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. Ived
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    Different classes give dynamic play-styles.
    Mixing abilities from other classes allows for interesting builds.
    Combat gameplay is enjoyably fast and action based.
  2. perfectm
    Sep 10, 2013
    10
    Really surprised at how much I am enjoying this game. The leaving and story of the game are on par with the best of SWTOR, but the crafting and gathering system is so much better than any MMO I have ever played. On top of everything, the graphics and sound/music are A1
  3. Masekase
    Sep 14, 2013
    10
    Fantastic game few hiccups at the start with servers. I am on Japanese server and we have had same problems same as other servers but they are in the past now. I played in beta and 1.0 this game has come a long way. Cancelled my FFXI game after 10 years as this game offers everything I need in a game.
  4. TsukasaHiiragi
    Jan 2, 2016
    5
    After playing FFXIV beta and deciding it was a train wreck, I never played the game up until getting a 30 day account via humble bundle and I've been playing constantly each day enough to warrant a fair review, as with most MMOs your always going to get fanboy reviews with 9 or 10s, and you're going to get haters with 0s which this game doesn't deserve both, FFXIV is a solid 5 because itsAfter playing FFXIV beta and deciding it was a train wreck, I never played the game up until getting a 30 day account via humble bundle and I've been playing constantly each day enough to warrant a fair review, as with most MMOs your always going to get fanboy reviews with 9 or 10s, and you're going to get haters with 0s which this game doesn't deserve both, FFXIV is a solid 5 because its just average, sure it does several things right, but also does several things wrong. FFXIV still suffers from the Ver 1.0 trainwreck but has at least headed in the right direction since then, but still there is a large room for improvement.

    Some of the greatest issues are mostly for new players such as making gil, its very difficult for new players to make any descent money since most of the original methods for making money are either over farmed, or dead resources that no one really uses anymore, and with veteran players having countless millions of gil, its created a massive rift in the game, with certain features such as housing clearly showing these problems - having to pay upwards of 4 million+ for a basic house, and perhaps as high as 70 million for a large house is obnoxious, it more or less prevents new players from ever owning a house, garden and all that fun stuff.

    Another problem is with questing, simply put - there isn't enough quests, with the primary source of levelling with grinding fates and repeating dungeons which honestly, does get boring quite fast - then times this via the amount of jobs you want to level and you get a really grindy game with honestly, little in the way of content to show for it. The saving grace is that at least when you unlock an advanced job, at least that doesn't start at level 1 at least - crafting and gathering are also both quite grindy and boring, especially at higher levels when you start to need cross job materials so your either forced to buy from other players, and lets face it - alot of these items are not going to be cheap in a player driven economy, or forced to grind it out yourself - which again, adds to more grindfest - veteran players though will probably tell you that ultimately this is one of the few ways you can make large amounts of money later in the game, assuming you can stick with the game long enough.

    Questing and combat does have issues as well, with casters suffering from a 2.5 second timer on all offensive spells, plus a global cool down which honestly, feels like the combat is slightly on the slower side compared to melee fighters who have no cast times on skills. The cool downs for magic users feels a tad excessive to be really honest, especially during fates when 2.5 seconds is actually a really long time when casting a spell at a target just for a few melee players to decimate the mob you was targetting in less time.

    Another issue is with the fact that some of the quests I would say haven't been properly balanced, some quests are either stupidly easy or stupidly difficult - these are almost always story quests which have balance issues. Also, there isn't any banks, there is a retainer which is kinder like a bank but you don't unlock that until later in the game so for new players. Zone design ranges from great to poor, many zones at least are well designed but personally I never liked the Gridania zones, they feel too cramped and far too many aggro monsters compared to other areas and finally, lag is also a major problem in FFXIV, lag spikes are deadly for squishy characters.

    Overall, the game can be fun to play at times if you can stand the monotony of the typical Japanese (excessive) grind, there are many more issues with the game that I could easily mention too but there are also positive points about FFXIV, so I would say that this really is a game that isn't for everyone, but since you can get a free 14 day trial, this could be a game you'll totally enjoy, or hate but at least with the trial, your not losing anything.    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. x_ares_x
    Jul 22, 2014
    5
    FFXIV is an amazing feat - Square Enix did the unthinkable; they resurrected a previously doomed video game. With that being said, the resurrection leaves players like me wanting more. Before I get any "WoW fanboy!" responses, I *have* played World of Warcraft, but I've also played Final Fantasy 11, Guild Wars 1 & 2, Rift, Star Wars the Old Republic and many, many more MMORPGs. To say I'mFFXIV is an amazing feat - Square Enix did the unthinkable; they resurrected a previously doomed video game. With that being said, the resurrection leaves players like me wanting more. Before I get any "WoW fanboy!" responses, I *have* played World of Warcraft, but I've also played Final Fantasy 11, Guild Wars 1 & 2, Rift, Star Wars the Old Republic and many, many more MMORPGs. To say I'm a fan of one is to say that for one reason or another, I'm a fan of them all.

    What FFXIV isn't is a terrible game. It's not a bad game, it just has few qualities which make it stand out from the crowd and justify the monthly subscription.

    Pros would be obviously the graphics - the game's simply stunning to look at. The sound is great, music is great. A plentiful amount of pets and mounts. The game is pretty decent to play. FFXIV has a really good story and the community for the most part is somewhat friendly. It's nice to be able to move from one class to another just by swapping out your weapons.

    The darker side, or cons of this game however would be that with weapon and class swapping comes fewer spaces in inventory and fewer quests. Inventory stays the same no matter how high your level and there is, at this time no way to increase it unless you hire retainers - you get two of those at the most, after their inventory is full, you're out of luck. Main quests are limited in number which leaves the player seeking out something called Leves. Levels too are limited by how many you can do, depending on how many you have "saved up". You have credits which act as Leve currency, which will cot you 1 credit per Leve taken on, regardless of whether you're successful or not. Dungeons are mediocre at best, for the most part. As with most MMOs, if you're not a tank or a healer, get ready to wait in queue for a while, if you can figure out how to access the queue system - or as far as that goes, how to use the Glamour (read transmogrification) system, or even how to make or even use Materia. Unlike other MMORPGs, Square makes everything into a quest - do you want to make your armor stronger? You need to obtain Materia. How do you obtain Materia? Wait until 18 and quest the ability to change old gear into Materia - ah, but again, it's not that easy; no, again, you have to wait until your "spirit bond" with that piece of gear is at 100%, which might take a while, depending on how often you're in battle. However, let's say you finally completed the quest and have obtained some Materia, now to slot it - but how? That's right, another quest. However, even after you've successfully done these two quests and you have Materia and you're all set to slot it.... you get hit with the information that you can't slot it because the piece of gear you're wearing is for your current level which is 30, but your craft for that respective piece of gear is only at level 10. Let me clarifiy; if you plan on slotting Materia, you better keep your crafts (yes, CRAFTS) on par with your current class's level. You will also need more than one craft leveled as well, if you want to cover all of your gear. If you want to place Materia into your main gear if you're a plate-wearing tank, that will mean you will have to level Armorer for your armor, Blacksmith for your weapon/shield and Goldsmithing for your accessories at minimal. At the rate one craft depends on another for materials, you better be ready to level them all or shell out whatever the other crafters want for those much needed leather materials you will ultimately need. Raids are uninspiring and boring. The 2.5 second global cooldown encompasses almost every move, even stuns, which leaves one apprehensive at times on using abilities because the boss at any second could use a special move which needs to be stunned and ultimately isn't stunned because the tank's abilities are on cooldown - and so the group is wiped.
    The public quest system known as FATEs is another thing that is rather bothersome. When you join a FATE, you have to willingly, temporarily level down via Level Sync. However, your abilities do not scale with your level, they just become unavailable if they're higher than your current level. Have a new favorite ability you got at 35? If you're in a level 12 FATE and you're synced, better get ready for it to be temporarily disabled. These are not all of the flaws I see in this game, just the ones which bother me the most.

    Despite what I have posted here, I don't find the game terrible, I just feel that some of the systems and ideas in the game are not as user friendly as they could be. Aside from that, this game does nothing different than any other MMORPG hasn't done before it, it just doesn't seem to be able to do it as well. Can I recommend it? I'm sorry, I can't - not when there are far more user-friendly MMORPGs out there which have been around for so much longer and therefore have so much more content. Give this one a year and check back then - the game may have gotten better.    … Expand
  8. 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
  9. vandana
    Sep 17, 2013
    10
    Not being a huge fan of Final Fantasy, I came to the world of Eorzea without huge expectations. More from curiosity and boredom with other MMOs then anything. All I expected was another generic MMO, which is doomed to go free-to-play in 6 months. God, was I wrong! Final Fantasy is a great piece of craftsmanship and a result of blending together of features invented over the years ofNot being a huge fan of Final Fantasy, I came to the world of Eorzea without huge expectations. More from curiosity and boredom with other MMOs then anything. All I expected was another generic MMO, which is doomed to go free-to-play in 6 months. God, was I wrong! Final Fantasy is a great piece of craftsmanship and a result of blending together of features invented over the years of development of modern MMOs. That has been done in a way that actually works, and all the pieces together make this game incredibly fun to play. With plenty of content added to the equation, this actually puts FF14 as a frontrunner in MMO world, quite unexpectedly. The positive effect is of course amplified by the fact that version 1.0 sucked, however that doesn't matter to a player like me, who never played 1.0 (that being said, I very much applaud the courage to go ahead with the reboot, which is an example to the whole industry how to deal with failure, and give justice to legendary franchises) But I judge this game on its own merit, without any reference to its predecessor. And the judgment can be only one: this is the best MMO that I can remember, and one that is full of hope that it won't actually go f2p/maintenance mode anytime soon, because of how good the engine is, how it gives the game a base on which it can add to its already stunning amount of content. i can see myself playing this game for years to come, and seeing how cleverly designed it is, I am certain that the game is managed by people who know what they are doing and has bright future ahead of it. Square Enix just acquired a loyal customer, and I doubt they will do anything to loose him. My score is 8/10, however to offset the 0 scores given for issues that no longer exist I give 0.

