As a nearly complete noob to the Final Fantasy multiverse...

[JacobusRex]

please tell me, coming from a distinctly classic / tolkein / warhammer / world of warcraft fantasy background, what preconceptions would I have to suppress / overcome to be able to understand this distinctly eurasian MMO with cat eared people, chibi looking folk, blue-gray ogre people and a plethora of other things I don't really see in day-to-day gaming.

(yes, that was a very long sentence...)

Essentially, what is the premise behind this multversial franchise and how are all these different stories connected or relevant in this particular MMO?

[Reivur]

please tell me, coming from a distinctly classic / tolkein / warhammer / world of warcraft fantasy background, what preconceptions would I have to suppress / overcome to be able to understand this distinctly eurasian MMO with cat eared people, chibi looking folk, blue-gray ogre people and a plethora of other things I don't really see in day-to-day gaming.

(yes, that was a very long sentence...)

Essentially, what is the premise behind this multversial franchise and how are all these different stories connected or relevant in this particular MMO?

The simple answer is they're not directly connected. You will receive from time to time the occasional nod towards the series traditions, and sometimes lore will pluck settings from other Final Fantasies for both nostalgia/crossover reasons but still make it theirs. Case in point, there's the Crystal Tower from Final Fantasy II. It has nods and references to Final Fantasy II, but ultimately ties it to the history of XIV and its own spin as to who those types of characters would have been in XIV's history.

Heavensward for example has the Floating Continent from Final Fantasy VI, and its story of the Warring Triad that tore apart that world. However, yet again, in XIV what causes the Floating Continent is different. (No Kefka, for example), how the Triad's war differs and how you have to suppress it are entirely different.

Pretty much if you've played past Final Fantasies you will get to enjoy a lot of fan-service and head-nods to past games. If you're unfamiliar, you're still not forgotten and if anything its primary focus, because other than FFXIII, DQ & XI promotional events it makes damn sure to first and foremost to establish its claim in its own world. While Shiva was in almost FF, no one can really make the claim that she's a copy & paste from other FF's.

The only other thing I can really help with narrative wise is you need to understand the "Echo". It manifests its power differently for anyone who has it except some people have either weak or stronger clairvoyance with it. Your character is one of the stronger examples. This allows him/her to see past events akin to flashbacks and even, in extreme times, 'talk' to those witnessed as if they were in the area. There are other facets of the Echo, but this one allows them to flesh out even more of the game's history.

[JacobusRex]

So basically it's full of references that veteran Final Fantasy gamers will know and maybe enjoy while keeping it's individuality. I can appreciate that actually.

You're saying that it's worth looking into despite the somewhat comical / cutesy aspects on the surface that I mentioned though? I mean, I have nothing against distinctly anime type things like cat-eared and chibi-esque people, but does it effectively take any seriousness away from what's going on? Like when you're butchering a tribe of native creatures who've been stealing supplies or setting a bunch of belligerent beasts on fire for rampaging through town, is it all done in a cutesy way?

[lawow74]

I would say two themes that run strongly through FF14 are the concept of the battle of Light vs. Dark (ostensibly good vs. evil but not quite as clear-cut, more like really light gray vs. really dark gray) and the notion that placing faith in some kind of savior will always fail and cause more harm than good because the savior will quickly become more about maintaining itself than about doing any saving (a metaphor for institutionalization of bureaucracy). These inform the two main plot backstops, the Ascians/Zodiark and the various Primals.

You're saying that it's worth looking into despite the somewhat comical / cutesy aspects on the surface that I mentioned though? I mean, I have nothing against distinctly anime type things like cat-eared and chibi-esque people, but does it effectively take any seriousness away from what's going on? Like when you're butchering a tribe of native creatures who've been stealing supplies or setting a bunch of belligerent beasts on fire for rampaging through town, is it all done in a cutesy way?

Only a couple specific races (the Moogles and Namazu) and NPC's of a particular quest series (the various Hildibrand adventures) are really intended to be purely cute/silly/funny. Everything else is more grounded in real-world behaviors, even if they are fantastic beings, like the aforementioned Miqo'te and Lalafell. Play the story, you'll see good and evil versions of both.

[Claymore]

So basically it's full of references that veteran Final Fantasy gamers will know and maybe enjoy while keeping it's individuality. I can appreciate that actually.

