During the last decade, Final Fantasy 14 has remodeled from a failure to one of many most-played multiplayer video games in your entire world. An enormous a part of that success is how FF14 has damaged the mildew of MMOs, hanging out in new ways in which have clearly attracted hundreds of thousands of gamers. Over a decade after the relaunch of A Realm Reborn, FF14 exhibits no indicators of stopping, and if you end up bored with the standard MMO fare, it is perhaps the suitable alternative for you.
With an enormous primary recreation and a number of expansions beginning FF14 may appear to be a frightening process, however a lot of what the sport does otherwise revolves round attracting new gamers, or these wholly unfamiliar with the style. Listed here are a few of the main methods FF14 differs from different MMOs.
A Story to Rival the Single-Participant Video games
Final Fantasy’s most defining function has all the time been its story, and FF14 carries on that custom with gusto. In actual fact, it’s truthful to say the story is likely one of the main focuses of the sport, which is pretty unusual on the planet of MMOs.
Set within the land of Eorzea, FF14 tells a sweeping story in regards to the Warrior of Gentle, a selected hero with the ability to see into different individuals’s souls utilizing one thing referred to as “The Echo.” Regardless of being a multiplayer recreation, FF14 has a core forged of characters that function the social gathering. These characters develop and alter in fascinating methods alongside your Warrior of Gentle, constructing deep complicated relationships with the participant.
Whereas every growth has a brand new story, each is principally the subsequent step in a bigger narrative. What makes FF14 so compelling, nonetheless, is the deeply human and emotional themes it persistently tackles. Heavensward tackles non secular fervor and the cycle of revenge, Stormblood exhibits riot in opposition to subjugation, Shadowbringers deconstructs the character of heroes, and Endwalker asks huge questions in regards to the that means of life itself.
Whereas these core themes permeate the tales, the grand sweeping tales additionally do an incredible job of fleshing out the world with lore and politics, making Eorzea and the remainder of the world really feel like actual locations. On the similar time, regardless of being a multiplayer recreation, FF14 has a core forged of characters that function the social gathering. These characters develop and alter in fascinating methods alongside your Warrior of Gentle, constructing deep complicated relationships with the participant. Seeing these characters develop and alter throughout every growth is a delight, particularly when coupled with the bigger themes current.
Whereas the principle story is riveting by itself, FF14 additionally has dozens of aspect tales that tie into that overarching narrative, or assist develop aspect characters even additional. Almost all the things within the recreation has some type of story or narrative function connected, and the tales discovered inside the MMO rival one of the best you’ll find within the Final Fantasy collection.
You Can Play Final Fantasy 14 Solo
Regardless of being a massively multiplayer recreation, you’ll be able to play by way of a stunning quantity of FF14 solo. If you wish to dive in and expertise the story, there’s a wealth of techniques to allow you to try this with as little interplay with different gamers as potential.
Nearly all of story-related dungeons will be accomplished utilizing Trusts, that are NPC characters that act as your social gathering members. In fact, nearly all of story quests will be performed solo on prime of that. This implies you could have a large world and riveting story with tons of of hours of content material to expertise. Doing dungeons with NPCs means it’s also possible to take your time, soak within the story, and even experiment with jobs and practice your expertise.
The one occasions you’ll must strike out are everytime you do 8-man content material, just like the boss-fight Trials. However in the event you don’t know anybody taking part in FF14 you’ll be able to all the time use the sport’s matchmaking to take these on, and the Roulette system means there are all the time gamers trying to assist with content material.
In fact, in the event you discover that you simply need to get extra social and have interaction with extra multiplayer content material, like Alliance Raids, these choices will all the time be there ready.
You Can Do Every little thing With One Character
One of many main variations between FF14 and different MMOs is that actually all the things within the recreation will be finished with a single character: each quest, each job, each dungeon. In FF14 you’ll be able to be taught each battle job and crafting job with simply that one character, and swap between wherever and everytime you need. This implies you gained’t must craft a number of characters to see each class, or aspect with completely different factions.
On prime of that, all of FF14’s content material is designed to be as simply accessible as potential. This implies if you wish to play all the things as a DPS job, however keep away from Tank and Healer totally, you are able to do that. The matchmaking and social gathering techniques in FF14 are constructed to make getting by way of content material as simple as potential, and once more, that features in the event you simply need to play the sport solo.
Jobs/Lessons Solely Have One Construct
Final Fantasy 14 options dozens of various jobs to select from, and there’s lots of selection baked into the precise particular person roles. Nonetheless, every job has a particular set of expertise that can apply to anybody and everybody who performs it. Unlike different MMOs, there aren’t any different builds you’ll be able to assemble, or alternative ways to play a particular class. So in the event you’re taking part in Dragoon there’s one set of expertise, you be taught these, and that’s it.
For some gamers, this may depend as a adverse, however for anybody who may not be well-versed in MMOs, it means you gained’t should juggle attempting to decide on completely different builds or choices, however can deal with studying the core ins and outs of every job. It additionally means you’ll have extra alternatives to check out completely different jobs and discover no matter you want finest.
