Hey friend! Have you heard about the incredibly generous free trial for Final Fantasy XIV Online? If not, let me tell you all about it, because you can play for much longer than you probably think.
The FFXIV free trial lets you play through the entire original game and first expansion up to level 60 with no time limit whatsoever. That‘s right – take as long as you want!
I know what you‘re thinking – this sounds too good to be true. Well, believe it my friend because I‘ve put over 200 hours into the free trial myself! Let me walk you through everything you need to know about how long the FFXIV free trial really lasts.
You Can Play Forever If You Want!
Many free trials for MMOs and online games put a time limit on how long you can play for free, like only allowing 1 week or 1 month. FFXIV does things differently – there is absolutely no time limit to the free trial.
You can literally play for free forever if you wish! The developers understand it takes time to really get into an MMORPG and figure out if it‘s something you want to invest in long-term. So take all the time you need my friend!
I‘ve seen some players put 500, even 1000+ hours into the free trial just taking their time and enjoying the experience. Of course, you are limited to level 60, but we‘ll get to that later.
The point is – don‘t feel rushed at all. The free trial is an open invitation to immerse yourself in the world of Eorzea before deciding if you want to stick around.
Hundreds of Hours of Content Available
Now let‘s talk about how much actual gameplay content is available during the free trial before you hit that level 60 cap. Brace yourself, because it‘s a whole lot!
Here‘s an overview of what‘s included:
- The entire original base game (A Realm Reborn) up to level 50
- The massive Heavensward expansion up to level 60
- Hundreds of main story quests spanning two complete story arcs
- Hundreds of side quests, job quests, and other content
- Three starting cities, dozens of zones, and hidden areas to uncover
- 8 unique playable classes and jobs up to level 60
- PvP, deep crafting/gathering systems, Chocobo companions and more!
It‘s staggering how much content is available. Let‘s dig deeper into the main story duration:
A Realm Reborn Storyline
The base game covers levels 1-50 and revolves around the struggles following the devastating Seventh Umbral Calamity. There are about 200 main scenario quests during this arc.
For most players following the main story, it takes around 100-120 hours to complete A Realm Reborn and reach the max level of 50. So right off the bat, that‘s weeks and weeks of free gameplay!
Heavensward Storyline
Heavensward picks up where A Realm Reborn left off and advances the main story to the free trial cap of level 60. It adds another 100+ main scenario quests on top of the base game.
It takes around 60-80 hours for most players to complete the Heavensward expansion. When combined with the base game, you‘re looking at a whopping 160-200 hours of just core story content available for free! Not to mention all the side content.
So just focusing on the main storylines, you can easily squeeze 200+ hours out of the free trial. More if you‘re a completionist!
And remember – you can take as long as you want to complete that content since there‘s no time limit. Pretty amazing deal right?
The Level 60 "Soft Cap"
Now as I mentioned earlier, there is a "soft cap" on the free trial at level 60. Here‘s what that entails:
- You can level all jobs/classes to 60, but can‘t go beyond it
- No further EXP gains past level 60
- You can‘t unlock any jobs/classes that start above level 60
- The story progresses up through Heavensward but not beyond
So while you can technically play for free forever, progression is halted at level 60. But with so much content available up through that point, you‘re still getting an incredible amount of free gameplay.
Think of the level 60 cap as giving you a large, but not bottomless buffet. You can go back for seconds, thirds, even tenths if you want! But you can‘t quite eat the whole restaurant.
This is more than fair in my opinion for a free trial. But it does mean to continue onward, you will eventually need to subscribe. Which brings us to…
What Happens When You Subscribe?
If you decide to subscribe to FFXIV after the free trial, a whole new world of content opens up! Here‘s what you gain access to:
- Level cap raised to 90 (current max)
- Three huge expansions full of new stories and zones
- New jobs like Red Mage, Dancer, Gunbreaker and more
- Housing, more social features, more storage space
- End game raiding/dungeons/trials
- No restrictions! Complete freedom to play Eorzea.
Subscribing lets you experience everything new FFXIV has to offer over the past 9 years since A Realm Reborn first launched. We‘re talking hundreds more hours of content, stories, challenges and fun!
And good news – nothing is lost if you unsubscribe. You simply revert to free trial status and can resubscribe at any time. So you can take breaks when needed.
Here‘s a little tip too – buying the latest expansion Shadowbringers includes all the previous ones too! So you just have one purchase to make to unlock all the new content. Pretty cool right?
Anyway, I think you get the point. The free trial gives you loads of gameplay, while subscribing lets you fully dive into everything beyond. The choice is yours!
Some Key Free Trial Restrictions
While the FFXIV free trial grants immense freedom, there are a few key restrictions in place:
- Level capped at 60
- Unable to unlock new jobs/classes past 60
- Limited social features and chat
- No joining Free Companies (FFXIV guilds)
- Restricted economic activities
- Max of 300,000 Gil (in-game currency)
This curbs spam, botting, and other abuses while still providing the complete core gameplay experience. Just don‘t expect to be able to access certain high-level features.
But you‘ll have hundreds of hours to decide if you eventually want those extras! And playing solo is still completely viable during the trial.
Can You Play Through FFXIV Solo?
Absolutely! While FFXIV is an MMO, the creators put a ton of effort into making solo play feasible and fun. Here‘s what you can do solo:
- Complete every story and side quest by yourself
- Queue into dungeons and trials with NPC companions
- Explore every corner of Eorzea at your own pace
- Level every job on your own from 1 to 60
- Admire the beautiful world and cutscenes in peace
Will it be more challenging than playing with others? At times yes, but the game is built to accommodate solo players. You‘ll never be forced to group up.
And if you ever need help, the community is welcoming to new adventurers. I‘ve made many friends just asking questions in chat!
So don‘t be intimidated by the MMO aspects if you prefer to play alone. FFXIV can absolutely be enjoyed as a solo experience.
Closing Thoughts on the FFXIV Free Trial
Phew, that covers most of what you need to know about the FFXIV free trial! To summarize:
- No time limit – Take as long as you want
- Tons of content – 100+ hours per storyline
- Level cap at 60 – Limits but doesn‘t cripple the experience
- Converts to full game – When you‘re ready to subscribe
- Solo friendly – Complete freedom to play alone
I hope this guide gives you confidence to try out the free trial for yourself! I consider it one of the most generous offers in the MMO market.
You really have nothing to lose by giving FFXIV a shot. There‘s a wonderful adventure awaiting in Eorzea that you can play for hundreds of hours, risk-free.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to help prepare you for your first steps into this magical world. Safe travels my friend – I hope we cross paths in Eorzea someday!