You're saying that it's worth looking into despite the somewhat comical / cutesy aspects on the surface that I mentioned though? I mean, I have nothing against distinctly anime type things like cat-eared and chibi-esque people, but does it effectively take any seriousness away from what's going on? Like when you're butchering a tribe of native creatures who've been stealing supplies or setting a bunch of belligerent beasts on fire for rampaging through town, is it all done in a cutesy way?

Not at all. In fact, I *do* have a natural dislike for all things "anime" (with the one notable exception of Dragon Ball Z), but I found FFXIV to have an incredibly mature story. They have quests and stories dealing with heavy subjects, like genuine political corruption, prostitution, quite a bit of crazy shit... but much of it is presented in surprisingly human ways. It also has some excellent dialogue, although it can take a lot of getting used to the whole "Olde English" manner of speaking. The localization team definitely put some clever dialogue in there, though.

Basically, the surface-level stuff is, in my opinion, the game's strongest deterrent. The game is undeniably beautiful, but it's in a style that just won't gel wth everyone. I've always found it most enjoyable when using a Controller, although some rotations can be a little daunting to work. If you try to play with a Controller, just me prepared for some initial growing pains (ie. "Wait, how do I auto-run again?"), but once it "clicks", it works every bit at well as a keyboard.

Biggest thing to keep in mind is that you can access all Jobs (FFXIV's "Classes") on a single character, and you are highly encouraged to do so as you get a 50% XP-boost when leveling different Jobs on the same character (up until your highest-level Job). So don't be afraid to delete and re-create characters your first couple of days playing, until you really get your appearance "right". I forget how, but you can eventually get a free "Fantasia" potion or two (for total appearance/race change), but after that it costs real-money (save for hair and a few lighter cosmetic touches, which can be changed for a small in-game fee once you unlock the "Stylist" around lvl 16).

Also, the story takes a little bit to get rolling. I feel like it was around lvl 15-20 when I actually started paying any sort of attention. I highly recommend starting in Ul'dah if you don't have any particular preference, but the opening-story is the only thing that changes, so no biggie if you start somewhere else.

[JacobusRex]

Not at all. In fact, I *do* have a natural dislike for all things "anime" (with the one notable exception of Dragon Ball Z), but I found FFXIV to have an incredibly mature story. They have quests and stories dealing with heavy subjects, like genuine political corruption, prostitution, quite a bit of crazy shit... but much of it is presented in surprisingly human ways. It also has some excellent dialogue, although it can take a lot of getting used to the whole "Olde English" manner of speaking. The localization team definitely put some clever dialogue in there, though.

Basically, the surface-level stuff is, in my opinion, the game's strongest deterrent. The game is undeniably beautiful, but it's in a style that just won't gel with everyone. I've always found it most enjoyable when using a Controller, although some rotations can be a little daunting to work. If you try to play with a Controller, just be prepared for some initial growing pains (ie. "Wait, how do I auto-run again?"), but once it "clicks", it works every bit at well as a keyboard.

Biggest thing to keep in mind is that you can access all Jobs (FFXIV's "Classes") on a single character, and you are highly encouraged to do so as you get a 50% XP-boost when leveling different Jobs on the same character (up until your highest-level Job). So don't be afraid to delete and re-create characters your first couple of days playing, until you really get your appearance "right". I forget how, but you can eventually get a free "Fantasia" potion or two (for total appearance/race change), but after that it costs real-money (save for hair and a few lighter cosmetic touches, which can be changed for a small in-game fee once you unlock the "Stylist" around lvl 16).

Also, the story takes a little bit to get rolling. I feel like it was around lvl 15-20 when I actually started paying any sort of attention. I highly recommend starting in Ul'dah if you don't have any particular preference, but the opening-story is the only thing that changes, so no biggie if you start somewhere else.

Localization team? As in making it make sense for us dumb westerners? I hope not... they did that with Gojira back in the 50's and it is insulting today as it was back then. (I'm just being sarcastic but yeah, I think I can handle the game as intended by its makers.)

Being any class you want on the same character sounds pretty awesome but also time-consuming. (Hence the subscription right? ) I was honestly leaning on playing one of those big blue or red ogres as either a sorcerer of some kind or a shooting 'job', though the melee classes look darn brutal too. If I were to play FFXIV that is.

