Having just wrapped up an expansion that has been described as many ” yours truly included ” as some of the best writing in video gaming out there, Final Fantasy 14 for PS4, PS5, and PC, has been getting quite a surge in popularity. With its next expansion, Endwalker, slated for later in the year, many players are tempted to try the MMORPG out and see what all the hype is about. More so with the game being heavily discounted during Sony's Days of Play 2021 sale. Luckily for you, we've got all the details. Here's how you can go about playing Final Fantasy 14.
The first thing worth checking out is Final Fantasy 14's comprehensive free trial. The free trial has no cap on how long you can spend on it, and its content ranges all the way from the beginning of A Realm Reborn ” the base campaign ” to the end of Heavensward ” Final Fantasy 14's first expansion. This means a level cap of 60, all the story, raids, and dungeons from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, and all the jobs from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward.
There are a few limitations to Final Fantasy 14's free trial, however. The first thing worth noting is that to take advantage of the free trial, your account has to be a fresh one. It should have not been involved with Final Fantasy 14 at any point in the past. This means that if you used to play the game way back but stopped, or if you gave its original 14-day free trial a shot, you won't be able to use the new free trial. Bypassing this means making a new account.
Other limitations of the free trial include a limit on how much in-game currency you can carry around (300,000 gil), a limit on how many characters you can make (8 total, 1 on each World), a limit on social interactions in the game (can't use the "shout," "yell," or "tell" in-game chat options), can't access the in-game market board or trade options with other players, and can't create your own party. Free trial players can, however, be invited to join parties, or join parties automatically through the Duty Finder.
Which Version of Final Fantasy 14 Should You Buy?
Final Fantasy 14's account system can be quite confusing, making buying the right version a painful experience in its own right. One thing to keep in mind if you've decided to buy Final Fantasy 14 is that it is a subscription-based MMORPG. In the vein of World of Warcraft, to continue playing after the 30 day period you get from your initial purchase of the game, you will have to continue paying a monthly subscription, which is priced at ‚¬ 12.99 for 30 days of playtime (roughly Rs. 1.145). There are also options to buy larger subscriptions, like paying around £ 66 for 180 days (roughly Rs. 5,825).
The most obvious version to buy would be Final Fantasy 14 Online Starter Edition. The Starter Edition is essentially the same content as the free trial, but without any of the limitations until the end of the Heavensward expansion. To continue playing, you can buy Shadowbringers directly to get access to both Shadowbringers, as well as the direct follow-up to Heavensward, Stormblood.
If after playing the free trial you've decided that Final Fantasy 14 Online is definitely a game you want to invest more time in, buying the Complete Edition gets you the entirety of the game up to Shadowbringers, alongside a couple of in-game cosmetics. This essentially makes it so that you can continue playing after finishing Heavensward's story all the way up to the content of the latest patch.
Final Fantasy 14 Accounts And Cross-Play
Now for the most confusing thing about trying to play Final Fantasy 14 ” its account system. Regardless of where you buy and play it, Final Fantasy 14 needs a Square Enix account to play and manage your subscriptions. Where this can get messy is that there can only be one Square Enix account tied to each platform. This means that if you buy it on PC through Steam, you'll have to play on Steam forever, including for future expansions, unless you don't mind buying a fresh copy from the Square Enix Store and starting all over again with new characters ...
The PlayStation version is capable of cross-platform multiplayer with the PC version. This also means that the same player can play on both PC and PS4 or PS5 with the same account. This, however, means that you can't have accidentally linked another Square Enix account to your PlayStation account. It also requires multiple purchases of Final Fantasy 14 for different platforms. If you do have a Square Enix account linked to your PS4 / PS5 account and hope to change it, you'll have to wrestle with Sony's and Square Enix's customer support. While difficult and potentially frustrating, it is possible.
