Trying to buy a copy of the game for my friend.

I'd like to buy my friend a copy of the game for the PC, but there are questions on whether I'd be able to just gift it to him on steam. Anyone got any recommendations on how I can buy him a copy?

Sorry if the answer exists somewhere for this, I've been looking but not finding it.

Edited in: To clarify, I'm fine with gifting it to him on steam if that will work. But it's a little unclear whether it will. This isn't a request for if there's some third party site or something. I'd like to buy an actual official copy. I realized my request could have been read the wrong way.

I'd be happy to make a few recommendations here, yes.

Personally, I would just buy it from the Square online store: https://store.na.square-enix.com/final-fantasy-xiv

Steam should work fine, but I understand doing so would force him to buy any future expansions via Steam as well for them to be compatible with his existing account. Likewise, buying it outside of Steam will prevent him from being able to buy any future expansions via Steam. Steam can be a very useful platform for automatically updating software while you sleep, etc. However, due to the launcher-based nature of FF14, I don't think this benefit will exist for it. So you don't really gain anything from Steam.

Ultimately, what you're giving him is a product key. He still has to set up an account on the Mog Station site to play. That's where he can put in the product key to unlock access to the full game.

You should also use the "Recruit a Friend" program to ensure you and your friend both get the associated benefits. He'll need to enter the associated referral code after he makes a Mog Station account and before he enters the product key from the game you buy: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...riend_recruit/

Beyond that, make sure that you buy a copy of the game for the appropriate region. I linked the North America Square store there, but I understand those product keys are incompatible with accounts for Europe and Japan.

That just leaves specifically what to buy him. You can buy downloads (which effectively just email you the product key), and you can buy boxes with discs that need to be shipped. Beyond that, you can buy the "starter edition" that's essentially the game up to Level 50 for $20 or the "complete edition" for $60. The starter game and expansions are also $60 purchased separately. There also appear to still be physical and download collector's editions of Stormblood available.

Eve's answer is pretty close to perfect.

If you would have been okay with gifting via Steam, you would prolly also be okay with buying a digital version and passing the registration code on to your friend. Whatever you decide to buy, buy it from the regional store that your friend would use if he were buying it for himself, so there are no regional mismatch problems down the road.

Your friend would probably be better off with getting the regular version of the game rather than the Steam version, since getting it from Steam would lock him in to having to buy all the expansions through them as well. The regular PC version can be bought from SE's own store or any retailer that sells games. I bought my original PS3 version from GameStop, and then the PS4 version and the Heavensward expansion from Amazon.

Just be sure you're getting it for the right platform (PC or PS4) and the right region (NA, EU, or JP).

Also be sure what you're buying includes the base game. The base game by itself might be called either "A Realm Reborn" or "Starter Edition" (two names for the same thing). And there's also a "Complete Edition" which includes the base game and the expansions together in a single bundle.

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Originally Posted by EveK

You should also use the "Recruit a Friend" program to ensure you and your friend both get the associated benefits. He'll need to enter the associated referral code after he makes a Mog Station account and before he enters the product key from the game you buy: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...riend_recruit/

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Actually, that's after he registers the product key, but before he adds additional subscription time. Since the game comes with 30 days of subscription time included, that will probably be a month later.

I decided to just try to buy him a gift copy through steam and got this message:

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Because the contents of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online Complete Edition are personalized for your account, it cannot be purchased as a gift.

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I'll just buy it through the store. Thanks for the suggestions though.

Ah, yes, that's right. After product key, before subscription for the referral code entry.

Complete Edition is 50 bucks on Amazon. About ten dollars cheaper than Square Enix site. That's where I got my copy. ARR, Heavensward and Stormblood all cost 20 bucks there individually. So it's cheaper to buy the Complete Edition if you're wanting everything. Your friend can also do like I did and download the free trial to try it out and then when he gets the copy of the game just enter the registration code on Square Enix site to upgrade it. He'll still be left with about a 8 gig download but I've read that if you install the Complete Edition that even with the discs you're still looking at around a 15 gig download to update it all so it might be easier to just download the trial beforehand. There's a lot of official ways to buy the game but I'd say Square Enix, Amazon or Steam are your best options. You know for sure that those 3 the money will go to the developers. Good luck with it.

Trial download was quite big though. I don't remember the exact amount but 15 maybe 20 gigs? So there is that to consider also.

Stormblood now includes Heavensward.