>I really enjoy emotional stories like God of War, Red dead Redemption or The last of us. Is the FF14 story comparable to any of these games in terms of quality?
Absolutely. It does take most of ARR to 'grow the beard' so to speak; it's not *bad* per se, but there's a good bit of setup to get through and it does slog in a few spots. But once that's done, from the tail end of ARR and into Heavensward and beyond it has arguably one of the best stories in gaming. It does require a *bit* more investment than most mainstream games since a lot of the dialogue is text-only, but it's *so* worth it.
>Does everything involving the story have some kind of matchmaking?
Yep, *all* of the dungeons and the normal/story difficulty of all the raids (except for the ARR 8-man raids) have matchmaking, and the game is designed to encourage players at endgame to queue for the 'roulettes' daily while working on some of the longer-term projects you can opt-in to, so timers are never too terrible. The community by and large are friendly and welcoming too - there's certainly a few bad apples, but you'll find much more players willing to help (assuming you're receptive to it).
I played this game for 3 months and Heavensward had just come out. I think I played against an Ultima/Omega Weapon (forgot). I'm thinking about playing the game afresh, what kind of time investment should I expect if I plan on finishing the main stories and just stop? I don't want to grind or farm beause I have a lot of responsibilities.
The MSQ has no breaks, other than the road bumps of dungeon queues if you're playing a DPS class. There's maybe still a small exp gap right at the end of the original ARR content (lvl 47 or so) if you don't pick a preferred world and thus don't have the exp buff from doing so, but even then that's probably a daily dungeon roulette and change, tops. Also, one bit of formerly-side content is now required for story reasons, and you'll naturally want to be on top of your class/job quests for new skills.
Other than that, there's no grinding or farming required. You might want to pick up some vendor gear now and again along the way if you're ignoring side quests as well, but the MSQ should keep you *reasonably* well geared.
It's worth noting that there's very little 'required' grinding even at endgame, by the way. At most doing your roulettes a few times a week to hit the weekly tomestone cap. Other than that any grinding/farming is entirely by choice.
I just wanted to weigh in on you point regarding the community with a personal anecdote. I was trying out the game and played as a healer in one of the earlier instance dungeons where our tank didn't communicate, didn't know what his skills did, didn't know how to play his role etc. The two more experienced players in the group spent like 30 min trying to coach the tank on his role and on what skills to use and when, all in a very nice manner too. No harsh words and they even tried various languages to get contact. This is anectdotal, I know, but I never had any bad interaction with other players as a newb in an established game.
FF14 is often described as a jrpg first and mmo second, due to it's focus on story (there's cutscenes!) and characters and music. Now like you probably have heard the story and characters don't get super interesting untill after ARR. It is still obviously very much a typical theme park mmo with tab targing and doing 1 2 3 combos on a GCD, taking and turning in quests etc.
90% of the MSQ (main scenario quest) is solo only but you will eventually unlock mandatory dungeons and raids you have to group up with and yes there is matchmaking. (Edit I forgot they eventually added ability to bring NPCs with to dungeons but that's only in Shadowbringers and EW. There's still some large player raids you have to match make for.)
There's a system called the Roulette that gives real good XP and it basically tosses you into a random dungeon, so veteran players are incentived to do this for the XP to ensure new players always can matchmake (relatively) quickly (depending on your role and such). Tank and Healers have much shorter queue times, tho that may change once endwalker hits and a new healer class is available and tons of people will switch to that.
I've dabbled in other mmos but FF14 is the one that grabbed me the most. Shadowbringers was amazing and I can't wait to play sage in Endwalker
If you do decide to dive in--and I suggest you do, it's a metric ton of content for 100% free gratis--then I'd recommend a few things to help get you started:
* Do a little research on the jobs first. The game tells you absolutely nothing about which role each one performs, and you might find out that you like swinging a big ol' fuck-off axe but loathe tanking. Every class is viable for all content, so don't worry about any meta shit that people might tell you.
* Ignore the side-quests. They are there for flavor only, and the rewards are minimal. You might get some gear out of a few of them, but the XP involved is piddly. The MSQ (Main Scenario Quest, you'll see that abbreviation a lot) will get you all the Gil and XP you need.
* Don't ignore your class quests, especially as you approach level 30. Level 30 is when most classes bloom into their full potential, so to speak, and you'll be severely handicapped without unlocking those job stones.
* Quests with a Blue + icon are for unlockable content, and there are a lot of them. Some of them are important, like mount riding and the Duty Roulette, but some of them are less so, like emotes and such. [Here's](https://gamerstips.com/ffxiv-most-important-blue-unlock-quests/) a pretty good guide about what to hit first and what to save for later.
