r/FinalFantasy • u/Overall_Cod2206 • Nov 08 '22
I haven't played XIV at all, but I was walking through this book store and saw this. Is there really THIS MUCH lore and detail that went into that game? FF XIV
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u/Nerobought Nov 08 '22
Yes there’s two large lore books and a third one coming out
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Wow!! Is it worth jumping in? It's been out for a minute right? Is it still ongoing?
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u/Nerobought Nov 08 '22
I’m a bit biased since I’ve been playing the game for like 8 years now lol but it’s by far my favorite FF game and one of my favorite videogames stories in general (definitely top 5 at least). Don’t think there’s any other game that’s ever filled me with so much emotion (other than sadness which I feel is the easiest emotion to evoke) like some moments in this game so.
That being said the first expansion, ARR, is notoriously slow and can definitely be dry and boring for some people because it really takes it time to worldbuild. But from the second expansion onward it just becomes superb and keeps improving each subsequent update. The game has a free trial all the way through the second expansion so no reason not to try it out and see if you enjoy it!
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Oh hell yeah! Thanks homie! I'm always down for jumping into an FF world I just figured it was so vast by now that it might be a major time suck to jump in, but if it's actually worth it, I might give it a shot.
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u/AioliGlass4409 Nov 08 '22
I'll just add that I only started playing on 10/31/21 (so just over a year now) and it's definitely my favorite FF game, and maybe my favorite game ever. There's a ton to get through and a lot to do but it never felt overwhelming to me. It always just feels like I have more to do and I can't wait to do it. I haven't even started the newest expansion yet.
It's like when you put off starting a great show because it's 80+ episodes, but then when you finally do you're just glad that you have so many to watch.
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u/NN010 Nov 09 '22
I’m that is a pretty apt way of describing the experience of playing through XIV. Funnily enough I finished Shadowbringers & reached the patches between it & Endwalker on the same day you started playing (I started on February 21, 2021)!
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u/KaimeiJay Nov 08 '22
If it helps, the game is designed so players can start, stop, take a break, and start again, without issue. Any story content from past years is still there, and won’t go away. Any high-level players can and will still play older content with you and be happy for it. There is absolutely no drive or rush to “catch up” to other players. You can start the game and take your time enjoying the world and its lore as you please. Reading your other comments, I think you would enjoy this game very, very much.
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Nov 08 '22
The first two parts, a realm Reborn and heavensward are included in the free trial and the development team has gotten it to the point you can very reliably solo almost all the required main story quests to encourage folks not interested in mmos to give it a spin.
Setting up the free trial is probably the most difficult part of that, se has notoriously annoying setups to get your account going.
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u/Nerobought Nov 08 '22
It's definitely a major time sink as it's probably like 200 something hours just going through the MSQ alone but it's definitely worth it. It can be overwhelming at first if you've never played an MMO before but you will be fine if you just follow the MSQ.
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u/AriffRat Nov 08 '22
It is definitely a time sink but it's worth it if you enjoy a great final fantasy story. Unlike other mmos ffxivs story frames YOU as the main character. It's extremely engaging and far less grindy
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u/beerscotch Nov 08 '22
so vast by now that it might be a major time suck to jump in
It one hundred percent will be a major time sink/suck but... that's what mmrogps are. The good thing I'm discovering so far (I started two weeks ago) is that while there is hundreds and hundreds of hours of content, pretty much all of it can be easily solo'd, the stuff that can't has easy to use in game group finding tools that let you continue your gameplay while you wait for the group to auto fill, and nothing so far seems to be forced.
MMORPGS often get in the habit of trying to force engagement with daily rewards and quests that you either feel you're actively hurting your character if you skip them, or you literally are.
In ff14, there's either none of that, or far less. Plus with the big XP boosts you get via the road to 80 buff, and items you can get (I think if you get someone to send you a recruit a friend link, you get a bonus item with an early XP boost), you level up extremely quickly, letting you pick and choose the content you engage with, and catch up easily. Being able to level every single class on a single character also helps with this, as you don't have to start the game over again if you want to try something different, and in fact, it's actively encouraged to swap around roles.
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u/lovingtech07 Nov 08 '22
Now is a great time to jump in. You have some time to play through the main story before the next expansion and then you can find yourself sucked in like the rest of us lol
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u/ThatCatRizze Nov 09 '22
As a genuine FF lover (These games pretty much taught a young me how to be a decent human) FFXIV is not only the best, most extensive story in the entire series, it's also a genuine love letter to everything that made those games so special. It's definitely an undertaking, but I've never felt such a wide range of emotions in my life. Take your time with it and soak it all in, friend!
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u/EricKei Nov 08 '22
What they said :)
Try the free trial; it gives you access to all story content/areas, dungeons, trials, and raids in ARR and Heavensward (its direct expansion). It has its limits, but that's an absurd amount of playtime and content to check out.
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u/SFWxMadHatter Nov 08 '22
I know you're getting a lot of comments on the story but some quick advice: remember that the base game and all expansions are one continuing arc. Unlike something like World of Warcraft where each expansion is fairly insular, the base game and all expansions are the journey of your group, the equivelant of a standard FF party. It's like having a normal FF title stretched to be 100s of hours with more tedium in between than just rocketing through a plot.
