r/FinalFantasy • u/RRM25 • Aug 25 '22
Final Fantasy XIV renewed my love for this series FF XIV
I’m a long time fan of Final Fantasy, there was certainly a rough patch of FF games that came out that I felt underwhelmed by. For a while I took a break from it all (2 years). I’m not a MMO person but getting into XIV’s world recently through friends, experiencing the story and it’s characters really put some faith back in me for XVI. I used to think the online games didn’t really count but this game is more worthy of it than anything of recent memory. Did FFXIV do anything special for you guys?
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u/SirHighground1 Aug 26 '22
XIV will always be my counter argument against the "FF needs to be turn-based" crowd. All it needs are a gripping story, well-developed characters and amazing music, draped with FF staples like summons or chocobos. My favorite game in the series, and I've played almost all except some spinoffs.
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u/Kumomeme Aug 26 '22
yes. i see people bitching about how 'turn based' is the 'root' of ff. FFXIV is a prove that its actually never be that way. same goes with those bickering of turn based vs action game.
..i usually straight to tell them that the best FF that square released this past decade use tab target combat system and it is a mmo at first place.
the point is, not about the system but just made a damn good game. Naoki Yoshida mention this many times in recent FFXVI interview. similliar stuff told to him by Yoshinori Kitase.
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u/Raomiru Aug 25 '22
This was me shortly before I started playing FFXIV back in 2020:
"That sounds like crap, how could people say that FFXIV's story is as good as the single-player FFs? Even though it's a FF game, aren't stories in MMO games usually bad?"
A few months later, after reaching the latest story patch at the time of my playthrough (5.3):
"Holy crap, this is the best FF I've ever played."
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u/BeardInTheNorth Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
So I just watched The Night Sky Prince's video on this game, and to be frank, I just don't understand the premise or execution of FFXIV's story. Apparently you, the player, are made out to be the protagonist of the whole campaign—not a, but the, Warrior of Light. But this is an MMORPG, so where do other online players fit in to that narrative? From their perspectives, surely they are the protagonists of the very same campaign, not you or anyone else.
I mean, I can see this parlor trick working with solo missions, since you can forget about everyone else and focus on the NPCs. But how exactly does this whole "you're the chosen one" stuff play out when doing quests and raids with a half-dozen other players? This logistical quagmire is why I think many single-player FF fans are so willing to press (X) to Doubt this claim that FFXIV has an amazing, perhaps even the best, story of any mainline FF title. At first glance, it just doesn't seem feasible that an MMORPG could deliver a single-player RPG story experience for one person without compromising it for the community, or vice versa.
I'm not doubting this claim myself, though. I'm just ignorant. My smooth brain right now is picturing The Real Slim Shady music video, except every Hyur and Elezen and Miq'ote is standing in an auditorium rocking bleached-blonde hair and a white A-shirt lol. Comedy aside, would you be willing to enlighten me on this subject?
Edit: Instead of downvoting me, whoever you are, I'd appreciate it if you could leave a comment and help clear up my confusion instead. I'm a longtime FF fan who's never played a single MMORPG, so the idea of marrying the classic single-player formula with online mechanics is completely alien to me. By no means am I disparaging FFXIV's story; if the lot of you stand by it, then I have every intention of giving it a shot.
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u/IAmTriscuit Aug 26 '22
The game actually explains the other members of your raids/some dungeons in pretty clever ways in many of the fights in Shadowbringers/Endwalker. Before that, you kinda just have to pretend they are fellow adventurers.
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u/Kumomeme Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
the night sky prince guy also at beginning like you. very sceptical about the game and he is a diehard FFXV defenders.
but later when more and more people tell him about how good FFXIV is and encourage him to try the game, now look at him.
just try the game. you wont get the proper answer unless you experience it by yourself. i too used to be very sceptical about it too. especially thinking of the claim of how a mmo could be good as single player game.
im never been glad to be proven wrong.
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u/available2tank Aug 26 '22
Theres a bit of suspension of disbelief, and its a thing most or all RPers in any shared multiplayer game have to undergo since there are groups that do roleplay that their characters themselves are the ones that do undergo the story.
In the end its an understanding that we're all WoLs in our own story and its just a shared experience that we get to experience the story collectively in that we're the heroes of our own story if that makes sense.
Its like in any similar like Dragon Age or Mass Effect game: everyone makes their own Shepard or what have you, but then go talk to other people who played the same game, doing the same story beats, but still have that shared story experience.
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u/NowakFoxie Aug 26 '22
So basically, what others have said. The game positions you as the hero of your own story, you just so happen to share the world with other heroes of their own stories. However, it also works around this and helps foster suspension of disbelief in-lore by establishing that you are not the only one with the Echo, and that there are others with the same gift, almost as soon as the concept is introduced to you.
You're just simply the main character, the Warrior of Light, because your character's the one controlled by the player.
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Aug 26 '22
There is always an in-universe justification for who your other party members are in a given dungeon or trial. Just from dialogue, cutscenes, and the way NPCs interact with you, your character is THE sole Warrior of Light. You are the main protagonist.
The most common and frequent explanation is that you're an adventurer with the adventurers guild, and thus have access to lots of contacts and friends whom you can call upon for help. Your other party members are friends or acquaintances you've pulled along with you. This is confirmed and even made fun of in dialogue with NPCs and descriptions of dungeons and trials that your character just knows a lot of people they can quickly gather and ask for help, and this the matchmaking system at work: you're combing through contacts, seeing who's available, and enlisting their help.
Certain other story beats and cutscenes show allies literally being summoned from beyond the dimensional rift to come to your aid, and after a certain point in Shadowbringers, your character acquires the ability to magically summon allies from afar, and this is what's used to the present day.
It's a unique situation where you're the hero of your own story and you're surrounded by people who are the hero of theirs. You're the Warrior of Light, but to someone else in their version of the game you're just another adventurer hanging around town looking for work.
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u/Illuvia Aug 26 '22
My favourite justification is what they did in othard. Somehow there just happens to be 7 like-minded adventurers nearby just when you needed them the most....
But I gotta say let expanse contract, eon become instant! Champions from beyond the rift, HEED MY CALL!” is just so fucking cool. Total hype moment of the expansion, and becomes lore consistent when used in ShB patches plus EW. And in pandaemonium having elidibus use similar magicks to give you phantom familiars is pretty cool and lore consistent too.
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Aug 26 '22
I loved how they called this out too. Alisaie is like "where are we gonna find enough people to deal with this threat?" And Lyse is like "well let's ask the WoL. They do seem to have an awful lot of adventurer friends. Maybe some of them decided to go on a fishing trip to the far east and just happen to be close by?"
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u/leonffs Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
As a warrior main, I’m the >warrior< of light and the rest of you lot are delusional 😂
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u/leonffs Aug 26 '22
In cut scenes you are clearly identified as the main hero and the other player characters are adventurers helping you. Then on their screen they are the main hero and you are one of their adventurer friends. It actually works very well.
