Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2236 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,673 out of 2236
  2. Mixed: 169 out of 2236
  3. Negative: 394 out of 2236
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  1. firehead
    Aug 28, 2013
    9
    a very good MMO, a great thing for Final Fantasy fans but maybe if you are not a fan of Final Fantasy it will just be "good" rather than "great.".
    The levelling is fine, but the class and job system is the best, you can be all of them on one character.
    the combat, well, it's fine but there is nothing super great about it. the story is good for an MMO, the backstory and the world is    a very good MMO, a great thing for Final Fantasy fans but maybe if you are not a fan of Final Fantasy it will just be "good" rather than "great.".
    The levelling is fine, but the class and job system is the best, you can be all of them on one character.
    the combat, well, it's fine but there is nothing super great about it.
    the story is good for an MMO, the backstory and the world is fantastic but the actual story through the quests is above average for MMO's.
    all in all, play this if you like Final Fantasy you won't regret it.
    don't pay attention to the ones rating it low because of login issues. they are working very hard to fix it, and really it happens to most MMO's. it's not a good reason to give it a low score (although it is very frustrating).    … Expand
  2. TheBlastMage
    Aug 28, 2013
    9
    As a new player who has never played FF-XIV before, I must say I am greatly impressed with the game thus far. The game's story and graphics are amazing, and the relaxed game-play while going solo makes it a great game to unwind to. The dungeon quests also make for some fun group play as well, and the party mechanics are non-intrusive enough to make it enjoyable.

    Combat mechanics are    As a new player who has never played FF-XIV before, I must say I am greatly impressed with the game thus far. The game's story and graphics are amazing, and the relaxed game-play while going solo makes it a great game to unwind to. The dungeon quests also make for some fun group play as well, and the party mechanics are non-intrusive enough to make it enjoyable.

    Combat mechanics are solid, though at my low level I can't tell if certain skills need tweaked, or if I'll unlock better ones later.

    Good Points:
    + No exp penalties for Kill-Stealing, everyone who helps enough gets full credit (and they guy who tagged it is guaranteed 100% exp)

    + Plenty of ways to communicate with multiple people via Link-Shells and Free Companies

    + An intriguing story-line with enough back-story regarding the previous game so new players aren't confused.

    + Beautiful looking graphics with only minor clipping issues.

    + Solid classes, with specializations in the form of "Jobs" after lv 30

    + Freedom to switch classes and jobs at will

    Negative Points:
    - Minor clipping issues and the movies tend to skip on lower-end machines
    - Dungeon-Finder groups are thrust together without much time to even say hello

    Overall Score: 9/10
    Recommendation: Buy it and try it, for $30 tax, it is definitely worth the money to check out if you like MMOs    … Expand
  3. Vorch
    Aug 28, 2013
    5
    The Good:
    Beautiful world;
    Excellent pacing with leveling; Crafting is meaningful; Friendly community; The combat system is standard MMO flare. (if you like that); Fates steal from Rifts events, but not as fleshed out as GW2's Dynamic Events The Bad: Many people can't play; No AFK-auto kick system (ensuring that people continue to consume server space); Poor launch; Bugged    The Good:
    Beautiful world;
    Excellent pacing with leveling;
    Crafting is meaningful;
    Friendly community;
    The combat system is standard MMO flare. (if you like that);
    Fates steal from Rifts events, but not as fleshed out as GW2's Dynamic Events

    The Bad:
    Many people can't play; No AFK-auto kick system (ensuring that people continue to consume server space);
    Poor launch;
    Bugged quest system won't allow progress;
    EXTREMELY linear kill-10-rats/gather-10-rats quest design
    The combat system is standard MMO flare. (if you don't like that)

    The ugly:
    You can pay 8 bucks a month to watch 75,000 movies and 20,000 tv shows on Netflix.
    You can pay 5 bucks a month to play PS+ games for free.
    You can pay 6 bucks a month to rent games from gamefly.
    B2P and F2P games don't have any fee associated with them.

