What is it that you LIKE from FFXIV

[Enkidoh]

1) First and foremost, it's FINAL FANTASY! I am a huge FF fangirl and I play XIV for the same reason I played XI for 11+ years, and that's because it's a FF game where I can create my own character and play as them through the game's storyline.

2) Related to the above, it incorporated changes and improvements I always wanted in FFXI (such as more solo-centric gameplay, minimap, less skillbloat, being able to change class anywhere, mounts are default and not optional etc).

3) Speaking of which, I love mounts! Especially in Heavensward areas with flight - soaring across the snowswept wastes of the Western Highlands on the back of my griffin is just something else. And who does not like the FFVI magitek armour?

4) Glamour! Sure it's not perfect, but I'm thankful for it all the same - being able to change my gear's appearance to what I really like instead of being forced by stats to wear a butt-ugly piece of gear is a wonderful thing. It's true, glamour is the real endgame! And connected to that....

5) Pretty dresses! Yes I know not everyone are fashionistas, but I always lamented never having true dresses to wear in FFXI (everything were tops and pants if you were lucky) - and there are some truly gorgeous gowns and skirts in this game (my favourite being the Riviera Dress which is Enki's 'casual'/'at-home' wear, but the Wedding Dress, the Spring Dress, the High Houses Bustle etc are also gorgeous).

6) And speaking of the wedding dress, weddings! The Ceremony of Eternal Bonding is superior to FFXI's restricted system which I always lamented my character could never truly marry her beloved (my bf's character who also played as a kitty girl). Times have changed though and seeing my Enki finally officially marry her sweetheart Jing here in FFXIV (on my birthday too! ) was such an amazing experience that we had been waiting so long for.

7) The music! Although 1.0's OST by Nobuo Uematsu was amazing (and a lot of his 1.0 tracks have returned for ARR), Masayoshi Soken has done a fantastic job filling those very lofty shoes as composer and sound designer. There might have been some slight missteps at first (such as tracks only being short and then fading to silence), but he is remarkably humble and has shown to listen to players and incorporate player feedback in how he implements the music and sound in the game. If you haven't already got them, get the OST albums, they're worth every gil!

8) The story - story is one of the most important aspects of the game to me (but I guess as I like to frequent the lore forum that should have been obvious ), and despite a little padding early on (especially during the Titan-fight lead up), the story's many twists, turns and revelations have kept me guessing and theorizing, and, more than that, I feel that my character actually is important to this world and was directly influencing Eorzea and Hydaelyn's situation and future, unlike in FFXI where I usually just felt like a sidekick along for the ride at best and a nameless, unappreciated errand girl at worst.

9) and finally, but by no means least, FFXIV ARR is a game where I feel I actually have a more personal connection to (albeit a very minor and trivial connection nonetheless) - as an Alpha and Beta tester (like a lot of players) I feel I contributed at least something to this game's success (as trivial as it was), but also I am a Legacy Member and thus my name is with the other 'Meteor Survivors' in the end credits - that connection is something that will never be broken.

It should go without saying, I love this game forever!