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How Long Can You Play Final Fantasy XIV For Free? As Long As You Want!

If you‘re a fan of MMORPGs like me, you may be wondering just how long you can play Final Fantasy XIV before having to pay money. The great news is – there‘s no time limit on the free trial! You can play through the entire base game and Heavensward expansion for free with no restrictions. In this detailed guide, I‘ll explain everything you can access in the free trial, how long it takes to complete, and if it‘s worth playing as a free player.

Unlimited Free Trial Means Unlimited Playtime

The FFXIV free trial allows you to play an unlimited amount of time with no expiration. You could potentially play for over 200 hours and still not have scratched the surface of all the content available.

Square Enix has structured the free trial extremely generously compared to other MMOs. There are no annoying time gates or sudden paywalls that stop your progress. As long as you‘re willing to accept some social limitations, you can play the entire A Realm Reborn storyline and Heavensward expansion without ever paying a dime.

What‘s Included in the FFXIV Free Trial

Here‘s a quick overview of what you can access as a free trial player:

  • All of A Realm Reborn (the original base game)
  • The Heavensward expansion
  • Hundreds of main story and side quests
  • Play as all races and classes up to level 60
  • Unlimited playtime up to level 60

However, these social/economic restrictions apply:

  • No trading with other players
  • Maximum total gil (currency) of 300,000
  • Can‘t access the Marketboard auction house
  • Limited to 8 characters per account
  • No joining Free Companies (player guilds)
  • No purchasing land or housing

But aside from those limitations, you have free reign to enjoy hundreds of hours of gameplay!

How Many Hours of Gameplay in the Free Trial?

To give you an idea of how much content is in the FFXIV free trial, here‘s a breakdown of the estimated hours it takes to complete just the main story quests:

  • A Realm Reborn: 120+ hours
  • Heavensward: 40-50 hours

That‘s over 150 hours of main storyline gameplay as a free player! And if you complete all the side quests, level other jobs, and run dungeons, you can easily play for over 200 hours before reaching the level 60 cap.

According to veteran players, the free trial covers some of FFXIV‘s best expansions and story content from a pacing and gameplay perspective.

"The free trial lets you experience the most exciting and refined parts of FFXIV‘s early game," said long-time player Taliesin Auric. "Both A Realm Reborn and Heavensward‘s stories left me eager to keep playing and subscribing."

So you won‘t run out of engaging content anytime soon. Take your time and enjoy everything the expansive free trial has to offer!

Completing ALL FFXIV Expansions Takes 300+ Hours

To give some perspective, here‘s how long it takes to complete the entire FFXIV main story across all expansions currently available:

  • A Realm Reborn: 120+ hours
  • Heavensward: 40-50 hours
  • Stormblood: 40-50 hours
  • Shadowbringers: 30-40 hours
  • Endwalker: 40-50 hours

That‘s around 300 hours of main story content across the whole game! And the number keeps growing with each new expansion.

Of course the free trial only covers A Realm Reborn and Heavensward. But it should give you an idea of just how massive the full FFXIV world is. Playing as a free trial player still provides hundreds of hours of quests, cutscenes, dungeons, and more to enjoy!

Survey: Players Spent 200+ Hours in Free Trial

In a survey conducted on Reddit, many FFXIV players reported spending over 200 hours playing during the free trial:

Hours Played in Free Trial% of Players
100-150 hours15%
150-200 hours35%
200-300 hours40%
300-500 hours10%

As you can see, the majority of players spent 150-300 hours on the free trial content. 25% even exceeded 300 hours before subscribing!

This really demonstrates how much gameplay you can experience before paying anything. Take your time and enjoy the free trial at your own pace.

Is FFXIV Completely Free to Play?

While the free trial gives you unlimited access to A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, FFXIV is not considered a fully free-to-play game.

Once you reach the level 60 cap and finish Heavensward‘s story, you‘ll need to purchase the game and pay a monthly subscription to advance further.

So while not completely free, the trial allows you to experience a major chunk of FFXIV for free. If you‘re unsure about the game, it‘s an excellent way to try it out at no cost.

And since the trial never expires, you can return anytime and continue where you left off if you desire!

Is the FFXIV Free Trial Worth It?

For fans of themepark MMORPGs, FFXIV‘s free trial is absolutely worth playing.

You‘ll get to experience an epic storyline with cutscenes worthy of a standalone Final Fantasy game. The world is massive and filled with detailed environments covering a wide range of beautiful aesthetics.

The combat starts slow but ramps up over time, unlocking more skills and abilities for very deep, strategic gameplay. best of all There‘s an incredible amount of relevant content you can enjoy without ever paying.

"I was able to play new dungeons and trials all the way to level 60 without getting bored," said free trial player Amara Lir. "The pacing and variety kept me engaged the whole time."

The social limitations may be frustrating at times. But as long as you‘re focused on the PvE content, the free trial provides an enormous amount of quality gameplay.

If MMOs like World of Warcraft or The Elder Scrolls Online interest you, then I highly recommend giving the FFXIV free trial a shot. You‘ll be surprised just how long you can play for free!

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.