    So why would you pay 15 dollars a month, on top of a 30-40 dollar box fee, to play one game? Especially one that you can't even log into    … Expand
  4. AliceKaye
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    As a 1.0 player I am blown away by how wonderfully Yoshida-san and his team were able to turn this game around. It's absolutely fantastic. Aside from the server issues at launch (which I view as a good thing, as it means that the game was an overwhelming success in terms of purchases) the game is far and away better than anything else out on the market currently.

    The graphics are    As a 1.0 player I am blown away by how wonderfully Yoshida-san and his team were able to turn this game around. It's absolutely fantastic. Aside from the server issues at launch (which I view as a good thing, as it means that the game was an overwhelming success in terms of purchases) the game is far and away better than anything else out on the market currently.

    The graphics are fantastic, the music/sounds are terrific and the game play/storyline is riveting and keeps me coming back for more.

    My advice to any who are turned off by the negative comments, is to take them with a grain of salt. Many have been spurned by the server troubles so they're taking it out on the score of the game, which is sad because people should give an honest opinion, rather than trying to throw it under the bus for issues darn near every launch has.

    Either way, give the game a go for yourself and make up your own mind! I'm fairly sure you won't be disappointed.    … Expand
  5. Darkhearts
    Aug 28, 2013
    7
    Would be 10/10 if not for server issues and poor contact with community.

    But from what I've played the game is great. It's slow at first but after leveling a bit and getting different classes up you start to get a lot of skills and some that are not on cooldown which equals less wait (i.e. 2.5sec). The story imho is not that great. I tried to read it all but after couple hours of    Would be 10/10 if not for server issues and poor contact with community.

    But from what I've played the game is great. It's slow at first but after leveling a bit and getting different classes up you start to get a lot of skills and some that are not on cooldown which equals less wait (i.e. 2.5sec).

    The story imho is not that great. I tried to read it all but after couple hours of wall of text I became bored so I just skip text now unless it's a big fight like Ifrit.

    Graphics are top notch for MMO game. If your pc can't handle it, buy it for ps3.

    I'd say give it a shot if you can afford to. There is a good community mainly because of the subscription in my opinion.

    - Diabolos Server    … Expand
  6. CaptainGowa
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is so much better than its previous incarnation that it's hard to fully describe. While there's nothing overly innovative about it, this game takes all of the great ideas from various successful MMORPGs and incorporates them into one package. The fantastic story telling and presentation of Final Fantasy XI, the usability of World of Warcraft, and aFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is so much better than its previous incarnation that it's hard to fully describe. While there's nothing overly innovative about it, this game takes all of the great ideas from various successful MMORPGs and incorporates them into one package. The fantastic story telling and presentation of Final Fantasy XI, the usability of World of Warcraft, and a number of great systems inspired by others. With a great deal of nostalgia and Final Fantasy goodness thrown on top, this game will keep any Final Fantasy fan busy for years to come.

    (While there are some hiccups during this initial launch phase, including errors that are being mentioned, this is to be expected of any big product launch. With new servers coming within a week's time, these annoyances are only temporary and do little to hinder a legitimate review score.)    … Expand
  7. Alacratha
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    FFXIV:ARR is a brand new MMO action title, brought up from the ashes of it's former self, from the major flop that FFXIV 1.0 was.

    This new FFXIV 2.0 is almost exactly how the title states, A Realm Reborn" this game has been redesigned from the ground up, and overall the only real thing to describe it is.. Beautiful. I played 1.0 back in the day, and it was terrible! There was no    FFXIV:ARR is a brand new MMO action title, brought up from the ashes of it's former self, from the major flop that FFXIV 1.0 was.

    This new FFXIV 2.0 is almost exactly how the title states, A Realm Reborn" this game has been redesigned from the ground up, and overall the only real thing to describe it is.. Beautiful.

    I played 1.0 back in the day, and it was terrible! There was no real direction, no real quest system, no real class system, it was a game based around the name Final Fantasy.

