Board 8 > Can't believe I'm making this topic, but red pill me on Final Fantasy 14.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Nah

Im fervently uninterested in multiplayer gaming, and I managed to get into it despite that. Nowadays, theres very little that mandates multiplayer; certain story bosses, nothing more. Dungeons only lack the NPC party option when theyre fairly fresh. You could get almost caught up without ever heading into one with real-world friends.

The gameplay is cool, imo. Side quests are generally pretty whatever by design, but the worldbuilding is second-to-none in the series, and among the very best in gaming, and youll experience so much of that through all of that optional content.

Story is better if you experience it firsthand because there are major character arcs with substantial growth and it all hits so much better if youre there for it. I cant really do story summary reads (or watches), tbh, so maybe Im not the best judge of that, but I dont think Id have fallen head over heels for Heavensward, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker without being there myself.

Raids require co-op, and there are good side stories through those. Like, occasionally some really good ones. Those Ive given up and went ahead and read up on despite my vested distaste for the approach because I just cannot get into multiplayer stuff at all.

Oh, and theres a ton of Triple Triad, plus chocobo racing, plus fishing, lots of that stuff!

Is the game actually good enough to play?

Yes

Im not a co-op or mmo guy at all, so how much can be played solo?

The majority of the main story can now be played without ever interacting with another living soul, although most trials (boss fights), which are relatively infrequent, and at least one 24-man raid series (basically 3 longer form dungeons) require co-op multiplayer.

Does actually playing it add to the story much or is just reading it ok?

I have to imagine actually playing it yourself has to feel more meaningful than watching someone else's character do it, but then thousands of players relive it vicariously through streamers and Youtubers after they've already beaten it themselves, so what do I know

Very good game. As stated there are a few fights where you need to play with others (there used to be a lot more; theyve been making more things playable with npc avatars over time), but none of the required fights are hard enough that you actually need to communicate with those other players (of course, there is harder, optional content where it would be very helpful to communicate).

14 has hit a repetitive cycle and the storyline in recent times, which was once the games biggest draw, has been either stagnant or bad.

It is now a standard MMO and the classes and crafts are homogenized to the point there isn't much gameplay variety.

Do not recommend.

Also Im sure youve seen the memes, but the base game and first two expansions are free to play (with some restrictions on communication etc) so theres not much downside to just trying it out to see if you like it. While its true that the base game is not as good as the expansions I think its actually better than its reputation; I still had fun with it.

I have around 450 days of playtime.

Would recommend.

Not worth it. Also not an MMO guy. The story is the selling point, and you've already gotten that.

It's not fun to play. Mostly fetch quests if you're not doing a dungeon.

colliding posted...

Mostly fetch quests if you're not doing a dungeon.

This is every MMO.

MikeTavish posted...

I have around 450 days of playtime.

Would recommend.

450 hours? That's not as bad as I th-

*wipes nonexistent glasses*

Dear lord

how long do i have to play to meet Honey B. Lovely?

Wasn't a fan. Feel like I only ever used two moves ever.

MZero posted...

450 hours? That's not as bad as I th-

*wipes nonexistent glasses*

Dear lord

Been meeting 3 times a week to play with the same group of awesome people for over a decade now. Probably wouldn't still be playing if it wasn't for that.

But yeah, I've done basically every savage content when it was current, caught every big fish, collected every triple Triad card (missing a few from the latest patch or two but working on them), have like 250 mounts and over 22k achievement points.

And the worst part is I know people with more than double my playtime.

My wife plays now and a couple years ago I got to go to Vegas for fanfest. Incredible experience with the concerts, games, previews and panels.

Truly an all-timer game for me.

Anyway if you do start playing, Ulti, if you're after an FC/cool people to chill with come to Hyperion.

GenesisSaga posted...

Nah

This but unironically

14 is a good single player game when I played with a good story line. Realm Reborn (the first one) is whatever, but Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers are all good. You can basically do most everything except the hardest difficulty content solo, but a lot of non-most difficult content is relatively easy by MMO standards.

