FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Patch 4.55 Notes � Patch 4.56 Notes � Patch 4.57 Notes

FINAL FANTASY XIV: STORMBLOOD
Available for PC, Mac and PS4
Official site: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/
Account management: http://sqex.to/Msp
Discord: Catgirl Bargains

For assistance in registering and setting up the game, review the Beginner's Guide.
For more advanced help, see the Play Guide (Windows / Mac / PS4).

The Armoury System is FFXIV's character progression system. In Final Fantasy XIV, your class is determined by your equipped weapon, and you can change your weapon anywhere in the overworld. When a combat class reaches level 30, completing the associated job quest gives you a soul crystal that turns that class into a job. Every job has its own unique abilities and gear, as well as a selection of role abilities shared among all jobs of a certain type. Some jobs are available at character creation, while some require meeting certain story milestones to unlock.

For information about each class's abilities and play styles, visit the Job Guide.

Paladins (PLD) use sword, shield and white magic to protect their allies. Paladin starts in Ul'dah as the Gladiator (GLD) class.

Warriors (WAR) use a two-handed axe to keep their enemies' attention. Warrior starts in Limsa Lominsa as the Marauder (MRD) class.

Dark Knights (DRK) use a two-handed sword and black magic to vex their foes. Dark Knight starts in Ishgard*.

White Mages (WHM) use a cane and white magic to provide powerful healing to their allies. White mage starts in Gridania as the Conjurer (CNJ) class.

Scholar (SCH) read from their grimoires to enact battlefield tactics and call upon fairy familiars. Scholar starts in Limsa Lominsa as the Arcanist (ACN) class.

Astrologians (AST) bend fate with their "star globe" orreries and a deck of tarot cards. Astrologian starts in Ishgard*.

Monks (MNK) use their fists and the power of their chakras. Monk starts in Ul'dah as the Pugilist (PGL) class.

Dragoons (DRG) invoke the might of the great wyrm Nidhogg as they attack with their spears. Dragoon starts in Gridania as the Lancer (LNC) class.

Ninja (NIN) use special hand-signs called "mudra" and a pair of dual blades. Ninja starts in Limsa Lominsa as the Rogue (ROG) class**.

Samurai (SAM) study the blade to perfect the art of "sen", balancing the three forces of setsu, getsu and ka. Samurai starts in Ul'dah***.

Bards (BRD) combine archery and song to provide support as they attack their foes. Bard starts in Gridania as the Archer (ARC) class.

Machinists (MCH) use magitechnological handguns and turrets to deal damage and support their party. Machinist starts in Ishgard*.

Black Mages (BLM) channel the pure destructive power of fire, ice and thunder magic through their staves. Black Mage starts in Ul'dah as the Thaumaturge (THM) class.

Summoners (SMN) invoke the essences of the primals through their magic grimoires. Summoner starts in Limsa Lomisa as the Arcanist (ACN) class.

Red Mages (RDM) merge white and black magic into a fast, hybrid style that builds up magical power that is unleashed through their enchanted rapiers. Red mage starts in Ul'dah***.

* These jobs become available once you complete the story of A Realm Reborn up to the quest "Before the Dawn" and own the Heavensward expansion.
** This class becomes available once you have at least one other class at level 10.
*** These jobs become available once you reach level 50 and own the Stormblood expansion.

Gathering and crafting are their own classes with unique equipment and abilities, as well.

The Disciplines of the Land are the gathering classes:

Botanists (BTN) gather wood, fiber and plants.
Miners (MIN) gather rock, ore and raw gems.
Fishers (FSH) gather sea creatures.

The Disciplines of the Hand are the crafters of Eorzea:

Alchemists (ALC), makers of various potions, ethers and other consumables, as well as Arcanist and Conjuror weapons
Armorers (ARM), makers of heavy metal armor
Blacksmiths (BSM), makers of metal weapons and tools
Carpenters (CRP), makers of all things wooden
Culinarians (CUL), makers of food and drink that provide long-lasting buffs
Goldsmiths (GSM), makers of fine jewelery from precious gems and rare metals, including Thaumaturge weapons
Leatherworkers (LTW), who turn beast hides and sinews into medium armor
Weavers (WVR), makers of fabric, thread and light armor