It Performs Nice on a Controller
MMORPGs have historically been seen as PC-focused experiences, however increasingly have began to make their strategy to consoles through the years. In that regard, FF14 has almost each different MMO on the market beat with its controller assist.
Taking part in FF14 with a controller is each bit as viable as taking part in with a mouse and keyboard. Sq. Enix has put a ton of thought and time into making {that a} actuality, with minimal time and studying required from gamers.
By default, you could have fast entry to 16 completely different actions when utilizing a controller, by setting actions to the left/proper set off after which D-pad and face buttons. Previous that, there are little additions, just like the Cross Hotbar, that you should utilize so as to add much more actions. Other parts, like biking by way of allies for therapeutic, have additionally been given intuitive button presses which can be simple to make use of.
You’ll, after all, must spend a little bit of time studying jobs and getting used to organising your hotbars on controllers, however the FF14 neighborhood has created numerous movies and guides to advise new gamers on setting issues up. In case you’re hesitant to select up FF14 on consoles due to having to make use of a controller, don’t let that be a fear in any respect. Simply take note you continue to could desire a keyboard in the event you’re planning on chatting in-game lots.
Final Fantasy 14 Respects Your Time
There are tons of of hours of content material to wade by way of in FF14, and catching up is all the time going to be an enterprise. That being stated, the MMO does a incredible job of respecting participant’s time, ensuring that you simply all the time really feel rewarded or engaged not directly.
Outdoors of the principle story nothing in FF14 is obligatory, and you may all the time have interaction with every bit of aspect content material as a lot, or as little, as you need. The sport liberally makes certain that you simply don’t should waste dozens of hours grinding to get to any content material except you’re trying to do absolutely the hardest raids obtainable. If you wish to comply with the principle story you’ll achieve all the degrees you want just by doing story quests and dungeons, and a few of the extra “grind-y” aspect quests are nonetheless value doing as a result of they’ve distinctive tales or mechanics connected. On prime of this, you’ll be able to purchase new gear in a large number of various methods, from new raids to buying in the marketplace board. This implies anytime a brand new patch is launched you need to have a straightforward time leveling up your jobs to remain related.
Aside from that, the event workforce has been vocal about how they need gamers to take breaks, with director Naoki Yoshida beforehand saying it’s “okay” to not play the sport daily.
There’s all the time new content material to play by way of with a brand new patch, however FF14 isn’t going to take in your time daily and even each week. You may cease taking part in, come again months later, and have the ability to leap proper again in.
Previous Content material Stays Related
One of many outstanding issues about FF14 is which you could return and play just about any piece of content material launched. Any piece of content material from when the sport relaunched as A Realm Reborn to now, remains to be accessible, and most of the time modified or enhanced. The one exception to this rule is timed season occasions or collaborations, just like the Fall Guys collaboration or the crossover quests with Final Fantasy 15. Most of the time, although, occasions occasions have a tendency to return again later down the highway.
Other than that, Sq. Enix has made a deliberate option to not block off any previous content material or make it inaccessible. In actual fact, the event workforce has taken liberal steps to replace previous story quests, raids, and extra, so that they fall extra according to what you’ll discover in present updates for FF14.
Every day roulette rewards make it simpler to seek out events for previous content material, however even in the event you’re unable to seek out matchmaking you’ll be able to tackle older content material with a good group of associates, and even solo it after you’ve leveled a bit.
The Builders Genuinely Hearken to Fan Suggestions
One of many core causes FF14 has been so profitable through the years is the transparency and dedication the event workforce has proven. There’s a motive director and producer Naoki Yoshida is lovingly known as “Yoshi-P” by the neighborhood. There are different MMOs on the market that do an incredible job at addressing suggestions, however in some ways FF14 has set the precedent for the final decade.
Each few months Yoshida holds a “Letter From the Producer” livestream that goes in-depth on all of the modifications or additions coming with every patch. Most of the time, throughout these segments, Yoshida and different members of the workforce will straight deal with participant suggestions.
There’s, after all, all the time a steadiness that must be struck, as Yoshida and his workforce merely can’t adapt or change all the things gamers need. However through the years there’s been a significant change to participant housing, variations between jobs, extra solo choices, assorted content material like the comfortable constructing sidequest Island Sanctuary, and extra.
In a 2017 interview with (*14*) Yoshida summed up the event workforce’s philosophy by saying it needs to “ensure that we’re rising this recreation collectively, and the event workforce will not be the enemy of the gamers. All of us love Final Fantasy 14, and we simply need to come collectively as allies. The communication needs to be going each methods, not unilaterally.”
FF14 nonetheless has issues and issues that may be improved upon, however it’s the proper MMO to select up in the event you’re in search of one thing that has had significant change previously and can probably proceed to have much more.
Hayes Madsen is a contract author for IGN.