Throughout the game, you don't have to be at the mercy of RNG for gear, and there's very little grinding to stay at the proper level to keep pace in the main story. Here, you're relieved of the burden of having to make game-changing character choices.Īs long as you keep your weapons and armor up around your current level as you progress, you'll be fine. Even then, it's a very straightforward process to prepare yourself at high levels.
HOW TO FINAL FANTASY XIV TRIAL
There really isn't any min-maxing involved until the endgame-which lies beyond free trial territory. There aren't any skill trees to decipher, or character build decisions you have to make. What Makes This MMO So Approachable Streamlined RPG SystemsįFXIV has become one of the most approachable MMORPGs by streamlining much of what newcomers would find intimidating about the genre.
Heavensward is when FFXIV really opens up with vast environments, better mechanics, and a strong story. FFXIV no longer has to ease you at this point and it cuts to the chase even as it unravels a new story. There's a sense of desperation from the start with goals and motivations established early on. Alongside some great allies, you take action against a corrupt theocracy, disparity, and perpetual war. While political drama has always been core to the FFXIV story, Heavensward takes the time to develop characters, factions, and histories. The actual content of Heavensward took a leap forward, too, with more intricate dungeon designs and bigger zones that first introduced flying in these vast open spaces. The expansion also introduces three additional jobs: Dark Knight, Machinist, and Astrologian. This first expansion is when FFXIV truly found its footing in terms of storytelling and gameplay mechanics.īy increasing the level cap from 50 to 60 in Heavensward, each class/job got expanded skill sets that made combat more fun and complex while remaining intuitive. Now you can get to the exciting stuff sooner, which is great because you'll have Heavensward waiting for you after ARR's dramatic conclusion. Still, ARR has its moments and works well for showing you the ropes. This is to cut down on unnecessary objectives that were either repetitive or fetch quest-y, or just had you going back and forth between locations without much payoff. About 13 percent of it that was not critical to the story has either been removed or condensed.
HOW TO FINAL FANTASY XIV PATCH
By no means does that make it bad, but Square Enix has done newcomers a favor-the latest patch streamlined the main questline for A Realm Reborn. You may have heard that the base game is slow-going, and there's some truth to that. Thanks for signing up The Streamlined Base Game
HOW TO FINAL FANTASY XIV FULL
That's two full games, well over 100 hours worth of high-quality RPG, for free. There is no time limit or subscription requirement, unless you want to start the second expansion, Stormblood-note that there are restrictions on social features in the free trial, however. Now, trial players can go up to level 60 (the current cap is 80 for reference) with access to all the playable content that comes with A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, even the excellent post-release content.
Previously, the free trial only let you go up to level 35 and play content that was available up to that level cap, which encompassed about half of the base game. A Free Trial RebornĪs part of the new 5.3 update, FFXIV has made a very generous chunk of its saga entirely free. My character Chie Satoneko has grown a lot since my time in A Realm Reborn. Here, I want to help newcomers or lapsed players understand exactly what they're getting into, what makes FFXIV approachable, and why it's well worth your time. But FFXIV has a hold of me unlike any other MMO, or game for that matter. Taking It Easy And Setting ExpectationsĪlthough I've dabbled in MMORPGs in the past, having played some World of Warcraft in its early days and liked Anarchy Online way back when, nothing really clicked the way I hoped.Check Out FFXIV Creators For Additional Help.Do Not Worry About Side Quests And Most Menus.Know Your Role (DPS Recommended For MMO Newcomers).Dungeons, Boss Fights, And Matchmaking System.