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u/Illuvia Aug 26 '22
Canonical, YOU are the warrior of light. The cities are filled with many other adventurers with cool gear, but only you have saved the world and they just help you out. You never actually see anyone else do legendary deeds.
It's actually pretty cool how they go out of the way to justify a lot of ingame mechanics.
at various points of the game, they explain how you have random adventurer buddies joining you in different lore/context-appropriate ways. There's a ridiculously epic scene at the end of Shadowbringers main story where you and a NPC hero are stuck in the void, and he channels great summoning magicks to call a party together for you - which you subsequent learn and that then kinda becomes the in-game explanation of why you can queue for a raid party even when your character is adrift in the void between worlds.
as the warrior of light, you have something called the Echo. One of its blessings somehow allows you to see how events will unfold. Which will explain why you can keep trying and retrying bossfights, gradually getting better until you "know" how to win - which then becomes reality.
bossfights come in different difficulties. Only the lowest difficulty is canon. All other difficulties are "what-if" scenarios, ranging from a bard trying to embellish your exploits, to running combat simulations for training (so you unlock the higher difficulties by talking to the bard or interacting with the training device)
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Aug 26 '22
I'd mention a few things:
1) Suspension of disbelief. It is a FF game after all, we're used to doing that.
2) Some dialogue explains the other players with you in dungeons are meant to be the Warrios of Light (player character's) hand-picked adventurer friends
3) Its only really the main cities that have many players around. In most of the zones you go through the main story with you'll rarely see any/many other players around.
4) The game makes you attached to your WOL. I've never been very creative or into roleplaying, but even I have made an entire backstory, personality and relationships up in my head for my Warrior of Light. Infact, across these >3000 hours and counting I've spent with her she might be my favourite FF protagonist by now. The story and seeing your character in cutscenes also sell you on the fact you alone did everything the characters praise you for.
I could go on but my real rec is just to try it out. The free trial means you won't pay anything for the first two sections of the game. The story starts famously slow and somewhat dull but things really start picking up when you reach late A Realm Reborn and start the first expansion Heavensward, and by Shadowbringers its some of the best storytelling FF has ever seen. You'll fall in love with your own WOL before you know it, trust me.
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u/Kumomeme Aug 26 '22
for me HW blew me away. already one of the best FF. most of people doubt this expansion would get topped. it is already a 'peak' that time.
then later SB has mixed reception but preordered for Shb damn..im glad im buy the game at launch.
same goes with EW. im even take leave from work lol.
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Aug 25 '22 edited Aug 25 '22
FF14 also restored my faith in the series. I was a bit mixed on 13. The original release of 14 was a dumpster truck of a fire, and 15 feeling unfinished on top of all that made me think that my childhood series was over. I mean, none of these are bad games (except the original FF14 ofc), but I was ready to throw in the towel.
Fuck that thought old me, modern FF14 showed me this series still has some bangers to kick out yet!
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u/CHBCKyle Aug 26 '22
13 and 15 were pivots towards marketing towards the west and squenix is cash positive by like 1.5B and are reinvesting in their core franchises. That’s largely due to ff14 revenue. They’ve said they’re doubling down on Japan which means good things for fans I think but they have to push out forspoken first before they can finally close that chapter. We’ll just have to hold them accountable as fans.
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u/t0mRiddl3 Aug 26 '22
How was 13 trying to appeal to the west?
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u/CHBCKyle Aug 26 '22
Because that’s what square has said.
Being a large-scale project Square Enix wanted to keep details of the game secret, but this led to the international player testing being too late, which further led to scheduling constraints as the team wanted to ensure the game would appeal to Western audiences. The development team was well-aware of criticism toward JRPGs coming from North America and Europe concerning game linearity and command-based battles; the development team experimented with Western development methods and international focus groups were set up for certain titles, including Final Fantasy XIII.
However, at this time the development team was already far along in development and it was too late to implement most of the feedback. Despite this, the team was able to gain some insight into what players wanted globally, but also led to conflicts because the development team didn't receive clear instructions on whether to force certain changes into an already tight schedule. Much of the feedback which was unable to be included in Final Fantasy XIII, was later used when developing Final Fantasy XIII-2.[7]
Source: https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XIII_development
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u/t0mRiddl3 Aug 26 '22
However, at this time the development team was already far along in development and it was too late to implement most of the feedback. Despite this, the team was able to gain some insight into what players wanted globally, but also led to conflicts because the development team didn't receive clear instructions on whether to force certain changes into an already tight schedule. Much of the feedback which was unable to be included in Final Fantasy XIII, was later used when developing Final Fantasy XIII-2.[7]
I think that's why I don't see that influence
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u/CHBCKyle Aug 26 '22
That’s probably cuz you probably didn’t live through the Sakaguchi era. They removed turn based combat because of western players complaining it was too complex. They were doing this because they weren’t financially stable. They couldn’t help how linear 13 was, but 13-2 was much less so because of the time hopping mechanic. Even then the problem wasn’t that 13 was linear, it’s that all of the world building was in data logs no one was ever gonna read and that’s all down to it being a rush job. 10 is just one straight corridor and it’s a 10/10 vs 13 being like an 8. Solid rpg but only mid tier FF.
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u/NN010 Aug 26 '22
Funnily enough, I’m an example of someone who was turned off by 13 & the start of 15 who became a fan after playing 14 (although VII Remake helped). I have since gone back to 13 & 15, and do like 15 now… still not a fan of 13 though, but I did enjoy 13-2 and am playing through Lightning Returns ATM.
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u/Kumomeme Aug 26 '22
same here, 13 and 15 dissapointed me and made me question square enix's ability to create not just good, but complete package modern rpg.
FFXIV prove that they actually capable of it and when i realize lot of new staff, unknown guy, younger developers is involved without those usual big name in the company and they has done a very damn amazing job, that moment i know that this is the future of the franchise.
now this same division handled FFXVI.
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u/Stesky Aug 25 '22
I've beaten ARR recently and I'm really loving this game too
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Aug 25 '22
Oh man i juat beat stormblood feels so good to get to the next xpac. The game reallllly opens up after ARR. Best wishes on your adventure enjoy!
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u/Subject-Complex8536 Aug 25 '22
It will only get better after the post-ARR. Story wise it will be much better but the thing I liked the most was getting good at the game mechanics and stopping to appreciate the world everytime MSQ brought to a new village/location. (Blue quests normally do have good stories that leads to world building and unlock new stuff) PS: Just don't forget to play de Mardeville quest line, it is the best in the game for me!
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u/mythrilcrafter Aug 26 '22
Here's my non-spoiler advice for you:
It's easy to get distracted and speed through the post-ARR content, when you get sent to Coerthas (the snowy area) slow down and pay attention to what's happening.
There's a lot of good characters introduced here and that's where a lot of strong story threads start; if you speed through and ignore what's happening there you're going to be confused when things start spinning up as you go into the Heavensward content.
