Final Fantasy XIV FAQ: Pre-Purchase

[Goldenboko]

Q. Does Final Fantasy XIV have single player?
A. In the words of FFXI, "You cannot play this game offline, there is no single player mode, and you must pay a monthly fee in order to play. Thank you."

Q. When is this game scheduled for release?
A. The game has already been released on PC, and is due to eventually be released on the PS3.

Q. When will this game be released on PS3?
A. Originally slated for a March 2011 release, this has been delayed until an unknown date while they focus on improving aspects of the game.

Q. When will this game be released on the Xbox 360 or Wii?
A. This game is only being released for PS3 and PC at this time.

Q. How much does Final Fantasy XIV cost?
A. Regular edition, $49.99 (~€40.13, £26.99 on amazon.co.uk). Collector edition $74.99 (~€60.20, £39.99 on game.co.uk). Subscription $12.99 (~€10.42, £8.99) for every 30 days.

Q. What are the minimum specs to run Final Fantasy XIV?
A. Subject to change, as of 8th July 2010...
Windows XP/Vista/7
Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2GHz
2GB of RAM
15GB Hard drive space
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 512MB or ATI Radeon HD 2900 512MB
DirectX 9.0c
Broadband internet connection, mouse and keyboard
Screen resolution of 1280x720 or higher

Q. What's the "Benchmark"?
A. A program that checks how well Final Fantasy XIV will run on your computer!

Q. Oh sweet! Where can I find a link to this "Benchmark"?
A. FINAL FANTASY XIV Official Benchmark (http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/media/benchmark/na/)
Download, run, and you're good to go.

Q. Is FFXIV a sequel to FFXI and take place in Vana'diel?
A. No. FFXIV takes place in Eorzea.

Q. Oh. What races will be in this new world?
A. Hyur, Miq'ote, Lalafell, Elezen, Roegadyn. *Will link to the EoFF Frontsite race page when we make one*

Q. How much gametime do I get with the original game purchase if I don't pay for a monthly subscription?
A. Both the standard and collector's edition of the games come with a 30 day trial period at no additional cost to your original game purchase.

Q. Are there any 100% free trials to this game? As in, I don't have to pay for anything at all?
A. It is possible to get a free trial through someone ordering the Collector's Edition. This is one of their bonus items.

Q. Bonus items?
A. Yes, you receive bonus items if you order the Collector's Edition. If you pre-order the standard edition, you can get a bonus item, too. They are as follows...

Collector's Edition Bonus Items
#1: Onion Helm in-game item code - an Onion Helm quickens recovery following KO. This may only be available for pre-orders.
#2: Adventurer's Branded Tumbler - A cup!
#3: Behind the Scenes DVD - An inside look at the making of FFXIV with exclusive content, interviews, and more.
#4: Travel Journal - A journal filled with pages of never-before-seen concept art.
#5: Map of Eorzea - A detailed map showing the key areas of Eorzea.
#6: Security Token - a FFXIV branded security token to use in addition to your password.
#7: Early Access - start on the 22nd September instead of the 30th September.
#8: Guest Pass - Invite a friend to play free for a limited time.

Pre-Ordered Standard Edition Bonus Items
#1: Garlond Goggles in-game item code - the Garlond Goggles increase the speed of skill progression.

That's all I got for now guys.

[Del Murder]

Great job!

[Rye]

Thanks a bunch! :up:

[Antheta]

Lmao they make yet another Final Fantasy game online only. If you ask me that's hella fail. Then to add to the matter they are going to charge more than Blizzard charges to play the game online. Blizzard aka World of Warcraft is 15-28 every two months. Where as this will 13 a month. Are they that stupid?

I guess they are. Well looks like I wont be getting into this game. Thats just to bad.

[Del Murder]

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Antheta, but the FFXIV FAQ thread really isn't the place to discuss your opinion of another online FF. Please take your opinions to one of the other threads in this forum.

Let's keep this thread to comments/suggestions for the FAQ.

[Lionx]

Ok this is bugging me, my friend posted the features of the Collector's edition and one of those was a 30 day free trial (basically the free month FFXI gives you and most other MMORPGs). However me and some friends thought thats probably an oversight, since that stuff is standard for MMOs in general and if the regular version doesn't have it, then why ever buy the regular one (since you gotta pay for the month anyway equaling the cost).

Then i got an email today from SE themselves stating the SAME 30 day free trial as a collector's edition bonus...which makes me dubious again. Does anyone know if you will be getting a free 30 day trial for the regular version? Because if not theres absolutely no reason NOT to get a collector's....

[Del Murder]

Not having the 30 day free trial on the standard version would be pretty stupid on SE's part. Many of us probably wouldn't have played FFXI at all if not for the free trial.