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u/octopusinmyboycunt Nov 08 '22
Oh dude - I've never played an MMO (aside from Destiny, but I don't think that counts so much), and FFXIV is just a really, really great game. I was in your position of wavering. Give the trial a go and you'll absolutely be glad you did.
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u/Balmung03 Nov 09 '22
I myself started the game about 8 months ago while at home with Covid, and I’m already about halfway into the core of the final expansion (and I’ve been taking my time)
As someone who avoided FFXI like the plague and the only other MMORPG I’ve played was about 6 months of elder scrolls online, I can also vouch for not only how good the game is, but also for how easy it is to get into it and not feel like you’re too far behind
And the general community is super helpful and understanding, myself and another player I didn’t know helped a player doing the tank role through the first dungeon— took about 35 minutes instead of 10-15, but he learned a lot and was quite happy we helped instead of leave like the healer did. If you’re honest about being new up front (and the game will let all players know at the start of an activity if one or more players are doing it for the first time), 99% of the population will be glad to guide you, since they likely had a similar experience and wanna share
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u/noldor41 Nov 09 '22
Just for perspective, it took me 3 months to get through the last 4 expansions. The story will take hundreds of hours to get through, but I think most people who have gotten through it would agree it’s one of the best stories a mainline FF has ever told. All this from an mmo, so doubly impressive.
Huge time sink. Totally worth it imho.
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u/GuardianGero Nov 08 '22
Be forewarned, the story doesn't really start to pick up, in my opinion, until some point during the first expansion, and only becomes truly great, again in my opinion, during the third expansion.
That being said, it's all worth the time investment, and the characters, places, and stories that you see early on will remain relevant throughout the entire game, sometimes in very surprising, or heartbreaking, ways. In fact, later expansions make early story details significantly more interesting in retrospect. I just got to the end of the most recent expansion within the last few days, and I was deeply moved by the depth that it added to the characters and the world. Sometimes you won't fully understand a character, place, or story moment until long after you thought it would no longer be relevant.
It's also a good game in general, especially as you progress through the expansions. There's no need to rush through the game, just take things one step at a time and find the aspects that appeal to you. As you continue playing, you'll find a ridiculous amount of stuff to do, but you don't have to do most of it. It's just there if you're interested, and you might be surprised by which parts of the game you get most invested in.
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u/eiridel Nov 08 '22
If you can find yourself immersed in Eorzea during ARR, it’s a much nicer experience. Focus on learning about the world around you rather than the story and the MSQ is a lot less of a slog. You are so spot-on about all the callbacks bringing better understanding to a topic 10 or 30 or 60 levels later, and I think there’s even more value to be had from this sort of storytelling if you view it as a world to explore than a story to be told.
There’s even a line in Answers, ARR’s main theme: “The land is alive, so believe.”
I love this world so stupid much.3
u/saelinds Nov 09 '22
To add to everyone else's comments:
It's the best FF.
I played from I to XV, IV being my first one, IX being my previous favourite and love them all.
It seems like a game out of time, in a way. Like if games evolved in a way more akin to PS1 era JRPGs, and focused a lot on script writing, and made their best with limited resources.
Hironobu Sakaguchi (FF's creator) loves it, and his twitter is now basically a FFXIV fan page after starting it last year.
Yasumi Matsuno (FFT, and XII director) loves it, and contributed some scenario for it.
Tetsuya Nomura (FFVII, VII, X, and XV's character designer) worked on some character designs for the Shadowbringers expansion.
Hajime Tabata (FFT0 and XV's director) worked on a collab with them years ago.
Iwao Ken'ichi (FFXI's lore creator) assisted on ARR's lore, and FFXI's collaboration event.
Pretty much everyone involved in the conception of FFXVI came from the Heavensward Team.
Also, the entirety of the game's look is a FF melting pot. Do you love Yoshitaka Amano's beads, and elaborate fabrics? Well, you will find it here. Do you rather Tetsuya Nomura's belt, zippers, and urban look? Not to worry. Or maybe Akihiko Yoshida's ornate armours? We got you covered bb. Fancy some cleaner, and down to Earth Toshiyuki Itahana? You will be happy.
Got a favourite FF composer? I guarantee you will be satisfied.
Ever wanted some... Super bosses that were never really characters to get some personality? Boy, oh boy you're in for a surprise.
This is all without even mentioning the original content, and incredibly talented core team.
If a Final Fantasy (any of them, really) is among your favourite games, you will be very, very happy indeed. In many, many ways, it's the most Final Fantasy of them all, and I don't say that lightly.
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u/whyLeezil Nov 09 '22
It's definitely a major time suck to jump in lol. But it's one that generally respects your time, the time sink is due to the sheer amount of story, rather than pointless grinding.
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Nov 09 '22
Be prepared to be sucked in for at least two years and to permanently move to Eorzea! Nice knowing you, OP, we won’t see you again for a long time haha!
I don’t play anymore but this game was my addiction for years, even got some RL friends into it that are still playing to this day. It’s definitely worth it and has one of the best stories I’ve ever seen. Prepare to cry!