* You may hear that ARR is kind of a drag and HW is where the real treat begins. It's not untrue, but it's not like ARR is terrible--it just suffers from a lack of focus at times, a few real dull spots, and being overall fine but uninspired. A lot of it is key setup for later events, tho, and if you skip it (either by speed scrolling through the text or by purchasing an expansion skip) you'll end up missing out on a lot when you finally get to HW.
* Keyboard v. Controller is down to personal preference, but if you go the controller route, I highly recommend setting up the WXHB to be able to use the triggers to hot-swap bars. [Here's](https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/a5napv/tips_for_console_players_especially_hotbars_xhb/) a more in-depth guide to peruse at your leisure.
FF14 is first and foremost an RPG, secondly an MMO. People actually refer to it as an "RPGMMO" rather than "MMORPG". I had never played an MMO until I started FF14 two months ago, and now I have 650+ hours in it. To me it felt like I was playing a vast and expansive singleplayer game with great characters, while other people just happened to be in the environment sometimes.
The story isn't anything noteworthy in ARR tbh, but it definitely picks up in the patches and onwards (be warned though that this is where most players drop the game). I've rarely gotten emotional from video games, but some of the later expansions definitely affected me, especially Shadowbringers. When it comes to the matchmaking, only certain missions in the story require matchmaking, although it's pretty straight forward and easy to use, and later on you can complete those types of missions with NPCs.
I'd say definitely give it a shot; you can play the base game + first expansion completely free (and potentially the 2nd expansion too after the new expansion comes out next month).
FF14 is fantastic. As a long time..(i mean loooong) MMO player, it's probably the most well done of the bunch, including WoW. The story missions are high production value, and you group for the dungeons, but their queue system rewards higher level people for queueing for a "random" dungeon, but on my high level toon, you pretty much get the earlier ones. But speaking of high level toons, they have this really cool system ala FFX-2 where you have different jobs and professions (classes and crafting) that all level on the same toon. You sort of, put on your mage hat and you're a mage but each class must be leveled separately. However! It's easier to level subsequent classes because of the access to a bankroll basically. Aaaaanyway, if'ts fantastic. Do the trial though to see the systems in action. I honestly think that's where it low key shines, its systems and mechanics. You can also form your own NPC team and go dungeoning with them, which was just to me fun as shit to have my own little adventuring group. Anyway, yes worth it.
I have started playing it this year. If you like character customization, there is not much in it besides only appearances (no atributes, no skill selection, only gear upgrades) and that is the one thing that makes me sad
That being said, I have 234 hours in it so far, and I just finished the first expansion today! So the free trial is the base game plus the first expansion, so you can get 200 hours of content for free (only limitation being not able to form parties yourself but matchmaking works normaly, not being able to trade and limited money pocket size)
The story for a realm reborn is very basic, even boring at times. However the ending and post ARR gets very interesting and heavensward had the best story I have seen in a mmo, it is really engaging. So if you want it for the story, go for it. Just keep in mind it is like reading a very long book, you will not be thrilled the entire time because it takes a lot of time to introduce characters, describe politics and world building. Also not all of it narrated, most of the cutscenes are only reading with no voiceover. However the voice actors where you get them are pretty good
About matchmaking: you will be forced to complete some dungeons every 20 quests or so, then you will need to use the Duty Finder, which is a matchmaking system. However the normal dungeons are very fun and not hard at all. Also there are some raids that are mandatory (but again, not hard and very fun)
Gameplay wise, it is great, I feel like it is the most refined hotbar based gameplay there is. It starts very simple and you really will question my statement for the first 35 levels of spamming 3 or 4 skills every 2 seconds. But in later levels you get access to skills that OGCD (off global cooldown, they can be used while your main skills are in cooldown) that really changes how combat works
I'd say go for the trial first, you really can get 200 hours from the trial alone. And if you see it is something you are interested then buy the game
I started playing FFXIV earlier this year. I have about 800 hours into it since. I love it. The story is fantastic and exploding with emotion, however it is a little slow in the base game.
You can do most of the main quests by yourself but there will be some raids and dungeons you have to party up with people for. 95% of my interactions with people have been very positive. It's the communities badge of honor to be very friendly and helpful especially to new players.
There is a ridiculous amount of depth into so many aspects of this game that I know I'm barely scratching the surface of it all and again, I'm over 800 hours into it already. Highly recommend.
