Summary
Final Fantasy XIVdraws in new Warriors of Light by being a critically acclaimed MMORPG with a free trial throughStormbloodthat allows characters to reach up to Level 70 without a limit on playtime.Like any MMO, it can be intimidating to get started, especially when the game has been around for over a decade now and has several expansions of content available. It also doesn’t help that there are so many features inFFXIVthat are easy to miss, especially for a Warrior of Light who isn’t exploring all the side quests.
Starting an MMORPG well into its life can be tough, whether it’sFFXIV,World of Warcraft, or any other option that’s been around for a while and is holding onto a dedicated player base.There are a lot of reasons to pick upFFXIV,given its gameplay alone, and its community is still bustling, with new content and expansions being released regularly. However, these are the things thatFFXIVdoesn’t prepare a new Warrior of Light for, although it would’ve been helpful to do so.
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10The Difficulty Increases Through Expansions
A Difficulty Spike
The content inA Realm Reborncan seem rather straightforward and simple in most cases. But since this is the material at the beginning of the Warrior of Light’s journey,it’s expected that the game eases into the contentin order to teach the way that mechanics work. While the difficulty and complexity of mechanics in duties, trials, dungeons, and raids increase over time, there are points where that increase ends up feeling like an unexpected spike.
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The difficulty increases and starts to become more noticeable aroundStormbloodcontent, but it isn’t quite a spike. It feels more like the development team had a technology upgrade, and they were then able to use that to design mechanics with additional complexity. This isn’t quite the case withDawntrail, and whilethe mechanics for fights in this expansion are a lot of fun, many Warriors of Light found themselves unprepared for the difficulty spikethat came with them.
9There’s More Side Content Than There Seems To Be At First
A Lot To Unlock Before Access
It’s easy to miss out on content that has to be unlocked before it’s accessible.
If a Warrior of Light isn’t exploring all the side quests that are marked with a blue icon, it’s easy to miss out on content that has to be unlocked before it’s accessible. When starting out, thedifferences between quest icons are importantsince they reveal if a quest is part of the main story, just a standard side quest, or a quest that unlocks side content. Even then, there’s side content hidden away that can be tough to uncover without knowing where to start.
8Ranking Up In A Grand Company Is Important
Especially From The Start
Joining a Grand Company is a decision that the Warrior of Light makes shortly after joining the Scions as their combat abilities start to become famous. Despite being presented with three options,the biggest difference is the color of the gear and bardingthat the Warrior has access to as they rise through the ranks andgain Company Seals. Even when it comes to PvP matches, the company the Warrior joined isn’t necessarily the company they’ll be part of in PvP.
The benefits of ranking up within a Grand Company and what can be unlocked through it aren’t too clear when starting.
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However, it’s not clear when joining a Grand Company thatranking up within that company is a requirement for being able to purchase player housing. It’s also a requirement for starting Hunts, which can lead to unlocking unique mounts. Since the benefits of ranking up within a Grand Company and what can be unlocked through it aren’t too clear when starting, Warriors of Light end up needing to grind ranks later in the game.
7The Best Rotation And Job Adjustments Can Be Confusing
Be Used To Having Several
With live service games, there are constant adjustments being made to the available classes to attempt to keep them balanced. Unfortunately, that also means that abilities, rotations, and strengths change. Plus, sinceFFXIVallows every job to be learned with a single character, job adjustments sometimes lead to jobs falling out of popularity in favor of stronger options, so the Warrior of Light ends up needing to understand and feel comfortable with multiple options.
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There are plenty of great features that come from having this style for player classes in an MMO.Not worrying about leveling new characters and starting over to try other jobs is convenient, and it’s less tedious. However,FFXIVdoesn’t do the best job when it comes to teaching ability rotations, and adjustments made in patches can be confusing for those new to the game.
6The Housing System Is Frustrating
Purchasing One Can Take Months
Player housing is a fun feature to have in any MMO, butFFXIVmakes it particularly tempting, with multiple beautiful areas and plenty of items to use for decorating. However, the housing system is a bit notorious, especially when it comes tohow difficult it is for any given player topurchase a houseof their own. Even with the improvements made inEndwalker, the housing system remains flawed, meaning that it can take months or longer to snag a property.
The way the housing system works is now through a lottery. When there’s an open plot, anybody who meets the requirements to own a house is able to enter the lottery, meaning they’re given a number. Once the number is drawn, the person with the winning number has a limited amount of time to claim their new property before it’s part of the lottery again.New data centers like Dynamis make it much easier to get a house since it’s not as populated, but playing on older data centers means that purchasing a house is its own battle.