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u/wheatconspiracy Aug 26 '22
Interesting! I’m about 15 hours into ARR and the advice I’ve gotten has always been to main quest the whole thing. Because the world is so big, and because the quests are so fetchy, I don’t explore much as I assume I’ll eventually be taken to whatever cool thing I see in the distance. Are you suggesting I mostly just talk to everyone in town, or are you talking standard side quests and map corner exploration / etc
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u/mythrilcrafter Aug 26 '22
Actually, I'm talking about the main quest line; not so much town npcs, side quests, or map exploration.
Put simply: Don't skip through the dialogue in the main quest sections of the post-ARR/pre-HSW areas and you'll be fine making sense of things going into HSW.
When I did the post-ARR main quest content, it was back when it was a 200 quest path of bleh (which has been vastly improved and cleaned up now). I was in a rush to get through the post-ARR main quest content as soon as possible and skipped a lot of dialogue (pretty much anything that wasn't the voiced cutscenes); so when I got to Heavensward, there was a lot of me saying "who is that?" or what are they talking about?" when the answer to both was usually that it was in the post-ARR main quest line, I just skipped those dialogue sections.
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u/wheatconspiracy Aug 26 '22
This is a helpful response! Thankfully I am a psychopath who never skips dialogue no matter how boring hehe
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u/SpoonyBardXIV Aug 25 '22
If you liked ARR, you’ll be absolutely blown away by the expansions. ARR feels like it was made by a child in comparison to the masterpieces of Shadowbringers and Endwalker.
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u/Myrodyn Aug 25 '22
FFXIV actually has been my first experience with Final Fantasy, and i'm in love with 7,15,10 and 13 right now! - together with 14 of course
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u/officer_caboose Aug 26 '22
How much time would I need to invest if I wanted to enjoy the story and do a small amout of additional exploring? I'd love to play and experience it but can only realistically play like 2-3 hours a week and not sure if I can get the full experience that way. Miss the days when I could game 1-2 hours a day.
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u/available2tank Aug 26 '22
Theres a very generous free trial for the game, memes aside. While it is subbed based, you will have access to all the story up until the end of the Heavensward expansion on the trial, and there is no timelimit on it as long as you do not buy the game. I've seen people spending 1000s of hours just on the free trial.
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u/Dippingsauce353 Aug 26 '22
Well for me at least, that is kinda the problem. The game just feels like too much to me. I know people say it gets better after ARR but I'm kinda skeptical and the gameplay isn't interesting enough to tide me over until it gets good
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Aug 26 '22
I will say I felt that way too, me and my partner played it together and the classes get more complex as do the fights later on. Early on it's very much just showing you the different mechanics that the game often does.
It definitely gets a lot better, fights feel cooler and have more mechanics later on. The end of Heavenward 2.3 I remember was a pain in the ass and scary to me. As was 2.0's final boss too.
If it's not your thing, that's okay too! But if you're in it for the gameplay it gets a lot more complex later on for sure. (Almost too complex in the case of some jobs)
If you also feel it's not interesting enough, maybe try playing tank or healer? They're quite busy but fun to play!
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u/Dippingsauce353 Aug 26 '22
I actually already play tank (Warrior). I dont hate the job, its rotation is just kinda boring after a bit I guess.
I'm thinking of trying a dps job now. Any recommendations? I tend to like jobs with big aoe and decent mobility
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u/RsNxs Aug 26 '22
Generally, jobs don't feel "complete" until level 60 (some get better earlier though) and you kinda just spam buttons and that's enough.
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u/Ayanhart Aug 29 '22
Big AoE and decent mobility is Dancer in a nutshell. Over half their attacks are AoE (including ALL of their big skills for their burst) and being Ranged means they can be basically anywhere in most arenas and hit what they're targeting. You'll almost never have downtime. They also get a dash, which at the highest level has 3 charges - good for those panicky 'Oh shit, I shouldn't be standing here!' moments lol.
You'll have to get to lvl 60 to unlock it, though.
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Aug 26 '22
Warrior is much better later on in dungeons when you do wall to walls and you feel so powerful basically healing yourself. But since I saw you just got to Heavenward, you unlocked Dark Knight, Astrologian and Machinist. DRK is a flimsier tank with a LOT of damage, and has a phenomenal class quest (these start at level 30, however)
In terms of big aoe and mobility a lot of your melee classes will be fun and good to use, however I really love summoner because you get to summon ifrit, titan, and garuda and it's great. Also you can move around a lot.
My partner loves Samurai and that has a lot of buttons and gets a lot more complex later on (it also starts at level 50 which is fun!)
Honestly though, I'd say try out as many as you want. Heavenward is MUCH better paced, like infinitely so and you basically have access to most classes.
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u/Dippingsauce353 Aug 26 '22
Alright thanks for the help. I probably just need to suck it up and play. I'm guessing the jobs kinda suck earlier on anyway because they dont have all their kit
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Aug 26 '22
I mean the game isn't for everyone, it depends if you want a busy class (Ninja, Samurai) or one that does big damage but is hard to play (Black Mage, also samurai in some cases)
If you play on controller these classes will be much more difficult later on and complex. Keyboard and Mouse is still difficult but a lot of classes are easier to play. Button bloat is a bit of an issue on some classes
But you have infinite time, and trust dungeons in ARR so you can test out the feeling of each class
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u/Illuvia Aug 26 '22
Most jobs have similar AOE sizes. As the other commenter said, summoner has very cool AOEs. On the other hand, bard can get really cool AOE spam in one of their songs, dragoon has very long line AOEs instead of circles like everyone else. Ninja has a range of different cool AOE "spells" including creating a patch of deadly soil that does damage over time. Bard and ninja are both very mobile. It depends on what style of AOEs you want.
Warrior is considered the most approachable tank. It's a relatively simple rotation to pick up. There is some nuance at higher levels but you can just disregard that if you're not doing endgame.
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u/available2tank Aug 26 '22
The thing is ARR is the foundation that everything else afterwards comes. It was made hastily to fix what was 1.0 within a fraction of the time MMO development usually takes, and in some ways players now are suffering for it cause of the spaghetti code.
But it is the building blocks and the introductory chapters of a wide and grand scope of a story that many have found to be well deserving of it's laurels.
But hey, the gameplay loop isn't for everyone. There are ways to "make the jump" past it so to speak but that would involve money.
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u/Dippingsauce353 Aug 26 '22
I do understand that this is just the nature of MMOs but if it takes that long to lay the ground work, then that's a serious pacing issue. Does the games pacing get better after Heavensward?
Just for context, I have completed the entirety of ARR and I'm at the beginning of Heavensward
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u/available2tank Aug 26 '22
Yeah, heavensward is where you can tell they're starting to get their bearings of what they want to do for their story. Some may say it stumbles a bit during Stormblood story wise, but I've also heard people enjoy the Stormblood Story.
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Aug 26 '22
As long as you log out in cities or towns, you'll actually develop a storage of bonus EXP that you earn while you're logged out. So if you play infrequently or for shorter amounts of times you'll be given an EXP boost.
