“Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV?” For the past three years the advertisement turned marketing meme has been repeated ad nauseam in online communities and friend groups in hopes of drawing new players to the steadily growing online game. It even received an update when last year’s Final Fantasy Fan Fest revealed that another expansion would be added to the free trial.
Still, this word-of-mouth recruiting campaign is only the earliest aspect of the community influence that will shape a new player’s experience as a Warrior of Light. With the newest expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, fast approaching, I reflected on just how much the people in (and outside of) your circle can influence your journey through Eorzea.
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For all the things it does right, Final Fantasy XIV leaves a lot to be desired when teaching new players all the things they can do. For the player who’s just starting the massive fantasy story spanning five expansions, “Sprouts” in the game’s nomenclature, finding a purpose outside of the Main Scenario Quest storyline can be daunting. They may feel rushed to hurry through the early story beats to get to the “good stuff,” or they stick to completing group content with a party of NPCs, a fairly new option that can do more harm than good.
Countless new features and content are locked behind blue side quests scattered across the world. Even with the Hall of the Novice, which teaches the confused Warrior of Light how their class is expected to contribute to a party dynamic, there’s a lot left to be taught. To its credit, the main story can be completed with suboptimal gameplay and, in the case of group content, more capable players, but Final Fantasy XIV is more than a mostly single-player story. Unfortunately, as a Sprout, it’s hard to know what questions to ask to broaden their horizons.
For instance, some of the earliest “boss” encounters can be revisited at a higher difficulty, where defeating them can reward players with a set of elemental horses to ride around on. Did you know that collecting all of these horses grants access to a shiny mega horse? I didn’t for years until a friend took me under her wing and guided me through the process, even helping me collect them all until I rode off on my winged mount.
Another friend opened my eyes to the joys of Savage Raids, where your party of 8 needs to intuit the necessary mechanics to survive an extremely tough boss fight. Where Final Fantasy XIV falls short, the community picks up the slack, eager to teach Sprouts about all the wonderful aspects of the game that make them return year after year.
This isn’t limited to one mentor either; my journey to Level 90 and the end of the current MSQ has been molded, redirected, and often derailed by friends who each had their own wisdom to impart. Like a seasoned adventurer recruited to seek out a long-lost treasure, I’ve heard many a call to action by a friend promising a shiny new feature, trial, or collectible. Whether it’s treasure maps, Extreme trials, Savage raiding, or even just the pursuit of new cosmetics for the Glamour Dresser, each new friend adds another bunch of carrots on a stick to pursue.
The community influence goes beyond new activities, like in-game strategies that turn into server-wide inside jokes—teaching new players to stay away from Limsa Lominsa’s aetheryte plaza, or trying to convince the entire 24-player Alliance to get eaten by Cerberus. From coming up with nicknames for especially punishing raids to collectively thirsting over the Estinien, even learning these silly jokes helps burgeoning Warriors of Light feel like part of the community. One of the funniest questlines in Final Fantasy XIV is sometimes ignored because of how long it is, but the Hildibrand Adventures quests are worth the time, and Hildibrand Manderville is one of the best characters in the game.
Learning about a new facet of the game can be exciting, as it shines light upon some dark corner you never knew existed. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll learn every aspect of the game from a single person. Everyone has their own goals and aspects of the game they prefer – even the completionists often trend toward one activity over the others. This creates the typical experience where players develop a cadre of mentors that gradually help them to understand the full experience that Final Fantasy XIV can deliver.
There are dozens of new avenues to discover within the game: Player vs Player combat, the mysterious lands of Eureka and the Bozjan Southern Front, and even the pinnacle of difficulty: Ultimate Raids. Approaching the same content but playing as a Healer, a Tank, a DPS, the odd Blue Mage job, or even another class within the same role can provide insight into other players’ struggles.
If you’re tired of fighting, you can even try a Crafter or Gatherer class. Players can choose to participate in all or almost none of them, but in most cases, someone will be there to guide them. In the best cases, they’ll find something that clicks and becomes their new endgame. Whether it’s crafting the best armor and furniture, making millions of Gil on the marketboard, or taking down a 20-step boss fight with seven other players, these former Sprouts can eventually master some part of the experience. That’s when the tables turn.
“Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV?” The phrase they’ve heard often becomes their new mantra. The recruit becomes a recruiter, the mentee turns mentor, and the Sprout, who once had so many questions about the game, steps into their role as the Warrior of Light, gradually becoming a font of knowledge for the latest wave of new players.
Like their former guides, they can help a new player learn everything there is to know about Materia Melding or make food that other players will need for raids. This web of knowledge can even provide a mutual exchange of information, where Sprout can fill in a previously unknown blind spot, making both players more suitable for guiding future players.
Of course, like any game in the 21st century, there are guides upon guides online to help players discover and unlock new content. Much like oral tradition, however, the experience and these relationships are about more than imparting knowledge. They’re about forging a connection, whether it’s short-lived or turns into a lifelong bond, no matter the distance separating the pair. Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG where you can interact with hundreds of players in any given week, but the simple act of guidance can change your life.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail is available in early access now and releases on July 2, 2024.
