Sam Brecknock
The best MMO I've played in a long time!
INTRO
Final Fantasy XIV: A Real Reborn is the next MMO after XI that Square Enix has undertaken. After the initial facepalm of 1.0, Squeenix has bounced back in full with what is referred to as 2.0 (and above). With the first expansion, Heavensward coming out in just a couple weeks, I thought I would share my thoughts on this popular MMO. Just for reference, I have played Guild Wars 2, some World of Warcraft, and a few free to play MMO's on Steam. When A Realm Reborn first came out, I played the early access on the PS3, and then bought the game on PC. I've been playing on the PC ever since!
STORY OVERVIEW
The game starts with character creation! You as the player have access to many different races and an extensive character creation screen. I certainly enjoyed going through all the options when initially creating my character. With the entry fee (you get your first month free!) you can create one character per server, so playing with your friends shouldn't too much of an issue.
After creating and naming your character, you get to choose your initial class. This will also determine your starting area! Classes are divided into the three classic roles in MMO's: the tanks, the DPS and the supports. I personally prefer playing as support classes, but have ended up leveling classes in all areas. (More on the classes in the Gameplay section).
The 2.0 storyline starts of 5 years after the calamity at Ala Mhigo during 1.0. Don't worry though, the game assumes you haven't played that first game (since many people didn't). As you can expect, you're the voiceless hero (eventually) that ends up doing all the grunt work for Eorzea's good guys (mostly). Not too exciting, right? It's strange but the more you play, the more invested you become in the characters despite the typical MMO framework. I think part of the reason is that you get more time to get to know the characters as well as that distinct Final Fantasy flavour.
ENVIRONMENT
A lot of this game's scenery reminds of Final Fantasy X, with a dash of VII. I say that because a lot of the end-game areas have a darker technological feeling to it. A lot of the themes derived from the story deals with Nature versus Technology, which is reflected in the world's scenery. In a lot of cases, the lines are blurred which is always something I like to see. Fanatics on either side aren't welcome (as seen with the Garleans and the Beast Tribes).
At first, players only have access to in-game taxi services like the Chocobokeep, or teleporting via Aetheryte. Later though, players can use the airship and a variety of mounts to get to the other city-states. Some mounts are copy and paste duplicates (like the horse mounts), but Squeenix makes up for it by adding cool unique soundtracks or special effects to the rarer mounts.
The main areas (Thanalan, The Black Shroud, and La Noscea) all have their own unique look ranging from lush forests to sandy deserts. As you gain levels, other areas such as Mor Dhona and Coerthas Central Highlands become available. There are also many Fates (something inspired by Guild Wars it may seem) that spawn around the map at various points. While these events don't carry as much impact on the world as they did in GW2, it still keeps the areas looking lively, with many opportunities for you to grind out your classes.
Players also have access to residential areas for both private housing and Free Company (guild) housing. Each area is based on the main city-state it belongs to, so each area has a distinct style with varying sizes in plots of land available for purchase. Sometimes it's fun to just run around and meet your neighbours!
GAMEPLAY
I much prefered this classic system over Guild War 2's solely because I felt the satisfaction of fulfilling my chosen role. For instance, in GW2 the idea was that you should be able to heal yourself rather easily without the need of a dedicated support. Or rather, anyone can preform pretty much any role they should choose, with minor differences. This lessened my enjoyment of the game because I play characters with a certain role in mind! That isn't to say that certain support classes in FFXIV can't dish out some serious DPS! (Hello, Scholar!)
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| Rogue (which unlocks Ninja) can be unlocked after entering the game in Limsa Lominsa) |
The sheer amount of things to do in the game as it is right now (pre-expansion) is simply massive. By end-game, the player has access to an inventory of different dungeons ranging with difficulty, 24-player raids, end-game raids, PVP, guildhests (short objective-based quests), end-game weapon quests, intense primal fights (similar to giant boss battles), and probably a few more things I'm forgetting! And these are just the things which are battle-oriented! I know quite a few players that focus on crafting and gathering too.
COMMUNITY
Are you a fanboy or fangirl of the Final Fantasy series? WELCOME!
A lot of games that focus online tend to have a lot of people who don't socialize. They do their thing solo and generally get really frustrated with you. In my experience, while people do tend to get frustrated if they hit a wall in a dungeon or primal fight, people in general are happy to interact with you in the overall world. Many times I'll be doing something and someone will wave as they pass by, or if I died in the map I know I can just /shout in chat and someone will come to raise me.
I haven't seen people be openly hostile in chat either. In fact, after coming out of a game like League of Legends, I think the FFXIV community is really energetic and positive by comparison! I think part of the reason why I've played for so long is that I've built up some meaningful relationships in my Free Company and elsewhere. It's great when you can play with people who you can speak to on a regular basis! Of course, this is generally one of the many charms of MMO's. It's can also break an MMO for someone too.
My rule of thumb for people looking to get into this kind of game is to take it slow, but also to put in what you expect to get out of it. So, if you want these meaningful interactions with others, try putting some energy into chatting with others! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
CLOSING REMARKS
I haven't even really scratched the surface with everything available in the game as of now, and surely that list will grow like crazy once Heavensward is released. For those of you still on the fence about the game, I say take the plunge! While the subscription service is hefty for some people, the incentives are pretty nice, the first month is free, and Steam sometimes has the game on sale. So keep your eyes peeled and you may find that you'll end up in the same boat as the many others who enjoy the game!
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