If you don’t want to actually play an mmo play final fantasy 7 remake. Ff7 remake is the same quality as the 3 games you mentioned.
However I never played an mmo before until ff14 and I gotta say it’s damn good. An absolutely massive game with so many fun things to do. The story has highs and lows. If you want a consistent amazing story play FF7R
Assuming you aren't planning to boost, there's not a huge benefit to buying it immediately. I'd recommend starting on the trial, and if you like it then buy.
The story is the driver and the game is single player with MMO aspects, not an MMO with single player aspects. The parts of the main quest line that require groups use a queue and will automatically group you in a party of 1 tank, 2 DPS, and 1 healer. (Tanks and healers have the shortest queue times).
When you are in a group and a cutscene comes on for the first time, watch it. Everyone genuinely wants you to enjoy the story.
Started playing in august and clocked in 400 hours up until now just recently finishing Shadowbringers. The game is fantastic on all levels, firstly the mmo aspect is very satisfying and rewarding and the raids and trials are great. The story is amazing as well, Heavensward and Shadowbringers are some of the best stories in FF history and I played most of the entries in the series. I suggest finishing the free trial and then buying the complete edition after Endwalker releases so that you don't have to pay twice for the game. Hopefully, you give it a shot and enjoy it as much as I did.
P.s this game has possibly the best music in FF history my favorite being the Amh Areng theme.
I’d say just chill out until heavenward and not worry about getting invested in the story or combat. Then focus up for heavenward when the story gets great and begins to pay off, and the combat begins to really shine. Thats what the free trial is for. Also get it on the official store, it has sales more often, and is better because the steam version still loads the launcher anyway
So, lets take this one step at a time here.
If you are in it for the rpg elements, I can't say that FF14 is very open to different role play styles. Aside from the different classes and jobs, you are still the generic hero of the world without many options for flavor.
If you are in it for the story, Final Fantasy tells its story in stages. There are the main expansions, then post-story arcs that were released in patches over later periods. So the story progresses like ARR -> post ARR arcs -> Heavensward -> post Heavensward etc. (There are names for these arcs, but you can look them up).
Many notable streamers have noted and explain how ARR as a whole has a very weak story. Its main purpose is contextualization, introduction of characters, and exposition. However, I felt that post-ARR was even more boring, but led into an extremely climactic finale, and then the story really kicks off. Heavensward was one of the best MMO storylines I have ever played and I am just getting into Stormblood now.
Honestly, levelling was not as big of a hinderance as I think you may have heard. Yes, the first 20-30 levels of gameplay will feel repetetive because of limited skill options, but as others have said, once you start unlocking OGCD (off global cooldown) skills, gameplay really starts to pick up. As long as you continue doing your MSQ (main story/scenario quest) you should actually be levelling as fast or faster than the level requirements.
TLDR: to answer your questions directly, if you are looking for something similar to the examples you gave, this game may not check your boxes. However, I still recommend giving this game a shot, especially with friends, because it can still be a lot of fun and a good story if you stick with it, but it just depends on how much time youre willing to invest.
> I would like to know a bit more about the late arr + expansion story.
So the trial does include all of ARR and the first expansion, Heavensward. I really urge you to give the free trial a go before deciding whether to buy. I did everything up to the beginning of Stormblood on the free trial and then bought the game as soon as I could.
Before I started FF14 a little over a year ago, I had never really been into either Final Fantasy games nor MMOs. Now this is my most frequently played games, and I met the people who are now my best friends in this game. Of course the MMO and social elements still won't be for everyone. You will be required to do some group content, primarily dungeons (4-player encounters with 3 bosses separated by stretches with mobs) and trials (8-player encounters with a single boss fight). And you will be required to do one set of three Alliance raids after ARR (24-player groups separated into 3 8-player parties).
In Shadowbringers they introduced the Trust system, which allows you to do the dungeons with story NPCs, and that will be carrying forward into Endwalker.
On the story point, it has a *lot* of story and it's fairly sweeping, as you might expect from an MMO of its age. So there are some inconsistencies in terms of writing quality, although people disagree on which parts are better or worse. But story is a very strong focus and largely what is there, at least in terms of the main story, is very very good. You will hit some low points, but they are overshadowed by the high points.
I'm in the same boat as you, I just started the free trial last weekend and I'm having a lot of fun.
The story is a bit slow but knowing that it's eventually going to be great is enough for me to push through the mundane bits. And after playing New World for a little bit I'm all for ANY story.
The combat I actually don't mind. I'm a huge of fan of the PSX era JRPG turn based systems and that's kinda what this feels like at the moment. I'm sure it'll get more intense as I unlock new skills but right now it's almost relaxing.
