Final Fantasy 14 (FFXIV) is one of the most popular MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games) available today. The game has a free trial that allows you to play through the entire base game and the Heavensward expansion without any time restrictions. This raises the question – is the FFXIV free trial worth playing? In this detailed guide, we‘ll take an in-depth look at what the free trial provides and help you decide if it‘s worth your time.
What does the FFXIV free trial include?
Here‘s a quick overview of what you get with the FFXIV free trial:
- Access to the entire A Realm Reborn (base game) storyline and content
- Access to the entire Heavensward expansion storyline and content
- Ability to level all jobs/classes up to 60
- No restrictions on playtime
- Access to all races and classes
- Ability to join Free Companies (FFXIV‘s player guilds)
- Access to the market board and in-game economy
- Access to the Gold Saucer and Triple Triad mini-games
- Access to PvP (player vs player) content
Essentially, you get hundreds of hours worth of content and gameplay without having to pay anything upfront. The only major restrictions are:
- Level cap of 60
- Unable to access Stormblood, Shadowbringers or Endwalker expansions
- Limited social options (can‘t create parties, linkshells, etc)
- Limited in-game chat options
- Restricted gil (in-game currency) cap
- No retainers (bank storage)
- No access to the Manderville Gold Saucer
- No access to retainers & marketboard
But unless you‘re planning to play the game long-term and want access to end-game raids, the free trial provides a massive amount of content for new players to enjoy.
How long is the FFXIV free trial?
The FFXIV free trial does not have any time restrictions. You can take as long as you want to play through the base game and Heavensward expansion. Most new players report taking around 100-200 hours to complete all the content available in the trial.
Here‘s a rough estimate of how long it takes to play through the free trial content as a new player:
- A Realm Reborn main storyline: 50 hours
- Side quests, dungeons, jobs, and extra content: 50+ hours
- Post-launch patches (2.1-2.55): 30 hours
- Heavensward main storyline: 40 hours
- Heavensward side content: 30+ hours
So in total, you‘re looking at around 200 hours of gameplay as a new player sticking to the main storylines. Of course, you can spend way more time than that exploring side content, leveling additional jobs, unlocking features, etc.
But the key point is that the free trial gives you hundreds of hours of playtime, which is more than enough to experience the complete stories of A Realm Reborn and Heavensward.
What are the major pros and cons of the FFXIV free trial?
Pros:
- No time restrictions or ongoing costs
- Hundreds of hours of content
- Ability to play through the entire base game and Heavensward stories
- Get a feel for the gameplay to see if you enjoy it
- Level all jobs and classes to 60
- Participate in end-game raids, dungeons, and trials
- Active social features like Free Companies and linkshells
- Experience the game‘s unique storytelling and soundtrack
Cons:
- Level capped at 60
- No access to expansions after Heavensward
- Restricted social options compared to paid players
- Limited access to in-game chat
- Restricted gil cap makes it harder to participate in end-game economy
- No retainers for extra storage and selling items
- No access to certain activities like PvP seasons or the Gold Saucer
Overall, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. The free trial gives you an incredible amount of value considering you aren‘t forced to pay anything. The only major limitations relate to content after Heavensward and some social/economic restrictions.
What gameplay features are available in the free trial?
Here are some of the major gameplay features and activities you can access in the FFXIV free trial:
Main Scenario Questline – The complete stories of A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, including over 100+ quests and cutscenes per expansion.
Dungeons, Trials, and Raids – Team-based PvE duties, including end-game 8-player raids from A Realm Reborn and Heavensward.
Job Quests – Quest chains to unlock new skills and abilities for all jobs up to level 60.
Housing – Player housing neighborhoods, though limited plots available.
Glamour System – Change your character‘s appearance with unlocked armor skins and dyes.
Triple Triad – FF-style card game you can play against NPCs and other players.
Gold Saucer – Casino with Chocobo racing, mini-games, and special rewards.
PvP – Instanced player vs player battles on dedicated PvP maps.
Treasure Hunts – Special treasure maps that unlock hidden dungeons with rare rewards.
Beast Tribe Quests – Unlock storylines for beast tribes and gain access to special vendors.
Levequests – Repeatible mini-quests that give XP, items, and currency rewards.
FATES – Dynamic open world encounters anyone can join.