Is this game a sequel of FFXI? No. Besides elements of the setting and the Armoury system, the two games are very dissimilar; combat is much faster, travel is less onerous, there is a much higher emphasis on solo content in FFXIV, and EXP camps are no longer a viable way to level, much less the sole way. If you played FFXI and liked the setting and story but ended up frustrated with how much time you spent killing crabs, try FFXIV.
What restrictions does the trial version have?
- The trial is only open to new players who have not previously played the trial, participated in any beta test or already purchased the game.
- You may create one character per server on up to 8 servers.
- The trial has no time restriction. You can play the trial as long as you want and return to it at any time.
- The level cap is Lv.35 on all classes.
- You can only carry a small amount of gil and can't use the Market Boards, mail, or trade with other players.
- You can't use zone-wide chat or send private messages to other players.
- You can join existing linkshells (chat channels), but not Free Companies (guilds).
- You cannot invite other players to parties, but can use the Duty Finder (automatic party matching).
- You can't do more than the first tier of Palace of the Dead (floors 1-10).
- You can't log into the community sites like The Lodestone or the official forums.
- All these restrictions are removed if you subscribe.
I haven't played for a long period of time. What is new? Probably a whole lot, now that there's been two expansions and a third on the way. More detailed information about each patch can be found at the Lodestone's Patch Log.
When should I buy the expansion? Buying the most recent expansion gives you access to all the previous expansions as well. Buying Stormblood unlocks Heavensward as well.
If you want an Au Ra character, buy it immediately. If you want to play samurai or red mage, buy it once you hit level 50. If you want to play dark knight, astrologian or machinist, or don't care about any of those jobs, you can wait until you've completed the A Realm Reborn story.

PURCHASING AND SUBSCRIBING

Where can I buy the game? FFXIV is available in physical form from your friendly local retailers, in digital form from Steam, Amazon, GreenManGaming, GameStop, Square-Enix Store and others, and on the PS4 PlayStation Store. Prices vary by retailer and region.
How much does it cost to play? FFXIV is a subscription game. Purchasing the game gives you one free month. Please see the official website for your region (North America, Europe and Oceania, Japan and Asia) for pricing information.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Do Windows, Mac and PS4 players play on the same servers? Yes.
Do North American, European, Asian and Oceanic players play on the same servers? Everyone can play on whichever server they want, but there are three hosting centers: Group JP, located in Tokyo, Japan, Group NA, located in Sacramento, California, and Group EU, located in Hamburg, Germany. Many European players currently play on the Group NA servers, but if the idea of high latency puts you off, the Group EU servers are recommended.
If I buy a copy for one platform, can I play my character on a different one? You need to buy a key for the platform you're playing on. If you want to play both on PC and PS4, you need to buy keys for both platforms. However, once you do, your character can be played on both. You will also receive a free month for every additional platform you activate.
Can I still play this game on PS3? No. PS3 service ended on June 20, 2017. All PS3 licenses have been automatically upgraded to PS4 licenses for free.
I bought the standard edition for my platform. Can I buy the collector's edition later to get the upgrade? No, but you have two options: either buy the collector's edition for a different platform, or buy the digital collector's upgrade directly from S-E for $20/�15/15 �/�2,366 depending on region.
Should I buy a copy on Steam if I'm already a PC player? No. You won't be able to register the key to your existing account. Steam accounts count as PC activations, and you can't activate two of the same platform on the same account.
I bought my FFXIV key from Steam. Can I buy the upgrade to Stormblood from another store? / I bought my FFXIV key from a store besides Steam. Can I buy the upgrade to Stormblood from Steam? No. Steam FFXIV accounts can only be upgraded by Steam Stormblood keys.
I want to add a key to my account. Do I add a platform, or add a service account? Add a platform. Adding a service account makes a separate second account.
I didn't read this post, and I added a service account instead of a platform. How do I fix it? Fill out this Square-Enix support form.
Where can I get the PC client? http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/playersdownload/na/. However, you must have an active account to update it.
Should I use an authenticator? Yes. You can buy a keyfob authenticator from S-E for $11, or you can install a software authenticator on your phone or tablet (available for iOS and Android). By adding an authenticator to your account, you will get to teleport to one location of your choice for free.

