Welcome to my trials and tribulations, as I grind through the beginning stages and beginner jobs in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Anyone that has ever played an online MMORPG know that starting out in a strange, new world can be very lonely and confusing. Compared to other online MMORPGs, Final Fantasy XIV has to be the most social and friendliest online community in all of MMORPG history.
In the beginning of this diary, we are going to explain the basics to help you understand the early stages of the game, while also giving you a rundown of the do’s and don’ts of playing. Early on in the game, it’s important to seek out and then join a ‘Free Company’. Free Companies are similar to guilds , and they contain large groups of players that are willing to help with just about anything. While Free Companies are similar to guilds, there is one feature they have that guilds do not – the ability to invite an unlimited amount of players.
Final Fantasy XIV’s gameplay is based heavily around its story. Even though it’s an MMORPG that gives players the freedom to explore, A Realm Reborn contains an engrossing story replete with story-driven cinemas and professional voice acting. The story-driven quests offer countless hours of gameplay, but this is above and beyond the the numerous class quests and side quests that will consume you for many levels.
Some of this information can seem rather basic and even trivial at times, but when you enter a new MMORPG world such as A Realm Reborn, things may not be as black and white as they first appear. This first entry is to help give you that added boost and point you in the right direction.
This may not seem relevant at first, but sticking to the main story early on during the game is important to your progression. There is plenty of good gear, experience, and even skills that can be gained by completing the main story objectives first. Certain important features such as the Duty Finder, dungeons, trials and even specific locations inside the game world cannot be accessed until you complete quests pertaining to the main story.
I learned this the hard way and had to figure it out on my own. Grinding levels can be fun, but you will be sacrificing gear and other abilities that will be needed later, especially if you ignore the story quests.
There is no right or wrong way to play A Realm Reborn, but if you follow the story and unlock the appropriate gear for your level, it will make your progression through the game much easier. Don’t make the same mistakes I did; it will only make things more frustrating later on. Final Fantasy XIV is a different breed of MMORPG; it expects the player to complete the main story to experience the entire game. I have played countless MMORPGs over the years, and none of them used this approach; it’s a brilliant idea that keeps the player engaged.
My advice to any gamer looking to play A Realm Reborn (especially after they have unlocked the crafting and gathering abilities), is to level them up as fast as possible. Having these skills will not only benefit players with high level characters, but it will also help you generate revenue quickly at a low level. Since the in-game economy is player driven and based on supply and demand, you can easily check the marketplace, identify items that sell well, and then mine or gather those materials for resale.
A Realm Reborn allows gamers to experience different character classes (including gathering and crafting) with a single character. Known as Job classes, you can teach your character to be more than one character class. For example: you can begin the game as a Gladiator, but learn to be a Pugilist later on. But most importantly, you can toggle between the two classes without losing your current level or skills. This allows for a variety of class combinations never before seen in an MMORPG.
This column is the beginning of an on-going series that will be published by Pixel Perfect Gaming. Please stay tuned for updates, tips and information regarding A Realm Reborn, as we partake on this adventure together.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
