Closing Fantasy XIV is a gargantuan expertise, and that’s saying one thing for the collection’ customary. The MMORPG is quickly to welcome its newest growth, Dawntrail, on June 28 for individuals who pre-ordered it. In case you’re beginning to get FOMO and also you wish to uncover what all of the fuss is about, there’s fairly a little bit of floor to cowl earlier than committing to a month-to-month subscription.
In case you’re an upcoming participant who bounced off after a couple of hours or a model new Warrior of Mild on the lookout for their subsequent journey, this information covers various actions you are able to do in a month, and afterward, when you follow the sport.
Alternatively, when you’re already caught up on the principle story quests and also you’re simply ready for the brand new growth or on the lookout for endgame actions, listed here are the 10 issues to do earlier than Closing Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail growth.
First, let’s speak in regards to the Free Trial
You’ve seen the memes time and time once more, and for good purpose. The FFX14 Free Trial lets you play as much as stage 70 with out a restriction on playtime. In brief, you’re capable of entry the bottom sport—A Realm Reborn, or ARR for brief—in addition to the primary two expansions, Heavensward and Stormblood, with out having to fret about paying for subscription time.
On paper, that is the tactic to go for when you’re planning on ranging from scratch. In follow, there are a couple of caveats that may be substantial in the long term: lack of social choices to play with others and group up with fellow Free Trialers, and intricacies relating to your platform of selection are the principle obstacles.
In case you purchased FFX14 up to now and forgot about it, you gained’t have the ability to entry the Free Trial with that account in your platform of selection. It sounds pretty apparent, nevertheless it’s value mentioning, particularly for some particular instances like Steam.
You’ll be able to create totally different FF14 accounts and be a part of the Free Trial, which is what I did final 12 months to assist a pal. However when you inevitably wish to transfer to the total paid expertise, your Steam account gained’t permit you to take action until you come back, and resubscribe, to your unique account. Alternatively, you should buy the bottom sport and expansions once more inside Sq. Enix’s app, however why would you? As a rule of thumb, a minimum of on Steam, the primary account you make on a platform will seemingly be the one you’ll have to stay to for the foreseeable future.
Right here’s the principle factor that acquired in the way in which of having fun with the Free Trial as a celebration of two who aren’t subscribed: Your social actions are very restricted—you may’t ship non-public or world messages, and most crucially, you may’t create a celebration. A workaround is to go to a metropolis capital and ask within the normal chat for individuals to create the celebration for you each. And so they’ll usually do pretty rapidly. The principle missions, nonetheless, will continually ask you to disband the celebration for particular encounters.
It’s a tiring course of. In case you can have someone tagging alongside the group that has entry to the total sport, it’ll be a way more amicable expertise throughout.
You possibly can probably sort out most, if not all of ARR
One other preconception about FF14 you may be accustomed to is that ARR, which is mainly the bottom sport and first batch of patches, is a slog. As someone with the identical worries as soon as who acquired via it, effectively, it sort of is. Most quests are unmemorable, and also you’ll be spending some time speaking to characters you gained’t care about.
Towards the tip, nonetheless, the story considerably ramps up, and also you’ll have a terrific overview of what veterans of the sport at all times reward relating to the writing and narrative parts of the MMO. You’ll additionally get entry to fairly a couple of further quests, actions, and rewards as you trek alongside.
In case you’re constant and you’ve got an excellent podcast backlog, it’s possible to sort out all 160-ish quests of the bottom ARR. You’re then taking a look at one other 80 quests or so, which have been initially launched as patches. Some are shorter than others, so don’t let the numbers intimidate you. The primary dozen hours may current the most important hurdle, as you’re strolling round on a regular basis, however when you’ve already gotten a mount and some quick journey factors, all of it turns into extra manageable.
Now, it’s necessary to notice that you simply don’t have to burn your self out. Tackling all of ARR in a month is feasible, nevertheless it’ll rely in your availability and willingness to sit down via very basic MMO tropes relating to questing. You’ll be able to take your time—simply needless to say the extra you progress into the principle story quests, the extra FF14 will open up, providing new actions to sort out that get more and more extra fascinating.