STARTING OUT

I want to play on Excalibur, but character creation is disabled. You have a couple options. If you're patient, you can wait for an off-peak time (mid-week and morning EST are the best times) to make a character. If you want to start playing immediately, you can make a character on a different server and transfer it to Excalibur for an $18 fee after 3 days. However, if you pick one of the "preferred" servers, you are locked to that server for 90 days instead (since it provides you with XP bonuses and potential free play time), so make sure not to pick one of those servers if you want to use this option.
I want to play on Omega, but character creation is disabled. ~~You have to wait for an off-peak time to create a character, since you can't transfer to Omega at this time.~~ Transfers to Omega have been re-opened. You can either wait for an off-peak time or transfer from another non-preferred server.
Does it matter what race I pick? Mechanically, the difference in stats at Lv.70 for any given pair of races is less than 1%. The difference between races is essentially cosmetic.
Does it matter what nameday/guardian I pick? Not currently. These are cosmetic at the moment, and might be used in later updates to provide you with small bonuses like nameday presents.
How do I choose what city I start in? Your choice of starting class determines what city you start in. Refer to the class list above.
How many classes can I level? Is there a limit on how high I can level other classes? You can level every class to the level cap. There is no cap on how many classes you can level.
How do I unlock a new class? Go to the receptionist at the guild whose class you want to unlock. The guildmaster will hand you a weapon; equipping it will unlock the class.
I went to a guild and the receptionist wouldn't give me a quest. Complete your first class's Lv.10 quest first.
The class I want to unlock doesn't have a guild in my city. Complete the Lv.15 story quest for your airship pass, then travel to that city.
Which quests should I be doing? The most important quests to do are the Main Scenario quests (the ones marked with a meteor icon), since feature unlocks are tied to your main scenario progress. The Main Scenario UI element will always point you to the next main story quest.

FURTHER GAMEPLAY

What do the stats do? Hover over the stat names in your Character window for information about what they modify.
Where is the "flank"? The sides. Anything that isn't "front" or "back" is the "flank". You can see on the ground target circle where back ends and flank begins where the line changes thickness:
How do I tell how much aggro/hate/enmity I have? There are two indicators that display your current enmity level.

The party frames indicate everyone's relative enmity on the currently targeted enemy:
- The "A" on the gladiator's icon indicates that the currently targeted enemy is attacking him. The numbers indicate the second, third, and fourth highest enmity.
- The length of the small bar indicates your hate level relative to the maximum.
The enemies list indicates your relative enmity for every enemy you've engaged:
- Green circle: less than 50% of maximum enmity
- Yellow up triangle: between 50% and 75% of maximum enmity
- Orange down triangle: between 75% and 99% of maximum enmity
- Red square: maximum enmity - it is currently attacking you
The length of the bars indicates each enemy's remaining HP.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Beginner's Guide, a tutorial on how to purchase the game and set up your account
Eorzea Database, Square-Enix's official game database
Garland Tools, the most popular third-party database of items, quests, job abilities and other info
Ariyala's Gear Calculator
FFXIV GamerEscape Wiki, general information about the game's systems and quests, including a comprehensive guide on how to unlock gated content
Advanced Combat Tracker, a third-party add-on used to collect and parse combat data
FFLogs takes logs of endgame content from ACT and creates group performance reports
XIVAPI is a third-party API for programmers who want to query XIV information in their apps and projects
Mogboard, for viewing current marketboard prices
Crafting as a Service, a collection of crafting calculators and shopping list generators
FFXIVClock, useful for keeping track of time-limited gathering nodes
Cat Became Hungry (FF14Angler), a fishing database
FFXIV Chocobo Colour Calculator
Cactpot Solver for the Mini-Cactpot in the Gold Saucer
MinionGuide, a catalog of minions (pets) and mounts
Eorzea Collection, a lookbook of ideas for glamours (costumes)
FFXIV Housing, a catalog of housing furniture
Reddit's FFXIV subreddit
BlueGartr's FFXIV forum

The Chairman fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Apr 26, 2019

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 02:30

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 06:53

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Primal center: Excalibur (NA)
Please Be Careful, Plot 13, 1st Ward, The Goblet (Ul'dah)
Dragongod Knightkings, Plot 8, 1st Ward, The Goblet (Ul'dah)
Third Party Tools, Plot 8, 8th Ward, Shirogane (Kugane)