    P.S. People who come to Metacritic on day 1, and give a game a 0, because of login issues, should rethink their lives. There was an MMO that had 120 servers at launch, look where it is now.    … Expand
  10. Artanisx
    Aug 31, 2013
    10
    This game is really really good. I played the 1.0 version of the game, a grand total of 30 minutes (Open Beta) before uninstalling it. It was HORRIBLE.
    But A Realm Reborn is really another game. It's fun, it's complete, it's full of features, the class system is fantastic, the gathering and crafting is similar to Star Wars Galaxies (the best Crafting system ever made), the music is    This game is really really good. I played the 1.0 version of the game, a grand total of 30 minutes (Open Beta) before uninstalling it. It was HORRIBLE.
    But A Realm Reborn is really another game. It's fun, it's complete, it's full of features, the class system is fantastic, the gathering and crafting is similar to Star Wars Galaxies (the best Crafting system ever made), the music is outstanding, the graphics are great.
    I'm just having tons of fun, and while the endgame has yet to be tested (I'm level 29 with my highest class, though I have over 150 levels if I sum all my classes), for the moment I'd say this is a gem and while it has a couple of flaws, those are not severe and don't reduce the experience in any tangible way.    … Expand
  11. Ezekius
    Aug 30, 2013
    10
    The change from 1.0 to 2.0 is unbelievable. The game is just great now, it's smooth and runs fantastic. Combat is actually fun, quests are actually fun, guildleves and dungeons are actually fun. I just can't believe how much of a difference has been made to the game. It's fantastic.
  12. Quatra
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This game is not a 10, more of a solid 8! Ten is to counter all the unnecessary 0's. Square Enix did the right thing and corrected the horrendous launch of the incomplete original FFXIV. Character development, Class and Job system, world, and environment is magical. If I had to describe it in other MMO terms, I would say it incorporates the best parts of WoW, such as dungeon finder,This game is not a 10, more of a solid 8! Ten is to counter all the unnecessary 0's. Square Enix did the right thing and corrected the horrendous launch of the incomplete original FFXIV. Character development, Class and Job system, world, and environment is magical. If I had to describe it in other MMO terms, I would say it incorporates the best parts of WoW, such as dungeon finder, need,pass,and greed on items, as well as much quicker travelling. FFXI elements show themselves in lore, world, class, and job areas. Definately a solid MMO, and all the haters, are hating mostly for normal launch problems. Personally I haven't had a problem getting on or playing. I wish people would not rate a game they can't play because of an error, many of which are localized to their system.… Expand
  13. NyanReaper
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This game is a huge difference and improvement compared to the initial FFXIV. The graphics are gorgeous, just looking at the environment makes me wanna play more and more. The combat system and Jobs/Classes are good too, especially when crafting. The addition of FATE system is fun to play. I didn't expect the game to be this good. Instead of giving scores of 0,1, 2 just because of theThis game is a huge difference and improvement compared to the initial FFXIV. The graphics are gorgeous, just looking at the environment makes me wanna play more and more. The combat system and Jobs/Classes are good too, especially when crafting. The addition of FATE system is fun to play. I didn't expect the game to be this good. Instead of giving scores of 0,1, 2 just because of the server issues and character restrictions and stuffs(we should expect this to happen), I'd say be patient and enjoy the game, those will be solved sooner, I'm sure they won't be just sitting idly and do nothing.… Expand
  14. Immaprinnydood
    Aug 29, 2013
    10
    The game does everything right that an MMO, should do right, it's quests are fun and creative, the story is epic, and makes you feel like a hero, it has tons of things to do, so you can play for a really long time and never get bored. Yoshi and his team really put their heart into this game, and it shows.
  15. Zwente
    Aug 29, 2013
    10
    This isn't the best game ever made. But for an MMO it is almost perfectly created! You can tell that they learned from the mistakes in the first version of the game. Story is great, I actually feel like I have walked into the Final Fantasy world. The graphics are impressive and the battling system is much better than most MMOs. One of my favorite features is the great compatibility for aThis isn't the best game ever made. But for an MMO it is almost perfectly created! You can tell that they learned from the mistakes in the first version of the game. Story is great, I actually feel like I have walked into the Final Fantasy world. The graphics are impressive and the battling system is much better than most MMOs. One of my favorite features is the great compatibility for a game pad on PC. Overall, probably one of the best MMOs i have played!… Expand
  16. seasode
    Aug 30, 2013
    10
    This game is great. My only issue is that its a lot easier then old school MMOs. Ever since wow, every MMO feels too easy. Once they fix the server issues everything will be fine. Every online game has its server issues at launch. People need to get over it and stop acting like this is something new.
  17. Alerith
    Sep 2, 2013
    10
    Square-Enix seems to have won its gamble with Final Fantasy XIV's re-release. Coming strong out of version 1.0 with the '7th Umbral Era Event' storyline, Yoshida's development team seems to have hit the ground running.

    A Realm Reborn, formerly known as XIV 2.0, has become the game XIV was always meant to be. The world, the music, the storyline...ohhh the storyline.... Everything has    Square-Enix seems to have won its gamble with Final Fantasy XIV's re-release. Coming strong out of version 1.0 with the '7th Umbral Era Event' storyline, Yoshida's development team seems to have hit the ground running.

    A Realm Reborn, formerly known as XIV 2.0, has become the game XIV was always meant to be. The world, the music, the storyline...ohhh the storyline.... Everything has been reworked for the re-launch and the amount of change done to this game in such a short time-frame is nothing short of miraculous.

    Setting:
    Set in the world of Hydaelyn, on the continent of Eorzea, the game boasts beautiful and diverse zones for players to explore and adventure in. Gone is the copy-paste of 1.0's repetitive terrain and each zone now contains different elements making them unique from one another and giving a true sense of diversity. The greatest area to benefit from this change is probably The Black Shroud. Once nothing more than a maze of tunnels with trees out of reach, the zone has become a true forest area for the players of Gridania.

    Gameplay:
    Leaving 1.23+ in the original game, one could already tell that solid systems were being put into place. ARR expands upon these systems and what we end up with is a solid combat system, an enhnaced crafting/gathering system and an overall enjoyable experience. The start of the game feels a bit spammy, as you only have a few combat abilities that are supposed to be used, but the diversity in your skill set increases as you level up, rounding out very nicely by the end. The Limit Break system, while not very diverse, functions as it should and acts as a great method of strategy and as an "Ah hell..." button. While there isn't anything very innovative about the system, new and veteran MMO players alike will find the systems functional and enjoyable.

    Music:
    What can be said here that hasn't been said before? Square Enix has some of the most amazing composers in the industry on staff and it shines through in nearly all their games. ARR is no exception. The soundtracks are rich, diverse and the themes fitting with every scenario they are placed in. Just about anyone who plays can go on for hours about the quality of the music in the game, and the mood the themes set go perfectly with the depth of the story.

    Story:
    Ah the story. In true Square Enix fashion, the story turns into something phenomenal. It starts off rather slow, and I believe this is what Yoshida meant when he said he was making the game accessible to players who are new to MMOs. Once you reach a certain point, however, the story takes off into something that can only be described as magnificent. Without giving away too much, you'll see some familiar Final Fantasy enemies and a final boss worthy of the franchise title.

    All in all, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is a fantastic game and a credit to the company. It's proof that hard work can, and will, pay off and that even a sinking ship can be salvaged.

    *Note: Server issues are not taken into consideration as these temporary issues do not affect the overall game itself and a scheduled server patch is to take place 04/SEP/2013.    … Expand
  18. donuts842
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    I know it had been said about a thousand times already, but this game is a million times better than the first. Better graphics, UI, framerate. I played the original about 2 days and had to stop. This one I can't put down.
  19. Aquilla
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    The negative reviews about server outages have been written literally 24 HOURS after release. It's obvious that some people are seriously damn impatient.
    As to the game: It's AMAZING. the graphics are great. the story is engaging, immersive, and hands-down the best story offered in a MMO recently. The gameplay is miles away from 1.0. The dungeons are well-designed, the bosses interesting,    The negative reviews about server outages have been written literally 24 HOURS after release. It's obvious that some people are seriously damn impatient.
    As to the game: It's AMAZING. the graphics are great. the story is engaging, immersive, and hands-down the best story offered in a MMO recently. The gameplay is miles away from 1.0. The dungeons are well-designed, the bosses interesting, and the difficulty curve expertly designed it starts out easy enough, but gets hard. I can imagine no better MMO to spend money on.    … Expand
  20. Boonah
    Aug 29, 2013
    6
    I've never played a final fantasy game before so I'm reviewing this as just an MMO like any other.

    It feels very slow, there are insanely long gcds on abilities. Ive been playing for several hours as a conjurer and have two damage abilities. im level 13. Im dotting a target then spamming one key over and over ad infinitum. It gets old very fast. Quests are very dull and repetitive.    I've never played a final fantasy game before so I'm reviewing this as just an MMO like any other.

    It feels very slow, there are insanely long gcds on abilities. Ive been playing for several hours as a conjurer and have two damage abilities. im level 13. Im dotting a target then spamming one key over and over ad infinitum. It gets old very fast.

    Quests are very dull and repetitive. Kill X. Fetch Y.

    The map is awful and useless. Navigation proves very challenging.

    All in all, if htis was 2005 id give it a 10. But its 2013. So its a 6. Its just more of the same old same old im afraid.    … Expand
  21. joshb120
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This game is great. The story line is amazing, the combat is much more polished then version 1.0, and its a heck of a lot funner to play. Try it out! Dont listen to all the haters about the login issues and errors. These will be resolved and these people will have nothing to complain about.
  22. Reira
    Sep 4, 2013
    4
    Starts out as fun as any MMORPG but quickly deteriorates due to lack of any substantial content. It becomes a grind no matter how you play it. It is worth mentioning that the customer service is extremely bad. However, being in Japan and working for Japanese companies has showed me that what passes as bad in many countries is actually "normal" in Japan. Don't expect things to changeStarts out as fun as any MMORPG but quickly deteriorates due to lack of any substantial content. It becomes a grind no matter how you play it. It is worth mentioning that the customer service is extremely bad. However, being in Japan and working for Japanese companies has showed me that what passes as bad in many countries is actually "normal" in Japan. Don't expect things to change much as the Japanese players aren't as likely to complain about this as players from other countries are.… Expand
  23. mikemilz
    Sep 20, 2013
    1
    I don't understand how anyone with a PC can enjoy this game. The game play is mind numbingly slow. The quests are mundane and boring. The graphics are less than spectacular. As a new pay to play MMO it's dated in almost every way. It offers nothing that wasn't offered 5 years ago in this genre. I'm a huge MMO fan and I can usually get at least a month of play out of newly released MMOs.I don't understand how anyone with a PC can enjoy this game. The game play is mind numbingly slow. The quests are mundane and boring. The graphics are less than spectacular. As a new pay to play MMO it's dated in almost every way. It offers nothing that wasn't offered 5 years ago in this genre. I'm a huge MMO fan and I can usually get at least a month of play out of newly released MMOs. This one just makes me want to take a nap every time I've played it. There's nothing even remotely addictive about this game.… Expand
  24. Masterhummel
    Aug 27, 2013
    6
    I've played the game back in 2010. Not for long tough, it simply had too much issues. I looked forward to the relaunch, especially since i've had some crystas still stored. However, it runs smooth except for the login issues. For me, the problem is that i don't know what they've done in this almost three years except polishing. The game still feels like the original from 2010 and let's beI've played the game back in 2010. Not for long tough, it simply had too much issues. I looked forward to the relaunch, especially since i've had some crystas still stored. However, it runs smooth except for the login issues. For me, the problem is that i don't know what they've done in this almost three years except polishing. The game still feels like the original from 2010 and let's be honest, it wasnt already very innovative back then. It pretty much plays like all the mmos from the 10s. There may be people who really like that, i however find it rather boring. Compared to newer mmos like Guild Wars 2 or even Rift, it can't convince me. The overall design in gameplay, storytelling and art style is just too worn-out and dull.… Expand
  25. Winterlight212
    Nov 13, 2014
    7
    I initially gave this game a very good review, and I regret jumping the gun. New Review having played for a few months now: 1) Slowest combat of any MMO I have ever played (2.5 second global cooldown, compare that to WoW's 0.5 second global cooldown; now imagine drinking tea between spells). 2) As a result of extremely slow combat pace, there is no complexity or diverse rotation, there isI initially gave this game a very good review, and I regret jumping the gun. New Review having played for a few months now: 1) Slowest combat of any MMO I have ever played (2.5 second global cooldown, compare that to WoW's 0.5 second global cooldown; now imagine drinking tea between spells). 2) As a result of extremely slow combat pace, there is no complexity or diverse rotation, there is no complexity in dungeons or boss mechanics, because the pace of combat is so slow you would have enough time to anticipate nearly anything that comes your way.

    3) No public chat channels, and no standard intuitive chat interface, in fact you can't even set reply as the R key, it must be set with CTRL or ALT, really? As far as no public chat channels I mean no "General" or "Zone" or "Map" or "Trade" sort of chat channels as you may see in other games. You can create a private channel, though you have to go all the way to an NPC, read through some text, and can't even name it what you want because they are apparently anti-everything (i.e. very controlling), and won't let you use most words to name your private chat channel.

    4) The actual gameplay, aside from the extremely slow combat, just feels like an outdated Final Fantasy game that tries to be dramatic, and ends up being redundant. What I mean is they try to impress you with flashy spell/sound effects, and music, but then the actual gameplay is so redundant that you are just wandering aimlessly to try and repetitively grind the same quests over and over (literally, you repeat the same quests over and over, not even joking there, it is the exact same set of quests, with the exact same name, and the exact same objectives).