As for how long it will take you, well, the story is very long. The main game is somewhat shorter now, but each expansion's MSQ is basically a full-length AAA game experience.
All of the optional content is just that: optional. If you want to just stick to the story I think you'll be okay.
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u/officer_caboose Aug 27 '22
That's useful to know, thanks! I didn't even think about possibly needing to grind for EXP, it's been at least 15 years since I last played an MMO
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u/Adamantaimai Aug 27 '22
You don't need to. While this is factually coreect this information is completely irrelevant to someone like you who would only want to slowly progress through the story.
The main story provides enough exp to never need to grind for more on one job. You could even get far leveling a second job with just the main quests. Bonus exp is only relevant when you want to level a third job or want a job to catch up in level.
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u/MrGraveRisen Aug 26 '22
Only the main story and nothing but the main story.... 250-300 hours.
But the first 100-150 of those hours you can play for free!
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u/officer_caboose Aug 27 '22
Thanks for the info, sounds like I should at least play the free trial and see how I like it. 250 hours will definitely take me year to get through which I think is a bit more than what I can handle right now.
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u/MrGraveRisen Aug 27 '22
On the plus side it's an MMO constantly getting updates so there's really no "end" you need to rush to. You could even play through 1 expansion per year (30-50 hours each not including ARR level 1-50) and you'd eventually catch up
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u/Hallowbrand Aug 27 '22
A lot, took me 300 hours to finish endwalker. FFXIV is basically 5 games rolled into one.
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u/officer_caboose Aug 27 '22
Yeah that will take me over a year to get 300 hours in a game. Think I'll try out the free trial and maybe catch the rest of the story via YouTube recaps
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u/BeardInTheNorth Aug 26 '22
From one Final Fantasy fan to another, can you tell me what is so great or special about FFXIV? I don't mean that in a derisive sort of way, I legitimately don't know anything about this entry and I'm curious. I will admit I stayed away from it until now because I generally don't enjoy MMORPGs and assumed [perhaps falsely] that it would be the same with FFXIV.
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u/RRM25 Aug 26 '22
I am mostly praising the storytelling, it’s long form but it has some of the best moments in the series. The beginning base game is a necessary evil, it is a solid base for the greater things to come i.e the expansions after.
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u/BeardInTheNorth Aug 26 '22
How does storytelling work in an MMORPG like this one? I would assume most of the characters on screen, including your own, are real players with custom avatars—so surely they can't have their own lines or VAs, can they? Or does the story revolve around NPCs and you and other randos are just there as silent mercenaries that "help the cause"?
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Aug 26 '22
How does storytelling work in an MMORPG like this one?
Other MMOs are different, but in FF14 the storytelling works in a similiar way to other FFs or other JRPGs. You accept quests, such as the (linear) Main Story Questline (MSQ). Quests have different steps to complete them which are often talking to a NPC, getting an item, running a dungeon, etc. FF14 has hundeds of NPCs, the main ones that follow you on your journey are some of the most beloved characters in FF history. There's some fantastic villains aswell including the best villain in all FF.
If you just stick to the MSQ, really the only major signs the game is a MMO are:
1) Your character is a silent protagonist, outside of (unvoiced) dialogue options you occasionally get. However, the Warrior of Light is not just some random mercenary. Your character is unambigiously the main character of the story and all the NPCs recognise you as such.
2) For dungeons and trials (boss fights) you have other real players matched up to complete them with you as parties of 4 or 8, though many dungeons now have options to run them with AI parties.
Really if you're at all curious based on the replies here, try the free trial. You can play as much as you want for free up to the Heavensward expansion. Do note though the base game is weak compared to what comes later, the game doesn't show many signs of its later brilliance until the late base game quests or the start of the first expansion Heavensward.
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u/RRM25 Aug 26 '22
Basically mission/quest based linear progression, in the expansions, it starts branching out, you can experience quest lines of story events before other story events and vice versa like gta. The game has a big cast of characters and a group that functions like your party. It’s a revolving cast but there are characters that stick with you in the journey. They are full fledged ff characters. The game allows you to mold your character’s personality through dialogue mostly. But they are always a hero.
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u/BeardInTheNorth Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
Hmm. I only ever played GTA V single player. I get the impression from clips of GTA Online that your avatar is just a typical hired gun/silent protagonist, and none of the other human players in your party or clan matter storywise either. So in essence, the plot is really just about the supporting cast of NPCs, whom you and your friends help out. Is that accurate for FFXIV?
Follow up question: is there a definitive start and end to the plot? For instance, does each expansion have scheduled mission times, boss battles, and even final battles that involve everyone raid-style (meaning they are missable)? Or does the plot progress separately for each player, meaning they can experience the whole campaign at their own pace?
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u/Illuvia Aug 26 '22
So in essence, the plot is really just about the supporting cast of NPCs, whom you and your friends help out. Is that accurate for FFXIV?
Interesting there was a thread about this in r/ffxiv today. This is how WoW does it - your character doesn't really matter, you're just the camera to see what the NPCs do. But in FFXIV, you're the main hero and gradually the NPCs treat you with respect or as equals. Somehow in the writing and voice acting you can feel that these characters care about your character in different ways and work together with you to solve problems in different ways, or offer to take on the load so you can get a break from constantly bearing the load of saving the world. When random NPCs send you on fetch quests, often they don't know yet who you are, and when they find out they sent the saviour of the realm to get sandwiches they're in for a shock.
One thing that I think is important to making this happen is that your character is positioned as the team's main combat force, but when it comes to other things like politics or espionage, the NPCs pull their weight in different ways.
Another nice thing is that the writing team spends a lot of time putting in downtime in the story. It's like the conversations while camping out in FFXV - it gives the characters room to breathe and develop by not constantly rushing from story point to story point.
Edit: here, this thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/wwsnuu/question_to_people_who_has_played_both_ffxiv_and/ilp9mts
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u/nick_16_09 Aug 26 '22
So in essence, the plot is really just about the supporting cast of NPCs, whom you and your friends help out. Is that accurate for FFXIV?
Not at all. While the player character start as an adventurer, they soon begin a journey to save the realm. And in that journey they gain a lot of fame and recognition, to the point people will come ask for your help specifically on serious matters. And while the player character is mute, that doesn't mean they don't have a personality. You get dialogue choices(which are not voiced) and some cutscenes show the finer points of the WoL's personality.
Or does the plot progress separately for each player, meaning they can experience the whole campaign at their own pace?
It's like this. The only timed things are seasonal events which only offer cosmetic items, which then get added the following year to the cash shop in case you missed them. Otherwise, there's no rush to finish the story. It's not going anywhere without you
5
u/VorAbaddon Aug 26 '22
Heres the 3 example I give people: in 2020 they were working on a patch release. The main story writer Ishikawa worked with the lead composer, Soken, to write a song for the penultimate piece of content for the patch. They were shaving off INDIVIDUAL. SECONDS. to get the song just right so it fit the cutscene and timing of events. And unbeknownst to Ishikawa, Soken was doing all this work in a hospital bed. With cancer. Taking chemo. During COVID. And its a banger of a song I regularly listen to out of game.