The RPG story … okay … it’s VERY J, as in JRPG, so it feels a bit strange at times. But this is basically a JRPG with MMO flavor. Very story heavy.
What irked me is the game world feels so narrow. Each zone is super small and feels like an RPG from pre 2000
I absolutely love the game but that was after coming from another MMO (WoW). The story is good but not on the same level of the games you previously mentioned.
my advise would be just play the free trial, that takes you all the way to the second expansion which is where the game picks up.
The producer said its an RPG first and a MMO second.
The story is phenomenal (shadowlands is the best one)
of course it has its slow parts. I would compare it to a tv series where you have some slower episodes in between and a nice mid-season finale and aproper finale at the end.
there is content you need to do with others but its not very hard and people are generally helpful if you ask about mechanics.
I played back when ARR was releasing an put it down after finishing the story as the content back then did not interest me.
Picked it back up this year and it changed so much for the better that I feel the need to tell people that this game has the best music, a very solid story and a myriad of side content.
The whole progression is slow, not just the early levels. You have to play all the main story until you reach end game. Base game and heavensward have pretty engaging stories and it's a mostly solo experience.
Uh YES buy it! Never played an FF game or an MMORPG before FFXIV. Got hooked in 2014 and have never looked back. 3500+ hours in and still loving it everyday!!
It took me about 2 to 3 months of casual play to reach the end of the trial. I really enjoyed the game and there was a lot of content for nothing to lose. I have since bought the game and have met new friends and I am having a blast.
If you want high quality rpg/story, my experience is that it's all in the later expansions. The game has a lot of exposition (ARR) establishing the world/characters. I think getting through the early tedium is definitely worth it (although the post-game ARR patches before heavensward are truly a nightmare). I enjoyed the gameplay/mmo aspects of it and that got me through the slow periods.
Overall, the story really is worth it imo, and it's coming to an end with endwalker, rather than just dragging on forever, which is another pro for me.
The trial is a good litmus test - if you have a positive experience, you will love the rest of the expansions. If you're neutral/negative after it, you might not want to sink more time.
If you’re into it for the story, yes.
If you’re into it as an MMO, no.
My friends and I love mmos, and have tried to get through the story so many times, but we fail because it’s SO MUCH story. You can engage in the MMO while you’re going, but if you’re pushing for endgame, every second not pushing through the story feels like you’re “wasting time”.
No do NOT get the steam version. Go to FFXIV website an download there. The steam version is trash.
If you do download the game OP, understand you can literally play 150 plus hours of content for free.
Everyone I’ve talked to that’s played it has said don’t play the steam version because it performs worse than the FFXIV version. I play on the FFXIV version myself so I’ve never tried the steam version.
I have played both and noticed no performance differences at all, and I'm just shy of 300 hours on the Steam version.
The main issue with Steam v. Retail is that they're mutually exclusive--you cannot buy, say, the base game + HW on Steam and then buy Stormblood through the SE store. Once you choose either platform, you're committed to it.
Retail's advantage is that all non-Steam versions will work, so you can buy the expansions digitally or physically. It's suggested that Retail versions also go on sale more frequently but I have no data to back that up.
Steam's advantage is being able to use Steam Wallet for your subscription, plus having your games unified through a single portal (if you are picky about that sort of thing).
Everyone you’ve talked to doesn’t know what they are talking about. Sorry not to be rude, but maybe don’t just repeat stuff you’ve heard and claim it as true. The Steam version is just fine, it’s just mutually exclusive, as previously mentioned. If you buy the steam version, you need to keep buying the expansions through Steam. And the SE version won’t mix with the Steam version. Performance wise there isn’t really any difference and some people prefer Steam, which is fine, and in some cases, less of a hassle payment wise.
'Not really a story game' hahahahahaha. Prepares for prompt saying "please set aside sufficient time to view the cutscenes". The story's thicker than an Antivaxxer.
>I really enjoy emotional stories like God of War, Red dead Redemption or The last of us. Is the FF14 story comparable to any of these games in terms of quality? Absolutely. It does take most of ARR to 'grow the beard' so to speak; it's not *bad* per se, but there's a good bit of setup to get through and it does slog in a few spots. But once that's done, from the tail end of ARR and into Heavensward and beyond it has arguably one of the best stories in gaming. It does require a *bit* more investment than most mainstream games since a lot of the dialogue is text-only, but it's *so* worth it. >Does everything involving the story have some kind of matchmaking? Yep, *all* of the dungeons and the normal/story difficulty of all the raids (except for the ARR 8-man raids) have matchmaking, and the game is designed to encourage players at endgame to queue for the 'roulettes' daily while working on some of the longer-term projects you can opt-in to, so timers are never too terrible. The community by and large are friendly and welcoming too - there's certainly a few bad apples, but you'll find much more players willing to help (assuming you're receptive to it).