    5) Dungeons are very straightforward, in fact so straightforward that I would say there's absolutely no challenge whatsoever, which goes hand in hand with the slow combat limiting the complexity of ANYTHING in the game at all, but again no surprise here. As far as how the dungeons look, I was not impressed, they were all largely just going through "tunnels" of some sort or variation, and killing pretty much the same set of 5 different monsters up until the boss fights, which also were pretty redundant as well.

    6) Again with redundancy: Everyone looks the exact same. Why? Because there's pretty much only a few templates for gear of each type, which is why most people end up looking the exact same.

    7) Healing is a complete utter joke. I cannot emphasize this enough, as it is truly tragic, because I absolutely love healing. Zero complexity here, and again I think a big reason for that is the pace of combat, which means there is no need for a diverse range of options for healers, which is why it ends up being redundant as well.

    8) As many other players have noted: Zones feel extremely small, and I agree.

    9) Extending on the previous point: The FFXIV world is not an open world, it is divided up into many different instanced type zones. What does that mean? It means that if you go to a new zone, you will see a loading screen when entering that zone, because the world is not interconnected. Even more interesting is that even just within the same city there are multiple instanced zones, which is laughable to say the least, because it makes the city feel even smaller.

    In conclusion: Too small, too slow, too repetitive, and the game director is now talking about implementing "marriage," which is fine, but then he went on to say that it would exclude gays. Really? I mean come on, even Electronic Arts has plenty of gay relationships in their games, who cares if two male or two female characters want to get married? Are the Tea "Patriots" and Ugandans and all the radical ignorant populace of the world going to teleport in and suddenly crash the servers every time two male or two female characters get married in some undisclosed location? No. Does it destroy straight relationships who will have no idea that gay marrying is going on somewhere far, far away in some undisclosed location? No, because they won't even know, because it's not their business, and it's not announced, so they would not know, yet they feel the need to control what everyone does and thinks, which is ironic coming from these "Patriots" claiming to be "Pro-Freedom," really now... the ignorance is astounding. If Yoshida didn't want this to be an issue, he shouldn't have implemented marriage in the first place, at all, period. As for the rest of the game: Garbage. If you like garbage, you might like this game, I say might because garbage flavor can vary, you might not like this particular flavor of garbage.    … Expand
  26. 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
  27. Akabaneist
    Aug 28, 2013
    9
    Looking back to when the first version was released the game has truly been improved on all aspects imaginable. Before I start however, I want to point out I'm a huge fan of the SP FF series and the massive lore that comes with it.

    The new and shiny version of the game offers full support to everything you do and explains things as you advance through the colorful storyline, and when I    Looking back to when the first version was released the game has truly been improved on all aspects imaginable. Before I start however, I want to point out I'm a huge fan of the SP FF series and the massive lore that comes with it.

    The new and shiny version of the game offers full support to everything you do and explains things as you advance through the colorful storyline, and when I say everything I do mean EVERYTHING.
    One of the best things in my opinion is the fact that you never run out of things to do. You might be working on your skills in leatherworking and moments later find yourself chasing after a particular monster to grow your overall bank of slain enemy types. After felling your quarry you notice a group of players escorting a valuable asset to a specified location nearby and decide to join them in order to earn some extra cash and EXP.

    What really makes this game unique though is the option to make one character a real multitalent. You can train every single class and craft simply by joining the corresponding guild and after a LOT of hard work, master it. In addition, you can switch your current class at any time simply by switching your main weapon.

    Every single aspect of the game has been improved from the time of it's predecessor. The one point deduction from the total score I gave was only because of my own frustration after experiencing long login queues and even that is a problem that will surely be fixed after the server capacity is raised. I can only recommend the game to every mmorpg fan and suggest that you enter the world of Eorzea to discover the things it has to offer yourselves. Have fun!

    Although I would love to list everything that makes this game special right here I'm afraid the list would be too long for anyone to read through.    … Expand
  28. Xareswe
    Sep 2, 2013
    0
    I'm so let down by all the errors, server issues, log in issues and much much more. This is a subscription based game and they haven't even made any progress since launch to fix it all. I'm not supporting them anymore, This is not a way to treat players! Even F2P games fix these issues faster than them. It's embarrassing SE... Shape up!
  29. Jeimaiku
    Aug 27, 2013
    10
    A phenomenal game. This is the kind of MMO that MMO players have been waiting for, for a very long time. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's a gorgeous game with a well made engine. It's so good that people are clamoring by the thousands to play.

    There have been server issues (which is common among every MMO launch), but it's anticipated they'll be resolved in a week and then there    A phenomenal game. This is the kind of MMO that MMO players have been waiting for, for a very long time. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's a gorgeous game with a well made engine. It's so good that people are clamoring by the thousands to play.

    There have been server issues (which is common among every MMO launch), but it's anticipated they'll be resolved in a week and then there will be literally nothing that would make this game less than a 10.    … Expand
  30. hardjack
    Aug 29, 2013
    0
    First of all I love FF (specially FF VI).
    I wish I could love this game, I really wanted to, but FFXIV:ARR is far from being the perfect MMO.
    Many people will downvote my review as they're doing to all the negatives. But before buying this game take some time to read all the negative reviews, they don't lie! Pros: - Nice graphics - Decent character customization (not perfect though,    First of all I love FF (specially FF VI).
    I wish I could love this game, I really wanted to, but FFXIV:ARR is far from being the perfect MMO.
    Many people will downvote my review as they're doing to all the negatives. But before buying this game take some time to read all the negative reviews, they don't lie!

    Pros:
    - Nice graphics
    - Decent character customization (not perfect though, we only have 4 faces for each race)
    - Yay! it's Final Fantasy!
    - You can have more than 1 class in the same toon.

    Cons:
    - Voiceless and very long cutscenes (some can be skipped though)
    - Dull quests: a) Click on a NPC, read the wall of text, then b) find the other npc and read another wall of text (sometimes hand him some items, one by one...zzz...) or c) kill x mobs/fetch x props and d) turn in your quest to quest-giver NPC); Quests are not interesting and I didn't find any motivation to finish them.
    - Boring combat: It's just button-mashing and the global cooldown is huge which turns out a very slow combat;
    - Story is flat and not motivating;
    - Mapping system is frustrating and unfriendly. There's an Aethernet system to teleport to different locations, though it's not map based: you'll have to learn by heart all the destination names. Mini-map is useless as it doesn't help at all and the icons on maps have not hovering texts. It's like you have to spend quite a time in order to learn all the names and locations very well if you don't want to get lost (which is quite easy if you're just starting).

    All in all, FFXIV:ARR is an outdated system with nice and fresh graphics with not too much Final Fantasy on it you won't find those moving stories we are used to see in the series. It's an MMO made to be also played on a console that's why some game design options can look bad on a PC. But, if you're new to MMOs or you just played some bad quality ones, perhaps FFXIV:ARR can be a good game for you. I'd prefer worse graphics with a better gameplay and story, and a more friendly mapping system/UI.    … Expand
  31. crypticbutton
    Aug 30, 2013
    9
    Now that the majority of the kinks are fixed, it is a really enjoyable game. There is plenty to do and the and I can not see running out of things to do for a while. If you are a fan of the Final Fantasy series or just curious, buy the game play it for 30 days the decide. The story feels like a number FF game and wont disappoint.
  32. Tacobadgers
    Aug 28, 2013
    3
    I love this game, however Square Enix has handicapped all of the youtubers who were helping me learn how to play and be good at it. They removed the ability for youtubers to make video's about this game ruining all the work that these people put in to help new players. I'm Sorry Mr. Happy that is terrible and an awful thing for them to do. I'm sorry that all the work you put in and plannedI love this game, however Square Enix has handicapped all of the youtubers who were helping me learn how to play and be good at it. They removed the ability for youtubers to make video's about this game ruining all the work that these people put in to help new players. I'm Sorry Mr. Happy that is terrible and an awful thing for them to do. I'm sorry that all the work you put in and planned to put in and the hours upon hours upon hours of time that you spent learning how this game works in order to make great tutorial videos and make a little bit of money off youtube as compensation was all ruined by this horrible company that loves to screw people over. (see any final fantasy on ios as proof of their evilness 15 dollars for a nes era game on ios get real Sqeenix you suck get with the times you cox suckers)… Expand
  33. 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
  34. Raiden94
    Sep 8, 2013
    4
    Cons:
    -Terrible servers that still haven't been fixed.
    -Annoying and unnecessarily long subscription process. Add to that the fact that nothing is clear and Square Enix does a terrible job at making you understand what you're doing. -Once you're done with the subscription, you'll be lucky to find a server that actually works. Good luck with that. -First 10 or so hours of the game are    Cons:
    -Terrible servers that still haven't been fixed.
    -Annoying and unnecessarily long subscription process. Add to that the fact that nothing is clear and Square Enix does a terrible job at making you understand what you're doing.
    -Once you're done with the subscription, you'll be lucky to find a server that actually works. Good luck with that.
    -First 10 or so hours of the game are terribly boring and do a bad job at hooking you up. You'll spend most of your time asking yourself "What the hell is going on? Why do i have to do this and do that?"
    -Once you're past those annoying and linear quests, the world will open up. The world is really nothing special. I've played better, bigger and more immersive mmos. This is really nothing special.
    -Countless times you will be disconnected from the server for no reason whatsoever.
    -The quests are largely the same repetetive objectives.
    -13 dollars a month for what? A few patches and stability? Games like GW2 do a FAR better job than FF XIV ARR at maintaining stability and keeping things fresh and they require no additional payment at all.

    Pros:
    -One of the best looking mmos up to this date. The game is very powerful in terms of graphics.
    -The world is Final Fantasy. You'll find something to like if you're a FF fan.
    -The gameplay is good to some extent, even though it's extremely slow and boring.
    -The job system offers enough uniqueness.

    Verdict:
    -This is really nothing special. Granted, it is leagues better than the fail that was FF XIV in 2010. But is that really a reason to buy it? Most people here seem to give it good scores simply because "it is better than FF XIV 2010". But in general, when you compare it to other mmos, it falls in the mediocre and downright bad department.
    That's what A Realm Reborn is. It is a bad mmo that's better than XIV. Which, on the grand scale, is pathetic.    … Expand
  35. McGamor
    Aug 30, 2013
    3
    There are many reasons why I enjoy the new FFXIV. The detail of the environments and animations are much better than any current MMO. FFXIV will have fully customizable housing, combat is addictive and solid, the multi-classing system is actually done right unlike 'The Secret World', and most importantly the story line and cutscenes are amazing.

    Not to mention there are tons of RP    There are many reasons why I enjoy the new FFXIV. The detail of the environments and animations are much better than any current MMO. FFXIV will have fully customizable housing, combat is addictive and solid, the multi-classing system is actually done right unlike 'The Secret World', and most importantly the story line and cutscenes are amazing.

    Not to mention there are tons of RP supported features like lots of emotes and being able to sit on furniture and even on benches and edges of items like a crate for example. The only problems FFXIV had during early access was the servers were so crowded. The game itself is stable and awesome. Those who complain about 3102 and 1017 need to take a course on networking sometime before making false assumptions.    … Expand
  36. freiherrchulain
    Aug 30, 2013
    2
    The game is decently fun. Not the most fun I've played recently, nothing really ground breaking. The downside is; it's plagued by technical issues to which the games support team is non respondent. Would I recommend buying it and playing it? I'd have to answer: only if you are a masochist. This game is a resounding SKIP.
  37. Mmmmph
    Aug 30, 2016
    0
    This game is an account management nightmare. Don't even bother.

    I decided to try this game as a trial account, then the race I wanted to play was locked behind an expansion. So I went and bought the full game and the expansion. Now I can't upgrade my account, I contacted support and they're telling me to either delete the game off my account(yes you heard me right) which I can't do, or    This game is an account management nightmare. Don't even bother.