    This new Final Fantasy 14, has made it a true MMO, New Characters, new environments, new ways to play, and PS3 access that can let you play on both PC and PS3 together.

    This game is beautiful and fans of any Final Fantasy game will love it.

    Now sure there have been some errors here and there, but what game hasn't had errors at launch?

    The makers of FFXIV weren't anticipating this many people actually wanting to come and play it, Even the Producer/Developer of the game started Tearing up at how we exceeded the expectations for this game.

    They are adding a larger server capacity next week so even more people can play, without the issues of the errors we're getting now.

    So sit tight, enjoy the ride!    … Expand
  8. Bastrion
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    A veritable phoenix risen from the ashes of a terrible initial game. This game is excellent, and once the login issues are resolved, hopefully everyone can begin to enjoy it
  9. Velaniswin
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    While the launch has been frustrating, I'm enjoying this game a ton and will probably stick around for a while to see where SE goes with it.

    The launch of an MMO can be rough for any company, so I won't let some server issues ruin the great game play Yoshi P worked on.
  10. helli
    Aug 28, 2013
    3
    I'm sure this is a great game. Can't say as I'm locked out of being able to play because my account (NA made during FFXI)) and my physical copy of the game (EU) are in different regions.

    Square Enix's solution (after 2 days of trying to contact them to resolve the issue). Too bad, make a new account (and be unable to play with my son and my partner as their server doesn't allow new    I'm sure this is a great game. Can't say as I'm locked out of being able to play because my account (NA made during FFXI)) and my physical copy of the game (EU) are in different regions.

    Square Enix's solution (after 2 days of trying to contact them to resolve the issue). Too bad, make a new account (and be unable to play with my son and my partner as their server doesn't allow new characters), or buy a new digital copy (but we have closed sales).

    Request for a region transfer.....we don't do that.
    Yep I say 0/10 based on the total lack of Customer Support for people region locked to the wrong region.    … Expand
  11. CristianS
    Aug 28, 2013
    9
    Don't listen to all the low scores.. MMO's in early lifetime have this kind of login problems, who cares? Don't rate games on that. Please grow up! The 1017 and whatever other errors are annoying. but who cares!

    So that is that, the game plays great. It looks great, fun classes and a good fighting system. And a lot of things to do in the world. It is still a Final Fantasy game so it's    Don't listen to all the low scores.. MMO's in early lifetime have this kind of login problems, who cares? Don't rate games on that. Please grow up! The 1017 and whatever other errors are annoying. but who cares!

    So that is that, the game plays great. It looks great, fun classes and a good fighting system. And a lot of things to do in the world. It is still a Final Fantasy game so it's really story based. But than with an open world and thousands of others! This game has everything to be a great game in the future not only today. I can't wait to play 100's of hours more I think its much more fun than wow (for new players...) And it's better than GW2 what is very boring end game.

    So please guys stop giving stupid ratings because you are annoyed with some errors.... Go get a life or don't play games in their releases. The best thing the only errors are server errors. I never encountered a quest error, item error or world/ design errors!    … Expand
  12. Jos848
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This game as it stands try's to do nothing new, but tries to do it better than it's competitors.

    If you have played a MMO before everything will be familiar to you. It's game play is smooth and each class offers a different type of game play that you can switch on the fly. The graphics are superb, and the game play is smooth and fluid. The story quest is complex and follows a deep    This game as it stands try's to do nothing new, but tries to do it better than it's competitors.

    If you have played a MMO before everything will be familiar to you. It's game play is smooth and each class offers a different type of game play that you can switch on the fly.

    The graphics are superb, and the game play is smooth and fluid. The story quest is complex and follows a deep and twisting path trying to cover all points of what is going on within the world.

    The only downside to this game is that if you are within the EU your data centre is based in the US leading to a terrible delay at times.    … Expand
  13. Kaiaru
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Awe-inspiring graphics and art direction, immersing story and environment, beautiful score and extremely addictive game-play. Square Enix maintains the Final Fantasy essence that seamlessly integrates into the MMO platform. One of the best interactive media experiences I've had so far.
  14. ShivaDurden
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    The game now bears little resemblance to the original of 2010. This game is a masterpiece.

