Is 8.3 bringing you down? Do you feel like there is a lack of content and you are feeling burnt out with the game? Does Blizzard keep disappointing you and you are on the verge of unsubscribing to make a point? Well look no further for another viable MMO option to satisfy your needs until WoW Shadowlands (and if Shadowlands fails as bad as BfA did a new game to call home!).
This is just a basic run down of major systems of each game compared side by side and which game does it better form the point of view that you are a WoW player and have a good understanding of the system in question. Also if FFXIV doesn’t suit you definitely look around at ESO.
This post will not be going over cosmetics like mounts and transmog apperances as those are subject to your opinion, even in the WoW community we disagree on the best tier set for a given class.
The ultimate goal is to give players ideas from other games to hopefuly improve WoW for the better, I am sad the current state WoW is in and if it doesn’t change then I fear it may die. I will happily go back to WoW if Shadowlands is far better than BfA. However BfA has just killed my interest.
1: Character Customization: Winner- FFXIV
FFXIV has sliders… so take every customization option for every WoW race and allied race combined them together and… a Male Hyur Midlander has that many customizations… I mean there is no competition though you may spend 30 mins in character customization making a character that looks best for you.
Hopefully however with new customization options in Shadowlands WoW can redeem itself in this department.
2: Gearing: Winner- Tied (depending on Preference)
FFXIV has a pretty much linear gearing system (more like TBC gearing but it has catch up systems). You have a BiS gear pretty much like Old WoW has and no titanforging/corruption. The only exception is Crafted gear (which actual is viable gear for raiding) where a High Quality gear will have slightly better stats than its normal version. You get currency for gear and other items by doing activities and can purchase gear as well if you aren’t so lucky with raiding. PvP doesn’t use gear; it uses stats as its template based with separate abilities for classes.
However if you like loads of RNG on top of RNG WoW has the better gearing system.
3: PvP: Winner WoW
So for PvP FFXIV has two modes, their arena version which is 4 v 4, 1 tank, 1 healer, 1 magic dps, 1 physical dps and then they have Frontlines which is a massive 3 faction battle. It’s very lackluster aside from the arena scene and I do personally enjoy WoW’s pvp better.
4: Classes/Character: Winner- Tied (depending on preference)
So FFXIV is pretty alt-unfriendly in the manner if you want multiple characters. However unlike WoW a FFXIV can play and level all of the games classes (and professions) on one character. So if you are like me and thought of yourself as an altaholic in WoW you will have to reassess yourself and ask: Do I enjoy having multiple characters OR do I have one of each class because I like to play most(all) classes? If you said that you are an altaholic in WoW because you like to have one of each class in FFXIV you will not be an altaholic but someone who levels all classes to the max on one character.
You can freely switch between classes in FFXIV by equipping that classes specific weapon. Same with professions. Also each class doesn’t have specs so a Warrior will always be a tank, White Mage will always be a healer, etc. However you have 18 classes (19 if you count Blue Mage which is limited) that you can swap between easily and level. Also some classes have a downgraded form that you start out as until level 30 such as Marauder -> Warrior, Conjurer -> White Mage.
However if you like having multiple characters because you enjoy having one of each different race FFXIV will be grueling for you as you cant rush to the end game like WoW where FFXIV is very story driven and to get to end game you will have to complete the main story on each additional character (or buy a story skip, if you are a new player DON’T BUY the story skip, you will be confused as to what is going on as the story builds upon itself and may bring up details from a past expansion or plot).
4.5: Classes and Combat: Tied (depending on preference)
So in combat you may hear rumors that FFXIV is slightly slower pace and the GCD is 2.5 seconds. That is true and false. The GCD is 2.5 seconds however classes often have abilities which reduce the GCD and every class has a handful of Off GCD abilities that you will be using in between. Once your class reaches level 40+ (level cap is 80) combat and your attacks will become alot faster as you have most of your tool kit.
Also in FFXIV combat for most classes is combo based where Attack 1 empowers Attack 2 which empowers Attack 3 which leads to a finisher move and that is your general rotation while using off GCD abilities.
FFXIV also has alot of mechanics and attacks from bosses/mobs to which you dodge by simply moving out of the orange line/cone/AoE to avoid massive damage so you will be moving around a bit depending on the boss/mob etc.