    I decided to try this game as a trial account, then the race I wanted to play was locked behind an expansion. So I went and bought the full game and the expansion. Now I can't upgrade my account, I contacted support and they're telling me to either delete the game off my account(yes you heard me right) which I can't do, or create an entirely NEW account.
    That's right folks that's how utterly backwards their trial accounts are, not even contacting support will allow me to upgrade my account.    … Expand
  38. Whiskey78
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    This game is simply better than anything released recently. Combat isn't slow like I thought it might be, graphics are top notch, dungeons are great, and end game looks promising. The game is worth playing! And just a FYI the majority of negative comments so far pertains to not being able to log in consistently due to server over load. They have announced they are increasing the capacityThis game is simply better than anything released recently. Combat isn't slow like I thought it might be, graphics are top notch, dungeons are great, and end game looks promising. The game is worth playing! And just a FYI the majority of negative comments so far pertains to not being able to log in consistently due to server over load. They have announced they are increasing the capacity within the next week to fix this.… Expand
  39. sirojasb
    Aug 29, 2013
    10
    it´s shiny, fresh and a traditional MMORPG at the same time, even at it´s early stage it´s recomendable to play, it´s years away from the previous failure version launched at 2010, even when the only entries xi and xiv),that are not traditional JRPG, like the other entries on the series making a diferent appeal and a diferent game experience, that make dislike to traditional fans of theit´s shiny, fresh and a traditional MMORPG at the same time, even at it´s early stage it´s recomendable to play, it´s years away from the previous failure version launched at 2010, even when the only entries xi and xiv),that are not traditional JRPG, like the other entries on the series making a diferent appeal and a diferent game experience, that make dislike to traditional fans of the series… Expand
  40. Hyde006
    Aug 28, 2013
    8
    Great game once you can actually logged into it (I can't give it a bad review just based on servers issues). The team did an awesome job revamping the entire game.
  41. Rivvr
    Sep 2, 2013
    10
    This game is great for what it is and for what it sets out do. Beyond that it is a very immersive and engaging fantasy world that Square Enix has created. After playing every MMO released since EQ and playing WoW for 6 years, this is the first game in a long time that has me excited for the long term. The combat isn't ground breaking but playing with the controller is excellent. TheThis game is great for what it is and for what it sets out do. Beyond that it is a very immersive and engaging fantasy world that Square Enix has created. After playing every MMO released since EQ and playing WoW for 6 years, this is the first game in a long time that has me excited for the long term. The combat isn't ground breaking but playing with the controller is excellent. The cross-bar system that have implemented is simply brilliant. You truly feel drawn to this world and I look forward to obliging it in the months to come.… Expand
  42. Yowser
    Sep 7, 2013
    9
    Fantastic graphics set in a Beautiful world. Very story driven. The Longer than usual GCD leads to a more tactical playstyle rather than button smashing, but even this can be reduced with in game stats and becomes less noticeable as you level higher. One of the most Impressive MMO's to come out in a very long time.
  43. Stellen
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    A large, interesting, and engaging game, with a lot of gameplay options and variety. Lots of different classes and quests, good graphics, interesting fights, interesting storylines. IMO, this is the best MMO to have been released in years.
  44. TakeThePill
    Sep 10, 2013
    9
    Oh noes, guys, it's a "Wow Clone." We all know WoW was the first MMO, right?!

    Seriously, I'm impressed with the game. I left WoW for good reasons. Since leaving, ARR is the FIRST MMO I've actually enjoyed. Maybe it is nostalgia, or the beauty of the world. Or, simply because it takes fantasy to a level it deserves. I will continue to play this game for quite some time, and I only hope    Oh noes, guys, it's a "Wow Clone." We all know WoW was the first MMO, right?!

    Seriously, I'm impressed with the game. I left WoW for good reasons. Since leaving, ARR is the FIRST MMO I've actually enjoyed. Maybe it is nostalgia, or the beauty of the world. Or, simply because it takes fantasy to a level it deserves. I will continue to play this game for quite some time, and I only hope that SE continues to strive for excellence.    … Expand
  45. GarryRyder
    Sep 14, 2013
    10
    Great masterpiece of MMO done! This game has remarkable graphics, mesmerizing storyline, amazing gameplay and etc. I have really enjoyed it. Square Enix have done a great job. Keep it up guys
  46. Taesaes
    Sep 11, 2013
    9
    I wasn't really looking forward to this game that much, it was more so my friends. I was... skeptical, with good reason of course. Yet I was assured by Square Enix, that they had fixed their previous mistakes. Well my friends, they most assuredly have. Many people are giving negative reviews simply on the basis that they couldn't or can't make characters on servers of their friends, or theI wasn't really looking forward to this game that much, it was more so my friends. I was... skeptical, with good reason of course. Yet I was assured by Square Enix, that they had fixed their previous mistakes. Well my friends, they most assuredly have. Many people are giving negative reviews simply on the basis that they couldn't or can't make characters on servers of their friends, or the server problems in general in the first week. They have fixed those issues, and you must remember that no mmo has ever had a smooth release (Rift being a 'too close to call' for this statement, but that is one mmo in countless). There are still many problems with this game, but with the crazy amount of end game at release, and the fact that they have promised major updates every 3 months, and we know that they are listening to our pleas of things wrong in this game (for example the repair bill costs being too high and they are addressing this in a patch today), and many other examples, this game is just too good to pass up. Once I started playing, I simply could not stop.

    Something to note, do not give up at lower levels... the system is a bit strange for the lower levels, since there is no 'fun' rotation system, it is most of the time for some classes hit one or two buttons. Later on, you have so many abilities, it is needed to have 30-40 keybinds, and you will use all of them, and your rotations become such a fun aspect of boss fights in order to maximize your dps. It is kind of annoying this doesn't happen till much later (I am talking around level 40 when your rotations become VERY fun), but still, the rest of the game is just great.    … Expand
  47. Clarence_L
    Sep 16, 2013
    9
    Generally agree with the positive reviews, I'm very much into the end game now and I enjoyed the mature community as opposed to many other MMOs.

    This MMO actually has a main storyline all the way from level 1-50 that's actually not a bore. Sure there are many people who are just here for a faced paced action MMO, like WoW's PVP etc, but FFXIV won't have PVP until the next patch in 2-3    Generally agree with the positive reviews, I'm very much into the end game now and I enjoyed the mature community as opposed to many other MMOs.

    This MMO actually has a main storyline all the way from level 1-50 that's actually not a bore. Sure there are many people who are just here for a faced paced action MMO, like WoW's PVP etc, but FFXIV won't have PVP until the next patch in 2-3 months time and it's really not the focus. But if you're one of those types that will give the story dialogue a chance you might actually find yourself drawn into the world and give a slight damn about it.

    Once I was drawn into the storyline I was hooked, ya there's a lot of filler, but what game doesn't have fetch quests? If not we'd beat the game in a month and move onto the next game, plus these fetch quests have you travelling (or teleporting if you're rich). I really love the armory system, with one character can I can be any class, I have a level 50 Paladin for tanking, and a lvl 31 White Mage for healing and if I feel like playing a DD class I have a few I tried for fun too. You might be thinking, why would I want to play the same game twice, but there's multiple starting towns and you can start somewhere else too, this really adds to replayability (at least for each starting town).

    Minus one point for FATEs which are a boring grind and give far too high a reward.    … Expand
  48. SkillyD
    Mar 4, 2014
    3
    The game has some good features, but as you advance, it becomes increasingly repetitive and boring. Game play for your first class is great through level 15. The graphics are amazing, the music is enjoyable, and the story line intriguing. After level 15, however, the game becomes increasingly repetitive.

    If you use side quests to level your first class, it's much harder to level    The game has some good features, but as you advance, it becomes increasingly repetitive and boring. Game play for your first class is great through level 15. The graphics are amazing, the music is enjoyable, and the story line intriguing. After level 15, however, the game becomes increasingly repetitive.

    If you use side quests to level your first class, it's much harder to level additional classes, and there's an advantage to having multiple classes on one character since you can share skills between classes. If you don't use side quests, though, you have to do the same dungeons, FATEs (time-limited area quests for multiple players), and levequests (quests obtained by talking to a levemete) over, and over, and over. As you progress further, you must repeat dungeons to get gear and tomes (that you spend to get better gear). You may end up doing the same dungeon twenty or thirty times to get the gear you want for a single class. The more classes you add to your character, the more you have to rely on repeated dungeons, fates, and leves to level.

    With the exception of the insanely difficult Titan hard mode quest - which you must complete to get your relic (high-level) weapon - most quests are interesting and sufficiently challenging the first time, and even the second and the third. But by the 20th or 30th time, they do get dull. When I found myself listening to audiobooks so I'd have something interesting to do while I ran a dungeon, I knew it was time to quit.

    Oh - and customer service is terrible. When a bug totally blocked the main story quest progression on my server, it took three days for SE to repair it. It took four for them to respond to my report - and then it was only to say that I should have submitted the report in a different fashion (which was not obvious from the report form). In other MMOs, when a bug has blocked quest progression, GMs have responded to the report within minutes and made it possible for characters to progress.

    In sum - the game would be much better if the content were wider, so that characters and classes could be leveled without tedious repeats. And customer service needs to be vastly improved.    … Expand
  49. heatbr
    Dec 19, 2013
    10
    The game brings all loved features that a mmo need and go though. The game has a deep story, good customization and it made you addicted for it.
    One the most important for me is the multi-class and mastered classes. I don't need create a new char to start a new class and they combination the skills.
    Fight against the Primal, the quest/duty/fate system and the progression are very    The game brings all loved features that a mmo need and go though. The game has a deep story, good customization and it made you addicted for it.
    One the most important for me is the multi-class and mastered classes. I don't need create a new char to start a new class and they combination the skills.
    Fight against the Primal, the quest/duty/fate system and the progression are very balanced and the square heard theirs customers. Glade to see this piece of art game.    … Expand
  50. Watersson
    Feb 23, 2014
    9
    WoW Slayer - these two words can define this game. FF XIV is a beautiful game! Already I have not seen such a good graphic in the current-gen game. Soundtrack-eminent. Any hint of listening to me nicely. The same applies to the sounds of battle or music playing in the background. The most important thing is gameplay. THIS IS A G-R-E-A-T. During the game, we are exploring interesting andWoW Slayer - these two words can define this game. FF XIV is a beautiful game! Already I have not seen such a good graphic in the current-gen game. Soundtrack-eminent. Any hint of listening to me nicely. The same applies to the sounds of battle or music playing in the background. The most important thing is gameplay. THIS IS A G-R-E-A-T. During the game, we are exploring interesting and great locations. Quests are similar to those of other MMOs but here it is done very nicely. Creating a character and character classes and their skills are veeeeeeeeery interesting. The game is regrowth divine. Of course there are lag but it finally MMO. I would recommend it to every player. (Too bad the game is not F2P)… Expand
  51. EL1TE
    Oct 15, 2014
    8
    For the record my rating is: i like (10) and i don't like (0), not saying 10 is a perfect game, my ratings don't work like that, simply i either like, or i don't.

    What i like: The game has an interesting story with characters that make sense and that are not boring, the combat itself gets better as we level up despite having to grind a lot to get to level 50, the Primals are a good    For the record my rating is: i like (10) and i don't like (0), not saying 10 is a perfect game, my ratings don't work like that, simply i either like, or i don't.

    What i like: The game has an interesting story with characters that make sense and that are not boring, the combat itself gets better as we level up despite having to grind a lot to get to level 50, the Primals are a good challenge, the crafting and gather has some sense in this game and they are fun, the possibility to train and let him follow us and also color your own Chocobo is great, personal housing where we can put our trophies with items we get and by using them in craft, gather among other things, there's a good amount of Dungeons also, the classes itself i can say i have a lot of fun playing Monk, i also like Scholar and Black Mage.

    What i don't like: End game and Time between content patches. End Game is basically ONE dungeon with a few levels, at the current time we are on version 2.3 where the End Game is the Second Coil of Bahamut, a Dungeon that requires coordination by all party members, meaning if one fail is most likely going to be a wipe (Turn 6 might be an exception), however they introduce something called Weekly Limits, Weekly Limits are limitations that you can only get X item/Currency per week, limiting your progression, for example, each Turn of the Coil, drops Two gear items, however they are random despite each turn having it own loot table, and if you beat turn 6, you go to turn 7, you beat turn 7 and go 8 etc. You can't go back to beaten turns before weekly reset at Tuesdays, then there's the weekly limit for Tome currency which is used to trade for Coil equivalent stats-wise gear, however (excluding accessories) the amount of tomes you get per week isn't enough to buy a SINGLE armor pieces, not to mention the weapon that you need 3 Weeks to get it, which is insane, this is a CHEAP way not to allow people to progress by limiting them instead of adding new content.