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u/the_turel Nov 08 '22
Just be ready for really long and tedious quests where you literally just warp place to place to talk to someone just to return to the same guy again and again. More than half the quests in this game could be cut in half if they just wrote them better. I’m ok with a couple fed ex quests here and there but they have soooooo many it’s painful.
A lot of people really like the story. I found most of the quests to be subpar and so boring that I just couldn’t keep going. But maybe you’ll enjoy it. ARR was my favorite. Most people said that was their worst experience. I found stormblood to be so poorly written and boring that I just gave up. I won’t skip it, so I probably missed out on better story later. But that’s the way it goes. If you can’t keep my attention , I’m done.
I still find ff6 to be the best FF story wise.
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u/Fractic4l Nov 08 '22
Can much of the content be reasonably done by a solo player in your experience?
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u/Nerobought Nov 08 '22
Yes. The the vast vast majority of it is done solo but there are SOME dungeons (4 man dungeons) and trials (8 man boss fights) that you do with a group. However the 2 newest expansions they added 'trusts' which is an NPC party so you can do all the dungeons totally solo. And they are going back to the older expansions and adding trusts as well so eventually the game should all be doable solo.
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u/Indelwe Nov 08 '22
All of the overworld story content is soloable. All of the base game (ARR)'s required dungeons, aside from one 24-man raid, can be played with a party of NPC's or other real players, same for about half of Heavensward but they are looking to make all dungeon content playable with AI parties eventually. For those cases where you need to actually party up with others, the game will queue in random players for you. The community is generally very easy going and helpful, especially with casual story content, so don't worry about making mistakes.
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u/imariaprime Nov 09 '22
Yes. Some fights and dungeons put you in with other players, but it's random so you don't need to make social obligations, and FFXIV is abnormally non-toxic. I was super afraid of either sucking bad and getting flak for it (or even just ruining someone else's day, no toxicity needed), or other people sucking and ruining my day.
I've been playing for months now, finished all released main content, and I have met literally ONE shitty player. Who got vote kicked by the other people with me, and that was that.
So not only is a huge portion of the game purely solo, the only "mandatory" multiplayer parts are painless to drop in and out of as a solo player.
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u/beerscotch Nov 08 '22
That being said the first expansion, ARR, is notoriously slow and can definitely be dry and boring for some people because it really takes it time to worldbuild.
Couple of weeks in, level 52 on main job (With various level 30ish jobs) and my only complaint so far is the road to 80 buff. Can't do sidequests and enjoy the world building because after doing the first two side quest hubs, I out leveled the main quest by 25 levels and had to do hours of MSQ content to unlock the ability to upgrade jobs / use a mount etc.
Unlocked summoner at 48 by the time I got caught up, and that was completely ignoring optional quests, fates, and duties outside of a few blues.
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u/moonbunnychan Nov 09 '22
Generally speaking the only side quests really worth doing are the ones that have a small picture in the description when you're accepting the quest. Those are little storylines and generally give you a good bit of lore. The rest don't go further then "bring me 3 bear asses" for a measly amount of rewards and nothing else.
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Nov 08 '22
Yeah there are an obscene amount of side quests. I personally skipped over them to enjoy the main story line. Now that I'm so caught up in slowly clearing the side quests off the map.
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u/beerscotch Nov 08 '22
I love the number of side quests, much of the world building comes from that usually. I just can't enjoy them due to the speed of XP, even if I go changing to every job.
I tried to level up other jobs to focus on them but with the xp buff from earrings and hat + the road to 80 buff, I was able to hit 30 purely from the class quests and 2-3 side quests.
Sure I could take off the XP boosting items to mitigate it a bit but... that just feels wrong, it's a conundrum!
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u/thefullirish1 Nov 08 '22
I just finished it. Painful. All my friends egging me on telling me it will be worth it. Fingers crossed
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u/Nerobought Nov 08 '22
Did you just finish the base expansion of ARR? Yeah it’s very very slow. But the quality in HW is night and day imo. You still should have some more post patch stuff left leading onto HW.
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u/thefullirish1 Nov 08 '22
I am passed all that now I think yes. Long journey
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u/thefullirish1 Nov 08 '22
I invested a lot of time really engaging with the story though and definitely finding it interesting
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u/jenyto Nov 08 '22
Take a break once a while (do side stories, or lvl a diff job), the full game is pretty much 5 jrpgs in 1 game, so you'll burn out if you try to power through when you ain't feeling it.
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u/GuardianGero Nov 08 '22
I'll add to what your friends have been saying and tell you that I really, really disliked ARR and wasn't terribly invested in Heavensward, but at some point during Stormblood the game hooked me and now it's one of my favorites.
It's not particularly satisfying when someone says "just get through the first couple of hundred hours, it's worth it," but in this case it really is true.
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u/budd222 Nov 08 '22
I played it for quite awhile but it didn't do it for me like ffxi did. I did generally like it though and put in many hours.
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u/Swert0 Nov 08 '22
Unlike most MMORPGs (read: WoW) Final Fantasy XIV has never really 'expired' in relevence.
You can play literally the entire game starting with a realm reborn (so not the original game that was discontinued and replaced with the new one) forward, all in order at your own pace in any way you want, and unlike every other MMO you won't have to 'out scale content' and go back to solo it later, because the game scales you down to content and fills empty spots in your groups you need for group content with people who are doing random content for rewards.