As you can see, all the major forms of PvE and PvP content are available during the free trial. You can easily spend hundreds of hours exploring and participating in all these activities without paying anything.
What class/job should you play as a new player?
FFXIV has a huge variety of classes and jobs available. Here are some good options for new players starting with the free trial:
Conjurer/White Mage – Beginner-friendly healer job. Heal allies and damage enemies with magic.
Thaumaturge/Black Mage – Ranged magic damage dealer (DPS) job. Nuke enemies with massive fire, ice, and lightning spells.
Archer/Bard – Ranged physical DPS job. Deal damage from afar with bow skills and supportive songs.
Lancer/Dragoon – Melee DPS job. Use polearms and "jump" attacks to deal piercing damage.
Gladiator/Paladin – Sword and shield tank job. Defend allies and draw enemy attacks with defensive skills.
All these classes are available right from character creation and are newbie-friendly. Later on, you can even unlock advanced jobs like Dark Knight, Machinist, and Astrologian during the free trial.
I‘d recommend picking something that fits your playstyle. Like playing support roles? Go for Conjurer. Prefer ranged damage? Try Archer. Want to tank? Gladiator is a great choice.
Most classes start slow at low levels but build up more complex rotations as you progress. So don‘t worry if combat starts off simple – it becomes much more engaging at higher levels.
What makes FFXIV‘s gameplay enjoyable?
There are several key things that make FFXIV‘s gameplay satisfying and fun even for new players:
Polished tab-target combat – Combat is slower paced than action games but still feels punchy and rewarding. Requires skill to master rotations.
Tons of iconic FF abilities – Mix up fire, ice, lightning spells as a Black Mage. Heal as a White Mage. Feel like a Paladin tank. FFXIV brings classic FF combat to an MMO.
Beautiful animation and effects – Attacks, spells, and abilities have gorgeous, immersive animations and particle effects.
Class switching – You can level every job on one character, making experimentation easy. Keep things fresh by playing multiple roles.
Engaging dungeons – Instanced dungeons with boss mechanics that require coordination and skill to overcome. Satisfying progression.
Meaningful character growth – Levelling up feels substantial. New skills make earlier jobs feel completely different at higher levels.
FFXIV also does a stellar job of introducing new players to MMO systems. The early game is very tutorialized – you‘ll get popups explaining concepts like questing, duty finders, loot, and more. So even if you‘re new to MMORPGs, it‘s easy to adjust and learn the basics.
Is FFXIV pay to win? What are the microtransactions?
FFXIV has microtransactions but is definitely not pay to win. Here‘s what you can purchase in the online store:
Story skip and level boosts – Skip the main story and boost a job to higher levels.
Level boosts for alt jobs – Boost additional jobs on your account to higher levels.
Cosmetics – Outfits, mounts, minions, emotes, and housing items. Purely decorative.
Server transfers – Transfer your character to a new server.
So realistically, the only things you can buy to get ahead are story and level skips. But the story is so critical to enjoying FFXIV that most players recommend experiencing it fully. And you‘ll still need to learn to play any jobs you boost.
Other than convenience services, everything else is just cosmetic and does not provide any gameplay advantage. So spending money gives zero benefits to progression or competitive play.
What content is locked behind the expansions?
The FFXIV free trial lets you access the base game (A Realm Reborn) and the first expansion (Heavensward). Here are some of the major things locked behind later expansions:
Stormblood (Expansion 2) – New jobs (Red Mage, Samurai). Level cap raised to 70. New areas like Gyr Abania and Othard. Continues the story after Heavensward.
Shadowbringers (Expansion 3) – New jobs (Gunbreaker, Dancer). Level cap raised to 80. New areas like Il Mheg and The First. Continues the story after Stormblood.
Endwalker (Expansion 4) – New jobs (Reaper, Sage). Level cap raised to 90. New areas like Garlemald and the Moon. Wraps up the Hydaelyn vs Zodiark story arc.
New races – Viera, Au Ra, and Hrothgar races require owning expansions.
Post-launch content – Patches after Heavensward add tons of new story, zones, trials, raids, and features.
So in summary, you miss out on half the main storyline, many new jobs, expanded end-game content, and expanded features by sticking purely to the free trial.