5: Crafting: Winner- FFXIV
So FFXIV I would argue has far superior crafting, you are more involved with gathering and crafting as you have an entire set of abilities just for crafting/gathering. This includes increasing an items quality to make it a High Quality (HQ) item which if its a piece of gear has slightly better stats than the non-HQ item. Potions that are HQ have better effects (a healing potion HQ will heal more than a non-HQ version of it) and HQ gathering items makes it easier to craft HQ items.
You also have collectibles to trade in for tokens for cosmetic gear, crafting items, or crafting gear (yes you will have a crafting gear set) with better stats.
It’s alot more hands on but its more rewarding and it has a rework making it easier to get into and level.
6: Transmog System: Winner- WoW
The transmog system in WoW is far superior to FFXIV’s and is more user friendly, however FFXIV does have plans to overhaul it to make massive QoL improvements. Note this is not refering to transmog items themselves (Glamour in FFXIV) rather the system to transmog your gear.
7: Flying: Winner- FFXIV
It should be noted FFXIV does not have flying in the original game zones but does have flying in every expansions zones. (Think WoW prior to Cata no flying in old world zones). However each old world zone is small and have more per area compared to later expansions with larger zones. Also each zone has a quick travel point making traveling easier.
Unlocking flying is far superior to WoW’s pathfinder. All you need to do is complete the Main Story Quests in the zone, do a few Blue Quests (Blue quests unlock features) and gather currents which can be done in an hour or two per zone. Flying is always available day one of an Xpac. Its better than WoW’s pathefinder system currently but however if you compared it to WoW’s older versions of getting flight by paying gold it is not superior.
8: Player Housing: Winner- FFXIV
So compared to Garrisons what does Player Housing in FFXIV is far superior, you can decorate however you want with furniture, NPC’s/Vendors. You have a far greater degree of freedom. There is simply no competition and FFXIV has the far superior system.
9: Treasures in the Open World: Winner- FFXIV
So in FFXIV you actually have treasure maps which you can find from multiple sources. You can then find the coordinates by looking at a map (or using a guide with all possible choices to know where to go instantly). Though you do want a party of a few other players if the map is of current content, once you find the treasure mobs spawn and will attack you, you have 5 mins to kill them (more than enough time) then you can loot the treasure. Everyone gets some gil (FFXIV’s gold) and other things which can be sold for a pretty penny on the Market Board (FFXIV’s Action House). However there is a chance that a Treasure Dungeon Portal will spawn which leads to even greater treasures and that is where the real fun is.
10: Leveling: Winner- Tied (depending on preference)
FFXIV is very story driven where to unlock dungeons and progress to other expansions you need to complete the Main Story Quests (MSQ) though these do give a large portion of EXP and make them worth while. Also I don’t recommend skipping the cutscenes because you will be lost on further story. The MSQ’s build the world and why you are doing X, Y, Z and bring interesting revelations which makes you question what you were previously doing was even right.
You also have Blue Quests which unlock features, and Class Quests are also Blue Quests so if you see one do it. These unlock the casino, abilities, transmog system, and in later expansions flight so if you see one do it.
Leveling compared to WoW is pretty on par in speed as of right now, however WoW Shadowland’s promise of faster leveling would make it a winner of FFXIV, however FFXIV is currently discussing a leveling overhaul to help speed it up like they did with leveling crafting professions.
11: Endgame Content (Dungeons/Raids/Trials): Winner- Tied (depending on preference)
In FFXIV the dungeons server as a two fold purpose, for progressing the story (or side stories) as well as a catch up system with the later dungeons having gear with a slightly lower ilvl than the prior raid tier. There is no Mythic+ system and FFXIV primarily focuses on Raids and Trials for the best gear (non-crafting gear to clarify). These are available in Duty Finder where it functions like Dungeon Finder in WoW.