Chaos center: Omega (EU)
Please Calm Down: Plot 37, 5th Ward, Shirogane (Kugane)

Elemental center: Kujata (JP, ASEA)
Ned Kelly Fan Club: Plot 24, 1st Ward, The Goblet (Ul'dah)

To be invited to one of these groups, join the Discord and follow the instructions in the #welcome channel:

Step 1. Connect your SA account to your Discord account by typing !authme [SA name] (don't include the square brackets) in #ffgoons-auth and following the instructions in the direct message from @GDN. (If you have already authorized your account on another Discord server, skip this step. If you want to sponsor a friend, vouch for them by asking in #ffxiv-general and mentioning them, so they can be manually added to the necessary role.)
Step 2. Request an invite code by typing pls inviteme [FC] [firstname lastname] in #ffgoons-auth, where [FC] is the company you wish to join: PBC, DGKK or TPT (NA groups), PCD (EU group) or NKFC (JP/ASEA group). @Tataru will send you a direct message with an invite code.
Step 3. Right-click on the placard outside the FC house or an FC member and chose "View Company Profile", then "Submit Application". In the box that pops up, type in your full Discord username (for example, minfilia#1234; not your nickname) and the provided code. Your application will be processed as soon as possible.

If you want to sponsor a friend, have them join the Discord server so that they can be manually assigned the correct role. They can then proceed from step 2.

_{If you're in a group on another server that's looking for members, PM The Chairman}

The Chairman fucked around with this message at 15:38 on May 2, 2019

# ¿ Jun 16, 2017 02:31

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

At this point I've just shrugged and written it off as a lost weekend. I'm peeved at getting stuck at the wall but I'm going to just do something else until either the camel successfully squeezes through the eye of the needle or they implement actual fixes, no point in staring down the instance entrances in the meantime

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 13:20

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

The EU FC on Omega has purchased a house, so if you're playing there and haven't joined them yet, you can now apply at Plot 39, 3rd Ward Subdivision, Lavender Beds (Gridania)

# ¿ Jun 17, 2017 18:47

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

TheHeadSage posted:

I suspect the empire will launch the counter attack on Doma, and we'll see Ala Mhigo descend into a rather nasty civil war because Lyse will discover that while passion, idealism and fighting skills will help liberate your nation, they are going to do gently caress all when the population decides that now is the time to work out some old grievances and resume the original conflict that the empire interrupted

That'd be tough to resume because the previous civil war was the monarchy vs. the monks, and neither really exist any more

# ¿ Sep 22, 2017 14:49

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

If you want to help with the fees keeping the offsite running, log in and send a few bucks through the tip jar on the sidebar.

edit: costs are now taken care of through 2018, thanks for the prompt donations

The Chairman fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Sep 23, 2017

# ¿ Sep 23, 2017 17:10

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

In re Haurchefant

His death is arguably affecting in a way that other significant characters' weren't. Many of the allies the Warrior of Light has lost along the way gave their lives to achieve an important goal, like Moenbryda setting up the destruction of Nabriales, Papalymo sealing Omega or Gosetsu allowing the revolutionaries to escape, Haurchefant was the victim of a vindictive pot shot from a retreating enemy and died unnecessarily. He was willing to put his and his family's reputation on the line to help the WoL, and paid his life for it.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2017 15:58

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

ZZZorcerer posted:

I'm already on the main one, is there a specific discord for FF ?

This link goes to the specific FF one

# ¿ Nov 13, 2017 02:26

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

vOv posted:

That made me realize: this is probably a dumb question, but is the 'orchestral-sounding' for this game like Moebius actually recorded or is it all made on computers?

Except for Answers/Dragonsong/Revolutions, all the orchestrations in FFXIV are synthesized. They're very high-quality synthesis, but still synthesis nonetheless.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2018 17:45

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

The amount of new content per patch has decreased since ARR but that's because they're trying to find a sustainable development pace that doesn't utterly burn out the studio. The reason 3.1 was a month later than usual was because everybody in the office was completely frazzled after months of pushing out 2.x series patches while trying to get Heavensward out the door. They've decided to maintain the quarterly patch pace, but creating less art assets per patch.

