Fans of the MMORPG genre are no strangers to the monthly subscription model often used to support the continued development of content updates, but for those unacquainted, a monthly subscription can be a hard pill to swallow. Fortunately, Final Fantasy 14 offers an extended free trial for players unsure about diving into an MMO, offering both the Heavensward and Stormblood expansions for free with no limitations on play time.
Those taking advantage of the free trial will be able to experience the full breadth of content the base game and both expansions have to offer. While this is a great opportunity for players to experience the complete story of these expansions, frugal players can take further advantage of the free trial and continue playing well after completing the game's Main Scenario Quests by participating in the endgame activities these expansions have to offer for completely free.
Final Fantasy 14: What Are Free Trial Restrictions?
Final Fantasy 14 includes a generous free trial, though it comes with some notable restrictions.
Relic Weapons
Relic Weapons in Final Fantasy 14 are a form of long-term grind focused on forging and upgrading rare weaponry, rewarding players who complete these quests with the most powerful weapons available for the relic's level bracket. To obtain these weapons, players will be tasked with plenty of dungeon running, item collecting, and monster slaying, which in many cases have become notorious among the community for being a deliberately arduous process. Each expansion contains its own series of Relic Weapons, giving free trial players three different sets to chase after: A Realm Reborn's Zodiac Weapons, Heavensward's Anima Weapons, and Stormblood's Eurekan Weapons.
Zodiac Weapons can be started as soon as players complete the base A Realm Reborn Main Scenario Quest, ending with "The Ultimate Weapon". Once completed, players can begin their Zodiac Weapon journey by picking up the quest "The Weaponsmith of Legend" in Western Thanalan (X:12.0, Y:14.3).
Anima Weapons require players to first complete the Heavensward Main Scenario Quest, culminating with the quest "Heavensward". This unlocks the sidequest "An Unexpected Proposal" in Idyllshire (X:5.7, Y: 5.5), allowing players to start working on an Anima Weapon in Azys Lla.
Eurekan Weapons begin once players complete the level 70 Main Scenario Quest "Stormblood", and unlock The Forbidden Land, Eureka from the sidequest "And We Shall Call It Eureka" in Rhalgr's Reach (X:9.8, Y:12.5). Upon entering Eureka, players will need follow the instance quest line and slay monsters in the zone until they receive a Protean Crystal. Speaking with Krile and Gerolt will then unlock the weapon upgrading process. Eurekan Weapons build off the antiquated weapons granted as a reward for each job's level 70 quest. For those that have misplaced theirs, a replacement can be purchased from Calamity Salvagers in the Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X:11.4, Y:14.4), Old Gridania (X:10.0, Y:8.4), and Ul'dah - Steps of Thal (X:12.6, Y:13.1).
The Forbidden Land, Eureka
The first Field Operation introduced to Final Fantasy 14, The Forbidden Land, Eureka, is a series of instanced, explorable zones featuring a new leveling system independent of the rest of the game, and the unique Logos Action system granting players powerful new abilities exclusive to Eureka. Heavily inspired by Final Fantasy 11, Eureka attempts to capture the feel of old-school MMORPGs by implementing a variety of features such as experience penalties on death, and the removal of quest markers on the in-game map. Instead, players will have to rely on their own skills, quest descriptions, and collaboration with fellow players to thrive in Eureka.
Those who excel in Eureka will find themselves well-rewarded with a variety of exclusive rewards. Eureka is directly tied to the Stormblood series of relic weapons, able to roll a random combination of substats with the potential to outshine weapons from the hardest level 70 raids. Additionally, Eureka features not just upgradable weapons, but upgradable armor as well, in the form of dyeable versions of each class's Artifact Armor, as well as completely unique, glowing Elemental Armor. Besides gear, many of Eureka's open-world bosses and events feature rare drops, giving players a chance to obtain exclusive mounts, minions, and accessories, culminating in Final Fantasy 14's first 56-player "brutally difficult open dungeon", rewarding players who are able to complete it with the coveted Demi-Ozma mount.
Players interested in tackling the unique adventuring foray will need to first complete the level 70 Main Scenario Quest "Stormblood", followed by the sidequest to unlock Eureka, "And We Shall Call It Eureka" found in Rhalgr's Reach (X:9.8, Y:12.5).
Savage and Ultimate Raiding
A quintessential endgame activity of many major MMORPGs, Final Fantasy 14 offers a variety of different raids across its many expansions, and with the level sync feature, players are able to enter these raids at a relevant power level even if they've progressed far beyond the intended level. While Savage raids are intended to be difficult, players that triumph over them are rewarded with exclusive mounts and gear that would have been best-in-slot at the time. The three raid series available to free trial players are A Realm Reborn's Coils of Bahamut, Heavensward's Alexander, and Stormblood's Omega. While later raids feature a normal difficulty intended for players to be able to experience the story no matter their level of skill, and a Savage difficulty intended for players looking for a challenge, the Coils of Bahamut offer only a singular, high-difficulty default option, with the exception of the Second Coil of Bahamut, which offers a Savage variation as an optional additional challenge.
The Coils of Bahamut are A Realm Reborn's series of endgame raids, taking place at level 50 and concluding the story from Final Fantasy 14's original 1.0 launch. In order to unlock the Coils of Bahamut, players will need to first complete the level 50 Main Scenario Quest "The Ultimate Weapon", followed by the quest chain beginning with "A Recurring Problem" in The Waking Sands (X:6.9, Y:6.1). The quest chain will take players through the hard versions of the Ifrit, Garuda, and Titan trials, before unlocking the Coils of Bahamut with the quest "Primal Awakening".
The Alexander raids are a series of level 60 raids from the Heavensward expansion, featuring the mechanical primal Alexander, summoned by a group of goblins known as The Illuminati. Players looking to challenge Alexander will need to have completed the level 60 Main Scenario Quest "Heavensward", as well as the level 60 side quest "Disarmed" available in Idyllshire (X:7.5, 6.5). Upon completing the normal version of each raid series, the Savage difficulty version can be unlocked by speaking to the Wandering Minstrel in Mor Dhona (X:21, Y:8).
Stormblood's Omega series of level 70 raids features the titular crash-landed robot Omega in its bid to find the strongest life form. The raid can be unlocked by completing the level 70 Main Scenario Quest "Stormblood", followed by the level 70 side quest "The Hunt for Omega" in Rhalgr's Reach (X:12.6, Y:12.4). Savage difficulties for the Omega raid can be unlocked by speaking to the Magitek Terminal in Rhalgr's Reach (X:13.5, Y:12.5) after completing the normal difficulty of each raid wing.
In addition to Savage raids, Stormblood also introduced a new, pinnacle difficulty of raids known as Ultimate raids. These raids feature extended battles against revamped versions of previous bosses in a single boss-rush style encounter. Players that are able to complete these punishingly difficult challenges are rewarded with visually impressive ultimate weapons. In order to access the Ultimate Raids, players will need to speak with the Wandering Minstrel in Kugane (X:21.7, Y:8.7) after completing a corresponding Savage raid to prove their mettle. Free trial players are able to access the first two Ultimate Raids, The Unending Coil of Bahamut, and The Weapon's Refrain. The Unending Coil of Bahamut requires players to first defeat Exdeath in Deltascape V4.0 (Savage), while The Weapon's Refrain requires players to defeat Kefka in Sigmascape V4.0 (Savage).
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
- Released
- August 27, 2013
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Animated Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Crystal Tools
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