In FFXIV they have Trials, these are 1 boss mini raids which has direct tie into the Story, there Regular and Hard modes are really on the level of WoW’s Raid Finder/Normal difficulties and are generally a cake walk and accessibly in Duty Finder (group finder). However there is Extreme Mode. Extreme Mode drops gear (around that raid tiers ilvl) and a chance at a mount. Extreme Mode Trials has a significant spike in Difficulty and I would say is between a Heroic and Mythic raid difficulty. You don’t need to do extreme versions to progress the story, these are meant as a form of end game content and to be difficult. For Extreme Trials of the current expansion you will almost certainly want to create a pre-made group and bring consumables.
In FFXIV there are two types of raids. You have Alliance Raids which has its own side story (For example Shadowbringers Alliance Raid is themed after Nier Automata) and is a 24 player raid which doesn’t have much challenge and is essentially of the difficulty of WoW’s Raid Finder, however end bosses do provide alot of cool cosmetics and gear equivalent of that raid tiers.
Then you have more traditional raids also with their own side story. They are 8 players (2 tanks, 2 heals, 4 dps) and their normal modes are as difficult as a Raid Finder wing. However after completing all of that raid tier you unlock Savage Mode. Savage Mode is like Extreme Trials and is borderline Heroic/Mythic difficulty and you will want consumables and you can only enter the current expansions Savage Mode with premade groups. These give the best gear through token drops to exchange them for gear.
Finally every expansion has an Ultima Raid/Trial these do provide amazing gear but is eclipse by the next raid tier. However the weapon drops especially are sought after because of their amazing cosmetics. Ultima Raid/Trials are different where they scale you down to a level and ilvl so they are evergreen challenge content and are of a Mythic Raid difficulty. To unlock them you have to complete that expansions Savage Raids up to a certain raid tier.
12: Miscellaneous/General Information
Casino (Golden Saucer):
FFXIV has a casino however you won’t be dumping your Gil (Gold) into it, you can only spend a little bit of Gil if you run out of casino tokens so you can continue to play the games however when it comes to prizes and exchanges you will need to work for those prizes you can’t simply buy them with your Gil.
The casino has two types of games, games of chance like the jackpot which is a weekly entry, and games of skill like jump puzzles and racing. So there is something for everyone.
Challenge Log:
This resets weekly and gives rewards for actives such as Gil, Casino currency, experience if you aren’t max level, etc. This is just something fun to keep you engaged and you often times will complete objectives without even knowing it.
Daily Roulette:
In FFXIV their group finder has and Daily Roulette resets daily which you can queue for a random dungeon, trial, alliance raid, etc. Which gives bonus exp, currency etc. This feature helps to fill dungeons queues that may otherwise not have alot of people queuing for them. And this keeps dungeon queues to a reasonable time wait usually 10 minutes. You also have roles in demand (DPS/Tank/Healers) which get an additional reward if you queue as them because there aren’t alot in queue for that activity. And yes DPS in need actually happens alot for Alliance Raids and Trials.
Community:
FFXIV’s community is alot less toxic than WoW’s. If you are in a dungeon/raid/trial and say its your first time there half of the group is simultaneously typing out the mechanics and are very understandable. There are alot of WoW Refugee’s and the community has embraced them. For new players you also have access to a special chat which other players (mentor’s) can provide helpful information to you about a lot of things like crafting, leveling etc. Overall you usually won’t have someone going off in chat about how much you suck thats only 1% of the player base if that.
Do I need to play other Final Fantasy Games to get the lore?:
I get this question so many times, each FF game has some reoccurring themes but each games story is entirely separate from one another. With the exception of sequel games in the case of FF7 and FF10. So you do not need to play the other games in the series at all and the same goes for those games to.
Also since the 1.0 FFXIV content is gone because they shut the game down and rebuilt it ground up, the lore is given to you throughout the Main Story Quest and some side story quests. There are no books needed to understand characters motives (cough Sylvanas in BfA cough).
Closing Remarks:
FFXIV isn’t for everyone but alot of people like myself just have nothing else to do during 8.3 and are looking elsewhere to spend our free time.
My Hope for WoW is that is will get passed this disaster of an expansion which is BfA and improves to be a far better game and possibly learn from other games (like FFXIV) to add a new system or more customizations.
Finally I hope everyone goes for the Shadowlands Beta and does give feedback on its systems so we can avoid another horrible expansion like WoD and BfA.
I hope you enjoyed this comparison between the two games.
