How does FFXIV fare against other modern MMORPGs?

[Stanelis]

I get the impression that A LOT of people think FFXIV is the best.

What are your thoughts?

Don't forget to add Warframe to the mix because, as far as MMORPG goes, it is the current rising star.

FFXIV is amazing on an artistic standpoint but has been stale since heavensward on a gameplay one. It's a shame because it could have been much more if SE would actually have cared and developed/improved it over the years (and I'm not just talking about just adding content following the same old formula since 2013). TESO and warframe are great examples of games that have been vastly improved and expanded over the years.

[Rymm]

Don't forget to add Warframe to the mix because, as far as MMORPG goes, it is the current rising star.

I really don't think Warframe qualifies as an MMORPG. It has one open world zone that is a fairly new feature to the game. For the vast majority of it's life/gameplay it's a co-op game along the lines of Borderlands or Destiny.

[Stanelis]

I really don't think Warframe qualifies as an MMORPG. It has one open world zone that is a fairly new feature to the game. For the vast majority of it's life/gameplay it's a coop game along the lines of Borderlands or Destiny.

It sure didn't when it was released, now it is debatable. Actually you don't interact less with people in that game than you typically do in FFXIV. As FFXIV has an open world but isn't really exploited for group content, and could be a lobby game like warframe. That goes to show how flawed FFXIV's current design is on some aspects.

[hynaku]

FFXIV most boring by far. I would say FFXI way better than FFXIV for pve content. FFXIV just really lacks on content to keep ones here playing it.

[Niraye]

Warframe is not MMORPG, it is a MMOFPS. It barley counts a MMO as it stands with the one open instance. Yes it is multiplayer but it lands more into CO-OP and that is how a lot of people view it as. As someone has said above i would like to see the constant rehashes not be in the game as much. I would like to see what would happen if you put action combat into this game though. But it would not work with the fights. More or maybe even all the fights depend on the combat style of this game as it is now for you to do them. Instant casts and action combat would simply not work, things would die to fast and people would get bored way to fast then they already are. The game would need to go down for a while to have a complete combat and fight mechanic overhaul in order for another type of combat to even be added, which with how the current player-base is it would not be well advised as they already do not like the game going down for 24hours already. I love this game and would not leave it, the gathering/crafting system to me is by far the best i have see so far, other games have tried to replicate it and have failed by adding pay walls or over simplifying it. I play a lot of other games as I do game jump a lot with free to play games, but FFXIV is the only game I haven't wanted to just drop out of boredom or some stupid paywall for a quest/to do a end game dungeon/raid. So for me this game is #1 but on the boards #2 to games with better combat. I wont add in WoW into my opinion or what I have stated because I never cared for the game that much and for me its more of a thing to mess with then to try out. And BDO for me is literately just the character creation. So i cannot add my 2 cents to that.

[Krokov]

Well as someone who plays Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft it's almost dead even in the sense that it depends on what parts of the game you're referring to. Now for example character creation well Final Fantasy beats wow any day on that, since wow is almost generic and its character creation and Final Fantasy gives you more options. For a gameplay speed fighting actually I'm finding wow to be a little bit slower than Final Fantasy maybe not by much but I seem to feel that current combat speed in World of Warcraft is to me a little bit slower than here. Graphic Final Fantasy no contest there. Plus Final Fantasy has the housing and a whole lot of customisation the different parts that is way more than what World of Warcraft offers.

And the others have mentioned crafting World of Warcraft is literally you take the mats and you hit craft and it's made that's pretty much it Final Fantasy is more interactive more engaging it can be a little Annoying trying to get those levels to make that item but it's it's a definitely more attractive and at least enjoyable than just one click crafting you could say. That's not to say that XIV of course is perfect it's her things at 14 has done and it's doing right now that are irritating and like a why the heck is that happening.

[Gothicshark]

Been doing MMOs since the dial-up age.

Compared to other MMOs that are newish (ie post WOW).

BDO (Black Desert Online) - Amazing game, hands down the best core design in a MMO, forced world PVP after a specific Level. Which really ruins the game for me.
B&S (Blade & Soul) - Best action combat system in a MMO, poorly written/translated story, cash shop is over the top, and Gold Farmer Spam is non-stop to the point it ruined the game.
ESO (Elder Scrolls Online) - Tried too hard, added in too much WOW not enough Elder Scrolls.
Neverwinter/Champions Online/Star Trek Online - all three are fun worthwhile games, if you can avoid the Cash Shop. I've spent thousands in real money in STO to get the ships I wanted for my characters. uggg. I had to quite all F2P MMOs I just can't afford them any more.

WOW, not new, although they updated the hell out of it. Tied for the best MMO with FFXIV in my opinion, they are the only two that are not F2P, WOW is less story driven, and aimed for End Game (Raiding, PVP) although it has enough story content to keep you occupied. However, unless you play with friends, you will get lost quickly as it has more content than any other MMO, and it's not easily laid out until you get past level 80. (yes the devs change the game every expansion, and add new levels and story)

as for the rest... too many issues to be even worth mentioning. Terra/Guild wars/ TSW all of which meh at best.