    It's a polished, beautiful epic, with a fantastic story line, incredible character customization, mesmerizing locations and deep MMO mechanics. Whilst not trying to revolutionize the genre, it takes everything you've ever loved from your favorite MMOs and puts it all together in the FF    The game now bears little resemblance to the original of 2010. This game is a masterpiece.

    It's a polished, beautiful epic, with a fantastic story line, incredible character customization, mesmerizing locations and deep MMO mechanics.

    Whilst not trying to revolutionize the genre, it takes everything you've ever loved from your favorite MMOs and puts it all together in the FF universe.

    Fans will adore it, new players will start to understand what all the hype was about.

    Forget the server issues, they're already being fixed and this is an MMO launch. It happens and those problems have no place in a review of game content.

    Get in the game, enjoy the passage to level 15 then see the world open up.

    I'm hooked. You will be too.

    Go explore!    … Expand
  15. Kurivaim
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    If someone proposed taking an existing MMORPG and continuing to operate and improve it, while at the same time planning to destroy the world and create an entirely new game from scratch to be released with the same title, anyone in their right mind would say it couldn't be done. Thanks to the Yoshida and the crew, I can confidently say they've accomplished the impossible.
  16. EightbitX
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Despite the fact that there has been several server issues during the launch, the game is absolutely awsome. the story (once you get past level 15) has the ability to be one of the best in the series. Music is fantastic, and graphics are simply breathtaking, there have been several instances of me stopping what i was doing to view the lovely scenery. gameplay is typical for a tab-targetDespite the fact that there has been several server issues during the launch, the game is absolutely awsome. the story (once you get past level 15) has the ability to be one of the best in the series. Music is fantastic, and graphics are simply breathtaking, there have been several instances of me stopping what i was doing to view the lovely scenery. gameplay is typical for a tab-target mmorpg, but theres alot of innovation elsewhere that makes the game feel fun and engaging.… Expand
  17. Somnia
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This MMO is the best one yet. If you consider trying it, at least invest the proper amount of time. It is a true Final Fantasy game, in art, story and style and I love it to bits. :)

    It is a worthy remake and deserves 10 points for everything. Poor launch events do not make this game any less amazing. Thank you, Yoshi-P.
  18. Jimsvaliant
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Yoshi P. took a busted game and fixed it up enough so that it was barely playable while simultaneously developed version 2.0

    The man and his team are champions and I'm glad the fanbase cares enough to give them the recognition they deserve.
  19. fatebound
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Currently NA data centres are having infrastructure problems. this is why everyone is giving this game red scores. expect NA servers to be fixed within a few days
  20. Ljungen
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Even though the launch had some issues the game has come a long way since 1.0
    The Final Fantasy feeling is definitely there and the game look amazing!
  21. Namath
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This a great package for people who are looking for a classic style MMORPG that focuses more on strategic tab-targeting combat than action/hack-slash/twitch based combat. It is also a heavy final fantasy game so expect lots of dialogues and cutscenes that immerse the players into the storyline. There are also great voice acting in 4 different languages on important cutscenes as well.This a great package for people who are looking for a classic style MMORPG that focuses more on strategic tab-targeting combat than action/hack-slash/twitch based combat. It is also a heavy final fantasy game so expect lots of dialogues and cutscenes that immerse the players into the storyline. There are also great voice acting in 4 different languages on important cutscenes as well.