    Time between content updates, currently it's been far more than promised, since the release of 2.0, we were promised content patches every 3 Months, except it goes for 4 Months, meaning that people have been doing their weekly stuff, which at this point pretty much all Hardcore players have, do coil, logout. This is a terrible thing to allow to happen, it's not healthy for the game.

    So why do i rate 10 (i like) with such limitations, well it's simple i used to play GW2 but it's been 2 Years doing the same, no expansions, they now sold some of their servers meaning the game sometimes lags hard making it unplayable, so yes, i don't have any other MMORPG to play at all, or i'd give this game a 0 as well, but since it's been 1 Year and fan fest is coming, and also 2.4 with a new class, i guess that's enough motivation.    … Expand
  52. enriquetobias
    Sep 10, 2013
    8
    I have played tons of MMOs before and this is not much different from the other ones, but I really enjoy it.
    I think this game nails alot of different aspects for and MMO to have success. It has ton of players, classes, jobs are nice, Gathering and crafting is almost the same as wow but makes it smoother.
    If you are an FF fan this will be no problem with you, you will like it, if you    I have played tons of MMOs before and this is not much different from the other ones, but I really enjoy it.
    I think this game nails alot of different aspects for and MMO to have success. It has ton of players, classes, jobs are nice, Gathering and crafting is almost the same as wow but makes it smoother.
    If you are an FF fan this will be no problem with you, you will like it, if you have experience with other MMOs and you dont have one right now give it a try    … Expand
  53. Drivedown
    Sep 29, 2013
    10
    This game has come a long way from the fiasco that was version 1.0. Overall, Square Enix has done a great job completely remaking the game and optimizing everything that failed in the first. And aside from the server issues during Early Access and the 1017 errors as of launch this game couldn't be any better.
  54. LiquidFrostbite
    Aug 22, 2014
    9
    Easily the best MMO out on the market right now for PVE. The game is not without it's flaws, namely PVP, but it's a fantastic game for any lover of MMO's. I am extremely impressed on how they turned around the game after the failure that was 1.0.

    In my opinion, it's the best looking MMO out right now. Everything from the graphics and animations, to the gameplay and dungeons is    Easily the best MMO out on the market right now for PVE. The game is not without it's flaws, namely PVP, but it's a fantastic game for any lover of MMO's. I am extremely impressed on how they turned around the game after the failure that was 1.0.

    In my opinion, it's the best looking MMO out right now. Everything from the graphics and animations, to the gameplay and dungeons is top-notch. The combat feels so incredibly fluid and polished.

    This is the one MMO that I constantly return to and I would highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't had the pleasure of trying it out.    … Expand
  55. EclipseEx
    Jan 10, 2014
    10
    I will break my review into segments:

    GRAPHICS: The visually quality of this game is stunning. I often find myself just staring at the beautiful design of the world around me. The game does extremely well at immersing you in this fantastic world they have created. Some of the best moments are when the weather effects come into play and seeing the lighting change. SOUND: The sound    I will break my review into segments:

    GRAPHICS:
    The visually quality of this game is stunning. I often find myself just staring at the beautiful design of the world around me. The game does extremely well at immersing you in this fantastic world they have created. Some of the best moments are when the weather effects come into play and seeing the lighting change.

    SOUND:
    The sound is probably my favourite part of the game. The music is so well done it is unbelievable. They hit the nail on the head with each track. In one of the forest cities my favourite track is played and it matches the lore of the city so well. I don't see how sound in a game could get any better than this.

    GAMEPLAY:
    The gameplay is more of your standard PC MMO style. You have your hotbar with skills and items on it. The skills work on a global cooldown system, so using one skill puts the others on cooldown. There are certain skills that break this definition and are not on global cooldown so you can use them immediately. What tends to break the monotony of just spamming your skills over and over is the need to dodge aoe attacks from most enemies post level 15. These attacks are usually extremely powerful and can cause you to die if you are not careful. It is also worth mentioning that dungeons in this game are not easy. Without a properly balanced party you will fail to complete the dungeons. If you think you can use 4 dps to clear a dungeon you are sorely mistaken. Luckily, the Duty Finder feature in the game makes it as easy as possible for you to find a balanced party.

    CLASSES/JOBS:
    I think it is important to bring up the class and job system that is in place because a lot of people find it confusing at first. There are 8 classes to choose from when you create your character: gladiator (sword and shield), marauder (two-handed axe), pugilist (hand to hand), archer (bow and arrow), thaumaturge (offensive magic), conjurer (healing magic), and arcanist (offensive/support magic). You will choose one of these when you create your character. Once you get your initial class to level 15 all the other classes will become available to you. The level system doesn't work with your character as in a normal game but through your classes. So you could be a level 30 Gladiator and a level 5 Archer. You switch your class simply by changing your weapon. The advantage of levelling up multiple classes on a single character instead of making multiple characters is to obtain cross class skills. So you can use some gladiator skills while playing your archer. This system also eliminates the need to create many characters to experience the different classes. Jobs are the 'advanced classes' so to speak. To obtain a job you must have the main class of the job at level 30 and the sub class at level 15. Jobs offer powerful specialized skills at the cost of cross class skills. Job level is tied to the level of its main class. So you do not level up a job the same as a class. The best way to think of a job is as a special piece of equipment (which it literally is) that gives you enhanced stats and skills.

    STORY:
    There is a main story quest line to go through which unlocks the main dungeons and boss fights. The story is relatively interesting but not overly so. One thing to note is that there is voice acting in some segments and usually it is sub-par. There are a couple interesting twists to look out for.

    OTHER:
    The previous issues they were having with the servers have been fixed. You shouldn't have any trouble accessing the game at this point.
    If you are a running fan of Final Fantasy you will enjoy this game even more as there are bits of fanservice to be found all over the place. From sound effects from previous games to the classic inclusion of Cid, Biggs, and Wedge you will pick up on many things that you are familiar with.    … Expand
  56. RedRhoc
    Jan 11, 2014
    8
    FFXIV: ARR is currently the best MMO on the market today. It is an MMO however, so it will have time-sinks and a certain amount of grind. The classes are great fun, the performance is great, animations are smooth and the gameplay can be really challenging. The writing for questlines and npc interaction is superb - without a doubt the best in any MMO I've played. If you like the genre, giveFFXIV: ARR is currently the best MMO on the market today. It is an MMO however, so it will have time-sinks and a certain amount of grind. The classes are great fun, the performance is great, animations are smooth and the gameplay can be really challenging. The writing for questlines and npc interaction is superb - without a doubt the best in any MMO I've played. If you like the genre, give it a go - I'd recommend it.… Expand
  57. Raygonsy
    May 2, 2014
    10
    I have been playing since the launch of ARR, almost 8 months a go and I must say it is one of the best balanced and polished MMO's I have ever played. The crafting is fun and rewarding however it doesn't make the best endgame gear so this may tern some people off. I see some people say dungeons and end game is just your skill rotations and and dodging red circles. While a lot of it isI have been playing since the launch of ARR, almost 8 months a go and I must say it is one of the best balanced and polished MMO's I have ever played. The crafting is fun and rewarding however it doesn't make the best endgame gear so this may tern some people off. I see some people say dungeons and end game is just your skill rotations and and dodging red circles. While a lot of it is there are plenty of other mechanics for bosses. Just for instance when you fight Diablo's there are 8 closed doors in the area where you fight him. Every door has a sign above it and has another door with the same sign above it so their in pairs.You have to time opening the matching doors when he does demi so your party gets sucked through one door and come out the other door and not get damaged. This is just one of many ways fights are more complicated. However it is latter based dungeon grind for the best loot so this may also tern some people off. FFXIV also has big updates every 3 months and a well written and fairly deep story worthy of other FF titles.… Expand
  58. 6oni
    Jul 9, 2021
    6
    the main problem is that it is an mmo, mmo combat (important since it is the basis of the game), mmo missions (you know ..),
    there are people but they all go to their own way,
    same area, same clothes , same weapons, there is no strategy to plan,
    it's just, I remember that! I applaud ..
  59. Midnightiris
    Jun 16, 2021
    2
    I think the game has a lot of potential, but there is a lot of parts of the game for me that are a turnoff.

    1. Leveling becomes so repetitive and boring, so I can't judge late game because the leveling was just so bad. 2. The UI is very bad, hard to navigate around and follow the map, not very user-friendly. 3. Toooo much teleportation, for it really ruins the game that I have to    I think the game has a lot of potential, but there is a lot of parts of the game for me that are a turnoff.

    1. Leveling becomes so repetitive and boring, so I can't judge late game because the leveling was just so bad.
    2. The UI is very bad, hard to navigate around and follow the map, not very user-friendly.
    3. Toooo much teleportation, for it really ruins the game that I have to teleport every time i have to hand in a quest, and you can't enjoy the world. You could run, but it is so far away every time.
    4. Dungeons, fate, and other content do not feel rewarding when leveling, because when you finally get a cool spell, you can't use it in the content, because you are too high level, even if you only do the main quest, it is kinda frustrating.
    5. Also super hard to install, not easy at all.
    6. The spells are awesome, but some spells feels useless when you get another spell, also too slow.

    I love the spells and animation, i just think the leveling experience is just too bad to continue, and I don't like that you have to get your character boosted to enjoy the content.

    All in all a game with potential, but is just too frustrating to play and not rewarding enough.    … Expand
  60. Toldoth
    Dec 17, 2021
    0
    Hello,

    I tried to play the game and was not able to play as a new player since character creation was denied on all server.

    I asked for a refund and they denied it.

    This does not make sense to me. I can't believe that such a huge company cannot refund their customer when they are making such big mistakes.
  61. Papaoso
    Aug 28, 2013
    2
    Let’s be honest, one question what does this game offer? Having taken part in the open beta and religiously playing during early access I fail to see the appeal of this game.

    Pros: Gorgeous world, really impressive artwork. Hats off to the artwork department for this game, really is the best feature of the game. Cross class abilities allow for some flexibility and interesting    Let’s be honest, one question what does this game offer? Having taken part in the open beta and religiously playing during early access I fail to see the appeal of this game.

    Pros:

    Gorgeous world, really impressive artwork. Hats off to the artwork department for this game, really is the best feature of the game.

    Cross class abilities allow for some flexibility and interesting combinations of skills. Really nice being able to play one character and just switch weapons to change classes.

    Fates (similar to rifts from Rift) can be fun and enjoyable with a good group of people. Amazing rewards for simple tasks.

    Lots of dungeons and lvl adjustment for them is nice.

    Positive community of people in-game (that I’ve interacted with thus far). When players can’t get into the game things get nasty (World’s full error, 3012 error during early access etc.)

    Cons:

    The combat system feels ancient. Use an ability, wait for the global cool down to be done and then use your next ability. Nothing about the combat system feels dynamic or really interactive. The limit breaks are cool but its just a group ability and nothing too special about them.

    Boss fights present the player with mind numbing simplicity. When you have a poor combat system that lacks any dynamic actions you create these kind of poor, simplistic boss encounters. Run out of red circles, click this object to prevent more dmg from coming in, pickup adds etc. Nothing new or innovative in the encounters. At least GW2 you could roll to a side and dodge a little.

    Is this an MMO (massive multiplayer) or a single player game with the occasional groups? Duty finder (group/dungeon finder) takes 10-20mins for a healer to find a group, 30+ for dps, tanks I hear its much better. The main quest line instances must be completed alone, grouping for any kind of content also kicks you out of a duty finder(dungeon finder). I feel like I’m running around doing the main quest line and waiting forever to run any kind of dungeon.