Now then, the community. 14 has one of the most protective communities in gaming. Well, did. I dont know. I have not played since Shadowbringers and even then I was very casual. They dont seem to like Dawntrail and have been more willing to be upset at the game now. But the vibe I got was we accept you as long as you agree to this list of things type group. I'm sure thats not like most players, but the more hardcore ones (like the ones you see commenting on videos or in stream) 100%.

UltimaterializerX posted...

Is the game actually good enough to play? Im not a co-op or mmo guy at all, so how much can be played solo? Does actually playing it add to the story much or is just reading it ok?

This part specifically? They're working on it, but most (not all) of the game can played solo. The parts that specifically can't are the "Trials", which are typically big, 8-man encounters. Story dungeons can be played with NPCs all the way through current content; other, "fluff" dungeons are not there yet.

I personally love it but I'm majorly invested for about 6 years now; there is a TON of world building early on in ARR (the base game) as well as Stormblood (the current end-of-free trial expansion.) You can always give free trial a shot but it kind of falls flat with certain jobs you get to play (you won't have access to Gunbreaker, a tank, Dancer, a ranged DPS, Sage, a healer, Reaper and Viper, melee DPS, or Pictomancer, a caster. Not Bluemage, which is just a bastard child.)

No harm in the free trial, but fair warning: Emet Selch, certified badass, is not really present in the free trial at all. Zenos is, though. Y'shtola takes point more if you start in Limsa Lominsa (so if you begin as an Arcanist or Marauder - the other starting jobs, Archer/Lancer/Conjurer start with Papalymo and Yda, while Pugilist/Gladiator/Thaumaturge start with Thancred.)

Oh, as for voice acting: it sucks in ARR, and then they change to a London-based team instead of a LA-based one.

Oh and there are references to old games that range from cheeky nods that could be missed to characters and remixes of old music literally appearing in the game so if you like the other games you'll enjoy a lot of that.

If you've already read the plot then it's completely safe to skip FF14.

The entire selling point, the story, concluded in the previous expansion's launch patch and everything after that has been horrible. The actual gameplay is your pretty typical MMO story stuff, fetch quests, sometimes with an easy fight, and the occasional dungeon.

Most of the game can be done solo thanks to a mechanic called Duty Support. Duty Support replaces players with AI NPCs for dungeons so that you're able to do the dungeon by yourself. There's a limit to what can be done as some fights cannot be done with NPCs and requires other players. You will also be required to do a 24-man raid series but it's only three raids and they're a cakewalk.

A Realm Reborn is going to be a slog to get through but has so much setup and world building that it's necessary. Heavensward hasn't aged well because of some weirdness from being the first FF14 expansion pack. Stormblood is really hit or miss. Shadowbringers is one of the best FFs. Endwalker you can safely stop when you trigger the credits. Everything after that, including all of Dawntrail, is genuinely awful.

Since this is Ulti, if you do pull the trigger on FF14, I would recommend trying out Stormblood's 24-man raid series as it's Final Fantasy Tactics themed. The series is even called "Return to Ivalice."

One day I'll start heavensward

I did everything in the base game and took a break afterwards

I hate MMOs and plan to play the entire FF14 story by myself thru endwalker (minus the like 2-3 forced multiplayer spots Ive heard of)

im done base game and 1st expansion

KamikazePotato posted...

This is every MMO.

Explains why I don't like them!

UltimaterializerX posted...

Then Magic the Gathering x Final Fantasy happened and yeah. God help me but Im considering it.

Don't do it.

I really don't get why the MTG FF thing is such bait for so many people. If you are truly into both, then that's great, but I see far too many people who enjoy one and are lukewarm to the other jumping in and buying hundreds of dollars of magic cards they'll never play. This is the opposite, and as someone who played MMORPGs almost exclusively for like 6 years, I have vowed to never ever play another MMO. You do not want to play an MMO. I know you, ulti. I know what makes you tick. And you will DETEST playing an MMO. Especially because of your completionist tendencies that will make you grit it out even when you're not enjoying yourself.

azuarc posted...

Don't do it.