So yes, it is worth getting into Final Fantasy XIV, because whether you started in 2014 or today, you will see the entire game and story and experience it the exact same. All that changes over time is there is MORE story, and the mechanics of the game get reworked like any game that gets actively balanced.
And if you're just not into MMORPGS because you don't want to get into the intimidating end game experience of games like WoW, ESO, Guild Wars 2, whatever - great news! Final Fantasy XIV is a game you can more or less play solo outside of group content like dungeons, trials, and raids - and more and more of those that are needed to play the story are getting solo modes. And the ones that aren't solo? They're not difficult content you're going to have to deal with assholes to play.
But if your issue with MMORPGs is the hotkey RPG style combat like every MMORPG not named EVE Online has had - then there's no climbing that hill and enjoying XIV - because it /is/ still that kind of game whether you're playing with people or not.
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u/SpoonyBardXIV Nov 08 '22
IMO there’s never been a better time to get into XIV! The game has more people playing than ever before. Shadowbringers and Endwalker are both fantastic and easily the best FF stories since the PS2 era, and they’ve been updating the game to make it way more solo-friendly. Basically the entire story can be completed like a single-player FF since they’ve been updating the old content to be done with NPCs instead of forced multiplayer.
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u/birdreligion Nov 08 '22
The beginning is a major slog, but after that everything is gold. The last two expansions, Shadowbringers especially, might be the best story told in a FF game. Only losing points because you have to get through ARR, post ARR, Heavenward, and Stormblood, to get to it.
If you can get over the tab targeting MMO gameplay it is honestly worth every damn dollar.
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u/jdr61100 Nov 08 '22 edited Nov 08 '22
I started earlier this year. Well, technically I started about two years ago, but only played a handful of quests. While it can be overwhelming, the game does a good job of easing you along through the game. Even if it does get to be too much or just gets boring you can safely leave and come back whenever. The only time gated stuff is events with self contained minor stories. Overall I'd say it's probably the easiest mmo to get into and is one of the most lovingly crafted and beautiful settings i've seen with an amazing storyline and well written characters. Even some of the side quest story lines have gotten me emotional! The free trial actually lets you play all non PvP content in the base game and first expansion, so if you're worried if its worth paying for you'll definitely know by then.
This is all my thoughts on it and I haven't even gotten to the third or fourth expansion yet (I decided that I want to work on side stuff first) and i've heard it only gets better. The only real detriment is that the base game story, and somewhat the first expansion, can drag a bit, but it really is trying to introduce you to the world and explain and set up things for big payoffs later in the story.
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u/bluegman Nov 09 '22
Definitely. Treat it as an rpg first mmo second until you finish the story. The base game and Heavensward are free. While the base game is weaker it is still a good game and you should not rush it.
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u/tovarish_nix Nov 08 '22
Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV? With an expanded free trial which you can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for free with no restrictions on playtime.
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u/Machafuko Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
I would only recommend XIV if you are into MMOs or if you have played an MMO in the past and enjoyed yourself. I absolutely consider XIV as one of the top if not THE top MMO and mainline FF in the entire series. The expansions don't have separate stories.
They are all sequels of each other, and each expansion is the length of a full JRPG. The first game (ARR) which goes up to level 50 is blatantly the weakest point in both storytelling and game design, due to them working on a loss and extremely low budget due to the 1.0 failure. Starting from the award winning heavensward, the quality of everything skyrockets.
Shadowbringers expansion brings everything to a peak, or so it feels like it, but endwalker takes shadowbringers' peak and says "let's take this really fucking far, and wrap it up with the craziest ending". Again, they are all sequels of each other, and endwalker wraps up the entire story arc that started 10 years ago.
Highly recommend.
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u/malgadar Nov 09 '22
If you can live with MMO structure and can get past the decent but not great A Realm Reborn stuff what you get down the line is the FF game with the best story, best JRPG party, music that is right up there with Uematsu's best work and a villain that is better than Kefka and Sephiroth combined!
I left this game aside for years because I deemed it 'another one of those silly FF MMO's'.
I was a fool, don't repeat my mistake. Download the trial and see for yourself.
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u/GoBoomYay Nov 08 '22
I know I’m jumping onto the comment train that’s already been answered, but yeah, 14 is pretty solid. I jumped into it midway through 2020 and it’s been a real fun time. Obviously the subscription is something to deal with, but if you’re new that won’t be a problem until you make it through the whole base game and first expansion anyway. If you’re a fan of previous FF games, there’s a lot of fun references and remixes of running themes and recurring bosses/summons/jobs to see, plus the story itself is pretty stellar.
If you give it a shot and enjoy how it plays at the lower levels, then you can just take it at your own pace and put as much time into it as you think is fun!
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u/Katejina_FGO Nov 08 '22
It is undoubtedly one of the top 5 best ever made and is #1 on A LOT of fan's personal lists. They revamped the leveling experience so that you can play 98% of the main story questline solo as if it was any other FF title. In addition, the launch game and the first expansion are completely free to play (as long as you don't do anything dumb like buy the full game before you're done with the F2P content).