    The grind the grind the grind! There aren’t any major raids prior to lvl 50 right now. Aside from Fate grinding you will never be in a group beyond 4 players. Again is this even an MMO? Once again another WoW imitator where you start playing the game when you hit the lvl cap.

    Skills, give me more skills!!! I understand cross class skills are nice and enjoyable, but as a healer I don’t have a dispel? I cast Cure I and Cure I and Cure I, sleep an add, repeat. I miss the days from SWTOR where I had 5 hot bars of skills I all used. Now I don’t even have 2 hot bars of skills….

    In the end I feel like this game is dead at launch. I can’t imagine people tricking themselves into thinking this is a good game. It is not. It offers nothing special. The combat in the game is terrible. The frequency with which you’re grouping with others makes the game feel like a single player game. Aside from how pretty the game looks there isn’t anything that this game offers. Why developers in 2013 are still making such poor WoW imitators almost a decade after WoW launched is beyond me. Has the MMORPG genre died? Playing Final Fantasy a Realm Reborn sure makes me feel like it’s hit a new low. Earns a rating of 2 just because it looks good.    … Expand
  62. 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
  63. NdranC
    Aug 28, 2013
    0
    Combat system is slow, lacks customization and interesting skills, like 20% more damage for 20 secs with a 3 min cooldown. The class mechanics are dumb down. Quest hub system with an insane amount of fetching quests and a boring linear story line.

    Class system forces you to level alts if you want to improve your main. Crafting system is the same old recipe based system with annoyances    Combat system is slow, lacks customization and interesting skills, like 20% more damage for 20 secs with a 3 min cooldown. The class mechanics are dumb down. Quest hub system with an insane amount of fetching quests and a boring linear story line.

    Class system forces you to level alts if you want to improve your main. Crafting system is the same old recipe based system with annoyances like minigames or switching professions before you can gather. The whole leveling experience encourages solo play, because of class/guild specific quests and a huge amount of solo tiny instances that your friends can't come in.

    Graphic style depends on your tastes, it has a photo realistic environment with cartoon looking characters that in my opinion looks very odd. UI is horrible, very bright lights everywhere and it looks confusing against the background. HORRIBLE map system and useless minimap, you need to keep your map open and use it as a proper minimap. Seriously the worst map system I can think off right now... Animations are bad... spell effects are worse.. might be a taste thing but Square Enix LOVES to make every single spell look like fairy fart. If i cast a fire spell, lots and lots of fairy like particles all over. Excessive use of glow on EVERYTHING. Not everything has to glow like navi in Zelda... Class system is the trinity with a heavy requirement for DPS classes and just 1 tank and 1 healer. I don't have to explain why this outdated design is horrible.

    Over all the game (I don't use this term lightly) is a wow clone with a worst combat system and a Final Fantasy reskin. If you LOVE every single FF ever then you might get a kick out of it. But the fact remains this is an outdated game with horrible design choices on a sub fee that is only getting this many reviews because of the Justin Beiber phenomenon. Fanboism.    … Expand
  64. BudMan11
    Oct 12, 2013
    0
    NOTE: I put this review in the wrong spot, I actually played this game for ps3 and I cannot speak about the PC version of this game.
    REVIEW: This game is very bad, I wouldn't recommend spending any money on it. The graphics are pretty nice for 10 year old game. The soundtrack is not bad. This game is very boring and very repetitive. The map is terrible. I would recommend every other game    NOTE: I put this review in the wrong spot, I actually played this game for ps3 and I cannot speak about the PC version of this game.
    REVIEW: This game is very bad, I wouldn't recommend spending any money on it. The graphics are pretty nice for 10 year old game. The soundtrack is not bad. This game is very boring and very repetitive. The map is terrible. I would recommend every other game on the planet before I would recommend this. Wish I could get a refund, signed up to metacritic just to tell everyone how bad this game is. The reviews for this game tell me one thing, never ever trust critic reviews, They must have a different copy of the game or were hit on the head or something. Run as far away from this game as you can, its boring and sucks.    … Expand
  65. faircritic
    Sep 30, 2013
    0
    MMORPGs are dead.You play the same thing as WoW but almost a decade later just with cooler graphics, and this genre got absolutely drained,looks like pretty graphics can't save this game from boredom,so linear quests,too much grinding. This is what's going on in FF XIV. And if this wasn't enough to discourage you of getting this game,you'll be lucky enough to log onto servers.I can onlyMMORPGs are dead.You play the same thing as WoW but almost a decade later just with cooler graphics, and this genre got absolutely drained,looks like pretty graphics can't save this game from boredom,so linear quests,too much grinding. This is what's going on in FF XIV. And if this wasn't enough to discourage you of getting this game,you'll be lucky enough to log onto servers.I can only suspect that FFXIV is right now on a endless loop.They are waiting for more customers to buy more servers but meanwhile there are more frustrated players saying CRAP! 0 rated,then the more they wait for money the more 0s they get.The more you wait until you get a stupid error,the more you say garbage,online garbage,cannot enter,more garbage...endless loop. What is worst ,looks like every darn company is following the same stupid formula to go for our money,lack of support ,error something that prevents you from logging until only god knows when.My patience and my belief is done with all overhyped MMOs stuff.
    You saw the same with Diablo,Sim City,etc and when you can finally play them you realize how disappointing they are,and they still want to charge you 15 bucks per m? Oh no sir,I have already learned my lesson,at the sucky way, but you wouln't got me again for graphics or by viral marketing,never again. If you wan to play a MMO go for a F2P at least you aren't charged and probably have more fun that this err final disappointing experience,well at least for me.    … Expand
  66. Dododoro-mmo
    Aug 27, 2013
    7
    The Good:
    -The game has made a full turn from the travesty it was back in 2010.
    (The fact that it took two years to make fixes to an mmo from scratch tells me that anything is possible, something that a lot of developers won't even dare to do) -The battle system has improved with a 2.5sec GCD rate (This works best with the monk job) -Music is beautiful, most tracks from version 1.0    The Good:
    -The game has made a full turn from the travesty it was back in 2010.
    (The fact that it took two years to make fixes to an mmo from scratch tells me that anything is possible, something that a lot of developers won't even dare to do)
    -The battle system has improved with a 2.5sec GCD rate
    (This works best with the monk job)
    -Music is beautiful, most tracks from version 1.0 makes a return and although Nobuo Uematsu
    is no longer at the helm, Masayoshi Soken and Naoshi Mizuta (Of FFXI fame) take up the reigns quite nicely.
    -There is much to offer in terms of content
    ~If you don't like the usual quest hubs then there's
    a feature called FATE (Full. Active. Time. Event) which borrows from GW2's real time active events and there are over 100 that can go on at once per-server.
    ~The hunting log: A majestical book of to-kill lists
    ~The Duty Finder: once you're level 15, you'll unlock the duty finder as well as airships
    (But the Duty Finder has major problems that make dungeons and raiding a drag)

    The Mediocre:
    -The graphics, while still beautiful, have taken a downgrade for mid range computers, and if you've played 1.0 you'll notice the drastic differences right away, now this is nothing game breaking, it takes getting used to.
    -The story is known to drag but it gets better by the time you hit levels 20-30
    (In my opinion version 1.0 had the stronger storyline, especially during patch 1.23)
    -Latency is a worrisome problem and although if you time moving out of an AOE marker correctly, you may still get hit by an attack.

    The Terrible:
    ~The Duty Finder:
    The Duty Finder is a huge inconvenience to players wanting to get into a dungeon or pvp, it happens to be mandatory for quests as well.
    When using the Duty Finder, it becomes a mixed bag (As it takes people from random servers and throws them in a party, good luck getting a tank)
    There are times that people will leave the instance as fast as they've joined as the timer continues to count down (wasting more time as the timer doesn't stop)
    There are no alternatives to finishing quests without using the duty finder
    (And if there's a problem with the duty finder, then you're SOL)
    ~PVP is also a drag with the Duty Finder and heavily unbalanced
    (As it does it's bag shuffling, and you might be steamrolled by a team consisting of a warrior with 3 whitemages backing him up with heals and stoneskin)
    ~Server infrastructure
    There are about 10k users on every server, but ever since early access which began on the 24th, there have been error 1012 problems:
    Error 1012: The server is full please wait for an opening and try again
    Now there has been confusion as to why a company would RESTRICT the ability to log in to it's users
    instead of increasing the server capacity, but it's understandable as they've underestimated their audience. (Hopefully there are server capacity increases)

    The verdict:

    Should you play it?
    YES.

    Pros:
    -The game is able to run on mid range-high computers
    -The game is casual friendly
    -Those who loved GW2's open world active events will love FATE events
    -Graphics are gorgeous
    -Those who were shunned by the game back in 2010 should give this iteration another go.
    -There are rewards for how long you're a subscriber (That's right, no pay to win, no cash shops, you get REWARDED with extra gifts like pets, mounts, cosmetics etc. based on how long you subscribe)
    -One of the cheapest P2P titles since FFXI
    (FFXI was $12 and FFXIV follows in it's predecessor's footsteps being $13, and if you're "Legacy" your sub fee will be $10 for life)

    The Cons: -The Western support of the game isn't as great as the Japanese counterpart (It takes quite awhile for SE's Western branch to do ANYTHING to get the game fixed, people waited 60 hours during early access for any form of resolution to the server lock-out problems, but the Japanese servers were fixed in less than 10 minutes) -The Duty Finder can make or break your experience, if you like instant dungeon pairing without alternatives, then it's a match made in heaven for you. -But if you like manually forming parties for dungeons, then you're out of luck because the Duty Finder is Mandatory (No Alternatives to completing quests)    … Expand
  67. redboxrazor
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    It has been a very long time since I've felt this kind of thrill. Combat is fast-paced and exciting, and the environments are breathtaking. I built a new PC so I could immerse myself in this game, and it was worth every penny. A huge improvement over 1.0, with a talented team who cares deeply about the game. I can't recommend this highly enough.
  68. Vexar180
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    As we are reviewing the game, not the servers it is based on... This game has fully brought me back into the MMORPG scene. I started with FFXI, moved to WoW, and have been looking for something since I left WoW:Cataclysm. This has finally filled that void! Feels like a final fantasy game in terms of story, amazing dungeon fights, killer bosses; just outstanding right from the start.
  69. Coachcamp
    Sep 2, 2013
    3
    Final Fantasy is a great series. It always has had good story, tactical gameplay a great overall atmosphere for the game. The problem is that this game is not what is expected from a modern MMO. It has the same gameplay mechanics as any regular mmorpg to date, except this one has a very moderate "combo" system, where you use the same two skills consecutively until the mob's dead... to makeFinal Fantasy is a great series. It always has had good story, tactical gameplay a great overall atmosphere for the game. The problem is that this game is not what is expected from a modern MMO. It has the same gameplay mechanics as any regular mmorpg to date, except this one has a very moderate "combo" system, where you use the same two skills consecutively until the mob's dead... to make this worse, there is a 2.5 second global cooldown on most abilities. I thought this game would be cool as it's called a tactical mmorpg, but really it's all the same. Some might call it another WoW clone. the questing is the same mindless grinding with a purpose. (lackluster quests) The interface is very well organized. the graphics are great and perform well on most machines, but that is honestly the best part. Back to the combo system: there is no combo system. Basically, you use one attack, you are obligated to use this other specific attack because using that attack will cause more damage than any other. That is not a combo system. The monk is simply the only fun class, but even then, you are forced into chaining the same abilities together in a rotation because there is no tactical aspect. While other MMOs are only getting faster, Final Fantasy 14: a realm reborn is the slowest MMO to date. (maybe even behind perfect world) Oh, and not to mention that the much anticipated cutscenes have zero voice acting… Expand
  70. HD32PLAY
    Sep 3, 2013
    9
    People giving this game a zero are simply raging please ignore them. From what I have played (albeit on the Japanese servers) this game looks and feels incredible. The world design and overall feel of the environment is simply top notch, while looking good it also performs well on my mediocre-high rig.

