User:Daytona/Guide draft
Start with the Free Trial!
Final Fantasy XIV has an extensive Free Trial, covering the entire base game A Realm Reborn and the expansions Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers, up to level 70 with no time limit.
trialsoffantasy.com has checklists and guides for how to make the most of the Free Trial.
Limitations
The Free Trial excludes Ultimate raids and PvP, and has some social/economic limitations, such as no trading. Full list of limitations here. In every other respect it is a feature-complete version of the game.
If you're planning to play the game together with friends, note that the FT cannot send party invites, but it can receive invites. You will need to ensure at least one member of your group is a paying player so that they can invite the other members to parties. Alternatively, you can find other players in cities or in the Novice Network and ask them to create a party for you.
Free Trial accounts are single platform only. There's no way to move a Trial from one platform to another. If you want a multi-platform account (for example PC + PlayStation), you need to buy the game on each platform, so you can't stay on the Trial.
Where can I find it?
On some storefronts, the Free Trial is somewhat hidden. The official FAQ explains where to find the free trial for each platform.
How do I get back to the Trial?
Sorry, you don't. Once you go to the paid version of the game, you can never 'downgrade' back to the Trial. Even receiving a copy of the paid game through a free giveaway will forfeit your ability to use the Trial.
Don't switch to paid version until you're ready.
What do I buy?
First, a warning: Final Fantasy XIV is a subscription-based game. Once you're on a paid version, you need to pay for a subscription to keep playing. See the section below for details.
| Version | Includes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Level 1-80: from A Realm Reborn through Shadowbringers | Limitations: see above |
| Starter Edition | Level 1-80: from A Realm Reborn through Shadowbringers | — |
| Dawntrail | Level 80-100: from Endwalker through Dawntrail | Requires Starter Edition |
| Complete Edition | Level 1-100: from A Realm Reborn through Dawntrail | Is a bundle of Starter Edition + latest expansion |
- If you're currently on Free Trial, and you want to get rid of the FT restrictions but aren't ready for new content, then buy Starter Edition.
- If you're currently on Free Trial, and you are ready for new content, then buy Complete Edition.
- If you're currently on Starter Edition, and you want to access newer expansions, then buy the current latest expansion. Do not buy Complete Edition; that would be wasteful since you already have the base game.
Where do I find older expansions in the store?
No need! The latest expansion always includes all the older expansions for free.
I'm not sure what I currently have
- Go to FFXIV's account management website: the Mog Station.
- Log into your game account, then go to the Account Status page.
- At the top of that page, your Account Type should say one of "Free Trial", "Free Trial (Steam)", "Standard", or "Standard (Steam)".
- At the bottom of that page, you should find a table of expansions, showing what you currently own.
Should I buy the Collector's version?
Only if you want to. Collector's versions add a few cosmetics. If you decide you want those cosmetics later, you can get a Collector's upgrade via the Mog Station.
Be careful not to confuse "Collector's" and "Complete". The two C words have very different meanings.
There's a sale, but I want to stay on the Free Trial. Can I buy now and redeem later?
If you buy the game directly from the Mog Station, your purchase activates immediately. You can't delay it.
If you buy the game from a console store (PS Store / Microsoft Store / Nintendo eShop), your purchase activates the next time you log into the game on your console. You can't delay it.
If you buy the game from a PC store, you receive a registration code. Registration codes don't expire – you can wait as long as you want before using it! When you're ready, submit this code to the Mog Station to activate your game.
Subscription
For subscription pricing, see:
Subscription is handled through the Mog Station website. Available payment methods will vary based on where you live.
"Entry" subscriptions are available for 30-day increments. "Standard" subscriptions are available for 30-, 90-, and 180-day increments, with bulk discounts for buying a longer increment. The only difference between "Entry" and "Standard" subscriptions is the number of characters they allow. The vast majority of players only use one character, so Entry subscriptions are fine for most people. Despite the name, you can freely downgrade from Standard to Entry later.
If you're a multi-platform account, a single subscription covers all platforms (except Switch – see below).
You never lose progress. If your subscription runs out, your account simply freezes.
Platform-specific costs
PlayStation 4 & 5
You do not need PS+ to play FFXIV.
If you do happen to be paying for PS+, you can claim this small bonus reward.
Xbox Series X/S
You do need Game Pass to play FFXIV (excluding the Free Trial).
Additionally, you cannot pay for subscription directly on the Mog Station. Instead, you must buy FFXIV Coins from the Microsoft Store, then go to the Mog Station to redeem the Coins for subscription. (Multi-platform accounts may choose whether to use FFXIV Coins or pay subscription directly.)
Switch 2
You do not need Nintento Switch Online to play FFXIV.
However, your FFXIV subscription only works on the Switch 2. If you have a multi-platform account, you must subscribe to the rest of the platforms separately. The second subscription will be half-price.
PC: Steam vs non-Steam
On the PC platform, accounts are flagged as Steam or non-Steam.
You can never change which type of PC account you have. Once you commit to Steam, you can never switch to non-Steam, and vice versa. (Exception: non-Steam Free Trial accounts can become Steam paid accounts.) No, you cannot just buy a second copy of the game and add it to your current account; it won't accept the registration code.
In the early days of the game, it was possible to log into your account via the wrong platform. This resulted in many players becoming confused about which version they owned. This is no longer possible. Nowadays, if you try to log into a non-Steam account via Steam (or vice versa), you will receive an error message saying you don't have a valid license or subscription.
Which one is better?
Pros of Steam:
- Your FFXIV account and Steam account are linked. This acts as an extra layer of security: a phisher who gets your game password cannot get in unless they also know your Steam password.
- You can pay subscription using your Steam Wallet.
- Some countries get regional subscription pricing.
Cons of Steam:
- Your FFXIV account and Steam account are linked. This may block you from doing things you want to do:
- If the Steam login servers are down (such as for weekly maintenance), you cannot play the game.
- If you ever lose access to your Steam account, you cannot play the game.
- You cannot have two game accounts on the same Steam account. Once one is linked, you can no longer edit the username field to select a different account.
- If you ever move home to a new country, changing your Steam region will not change your FFXIV region, which can lead to mismatches and payment issues.
Does it affect anything in-game?
No. This purely affects purchasing and logging in.
I have a non-Steam account but I want to play on Steam Deck
No problem! You can still download programs onto your Steam Deck as if it was a regular PC. Then you can add them to your Steam Library as a non-Steam game.
Regions
The "main" version of FFXIV supports the following account regions:
- Europe & Other (EU)
- Japan (JP)
- North America (NA)
and the following languages:
- English
- French
- German
- Japanese
and has servers in the following places:
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Sacramento, United States
- Sydney, Australia
- Tokyo, Japan
There are also independent versions of the game run by third-party contractors in China, Korea, and Taiwan. These versions are completely separate and do not share accounts with the international version.
Can I change region?
You can change your server or language easily.
However, your account region is permanent and can never be changed. Your account region affects how you pay for the game: which currency you pay subscription in and which regional stores you can buy expansions from. If you're expecting to move to another country in the future, make sure whichever account region you choose is one where you will still have access to payment methods.
It's totally fine to play on a server that doesn't match your account region.
Preorders
If a new expansion is coming out soon, you can preorder it.
Preorders often come with incentives, such as cosmetics, XP boost items, and an "early access" weekend.
Just like a normal expansion, a preordered expansion will include all the older expansions for free – but you'll only receive them when the new expansion actually comes out. You won't get your free expansions during the preorder period. If you want to catch up on the story before the new expansion comes out, you'll need to buy the current expansion first.