You’re ready to begin your own adventure in the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy 14 – that is wonderful news! Before you step foot in Eorzea however, you must first create your very own character. Here is a list of things I wish I had known about character creation when I started out.
- Stat Differences Between Races Are Negligible
There are currently 8 playable races as of the latest expansion Endwalker. These are Hyur, Elezen, Lalafell, Miqo’te, Roegadyn, Au Ra, Hrothgar and Viera. The stat differences between the races are negligible and have no impact on gameplay or experience.
- Hrothgar and Viera Limitations
Hrothgar and Viera have some disadvantages when it comes to customization with fewer hairstyle options and in the case of Viera very few headgear options, with many helmets never being visible on your character. So if hair customisation, outfits and glamours are important to you, you might want to take this in to consideration.
- Race Lore
Each of the races and each clan within them has its own lore, you can read about each in the top left-hand corner of the character creation screen. If you enjoy some roleplay in your MMORPG experience, it can be a great starting point for developing your character background
- Unique Poses
Each race has its own unique poses, you can view them by changing the pose option in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen to unique, instead of standing. Unique poses differ between genders.
- Deities
As with stat differences, the Deity you choose has no impact on your character and is only really for roleplay use, if you so choose. There is some nice lore to read through though, if that’s your thing!
- Phial of Fantasia
Upon completion of the base game, A Realm Reborn (ARR), you will be gifted a phial of fantasia you can use to change your character once, for free. So don’t worry if you feel like you want to change after playing for a while. If you want to change it sooner, you can also buy the Phials of Fantasia in the FFXIV online store for real world money.
- Aesthetician
Whilst your race and physical features are fixed unless you use a Phial of Fantasia, your hair colour and hairstyle as well as some other cosmetics such as tattoos and makeup. You’ll unlock it by completing the Beauty Is Only Skin Deep quest that will become available to you at Level 15 in Limsa Lominsa.
- Choosing your starting Class
Unlike other MMORPGS, you can play and level all classes and jobs on one character, so don’t get too hung up on picking the right one to start out. Once you reach level 10 (which happens quite quickly) and have completed the level 10 class quest for your class, you will be able to unlock all of the classes and jobs available for ARR. Other jobs that were launched in the following expansions will be unlockable once you reach higher levels on your other jobs.
- Starting City
You will notice when selecting a starting city that it gives you limited class options, this is because each class is tied to a starting city. Story-wise, this will change your initial experience, as each city has its own story and plotlines. However, the story branches quickly come together and you will visit each of the main cities from level 15 in the Main Story Quest (MSQ). Beyond that, your starting city will have no impact, so I would recommend choosing the class you want to start with and go from there!
- Saving Character Appearance
You can create as many characters as you like and save their appearances which you can import later for use on retainers, or so you can quickly get started again if you feel you want a fresh start on a new character that looks the same as your old one. To do so, just click yes once you get the save character appearance prompt.
Are there other things you think should be included? Let us know! Otherwise, good luck on your adventures in the wonderful world of Eorzea!