    In regards to game play, standard tab-targeting MMO basics are here, and not much    People giving this game a zero are simply raging please ignore them. From what I have played (albeit on the Japanese servers) this game looks and feels incredible. The world design and overall feel of the environment is simply top notch, while looking good it also performs well on my mediocre-high rig.

    In regards to game play, standard tab-targeting MMO basics are here, and not much else. Is this a bad thing To be honest I find the simplistic nature of the combat in the game very nice to play especially with a controller which this game does an almost perfect job at supporting. The launch has been shaky but this is to be expected with a game of this type, these issues are being resolved however, and people saying that the developers are "doing nothing" are simply impatient.

    I have had to come away from the game to write this review, partly because on a Japanese server I am not making any real progress, and partly because it is almost "too beautiful". Final Fantasy fans should play this game, MMO fans should play this game, heck even people that like going for walks in the countryside should play this game. Final Fantasy gives us just that, a fantasy world that is simply incredible, the game play is simplistic but enjoyable and easy to pick up. Wait a while (for the server issues to be resolved) and then play this game.    … Expand
  71. Asuyu
    Oct 5, 2013
    0
    I have read the reviews. A lot of people seem to give this game 10/10, which begs the question what game were they playing and what are they basing those reviews off of. This game is marred by constant server repairs, glitches, congestion and that is before you even log into the game. (SE has take an approach to immediately fix Japanese servers and wait and see to North Americans, soI have read the reviews. A lot of people seem to give this game 10/10, which begs the question what game were they playing and what are they basing those reviews off of. This game is marred by constant server repairs, glitches, congestion and that is before you even log into the game. (SE has take an approach to immediately fix Japanese servers and wait and see to North Americans, so expect significant delays between when JP servers get fixed and NA get fixed) A lot of FFxiv is unoriginal. They have mashed the previous 13+(there are actually more than 14 currently) FF's, WoW, and a whole lot of other MMO's into this one game. Which should indicate its superiority, but I think it points to SE loss of originality. FF has always been about reinventing itself. Each FF game, added something new to the previous, started a whole new story, and had a completely different game system, there were marked differences in graphics, character types, jobs, etc. The new system is far from new, its the basic system you find in any MMO. The races are all borrowed from FFxi, except the names for those races are different with some minor exceptions (they added a few new sexes and we have light/dark versions) Each class again is borrowed from FFxi, again only change is different names. Additionally, the abilities are learned, similar in some ways to FFxi. Sometimes you obtain abilities from quests. Nothing original about that.

    Overall. The game is fun for about the 30 day trial. After that you delve further into the game and it becomes a grind. Not of leveling but of just staying with the game for its lackluster appeal. SE missed the boat in 1.0 and again in reborn. I give this game 0. Find another monthly service that will appreciate its players and the game.    … Expand
  72. urieaal
    Aug 29, 2013
    5
    i like what little i can play.

    I don't like: no talent trees, you just get a set of skills. no pvp at all, supposed to be incorporated sometime around xmas. Server issue's max server compacity is 5000 people thats from a square rep on the forums. Servers are locked to new players you cant make new characters or log into the servers. There doesn't seem to be a queue system to log    i like what little i can play.

    I don't like:
    no talent trees, you just get a set of skills.
    no pvp at all, supposed to be incorporated sometime around xmas.
    Server issue's max server compacity is 5000 people thats from a square rep on the forums.
    Servers are locked to new players you cant make new characters or log into the servers.
    There doesn't seem to be a queue system to log in, you get the 1017 error cause of the sever limitations.

    honestly i would wait till January to play this, by then they should have every thing sorted out and working like it should.    … Expand
  73. lanedraex
    Aug 28, 2013
    6
    Generic questing, button mash skills and a slow combat, welcome back to MMORPGs from 2004~2008!

    The game starts off by dividing it's player base into 3 cities based on which class you want to start, so if one of your friends wants to be a Lancer and you want to be a Marauder, you'll have to finish the 15 levels of tutorial quest grinding. It starts off slow with each skill having a 2.5    Generic questing, button mash skills and a slow combat, welcome back to MMORPGs from 2004~2008!

    The game starts off by dividing it's player base into 3 cities based on which class you want to start, so if one of your friends wants to be a Lancer and you want to be a Marauder, you'll have to finish the 15 levels of tutorial quest grinding. It starts off slow with each skill having a 2.5 seconds time before you can use another one, while "instant" skills have a 0.5 second time (but you won't have many by level 15), so you'll be slowly killing lady bugs and squirrels, probably alone, and running around doing FATE (dynamic events) after FATE to level up faster.

    Once you reach level 15 the game changes a little, you'll be able to travel to your friend's land and play with them. You'll now be grinding dungeons and doing your Main Story Quest, just in like almost any other MMORPG.

    The quest system works with the good and old "grind and return to npc X", with no innovation here. Most of the side quests are "kill X, get X, return" with the main quests being a little more "chat, kill, return". The FATE quests doesn't seem to really react or have any consequences and they are quickly turned into a "Spam all your skills on the monsters" until a bar completes or depletes and you get your reward.

    The interface is where this game really shines, you have all the customization you could ever want, the inventory is divided and you have easy access to it, you see how many monsters are attacking you. The gamepad interface is incredible as well, you can use the "Start" menu while walking so it doesn't make you stop while you cycle through the various menu options.

    Decent game overall, not great, not the better thing ever, just decent, if you would want to play a game that is between WoW and GW2, you should try FFXIV:ARR, if you want innovation, stay away.    … Expand
  74. joshuar56
    Aug 27, 2013
    0
    One of the worst launches I have been a part of for an MMO. The account creation system is a total mess. The servers are a mess. And to top it all off, they started locking character creation for the server that me and a friend started playing on in early access, so now none of our friends who didn't preorder can play with us. This is almost as bad as 1.0. At least I could play 1.0 when itOne of the worst launches I have been a part of for an MMO. The account creation system is a total mess. The servers are a mess. And to top it all off, they started locking character creation for the server that me and a friend started playing on in early access, so now none of our friends who didn't preorder can play with us. This is almost as bad as 1.0. At least I could play 1.0 when it launched however...… Expand
  75. nocks3030
    Aug 27, 2013
    0
    I want to like this game I played FFXI and it had some great qualities. FFXIV is simpler, but very beautiful, and I'm prepared to enjoy it. I'm level 14, currently.

    However, Square has completely mismanaged the launch of the game. As of the time of my writing this, the game has been offline a considerable amount of the past four days (pre-launch leading to the day after launch.) When    I want to like this game I played FFXI and it had some great qualities. FFXIV is simpler, but very beautiful, and I'm prepared to enjoy it. I'm level 14, currently.

    However, Square has completely mismanaged the launch of the game. As of the time of my writing this, the game has been offline a considerable amount of the past four days (pre-launch leading to the day after launch.) When the game isn't officially down, they still won't let players log in and they disabled the queue, so the only way to get into the game is to sit and spam a login button for hours on end.

    And this is supposed to be the game's big comeback. This is supposed to be how they renew consumer faith in their product after their miserable launch in version 1. Instead, we get some of the worst decisions/feedback I've ever seen from a development team. It's the second day the game has officially been out, now, and I still can't log in to play. Square has made no announcement to resolve the issue; it has actually gotten worse over the past four days. All they've done is turn off the login queue, essentially telling us that we can't play, but thanks for the money anyway.    … Expand
  76. 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
  77. JonnyBigBoss
    Aug 31, 2013
    9
    This is the best MMORPG since World of Warcraft. It's fun to play and feature-rich. Its only shortcomings are its slower-paced combat system and story mission inconsistency. Everything else about it is absolutely phenomenal.
  78. Draken3289
    Oct 21, 2013
    8
    Don't let all the negative scores fool you, this game has come a long way, but it has a long way to go. Even the giant, World of Warcraft, was not made overnight.

    Square Enix listens to its fans and delivers in time. People complain of grinding, but I don't know of any MMORPG that doesn't have some aspect of grinding. People complain that some things are generic. FFXIV isn't looking    Don't let all the negative scores fool you, this game has come a long way, but it has a long way to go. Even the giant, World of Warcraft, was not made overnight.

    Square Enix listens to its fans and delivers in time.

    People complain of grinding, but I don't know of any MMORPG that doesn't have some aspect of grinding. People complain that some things are generic. FFXIV isn't looking to change the game, it's just looking to make its mark on the genre.

    Calling this game a WoW clone is like calling Halo a CoD clone. Just because Halo is a first person shooter doesn't make it a clone of Call of Duty, which is also a first person shooter. FFXIV has, arguably, the same layout as WoW, but that is because it is what we have come to expect in the MMORPG game.

    To completely recreate the wheel is a task that isn't worth undertaking. Instead, do what you can to make it better.    … Expand
  79. diamonxo
    Mar 20, 2022
    1
    This game has literally the worst launcher I have ever witnessed, I'm talking worse than the Epic Games store and Steam COMBINED. I can't even play the game because of constant errors trying to launch it and it's a shame because I'm sure the game is great, but I CAN'T PLAY IT. I've troubleshooted several times to no avail and researching for a couple hours has shown that quite a largeThis game has literally the worst launcher I have ever witnessed, I'm talking worse than the Epic Games store and Steam COMBINED. I can't even play the game because of constant errors trying to launch it and it's a shame because I'm sure the game is great, but I CAN'T PLAY IT. I've troubleshooted several times to no avail and researching for a couple hours has shown that quite a large percentage of players have had issues launching the game and playing in general. Not sure if it's because of the launcher that appears to be from 2007 with absolutely 0 updates performance wise or something else, but wow.… Expand
  80. Xukuth
    Aug 27, 2013
    0
    Launch day, nothing but error 1017, I will update my score when the game is actually playable. For now its a Alpha phase piece of garbage. Unplayable because they disabled Queuing, they don't force disconnects so nobody ever logs out. Japanese Servers get all the attention for fixes while the EU/NA regions get looked over. Poor Customer Service, Poor Networks, All around Poor Experience.
  81. 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
  82. CK011885
    Sep 1, 2013
    6
    FFXIV is an above average RPG, but a below average MMORPG.

    Pros: Great graphics, strong storyline, smooth and fluid gameplay with both gamepad and mouse/keyboard. Cons: At the moment, the game lacks enough content to retain a majority of its players when subscriptions begin. Even casual players with jobs and families have hit the level cap just one week after the game was released,    FFXIV is an above average RPG, but a below average MMORPG.

    Pros: Great graphics, strong storyline, smooth and fluid gameplay with both gamepad and mouse/keyboard.

    Cons: At the moment, the game lacks enough content to retain a majority of its players when subscriptions begin. Even casual players with jobs and families have hit the level cap just one week after the game was released, nearly all of the 8 man raid content is on the easy side and doable with pick up groups using the Duty Finder (A feature that matches you with strangers). The only difficult content in the game right now are Hard Mode Titan and Bahamut. The next patch with more content to follow is still 2 to 3 months away, it's going to be really difficult for Square to keep the attention of players.

    I feel a major reason FFXIV 2.0 is so well received is partly because of how incredibly terrible FFXIV 1.0 was. In closing, if you're looking for a well polished, decent MMORPG that doesn't do anything new, set in a Final Fantasy world, then FFXIV is a game that can provide you with some decent entertainment for a while. But if you're looking for something new and exciting, or an MMORPG that provides a good amount of challenging and fun content then you should look elsewhere or wait a few months for more patches to come out.    … Expand
  83. Totmacher
    Aug 31, 2013
    0
    This game should be called "Log In Simulator: An Error Reborn" because if you can even get the character list to populate and if you can even create a character, when you try to log in, you get an error on your screen preventing you from logging in because the servers are full. What did Square Enix do to remedy this issue? They limited the server population and logins so the people thatThis game should be called "Log In Simulator: An Error Reborn" because if you can even get the character list to populate and if you can even create a character, when you try to log in, you get an error on your screen preventing you from logging in because the servers are full. What did Square Enix do to remedy this issue? They limited the server population and logins so the people that are already in-game can play without a server crash, which wouldn't happen in the first place if they had prepared for it. When you actually get in game it's pretty good, but the hardest quest in the entire game is logging in.… Expand
  84. CloudTheValkyre
    Aug 29, 2013
    10
    A fun game, like vanilla WOW a lot, but with better music, a better story, and jobs. Don't forget that its Final Fantasy, too. I enjoyed it very much.
  85. xkrimekpayzx
    Aug 27, 2013
    1
    I love the game but my one gripe is a huge one. You cant play due to massive amounts of people idling. Scared of logging out because they know they will not get back in. If an AFK out feature is not put in place this will continue to happen in my opinion.
  86. nick192
    Aug 27, 2013
    4
    I have never seen such poor handling of full servers preventing login. I purchases early access on the 24th and expected some issues to arise. 1 to 2 days of server issues is understandable, but 3 days is pretty extreme.

