Why should I play FFXIV?

I know FFXIV has been going through a lot of changes since it's original launch, and since then a lot of other MMOs have emerged onto the market. My question is simple. Why should I play FFXIV as opposed to GW2, WoW, TSW, TERA, SWTOR, any other MMO really?

Same reason you play any MMO. Style, story, setting, characters, classes/jobs, progression, gear, all that stuff. All MMOs are pretty similar, as you'd expect from games of the same genre. If you like how it looks, plays and works then you should play it. If you don't, then don't. At a base level I guess it can be broken down into setting and gameplay. If you like the way those things look for this game, you should play it.

That is a great question. I feel like you are the main demographic SE should be aiming at.
I really wish I could answer it better, but to be honest, I don't have much experience with the other games to give you a good answer. I wasn't really too fond of Guild Wars 2 or TERA. GW2 entertained me for about 3 days, before I got bored of heart quests, and TERA for 2 weeks because all the people I was playing with stopped playing...

Which basically leads me to my point: Community.
I know a number of people will disagree with me, but I have found this game's community is far tightly knit than any other recent game's community. I look at my server Durandal, I always see people doing stuff together. Regardless of linkshell allegiance, I've noticed there is a wide network of people helping each other out, just hanging around in town cracking jokes in /say, or doing Moogles for the 50000th time. Maybe its nostalgia goggles, but for 2 years, I've basically watched my server grow up like some crazy dysfunctional family, and I've enjoyed every second of it.

So yeah. That's basically why I play this piece of crap game. Hopefully you can relate.

Since you seems pretty new, i'll say to wait till 2.0 and then start to play. The game will change a lot and it's hard to tell why you should play FFXIV when we don't know what 2.0 will be except of the gameplay that Yoshi show us.

The OP forgot ff11, but that's not really shocking :D

I play XIV because it aesthetically pleases me. I enjoy the storyline and the traditional FF tropes.

I play because of the community. I've tried WoW, RIFT, TERA, SWTOR, GW2, and a few others, but XIV is the only MMO I've played where the community is just so awesome. Linkshells are lively and not just with people spamming "HELP ME WITH X QUEST" or "OMG I JUST GOT X GEAR FROM THE BOSS!!!". People chat and I can easily find people to help me out with quests without having to bed since people usually enjoy helping each other out. The game is garbage, but the community is great. I hope the mainstreaming of 2.0 doesn't ruin that....because no matter how amazing an MMO is, I won't play it for long if the community sucks.

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Originally Posted by KamikazeMan

I play because of the community. I've tried WoW, RIFT, TERA, SWTOR, GW2, and a few others, but XIV is the only MMO I've played where the community is just so awesome. Linkshells are lively and not just with people spamming "HELP ME WITH X QUEST" or "OMG I JUST GOT X GEAR FROM THE BOSS!!!". People chat and I can easily find people to help me out with quests without having to bed since people usually enjoy helping each other out. The game is garbage, but the community is great. I hope the mainstreaming of 2.0 doesn't ruin that....because no matter how amazing an MMO is, I won't play it for long if the community sucks.

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I agree. For all the idiots on these forums, the community in game is far better. It was the same in XI too, bar some of the endgame shells with drama problems.

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

I know FFXIV has been going through a lot of changes since it's original launch, and since then a lot of other MMOs have emerged onto the market. My question is simple. Why should I play FFXIV as opposed to GW2, WoW, TSW, TERA, SWTOR, any other MMO really?

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Answer: You should play because you're a fan of final fantasy and not a fan of those other games. That's the only real reason to play any single one of them, other than 'You should play because you think it will be fun. "

The main difference between any of these MMOs is their theme and style. You should play the one that fits you the best. If you have to ask why you should play, then you probably shouldn't.

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

I know FFXIV has been going through a lot of changes since it's original launch, and since then a lot of other MMOs have emerged onto the market. My question is simple. Why should I play FFXIV as opposed to GW2, WoW, TSW, TERA, SWTOR, any other MMO really?

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While I'm flattered that you think our opinion is worth asking for, you're asking the wrong person entirely. The only person who knows what games you enjoy is you.

Does FFXIV look fun to you? Then play it!