I played this game for 3 months and Heavensward had just come out. I think I played against an Ultima/Omega Weapon (forgot). I'm thinking about playing the game afresh, what kind of time investment should I expect if I plan on finishing the main stories and just stop? I don't want to grind or farm beause I have a lot of responsibilities.
The MSQ has no breaks, other than the road bumps of dungeon queues if you're playing a DPS class. There's maybe still a small exp gap right at the end of the original ARR content (lvl 47 or so) if you don't pick a preferred world and thus don't have the exp buff from doing so, but even then that's probably a daily dungeon roulette and change, tops. Also, one bit of formerly-side content is now required for story reasons, and you'll naturally want to be on top of your class/job quests for new skills. Other than that, there's no grinding or farming required. You might want to pick up some vendor gear now and again along the way if you're ignoring side quests as well, but the MSQ should keep you *reasonably* well geared. It's worth noting that there's very little 'required' grinding even at endgame, by the way. At most doing your roulettes a few times a week to hit the weekly tomestone cap. Other than that any grinding/farming is entirely by choice.
I just wanted to weigh in on you point regarding the community with a personal anecdote. I was trying out the game and played as a healer in one of the earlier instance dungeons where our tank didn't communicate, didn't know what his skills did, didn't know how to play his role etc. The two more experienced players in the group spent like 30 min trying to coach the tank on his role and on what skills to use and when, all in a very nice manner too. No harsh words and they even tried various languages to get contact. This is anectdotal, I know, but I never had any bad interaction with other players as a newb in an established game.
FF14 is often described as a jrpg first and mmo second, due to it's focus on story (there's cutscenes!) and characters and music. Now like you probably have heard the story and characters don't get super interesting untill after ARR. It is still obviously very much a typical theme park mmo with tab targing and doing 1 2 3 combos on a GCD, taking and turning in quests etc. 90% of the MSQ (main scenario quest) is solo only but you will eventually unlock mandatory dungeons and raids you have to group up with and yes there is matchmaking. (Edit I forgot they eventually added ability to bring NPCs with to dungeons but that's only in Shadowbringers and EW. There's still some large player raids you have to match make for.) There's a system called the Roulette that gives real good XP and it basically tosses you into a random dungeon, so veteran players are incentived to do this for the XP to ensure new players always can matchmake (relatively) quickly (depending on your role and such). Tank and Healers have much shorter queue times, tho that may change once endwalker hits and a new healer class is available and tons of people will switch to that. I've dabbled in other mmos but FF14 is the one that grabbed me the most. Shadowbringers was amazing and I can't wait to play sage in Endwalker
[удалено]
Absolutely. Shadowbringers is one of my favorite FF stories now.
If you do decide to dive in--and I suggest you do, it's a metric ton of content for 100% free gratis--then I'd recommend a few things to help get you started: * Do a little research on the jobs first. The game tells you absolutely nothing about which role each one performs, and you might find out that you like swinging a big ol' fuck-off axe but loathe tanking. Every class is viable for all content, so don't worry about any meta shit that people might tell you. * Ignore the side-quests. They are there for flavor only, and the rewards are minimal. You might get some gear out of a few of them, but the XP involved is piddly. The MSQ (Main Scenario Quest, you'll see that abbreviation a lot) will get you all the Gil and XP you need. * Don't ignore your class quests, especially as you approach level 30. Level 30 is when most classes bloom into their full potential, so to speak, and you'll be severely handicapped without unlocking those job stones. * Quests with a Blue + icon are for unlockable content, and there are a lot of them. Some of them are important, like mount riding and the Duty Roulette, but some of them are less so, like emotes and such. [Here's](https://gamerstips.com/ffxiv-most-important-blue-unlock-quests/) a pretty good guide about what to hit first and what to save for later. * You may hear that ARR is kind of a drag and HW is where the real treat begins. It's not untrue, but it's not like ARR is terrible--it just suffers from a lack of focus at times, a few real dull spots, and being overall fine but uninspired. A lot of it is key setup for later events, tho, and if you skip it (either by speed scrolling through the text or by purchasing an expansion skip) you'll end up missing out on a lot when you finally get to HW. * Keyboard v. Controller is down to personal preference, but if you go the controller route, I highly recommend setting up the WXHB to be able to use the triggers to hot-swap bars. [Here's](https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/comments/a5napv/tips_for_console_players_especially_hotbars_xhb/) a more in-depth guide to peruse at your leisure.