    I feel bad giving the game a 4 because it is fun to play. But the customer service is terrible. The company doesn't have login que's or any update as to when the    I have never seen such poor handling of full servers preventing login. I purchases early access on the 24th and expected some issues to arise. 1 to 2 days of server issues is understandable, but 3 days is pretty extreme.

    I feel bad giving the game a 4 because it is fun to play. But the customer service is terrible. The company doesn't have login que's or any update as to when the server issues may be fixed. The company needs to get a lot better at addressing their customers with more informative updates.    … Expand
  87. Nakts
    Sep 5, 2013
    0
    This game is an admitted WoW clone in Final Fantasy skin, the quests are boring and time consuming, Skinner box anyone, the combat is terrible, and the game was too easy, before they made it easier.

    Graphics: It's pretty, but being based in the PS3 platform, that will likely not last. Music: Fairly unmemorable, nothing seem to stand out at all. Gameplay: It's pretty horrible, if    This game is an admitted WoW clone in Final Fantasy skin, the quests are boring and time consuming, Skinner box anyone, the combat is terrible, and the game was too easy, before they made it easier.

    Graphics: It's pretty, but being based in the PS3 platform, that will likely not last.
    Music: Fairly unmemorable, nothing seem to stand out at all.
    Gameplay: It's pretty horrible, if you're looking for something different, look someplace else.

    Bottom line: they took everything good about MMOs and made it simple to the point of stupidity, this may actually qualify as baby's first MMO with difficulty level being nil and the game holding your hand at all times.

    On the other hand, the game is being run by people who'd rather work on new things to add to the already broken pile, they already have with their errors and server cues, rather than fix what's broken now.    … Expand
  88. Alroxas
    Aug 27, 2013
    3
    It's an amazing game for sure... if you could ever log in and actually play it. 1017 Errors, 90000 errors, errors errors errors...

    Poor execution from SE and they should have taken more steps when "Early Access" weekend showed that they didn't have enough servers.
  89. carbondeity
    Aug 27, 2013
    0
    A launch so utterly abysmal, it makes Diablo 3's seem smooth. I will not give this company more money via a subscription after this display of obvious, and objective ineptitude. Do yourself a favor and find something else to play, trust me.
  90. gouki12
    Sep 3, 2013
    0
    Don't waste your time on this.

    Should you ever get into the game. You will face a ton of problems and shortcomings. Especially content-wise. Have fun fate-grinding your way to 50, waiting 3+ hours for a group if you are a damage dealer only to find, at the end of the journey, that there is pretty much no endgame content. Once you finish the main story endgame consists of farming 3    Don't waste your time on this.

    Should you ever get into the game. You will face a ton of problems and shortcomings. Especially content-wise.

    Have fun fate-grinding your way to 50, waiting 3+ hours for a group if you are a damage dealer only to find, at the end of the journey, that there is pretty much no endgame content.

    Once you finish the main story endgame consists of farming 3 bosses in hard-mode.

    There is no pvp either. It will take them months to add another 3 bosses that you have already done in normal mode to farm in hard-mode.

    Repetitive and boring. It might take 2 or 3 expansion packs until this game is worth it.

    IF they have fixed their server-architecture by then.    … Expand
  91. Krooser
    Aug 28, 2013
    1
    Once you do finally get logged into the game, which is by no means an easy task since there is no queue and when you get a message stating the world is full, you have to continue clicking through several prompts to try again, the game you will find is buggy and unplayable at worst, and boring and uninspired at best. Enjoy spamming one or two skills over and over in order to kill things?Once you do finally get logged into the game, which is by no means an easy task since there is no queue and when you get a message stating the world is full, you have to continue clicking through several prompts to try again, the game you will find is buggy and unplayable at worst, and boring and uninspired at best. Enjoy spamming one or two skills over and over in order to kill things? Well then this game might be right for you. The word feels dead and cold even when surrounded by other players. The quests are very standard fetch and kill quests, and the combat couldn't be more plain and uninspired. If you love Final Fantasy and just want to be able to run around in a final fantasy inspired world, then you may enjoy this. But if you're a fan of MMOs and were hoping for something new or exciting, or any progression of the genre, you should probably look elsewhere. Launch week server issues are bad enough, but there should be a great game behind it all once you get in. There simply isn't.… Expand
  92. 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.
  93. CoolMike90
    Aug 28, 2013
    10
    It's unfortunate to see people giving the game such low scores due to the inability to log on and create characters. The site is made for actually reviewing the game itself and not bashing SE for getting an overwhelming amount of orders and players. Everyone who has been able to play this game for more than an hour has LOVED it and cannot stop playing. I've talked to people who have 10,It's unfortunate to see people giving the game such low scores due to the inability to log on and create characters. The site is made for actually reviewing the game itself and not bashing SE for getting an overwhelming amount of orders and players. Everyone who has been able to play this game for more than an hour has LOVED it and cannot stop playing. I've talked to people who have 10, 20, 30+ hours played so far and have almost nothing bad to say about it.

    I would give SE a week or two to work out any release issues that are going on and things will be smooth on-wards. Any large MMO that has such a large following has these kinds of issues all the time during release and even other online games such as when CoD MW3 came out, all have downtime and server issues and lag.

    Once again the game is great so far and don't let the negativity of others complaining about servers being down and such make you shy away from the game. These issues aren't permanent like as if the game was actually bad, which is permanent.    … Expand
  94. Panglishes
    Aug 29, 2013
    3
    Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn is just another MMO. The mechanics of the game are extremely simplified and have no depth. The quests in the game are "Go here and kill X". The difficulty is "You 1 shot these, you 2 shot these, and these 1 shot you". There is no game play difference between level 1 and level 40. The classes are copy paste versions of every other MMO class with little orFinal Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn is just another MMO. The mechanics of the game are extremely simplified and have no depth. The quests in the game are "Go here and kill X". The difficulty is "You 1 shot these, you 2 shot these, and these 1 shot you". There is no game play difference between level 1 and level 40. The classes are copy paste versions of every other MMO class with little or no depth what so ever. The leveling is monotonous and boring. If you like games such as Runescape, Diecide, or Hello Kitty, this game is for you. If you can't stand care-bearing the population of 12 year old ADHD riddled 12 year-olds, I suggest you find a better game.… Expand
  95. Acidosis
    Nov 24, 2013
    9
    The reason why I gave this game a 9/10 is because of the current uncertainty of the late game aspect of the game. Other than that, this game is solid. Graphically this game looks amazing, gameplay is good, lore (really FF) is fantastic, the sound track is mind blowing and this game is packed with people which people tend to forget! No one wants to play in a dead town. FFARR is one of theThe reason why I gave this game a 9/10 is because of the current uncertainty of the late game aspect of the game. Other than that, this game is solid. Graphically this game looks amazing, gameplay is good, lore (really FF) is fantastic, the sound track is mind blowing and this game is packed with people which people tend to forget! No one wants to play in a dead town. FFARR is one of the mmorpg out there and you should try it with your friends… Expand
  96. Belly
    Oct 30, 2013
    10
    This game has renewed my faith in the MMO genre, it's a very refreshing experience that brings a lot of good stuff to the table. It has a good fluent combat, a 'very' in depth class system where you can mix and match abilities across different classes and a huge world to explore and enjoy, it has everything for both the casual and the hardcore. Not to mention the graphics are gorgeous toThis game has renewed my faith in the MMO genre, it's a very refreshing experience that brings a lot of good stuff to the table. It has a good fluent combat, a 'very' in depth class system where you can mix and match abilities across different classes and a huge world to explore and enjoy, it has everything for both the casual and the hardcore. Not to mention the graphics are gorgeous to boot haha.… Expand
  97. 8ighty6ix
    Sep 10, 2013
    9
    First played FFXIV when it first launched as 1.0. Very pretty game, but other than that it felt like an alpha version of the game. Thankfully this game has reached what I would deem a launch ready state. If you are in the market for an MMORPG, look no further. This game is polished in almost every way with exciting content, diverse classes, and compelling story. The dungeons are unique andFirst played FFXIV when it first launched as 1.0. Very pretty game, but other than that it felt like an alpha version of the game. Thankfully this game has reached what I would deem a launch ready state. If you are in the market for an MMORPG, look no further. This game is polished in almost every way with exciting content, diverse classes, and compelling story. The dungeons are unique and interesting and the end game content is plentiful. This game earns the right to bill me monthly which is something I didn't think I'd enlist for ever again.… Expand
  98. foxsocks79
    Sep 8, 2013
    8
    The two main things that people should know when deciding to try this game are:
    1) this is not an mmo that reinvents the wheel, so if you are looking for something revolutionary you will be disappointed.
    2) The other thing is that this game is slow to start with and it isn't really until your character hits level 20 that the world really starts to open up. If neither of those two points    The two main things that people should know when deciding to try this game are:
    1) this is not an mmo that reinvents the wheel, so if you are looking for something revolutionary you will be disappointed.
    2) The other thing is that this game is slow to start with and it isn't really until your character hits level 20 that the world really starts to open up.
    If neither of those two points put you off then you should give this game a chance. I really like it for the following reasons:
    This game does a great job at capturing the essence of Final Fantasy, the classes, the enemies, the environments and especially the music all tie-in with the franchise. I also really like are the ability to change class at whim and the crafting, which again is not revolutionary, but is well thought out and fun.    … Expand
  99. Kyuurai
    Nov 21, 2014
    5
    This game was once a 10 in my opinion but now Square is just recycling old content.
    The endgame is just terrible.
    Do you like mindless grind of old content that you already did 1000 times just to get a new weapon that is going to be your BIS? Then this game is for you. They did the same to the crafting professions. They added something called "desynthesis" needed for the newest recipes    This game was once a 10 in my opinion but now Square is just recycling old content.
    The endgame is just terrible.
    Do you like mindless grind of old content that you already did 1000 times just to get a new weapon that is going to be your BIS? Then this game is for you.
    They did the same to the crafting professions. They added something called "desynthesis" needed for the newest recipes etc. You basically have to level your crafting once more in order to make those new recipes.

    This game is going downhill. All the critic reviews are from the "good times".
    Don´t look at the 2013 reviews. Go for the 2014 ones.    … Expand
  100. Skals
    Sep 23, 2013
    10
    The best MMO I've played, hands down. I've put countless hours into WoW, and I've played almost every mainstream MMO in the west, and I have to say, this game has the best combat, and the least boring leveling system I've seen so far. The most important part to me of any MMO, would be the end game, and A Realm Reborn has a serious amount of difficult dungeons, raids, quests, as well asThe best MMO I've played, hands down. I've put countless hours into WoW, and I've played almost every mainstream MMO in the west, and I have to say, this game has the best combat, and the least boring leveling system I've seen so far. The most important part to me of any MMO, would be the end game, and A Realm Reborn has a serious amount of difficult dungeons, raids, quests, as well as other challenges for you to complete once you reach level 50. The boss fights are amazing, most of them feel new and innovative, and they are always challenging. And now, only a few weeks into the release of the game, they have already announced the first patch, that will bring even more end-game raids and dungeons, as well as many other features. This MMO is looking very promising indeed.… 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.
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