[Goldenboko]

Both versions come with the 30 day free trial. I will post this to the FAQ.

[Loony BoB]

The 30 day free trial that was mentioned may be the one that you can provide to a friend. Basically, you get a 30 day subscription on your own account and then you also get a 30 day trial for someone else. That's how I read it, anyway.

EDIT: Not 100% positive though as I can't check most gaming sites at work. Amazon does, however, mention a "Buddy Pass Insert".

[Goldenboko]

Hm. I'm starting to get conflicting messages from my sources. The official finalfantasyxiv.com website says nothing about free gameplay for the regular edition (http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/#/about/game_info), but the collectors edition specifically mentions the 30 days of free gameplay. (http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/#/about/game_info)

What's more scary is it a mentions a "travel voucher" which sounds a real lot like the world choosing passes of FFXI. Is Square going to make you buy the collectors edition to choose your world? I'm going to look into this.

EDIT: I'll be striking the last edition until something is confirmed.

[Loony BoB]

I've researched various parts of the European site and have updated the confirmation of "free" periods etc.

EDIT: It's also notable that the minimum requirements are subject to change. I'll add that in.

[Proxy]

Thanks very much for this info =)
I'll probably end up getting the PC version. PC MMO is just better.

[Crop]

Will you have to pay a monthly fee to play this on the PS3 too? Or do I just buy the disk, put it in, and pwn some nubs?

[Goldenboko]

There will be a fee for the PS3 version. Just like there was a fee for FFXI.

[Carl the Llama]

Do you have to buy the Limited edition game from certain stores to enable freebee's? could you guys provide link to a preorder site? (in England)

Additionally you need to change the minimum requirements to this: http://a.imageshack.us/img824/7031/minrec.jpg

[oddler]

Notice under the Recommended Graphics Card section that it says ffxi. :Oo:

[Loony BoB]

All leading game stores should allow for pre-orders. play.com, game.co.uk, amazon.co.uk, etc.

Which freebies are you referring to, Kaiser? Check out the "Bonus Items" part of the FAQ to see which bonus items you get with which edition.

[Carl the Llama]

The main reason I want the bonus items is for the security token and the onion helm.

Edit: Having looked online I have found either game or game station to be the cheapest but I'm confused, if I do pre order it do I have to pay for the whole thing now or just a deposit?

[Loony BoB]

Then yes, you will need to ensure you order the collector's edition. This should be clearly identified at all of those retailers I mentioned earlier.

eg. Final Fantasy XIV Collector's Edition (with Onion Helm Preorder Bonus) - PC Games and Downloads - GAME.co.uk (http://www.game.co.uk/Games/PC-Games-and-Downloads/Role-Playing-MMORPG/Final-Fantasy-XIV-Collectors-Edition-with-Onion-Helm-Preorder-Bonus/~r350413/?s=final%20fantasy%20xiv%20) - click on "Product Details" on that page for the part where it states what items it includes...


Collector's Edition includes:

Game
Exclusive In Game Item
Adventurer’s Branded Tumbler
Behind the Scenes Bonus DVD
FINAL FANTASY XIV –Branded Security Token
Map of Eorzea
Adventurer’s Notebook

[Baloki]

Hey guys, just a note if you have your documents stored on a drive outside of the drive you have Windows installed on and are using Windows 7 you will experience "11023 Unable to access server for version check" and "11018 File Access failed during version check" errors.

To fix it you have to create a brand new administrator on your computer. Update your copy of FFXIV, then log in using your normal account, copy the files created in "[Windows Drive]:\Users\[New Account Username]\My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV Beta Version\" to a folder in your documents folder called "My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV Beta Version\". Then delete the new account you created and it should work as normal.

The more you know eh?

[Lionx]

Just wanted to put that you should say YES TO MERGE FFXIV BETA WITH FFXIV RETAIL when you install the game. Otherwise you will lose your character names and stuff. I didn't so i am now waiting on the people at SE to resolve this issue...if you care about the name you 'reserved' in beta don't make the same mistake i did.

[Loony BoB]

Bummer, man. :( Have you come up with another name you like?

[Lionx]

Whoops i meant to say 'now i am waiting' instead of not waiting. If the name matters enough you should go to their online help desk at your SE Account site and search for Beta/Retail accounts. Then submit an application for a new CD Key which might take a couple days that lets you re-register and merge them. I am waiting on that =/

[Carl the Llama]

Ah bummer man, you coming to Lindblum when you sign up? I know Mirage is not so I thought I would check.

[Quindiana Jones]

Sooo... anymore updates on the system requirements? Or have they reached a plateau?

[Loony BoB]

I think I'll remove this thread from the sticky area for now and will add a new one come 2.0.

[Goldenboko]

Yeah I was surprised to see this still here