    More importantly, this game offers every MMORPG fans a bit of everything. From solo to group play. From casual to hardcore (some might even call it middlecore). This game caters to a wide audience. For the base game box price, you get 30 days of subscription to start off with, which should be enough for someone who play 20 hours a week to get to max level and complete the main story.    … Expand
  22. righin
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    I think that people who give low scores for the login problems are just stupid.
    The are often problems with the servers when a MMORPG is launched, it's NORMAL for the first week.
    The game itself is a masterpiece, i love it! Lot of things and contents, interesting story for a MMORPG, a lot of people playing, a lot of quests, dungeons, interesting class and job system, beautiful    I think that people who give low scores for the login problems are just stupid.
    The are often problems with the servers when a MMORPG is launched, it's NORMAL for the first week.

    The game itself is a masterpiece, i love it!
    Lot of things and contents, interesting story for a MMORPG, a lot of people playing, a lot of quests, dungeons, interesting class and job system, beautiful landscapes, and the limit breaks are epic... i love the music, too. It's just massive if we count the contents.
    For me it's one of the best MMORPGs.    … Expand
  23. tmuntan1
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This game is much more enjoyable than its 1.0 counterpart. It had a few problems with launch, however, those issues will be invalid in a few days and are getting better now. As a whole, I find the game really enjoyable and that it lives up the the FF standard.
  24. FarzanZand
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Ignore the negative reviews because they give it bad reviews just cause of a failed launch. They are fixing it and in a day or two it will be fine.

    This is the the only game since 2004 (wow-release) that made me feel real joy from playing it. The game has real soul and I haven't had this much fun playing anything. This game is well done and polished. Give it a try. Ignore the bad    Ignore the negative reviews because they give it bad reviews just cause of a failed launch. They are fixing it and in a day or two it will be fine.

    This is the the only game since 2004 (wow-release) that made me feel real joy from playing it. The game has real soul and I haven't had this much fun playing anything. This game is well done and polished. Give it a try. Ignore the bad reviews due to launch issues. Every MMO has had a bad launch, but that is temporary a temporary problem. The game itself is golden! It will give you that warm MMO-feeling that you have missed.    … Expand
  25. Hexxus
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Excellent game. Perhaps not as deep as FFXI or as action packed as WoW, but it offers a happy medium that I think people are really going to enjoy for years. This is the first time I've truly been excited for an MMO since vanilla WoW's release. There are some server troubles at the moment because I don't believe Square thought the game would be this popular.

    People will get over    Excellent game. Perhaps not as deep as FFXI or as action packed as WoW, but it offers a happy medium that I think people are really going to enjoy for years. This is the first time I've truly been excited for an MMO since vanilla WoW's release. There are some server troubles at the moment because I don't believe Square thought the game would be this popular.

    People will get over launch issues if the game is good (vanilla WoW had an INCREDIBLY rough start, for example-- rougher even than XIV's release). People will not get over launch issues if the game is shallow/uninteresting/boring (like Diablo 3).    … Expand
  26. touf34
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    before getting into all the fakes negative bad review that were made on this site, check the game by yourself. All the negative review are made by people who had a hard time logging in the game and couldn't bear to wait in a wait line. No more, no less. Please ignore reviews made by self-entitled toxic players.
  27. lolsorhand
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Probobly one of the most solid and most fun MMOs I've played thus far in my 13 years of online gaming. It's polished and carries a nice depth to it. The combat flows really well and the only downside I can see with it is that many servers are locked out. And not being able to login have easily been fixed given a little time or waiting in the que, I got in after about 10 minutes in que.Probobly one of the most solid and most fun MMOs I've played thus far in my 13 years of online gaming. It's polished and carries a nice depth to it. The combat flows really well and the only downside I can see with it is that many servers are locked out. And not being able to login have easily been fixed given a little time or waiting in the que, I got in after about 10 minutes in que.