The only real downside if you decide to try it is that you will have to research how to create an account. I am not joking.
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u/Dense-Entrepreneur29 Nov 08 '22
People say it’s 5 JRPGs in a trench coat for a reason. And there is still a lot of unexplored stuff in the game world.
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Haha that's great. I hadn't heard that.
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u/Kumomeme Nov 09 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
you can think each of expansion is like sequel to the game. first expansion called Heavensward is basically FFXIV-2. second expansion Stormblood is FFXIV-3. there is currently 4 expansion so basically we currently at FFXIV-5.
the continent in this game is called Eorzea. just like Eos in FF16, Ivalice in FF12, Valisthea in FF16, Grand Pulse in FF13, Spira in FF10 etc. there is multiple nation under Eorzea and we not explored most of it yet.
and Eorzea is merely a continent. there is actually a whole planet and the planet is called Etherys. there is more to the world, more location and nation outside of Eorzea that havent been explored or revealed yet. some of it even only mentioned in dialogue. even latest world map also just a chunk portion of it and lot of stuff is hidden beneath the cloud illustration.
it not just stop there. there is multiple world in the game. think of it like different universe. something like Marvel's multiverse. in this game, a world is called as 'shard'. the main location where Etherys located is on one of those shard. there is 14 shard available and currently we only been on 2 of it. imagine the lore dump available there.
the director already planned for another 10 years ahead and im not suprise if they can keep going on for another 10 years.
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u/KaimeiJay Nov 08 '22
For real. I feel like every chapter ends with what would be a finale for another FF game.
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u/jamsbybetty Nov 08 '22
And then some.
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Dayuuum!! That's kinda crazy. Pretty rad, but kinda crazy how much is there.
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Nov 08 '22
It is insanely rich, and also borrows a lot from other FFs. If you're a fan of the series in general, you'll find plenty to enjoy.
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u/GalaxianEX Nov 08 '22
Yes, there’s a lot of lore in the world and the latest (4th) expansion ended with the player being told about how littlest they actually know about the world’s lore.
That said, only two of the books are about the lore, while the others are art-books.
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u/ShatteredFantasy Nov 08 '22
Yes. It's a massive MMO and already working on its second arc. It currently covers 5 expansions over 10 years, and the next can be expected to do the same.
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u/BigRedDrake Nov 08 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
To be fair, most of those are art books not really lore books as such. That being said, Square puts a LOT of thought and work into their worldbuilding, pretty much always, and we're fortunate enough to have the option to get books like these!
The Encyclopaedia Eorzea books, though, are very lore heavy!
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u/Funky-Cosmonaut Nov 08 '22
The sheer amount of worldbuilding and character development in Hydaelyn, as well as the way the team reference and respect past installments, are why I'm so excited that Unit 3 is making XVI.
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u/SinntheticUCI Nov 09 '22
I’ve been playing FF games since the 90s and I truly believe FF14 has the best story in the franchise.
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u/sirgarballs Nov 09 '22
I just want to leave a comment to say that I strongly recommend final fantasy xiv. It's an amazing game.
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u/bettyenforce Nov 08 '22
Yes ! The book with the two girls on display is an art book. They have 6 so far if I'm not mistaken, with an endwalker one to come out eventually. The other ones are lore encyclopedia/ultimania. I know they also have short stories book, they are short stories that adds to the lore of each expansion. The stories are available on the xiv website but any collector or someone crazy for lore (like me lol) would definitely get the books to display as well
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u/SmoreOfBabylon Nov 09 '22
There’s also a cookbook featuring IRL recipes for food items (and even a few “potions”) that you can craft in the game. It’s pretty cute even if you don’t cook much.
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u/bettyenforce Nov 09 '22
I have it, it's a beautiful book ! I can't recommend enough to anyone who loves cooking, there's some awesome recipes in there !
I know they did a xv cookbook but if my memory is correct, it was only released in Japan (which is a shame..)
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u/glass_needles Nov 09 '22
There’s one art book for ARR then 2 each for HW SB and ShB and the first EW one came out a few weeks ago. I have them all now and it was a fun collection to get.
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u/HarukiKazuki Nov 08 '22
Ffxiv lore is incredible. If you really wanna get into it, you're in for a long ride.
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u/dallasdowdy Nov 09 '22
Yes. That's what happens when you have (basically) a full DLC every 3 months, and essentially whole new game every 2 years. It adds up.
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u/mahanon_rising Nov 09 '22
The game has thousands of hours of content. I'm not subbed right now because I needed a break, but it will take an average gamer a few months just to reach the endgame at this point. If you're a completionist type gamer you'll practically never run out of side content to do. The main quest line and content is pretty casual friendly, but the endgame requires solid coordination and is very much a team sport. Imo it's the ideal mmo, and the fact that it's part of the best rpg series of all time just makes it better.
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u/Quietus87 Nov 08 '22
It's an MMORPG that has been going on for years. Of course it has tons of lore.
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Yeah I didn't realize it was still going, I thought It was only a few years they kept it up when I posted this. I have been informed now for sure.
