2019-11-15T16:33:52 01:00

Final Fantasy XIV Guide: Useful tips & tricks

In this Final Fantasy XIV guide we tell you:

Which things you should pay attention to at the start
How a few simple settings can improve your game experience
How to change the appearance of your equipment
Where to get your first mount

The 14th part of the Final Fantasy series has become one of the most successful MMOs of its time. With the latest and critically acclaimed expansion, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, the game enters its third round on PC and Playstation 4.

As in any other MMO, you are fed an extremely large amount of information, especially in the beginning. The most important functions are explained to you in the game, but many questions remain unanswered. In this guide, we want to introduce you to a few important functions and game elements that are not immediately obvious.

Final Fantasy 14: The right server

Final Fantasy XIV is one of the few games that allow cross-platform interaction. This means that you can play together on both the PC and the Playstation 4. If you have purchased a license for both systems, you can switch between PC and console at any time - your progress will not be lost.

The game also offers you the possibility to transfer your settings from one system to the other, thus eliminating the need for time-consuming fine-tuning of interface, layout and other things. To play the game, you'll need a Square Enix account. You don't need a Playstation Plus subscription.

One of the first decisions concerns the choice of data center. The European data center can be divided into Chaos servers and Light servers. The possibility of playing together across servers only exists within a data center. So if you choose Chaos, you will only be able to play together with players on the Chaos servers. Under various gameplay restrictions, you can also visit other servers at any time.

If you are looking for a German community, the Data Center Light is recommended. Most German players can be found on the servers Shiva and Lich. The server Lich is a bit more international than Shiva. Twintania is the newest European server and therefore still offers a lot of room for maneuver and a still developing economy.

For better visibility in the game

As in any other MMORPG, the user interface (UI) is one of the most important customization options that can significantly influence the game experience. But you'll also find some useful options in the settings that you should take a look at:

Minimize UI elements to see as much of the combat as possible. Inventory windows can be made larger or smaller regardless of the size of the UI elements. Under the menu item "System -> Layout" you can individualize the entire interface and move and scale all elements according to your wishes.

The fights in FFXIV are a real storm of effects, which have a disturbing effect on the fighting, especially in the large 24-player raids. Under the settings you have the option to reduce the visual combat effects of your comrades to a minimum in order to make AOE's and markers more visible.

Also the Demi-Bahamut,the Summoner's Dragon, likes to block your view of the action. You can shrink it with the chat command "/bahamutsize small". If you don't want to see anything but Bahamut, you can increase the size to the maximum with "/bahamutsize large". With "/bahamutsize medium" you can set the size back to standard.

The more players you have in the content, the more confusing it becomes. Here it is useful to adjust the name display. Give yourself, the party and alliance members, the monsters, and the NPC's, all different colors so you don't lose your bearings. Titles can also be hidden and you can have the names abbreviated.

The state society and the first mount!

Chocobo Ahoy! After you reach level 20 and join a State Society as a result of the main scenario, you will unlock the blue quest "My Little Chocobo" to accept in your respective State Society.

Once you've completed the fun little side quest series, you can purchase a Chocobo license from the State Society Quartermaster for State Thalers, which you must take to your faction's respective Chocobo breeder that you encounter during the quest to obtain your feathered friend and franchise favorite.

State Thalers are the currency of the State Society and let you purchase items from the Quartermaster depending on your faction rank.

State Thalers can be earned in a variety of ways. The most common way to earn State Thalers is through PvP content. But guild feuds also pay off. The quickest way to get your 200 State Thalers is to kill prescribed targets in your State Society bestiary entry.

Your Chocobo not only serves as your mount, but is also available to you as a loyal comrade-in-arms. You can summon your Chocobo with the Gizar Leaf, which you can get from most merchants and vendors. You can even level up your Chocobo and distribute skill points. In the tab "Comrades" you can manage your Chocobo and equip it with costumes!

