FFXIV is the best MMORPG right now – I said it. Not exactly a controversial statement these days, perhaps; as its biggest rival World of Warcraft clambers to re-find its identity, Final Fantasy XIV seems to go from strength to strength. If you’ve never tried the critically acclaimed MMORPG, or fell off before its most recent Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansions, now might be the ideal time to jump in thanks to a Steam sale.
Now approaching its tenth anniversary, the revamped Final Fantasy XIV turned what was a rather underwhelming initial effort into one of the most beloved MMOs around, and it’s not hard to see why. With a broad, diverse cast of characters ranging from the cute to the mighty to the nefarious, and a stunning world to explore that still, for my money, stands toe-to-toe with some of the best-looking games coming out today, FFXIV is truly something special.
FFXIV’s story is long, rich, and powerful – and, yes, sometimes a little slow in the early stages. But its first expansion, Heavensward, really sets the bar for how its careful character building and richly thought-out world can deliver some of the most memorable moments in gaming. It also continues to build on its excellent gameplay and combat sequences, culminating in countless truly breathtaking fights.
Since then, we’ve had the revolutionary tale of Stormblood, which features some slightly uneven story pacing but takes its dungeons and fights to even higher heights. This was followed by the phenomenal Shadowbringers, a narrative masterpiece that might be one of the most finely crafted fantasy tales in any medium, and then the grand conclusion of FFXIV’s first full story arc in its most recent expansion, Endwalker.
The great news is that even if you’re wary of playing with other people, the FFXIV team has been hard at work implementing NPC companions for all of its dungeons – so now you can play pretty much the entire game with story-relevant, AI-controlled characters joining you in place of other players. That means, however you prefer to play, there’s really never been a better time to experience the world and story of FFXIV than right now.
FFXIV Steam sale
The FFXIV Complete Edition is 50% off on Steam until July 13, 2023, so expect to pay $29.99 / £17.49 for the full package including every expansion. If you’ve got everything but the most recent expansion, FFXIV Endwalker is 50% off until July 13, 2023, putting it at $19.99 / £14.99.
Of course, if you’re not quite ready to commit to an outright purchase, it bears repeating that FFXIV has a free trial that includes the entirety of the A Realm Reborn base game and the (award-winning) Heavensward expansion up to level 60 with no restrictions on playtime.
There are a few things you can’t do on a free account, however, such as trade on the market board, use the retainer storage boxes, or message other players directly – so if you decide that you’d like to upgrade, you might want to take advantage of this FFXIV Steam sale while it lasts.
Note that your account will work across all platforms, including the standalone launcher and Steam version, but that you’ll need to buy the base game on each platform you want to use, and you’ll have to buy any future expansions on the platform you’ve chosen. If you’re happy to commit to Steam, though, you can head here to buy it.
If you’re jumping in, check out all the details on FFXIV 6.4 to see what the latest major update adds, and don’t miss out on the FFXIV Make It Rain event to get yourself plenty of bonus rewards during the festivities and kick your adventure off with a bang.