Get a really feel for dungeons and raids
Amongst these actions are dungeons, trials, and raids. Whereas going via ARR, an enormous motivator for me was figuring out that I had a brand new dungeon or trial upcoming after tackling X variety of quests. (The Major State of affairs Quests listing of the Wiki helped me to maintain observe of what was forward.)
For ARR, raids gained’t change into a factor till a lot later within the story. However there are various dungeons and trials to sort out. The primary is what you’d anticipate: taking teams of gamers with assigned roles (normally one tank, two DPS, and a healer) into all types of labyrinthic areas. They begin pretty merely, however rapidly start to showcase mechanics, puzzles, and boss encounters that require sharp reflexes and clear coordination to take down. Trials, alternatively, take you straight to a boss combat, which is normally fairly the spectacle.
These actions present an excellent testing floor to your Jobs, and will help you resolve what sort of position you’re enthusiastic to grasp transferring ahead. As soon as unlocked, switching Jobs is tremendous straightforward, so you may at all times get the texture for one thing new, particularly while you inevitably replay earlier dungeons and trials for the Every day Roulette.
Enhance your crafting and gathering lessons
Not solely does FF14 have a protracted listing of Jobs to find and stage up, however there’s a unique class that doesn’t at all times get the highlight. Disciplines, or what the time period “job” normally means in every other MMO, can help you change into something from a carpenter to an alchemist.
There are 11 Disciplines to choose from, every with its personal options and functions. Disciplines of the Hand are all based mostly on crafting issues like armor and jewellery or prepping meals. Disciplines of the Land are all about fishing or discovering metals and different uncommon objects out within the wild.
Some Disciplines can change into fairly profitable in-game when you’re keen to spend the time on them. They’re all additionally very enjoyable, and a pleasant change of tempo out of your smackdown duties.
Play mini video games on the Gold Saucer
When you’ve reached stage 15 and gained entry to the expanded journey choices, head to Ul’Dah and communicate to Effectively-heeled Youth, who has the hunt “It May Occur to You” up for grabs. It’s a reasonably easy activity, and also you’ll be on the Gold Saucer very quickly.
The Gold Saucer is a frankly overwhelming casino-type institution that’s elective, however shouldn’t be fully ignored. It has a ton of mini video games to find, together with a couple of huge ones like Triple Triad from Closing Fantasy 8. Whereas they’re nice methods to cross the time, you’ll even be rewarded with Manderville Gold Saucer Factors, or MGP, a forex used to purchase particular minions, mounts, outfits, and so forth.
In case you get invested, be sure to participate within the lottery system, Cactpot, which runs each every day and weekly. You’ll be getting dozens of rewards very quickly.
Scratch the roguelike itch with Deep Dungeons
In case you didn’t get an invitation to Hades II’s Technical Check, there’s one other roguelike choice for you within FFX14. Deep Dungeons are procedurally generated dungeons that sprawl throughout a number of flooring. You’ll be able to sort out them by your self or with a celebration of as much as 4 gamers, and so they can get fairly arduous the upper you climb.
The primary you’ll encounter is the Palace of the Lifeless, which has 200 flooring to plunge via. The trick is that everyone begins at stage 1 and positive factors expertise as they make progress. Totally different Deep Dungeons have totally different stage necessities and restrictions. For the Palace of the Lifeless, you solely want a stage 17 character. Then, Heaven-on-Excessive requires stage 61, whereas Eureka Orthos requires stage 81 as a substitute. You’ll get there ultimately – Zagreus believes in you.
Or simply be taught an instrument
If the rest fails, you may change into a Bard at stage 30 and encourage others together with your music. Surprisingly, there are greater than 20 devices obtainable in FFX14, from harps to electrical guitars, every with its personal particular management format so you may mimic the actual factor as a lot as potential. I as soon as listened to someone play “Careless Whisper” on a saxophone to excessive precision and my life hasn’t been the identical since. You possibly can encourage others like this, too, by selecting up an instrument in FFX14.