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u/ganondoom Nov 08 '22
FF14 has given Square Enix its largest earnings this year, contributing to a 71 percent increase in their earnings from the previous year. These past few years have been the biggest for the MMO, with "big name" streamers also switching to the game to see what the fuss is about. It has a backstory which spans not only the (mostly) art books and encyclopedias here, but also a slew of short stories on the official website. It's often overlooked by fans given that it's an MMO, but it's the Final Fantasy game I've played the most, and which has touched me the most with its storytelling.
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u/OfficerRavioli Nov 08 '22
Best time to jump in is now! They are actually improving the early game by adding tons of new features and redesigning dungeons and bossfights, starting your adventure has never been easier imo.
Also, if you didn't know, the game's free until level 60, so the entire A Realm Reborn and Heavenward expansion are playable, only restrictions being player trading and some social stuff. Nothing major really, so you get sooo much content for free.
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Nov 09 '22
I've tried the game. The quests system is real trash and you need about 100 hours of boring gameplay to get to the so called "good part". Not worth at all.
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u/edman9677 Nov 08 '22
Counting all the expansions makes it the longest FF game by far. There’s a ridiculous amount of lore
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u/koied Nov 08 '22
Yeah, Realm Reborn was released in 2013 and the game is running successfully since then, so there's quite a lot of substance in it.
Tons of books been released for it, some for the ingame lore (Encyclopedia Eorzea 1-2 and 3 will be soon released) and multiple artbooks for every expansion.
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Nov 08 '22
So a lot of those are art books, but the Encyclopedia Eorzea Vol I & II are gigantic and it has the smallest fucking print possible on those pages. It's PACKED with story and lore.
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Nov 08 '22
They’ve just wrapped up the game’s main 10 year arc with the latest expansion, so if you start now you’ll be caught up and ready to take on a whole new story with the rest of us. Come on an adventure.
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u/Shagyam Nov 08 '22
Most of those are artbooks which show concept art, promo art, and even Armor breakdown into tiny details art.
The one on the right is an encyclopedia and there are a few of those because there is quite a bit of Lore. Think 12 years and one game and 4 expansions worth of quests and details.
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u/poyoso Nov 08 '22
Yes. The lore is massive and its as good as any non mmo Final Fantasy. FFXIV is goat.
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u/SirBastian1129 Nov 08 '22
Absolutely. XIV has one of the most detailed lores our of any video game. Not just MMO. It is its own world.
I highly recommend giving the game a shot. You can play the base game and the first expansion for free and level classes all the way up to 60. Also don't listen to the people that say A Realm Reborn isn't good and it gets better, go in as blind as possible and enjoy the journey. It's better to go in with no preconceived notions.
If you've never played an MMO before, don't be too nervous the game does a good job of getting you up to the basics.
Enjoy yourself, and if you decide to jump in, welcome to Eorzea.
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u/GoBoomYay Nov 08 '22
Each expansion is essentially a new sequel that’s just still contained within the same game, so yeah there’s a lot of art and worldbuilding that’s gone into each new setting and storyline.
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u/PrezMoocow Nov 08 '22
Yes. The main story quest alone is comparable to essentially a 150 - 200 hour long single player FF story.
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u/bald-og Nov 08 '22
I joined the train one year ago and dayyyumm its crazy out here man I feel like it grows faster than I can consume content
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u/NebGonagal Nov 08 '22
I don't play FFXIV but own all of these books. They're filled to the brim with incredible art and snippets of game lore. I absolutely love 'em.
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u/megasean3000 Nov 08 '22
It’s pretty heavy with its lore. I only played up to ARR, and already I’m floored with how much lore the game has.
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u/Powerful-Day6071 Nov 08 '22
I also never played FF XIV but funnily enough I should get in around 1-2 months a package from Japan, with a lot of many many video games and one is FF XIV the Japanese PS3 version. I do plan on playing it, most likely on PC though.
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u/hellfiredarkness Nov 08 '22
Plus some of the lore is actually made by the players actions in the original 1.0 release!
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u/tuffymon Nov 08 '22
There's a really cool Final Fantasy manga, where all the various worlds are mixed into one. The main character has to use his knowledge of the games to improve his situation...
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u/PAROV_WOLFGANG Nov 08 '22
It’s an MMO. There a lot of story. You play FF14 for the story and it can be played almost completely solo too.
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u/Darkovika Nov 08 '22
Oh yes. It’s actually an incredibly done game. O miss it violently, but with a one year old and a newborn on the wayI just don’t have the time to dedicate to it
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u/Thatguyintokyo Nov 08 '22
There are two artbooks per expansion. It isn’t really lore, it’s an artbook. Its just concepts and production stuff. They’re really good though. FFXIV does have 2 actual lore books though, called Encyclopaedia Eorzea.
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u/z01z Nov 08 '22
yeah, the thing about 14 is that is doesnt break mold when it comes to mmo's, but it does an mmo very well and has years of resources put into it and content to delve into, both in game and out.
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u/beerscotch Nov 08 '22
MMORPGS (At least successful ones) tend to be extremely dense and lore heavy compared to their series single player counterparts. The worlds are usually larger, the stories inevitably take place over years/decades, you can't just be vague about other lands outside of the game world because... inevitably they're going to feature in the game etc etc.