The Chairman fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Jan 28, 2018

# ¿ Jan 28, 2018 18:18

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Inflammatory posted:

so now that i'm settled, how does the fc work w/r/t worlds? can i not join if i'm not on excalibur?

Yes, that's right

# ¿ Jan 28, 2018 18:21

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

There's a quest you need to do before you can craft prisms. If you've already done it, the recipe book you need to buy is available from Goberin in Western Thanalan.

Quit being a jerk if you don't actually know the answer to the question.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2018 17:54

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Rhjamiz posted:

So I just started a free trial and chose Lancer so I could eventually jump everywhere. I've heard good things about this game but so far it feels very... well, I don't see what sets it apart yet. Level 15 currently. Is there a place where it really picks up?

The game is designed to be a very gentle introduction to MMOs, so it has a slow build-up. Dungeons start getting more difficult and you start getting more of your combat abilities around lv.30~35 or so.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2018 18:25

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

ChaseSP posted:

I ran some canals and got some ala mhigan weave and a blessed cloth. How much does this usually go for because it's over 2 mil on the market board.

Unless I don't understand the question, it goes for how much you see it going for on the market board

# ¿ Feb 12, 2018 20:29

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

# ¿ Jun 4, 2018 19:28

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Cythereal posted:

My God I've wanted to kill that brat since ARR. What part of "Everything you touch turns to poo poo, gently caress off you insufferable brat" is so hard for the game to understand about the moron?

Have you actually played the game since ARR? He spends all of Heavensward atoning for letting someone take advantage of his inexperience and acquits himself pretty well throughout the whole resolution of the Dragonsong War.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2018 20:08

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Cythereal posted:

Yes, and I still loathe him. He's not as terrible now as he used to be, but I'd much rather spend time with characters I actually like, like Y'shtola, Alisae, Lyse, Hien, and Yugiri.

Enough so that someone spent at least ten bucks on me for it - the red text changed after the first time.

Sorry I offended your honor by disliking your teenage elf husbando.

How do you find Alphinaud completely terrible but think Hien is effective or good?

# ¿ Nov 27, 2018 20:32

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

I've decided to leave the offsite forum offline for now because it costs money, but it is very rarely actually used by anyone, and gives newbies the impression that nobody plays this game any more. I'll probably put it back online in preparation for Shadowbringers if there's a need for it

# ¿ Dec 5, 2018 14:45

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

I wrote a script to count the demographics of an FC's members. Here are the results for our FCs:

# ¿ Mar 7, 2019 01:26

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

Samuringa posted:

Yea, that all sounds terrible, I'll just pass on this altogether.

It really just boils down to that you're going to have a much easier time playing this game if you just use your abilities from the toolbar and gradually learn the job, rather than trying to figure out how to wrangle the bare-bones macro system into playing for you, then reaching a point where you can't do that any more and having to completely learn your job from scratch.

People aren't telling you not to use macros for reasons of elitism or gatekeeping. They're telling you not to use macros because they're unreliable and inflexible, and you're paradoxically making things harder for yourself by trying to make it easier.

The Chairman fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Mar 17, 2019

# ¿ Mar 17, 2019 18:23

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

rantmo posted:

Oh I'm sure it's easy, I just don't want to have to go and do a whole new thing. It's pure sloth.

Part of the reason I set up the auth process is as a basic screening for whether people can follow simple directions and understand rules so that they are less likely to cause problems in the future, and I�m not especially sympathetic to people who can�t manage that...

# ¿ Apr 24, 2019 23:31

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

IcePhoenix posted:

that's pretty impressive considering they were all in a zone you couldn't get to before HW

as in they did the quests when HW was new, then came back to the moogle beast tribe later

# ¿ Jun 21, 2019 20:12

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

I'm watching some of the JP scenes with him in it it now and the only vibe I'm getting from his voice and word choice is "dumb but enthusiastic".

# ¿ Jun 24, 2019 23:16

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 06:53

The Chairman: Jun 30, 2003; But you forget, mon ami, that there is evil everywhere under the sun

That's a good note to close the thread on. New thread coming Friday.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2019 13:52

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood