Highlights

  • Final Fantasy 14 has a strong and dedicated community, with a growing player base and continued support that has led to awards like Best Ongoing game.
  • The game prioritizes player enjoyment and accessibility, offering generous EXP rewards and the ability to play solo.
  • Final Fantasy 14 is constantly evolving and improving, with upcoming updates and a graphical overhaul in the Dawntrail expansion.

Final Fantasy 14 is a long-standing MMO that celebrated its tenth anniversary last year, with the game surviving the abysmal launch that the first iteration had prior to A Realm Reborn being released. Alongside the upcoming Dawntrail expansion, Final Fantasy 14 players are currently enjoying the seasonal Heavensturn event that rings in the new year with an adorable chocobo companion that can be earned for very little trouble.

However, while loyal fans are enjoying the festivities and what FF14 has planned for the future, potential future players may find themselves on the fence about picking the game up. While its true that FF14 sits as an important title of the Final Fantasy franchise, the game is most certainly long-winded and rather old in terms of video game releases. It begs the question if it's worth fans' time to start playing in 2024.

yoshi-p in the viper outfit at ffxiv fanfest 2023
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How Final Fantasy 14 Has Withstood the Test of Time

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For the last several years, many gamers have likely heard of Final Fantasy 14 one way or another, be it from other players encouraging newer fans to experience the game's free trial or the many awards it won over the years. Considering how recommending FF14 has even been made into a meme in and of itself, the MMORPG is still going strong to this day, and it's understandable as to why.

Final Fantasy 14 Has an Award-Winning Community Between Players and Developers

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It's rather shocking for an MMORPG to continue experiencing a growing player base for as long as Final Fantasy 14 has, as it's certainly no easy feat to achieve. FF14 owes this success to the way that the developers of the game have always looked after it, and it's even earned awards for being the Best Ongoing game over several years. The online multiplayer title fosters such important bonds between both its fans and its creators to the point that the development team is considering adding new Final Fantasy 14 achievements for the one player who's gotten them all.

Final Fantasy 14 Remains Accessible Where Other Games Are a Chore

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RPGs of all kinds, especially online ones, typically get associated with grinding for higher levels, items, and even fetch quests. Final Fantasy 14 isn't entirely an exception, but it keeps player enjoyment in mind at all times. EXP is handed out generously and limits are put in place to avoid any time spent tirelessly grinding. FF14's Fall Guys event is a great example as to how the game avoids player frustration, as those who couldn't get Fall Guys' coveted crowns could simply buy them in Final Fantasy 14's event shop by playing the event for a consistent amount of time.

Not only are main story quests, side quests, and even event quests designed to be enjoyed in Final Fantasy 14, but even players who enjoy playing RPGs solo are kept in mind when it comes to how the game works. Overtime, patches have added the ability for players to tackle dungeons found in the main story quests with NPCs rather than a party of other players. As of now, almost all of Final Fantasy 14 can be played solo if fans wish, which is great for more introverted players or fans who can't find the right time to play with their friends on a regular basis.

Final Fantasy 14 Keeps Evolving and Shows No Sign of Stopping

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Since Final Fantasy 14 takes care in how the game is constructed to be player-friendly both in accessibility and timeliness, there are more reasons than not for newer fans to pick up the game, even in 2024. While it's true that Final Fantasy 14 has to face the reaper sooner or later, there are likely a number of years in store for FF14's lifespan, and future patches are going out of their way to make sure the MMORPG stays relevant.

The upcoming Dawntrail expansion is bringing with it one large change that may help players who were on the fence before finally taking up FF14, and that's the graphical overhaul that it plans to introduce. While the current state of Final Fantasy 14 certainly isn't as poorly aged as other games like Final Fantasy 7, it's behind its newer peers in the franchise visually. In 2024, that will change for the better, and the prettier aesthetic will likely bring tons of new players along with it.