class experience. Character aesthetics/race changes are relatively inexpensive too and of course players can create actual alts if they wish), which facilitates some focus on "repeat" leveling experiences keeping them interesting. A character can go from level 50 in one Job to level 1 in another and still have to have things to do, so a simple "core, do all the quests in this area and then the next one" isn't quite enough, giving rise to the Guildleve/Guildhest repeat quest system which can also be used to maximize/grind XP - even for Gathering or Crafting classes! This means that there's likely to be someone with a job that's a close level to yours doing content you wish to do - maybe its your first level 20 class and someone else has 5 50+, but they're leveling their 6th so they're in that dungeon queue with you! Not to mention stuff like the housing and customization systems (which some people play for strong RP potential), its a pretty welcoming title from what I can tell. Every so often when thinking of going back I check around and ask (this thread or others) if its likely I'll miss out on stuff, there has been permanent content gated away etc... and I've always been happy to hear that is not the case, to date.

I'm primarily on Balmung ( one of the Legacy servers and first unofficial RP server. Its also extremely heavily populated and often has char creation disabled) , though I have considered transferring to Gilgamesh, Mateus or to a newer generation server.

Oh and what I was saying earlier about changes to monetization being my one gripe with the game. FFXIV as you know is one of the few, besides WoW, remaining mainstream subscription MMOs. Since my early days with MMOs (ie Underlight and EverQuest) I've always appreciated that monetization style - you pay your subscription you get full access to the game and all content within (save of course for large expansion packs which are again one off purchases). As I'm sure you've seen the competing Free To Play dynamic, with a la carte item purchases, rentals, loot box/gatchapon randomness and more has been imported from the East (ie Korean MMOs started with with this dynamic) and when Western companies found out they could nickle-and-dime players to WAY more than what a subscription would cost, it was brought over here and has grown to the virulent pathogen that has spread through gaming. WoW and FFXIV are the only 2 bastions of traditional subscription MMOs in the mainstream, but they have both "cracked" into alternative monetization as well. WoW for instance started selling certain mounts and battle pets a la carte - a feature I wasn't happy with save for when they did it for charitable purposes. However, I have to at least give even today WoW some credit for only coming out with a purchasable pet or mount every few months and often involving a charity. Certainly room for improvement, but player response caused them to stop/rebuke the expansion (ie they made 3 head transmogs for sale and people got rather frustrated, not buying them en masse. They didn't make any more). I'm cautiously watching their holding patten.

Which brings me to FFXIV . For much of its life during 1.0 , ARR2.0, and even into Heavensward 3.0 they had the core subscription of course but outside of that few other items that could be purchased via MogStation. Aside from "account features" such as rename/character recreation stuff and the late coming "auto-level/skip story" account boosters, they offered 2 in-game wedding packages that cost real money (in addition to a free one, all of which are quite ornate and a treat for roleplayers, guests, and FF hardcore fans), 3 mounts (2 recolors of the MagiTek Armor you can unlock in game and one other I forget at the minute), an the rest of the content were items from in-game holidays, available for $1-5 or so, in the event you missed picking them up for free during said holiday. I didn't have a problem with any of this at all as I thought especially the holiday items idea was a great compromise to generate revenue without it being exclusive to purchase. I should also mention that they also had/had other ways to unlock game content such as the now slimmed down Veterans program (it used to have 9+ tiers if I recall which were basically subscribed-time rewards -non-continuous was okay too!). However, into Heavensward and Stormblood one thing that has concerned me is the expansion of "stuff to buy", much of it exclusive to real money purchase, atop your subscription feel. Head into the MogStation "Optional Items" section and you're greeted with pages upon pages not just of old holiday items (which admittedly still exist), but also many mounts that cost, emotes , "minions"/pets, pieces of in game housing content, costume/cosmetic items etc.. This is a relatively new phenomenon and it is really frustrating to see. Doubly so to those who enjoy roleplaying or customizing their character because it feels like a tax on our preferred playstyle, as it isn't like raiders or PVPers or anyone else needs to pay extra in order to access the parts of the game they enjoy - and rightfully so that they don't! Its rather frustrating to see a game with a subscription adding an increasing "item mall" of content, cosmetic or otherwise as it breaks with the idea that paying for the subscription cost you have access to everything within the "theme park". Sure, one can say you don't "have" to have any of these items to play the game, but would one really justify it the same way if say... there were real money keys necessary to use the dungeon finder utility? Or to allow those high level drops from PVE/PVP content to show their real appearance rather than just looking like level 1 garbage despite their max stats? Clearly such things would be frustrating to the players and the game they enjoy.

