For those accustomed to the standard video game purchasing schemes, approaching a Final Fantasy XIV can be confusing at first glance: in this article we will therefore try to offer you a purchase guide, so that you better understand how it works.
In recent years, thanks to a growing popularity and some policies that have made the game much more accessible (see free trial), Final Fantasy XIV saw its own player base increase exponentially (also causing quite a few problems for the game servers). With the arrival of the latest expansion, due out in a few days, more new players are looking to approach the popular Square Enix MMORPG; given the confusion that the game can generate at the time of purchase for new players, while waiting for the release of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, with this article we will offer you a quick Buying Guide, in an effort to make you better understand how it works between expansions and subscriptions.
Base game, expansions and subscription
To better understand how Final Fantasy XIV works with its subscription system, you must start from the assumption that you must first possess the game and its expansions. Which version of the game to buy we will see later in the next paragraphs (as the approach is different based on your reference store): know that, in any case, after buying at least the base game, in order to actually play you must also have an active subscription.
Usually, when you buy one collection with one or more expansions it is given to you one month free subscription, so you don’t have to worry about it right away. But once finished, you will have to remember to activate your subscription on the Mog Station. What is the Mog Station? This is a service from Square Enix (very easy to find on search engines) that allows you to manage freely the subscription linked to your account, as well as having a view of all copies of the base game and expansions that you own.
Free trial – Final Fantasy XIV: subscription, expansions and free trials, how does it work?
New players may be wondering, however, what is the use of talking immediately about expansions and subscriptions, since there is the much vaunted free trial. Yes, for new players just register their account to be able to immediately play the base game (A Realm Reborn) and to first expansion (Heavensward) totally free, with no maximum time limits. It should be known, however, that, in free trial, some features are limited or even blocked: some important chat channels cannot be used, the market board cannot be accessed, the maximum limit of gil (the game currency) owned is 300,000, you cannot enter free companies (i.e. guilds), you can create parties (you can only be invited to other existing parties) and other things.
Another thing to know is that once you decide it’s time to to buy the game to access all the features, even if both A Realm Reborn and Heavensward are finished, this does not mean that they are in our possession, and therefore we will have to buy an edition that also includes the base game and the first expansion. So let’s see below what you should buy based on the reference store.
On Steam and on the official website – Final Fantasy XIV: subscription, expansions and free trials, how does it work?
If on the one hand you can buy the game per PC from the official website of Final Fantasy XIV, for players who have a Steam account and are interested in having the game available up there they have the ability to buy and manage everything on the Valve platform. In both cases, the possibilities you have are the same: the first edition of the game you will have to turn to is the Starter Edition, which will give you access the base game and the first expansion.
To also have access to all subsequent expansions, you will have to buy Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, which will also give access to the two previous expansions Stormblood e Shadowbringers. A new edition is planned for December 7 (Endwalker official release date), namely the Complete Edition, containing the base game (A Realm Reborn) and all the expansions except the last one, that is Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers: if you want to try all the previous content and wait before venturing into the last important adventure, the Complete Edition will your case. Let’s proceed below to understand how Final Fantasy XIV works instead on PS4 and PS5.
On PS4 / PS5 – Final Fantasy XIV: subscription, expansions and free trials, how does it work?
On Sony consoles the editions present more or less the same as the PC counterpart, even if it is not equally intuitive to find them on the PlayStation Store. Basically you will have to access the “Final Fantasy XIV Online – Free Trial” page or the “Final Fantasy XIV Online – Starter Edition” to buy the Starter Edition (always containing the base game and the first expansion) or to download the free trials. Also on that page, you can also redeem the upgrade for free from PS4 to PS5 in case you need it.
To access all subsequent expansions up to Endwalker, you will instead have to look for the page “Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker [PS4 & PS5]”. In that case the only buy option available is the latest expansion, Endwalker, containing (as we have already seen before) also the two previous expansions, Stormblood and Shadowbringers.
Conclusions
Now that we have told you everything you need to know to better understand how Final Fantasy XIV works, we just have to wish you have fun in Eorzea. If you are a novice player, we also invite you to read our guide with tips and tricks before starting to play. There are some elements that we have not deliberately mentioned, such as the presence of one Digital Collector’s Edition di Endwalker, which in principle works like the basic version of the expansion only with a few more rewards. Another thing you should know is that if you buy and redeem the pre-order of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, you can play right now thanks early access started on December 3. Finally, we remind you that, to manage your subscription and have a very clear view of what you have with your account, you should always contact the Mog Station.
Arrived at the end of this guide to explain how Final Fantasy XIV works, we just have to invite you to stay tuned on the TechGameWorld.com pages for daily updates on the gaming world and more. If you prefer to buy game keys at discounted prices, you can do so through our link to Instant Gaming.