Is it fun to play? Then keep playing!

It's that simple.

I've started playing Tera, because FFXIV will be going down soon, so I figured I should pick up something to play, sadly after Tera's combat gets dull, you'll really notice its awful story line and the lack of anything to really do, but it really makes me appreciate ffxiv's storyline....

Listen how much instruments inside ff14's music, any song. My Favorite Grid music has 5+ 'types'. (hmmmm got to go listen it again!) Play it in nice home theater system. It's really nice... lots songs are really nice...

That's one of the reasons I play ff14. SE care every single detail.
not just how to put fancy items in item shops and earn your money...

if you're like me you're expecting an FF11-like experience and holding out hope

Real question is: why not? What are those other MMOs offering you that you haven't done before?

I completely agree with the sentiment that nobody can decide what a person likes except for oneself.

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Originally Posted by Deli

Listen how much instruments inside ff14's music, any song. My Favorite Grid music has 5+ 'types'. (hmmmm got to go listen it again!) Play it in nice home theater system. It's really nice... lots songs are really nice...

That's one of the reasons I play ff14. SE care every single detail.
not just how to put fancy items in item shops and earn your money...

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Actually yes the music in this game is just amazing, if you enjoy music then you will love this game.

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

I know FFXIV has been going through a lot of changes since it's original launch, and since then a lot of other MMOs have emerged onto the market. My question is simple. Why should I play FFXIV as opposed to GW2, WoW, TSW, TERA, SWTOR, any other MMO really?

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You shouldn't. Please don't play FFXIV. I beg of you, don't you. The game is doing just fine without people like you around.

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Originally Posted by Trotsky

You shouldn't. Please don't play FFXIV. I beg of you, don't you. The game is doing just fine without people like you around.

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/sigh
I'd rather take the OP over people like you tbh...

Anyways, regarding the original question.

I think this could be a good talking point because when ARR comes out SE will try to attract as much new people as possible.
And I think the aim is to not only attract people new to FFXIV but also to the whole Final Fantasy genre.

I have played a few few MMORPGs and I have to say I am a bit bias because I grew up playing FF games...

But I think things that tip the scale to FFXIV for me is the variety of quick things that you can do. You don't need to sit 24 hours on the game to get something done, there is always something going on. I am sure in ARR this will be even more.
There are some minor things still which annoy me and for a new player the exping experience at the moment is a bit dull (but this will change with the quest exping in ARR ... which leaves me wondering though how will it be if you level multiple jobs... will you repeat same quests over and over?)
FFXIV is also a lot prettier than most of the games, the characters have a certain debth to them (especially to people who love the FF saga).
The community is lovely - at least on my server (minus some exceptations which can be found on all servers). Very new player friendly and welcoming.

I am not sure how SE will advertise the game to new people, but I really hope they succeed. The game is really worth a try, I certainly have finally fell in love with it. I hated it at start, then kinda found it boring and the last few months it's been a blast.

@OP If you ask me I think you should jump in a river.

if you're starting now you might as well wait until ARR

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Originally Posted by Trotsky

You shouldn't. Please don't play FFXIV. I beg of you, don't you. The game is doing just fine without people like you around.

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woah, harsh Trotsky X/ I was just looking to see what it was that people see in this game to see if I could figure out what it's main draw is or what it's trying to deliver (experience wise) that can only be experienced by playing this mmo. (I'm not trying to be antagonistic in any way shape or form (hopefully I'm not coming off as such)) I just remember when FFXIV came out, I was pretty excited about it because well... first off it looked really really good. (I never really dug mmo art styles that attempted to portray dark serious/semi-serious epic adventures with a cartoony artstyle (eg. WoW)) and, based off it's pedigree, was bound to have interesting and engaging stories. Secondly I loved the idea of being able to play how you want, whenever you want with out having to make separate characters etc. Being able to switch jobs on the fly is cool beans. Finally I liked the fact that it would also be playable on the PS3 (the specs for running FFXIV at launch were at lot more limiting then most other MMOs at the time. (also I like using controllers over mouse+keyboard. Just a personal comfort thing)) Also putting it on a console would allow for other people who either don't usually play on PC (due to preference or specs) and hopefully help to create a larger, stronger, varying community. But then it launched and was a big mess.