Final Fantasy XIV: All about Materia

As in other Final Fantasy games, there is Materia to increase your character's secondary attributes. Materia can be socketed into weapons, armor, and jewelry. The main quest for level 19 takes you to the Materia expert. There you will also find various side quests that explain how to use Materia.

Materia can be obtained by trading for various currencies, through the market board, or through the so-called Materia Synthesis, which you can learn from the NPC Swynbroes (Central Thanalan X:23,9 Y:13,7).

Materia synth esis allows you to disassemble equipment that has reached a bond of 100 percent, giving you random materia. To generate a 100 percent bond, you must have used the piece of equipment long enough. Select the item and choose "Convert to Materia" to begin synthesis.

If you have materia you no longer need, sell it on the market board, or take it to Mutagenix, one of the goblins who will teach you about materia, to fuse five materia into a new one. The higher the level of the materia you give, the higher the chance of getting a higher level materia.

You can either socket materia yourself, after you have completed the corresponding quest at the goblins with a level 19 or higher craftsman, or through a materia setterwho charges a small fee for his services and can be found in every market area. Alternatively, you can simply ask a friend.

Glamour - Changing the appearance of your equipment

Starting at level 15, you can learn from the NPC Swyrgeim (Western Thanalan X:12.7, Y:14.3) how to change the appearance of your equipment through projections, how to dye equipment, and how to craft projection prisms as a crafter.

Projection prisms allow you to "project" your desired appearance onto your created equipment without losing the original stats. The process can be reversed at any time by using deprojection crystals and is purely cosmetic.

After completing the quest, you should have received a pair of projection prisms to try out as a reward. You can also buy projection prisms on the market board, or exchange them for state thalers at your state corporation.

You can now change the appearance of your equipment directly in your arsenal, each time costing you a projection prism. To avoid losing a prism every time, you can use so-called projection plates, which you create in the projection chest in the guest rooms of the adventurer guilds.

When you arrive at the projection chest, you must first select the equipment that will determine your future appearance. Each piece of equipment you put in the chest of drawers costs one projection prism. After that, you will be shown the projection panels, which look similar to the arsenal window.

The equipment you put in the chest of drawers can now be added to the projection panels and colored to your liking. If you want to make an item of equipment invisible, buy new utensils from the Emperor's Tapestry (Westiliches Thanalan X: 12.1, Y:15.0). You can also feed these into the dresser and place them in the projection plate in the particular spot you want to appear invisible.

Once you save your projection plate, you'll find it in the arsenal next to "Optimize Equipment" and you'll be able to apply it in any city.

Final Fantasy XIV: The High Hunt

In the wilderness of Final Fantasy 14, besides the normal mobs, you can also find unique mobs. These creatures are very rare and are tackled by larger hunting parties looking for unique rewards and challenges.

Hunting parties often post the location and rank of the mob, so keep an eye on your chat when you're out and about. If you want to be part of a hunting party, whisper to one of the shouters and ask for a spot in the party's contact circle . These hunting contact circles often head out at prearranged times to walk the spawn areas of the targets and get the kills.

The hunting monsters can be divided into S, A and B ranks, which tell you about rarity and strength. Most of them only target the rare A-ranks and the even rarer S-ranks. When you kill them, you'll receive special badges that you can exchange for useful things like equipment, or even a permanent speed boost for mounts.

To do so, however, you must first complete the corresponding quest and unlock the High Hunt - each expansion has its own. The quest for the main game "A Realm Reborn", you can accept from level 50 in your State Society.

General FFXIV tips and tricks

Here are some general tips and tricks for newcomers and MMO veterans:

Always log out near an aetheryte to get a bonus on your next experience gain!
Complete all blue quests you find to unlock new content!
Blue mobs are not aggressive. Red mobs will attack anything in their field of view that is not 10 levels above them!
If you run into problems with your inventory space, load up your helpers!
Focus on leveling up a class in the beginning, as you will unlock more and more options and bonuses that will help you with your next class!
Try to make new friends that can help you with content so you don't always have to depend on content hunting!

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