That with the added factor of the game being in development for six years before it was released, and mmorpgs as a rule are in constant development during their life cycle... it means people have been working on the game, the world, and by extension the lore, for almost 18 years at this point. I can't think of a single player game at all that's had 18 years of development time. nevermind within the franchise.
I've personally picked up ff14 about two weeks ago and having a blast so far, and you can play it for free with a few hundred hours of content so may as well try the game if there is any interest!
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u/Zetra3 Nov 08 '22
Your easily looking at multi-thousands of hours of lore between Main and side quests.
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u/BananaRamaBam Nov 08 '22
I mean, it is an MMO that's been running for a long time with constant updates and the entire structure of the MMO is based around the narrative. So yeah, of course the lore would be that deep.
You very obviously can't compare a normal FF game to an MMO FF game. It's just not even the same category.
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u/Necromas Nov 08 '22
I think you have enough recommendations to give the game a go if you want to get into some juicy FF lore, so I'll spare you the critically acclaimed spiel. But I just wanted to share a neat little lore tidbit.
There is an in-game god whose lore got expanded upon because the head of english localization Michael "Koji" Fox wanted a name that translated into a good explitive. Here's Koji telling the story here.
P.S. Pay attention to the music when it has lyrics too, there's a lot of lore and context in there. One of the songs from the first arc of the game even completely changes meaning once you reach a story reveal in the most recent expansion.
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u/Zuhri69 Nov 08 '22
Those are the artbooks. We only have 2 lorebooks so far. But yeah. Considering it’s already 10 years, it’s a given that they’ll have quite the lore.
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u/MiKapo Nov 09 '22
I mostly bought the books to add to my growing FF collection. But the lore in the books is pretty good reading and the artwork is beautiful
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u/available2tank Nov 09 '22
Most of what you see there are art books. The brown book you see on the right called "Encyclopedia Eorzea" is the lore book SERIES. As someone else said, currently there are 2 volumes with a 3rd on the way.
Dont mistake the Encylopedia Eorzea as being another art book, cause the insides are SMUSHED with text. Sure, it has some illustrations but for the most part at least half of the inside is like This
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u/Bloody18ghost Nov 09 '22
Why don’t my book store have this?? I’d be blowing my money on it. Where’d you go?
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 09 '22
It was a Books a Million, they were $40 each, so it would be a pretty penny to get them all.
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u/Bloody18ghost Nov 09 '22
Maybe I’ll have to try the books a million by me. I usually go to Barnes n noble 🤷🏻♀️🤣
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 09 '22
They have some truly dope shit in those stores. I travel a lot for work, and I stop at these all over because I collect McFarlane toys as well, and they always have a decent selection.
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u/Bloody18ghost Nov 09 '22
It’s just the closest one to me is bout an hour just there lol where as b&n is 15-20
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u/Madmonkeman Nov 09 '22
Don’t know about those books but there’s a ton of lore and story content. Each expansion is like a full game in terms of story content.
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u/Notimeformeta Nov 09 '22
Well, you could always give it a try. I hear there's a free trial that goes up to level 60 and includes the award winning expansion Heavensward with no limit on play time...
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u/CrimDude89 Nov 09 '22
What you’re mainly looking at there is art books, there are typically 2 per expansion, although I believe the current one Endwalker only has 1 released so far. The Encyclopaedia Eorzea (vol. 1 rightmost in the middle shelf) would directly be the lore books.
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u/Zaverxi Nov 09 '22
From another aspect of 'ways FFXIV has real life objects to enhance it's, FFXIV is in the Guinness book of world records for two things, most music in a video game, and longest credits in a video game.
Well deserved, too. The music slaps so hard. They have an entire orchestra and a band called THE PRIMALS that go on tours and play the music.
The credits thing is because they personally thanked every single player that played during 1.0, back when the game was bad. Those players also got a pretty unique looking tattoo on their characters and a special mount to ride.
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u/Ken10Ethan Nov 09 '22
The Encyclopedia Eorzea books are filled with lore, but as I understand it every other book here is instead full of concept art for each of the expansions. There might be little bits of lore tidbits here and there, but for the most part they're pretty pictures.
That said, yeah, pretty much. I mean, granted, just about any game that's been going for as long as FFXIV has been will end up producing a lot of concept art, and if you have a game focused on its story you're going to get a lot of lore produced as well, but there is a lot that goes into XIV.
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u/gvandeke Nov 08 '22
Art book, I think? There's piles and piles of concept art that gets made for any given game. Square Enix likes to release it in hardcopy art books.
But yes, there's a lot of lore. Every concept art should have some lore behind it, even if it's a line or two.
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Yeah that's more what I was thinking, I figured there would be something to all these, even if they are art books. Thats wild! They really put their all into this one looks like.
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u/TyborV Nov 08 '22 edited Nov 08 '22
they are not all ArtBooks, there are also 2 beautiful hard cover encyclopedias detailing the world and lore (covering from ARR to the post-Stormblood patches) with a 3rd one in the making (that will cover Shadowbringers and Endwalker). It's a ton of lore and worldbuilding, much more than any single player FF game, since it's an MMO. It's like the single player FFs are movies or mini-series, and FFXIV is a full series with many seasons and arcs. Totally worth digging in if you like Final Fantasy. I love the series since i was a kid and FFXIV is my favorite of them all, the lore is soooo good, and the story is really epic and well-written.