Fast forward to now and things are definitely better, but in that time having seen other MMOs attempt to make good on claims that make for unique and compelling experiences. It's kind of hard to look at FFXIV and compare other MMO's marquess with FFXIV's. For instance, TERA's banner is basically, "ACTION. WE GOT IT!" while SWTOR is probably "Hey.. Like Star Wars and being able to have varyingly crafted stories based of player made choices? How about if we throw in some Voice Acting as a bonus? Did I mention lightsabers?" I think TSW was pretty cool with trying to mess with the MMO scene by having it take place in a modern setting with parts being based of various real world folklores/mythos/legends while also trying to focus on a really story driven experience with all that cut scene+voice acting+world lore enrichining goodness. (I don't know if the "sometimes we'll ask players to do some minor real world research to help them out with puzzles and junk that would (if done correctly) help to create a more enriching/engaging experience" thing ever happened. But I thought it was a cool idea). With all these different MMOs proclaiming these creative things, it's hard to compare it to the vibe/announcements I'm currently getting from FFXIV (which is "Play this game because it's not broken anymore.") Just because a game runs doesn't mean that it's a good game nor do I think people should be complacent enough to accept something like this. (Especially coming from a company with previous MMO/gamming experience and decent financial backing) I started playing FFXIV after a lot of things were cleaned up and a lot of people who had been playing said it was a much better game then at launch. But I still found it (starting out) to be really confusing, unintuitive, and kind of clumsy. I mean, I dig the fact that it doesn't really hold your hand, but I think I should be able to easily know where I am in terms of the world (If I need to travel from my location to somewhere that isn't on the map I'm currently located in and I switch to a larger map that shows that location. I don't know where I am on the larger map, reference wise, so how do I know which direction to head off in without flipping back and forth 10 times till my mental map is formed?) It also took me a while to figure out how to finally get my hands on the starter equipment for different jobs. (It took me about a couple months until I figured out how to get my hands on a blacksmithing tool. (I wanted to start blacksmithing a lot sooner because of all the crafting jobs, it just resonates with me haha) I was kind of going mad a bit trying to figure out if there were certain conditions that I had to meet in order to get the blacksmith vendor dude at Limsa Lominsa to go, "Hey here's a hammer! You can do stuff now!" or at least be able to buy the starter on from him. (How was I supposed to know that I'm to get one from one of the two NPCs that are at the door front who seem to be talking and having no real designation as to their position within the armory/smithing guild location place as opposed to any of the other NPCs that look like they're actually working on armory/smithing?)

Any ways. What I'm trying to get at is, FFXIV is gonna be a lot more refined/better/fun(?) in ARR. But from what I can gather, thus far, from all the release info is that it's pretty much just gonna be the current version of FFXIV, save streamlined and with some different animations. Now I know Yohisda and his team have been working over time just making an mmo from scratch pretty much. So I'm not expecting MIND ALTERING/REALITY QUESTIONING experiences. If anything, I expect them to kind of start putting it's unique takes on things in later updates after the ARR team finish up 2.0 (and take maybe a little breather (I would hate to see their deadline calendars X/)) I just, want to want to be excited about FFXIV is all and it's just been kind of hard when all the updates have been, "We've fixed this." or "This is gonna work." rather than "Now you can do [COOL THING]! or [UNIQUE IDEA] will be implemented in 2.0!" I would prefer innovation as opposed to a modern MMO rubrick check list.

(Sorry for the long rant/post XS)

BONUS: Things I do like I about FFXIV!
1. Job Switching (I can be anything I put my mind to! :b)
2. It still looks pretty!
3. FF refeferences/monsters/story. Though, as far as story goes, it feels more DIY/make your own, which I kind of dig. which leads us nicely into...
4. It's more sand boxy instead of theme parky! So I dig that crafting and junk actually MEAN something (also helps with creating a more cohesive and invested community/economy)
5. Controllers are welcomed here! (It's hard to find controller tolerant MMO's now a days. My hands/play experience thanks you)
6. Music. I mean.. just listen to it... right?
7. Last but not least, The community seems (generally) cool/nice/helpful. As far as my in game experiences go, All positives, no negs (that's a great track record, haha)

"I dont need a reason to play other game"
"I can, therefor I play"
"Whatever"
"Lets mosey!"

