Please offer a conversion from Steam to PC version for Steam users.

[Lozza]

I am confused?

You can just download the game and login with your SE Account without using steam. The only time you have a problem is when there is an expansion. You don't need a separate client?

At the end of March Steam users will no longer be able to simply run the launcher and log in. We will have to launch the launcher via the play button in Steam. This has already happened with ESO, another MMO some time back. The way Steam ensures that you are logged into Steam to play is that it inserts another auth server between you the user and SE's game server. If Valve's server goes down your game goes down. Once again this has already happened when ESO moved to this system. It was a disaster and still is. ESO Steam users lose days of game time regularly because Valve does not care to fix the mess that happens at their end, and ZOS who run the ESO servers can do nothing about it because the error is not at their end.

[JunseiKei]

~snip~

You're asking for SE to distribute a free version of their game if you have one version already. At least the PS3 to PS4 version was simply no longer being supported (basically, ensured a user could not have two valid copies).

I'm not even sure Square Enix could do that since there's contractual agreements between two companies. This sounds more of a "take it up with Valve" issue as all of the problems are from their side. The same things happens with PSN - the PSN servers go down, you're not logging into XIV on your PS4 and all of those issues are handled by Sony.

[Lozza]

You're asking for SE to distribute a free version of their game if you have one version already. At least the PS3 to PS4 version was simply no longer being supported (basically, ensured a user could not have two valid copies).

I'm not even sure Square Enix could do that since there's contractual agreements between two companies. This sounds more of a "take it up with Valve" issue as all of the problems are from their side.

We cannot fix this. If I could rebuy FFXIV on PC and apply it to my account I would do that. But we can't - you cannot put a PC key on an account with a Steam key because it treats the keys as the same. It says, you already have this applied. This thread is requesting one of two things either allow Steam users to double up on keys - so we can pay to switch, or simply allow us to switch over.

I am well aware that the technical issue is not the same as the PS3 to PS4 issue. However even though ESO Steam users still have days of downtime every month, and despite numerous complaints from users Valve has done nothing to fix this. Do you really think FFXIV will somehow be different?

Players who bought ARR on Steam early on were not aware they would never be able to buy a PC key for their account. When HW release we rolled with it because it wasn't like buying HW on Steam was any more expensive or onerous than buying from the SE Store. Now however we are getting no choice, we can't even fix this buy rebuying the game.

[JunseiKei]

We cannot fix this. If I could rebuy FFXIV on PC and apply it to my account I would do that. But we can't - you cannot put a PC key on an account with a Steam key because it treats the keys as the same. It says, you already have this applied. This thread is requesting one of two things either allow Steam users to double up on keys - so we can pay to switch, or simply allow us to switch over.

I am well aware that the technical issue is not the same as the PS3 to PS4 issue. However even though ESO Steam users still have days of downtime every month, and despite numerous complaints from users Valve has done nothing to fix this. Do you really think FFXIV will somehow be different?

Players who bought ARR on Steam early on were not aware they would never be able to buy a PC key for their account. When HW release we rolled with it because it wasn't like buying HW on Steam was any more expensive or onerous than buying from the SE Store. Now however we are getting no choice, we can't even fix this buy rebuying the game.

Ah, your service account is blocked from using the MogStation directly? Then yeah, it would be nice for Square Enix to remove the block in the very least. It seems Steam accounts are treated as separate specialty accounts. I know I can log into FFXIV on PC the same as PS4. Ugh, that sucks as the only current "solution" (used extremely loosely here) is to simply remake your entire service account and start from scratch.

Honestly, I'm more astounded that there isn't something visible stating that you cannot use your account across all platforms (basically, similar to the fiasco that Fortnite players ran into when they used their accounts between PC, then PS4 and found themselves locked out of using the PC version on that same account).

[Lozza]

Ah, your service account is blocked from using the MogStation directly? Then yeah, it would be nice for Square Enix to remove the block in the very least. It seems Steam accounts are treated as separate specialty accounts. I know I can log into FFXIV on PC the same as PS4. Ugh, that sucks as the only current "solution" (used extremely loosely here) is to simply remake your entire service account and start from scratch.