Is it a lot like GW2 where they try to lure you into buying cosmetic re-rolls with real money or is that just for race-changes like WoW?

[Eleccybubb]

The cosmetic reroll is like £5 Jacob.

That let's you change your appearance and race. I mean come on that's hella lot cheaper than the competition.

However I can't say I felt lured when I changed from Hyur to Au Ra. I changed because I wanted to.

As a new player you get 1 free Fantasia (race/appearance change item) when you finish the main story quest.

So you at least get 1 reroll to your race/appearance for free.

[RohanV]

The biggest world building difference between FFXIV and Western MMOs is that race and culture are almost completely separate in FFXIV. (At least in the major countries, the Beast Tribes, and maybe the Steppes or Ishgard, are a little different).

For example, the initial countries of Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah have very different cultures, but they all have hyurs, lalafells, elezen, miquo'te, etc. Some may have more or less, but each separate culture is racially mixed.

In contrast, western fantasy usually has the human kingdom, the elf kingdom, the hobbit shires, the orc kingdom, etc. Race and culture are aligned in many ways.

Otherwise, FFXIV is fairly straightforward. I never played any of the FF games before FFXIV, and I found it pretty easy to understand.

[Reivur]

Localization team? As in making it make sense for us dumb westerners? I hope not... they did that with Gojira back in the 50's and it is insulting today as it was back then. (I'm just being sarcastic but yeah, I think I can handle the game as intended by its makers.)

Being any class you want on the same character sounds pretty awesome but also time-consuming. (Hence the subscription right? ) I was honestly leaning on playing one of those big blue or red ogres as either a sorcerer of some kind or a shooting 'job', though the melee classes look darn brutal too. If I were to play FFXIV that is.

Is it a lot like GW2 where they try to lure you into buying cosmetic re-rolls with real money or is that just for race-changes like WoW?

Just race changes. A common meme is the real end-game is glamour. There are a handful of cosmetics in the shop you can buy that make you look like prominent NPCs who either were in the plot or whose outfits have changed, as well as a few mounts, but the vast majority is stuff you get in game. The stat differences between races are also fairly negligible so its best to just pick whatever one you'd like staring at forever.

Also the guy's comment about the plot starting slow-- he is correct. In fact, A Realm Reborn (The first part of the story you'll work on) gets ragged on because of two particular plot points; one before a certain Primal and a series of quests after the first small raid dungeon. This is because every patch they add story, and some of those didn't age too well. Its still worth paying attention though because it gives payoffs later, especially when you hit Heavensward content.

The only other suggestion I have for a new player is they upped XP gains massively compared to launch, so the game is going to throw TONS of quests at you that you simply don't need. The most important quests you need to make sure you're on the right path are the ones with the ! that has what looks like a meteor on the icon behind the !. This means it a main story quest. Part of your HUD will likely mention it as suggested content to go do. When you're new, because of how much they sped up xp...? Honestly, its the only quests you need. There's also some that add features though I forget the icon, those are good too.

The rest... you can skip. Though some of them are cute to do just because each area usually has its own self-involved story and sometimes they'll reference it again. But skipping them can prove to be nice because you could go back and do them on a different class for xp instead of exhausting it all at once.


Edit: Also the localization is brilliant. They did however edit a character in ARR because they thought he would come off a little creepy in America. The joke was on them though: This character became more prominent in Heavensward, and what they thought was just an area hud storyline expanded significantly. People then compared the japanese script to the translations and there was a big uproar about it. Because of this, the localization team learned their lesson and have stopped doing that kind of shit. So while your initial worry is founded, they've already experienced their growing pains for it.

[JacobusRex]

The cosmetic reroll is like £5 Jacob.

That let's you change your appearance and race. I mean come on that's hella lot cheaper than the competition.

However I can't say I felt lured when I changed from Hyur to Au Ra. I changed because I wanted to.

As a new player you get 1 free Fantasia (race/appearance change item) when you finish the main story quest.

So you at least get 1 reroll to your race/appearance for free.

I will admit that you make a good point on the value since 5 euros is, what, 7 or 8 american dollars? That's pretty cheap IF I wanted to race / gender change.