5Manderville Quests Are Anything Except Expected
They Supposed To Be Comedic
The Manderville side quests center around Hildibrand Manderville, who’s the son of Godbert Manderville, the owner of the Gold Saucer.These quests are designed to provide comic reliefamid a storyline that can sometimes feel heavy, and they certainly accomplish that task through multiple dance numbers, investigations, and a focus on what it means to be a true gentleman. However, they end up being ridiculous to a point that’s difficult for any Warrior of Light to be prepared to witness, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
These quests span over multiple expansions, but they become important inEndwalkerif the Warrior of Light wants to obtain the relic weapons for that expansion becausethese weapons are directly tied to the Manderville quests. So, this means that the entire questline has to be done from the beginning in order to eventually earn relic weapons. In which case, be prepared for the ridiculous and remember that the direction these quests take is impossible to predict, but they’re also not meant to be taken seriously.
A Super Time Consuming Habit
It’s not uncommon forFinal Fantasygames to have their own minigames included, and forFFXIV, that would be the Triple Triad card game. Just like any other small minigame that gives rewards at random, it’s easy to end up addicted to Triple Triad. This is especially true for collectors because there are a lot of cards that can be acquired in-game, andcollecting all of them gives a mount as a reward.
Triple Triad is a fun little game, andvarious game styles keep it from becoming stalesince the changes in rules for different styles mean that the best strategies change as well. Additionally, there are limited events where Manderville Gold Saucer points (MGP) are used as currency to purchase items that are otherwise unavailable. In those cases, playing Triple Triad and selling duplicate cards is a fun, easy way to gather MGP.
3Crafting Can Be Complicated
Specially With No Early Explanations
There are a lot of crafting jobs inFFXIV, and one character can level all of them. However, the crafting system can be a bit confusing when starting out, especially when it comes tocollectibles, scrips, and the House of Splendors. It doesn’t help that any Warrior of Light who wants to craft the best items will need to know how all three of those work, and it’s simply not given the clearest explanation.
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Basically, when crafting collectibles, they need toreach a certain level of quality to turn into the House of Splendors for scrips, which act as a crafting currency. Without the option for quick synthesis, the process takes a lot longer compared to crafting normal items. Scrips are then used to purchase crafting materials, materia, gear, and recipes from Splendors Vendors in specific cities.
2Final Fantasy XIV Consumes A Lot Of Time
Be Prepared For Hundreds Of Hours
The Warrior of Light has a lot of responsibilities, and those take up rather large chunks of time. Like any MMORPG,FFXIVcan end up absorbing a lot of time, from hundreds to thousands of hours spent in-game completing content or simply standing around cities. Evengoing through the main storyline from the beginning to the end ofDawntrailtakes over a hundred hours, and that’s without stopping to spend time on side content.
Of course, this isn’t a bad thing. The problem is that it can be an issue for those who seek escapism and end up spending too much time in-game to avoid the outside world.There’s a lot of fun to be had in the world ofFFXIV, but there’s also a need for moderation and time spent outside virtual worlds, and an acknowledgment that collecting items or achievements in a game is a marathon rather than a sprint.
1The Stories Told Are Full Of Emotions
A Lot Of Depth For An MMO
When it comes to MMOs, the storylines are often hit or miss. Many games struggle to balance mechanics and story in a way that makes a large player base feel satisfied with both. That’s whythe emotional story told throughFFXIVcan come as a surprise, especially in comparison to games likeWorld of Warcraft, where the story is notorious for being confusing and often lackluster.
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A Realm ReborntoEndwalkercompletes a full narrative arc, andthe result was that there were plenty of moments for tears in bothShadowbringersandEndwalker. Now,Dawntrail’sjob was to set up the next big narrative arc to span another decade or so of content. Whether it successfully sets up a new storyline is yet to be decided, given the divisive nature of the latest expansion, but it’s tough to deny that the latest MSQ still brought reasons to cry with it.
FFXIVis unique within theFinal Fantasyfranchise since it’s the second MMO to be included, and it’s much more successful than the first one. However, having been around for more than a decade, getting started can be confusing for a new Warrior of Light, and they end up being rather unprepared for some elements included in the game. Luckily, the in-game community and internet at large contain no shortage of resources so that every Warrior of Light can enjoyFinal Fantasy XIV.