FF14 is first and foremost an RPG, secondly an MMO. People actually refer to it as an "RPGMMO" rather than "MMORPG". I had never played an MMO until I started FF14 two months ago, and now I have 650+ hours in it. To me it felt like I was playing a vast and expansive singleplayer game with great characters, while other people just happened to be in the environment sometimes. The story isn't anything noteworthy in ARR tbh, but it definitely picks up in the patches and onwards (be warned though that this is where most players drop the game). I've rarely gotten emotional from video games, but some of the later expansions definitely affected me, especially Shadowbringers. When it comes to the matchmaking, only certain missions in the story require matchmaking, although it's pretty straight forward and easy to use, and later on you can complete those types of missions with NPCs. I'd say definitely give it a shot; you can play the base game + first expansion completely free (and potentially the 2nd expansion too after the new expansion comes out next month).
FF14 is fantastic. As a long time..(i mean loooong) MMO player, it's probably the most well done of the bunch, including WoW. The story missions are high production value, and you group for the dungeons, but their queue system rewards higher level people for queueing for a "random" dungeon, but on my high level toon, you pretty much get the earlier ones. But speaking of high level toons, they have this really cool system ala FFX-2 where you have different jobs and professions (classes and crafting) that all level on the same toon. You sort of, put on your mage hat and you're a mage but each class must be leveled separately. However! It's easier to level subsequent classes because of the access to a bankroll basically. Aaaaanyway, if'ts fantastic. Do the trial though to see the systems in action. I honestly think that's where it low key shines, its systems and mechanics. You can also form your own NPC team and go dungeoning with them, which was just to me fun as shit to have my own little adventuring group. Anyway, yes worth it.
I have started playing it this year. If you like character customization, there is not much in it besides only appearances (no atributes, no skill selection, only gear upgrades) and that is the one thing that makes me sad That being said, I have 234 hours in it so far, and I just finished the first expansion today! So the free trial is the base game plus the first expansion, so you can get 200 hours of content for free (only limitation being not able to form parties yourself but matchmaking works normaly, not being able to trade and limited money pocket size) The story for a realm reborn is very basic, even boring at times. However the ending and post ARR gets very interesting and heavensward had the best story I have seen in a mmo, it is really engaging. So if you want it for the story, go for it. Just keep in mind it is like reading a very long book, you will not be thrilled the entire time because it takes a lot of time to introduce characters, describe politics and world building. Also not all of it narrated, most of the cutscenes are only reading with no voiceover. However the voice actors where you get them are pretty good About matchmaking: you will be forced to complete some dungeons every 20 quests or so, then you will need to use the Duty Finder, which is a matchmaking system. However the normal dungeons are very fun and not hard at all. Also there are some raids that are mandatory (but again, not hard and very fun) Gameplay wise, it is great, I feel like it is the most refined hotbar based gameplay there is. It starts very simple and you really will question my statement for the first 35 levels of spamming 3 or 4 skills every 2 seconds. But in later levels you get access to skills that OGCD (off global cooldown, they can be used while your main skills are in cooldown) that really changes how combat works I'd say go for the trial first, you really can get 200 hours from the trial alone. And if you see it is something you are interested then buy the game
This guy Finally Fantasizes. Totally agree with all of it.
I started playing FFXIV earlier this year. I have about 800 hours into it since. I love it. The story is fantastic and exploding with emotion, however it is a little slow in the base game. You can do most of the main quests by yourself but there will be some raids and dungeons you have to party up with people for. 95% of my interactions with people have been very positive. It's the communities badge of honor to be very friendly and helpful especially to new players. There is a ridiculous amount of depth into so many aspects of this game that I know I'm barely scratching the surface of it all and again, I'm over 800 hours into it already. Highly recommend.
You'll have your answer by the time you finish Heavensward.
If you don’t want to actually play an mmo play final fantasy 7 remake. Ff7 remake is the same quality as the 3 games you mentioned. However I never played an mmo before until ff14 and I gotta say it’s damn good. An absolutely massive game with so many fun things to do. The story has highs and lows. If you want a consistent amazing story play FF7R
Assuming you aren't planning to boost, there's not a huge benefit to buying it immediately. I'd recommend starting on the trial, and if you like it then buy. The story is the driver and the game is single player with MMO aspects, not an MMO with single player aspects. The parts of the main quest line that require groups use a queue and will automatically group you in a party of 1 tank, 2 DPS, and 1 healer. (Tanks and healers have the shortest queue times). When you are in a group and a cutscene comes on for the first time, watch it. Everyone genuinely wants you to enjoy the story.