The biggest world building difference between FFXIV and Western MMOs is that race and culture are almost completely separate in FFXIV. (At least in the major countries, the Beast Tribes, and maybe the Steppes or Ishgard, are a little different).

For example, the initial countries of Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, and Ul'dah have very different cultures, but they all have hyurs, lalafells, elezen, miquo'te, etc. Some may have more or less, but each separate culture is racially mixed.

In contrast, western fantasy usually has the human kingdom, the elf kingdom, the hobbit shires, the orc kingdom, etc. Race and culture are aligned in many ways.

Otherwise, FFXIV is fairly straightforward. I never played any of the FF games before FFXIV, and I found it pretty easy to understand.

Thank you for being so on point here with your experience! This is honestly a great post to me.

It sounds like it's a much more diverse and politically driven world than a racially divided and border-riven world such as WoW which would be a good change of pace. It IS tough for me to see past the cuteness but it would be kind of refreshing to play a game where people don't dislike other people based on race and lifestyle but rather have different political views that clash amidst a looming dark in the world. Sort of what WoW is TRYING to be but gets stuck on that old faction war jive.

[RohanV]

I think the fantasia bit is overrated. Some people change race at the drop of a hate. I've never changed my character since the start. I still have my free fantasia sitting in my bags.

There is a free trial to level 35 or so. Why don't you give that a whirl, and then make a proper decision later?

The only thing is that there is a difference between the Steam version and the normal version. You can't mix and match them. If you get the Steam version, you have to get all the expansions from Steam. If you get the normal version, you cannot buy the expansions from Steam. So keep that decision in mind. Personally, I just buy directly from SE and use that version.

(The Steam, PS4, and normal PC players all play together. This warning is only for your individual purchases.)

[lawow74]

It sounds like it's a much more diverse and politically driven world than a racially divided and border-riven world such as WoW which would be a good change of pace. It IS tough for me to see past the cuteness but it would be kind of refreshing to play a game where people don't dislike other people based on race and lifestyle but rather have different political views that clash amidst a looming dark in the world. Sort of what WoW is TRYING to be but gets stuck on that old faction war jive.

Correct, while you do see some racism it's largely in the hands of the bad guys (and even the beast tribes have reasons for how they act, many of which get explored in the quest chains and dailies related to them) and all the PvP in the game is not couched as a kill-or-be-killed war. They're war games between allied nations whose purpose is to sharpen skills and be competitive, not murder everyone.

[Claymore]

Yeah, it's absolutely worth giving a shot either way. If you haven't already created an account, FFXIV has their own "refer-a-friend" campaign, you can probably get someone to give you a code and as I remember, if you wind up subbing, I think you both walk away with some cosmetic rewards (I could probably get a RAF code for you myself, just haven't logged in for a few months, but happy to if you're interested).

Like I said, the "cute" stuff is the only thing that can be a little off-putting at first. But once you get into the game a bit, I think it actually does a really good job establishing itself a "serious" MMO. And for all the "silly" characters you see looking like this...

https://i.imgur.com/AvxOkVl.jpg

There are others that look like THIS...

http://www.ffxivinfo.com/images/scre...ffxiv-2315.jpg

So, they do a decent job off-setting the more "goofy" stuff.

[tikcol]

I would say two themes that run strongly through FF14 are the concept of the battle of Light vs. Dark (ostensibly good vs. evil but not quite as clear-cut, more like really light gray vs. really dark gray) and the notion that placing faith in some kind of savior will always fail and cause more harm than good because the savior will quickly become more about maintaining itself than about doing any saving (a metaphor for institutionalization of bureaucracy). These inform the two main plot backstops, the Ascians/Zodiark and the various Primals.



Only a couple specific races (the Moogles and Namazu) and NPC's of a particular quest series (the various Hildibrand adventures) are really intended to be purely cute/silly/funny. Everything else is more grounded in real-world behaviors, even if they are fantastic beings, like the aforementioned Miqo'te and Lalafell. Play the story, you'll see good and evil versions of both.

Everyone knows all Lalafells are inherently evil

[Sorrior]

Everyone knows all Lalafells are inherently evil

Not evil buuut definitely hornier then a rabbit and more obsessed with money then a dragon