    Really enjoyed my time so far as well as the community.    … Expand
  28. Wankyudo
    Aug 28, 2013
    9
    I played briefly in 1.0. Didn't like it.
    Now I'm playing ARR, and I love it. Yes there's login issues. Yes people can't connect to the game. But I learned to separate my frustration of the servers or else it'll affect how I look at the game itself. That being...it's fun. The crafting is intricate, albeit slow at the beginning where you don't have all of your abilities. The combat    I played briefly in 1.0. Didn't like it.
    Now I'm playing ARR, and I love it. Yes there's login issues. Yes people can't connect to the game. But I learned to separate my frustration of the servers or else it'll affect how I look at the game itself. That being...it's fun. The crafting is intricate, albeit slow at the beginning where you don't have all of your abilities. The combat system is enjoyable, even if it's something as simple as tanking. The world is immersive, the soundtrack is enjoyable, and the community is a lot kinder then the cold callous trolls you would find in abundance in any other mmo. So you know what? I'm addicted. I'm addicted to playing the game.
    Even if there's login issues (That dreaded Error 1017), the game itself I've fallen in love with which certainly gives me the patience to repeatedly attempt to login in pass the error.    … Expand
  29. Baradus
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    Log-in limits aside (and yes, they put Queues in during early release) the game is fantastic. Amazing even with all the changes that were done.

    On the Log-in issues: the final server capacity upgrades will be done by early this coming week. And frankly people giving this a 1 because of it... I hope they come back to change this when the problem is fixed. Oddly enough, the log-in issue    Log-in limits aside (and yes, they put Queues in during early release) the game is fantastic. Amazing even with all the changes that were done.

    On the Log-in issues: the final server capacity upgrades will be done by early this coming week. And frankly people giving this a 1 because of it... I hope they come back to change this when the problem is fixed. Oddly enough, the log-in issue is pretty much the only thing complained about, everything else is amazing.

    Consider that if you're looking at this game.    … Expand
  30. Kyuuban
    Aug 27, 2013
    10
    You want to know why I give this game a 10 you may think that I'm a fanboy and this game is overrated.. No!

    Square Enix did a great job, FFXIV:ARR is just beyond what I have expected. First of all, the graphics, many reviewrs said that the graphics are great and it doesn't kill your system... well yes this is absolutely true and simply the best graphics for an MMO so far. Its so    You want to know why I give this game a 10 you may think that I'm a fanboy and this game is overrated.. No!

    Square Enix did a great job, FFXIV:ARR is just beyond what I have expected.

    First of all, the graphics, many reviewrs said that the graphics are great and it doesn't kill your system... well yes this is absolutely true and simply the best graphics for an MMO so far. Its so smooth and light, back in 1.0 I had troubles running the game at max graphic options, now I'm running the game Max and Its so smooth and fast. what else graphic effects the best I've seen so far, the effects are magical, you would really enjoy them. I give graphics 10

    Gameplay there are A LOT of things to do to keep you busy with this game, like TONS of quests, levequests, hunting logs, FATE, guildhests and many more.. the combat system is good, although it uses the Global Cooldown system and its my first time trying this system, I find it OK.

    There are many dungeons to do and every dungeons needs a different strategy! its engaging and you will need to put more focus into it. I can keep on talking about how amazing this game is but I won't finish.

    The only problem the game is facing now is the login and server issues, and these issues are bound to happen, SE just announced that they will increase the capacities of NA and EU servers. Its all a matter of time until these issues are fixed, so I really can't judge the game based on these issues, I'm here for the game.

    I surely guarantee that you will enjoy this game, and you won't find a better community in any other game like FFXIV:ARR

    Please forgive my english though     … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PC Game of 2013
19
#19 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
31
#31 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 32
  3. Negative: 0 out of 32
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Dec 28, 2013
    80
    Full of enough adventure, daring-do and chocobos to make any MMO fan happy. [Jan 2014, p.72]
  2. Gaming Nexus
    Nov 13, 2013
    85
    A Realm Reborn is such a substantial change from the original game that it merits a second look if you hated the first release. So much has changed for the better, and it has resulted in one of the most polished MMORPGs out there today.
    Read full review
  3. PCGamesN
    Nov 6, 2013
    80
    The completionist in me is nearly overwhelmed with the sheer amount of things to do in A Realm Reborn. Square Enix really do deserve praise for not only fixing the issues of the original game, but far exceeding their goal.
    Read full review
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