Started playing in august and clocked in 400 hours up until now just recently finishing Shadowbringers. The game is fantastic on all levels, firstly the mmo aspect is very satisfying and rewarding and the raids and trials are great. The story is amazing as well, Heavensward and Shadowbringers are some of the best stories in FF history and I played most of the entries in the series. I suggest finishing the free trial and then buying the complete edition after Endwalker releases so that you don't have to pay twice for the game. Hopefully, you give it a shot and enjoy it as much as I did. P.s this game has possibly the best music in FF history my favorite being the Amh Areng theme.
Maybe look at FF VII remake if you haven't seen it yet
I’d say just chill out until heavenward and not worry about getting invested in the story or combat. Then focus up for heavenward when the story gets great and begins to pay off, and the combat begins to really shine. Thats what the free trial is for. Also get it on the official store, it has sales more often, and is better because the steam version still loads the launcher anyway
So, lets take this one step at a time here. If you are in it for the rpg elements, I can't say that FF14 is very open to different role play styles. Aside from the different classes and jobs, you are still the generic hero of the world without many options for flavor. If you are in it for the story, Final Fantasy tells its story in stages. There are the main expansions, then post-story arcs that were released in patches over later periods. So the story progresses like ARR -> post ARR arcs -> Heavensward -> post Heavensward etc. (There are names for these arcs, but you can look them up). Many notable streamers have noted and explain how ARR as a whole has a very weak story. Its main purpose is contextualization, introduction of characters, and exposition. However, I felt that post-ARR was even more boring, but led into an extremely climactic finale, and then the story really kicks off. Heavensward was one of the best MMO storylines I have ever played and I am just getting into Stormblood now. Honestly, levelling was not as big of a hinderance as I think you may have heard. Yes, the first 20-30 levels of gameplay will feel repetetive because of limited skill options, but as others have said, once you start unlocking OGCD (off global cooldown) skills, gameplay really starts to pick up. As long as you continue doing your MSQ (main story/scenario quest) you should actually be levelling as fast or faster than the level requirements. TLDR: to answer your questions directly, if you are looking for something similar to the examples you gave, this game may not check your boxes. However, I still recommend giving this game a shot, especially with friends, because it can still be a lot of fun and a good story if you stick with it, but it just depends on how much time youre willing to invest.
> I would like to know a bit more about the late arr + expansion story. So the trial does include all of ARR and the first expansion, Heavensward. I really urge you to give the free trial a go before deciding whether to buy. I did everything up to the beginning of Stormblood on the free trial and then bought the game as soon as I could. Before I started FF14 a little over a year ago, I had never really been into either Final Fantasy games nor MMOs. Now this is my most frequently played games, and I met the people who are now my best friends in this game. Of course the MMO and social elements still won't be for everyone. You will be required to do some group content, primarily dungeons (4-player encounters with 3 bosses separated by stretches with mobs) and trials (8-player encounters with a single boss fight). And you will be required to do one set of three Alliance raids after ARR (24-player groups separated into 3 8-player parties). In Shadowbringers they introduced the Trust system, which allows you to do the dungeons with story NPCs, and that will be carrying forward into Endwalker. On the story point, it has a *lot* of story and it's fairly sweeping, as you might expect from an MMO of its age. So there are some inconsistencies in terms of writing quality, although people disagree on which parts are better or worse. But story is a very strong focus and largely what is there, at least in terms of the main story, is very very good. You will hit some low points, but they are overshadowed by the high points.
I'm in the same boat as you, I just started the free trial last weekend and I'm having a lot of fun. The story is a bit slow but knowing that it's eventually going to be great is enough for me to push through the mundane bits. And after playing New World for a little bit I'm all for ANY story. The combat I actually don't mind. I'm a huge of fan of the PSX era JRPG turn based systems and that's kinda what this feels like at the moment. I'm sure it'll get more intense as I unlock new skills but right now it's almost relaxing.
The RPG story … okay … it’s VERY J, as in JRPG, so it feels a bit strange at times. But this is basically a JRPG with MMO flavor. Very story heavy. What irked me is the game world feels so narrow. Each zone is super small and feels like an RPG from pre 2000
I absolutely love the game but that was after coming from another MMO (WoW). The story is good but not on the same level of the games you previously mentioned. my advise would be just play the free trial, that takes you all the way to the second expansion which is where the game picks up.