But the free trial still offers hundreds of hours of content on its own. You can always buy the expansions later if you want to continue playing. FFXIV lets you upgrade from trial to full game while keeping your character.
What are the major pros and cons of FFXIV‘s subscription model?
FFXIV requires a monthly subscription fee to play past the free trial. This has some notable pros and cons:
Pros of subscription model:
- Ensures regular content updates every 3-4 months
- No incentives to push aggressive monetization or "pay to win"
- Developers can focus on quality content over profits
- Encourages retention and building a dedicated playerbase
Potential cons:
- Mandatory ongoing cost to play full game
- Risk of content droughts between major updates
- Locks casual players out of full experience
- Expensive compared to buy-to-play or free-to-play games
Whether the subscription model appeals to you depends heavily on your budget and playstyle. For hardcore fans who play regularly, it‘s generally accepted as worth the price. More casual players may want to stick to the free trial.
But overall, FFXIV‘s subs model ensures a steady stream of meaty updates. And no egregious monetization pressures that plague some free MMOs.
Is it worth upgrading to the full game after the free trial?
Whether to upgrade to the full FFXIV experience after the free trial comes down to a few key factors:
Do you enjoy the core gameplay?
The free trial gives you a perfect taste of FFXIV‘s formula. If you find the combat, dungeons, story, and general MMO structure compelling, continuing to full game makes sense.
But if nothing clicks for you during the trial, upgrading probably won‘t change your opinion. Don‘t force yourself to pay for a game you aren‘t having fun with.
Are you invested in the characters and story?
One of FFXIV‘s biggest highlights is its extensive storyline spanning 10+ years. If you get attached to the world and characters, you‘ll likely want to keep following the epic narrative.
But if you mostly just care about gameplay, you may feel fine stopping after the free trial‘s self-contained storylines.
Do you plan to play long-term or casually?
Casual players who just want to dabble in Eorzea a few hours per week may find better value sticking to the trial. The free content can easily last months of occasional play.
But if you know you want to commit to FFXIV long-term and don‘t mind a subscription, upgrading makes sense to access all the new jobs, zones, and end-game gear grinds awaiting you.
As a rule of thumb, consider upgrading if you:
- Enjoyed the free trial‘s core combat and progression.
- Became invested in the story and world.
- Plan to play consistently for months to come.
For players who meet those criteria, the full game is tremendously worth it. You‘ll unlock hundreds more hours of exceptional storytelling, challenging battles, and meaningful progression.
But it‘s perfectly valid to stick with the free trial if you just want to casually visit Eorzea here and there. Either way, the trial lets you experience FFXIV risk-free.
What are the major pros and cons of FFXIV as a new player?
If you‘re new to FFVX, here are some of the key positives and potential downsides to weigh:
Major Pros
- Hundreds of hours of free trial content
- No need to spend money until you know you like it
- Polished tab-target combat feels great
- Tons of classic Final Fantasy fanservice
- Excellent storytelling and soundtrack
- Welcoming community of players
Potential Cons
- Monthly subscription fee
- Slower GCD combat than action MMOs
- Over 100 hours of story quests to progress
- Early game has a lot of fetch quests
- Steep learning curve for MMO newcomers
- Can feel overwhelming with so many classes, activities, systems, etc.
As a new player, the sheer depth of FFXIV may feel intimidating at first. You‘ll have to push through quite a few dull fetch quests, and the free trial has some social restrictions.
But if you stick with it, you‘ll be rewarded with one of the finest MMORPG experiences on the market. The free trial let‘s you judge the game at zero risk. If you end up liking it, hundreds more hours of adventure await in the paid content.
In summary:
The FFXIV free trial provides tremendous value with no strings attached:
- Hundreds of hours of content in A Realm Reborn and Heavensward
- All jobs and classes available to level 60
- Engaging PvE dungeons, raids, quests, and trials
- Immersive Final Fantasy world and soundtrack
The only major limitations are:
- Level capped at 60
- No access to expansions after Heavensward
- Restricted social and economic options
For new players on the fence, the free trial is 100% worth trying out. You can put dozens if not hundreds of hours in before needing to pay anything.
If you enjoy the core experience, consider upgrading to full game. This unlocks the huge wealth of content and stories in the expansions.
But even just sampling the free trial gives you a good taste of what makes FFXIV so beloved. Now get out there and enjoy Eorzea!