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Originally Posted by Andrien

@OP If you ask me I think you should jump in a river.

if you're starting now you might as well wait until ARR

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Haha, only if I can use those cool water jet things (those look crazy fun) But yeah, I'm curious/anxious to play ARR already. (Though I have been playing/subscribed for a while, I just haven't had a lot of time to actually play. I'm just happy I got that them there legacy stuff. Though I wish I had cool items to carry over to ARR ... oh well.)

I don't really tell people when they ask me why should they play. More times then not they end up quitting if they need a reason to play a game. I'll say wait for 2.0 release you have other 1month free if you like the game keep playing if not then go find something else you like.

if you asking what the reason other are playing then i think this topic would make more sense.

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

Haha, only if I can use those cool water jet things (those look crazy fun) But yeah, I'm curious/anxious to play ARR already. (Though I have been playing/subscribed for a while, I just haven't had a lot of time to actually play. I'm just happy I got that them there legacy stuff. Though I wish I had cool items to carry over to ARR ... oh well.)

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You still have time to level up as much as you can until Nov 1st. In that regard, it is an advantage.

There aren't any aliens, plain and simple.

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

I know FFXIV has been going through a lot of changes since it's original launch, and since then a lot of other MMOs have emerged onto the market. My question is simple. Why should I play FFXIV as opposed to GW2, WoW, TSW, TERA, SWTOR, any other MMO really?

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an easy answer is if you have to ask then maybe you shouldn't, because you apparently cant make the decision for yourself

really it's my only hope for a mmo that is even remotely close to what ffxi was pre abysea. though for real specifics the party play is fun. it's what a mmo's really should always be about, not how fun you can play by yourself in an online game. but how much you love and want to play with others. and i think that is what ffxiv will offer.

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

I know FFXIV has been going through a lot of changes since it's original launch, and since then a lot of other MMOs have emerged onto the market. My question is simple. Why should I play FFXIV as opposed to GW2, WoW, TSW, TERA, SWTOR, any other MMO really?

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because i said so!!

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Originally Posted by Noobenigma

woah, harsh Trotsky X/ I was just looking to see what it was that people see in this game to see if I could figure out what it's main draw is or what it's trying to deliver (experience wise) that can only be experienced by playing this mmo. (I'm not trying to be antagonistic in any way shape or form (hopefully I'm not coming off as such)) I just remember when FFXIV came out, I was pretty excited about it because well... first off it looked really really good. (I never really dug mmo art styles that attempted to portray dark serious/semi-serious epic adventures with a cartoony artstyle (eg. WoW)) and, based off it's pedigree, was bound to have interesting and engaging stories. Secondly I loved the idea of being able to play how you want, whenever you want with out having to make separate characters etc. Being able to switch jobs on the fly is cool beans. Finally I liked the fact that it would also be playable on the PS3 (the specs for running FFXIV at launch were at lot more limiting then most other MMOs at the time. (also I like using controllers over mouse+keyboard. Just a personal comfort thing)) Also putting it on a console would allow for other people who either don't usually play on PC (due to preference or specs) and hopefully help to create a larger, stronger, varying community. But then it launched and was a big mess.