Thats the level of care and detail the staff have for getting key story moments JUST right and it comes through in the quality. Everyone involved in XIV, the writers, the voice actors, the musicians, the localization staff, they all are clearly in sync and rowing int he same direction.
The second is just to look at the content schedule. Outside of COVID, they're incredibly predictable about what content will drop and when, and even COVID didnt throw it off ridiculously. Its spread out just enough you can play other games and dont have to be wedded to the game, unless you absolutely want to be.
The last is the communication. The Producer/Director regularly does Live Letters where he presents whats in the next patch, their gameplan, their process, their short and long term plans and how those are evovling, etc. You feel so engaged. During one of them, he began to announce what was clearly going to be a delay in Endwalker's release (most recent expansion that had important story impact). We were SO looking forward to it and Yoshi-P, the Producer/Director, looked crushed. We're expecting to hear like a 3-6 month delay as he announces it, bows his head flat on the table in apology, literal tears in his eyes.
... it was a TWO. WEEK. delay. Thats it. But he felt absolutely devastated because he knew people took PTO and blocked off their schedules for release (like me) and he acknowledged how badly that could impact us.
The dude, without question, pours every ounce of his heart and soul into the community.
And we love them all back for it.
1
u/conspiracydawg Aug 26 '22
I don't know if you care about fan service, but there's TONS of fan service. The machinist job for example is based on Edgar's tools from VI, they took a lot of ability names from XI as well. I appreciate XIV way more because I've played all of the other games.
1
u/KingCarb Aug 26 '22
I felt the same way. I've never enjoyed an MMO before and I've tried several.
But this game is on another level. The story is S-tier and I've honestly never had so much fun playing a Final Fantasy game before. There's just so much stuff to do. And it is not at all difficult to pick up and learn. There is of course difficult content but it's by no means mandatory.
Like OP, I had thought FF had left me behind, but I've been subbed for over a year now and I still have so much I want to do.
I'd say to just try the free trial. It gets you to the end of the Heavensward expansion which is a ton of content for free.
5
u/zaleralph Aug 26 '22
14 has become my absolute favorite, story-wise. I've been an FF fan for 25 years. I had been so disappointed for the last 10 years before playing 14 (13/15). Imo, ShB gives the best antagonist and EW gives the best protagonist amongst the entire FF series.
Koji Fox does a pretty damn fantastic localization job which makes the experience so immersive.
14
u/gibbs710 Aug 25 '22
FFXIV is an absolute gem and should be required play for anyone wanting to experience the franchise. I didn’t start until the Shadowbringers patches but it’s something my husband and I have done together and I don’t regret a moment at all. While I enjoyed XII, XIII ( all 3) and XV, the community didn’t and I felt pretty jaded about all of it. Welcome to the club!
13
u/Baithin Aug 25 '22
Agreed. I love everything the series has come out with post-X but XIV is on another level. I’m a long time fan of the series as a whole and XIV is pretty much my favorite overall.
13
u/Zetra3 Aug 26 '22
always remember, FFXIV is a story based FF before it's an MMO. Today its more single-player friendly than ever. Almost all of ARR and Heavensward can be done without talking to or interacting with another human.
2
u/Crow-Caw Aug 26 '22
More single player than it used to be that's for sure. Im going back trying to finish up all the blue unlockable quests and some of these dungeons im waiting 30-60 minutes for a group. I wish they just made it that ALL dungeons could be done with an AI party.
3
u/conspiracydawg Aug 26 '22
I wish they just made it that ALL dungeons could be done with an AI party.
They're building up to it, right now you can go up to the midpoint of Heavensward with an AI party, then it will only be Stormblood left since all of Shadowbringers and Endwalker were setup to have guests from the very beginning.
2
u/VorAbaddon Aug 26 '22
Theres still some required ShB and EW content that requires a group. But yeah, they FAR better positioned
1
u/Ayanhart Aug 29 '22
They're never going to do ALL duties - they're only going to do the MSQ dungeons/trials. They've been very clear about that.
The Crystal Tower raids and all of the optional content won't ever have Duty Support and they're focusing on 4-man content before coming back to 8-man later down the line.
0
1
u/Arctician1 Aug 26 '22
Interesting, I didn’t know AI parties were a thing. I played up until the main quests required me to do dungeons (it’s been a while, but I think it was around level 20). I stopped there mostly because of the drama that goes with playing with other humans.
3
u/leonffs Aug 26 '22
As a 30 year fan of the series who held off playing XIV for many years I really cannot express to you all how great it is. It’s filled with homage to the other games and its own storyline is spectacular. One of the main villains is the single best villain in the whole series as far as I’m concerned.
3
u/jbdos Aug 26 '22
After playing FFXIV from start to finishing Endwalker, I can see why people, me included later, are excited for FFXVI, especially after learning who the people are involved in. I haven’t been excited for an upcoming FF game in a very long time.
7
Aug 25 '22 edited Aug 25 '22
From the post Qitana Ravel cutscenes to endings of 5.0 and 5.3, it was such a great ride, on par with any game in the series IMO. I would watch reaction videos on YouTube just to re-revel in the spectacle of it all. But overall, the XIV isn't my fav FF game because I didn't like how it slowly started or predictably ended and grew tired of the scions long ago, but still arguably better than anything since X.
5
u/Harbinger-One Aug 26 '22
I'm the same, I don't really care for MMOs but I've got over 2000 days subscribed in XIV.
6
u/FreakingMegatron Aug 26 '22
Oh mannnnn, I love when people get into FFXIV. I always try and recommend FF fans to at least try the game. If anyone wants to play or needs some help getting into the game in the NA data centers, I'd be more than happy to help.
6
u/SapphyreVampyre Aug 25 '22
I would love to see what the rave is all about but every time I download and start it, it feels like a chore to arrange the GUI/HUD and even when I do there’s just so many things on the screen screaming at me I can’t get past the first 5 quests which, again, feels like a chore to play. For reference, I’m on PS5. I’m sure it’s way easier to deal with on PC. I really want to at least play ARR. Anybody have any tips on HUD adjustment/arrangement that makes it easier?
8
u/Viisual_Alchemy Aug 26 '22
Imo if the first 5 quests already feel like a chore to you, idk if you'll really enjoy the game. You should feel compelled to start the journey, not force yourself to like it. The game is honestly pretty dated too, so I understand if its difficult to get into it in 2022.
That being said, if you're having trouble finding a hud setup you like, there are plenty of user uploaded examples on the internet.
2
2
u/taitbp Aug 25 '22
Definitely have a mouse plugged in and a keyboard even when doing your first big HUD layout adjustment. It helps simplify your life quite a bit to be able to use that over just controller controls.