Edit: It's hilarious how i always get downvoted in this sub for saying FFXIV is my favorite FF.
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u/terabranford Nov 08 '22
The amount of lore for everything in ffxiv can roughly be approximated to be 1.21 Gigawatts.
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u/Watton Nov 08 '22
Each expansion is a full blown JRPG, extremely heavy with dialogue and lore.
So yeah, there are a ton of supporting lorebooks and artbooks to chronicle all of it.
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u/KaimeiJay Nov 08 '22
You have no idea. There is so much rich lore and backstory, and it’s not even hidden. It’s all touched upon in every quest and duty you do, you learn more about the history as you play. Every other storyline concludes in what feels like a finale for an entire Final Fantasy game, but it’s just a chapter of this one game. Even the free trial of the game gives you so, so much, and I highly recommend trying it out. (You can even play the free trial forever, if you wanted to.)
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u/Takfloyd Nov 08 '22
It's the most popular MMO in the world(with subscribers still growing after 10 years which is insane) and Square Enix's biggest golden money cow. Of course it's an absolutely massive game. The amount of lore dwarfs every non-MMO FF game combined, as does for example the soundtrack, which is the largest of all video games.
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u/Harbinger-One Nov 09 '22
Play it and find out. I've never been a fan of MMOs but XIV has become my favorite FF in the series.
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u/v13tindaw0rld Nov 09 '22
Ohhhh dude there is SO much. Would recommend!! If anything just go into it for the story. They designed much of it around a solo exp.
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u/stratusncompany Nov 08 '22
have you not played a single final fantasy game?
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u/Overall_Cod2206 Nov 08 '22
Well of course, but on the other shelves surrounding these books were books for other final fantasy games, and each game had one or sometimes two books for that game, this one has nine books and then some. So it just seemed that there were quite a few for this one installment, that's all I was pointing out.
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u/TimeRocker Nov 08 '22
Most of these are all art books. Its really no different than all of the other art that is made for every FF game. Everything is always drawn out first before its ever implemented within the game itself. Movies are the same way. Many or even all of the scenes in many movies, especially those with heavy CGI, are all drawn out to give an idea of what to create and how the movie will look. Everything from camera angles to characters and set designs.
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u/onlysmokereg Nov 09 '22
No the books are total cash grab filler garbage hullabaloo.
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u/EnstatuedSeraph Nov 08 '22
No one actually cares about 99% of it, it's mostly boring dumb pointless shit
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u/Admirable_Audience15 Nov 08 '22
The only reason that game has so much additional content is because it's not finished and it sucks and it's empty and vapid and a total waste of time and money and is a kick to the sack of actual Final Fantasy fans.
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u/Alilatias Nov 10 '22
It’s so much of a waste of time and money that for several years in row it keeps being credited for performing so well that it makes up for weak financial results every quarter.
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u/BlargAttack Nov 08 '22
Please…there’s a whole lot of lore that went into that one picture, never mind the whole game!!
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u/clockworkengine Nov 08 '22 edited Nov 09 '22
The comments on this post have inspired me to get back into the game. I played it for a dozen hours several months ago and dropped off. And while I might drop off again, I might as well play for a bit. I hear so many good things about the story and there's an army of people who consider it the best game in the entire series. I'm normally in the camp that says the MMO entries aren't real mainline games but I know that's not true.
It supports my 32:9 ultrawide monitor too which is awesome. Add me - my character name is Clockwork Engine. I'd totally be down to do some adventuring if anyone wants to show me the ropes
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u/Kumomeme Nov 09 '22
I'm normally in the camp that says the MMO entries aren't real mainline games
i used to be that kind of person. im quite vocal against it too. i also really sceptical about the praise and claim over the story quality. at beginning i believe at most it just good at MMO standard. but im wrong. this is definitely a mainline game and it also has more 'final fantasy souls' than any game square release these past decade. the story is definitely one of the best story in videogames. there is rising young 'star' in their writing department while other division like CBU1 still stuck with same veteran writer like Nojima. this division is indeed hold the future of FF.
never been glad to be proven wrong.
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u/Arkholt Nov 09 '22
There are 5 and 6 hour videos on YouTube recapping the main story of FF 14 alone, in broad strokes, without even going into any side quests. It's a lot.
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Nov 09 '22
The official final fantasy xiv cookbook has some pretty awesome recipes in it. My wife isn't even a gamer and she makes stuff from it all the time. Me too.
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u/Kumomeme Nov 09 '22
YES. there lot of attention given to the lore and worldbuilding.
most of things in the game from location to race has story behind it. even naming convention also same with their own pronounciation language behind it.
and some of guy who behind all this currently developing FFXVI.
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u/RangoTheMerc Nov 09 '22
I haven't played it either. But I watched my ex play through several campaigns.
There is more than you can imagine.
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u/tlamy Nov 08 '22
Since FFXIV is an MMO with a new expansion every 2 years, it's better to think of it as its own sub-series with each expansion being the size of a full-length JRPG.
So, in that sense, FFXIV has the lore of over 5 full games currently (A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker)