buy ffxiv on se but want to play through steam?

hello i just bought 2 days ago ffxiv arr and heavensward on se and yesterday also the sale goes on steam and now i want to know if i buy the arr on steam can i use just the client and still play on it? also the dlc heavensward or do i have to buy it there too? i just want the client to see how many hours i get on steam. i hope someone can help me thanks a lot :)

"Steam" is considered a separate platform by SE's logic/account system, so there are limitations. Technically, you could launch the client and login (or just use the "Add a non-steam game to steam" function), but you can't pay for the sub or buy expacs, etc via steam.

Believe it or not, you should probably be glad you got the non-steam version. Steam users get left out of some things and often get stuff later than the other platforms.

To track time... I would just do the 'add a non-steam game' thing, personally.
http://puu.sh/u49Fp/3726169916.jpg

It's also worth mentioning FFXIV has a time tracking thing itself, although it's per character. But if that's good enough for your purposes you can just use that.

i used too add it as an non steam game but it doesnt track time there when i look at my profile but if i just buy the arr on steam just for the client that it track the time and play there would it work for my heavensward too? so i still could buy the new dlc on square enix and all other stuff there too?

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Originally Posted by Tuinuy

i used too add it as an non steam game but it doesnt track time there when i look at my profile but if i just buy the arr on steam just for the client that it track the time and play there would it work for my heavensward too? so i still could buy the new dlc on square enix and all other stuff there too?

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In theory, yes this would work. Buy the steam ARR just so you can launch the client, but keep using your old account. Do not try to buy expansions nor subscription time through steam. But I cannot guarantee this as I haven't done it myself. Steam does have the "less than 2 hours played refund" policy but that is also not a guarantee you will get a refund if it doesn't work out.

If you want a more certain answer, I would suggest going to the Square website's support and using their chat to get ahold of a representative and ask them directly.

You COULD purchase it on Steam just to launch it, and use your login from your SE version to play. That said, things get a little weird when it comes to expansions. See, you have to get an expansion the same way you got your original: SE for SE, Steam for Steam. So, you would need to purchase the SE store version to give your account permissions, and while I'm not 100% certain I think you may need to purchase the steam version to update your client.

That all said, if all you want is the steam overlay and being able to ping friends when you begin to play, you can "add a non-steam game" to your library and play it that way. You lose out on integration to the game's community hub for posting screenshots and easily accessing the forums, but I really don't feel that's worth going through all the extra cost and hassle.

thanks a lot now i will stay on the se version i think it will be better so it wont happend to any trouble and just lunch it with non steam games :)

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Originally Posted by Urthdigger

you have to get an expansion the same way you got your original: SE for SE, Steam for Steam.

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Sort of, but it's more like: Steam for Steam, while all other sources can be combined. The version SE sells directly is the same as what can be bought through any third party retailers other than Steam.

So for instance, you could buy ARR from SE, HW from Amazon, and SB from GameStop, and those are all compatible with each other, giving you more freedom to shop around and see where there's a good sale going on or whatever. By using a Steam version, though, you'd be locked into buying all of them from Steam. That lack of flexibility is a major part of why the Steam version is usually discouraged.

Buying ARR twice, both through Steam and from another source (SE in this case) is actually a way around that. That apparently allows you to launch it as a Steam game, yet connect to the account set up with the SE copy of the game. But that means you're paying for an extra copy (at least of the ARR part) just to get the Steam features that work only from Steam games and not from non-Steam games set to launch through Steam. (Personally, I wouldn't regard that as worth the cost, but maybe it is for some people.)

Oh, I haven't done this myself. My source for believing that double purchase of Steam and non-Steam copies works is a post from another player:

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Originally Posted by Zankumo

Both. Which might make the difference. I bought ARR from the SE store, but bought it again through Steam to make it easier to use my Steam controller with the game. I launch the Steam game, but my account itself might be still associated with the ARR from the SE store thinking about it. Maybe that's why it works for me ><'

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(That reference to "why it works for me" refers back to a previous post where he pointed out having been able to add a copy of Heavensward that he'd purchased from SE while playing a Steam copy of the game.)

oh thats sound great so i will try it out and buy the arr on steam hope it will works :) thanks for the help

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Originally Posted by Urthdigger

You COULD purchase it on Steam just to launch it, and use your login from your SE version to play. That said, things get a little weird when it comes to expansions. See, you have to get an expansion the same way you got your original: SE for SE, Steam for Steam. So, you would need to purchase the SE store version to give your account permissions, and while I'm not 100% certain I think you may need to purchase the steam version to update your client.

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This is not accurate you just apply the code for the game to your user account regardless of steam, or W/E.

Source - I have done this myself already.