Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) and World of Warcraft (WoW) are two of the most relevant, long-standing MMO giants in 2021.
The battle between these two games is still a hot topic, even in current year.
Although both games have their strengths, I have picked seven areas that give FFXIV an edge over WoW.
Let’s go over the top benefits of FFXIV over WoW.
And if you enjoy talking about FFXIV, RPGs, or just chatting about the weather or your pet cat, catch me in a Miranda Lemons stream. I’m really nice and also cool. 😉
1. FFXIV Has Superior Story & Quests
Don’t get me wrong: WoW has an excellent story as well as amazing quests. The scenes are grand and the characters expressive and life-like. But where WoW is lacking horribly, as compared to FFXIV, is the attention to detail.
Why kill 10 monsters for a quest?
WoW doesn’t give small quests its due respect. It is like WoW doesn’t appreciate you doing these small tasks.
Compared to WoW, FFXIV gives you small videos and stories to give you an idea about the quests and their importance. No matter how small the quest, FFXIV cuts scenes give you an insight into the importance of the task at hand.
Any player of a particular game would love to have the feeling that his conquests have a purpose. Rather than just simply fetching for the sake of it.
FFXIV can give some of the most enthralling and emotionally charged cutscenes that put your player in the center.
2. FFXIV Has Better Controller Support
FFXIV is unique in that Final Fantasy main titles have released on the PlayStation for decades now. Final Fantasy has a dedicated console following and so SquareEnix can’t skimp on the console experience, unlike WoW — a decidedly PC game.
FFXIV is on both PS4 and PS3 and so FFXIV specifically prioritized controller support over WoW.
For PC gamers, the controller would feel clunky, but for me — I was so impressed with how much complexity FFXIV was able to pack in a few buttons. If you have the patience, you get used to it and even grow to love it.
FFXIV gets props from me for making the game accessible to console gamers like yours truly.
3. FFXIV Uses Dungeons Better
FFXIV allows you to use old dungeons that you have already beat. But in World of Warcraft, once you out-level any particular dungeon, it means that the chapter of that dungeon is closed. Meaning you cannot visit that place again. You can, however, visit older dungeons when it’s time to level up some Alts.
Not the case with FFXIV, here excellent use of level scaling and daily roulettes mean that you will be paying a visit to older dungeons. And I live for this.
Here are a couple of reasons I like visiting old dungeons:
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Mentor other players: When you know a dungeon well, you can share strategies with newer players and teach them the ropes. It feels like meaningful work within the game.
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Get back into the swing of things after a hiatus: When I haven’t played the game in a while, I like to visit old dungeons. These dungeons offer fewer hotkeys and allow me to build back my muscle memory.
This experience of clever dungeon usage is particularly fun for newer players. Gamers looking to do the early game dungeons as part of their quest experience don’t need to worry about having people to play with, as it will fill their groups with scaled-up high-level players.
4. FFXIV has No Dependency on Alts
In FFXIV, my character’s name is Chamomile Rose. Her Chocobo is named Darjeeling. You probably understand — I love my flower-tea-themed character and don’t want to make a whole other character just for a class change.
In the WoW universe, if you want to change your class, you have to make a whole new character. In comparison, in FFXIV, you can simply take on a new quest and get a weapon as per your liking. Switching classes is as simple as switching your weapon. I love it.
You can try out different classes without the hassle of any prior commitments.
Another great advantage of not having to level up on alternate characters is that you can try out as many professions as you like without having to worry about the consequences. As a result, you won’t need to level up anything you don’t feel like.
5. FFXIV Has More Interesting Crafting & Gathering Classes
In the World of Warcraft, the process of gathering and crafting are fairly simple and straightforward. It lacks attention to detail like FFXIV. Final Fantasy XIV, however, gives you the feeling that each crafting process is like a mini-game or quest. This makes it more fun.
When I think about crafting in FFXIV, I feel I am doing a form of ‘work’ — providing a real service to others — my skills. I think about my abilities, the quality I want to achieve, and the points I have left. It is a process crafting HQ items.
Although crafting items can be challenging sometimes, crafting and gathering high-quality items is a difficult job in FFXIV. But the experience is so worth it as compared to WoW.
6. FFXIV Has More Console Availability
This is a crucial point when you consider the expenses of owning a gaming PC. This to some may be the only point that matters to edge out FFXIV over WoW.
While PC and console versions have some differences in FFXIV, and PC is superior in both graphics and controls, I have been a console gamer my whole life, which only changed recently when I started streaming on Twitch. I did not have a gaming PC (and in fact, for Twitch, I borrow my boyfriend’s PC).
I only had my PS4, and so I made do with playing FFXIV on the PS4 using a controller and a small bluetooth keyboard.
WoW can only be played on a high specification gaming PC — with no console availability like PS4.
So if you want to play an MMORPG that delivers an outstanding MMO experience on a console — and I mean truly outstanding — then FFXIV beats WoW, obviously.
7. FFXIV Has No Factions
A lot of WoW players get into the battle between the Alliance and the Hord. this particular feature was really fun for a while, but it got played out a lot over the years. What it did wrong is that it functioned to divide the player base.
In comparison, FFXIV players enjoy being on the same side of the battle. Meaning they are not divided into different factions. Everyone hates the same bad guys and enjoys a much uniform experience.
Wait — Is WoW Superior in Any Way?
With all the points discussed and arguments made. It is a completely subjective matter as to which MMORPG is better. In certain areas, it is a tough contest between these two MMO giants.
Consider combat in FFXIV: moves have a higher cooldown as compared to WoW. Some people might not like this function of FFXIV.
Also, some people might like the raids in WoW far more. In WoW, raids give you varying difficulties that some gamers appreciate.
Another point that some people might not like is that FFXIV gives you fewer player vs player opportunities.
Although World of Warcraft has an approachable set of gameplay mechanics, with plentiful raid content and higher difficulty levels, if you are looking for more variety to your content — with a deeper sense of storytelling and meaningful questing — plus that Final Fantasy flavor that any long-time fan can enjoy, then FFXIV would be your choice.
Whichever game you choose to play, you are getting an MMO experience that is more than capable of keeping you entertained for a long time to come.
If you want to discuss this matter more, you are always welcome to chat with me more about games on the Miranda Lemons stream and share in good, wholesome, fun times.