I’m playing Final Fantasy XIV. Again.
Ugh.
FF14 is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). If you’re aware of World of Warcraft, it’s basically that. Except FF14 is courtesy of the makers of the hugely popular Final Fantasy series, Square Enix.
I was never into World of Warcraft or other games in the genre. Mainly because I didn’t have the means to play them, but even when I did, I wasn’t interested in investing the time and energy necessary to get the most out of those games. I do not want to play with strangers from all over the world, and I certainly do not want to schedule time in my week to raid, or mine resources, or trade, or hangout. Please.
Two things drew me to FF14. First, so many people were saying that it had some of the best stories ever found in the series. As a Final Fantasy fan, I was intrigued. Second, and more importantly, you don’t have to really play with anyone.
Yes, there are many systems and features typical of MMOs that help bring players together, but they’re 100% (for the most part) optional. Even the very few game play elements that required players to party up, such as mandatory dungeons, have been reworked. You can still link up with others (if you’re into that stuff, I guess), or enlist the help of computer-controlled NPCs. So despite being massively online and massively multiplayer, FF14 can be a completely solo experience if you desire.
Sold!
Yet, no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t stick with it. I’d be excited in the beginning and put in a substantial amount of hours. That barely made a dent, however. I’d eventually take a break for other endeavours, only to never come back to it.
Which is kind of a lie. I wish the first time I quit was my last. I’m unfortunately stuck, now, in a never ending cycle of starting the game back up, playing as much as I can, then quitting, and after a couple of months, starting the game back up, playing as much as I can, then quitting, and after a couple of months -
You get it.
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I don’t quite understand the hold FF14 has on me. I do find it to be a fascinating cultural product. The game is the follow-up to Square Enix’s first foray into the MMO space, the moderately successful Final Fantasy XI. FF14 was going to be bigger and better. But it’s initial launch, back in 2010, was a complete disaster, both commercially and critically. As soon as the game launched, a separate team within the development team secretly started work on a reboot that would hopefully course correct many (if not all) of the mistakes made for version 1.0. In 2013, Square Enix launched the 2.0 version of FF14, A Realm Reborn, which was positively received by critics and fans.1 Since then, FF14 has grown tremendously in popularity. Not only did it surpass World of Warcraft in total number of active players at one point, the game alone has kept Square Enix afloat amidst declining financials.
A fun aside: not much has survived from 1.0. There are barely any videos on YouTube of actual game play from that era. Except for the version’s final days. Narrative-wise, 1.0 ends with the Garlean empire waging war on Eorzea. They secure their victory by bringing the moon down, decimating the Eorzean forces and the entire region. A Realm Reborn picks up five years later, with Eorzeans still trying to rebuild after the destruction from the Calamity. You don’t really need to know all those proper nouns. But what’s worth knowing is, to mark the end of version 1.0, the developers held an in-game event where players can watch as the moon slowly descends on Eorzea.
You can find a few videos still floating around on the internet that capture this specific moment. Is it the most dynamic thing to watch? Probably not. But what a way to close one disastrous chapter before starting a more hopeful one.
The other thing bringing me back to FF14 time and time again is good ol’ mental health. For whatever reason, I’ve decided it’s my life mission to play all of FF14. You read that correctly. Because it’s not just one game. There’s the base game, A Realm Reborn. Then there are the four (very meaty) expansions: Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and, finally, Endwalker. That’s a lot of game. HowLongtoBeat.com says it’ll take hundreds of hours to get through all of it. I’m looking at more than a year with FF14. If I play consistently every day.
Smarter people online have said to simply skip A Realm Reborn.2 But there are fundamental systems that are introduced from levels 1 to 30, and if you skip those it’s hard to get your bearings.
And why have I come back now, exactly? When we’re almost midway through 2024? Well, there’s a new expansion coming out next month, Dawntrail. Now, I’m not totally crazy. I know I won’t be able to get through everything before Dawntrail drops. But I would like to get up to speed before getting to it. And if the last expansion launch is anything to go by, the next four weeks might be the only time I have to play the game for a while.
These are not real problems. They do not have any tangible impact on my life. Yet I’ve decided to take them on all the same. I could just not play the game and live my life in peace.
But look at my character:
Isn’t he lovely!
*Heavy sigh* I guess the road to Dawntrail starts…
NOW!
A quick Moros update! He is no longer accepting my gifts. I can’t give him any more nectars. He refuses to take another bath with me. I think I’ve reached my limit. And after all that effort, not a single hint of marriage. Not even an, “I love you princess.” I feel so used.
The game is still in early access, so I’m sure the developers have a lot more to add to the (already huge) game. Fingers crossed there are proposal scenes!
But I still want to court someone. What’s life without a little flirting? I guess there’s always Odysseus. Although, he’s older than Melinoë. He’s more like a mentor, a teacher-figure. So it doesn’t feel right to -
Oh, woops!
Now how did that happen?
1
Noclip has a really great docu-series on the history of FF14.
2
By purchasing a game item with real-world currency.
