Thirteen years after its initial release and ten years after its revival in the form of A Realm Reborn, the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is still going strong. The “critically acclaimed” online game — as Square Enix and its loyal community like to point out — is now on its fourth expansion and will receive its fifth, Dawntrail, this summer. The title’s growing popularity has more and more players intrigued, but they are still hesitant to take their first steps in Eorzea. Indeed, MMORPGs can be intimidating and FFXIV is no exception. The apprehension of mechanics specific to this type of game, as well as the personal investment tend to scare more than one player.
What if we took advantage of the arrival of Final Fantasy XIV on Xbox to break a few clichés? Over the course of the updates, the accessibility of the title has continued to grow, so much so that it has never been easier to embark on this adventure. The free trial offers unlimited access to the base game and its first two expansions, or more than a hundred hours of content to help you form your own opinion. If the launch of the Xbox beta is catching your eye, here are our tips to help you take your first steps into this vast virtual world.
Make sure you join the same world as your friends
When creating your character, Final Fantasy XIV will automatically assign you a data center and a “world,” which is your game server. In order to To balance the crowd, this automatic selection varies depending on the players and the days. If you want to join experienced friends or start with other beginners, consider choosing the same data center and world during the last creation step. Cross-world and cross-center gameplay is now possible, but remains much less practical.
Your choice of class is not final
Final Fantasy XIV has a major advantage over other MMOs of the genre. The class system — which we call “jobs” here — allows the same character to change specialization at will, right from the first levels of the game. So don’t bother brainstorming your role for hours: you just need to accept a “guild” quest — such as the Archers’ Guild or the Elementalists’ Guild — to unlock a new class.
A healing or tank role will however limit your wait time during a group search for a dungeon. Be aware, however, that the game now benefits from a system allowing you to explore dungeons in the company of non-player characters, giving you the opportunity to enjoy the content alone.
Certain features are restricted on the free version
Unlimited access up to level 70 is a nice gift from Square Enix, which unfortunately comes with some drawbacks. Players of the trial version cannot initiate trades, add players as friends or create groups. These drawbacks can however be circumvented by teaming up with experienced adventurers. They will be able to manage invitations in order to group you with other players. As for dungeons and other boss fights, don't panic: a group search system will take care of the formalities for you.
Side quests are (almost) useless
Final Fantasy XIV has received many adjustments to facilitate progression in its “Epic,” meaning the main quest. The content of the base game, long known as boring, is now more enjoyable to explore. The main quests are enough to obtain the experience points necessary to never be held back by a chapter that is too high level. Enough to reach the first expansion — considered the starting point for a faster pace — in complete peace. So avoid getting lost in the side quests of the first zones, which could slow down the beginning of the story. Be careful not to neglect the secondary quests with this signage:
These allow you to unlock important elements, such as new classes, new professions, dungeons or even services like the hairdresser and outfit customization.
Try the controller from the start
It doesn't matter your gaming platform, Final Fantasy XIV supports two types of controls: keyboard/mouse and gamepad. Although it is unusual to use the second option for an MMORPG, Square Enix's title was primarily designed to be played in this way. Spell selection and movement with the controller will give you many advantages during the most intense fights in the game.
Being able to change direction with a flick of the joystick and without having to turn the camera will save your ass in more than one raid. So try to get familiar with these atypical controls from your first hours of play so you don't have to relearn everything later. However, know that there is no "ideal" way to play this game: choose the method that suits you best for more comfort.
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