[CoolDad]

I play GW2 sometimes in between patches. I feel like it and FFXIV both have such completely different strengths and weaknesses that swapping back and forth keeps both games feeling fresh for me.

GW2 has fantastic account storage systems. The appearances of equipment are permanently saved in an account wardrobe, all dyes you've unlocked are infinite use and saved account-wide, mounts are account-wide, goofy utility items, pets, etc. These list everything skin/dye/pet you don't own as well so they double as a nice list of collectables to work toward. FFXIV lets you be every single job on the same character though, so alts aren't necessary to get a full experience. GW2 also has more rewarding and fun pvp in my opinion. Map design is also a big point in GW2's favor, and I feel they've integrated mounts amazingly well in that game so that they all feel very different and make exploring more fun instead of making you basically skip over a whole zone. GW2's seasonal and meta events are also more fun in my opinion.


On the other hand though I cannot get into GW2's story at all and I love FFXIV's. There's this goofy edge to the game's writing that I can't stand. I also like end-game combat in FFXIV more (this is mostly preference though), and jobs/classes feel more distinct in FFXIV to me. Also while earnable in-game (which is good!) I think the gem system in its current form is working to GW2's detriment more than its favor. It's incredibly difficult to manage items between characters at endgame because your bank is shared, and it is TINY unless you buy more slots. Other very convenient items like infinite use salvagers, tools, and account-wide inventory slots are also sold for gems exclusively, so being able to play the game in relative comfort requires hundreds of hours of grinding or paying a pretty penny in microtransactions. Also you don't have anywhere near enough character slots to play every class, so you will have to buy a minimum of four separate character slots to play them all, and that alone is almost 1,000 gold.

I've also tried ESO but found it to not be to my tastes at all (especially since I love my fashion fantasy/fashion wars). I used to play Phantasy Star Online 2 a lot but I've kind of run out of things to do at level cap. Blade & Soul's horrific rubberbanding (in an action-based mmo) made it impossible for me to keep playing.

Overall I play FFXIV way more than GW2 though. I find something really comfortable about it I have a hard time placing. It definitely has some aging systems, but I absolutely wouldn't say it's completely fallen behind. Looking to other MMOs for ideas sure wouldn't hurt though (I want those storage systems in my final fantasy <: ) )

[LauraAdalena]

FFXIV most boring by far. I would say FFXI way better than FFXIV for pve content. FFXIV just really lacks on content to keep ones here playing it.

> implying XI and XIV can be compared at all because of time passed since FFXI's release and FFXIV's release and how fundamentally different they are on a mechanical standpoint.

Keep in mind, this isn't me saying XI is bad. I'm just saying that it's not an MMORPG of now, it's an MMORPG from back when Runescape classic was starting, or even Ultima Online was still going (if anybody knows MMO history better and wants to correct me, feel free to). It's like comparing Elvis to Nirvana. Yeah, they are the same genre, but genres change over time. for better or for worse, and at this point FFXI and FFXIV are so far different they might as well be completely different genres.

[RuleofThree]

For me, XIV is just middle of the road. I resbub now and then out of habit/familiarity, but it's not one I'd miss tremendously if it went away completely.

I'm not a fan of how they just rehash the same dungeons/8 man raid / 24 main raid, trial each patch. When they do try to branch out, it falls flat (diadem, Eureka, etc.). There is no real way to play at your pace when it comes to gearing. So many weekly caps in place, which only highlights a lack of relevant end-game content. Very little overworld content. The game feels like a rather fancy waiting room at times.

I do love the fact that you can level all things on one character (but this is ruined a bit due to how gearing/caps work). For the most part it's a very stable game, very minimal in-game glitches, etc. Looks nice (IMO).

There's a lot more to both sides for me, but the overall feeling is just sort of 'meh'.

This. A thousand times this. I used to be a FF fan, but after 11 (And before people bitch about how I'm trying to compare 11 to 14, I'm not. I mean after 11 in terms of FF games. Really, for me, FF died after 9, was ressurected at 11, then died again at 12), things went pear shaped, badly. This game makes me sad. Same thing different day, nothing you do matters, because in a month or two's time, your gear will be outdated, and the grind begins again. It takes 2 and a half months just to get full tomestone gear because of the stupid low cap of 450 of <insert relavent tomestone here>, unless you have millions of gil to spend on crafted gear to get in to savages the day it comes out. Overworld is a joke, just a means to get from point A to Point B, and after you finish all main story quests and any side dungeons to unlock, you never go in to them again...because retainers can get you stuff your gathering classes normally would, albiet it slower, but still, pay for enough retainers, and you have enough to get by.

I play this game literally because there is no other game to play. So I wouldn't say FFXIV is the best, I would say it's the lesser of all the available evils.