FFXIV has increased opportunity for monetization that doesn't mean exclusive cosmetics and whatnot (ie the high level start or main quest buypass boosters, other account features etc) so I wish they'd step back from this paradigm but sadly from a financial standpoint, if the populace will put up with it, its always too easy - too high a return on investment - to discount unless you have a producer/designer with real scruples and long term thinking. Despite the invalidity of the "we always need more money-making methods" ideology in gaming, I personally would rather see a higher subscription price option that covers ALL cosmetics and whatnot while subscribed (any old school EverQuest players remember the Legends server?). I'm open to the idea that a $10 or $15 subscription isn't necessarily enough anymore since it was the norm back in the late 90s, but the whole gaming industry including Square Enix seem to enjoy the psychological sneakiness of being able to nickle and dime players for a la carte sales, frustratingly. FFXIV is far from the only or worst game related to this issue (frankly, monetization policy has been the main thing that disqualifies a game for me when it comes to most MMOs) but they were doing so very well in the past striking a solid balance that was equal or better than WoW at the time, but lately it seems the floodgates have opened.

I definitely mirror your sentiments when it comes to MMO's. I think one of the biggest draws for FF XIV to me is the nostalgia level, first of all, but also the heavy focus on story. There's no doubt that WoW's focus story is strong, but I just feel so much more vested in the turmoil that's happening in FF XIV. The game world and its mechanics are just so different enough that I feel like I'm playing something so removed from WoW, which I was so deeply rooted in. The heavy focus on minutia for classes and jobs is the other part that I really like. I like the fact that there are professions I can take like goldsmithing and then do quests and leves for that as well while I'm leveling it. I used to hate leveling professions in WoW, because essentially all you did was sit there and craft for several hours, and that was for some of the easier ones like.

I thought about Balmung and Gilgamesh, everyone seems to talk about those two as being the top RP and Raiding servers, but they were unfortunately full at the time.

I actually went to the Mogshop yesterday after reading your reply here to see what could be bought from the optional section, and there was quite a bit. From mounts, to clothing, to pets. It seems like they're definitely capitalizing on the fact that people love to change up their looks. Can't really blame them, but can't help but feel that some of the items there are quite overpriced ($25 for a mount? What a god damn joke.). I tend to agree that if the subscription price were more, but it included a lot of these extras, people would definitely pay for that tier. People spend money willy nilly on extras that have absolutely no real purpose in the grand scheme of things, but there's some level of enjoyment there that warrants the spending $5, $10, even $20. In that regard, the company is doing all they can to continue to offer these things.

Do you still play, or are you sort of on hiatus at the moment?
 
I Sat out all of Stormblood. Wife and myself decided to come back and spearhead FFXIV again ontop of the division 2. I dont have fking time for all this shit. Im going to need a sub for myself, My wife, My eldest son, and in a few years my youngest lol.
 
I hoped back on for the free login campaign. I might resub again.
I've been deciding between this, ESO and WoW. While I don't have a lot of time to play MMOs, I still want to at least casually play one. I think this one ticks off the checklist better than the others for me.
I think the multi-classing on one character and level synced dungeons wins me over as I don't feel so left behind. I'm still part of a good free company and they can all hop in and help me with their high levels (i'm currently only level 60 on a couple classes).