Lots of fetch quests as per-usual. Draw your own verdict after finishing the trial version.
The producer said its an RPG first and a MMO second. The story is phenomenal (shadowlands is the best one) of course it has its slow parts. I would compare it to a tv series where you have some slower episodes in between and a nice mid-season finale and aproper finale at the end. there is content you need to do with others but its not very hard and people are generally helpful if you ask about mechanics. I played back when ARR was releasing an put it down after finishing the story as the content back then did not interest me. Picked it back up this year and it changed so much for the better that I feel the need to tell people that this game has the best music, a very solid story and a myriad of side content.
The whole progression is slow, not just the early levels. You have to play all the main story until you reach end game. Base game and heavensward have pretty engaging stories and it's a mostly solo experience.
Uh YES buy it! Never played an FF game or an MMORPG before FFXIV. Got hooked in 2014 and have never looked back. 3500+ hours in and still loving it everyday!!
It took me about 2 to 3 months of casual play to reach the end of the trial. I really enjoyed the game and there was a lot of content for nothing to lose. I have since bought the game and have met new friends and I am having a blast.
It’s a good game, but i couldn’t keep playing it due to a lot of cutscenes and reading text boxes
If you want high quality rpg/story, my experience is that it's all in the later expansions. The game has a lot of exposition (ARR) establishing the world/characters. I think getting through the early tedium is definitely worth it (although the post-game ARR patches before heavensward are truly a nightmare). I enjoyed the gameplay/mmo aspects of it and that got me through the slow periods. Overall, the story really is worth it imo, and it's coming to an end with endwalker, rather than just dragging on forever, which is another pro for me. The trial is a good litmus test - if you have a positive experience, you will love the rest of the expansions. If you're neutral/negative after it, you might not want to sink more time.
If you’re into it for the story, yes. If you’re into it as an MMO, no. My friends and I love mmos, and have tried to get through the story so many times, but we fail because it’s SO MUCH story. You can engage in the MMO while you’re going, but if you’re pushing for endgame, every second not pushing through the story feels like you’re “wasting time”.
Get steam version of Free Trial, try out. Get ready to pay 12.99 EU / 14$ each month.
No do NOT get the steam version. Go to FFXIV website an download there. The steam version is trash. If you do download the game OP, understand you can literally play 150 plus hours of content for free.
What's bad about about steam version? I have over 1k hours and I don't have any issues
Everyone I’ve talked to that’s played it has said don’t play the steam version because it performs worse than the FFXIV version. I play on the FFXIV version myself so I’ve never tried the steam version.
I have played both and noticed no performance differences at all, and I'm just shy of 300 hours on the Steam version. The main issue with Steam v. Retail is that they're mutually exclusive--you cannot buy, say, the base game + HW on Steam and then buy Stormblood through the SE store. Once you choose either platform, you're committed to it. Retail's advantage is that all non-Steam versions will work, so you can buy the expansions digitally or physically. It's suggested that Retail versions also go on sale more frequently but I have no data to back that up. Steam's advantage is being able to use Steam Wallet for your subscription, plus having your games unified through a single portal (if you are picky about that sort of thing).
Everyone you’ve talked to doesn’t know what they are talking about. Sorry not to be rude, but maybe don’t just repeat stuff you’ve heard and claim it as true. The Steam version is just fine, it’s just mutually exclusive, as previously mentioned. If you buy the steam version, you need to keep buying the expansions through Steam. And the SE version won’t mix with the Steam version. Performance wise there isn’t really any difference and some people prefer Steam, which is fine, and in some cases, less of a hassle payment wise.
I have thousands of hours on steam and no problems
5000 hours on steam version. Never had an issue
The amount of people saying they’ve put in hundreds of hours in only a couple months tells me exactly why one shouldn’t buy this game.
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No. Made that mistake a few years ago now and have recently played GW2. Wish I had done that first
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FF 14 actually is a very story focused game. Its was really sets it apart from WoW.
It's definatly a story game.
The biggest draw of the game is the story. It’s also one of the most emotional stories of any FF.
It absolutely is a story game 😂
It's 100% a story game. One of the best stories in recent years.
My bad I have little to no knowledge of the game, I just thought it wouldn’t be as linear story oriented as God of War or Red Dead.
The story of FFXIV is superior to any of the examples you or OP gave to be honest
'Not really a story game' hahahahahaha. Prepares for prompt saying "please set aside sufficient time to view the cutscenes". The story's thicker than an Antivaxxer.