Leveling-up is just a bonus.
Eorzea is a vast land with a lot of things to offer. What drives an Adventurer to keep on exploring every nook and cranny of this virtual world?
Final Fantasy 14's gameplay has been renowned for its simplicity, and at the same time, its complexity. Gone are the days when the party was just a bunch of pixels, waiting for its turn to slash a monster from several pixels away without the sword even touching the enemy. Outside the usual level grinding in the fields which occupies most of your online time, there are more things to do in town rather than just shopping for potions. Here's what you'll love about FF 14's gameplay:
1. Teamwork
The more, the merrier.
No man is an island. There is strength in numbers. In Final Fantasy 14, gameplay focuses on teamwork. Forging a lasting commitment with your party allows you to zoom through quests easily. Soloing quests might sound good in earlier levels when you want to monopolize the experience, but as you level up, Eorzea can be such a monster that sometimes, your valor won’t just cut it. In times like these, your comrades are your pillars of salvation.
Meeting Odin is one of those instances that you don't wanna be alone.
Usually, team compositions involve a tank to soak up enemy hits and attract the target’s attention, a melee damage dealer, a ranged damager or nuke mage, and a dedicated healer; this is to ascertain that when something goes out of hand, the error would be less punishing. Team synergy is critical and a wrong move might spell ruin, especially in higher-tier quests like FATEs (Full Active Time Event) wherein you will be fending off a horde of Jackals, charging against a glittering Brounger at the Iron Lake of Outer La Noscea, or slaying the noble Odin for experience and Company Seals. Of course, no effort is left unpaid – accompanying your fellow Adventurers rewards you with Limit Breaks, a powerful move that can only be attained in a party of four or more.
2. Limit Breaks
By the power of friendship! Ugh, or camaraderie? Whatever. Just go, go, GO!
One of the major benefits of being in a party is unlocking the Limit Breaks. Once the limit gauge is filled due to party actions, these skills can prove useful in decimating foes and saving the whole party from the brink of incapacitation. These are often flashy, which is a staple starting from the seventh iteration of the series and beyond.
Space rocks have a bigger utility aside from drifting lazily in the cosmos.
Melee classes unlock Limit Breaks like Braver, complete with a rendition of Cloud’s Buster Sword, or the Final Heaven (sadly, no running around the world before smacking the enemy this time), both being highly effective against single targets, while Caster classes have access to area-of-effect ones like Starstorm and the nihilistic Meteor to purge enemies. Classes like Tanks and Healers provide supportive Limit Breaks (damage reduction and restoration, respectively) to the party such as Mighty Guard and Healing Wind, perfect in clutch situations when the next enemy skill might wipe out a critical-condition party in a blink of an eye.
A word of caution: the limit gauge refills slower if there are similar classes or jobs in the party setup, so running a full mage party might give you a hard time invoking the huge bomb from space.
3. Off-Battle Activities
Living the domesticated life.
Tired of slaying Couerls and Mandragoras the whole day? Why not try manual labor for a change? Crafting allows you to create items that can catch a good price or prove useful in your future adventures – weapons, armor, tinctures, and so on; these can be of better quality too compared to the ones you get from your ever-trusty NPC. Desynthesis salvages an item, breaking it into its constituents; by luck, you might get a rare item not available in any other way.
Out of materials for crafting? Farm those through the Gathering System; feel free to collect much-sought produce or materials from designated spots scattered in the field - only if you have the right class.
The Manderville Gold Saucer - complete with its signature Chocobo Racing Circuit.
If you’re still out of things to do, continue doing the main story quest to and access the Manderville Gold Saucer, a location paying homage to FFVII’s theme park. It boasts a plethora of mini-games including Triple Triad, a popular card game in FFVIII. Winning racks up points which can be used to purchase costumes and mounts. And yes, there’s a Bunny costume up for grabs.
4. Easy Character Class Change
Despite how we look, we're actually blacksmiths during the day.
Ruthless warrior by day, a gourmet chef by night. Have a clashing identity? It’s normal in the realm of Eorzea. With the Armoury System, Adventurers can switch classes by changing the equipped weapon or tool to the one required by a certain discipline. It’s easier when you delegate an equipment set on the tabs which you can just click and voila! Transformation complete. This unique feature minimizes the frustration of talking to an NPC and paying ludicrous amounts of in-game currency to switch from a mighty battle master to a sophisticated connoisseur. Care for some Flint Caviar on your toast after we topple this Dullahan, bro?
5. Absence of Stamina System
Don't mind me. I'm just taking a breather.
There are online games known to have some form of stamina system – it limits a player’s access to some the game’s content like gaining experience or entering dungeons. While this is good in preventing server congestion and promoting player's awareness of their own health, some gamers complain about not being able to enjoy the game for extended periods of time i.e. during weekends or holidays. Final Fantasy XIV has no stamina system, meaning you can do quests and grind to your heart’s content – all day, all night. The only factor to consider is your own real-world stamina. Just don’t forget to take breaks and have meals, alright?
MMORPGs need to shine in every way possible to be on top of their game, and Final Fantasy 14's gameplay is certainly worth checking out. Eorzea is open to everyone, whether you’re a certified monster hunter or a person who just loves to chill in town. What would you like to do today, Adventurer?