No Steam accounts aren't different. PS3 and PS4 keys were always different, but imagine for a moment that they were just PS keys. But you couldn't mix PS keys, and you couldn't have two of the same key. This is Steam PC in the account system.

If you have a Steam ARR key and try to apply a PC ARR key it tells you you already own the game and won't apply the key.
But if you have a Steam ARR key and apply a PC HW key the system will tell you they are incompatible - much the same as trying to apply a NA key to an EU account. This is the crux of the issue and one that should be fixable.

There is nothing special about Steam accounts. My SE account doesn't have my steam ID registered or anything. It's a normal SE account, my username isn't the same as my Steam username, nothing is the same. I even have different emails. But there is something in the system that stops you doubling up on keys and this is what stops being able to put a PC key on to my account.

[Kalise]

Ah, your service account is blocked from using the MogStation directly?

With a Steam account, you can use the MogStation directly.

Except for purchasing Expansions.

Literally what the case is with Steam is that it is by all major systems, a PC account. Just the same as if you purchased direct from SE.

The only difference is, that due to how Steam handles distribution of Expansions (I.e. It lists them as DLC rather than an expansion) they have to separate Steam and PC accounts because Steam won't be able to sell someone a specific Expansion as a stand alone and would require that the base game was also purchased through Steam (Basically, if you bought ARR through SE direct, you'd have to purchase it again for Steam to let you get any of the expansions)

As such, what is happening now is that Steam is now going further on the restrictions it applies to players by requiring a double authentication by going through Steam to use the FFXIV launcher. Which is not only often a buggy mess at the best of times, but also an additional hassle that players have literally no recourse to circumvent aside from making a brand new account to attach a normal PC version of the game to (Thus, needing to repurchase all the expansions and restart all characters from scratch)

So, a one time option in light of this revelation to allow players to move from PC (Steam) to regular PC would be welcome. Even if it then came with the caveat of no longer being able to purchase expansions through Steam.

As it is at the moment, a one time mistake made 6 years ago back before Steam started to get uppity start becoming bad DRM is now causing potential issues for customers. Where before it was a convenient way to access the game for your region (Navigating SE store and MogStation back then was, less than ideal) it is now going to hamper people's ability to actually play the game. Again, with the only option currently being to make a brand new account.

I'm honestly surprised that there isn't an option for Steam players to swap over to being normal PC accounts as is, you'd think that SE would rather people be coming to them directly for their purchases (Which also means not having Steam's regular sales cut into profits. Stormblood was recently 55% off for example). Given that really, the only issue stems from going Normal PC to Steam due to Steam's bass ackwards way of handling expansion content.

[Eriane_Elis]

I highly doubt SE can accomplish this, look at their website(s) they are a mess. It takes about 45minutes to an hour just to purchase the shadowbringers DLC and apply it to your account because you have to figure out where you can get it from (not a button from the mog station) and then there's a few emails, codes and procedures to make it happen. I didn't know how to do it until I found someone on reddit mentioning the official online store. Imagine them trying to migrate over your account from steam to PC? It should be easy to do, I've seen it done many times for other games but I won't hold my breath. You would basically be suspending the account from steam which is perfectly fine (legal) to do and permitting client logins from PC instead.

[angerthosenear]

Just to bring to light the complete lack of clarity. In the account status on Mogstation the only indicator for Steam is under the account type. The version table with the expansions just have "Windows" not "Steam" or anything of the sort. Sure converting to a non-Steam would require some to cancel their payment method from a Steam Account to paying via some other method, but that's easy enough for those wanting to break out of the jail that is having a Steam account.

[ElazulHP]

Considering the Steam authentication server goes down regularly this is going to be a complete disaster. I'm looking online and even just within the past 24 hours there was an outage of about an hour or two where people were unable to play games that required it.

[wizisi2k]

I have to agree that this is a bad change. I sometimes use family sharing and boot that version of the client (I'm non-Steam for the game but can use it via family sharing). Offer a conversion to non-Steam because I have seen it go down when FFXIV is still up. Will Steam having problems when SE doesn't affect logins from Steam? I just sent a PM to a friend in discord whom this affects. Why the sudden change? I can't say I played other MMO's via Steam that did this but I can understand why people are angry about it.