As far as controller play. There are a lot of options you can turn on to expand your hot bar access that makes controller based play more doable. I started on ps5 last year and played solely with controller through all main and non savage/end game raids side content in less than a year. The game is really something else.
2
u/SapphyreVampyre Aug 26 '22
How’d you like your first experience on ps5?
2
u/taitbp Aug 26 '22
Basically as soon as I picked it up in mid October last year it was my only game I played. Went from the first arr mission through the finale of the endwalker expansion that released in December by the beginning of February this year. It was an absolute blast and since then I’ve resubbed once already and probably will again this fall.
It really is a treat for final fantasy fans. There is so much side content that brings to life great parts of prior final fantasys like the fft/12 inspired ivalice raids to the latest post expansion content that is relying heavily on ffiv for dungeons and bosses.
4
u/Industrialqueue Aug 25 '22
I’ve been watching Playframe’s play through on YouTube and have just been amazed by the ways that they’ve created systems within systems that seem engaging and flavorful while facilitating some really diverse ways to engage with the game all while crafting a wild story.
Anything weird I see SqE do from this point forward (like their NFT nonsense earlier this year) all just comes down to the fact that anyone with sense at the company is applying that to making this game. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.
2
u/VorAbaddon Aug 26 '22
It helps that the leading vision on XIV is an exec. So hes been avle to say a flat "No" to stupid crap like NFT'S
6
u/available2tank Aug 26 '22
He wasnt always, it was the success of XIV that got him to that level. Even back then when he was handed the reins of 1.0 he's had the balls to say "No" to the board of directors, outright saying that 1.0 pretty much ruined the trust the franchise had, and either they shelve the game ruining that trust, or put in even more money and resources that was almost unheard of to gain back that trust.
2
u/Axl_Red Aug 26 '22
FFXIV is amazing. It's a huge timesink though, so I can't easily recommend it. I started playing last year in August, thinking I could finish most of the story by the time Endwalker came out. I was so wrong. Took me more than 7 months of playing nothing but FFXIV to beat all the major blue sidequests and main story.
As a result, I have a huge backlog of AAA games to play, and tons of seasons of great tv shows I have yet to watch now. It was totally worth it though. But I recognize that a lot of people don't have that much time to commit to a single game. The time commitment to play FFXIV is akin to watching the whole series of a long running anime, like Dragon Ball, Naruto, or One Piece.
2
u/AggravatingAsk1903 Aug 26 '22
Got me through the lockdowns and helped with my depression. This game is so special to me and is part of my life. This game is living proof that art can be a lifeline.
2
u/xThetiX Aug 26 '22
14 is literally a huge love letter to the franchise and has many references and characters from other FF games. Not sure how some people still don’t recognize it.
5
u/Heretek007 Aug 26 '22
FFXIV is great. The sheer amount of content now available is almost overwhelming, it has some awesome worldbuilding, fun crossover events, and plenty of throwback references. The only MMO I've enjoyed to the same degree is FFXI.
So uh, clearly Square's doing something right!
6
3
u/DustMonsterXIV Aug 26 '22
As of Shadowbringers, XIV has cemented itself as one of my top 4 games of all time.
In the series, top 3 alongside Tactics and the original VII.
3
u/Kezmangotagoal Aug 26 '22
XIV didn’t do anything for me in terms of renewing any love for the series, XII, XIII(+) and XV are all brilliant games in their own right just maybe not as brilliant as some of the titles that have come before.
That being said, it’s the only MMO I’ve truly been able to get into. I came too late for The Old Republic and most of the other big name MMO’s either didn’t pull me in or keep me invested once I tried them.
This game is literally a work of art from minute one to minute - however many I’ve played now!
2
u/bilbo_the_innkeeper Aug 26 '22
I'm in a very similar boat. I've been a fan of Final Fantasy since the first game came out on the NES. (FF4 is the one that really hooked me, though, and it's still my favorite, followed by 6.)
Honestly, after 7, I started slowly falling out of love with the series as it moved farther and farther away from the things that I loved about the old 2D sprite games. (Yes, even Mystic Quest.) I still enjoyed 7, 8, and 9 well enough, but I didn't love them the way I loved the earlier ones. 10 wasn't my favorite, but I didn't hate it. But with 12, I finally decided that I just wasn't the series' target audience anymore and that I was done. Final Fantasy had moved on without me, and while I wasn't necessarily mad about it, I was sad that I'd kind of been left behind by a series that had meant so much to me.
Then I started playing 14 a little over a year ago, and I suddenly felt seen by a Final Fantasy game again. It just felt like Final Fantasy to me again! And I could tell that Yoshi-P and his team loved many of the same things about the series that I had for so long. <3
3
2
u/RaineVIII Aug 26 '22
Yaaaas. Now if only the rest of ff can learn from yoshi p. ....wait...there is ff16 coming. Teehee
2
u/XtalTha Aug 26 '22
I've been into Final Fantasy for a few years now. FF14 is actually my first MMO and probably my second favorite Final Fantasy game (behind 7, maybe tied with 7 Remake). My first FF game was actually XV, which I was underwhelmed by. It wasn't until I tried the original FF7 that I really got into the series. I think between what's going on with ff14, 7 Remake, and of course with FF16 coming up, Final Fantasy is in a really good place. I think if anyone is on the fence about trying FF14 because it's online, they're working to make it more and more single player friendly. If you're a fan of the franchise, you owe it to yourself to at least try it out.
2
u/spiffy-ms-duck Aug 26 '22
To this day, only XIV has turned me into a blubbering mess more than once. (Honestly I lost count after 5 lol).
You're in for a treat with the story.
1
u/the_ammar Aug 26 '22
I honestly consider 14 a true mainline. it feels more FF than many of the recent FFs and holy shit is it so much fun. and being able to tell that story in an mmo?
amazing all around.
2
Aug 25 '22
I'll probably just get hate for this, but I fell deeply in love with FFXIV 1.23b.
I felt this was the "perfect" game next to FFXIII-2. It has a massive massive world, with dangerous enemies, unique and interesting dungeons, filled with hidden treasures and secret bosses. The quests were extremely challenging. I remember trying to solo my first job quest and got absolutely murdered, and it was great. I teamed up with a friend or 2, and we managed to squeak a clear. The community was much like the community in FFXI, where everyone was working together, and almost always willing to help. I even remember there was a quest out in Mor Dhona, that many people would wipe to, and a friendly White Mage would sit outside (I was one once myself) to raise people after they wiped, so they can quickly try again. Back then if you wiped, you had to either get raised or return back to your home point and make the trip back out to the location. It really had the sense of adventure, danger, and teamwork.
I did, and have enjoyed 2.0, and onward, but its really taken me a long time to adjust. Fast forward 10 years, and I have 25,000 hours on XIV now, including 2 accounts, and 16 characters all on the same server. I farm up treasure maps daily, and still love doing levequests, including the battlecraft levequests for gil and fun. Only recently have I finally come to terms with the fact 1.0 is gone forever and I'll never get the chance to enjoy its magic again. With that said, XIV is still a fun game, albeit for extremely different reasons. Its less of an engaging adventure now, and more of a spectacle of illusions and visionary delights. Since I solo maps as Blue Mage I still get a taste of RPG style gameplay, not to mention I also enjoy the crafting system a whole lot.