Plus this is the only of the 3 where I'm actually really interested in the main story and would like to see it to completion.
 
Bringing this back to the top as we're almost to the next Shadowbringers expansion, which goes public on July 2nd! Also, those who have pre-ordered can play Shadowbringers content early , starting June 28th so many are enjoying it now! Pre Order and play immediately!

I'd like to caution buyers to be mindful of key purchases, even on legit sites. There are many sites offering Shadowbringers keys that either A) Do NOT come with PreOrder bonuses - if they don't mention them specifically, assume they don't have them or B) Are for a specific region that may differ from your own. There are many sellers for EU locked datacenter keys, but if you need a North American key it may be a little harder to find in comparison. Finally, there are relatively few sellers of NA "Collector's Edition" keys out there even so close to launch, strangely.

I only relatively recently returned to FFXIV and haven't made it past A Realm Reborn level content as of yet, but I'm certainly looking forward to everything.

I should also mention that this is pretty much the last day for SquareEnix's Amazon promotion for the Black Fat Chocobo Mount DLC - https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/2a8ae1549b816019a21f5a63184a9f200179f6f4 - Buy anything $20+ from Amazon that's a qualifying video game (non pre order) category purchase, and you'll get one of these codes! This DOES work for FFXIV game time cards, so that's a good thing to keep in mind! Perhaps someone already got one of these DLC codes and they don't have the interest / play the game? PM me and I'll take it of your hands! Likewise, I'll purchase any qualifying item slightly below cost, in return for keeping the DLC!

Given that Amazon managed to bork up my Shadowbringers pre-order, if anyone has a North American region key (collectors or otherwise) w/ pre-order bonus they'd be willing to sell/trade, PM me. You can also check out my FS forum thread for more detail!
 
Why not just get it from SE NA store? I got my NA key from there and they sent me the early access codes fast. AFAIK they'll send early access codes as long as you buy before the official launch date on July 2nd.
 
Why not just get it from SE NA store? I got my NA key from there and they sent me the early access codes fast. AFAIK they'll send early access codes as long as you buy before the official launch date on July 2nd.

It may come down to that, but I originally preferred Amazon because of the gift card balance I have there, whereas purchasing from anywhere else means spending "real money" instead. Being able to work something out with a user who has/is willing to buy a key may allow me to make use of that store credit instead, depending.
 
After another break I finally resubbed again. I'm still sort of in the beginning of the Stormblood story line content so I won't be diving into Shadowbringers right away. But I'm just playing it at my own pace. It feels good to play again, I've always like this game.
 
I still need to finish the main story quests before I even dip into any of the expansions. I didn't realize there are another 100 story quests for ARR after the first set.
 
I still need to finish the main story quests before I even dip into any of the expansions. I didn't realize there are another 100 story quests for ARR after the first set.

Yup, take heart that although the first half of them aren't super great, they pick up real quick-like once you hit 2.4. And the fact that events from everything in 2.1-2.5 have direct affects on the events of things even now.
 
Yeah, this game is definitely story driven. Want to do the expansion content? better get on those story quests, lol.
I did enjoy the Heavensward story content though and Stormblood looks like it's going to be good too (I'm still in the beginning of Stormblood).
 
Yup, take heart that although the first half of them aren't super great, they pick up real quick-like once you hit 2.4. And the fact that events from everything in 2.1-2.5 have direct affects on the events of things even now.
Just now starting the 2nd batch of story quests for ARR. Ugh
 
Last edited:
^ I take it from the past couple posts that there's no way to skip straight to the SB content? I haven't played since ARR (and didn't get very far); SB looks great but I don't want to buy it if I have to play through a hundred hours of other stuff first.
 
^ I take it from the past couple posts that there's no way to skip straight to the SB content? I haven't played since ARR (and didn't get very far); SB looks great but I don't want to buy it if I have to play through a hundred hours of other stuff first.

