Final Fantasy XIV:ARR First Impressions

As the realm of Final Fantasy XIV rises up from the ashes, join Corey Jenkins as he shares his adventures of the newly revived land of Eorzea

The Verdict

Overall, my gameplay experience in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was a vast improvement over its original. The story-heavy, cutscene-filled quests, and tactical combat leads me to believe that Square-Enix is aiming to please the Final Fantasy crowd above all else. And while I definitely don’t think that is a bad move for them with XIV being a solid game, I don’t see anything that would really set this game apart from most MMORPGs on the market right now besides the Final Fantasy label. With that being said, I have definitely enjoyed a solid MMO experience from this game so far and would recommend people who are at least somewhat interested in the game to check it out. Final Fantasy XIV has undoubtedly earned its place back in today's MMORPG market.


Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn will be launching this summer on August 27th. For more information on Final Fantasy XIV:A Realm Reborn be sure to head on over to the official FFXIV website and be sure to also keep an eye on ZAM for more FFXIV news updates!

Good Hunting.

Corey "Crimzen" Jenkins

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Comments

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Thank you!
# Jun 19 2013 at 9:11 AM Rating: Decent
Thank you and Michael so much for these awesome previews! I've been on the fence about this game for awhile and these write ups are extremely helpful.

One of my primary concerns about the game was whether or not it was solo friendly? Any by that I mean compared to say WoW or Rift, etc. I played FFXI for over a year after it came out and really did enjoy it, but I couldn't always devote the time to finding a full party to go hunt mobs and I had the worst luck with static parties. Since questing seems very prevalent now in FFXIV I would assume the game is more solo friendly but would love to hear your opinion on it!
Thank you!
# Jun 19 2013 at 12:50 PM Rating: Decent
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Thanks! I'm glad that we could provide you with some useful information about the game, it really was a pretty enjoyable experience. As far as it being solo friendly, I found it very much so at least in those early levels. Mainly with how the questing seemed to work and the fact that it was very similar to WoW, Swtor, Rift etc. The addition of the FATE system was also pretty solo friendly as well. If you've never played Guild Wars, then think how the rift events in Rift worked; events you could pretty much join in on whenever you were near, but could then go back to solo questing as soon as they were complete without really even needing to form an official party.

The group oriented guildhestes seemed completely optional missions as far as I could tell and just gave additional gold and exp, but weren't connected to the main story in anyway. So if you prefer soloing I don't think you would need to feel pressured in doing them. One thing I will say though in regards to that is that they do provide a lot of exp. which I think helped me stay on track as far as the leveling curve went. But I did skip a few of the first couple side-quests( and there are a lot) so that might have been why. If you find yourself needing some additional exp though the solo guildleve quests and the FATEs give a ton also.

Again this is only my experience up until a little past level 15, so I'm not entirely sure how it will change( if at all) at the higher levels, but if I'm able to get there and see what it's like then I'll probably do a follow up piece aimed more at the high level/endgame experience. I hope this helps though and thanks for reading our stuff. :)
Nice...
# Jun 18 2013 at 3:01 PM Rating: Decent
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125 posts
Very good writeup, and a nice read. Really enjoyed it.
Nice...
# Jun 18 2013 at 8:00 PM Rating: Decent
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19 posts
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
My Take
# Jun 18 2013 at 12:52 PM Rating: Decent
The article was very informative. I'd have to say though; as a Pugilist myself, I don't see the battle system being any different, other than the Limit Break system. I am definitely looking forward to the FATE system (I enjoyed Guild War 2's "FATE" system but the game wasn't any near as refined as FF), Limit Break, and of course the new contents; plus, we have a JUMP now!

As someone who played FFXI religiously, I actually enjoyed the original FFXIV, sans the painstakingly slow UI and lack of Content & AH, so ARR looks quite amazing to me!
My Take
# Jun 18 2013 at 8:04 PM Rating: Decent
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Yeah, I don't seeing people who played in 1.0 or even in FF11 really seeing a huge difference in the way the combat works. Mainly just those who have never played either.
My Take
# Jun 18 2013 at 1:20 PM Rating: Decent
I guess it is similar, but the Pugilist plays totally different from 1.0. Gated skills that are only activated by other weaponskills is quite different to me. A lot different from Lancer too
Fantastic first impression, and a huge improvement!
# Jun 18 2013 at 11:29 AM Rating: Decent
Really good writeup, you covered just about everything of concern in the main gameplay, and for the crafting and stuff that you didn't cover, Michael will cover. Very thorough first impression of the game.
Fantastic first impression, and a huge improvement!
# Jun 18 2013 at 8:06 PM Rating: Decent
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Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it!
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