I really don't get why the MTG FF thing is such bait for so many people. If you are truly into both, then that's great, but I see far too many people who enjoy one and are lukewarm to the other jumping in and buying hundreds of dollars of magic cards they'll never play. This is the opposite, and as someone who played MMORPGs almost exclusively for like 6 years, I have vowed to never ever play another MMO. You do not want to play an MMO. I know you, ulti. I know what makes you tick. And you will DETEST playing an MMO. Especially because of your completionist tendencies that will make you grit it out even when you're not enjoying yourself.

As much as I advocated for it in a prior post, it sounds like azuarc knows you well enough here to say that yeah, maybe you shouldn't try. lol

Just watch the cutscenes on YouTube

Leonhart4 posted...

Just watch the cutscenes on YouTube

this is never the way

It is for Ulti if he wants to experience the story without hating himself and hating the game

Leonhart4 posted...

It is for Ulti if he wants to experience the story without hating himself and hating the game

watching stuff on YouTube sucks

yes, I know, Im making this about me and my weirdness

I actually do agree that this is probably the way to go for Ulti

I've never seen someone have so much fun hating a game like Ulti, I think it's totally for him.

Oh, I agree it's less than ideal

It's why I haven't done it yet despite there only being a 1% chance I ever play FFXIV

azuarc posted...

I know you, ulti. I know what makes you tick. And you will DETEST playing an MMO. Especially because of your completionist tendencies that will make you grit it out even when you're not enjoying yourself.

Listen to this.

pjbasis posted...

I've never seen someone have so much fun hating a game like Ulti, I think it's totally for him.

qft

ulti your hearthstone playing was wild

The fact that it is 99% single player is why I do enjoy it so much. There isn't as much pressure as the other mmos i've tried to know about dungeon perfectly and play my class correctly the first time through I can practice it a bit with AI party members

Lopen posted...

Listen to this.

I'm inclined to agree. Even ARR has some stupid, STUPID optional grinds and it only gets worse the deeper you go. Relics, Palace of the Dead/Heaven on High, Squadrons, Treasure maps...

I have also been considering FF14, never played it before. Im interested but theres so much I havent played Ill probably hold off, especially because I am also a completionist lol

timely thread here, ulti

How does XIV play on Steam Deck? I don't care too much about top visual fidelity. Like Midnight Suns and Baldur's Gate were a noticeable downgrade on Deck, but I was still fine with them.

There is a lull period in releases for me this summer so maybe I will bite the bullet.

I probably still won't.

Isquen posted...

I'm inclined to agree. Even ARR has some stupid, STUPID optional grinds and it only gets worse the deeper you go. Relics, Palace of the Dead/Heaven on High, Squadrons, Treasure maps...

I skip all of those and have a good time fwiw.

But yeah. If Ulti is a total completionist... oof.

I am not a completionist but it would still take me three years to play all of this game with my limited amount of gaming time these days

I really enjoy Palace of the Dead/Heaven on High!
But yeah the other ARR stuff isn't worth doing.

Can I interest you in 8 years of dailies to finish the levequest achievement tab :)

mnk posted...

How does XIV play on Steam Deck? I don't care too much about top visual fidelity. Like Midnight Suns and Baldur's Gate were a noticeable downgrade on Deck, but I was still fine with them.

There is a lull period in releases for me this summer so maybe I will bite the bullet.

I probably still won't.

It plays well on Steam Deck. At least it has every time I've tried it on mine.

SaveEstelle posted...

this is never the way

This is the way

UltimaterializerX posted...

Hearthstone is not one of those games

And you've still got 1000 more hours on it than you should

Leonhart4 posted...

I am not a completionist but it would still take me three years to play all of this game with my limited amount of gaming time these days

in breaking it up into parts

The most i can say in redpill is if you don't feel like it's fun feel free to put down, sure there's seasonal events for fomo, but the VAAAST majority of things can be interacted with in game, maybe not the building of empyreum, but you can get the zone achievements if you want.

If you are really feeling iffy about it, just run the free trial, (insert meme here) and see what you think of 1-70 content (to be 1-80 probably in a year or so.) No pvp, and limited resources, but you don't per se need them for going through things, you can save a lot of money in getting to see all the game has to offer, and without a sunk cost fallacy hanging over your head since you are only spending time, and not money, you should be fine. You can run all the MSQ dungeons barring the 24 man raids solo, and listen to the story and alternate stories to the end of stormblood.