If your already done with the ARR stuff (or mostly done) - that's the long slog. The expansion stories have all been really good - much much better than ARR at any rate.

You can skip them, they sell a story skip in the Mogstation you can buy. I think it takes a different one to skip each expansion though.
 
If your already done with the ARR stuff (or mostly done) - that's the long slog. The expansion stories have all been really good - much much better than ARR at any rate.

You can skip them, they sell a story skip in the Mogstation you can buy. I think it takes a different one to skip each expansion though.

Indeed, this is the case for story-skip. Note that is also separate from level-boosts, which you'll also have to buy to have a character in ARR leveled up enough to go right to SB or ShB. Though personally, I think more than most other major MMOs - getting there, especially the first time, is part of the journey. FFXIV is the sole big name MMO that has made the "personal story" feel worthwhile and somehow reasonable on a level besides the MMO typical tropes - either pretending that you really don't have any role to play consistently, or pretending that your character is the Chosen One but only in very situational times. I understand the mechanical reason for doing this and games such as WoW have gotten better about the player/raid being "Champions kinda buddy buddy with big name characters", but overall its still sort of one off. I've not even made it through ARR yet, and already there's a lot more emphasis on story and the player's role. From what I hear, this gets even better in future expansions!

Everyone likes to play their own way, but I would say that if you last played during ARR, I would advance naturally up through the latest expansion and see as much content as you can - story and otherwise. There are lots of things now that hasten the leveling process, from additional leves/quests to items - the Recruit A Friend earring (among other items) boost XP gain by 20%+, and the pre-order items for Shadowbringers included a 30% XP booster that works up until ShB level so way higher than most others!
 
Leveling goes really fast your first job up. Keep up with your class quests, the Main Story Quest (MSQ), and run the Roulettes your eligible for and you'll basically stay right in line with the MSQ progression. Heck, there is a big lull in ARR part 2 where your stuck on Level 50 MSQs for a while, and a lot of people get well into their 50's just working on that and it's a huge push into Heavensward content.

Your later jobs need a bit of grinding, but your first playthrough, your more limited by your appetite to grind out the MSQs than you are character level. Side quests exist, but can only be run through once, so once you do it on your first job, it's done. (They have some really good lore, I recommend doing them, but you could skip them all together if you wanted to).

Of course, if you choose to story skip (and not purchase the character level at the same time), then it would be about like any other secondary job - you'd need to grind for levels. That leaves you with the ever popular Palace of the Dead (POTD) for 1-60, Heaven on High (HoH) for 61-70, Fates, Leves, Duty Finder, and Roulettes.
 
If you're not intending to go right into raiding, then you shouldn't skip HW and SB IMO, they're good expansions, I can understand skipping ARR though if you're early on there because the 100 quests between 2.0 to 2.55 still is one of the most annoying parts of the MSQ where many people give up while going through it. There's a skip on mogstation to skip SB and start in the beginning of ShB (level boost and story skip are different things).
 
I ended up buying and playing through the base game. I think I'm 26 or 27 right now.

What's the roulette thing a couple people mentioned? Something in that gambling zone? I figured that was all crap for gaining gil and kinda glazed over it and left as soon as I could.
 
I ended up buying and playing through the base game. I think I'm 26 or 27 right now.

What's the roulette thing a couple people mentioned? Something in that gambling zone? I figured that was all crap for gaining gil and kinda glazed over it and left as soon as I could.

Duty Roulette? If I'm thinking of the same thing it's just a random daily duty that you queue for. You get bigger bonus than queuing for a single dungeon. There's trial roulette, guildhest roulette, dungeon roulette, low level roulette. Just incentives to run a duty. Each reward is once a day.
 
Exactly what I just did. *sigh*
If you enjoy the game I'd suggest just skipping all the dialogue for that part and only watch the important cutscenes which will happen near the end of ARR, it won't take that long if you don't read through all those quests texts, or just pay $11 and skip the thing. HW onwards won't feel as horrible, it's less fetch quests and more story driven.
 