Fast forward to now and things are definitely better, but in that time having seen other MMOs attempt to make good on claims that make for unique and compelling experiences. It's kind of hard to look at FFXIV and compare other MMO's marquess with FFXIV's. For instance, TERA's banner is basically, "ACTION. WE GOT IT!" while SWTOR is probably "Hey.. Like Star Wars and being able to have varyingly crafted stories based of player made choices? How about if we throw in some Voice Acting as a bonus? Did I mention lightsabers?" I think TSW was pretty cool with trying to mess with the MMO scene by having it take place in a modern setting with parts being based of various real world folklores/mythos/legends while also trying to focus on a really story driven experience with all that cut scene+voice acting+world lore enrichining goodness. (I don't know if the "sometimes we'll ask players to do some minor real world research to help them out with puzzles and junk that would (if done correctly) help to create a more enriching/engaging experience" thing ever happened. But I thought it was a cool idea). With all these different MMOs proclaiming these creative things, it's hard to compare it to the vibe/announcements I'm currently getting from FFXIV (which is "Play this game because it's not broken anymore.") Just because a game runs doesn't mean that it's a good game nor do I think people should be complacent enough to accept something like this. (Especially coming from a company with previous MMO/gamming experience and decent financial backing) I started playing FFXIV after a lot of things were cleaned up and a lot of people who had been playing said it was a much better game then at launch. But I still found it (starting out) to be really confusing, unintuitive, and kind of clumsy. I mean, I dig the fact that it doesn't really hold your hand, but I think I should be able to easily know where I am in terms of the world (If I need to travel from my location to somewhere that isn't on the map I'm currently located in and I switch to a larger map that shows that location. I don't know where I am on the larger map, reference wise, so how do I know which direction to head off in without flipping back and forth 10 times till my mental map is formed?) It also took me a while to figure out how to finally get my hands on the starter equipment for different jobs. (It took me about a couple months until I figured out how to get my hands on a blacksmithing tool. (I wanted to start blacksmithing a lot sooner because of all the crafting jobs, it just resonates with me haha) I was kind of going mad a bit trying to figure out if there were certain conditions that I had to meet in order to get the blacksmith vendor dude at Limsa Lominsa to go, "Hey here's a hammer! You can do stuff now!" or at least be able to buy the starter on from him. (How was I supposed to know that I'm to get one from one of the two NPCs that are at the door front who seem to be talking and having no real designation as to their position within the armory/smithing guild location place as opposed to any of the other NPCs that look like they're actually working on armory/smithing?)

Any ways. What I'm trying to get at is, FFXIV is gonna be a lot more refined/better/fun(?) in ARR. But from what I can gather, thus far, from all the release info is that it's pretty much just gonna be the current version of FFXIV, save streamlined and with some different animations. Now I know Yohisda and his team have been working over time just making an mmo from scratch pretty much. So I'm not expecting MIND ALTERING/REALITY QUESTIONING experiences. If anything, I expect them to kind of start putting it's unique takes on things in later updates after the ARR team finish up 2.0 (and take maybe a little breather (I would hate to see their deadline calendars X/)) I just, want to want to be excited about FFXIV is all and it's just been kind of hard when all the updates have been, "We've fixed this." or "This is gonna work." rather than "Now you can do [COOL THING]! or [UNIQUE IDEA] will be implemented in 2.0!" I would prefer innovation as opposed to a modern MMO rubrick check list.

(Sorry for the long rant/post XS)

BONUS: Things I do like I about FFXIV!
1. Job Switching (I can be anything I put my mind to! :b)
2. It still looks pretty!
3. FF refeferences/monsters/story. Though, as far as story goes, it feels more DIY/make your own, which I kind of dig. which leads us nicely into...
4. It's more sand boxy instead of theme parky! So I dig that crafting and junk actually MEAN something (also helps with creating a more cohesive and invested community/economy)
5. Controllers are welcomed here! (It's hard to find controller tolerant MMO's now a days. My hands/play experience thanks you)
6. Music. I mean.. just listen to it... right?
7. Last but not least, The community seems (generally) cool/nice/helpful. As far as my in game experiences go, All positives, no negs (that's a great track record, haha)

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Atta boy, make em read. Thats just right up their alley. lol

Nice to see i am not the only one.....

Bastok

An incomprehensible wall of text - (Thanks for the offer, but I'll have to pass)

"Why, oh why should I play FFXIV oppose to all other MMOs?"

Add that to the other list of questions you should learn on your own, like:
"What's the meaning of life?", "How can I find true happiness?" and "Am I pretty?"

Final Fantasy online was originally developed for fan-boys and girls of the FF series. Well, that's why I play anyway. I enjoy sharing my love for FF with others who do the same.

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Originally Posted by Trotsky

You shouldn't. Please don't play FFXIV. I beg of you, don't you. The game is doing just fine without people like you around.

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Too bad it has people like you, otherwise it would be really awesome....