How to Get Into Final Fantasy XIV

ByChris Ranta Hours
final fantasy xiv intro

Last Updated on: 5th April 2021, 08:32 pm

The saga of Final Fantasy XIV is one that’s entirely unique to itself and its interesting development history, as well as continued critical acclaim throughout the years have led some to want to try out the game. Though as someone whose dabbled in both WoW and FFXIV, I get how daunting stepping into a full MMO is. With the newest patch only weeks away and the new expansion in the horizon, here’s how to get into Final Fantasy XIV!

READ MORE: Final Fantasy XIV: New DPS Job?

1. Pick Your Platform

Before anything else, you have to know how you want to play FFXIV. Its currently available on PC and PS4, with a PS5 beta and release in the works. Whether you prefer to play with keyboard and mouse or controller, the game has you covered.

Final Fantasy XIV PS5
Credit: Square Enix

Really, its just a question of where you want to play, though my recommendation for any MMO will be the PC version.

2. Find Where Your Friends Are

Perhaps even more important than what to play, you have to find the people to play it with. Next year there will be cross data center play, so the players will be as interconnected as ever, but as it stands you can only play within your data center.

There are some handy resources online as to stereotypes about each server, but generally you’ll have a fine enough time if you just join the world most of your friends are on.

3. Find Your Job

While you may have seen a fight or two in a trailer, or friends have been talking about the game, its important to find what you want to play. Each expansion showcases all the classes and their general playstyle, and the current one is a good example of near everything available.

Credit: Square Enix

Jobs are split into DPS, Tank, and Healer, much like WoW, and each role has a number of options at your disposal. With a class showcase and general playstyle in mind, finding the job for you shouldn’t be too tough.

And, FFXIV allows you to have multiple jobs on one character, so you can always experiment.

4. Always Be Ready to Learn

Final Fantasy XIV is a fairly simple game overall once you put in the effort to learn, but it can still be complex early on. Ultimately your job is to do your role to the best, which means either doing as much damage as you can or doing as much damage while tanking or healing.

Maybe that hardcore mentality isn’t for everyone, but in general be willing to learn more about the game, fights, and your classes. After a while and looking back, how you probably played at first was super suboptimal, but it shows how much you’ve improved.

5. Have Fun

The most important thing to know in how to get into Final Fantasy XIV is definitely to have fun. The game is absolutely massive, and its completely free through the first expansion, Heavensward.

Credit: Square Enix

That alone is at least 100 hours of being able to test the waters without spending a penny, and there’s two full expansions worth of content after that. Don’t feel obliged to rush through as fast as possible or do every sidequest, just take the game at your own pace and eventually you’ll be ready for Endwalkers.

FFXIV has a little bit for everyone, so play the game in the most fun way for you.

READ MORE: Final Fantasy XIV PS5 Open Beta: How to Participate

Now is as good a time as any to get into Final Fantasy XIV with its extended free trial, bevy of new content on the way, and a bigger playerbase than ever before. I can’t get into every single thing to help start your journey, but these will help at least get into the experience.