For the most part though I have to jump back and forth between XI and XIV to get the full experience that I crave from these games, but they are both so wonderful, and I enjoy them so much. If I didn't I wouldn't be able to play them for going on 11 years now!
1
u/EienNatsu66 Aug 26 '22
It did that alot of us FF fans who had to go through a decade of nonsense like 13 and Verses getting reduced to 15. I'm so glad that the team from 14 are working on 16!
1
u/Eldenlord1971 Aug 26 '22
I personally think everyone should try 14. It’s one of the best games ever made imo. I’ve been playing on and off since 2.0 and it’s always so fun to come back to and I personally think it’s way more inviting to come back to than other mmos where it can be a lot more confusing to come back
1
u/Spoonybard1983 Aug 26 '22
As someone that has played the game since the very first, FF14 has officially become my favorite in the series.
-1
u/Dannyjw1 Aug 26 '22
For me it still pales in comparison to most of the single player games and the previous MMO 11. I think music is the only area it really excels at.
-35
u/fixhalo Aug 25 '22
It's just hundreds of hours of fetch quests...
8
Aug 25 '22
I feel like u didnt get past the first xpac
2
u/BeyondDoggyHorror Aug 26 '22
Maybe they didn’t but isn’t this the game where you basically have to play 40-60 hrs to get to the part that… you might like.
I’m sure it’s got good parts to it, but I tried and it plays like a mediocre MMO with a mediocre story
Maybe if they ever announce they’re redoing the beginning of the game I’ll check it out again
0
u/Wicked_Black Aug 26 '22
Most ff xiv enthusiasts just move the goal post. I’ve seen people say doesn’t get good till x (heavenward/storm blood/ etc etc)
-1
Aug 26 '22
As someone who played since 2.1, all the way through Endwalker, he's not wrong. You can reskin it all you want, but the vast majority of quests are "Go here. Do things. Come back." Endwalker's "genius" idea to change that up was to then tether you to an NPC.
1
u/insan3soldiern Aug 26 '22
I feel like this absolutely isn't just an MMO thing? A lot of WRPGs have this format, for example. I love that genre just like I love XIV.
-5
u/fixhalo Aug 25 '22
Went from snowy castle to snowy castle. Then another castle set in a snowy land. I'm glad people like this game. I just hated the story and dialog. Also was shockingly easy.
Their class system was solid but nothing outside of tank, healer, dmg and dmg.
I want people to love games they love. Just saying I couldn't get into it. I tried really hard to lol
5
u/Introvert82 Aug 25 '22
I'm in the same boat as you. Tried to slog through the initial part of the game, but got put off by the incredibly boring quests. People say I have to stick with it until first expansion, so might give it another try later on. It's a test of patience for sure!
0
u/fixhalo Aug 26 '22
I got to the first expansion and the second one. It was more of the same bs
4
u/sinsielawinskie Aug 26 '22
I know there will be some pearl clutching from this statement, but as some one who has been playing since arr and have recently replayed heavensward, you are right. People seem to forget that heavensward has the same fetch questing issues as arr. Granted, this is due to the era these two expansion packs came out. Heavensward just has the benefit of having a better story. A story that was shrunk due to budget not being big enough iirc. Stormblood is where a lot of the fetch questing began to be cut back or at least start feeling organic to the story. You're doing the quest bc it makes sense to be doing the quest. But it, too, is fetch questy in many areas and imo has a weaker story than heavensward.
To be honest, the fetch questing wasn't perfected until Shadowbringers. And even then it has its tedious parts. And a lot of people forget that the cutscenes in pre shadowbringers is very rigid and mouth flaps. We did not get many dynamic quests. A lot of experimentation that has led to more interesting cutscenes happened in Stormbloods side content such as the Namazu tribe.
I personally love FFXIV. It restored my faith in the franchise and got me through my disappointment of ffxv. You have a valid point and it is criticism that needs to be addressed. They are working on it, but imo revamping dungeons, allowing trusts, and cutting fetch quests in arr (but hw even though it is just as bad) will not be enough. A lot of work needs to go into updating these two expansions as much as I love them. Just my two cents.
2
0
u/commodore_dalton Aug 25 '22
As someone who could be said to be tempered by Yoshi-P, Soken, Koji, and FFXIV in general, I agree that the quest design isn’t particularly engaging (though it improves in later expansions). It’s more like an animated novel with occasional audio portions and then some movement from place to place in between.
With that said, the story and the MMO elements (especially Stormblood and later content, in my opinion) are so good that the mostly boring quest design ends up not detracting from it all that much, I think.
-7
u/pichuscute Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
Completely agree. It's designed specifically to waste time and money (easily would be the most expensive video game I've ever bought if I actually did play past the trials). I'll always fight back against the crazy FFXIV hivemind.
This is especially true since the other recent FF games have actually been some of my personal favorite video games and these people always feel the need to complain about other recent FF games in their same breath, as if they aren't some of the best RPGs you can buy. Really undermines any praise they give, not that I didn't already disagree based on what I've played. Meh.
You guys have fun with your generic MMO, but the extreme exaggeration really doesn't do you or the game any favors.
Edit: And fyi, the downvoting any criticism to oblivion, respectful or not, also really reinforces that cult vibe... It's unlike anything else I've seen in the industry, honestly.
2
Aug 26 '22
The FFXIV cult is THE most toxic community I've come across in three decades of gaming. They're so Tempered by the game and Yoshi P that they'll send death threats to people with legitimate issues with the game.
1
u/MrGraveRisen Aug 26 '22
Maybe the downvotes are because you're dismissing people's legitimate enjoyment and love of this game as delusional cultish behavior. And claiming that it's designed to waste time and money, when people are completely satisfied with what they're getting for their money from a developer who is both transparent about his decisions and is deeply passionate about the game.
We get it. MMO's aren't for you.
2
u/pichuscute Aug 26 '22
But that's the thing, I didn't. I literally said they can enjoy it if they want lmfao. See what I mean?
The cultish behavior comment was in response to the "silence the dissent" downvoting behavior, not people enjoying a game that I don't. Obviously.
1
u/Mulate Aug 28 '22
Sorry, but where the criticism? All Im reading is shit slinging at the fanbase by the third sentence.
0
-5
u/huxtiblejones Aug 25 '22
Yeah, I feel like this game is overrated. At least for my own sensibilities in gaming.
People always tell you things get better after the main storyline, but that’s an absurd notion - you have to play through a remarkably dull story with mediocre gameplay for dozens of hours before it gets good? By any other standard, that would be flat out bad game design. It’s an unbearable slog to get through ARR and the writing is nothing great.