So I just started HW and I'm getting absolutely demolished. Enemies take forever to kill and they reset if I try to kite them (which didn't happen in the base game). I'm basically dead if I pull more than one mob, and I didn't die once in ARR.

Any tips? I want to re-spec my chocobo into healing but the item for it is ridiculously expensive. I'd need like another 100k GC seals to get to the rank required for it and then purchase it, and I only acquired maybe 8-10k seals throughout the entirety of ARR.
 
Last edited:
So I just started HW and am getting absolutely demolished. Enemies take forever to kill and they reset if I try to kite them (which didn't happen in the base game). I'm basically dead if I pull more than one mob, and I didn't die once in ARR.

Any tips? I want to re-spec my chocobo into healing but the item for it is ridiculously expensive. I'd need like another 100k GC seals to get to the rank required for it and then purchase it, and I only acquired maybe 8-10k seals throughout the entirety of ARR.

World mobs shouldn't be much trouble at all, that's very weird. What class are you playing and what's your level and item level? Are you sure you gear is not broken and needs to be repaired? (it happens, trust me). Obviously don't pull more than a single mob if you're not tank out there.

Only time I ever needed chocobo for healing when solo-ing thing was ARR stuff solo-ing certain fates alone for relic.

Does this game still require a Subscription?

Yes, SE still has FF11 as a sub game, so this game going free to play isn't going to happen anytime soon (thankfully it won't, I prefer Sub based, this game is very friendly when it comes to unsubbing when you're not playing much and sub back when a major patch is out).
 
So I just started HW and I'm getting absolutely demolished. Enemies take forever to kill and they reset if I try to kite them (which didn't happen in the base game). I'm basically dead if I pull more than one mob, and I didn't die once in ARR.

Any tips? I want to re-spec my chocobo into healing but the item for it is ridiculously expensive. I'd need like another 100k GC seals to get to the rank required for it and then purchase it, and I only acquired maybe 8-10k seals throughout the entirety of ARR.

Yeah sounds like a gear level issue.

Start running Roulettes every day. That will get you Tomes and Seals. A lot of them. You will be swimming in them soon. They are also very good XP.

The gear the game gives you at L50 is good for when you hit 50, but not so much anything past that. There is decent gear for Tomes in Mor Dhona you can buy white gear in the main HW city, or get decent crafted gear on the MB.

You get another set of gear at L60 and L70 and L80 for finishing class quests, but again, it’s only suitable for when you get it, not for progressing past that point. The game really wants you to upgrade to either dungeon drops or Tome gear to keep progressing.

Your Choco - Healing does help a lot, once you start pushing roulettes and fates you will have Seals to burn, so don’t worry about that. Rank up with your GC if you haven’t yet.

All your issues get taken care of with some patience. It’s really frustrating to try to rush through this game, it’s meant to be paced.
 
Thanks. Somehow it didn't occur to me to buy vendor gear. I replaced all of my blue 90 gear with white 115 gear and seem to be doing better.
 
Thanks. Somehow it didn't occur to me to buy vendor gear. I replaced all of my blue 90 gear with white 115 gear and seem to be doing better.
Yeah ilvl 90 is too low, ironwork gear from mor dhona is 120 that's upgradeable to 130, easy to get with poetics and it will easily be able to carry you up to level 55-56.
 
just hit lvl 61 as a drk. just started stormblood content. love this game
 
I absolutely love this game. It's what I've been playing primarily for the last couple of years. What data center are you all on?
 
Crystal, malboro specifically.

Glad people are praising this game finally. I've been playing since a few betas before ARR and it's nice to see people enjoying it new.
 
Ah. I'm on Hyperion. If anyone else is also on the Primal data center, hit me up. I'll run stuff with you. :)
 
I doubt anyone here plays on EU, but I play on Odin, Light DC. Has been playing since 4-5 years now, the only MMO ever interested me with continuous good patch releases.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top