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If you’ve wrapped up Endwalker and have a little bit more time on your subscription, yes, you can just take a break and go try another game. But if you don’t want to let it go to waste, there’s plenty you can do around Final Fantasy 14!
The simultaneous upside and downside of any MMORPG is that it may introduce new activities all the time. At time of release, it’s easy to see plenty of players giving such content a try. However, it’s easy to feel like you’re left behind as these become outdated and more content shows up.
In FFXIV, with a myriad of awesome items and incentives, old content continues to be a focus for certain players. Here are a few things that, if you’re new to the game, you may miss without a keen eye!
Hunts & Hunt Trains
Have you ever seen a rogue enemy with an odd enemy marker that’s almost star-like? Chances are, that’s a hunt, and it may not be wise to attack it… at least, not on your own. This is part of an activity called “The Hunt,” which allows you to take on powerful enemies throughout every part of the game. Certain can be taken alone, which are general bounties and “B-ranks.” However, certain enemies actually do need a larger number of people in order to efficiently take them down.
Enter Hunt communities, which are dedicated to taking down these enemies (plus some FATE)s. They run takedowns of the highest-level bosses, the S-Ranks, as well as “hunt trains” that run through as many A-ranks as possible in one giant server trip. If you ever want to cap your tomestones, this is a fantastic way to do so in a few fun-filled hours.
Communities around The Hunt existed as long as the system has through in-game Linkshells and other chat programs, but the advent of Discord means that organization is far more streamlined. Each data center tends to have at least one or two hunt servers, which allows players to be pinged when an enemy, hunt train, or major FATE pops up. There are also websites with similar goals, such as Faloop! and Ariyala’s Toolkit.
If you want to start collecting the currencies, before you take on The Hunt, you can officially sign up in major hubs in every expansion. There should be hunt quarters by every Grand Company for A Realm Reborn, in Ishgard and Idyllshire for Heavensward, in Kugane for Stormblood, in the Crystarium near the Rookery for Shadowbringers, and in Old Sharlayan for Endwalker.
Bozja, Eureka, and Their Duties
While the Shadowbringers open-exploration duty Bozja is only slightly outdated by way of Endwalker rolling around, it and its Stormblood counterpart Eureka have plenty to offer. Both have fantastic glams, mounts, emotes and more to be earned, and Bozja certainly has its fair share of Garlean-adjacent items and story. Plus, both are excellent leveling opportunities for extra jobs you may pick up. This is especially the case for Bozja, which, upon Endwalker’s launch, was pretty much a Reaper and Sage playground.
But if you feel like you missed out on these, fret not, because there’s a community for that! Most data centers have servers for you to look for like-minded Warriors of Light looking to beat up Garleans or gather lost treasures. If you’re feeling up to a challenge, Bozjan servers often provide speedruns for Delubrium Reginae, as well as Savage progression/learning groups (and yes, there’s a Savage mode for it). There are even leveling parties that’ll take you through Bozja’s FATEs, here called Skirmishes and Critical Engagements.
Old Extremes, Old Savages & Mount Farming
Chances are, you’ve seen some of the Kamuy, Unicorn and Gwiber mounts others fly around on. Or if you’re a newer player, you’re looking at the Extreme versions of trials, like… I wanna do that. Good news! People still revisit these for glamour and mount farming quite frequently. Free Companies even advertise such as part of their activities.
Even better news: Unlike the other combat activities on this list, you don’t necessarily need to join a server or community in order to partake. Most “farms” just throw a party up on the in-game Party Finder with their expectations. Once you get yours, if it hasn’t been long, be polite and stick around a while to help others get theirs!
This is also a great way to experience old Extreme trials. If you indicate you’ll be doing it “synced,” others may want to join and teach you. These are great ways to start practicing for Savage-level raids.
PvP
While Final Fantasy XIV has a bit of a rap for being PvE-focused, that doesn’t mean PvP is entirely dead. In fact, it’s quite alive; you just need to know when and where to look. After all, some of the game’s coolest armors are locked behind PvP grinding. Queueing for the Frontlines roulette has been more reliable with the uptick in player count, but there’s no better way to learn what’s going on than finding a group of experienced players.
The top English-speaking community for PvP is Revival Wings, which aims to bring the highest level of competitive play back to life (through primarily their Discord server) across the NA and EU data centers. If you’re looking to just get into it, queue times tend to be Saturday and Sunday nights local times (6 to 7 PM PT or so).
Treasure Maps
Have you ever wondered why certain glamours and their materials are so godsdamned expensive? It’s likely because they’re locked behind a myriad of duties, including retainer ventures. But some of the most popular Shadowbringers ones, including the Frontier and Adventurer’s Hooded Vest, are locked behind what’s called Treasure Maps.
Treasure Maps are mostly what they sound like: Gatherers find Timeworn Maps throughout the expansions, and you’re meant to dig them up. After fighting a few enemies, you open a chest with loots, and starting with Heavensward-leveled maps, you have a chance to fight through an extra dungeon to earn more rewards. Certain glamours, as well as a ton of at-level minor battle items, are hidden in these chests and dungeons.
Worst case, high-level treasure maps are an easy way to get a little bit of extra spending gil if you have Gatherers unlocked. You unlock Treasure Maps at level 36 through the Eastern La Noscea quest “Treasures and Tribulations.”
Doman Mahjong
Yes, people play Doman Mahjong. It’s actually technically Riichi Mahjong, the most common type of competitive and gambling mahjong around the world. It’s actually popular enough that before modern games such as Mahjong Soul were released, people would use the Final Fantasy 14 free trial to access the mahjong client: a free mahjong client with an MMORPG included…
The most common competitive English server seems to be Light, but frankly, you can queue up on nearly any English-speaking server and get a match.