If people like the game, then I’m happy for them. But I just don’t find the game engaging. It’s pretty standard MMO schlock that’s more of the same - fetch quests, kill X number of enemies, tolerate mechanics designed to stretch out play time to milk subscriptions, etc.
I’ve tried playing through the game 3 different times and I always burn out from boredom and cancel my subscription.
2
u/VorAbaddon Aug 26 '22
The thing is ARR is so much world building, so I get where youre coming from. But it does change from Heavensward on and all that world building actually gets USED.
We have a saying in my Server's Novice Network chat: You either quit in ARR or you reach Heavensward become a walking advertisement for the game.
But hey, story is subjective. Its not for everyone and thats fine.
0
u/huxtiblejones Aug 26 '22
It isn’t the world building that I found dull in the writing, it was the flat characters and bad dialogue and generic story and weird pacing.
You’re constantly being pulled aside for needless tasks that are just there to stretch the story out as much as possible… and the story is just painfully vanilla and punctuated with very boring, repetitive combat. It’s just trope after trope.
It’s amusing that you’re lavished with praise as the ultimate hero in cutscenes and then you’re just another minor MMO character in the actual game who has a small, specialized role. They tried to make a solo JRPG and then crammed it into an MMO and it just didn’t work for me.
It felt like I was playing through 100 hours of filler content. I didn’t care for it at all and the actual combat was so slow and plodding that it killed my interest every time I tried it.
3
u/MrGraveRisen Aug 26 '22
1-50, perhaps 60, is the biggest flaw the game had and still has. Most jobs don't play super well until around 60 and just due to the nature of what happened with 1.0-2.0, ARR was deeply limited in quality (and time and budget). As an example.... Going into 3.0 they changed almost all the voice actors to higher paid higher talent cast, and voiced cutscenes increased significantly. Later in heavenward the game really starts to hit its paces.
That's not to say that getting to the end of heavenward is something people should just slog through if they don't enjoy it .... But there are real reasons for it being this way. And similar reasons why people who make it through 1-60 end up being diehard fans ... Because from that point onward it never stops improving.
-3
u/RobKek Aug 25 '22
By main storyline I’m guessing you mean a realm reborn? My opinion is it got good at the start of heavensward when you finally get passed the post arr content. That’s when the storytelling becomes better and more jobs open up and you unlock flying. (Nowadays flying is unlocked after the lvl 50 msq).
-2
u/Zuhri69 Aug 26 '22
Lol. For me it was FFXV but i did love FFXIV. Played it from Early Access ARR, it was my comfort game. Until Endwalker. After being disappointed by the story, the loud fandoms, i dunno. Guess I’ve quit. Which is why I’m quite worried about FFXVI and the lack of party control exacerbate it.
Oh well. I’ve moved on now. But at least people are having fun. I just hope that fun doesn’t include punching down on other titles in the series.
1
1
1
u/FezWad Aug 26 '22
I’ve never played an MMO before and I have no idea if I would like it.
4
u/Otakunohime Aug 26 '22
It’s like 95% solo-able with lots of social bonus features, hundreds of hours of free trial. You’ve got nothing to lose by trying it.
1
u/Zuhri69 Aug 26 '22
Regardless of what people say, it is still an MMO with very MMO ish design and in that design, it’s quite competent.
1
1
u/Fox-One-1 Aug 26 '22
Wait, can I just play Shadowbringers or Endwalker with a new character?
3
u/MrGraveRisen Aug 26 '22
You can't. And even if you could you'd be very very very lost in the story.
1
u/Fox-One-1 Aug 26 '22
That’s a shame, but I understand. I might have enough time to play one of them, but no way I can start playing from the beginning. I have zero interest in multiplayer, but I would love to experience the FF14
1
u/MrGraveRisen Aug 26 '22
Nearly the entire main story quest can be done completely solo without ever interacting with other players. And by the time this expansion is done they'll have updated the entire main story all the way through to be done without ever playing with a single other player if you wish
1
u/Fox-One-1 Aug 26 '22
Thanks for the info!
2
u/Ayanhart Aug 29 '22
The other guy isn't fully correct.
They introduced something in the 2 most recent expansions where you can do MOST of the content solo. Only recently, they started gradually retrofitting it into older content, but it will take a while (likely years) for them to get through everything. They've also explicitly said they're not going to do 3 specific ones that are part of the Crystal Tower raids, as they are the large 24-man duties and it would simply be far too much work to make that many AIs work.
1
u/Kumomeme Aug 26 '22 edited Aug 26 '22
same here for me. all of previous FF since PS360 era is a dissapointment. it made me wonder why square cant create quality game with modern standard, complete story, big world, cities etc.
FFXIV suprised me in good way. since then my faith is restored. the franchise not die but it still going strong thanks to FFXIV. whats more, this game is not a single player but a mmo instead. this prove lot of things and opened my mind about what make a game is a final fantasy since this game has the very 'soul' of ff than most of ff released these past decade didnt. it is a prove that square still have it in them to create amazing final fantasy. this game save the franchise.
1
u/Stoutyeoman Aug 26 '22
I've played quite a few MMORPGs in my day and this one is the best by far. I don't play much anymore just because of the commitment. I was doing the final raid from ARR - I think it was Twisting Coil of Bahamut. I haven't played seriously since then, but I would love to spend a little more time in the game at some point in the future.
1
u/RsNxs Aug 26 '22
I played FF4/7/R/10/all 13/15 and I can say for sure that FFXIV is the best of them all (7 remake comes close though, best combat)
1
u/dreadedblkknight88 Aug 26 '22
If I ever buy it on steam I will love to find a clan to play with its actually the only ff title I don't have.
1
u/Lillillillies Aug 26 '22
My friend didn't believe in paid MMOs. FFXIV changed his mind on that and he's HOOKED. I been too busy with other things to keep up so I stopped. But I still support it and buy the expansions anyway lol
1
u/yan_spiz Aug 27 '22
I feel the same. The past 10-15 years have been crunchy for the franchise, but the past year of playing XIV has renewed my love for FF. It makes me feel like FF is soon to enter a Renaissance, but XVI will be the determining factor.
Also, prepare yourself for Endwalker. For me, it didn't hit the highs of Shadowbringers (which was the best FF narrative I've experienced and I wish I could forget it so I could reexperience it again). However, EW nails ending a 10 year long arc and is otherwise incredibly emotional.
1
u/Xciv Sep 06 '22
Same here. I started playing Final Fantasy with FFX and was greatly disappointed by FFXII and ended up not trying FF13.
I kind of fell off after that, until I started playing FFXIV in 2018-ish. It was basically the things I loved about FFX and the things I loved about World of Warcraft mashed in to one single game. Super hooked, and made me go back and play FF6 and FF7.
Now I'm super excited for FF16, and even bought a new PC so I can handle it (I'm not a console gamer anymore, can't justify owning two seperate gaming machines).
108
u/RRM25 Aug 25 '22
I just beat shadowbringers and that’s probably the best piece of content the game offered so far.