Why do you still play FFXIV?

[Tsiron]

The story was, and still is, the main thing for me personally, especially being able to experience it using my character(s) (in lieu of keeping up with it via streams or what have you)! The music is top notch, I've ended up actually enjoying the gameplay (which I didn't think I would) and dress-up with my characters is quite fun... if frustrating, at times. Damn you, Glamour restrictions!

[RobynDaBank]

I saw the thread this morning, and started thinking why I play. The one thing compelling me hard to play nowadays is levelling all the Jobs and enjoying their gameplay, but I feel like I don't love it so much that I'll take them to Savage. Then... I started to complete my level 80 short-story Job quests for all the Tanks, and I realized. It can be at times a very wholesome game. Every character has something to say, some sort of story to them. It feels like the exact sort of escapism I've been craving lately, with the stresses of IRL.

Not to mention, I've loved all iterations of my WoL. I wouldn't go so far as to say s/he's my self-insert, but I see him/her as an entity I cherish. It's just a game, I know, but there's visible effort to try to grow our attachment to our character. I for one have fallen for it.

[Renalt]

Not to mention, I've loved all iterations of my WoL. I wouldn't go so far as to say s/he's my self-insert, but I see him/her as an entity I cherish. It's just a game, I know, but there's visible effort to try to grow our attachment to our character. I for one have fallen for it.

I like any option that gives me the ability to be a snarky jerk.

[Allegor]

I like any option that gives me the ability to be a snarky jerk.

Ever since ShB(?) the WoL can be either of the 3: honorable, sassy, and lovable idiot. Even when the responses are largely redundant gameplay wise, I love how much they can affect immersion.

[Raven2014]

Not to mention, I've loved all iterations of my WoL. I wouldn't go so far as to say s/he's my self-insert, but I see him/her as an entity I cherish. It's just a game, I know, but there's visible effort to try to grow our attachment to our character. I for one have fallen for it.

Similarly, while I will not say my main is the "me" in the game, but after 10 years of playing it gets to a point where she has a unique "unchangeable" identity. That's why I roll several alts when I want to do character change instead of fantasia. 'Cause I can not bear making any change to my main or I'm afraid she would stop being the WoL I have always know. I'm not saying it's the only that manage to do it, but it's still a rare thing for the story to give your character a truly unique identity in the world. The only other MMO I can think of that managed the samething would be SW:TOR.

[Iscah]

Similarly, while I will not say my main is the "me" in the game, but after 10 years of playing it gets to a point where she has a unique "unchangeable" identity. That's why I roll several alts when I want to do character change instead of fantasia. 'Cause I can not bear making any change to my main or I'm afraid she would stop being the WoL I have always know.

That's how I feel about my characters, though I don't know if that's down to the game or just my natural mindset from being involved in creating them. I haven't played many other "create your own character" games to compare. (Pokémon, I guess? Can't get a character created there without spending at least half an hour with a naming dictionary. They're rather more interchangable from game to game, though, and the single save file per cartridge stifled any chance at creating multiple character designs.)

I really love having the widely different options for character designs here, and they do feel like individual characters. I like having the springboard of lore for the various races to get ideas for character concepts.

I think I've always been wired to playing with different character designs though. Winding waaaaay back to being five years old playing DOS games, if there was a choice of character models I think I tended to play through with each one.

[Alrin]

I love the characters, the music, the story... it is the world i enjoy to be part of. When I want social interaction then i do something with other people. Sometimes i just wander alone. It is relaxing and calming place.

[Iscah]

Not being facetious, Im genuinely curious to hear why people still play FFXIV despite the myriad of problems.

On this specific statement, the big thing is that every game has some degree of flaws and I think it would be near impossible to find one that does everything you want it to do in the way you want it to be done.

You can't choose to play a game purely based on a lack of flaws, but have to base it on what you do enjoy about the game and whether its inevitable flaws cut into your enjoyment of the good parts.

[Striker44]

Not being facetious, Im genuinely curious to hear why people still play FFXIV despite the myriad of problems.

Because I don't see a "myriad of problems." I see a game I have a ton of fun playing, with gameplay I really enjoy, an amazing story, amazing music, and - quite frankly - nothing that I personally view as any meaningful "problem." The game rocks. Plain and simple.

[Kewitt]

You years I would say what else is there to play, but more recently I've been playing my PS5 games I get with PlayStation plus extra.
But my hubby wouldn't let me quit.