Getting back into the game was far more frustrating than it needed to be.
I built a new PC about six months ago, so I had to redownload the client. Naturally, I went to the Lodestone, thinking I’d find a download link there — but couldn’t. Then I checked the Mog Station, assuming it would be under my service account — but it wasn’t there either.
I ended up Googling “download Final Fantasy XIV” and was only offered the options to start a free trial or buy the game, neither of which I wanted since I already own it. Eventually, I discovered that if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, there’s a tiny grey button to download the game. That felt unnecessarily hidden and frustrating.
Then came the real kicker: you can’t download the game unless you have an active subscription. That meant I had to pay first, then wait overnight to download 120GB before I could even play. It’s such a backwards system — other MMOs like WoW, SWTOR, RIFT, and LOTRO don’t do this. It’s just confusing and off-putting.
Honestly, when I see players dropping off, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them tried to return and gave up because of this exact process.
Suggestions for Improvement
- Make the official pages more intuitive.
The Lodestone should make it crystal clear how to download the game. Ideally, both the Lodestone and Mog Station should offer direct, visible download links.
- Reconsider the account flow.
The free trial and “buy the game” options are designed as soft nudges, but they’re presented in a confusing way. Let people download the client first — then guide them through account setup while the game downloads. That way, you turn the wait time into productive setup time, keeping players engaged.
- Allow players to download without an active sub.
This one’s simple: don’t require an active subscription just to download the game. It’s counterintuitive and creates unnecessary friction. I almost didn’t resubscribe because of it — and now, after all that effort, I’ve unsubscribed anyway.
I still love the Final Fantasy franchise and have a lot of great memories from my time in FFXIV. I’ll probably share more thoughts later about the in-game issues and possible improvements. Many of these problems have straightforward solutions, but I feel like the current development culture is too bureaucratic and prideful to consider genuine change.
Continue reading...
I built a new PC about six months ago, so I had to redownload the client. Naturally, I went to the Lodestone, thinking I’d find a download link there — but couldn’t. Then I checked the Mog Station, assuming it would be under my service account — but it wasn’t there either.
I ended up Googling “download Final Fantasy XIV” and was only offered the options to start a free trial or buy the game, neither of which I wanted since I already own it. Eventually, I discovered that if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page, there’s a tiny grey button to download the game. That felt unnecessarily hidden and frustrating.
Then came the real kicker: you can’t download the game unless you have an active subscription. That meant I had to pay first, then wait overnight to download 120GB before I could even play. It’s such a backwards system — other MMOs like WoW, SWTOR, RIFT, and LOTRO don’t do this. It’s just confusing and off-putting.
Honestly, when I see players dropping off, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them tried to return and gave up because of this exact process.
Suggestions for Improvement
- Make the official pages more intuitive.
The Lodestone should make it crystal clear how to download the game. Ideally, both the Lodestone and Mog Station should offer direct, visible download links.
- Reconsider the account flow.
The free trial and “buy the game” options are designed as soft nudges, but they’re presented in a confusing way. Let people download the client first — then guide them through account setup while the game downloads. That way, you turn the wait time into productive setup time, keeping players engaged.
- Allow players to download without an active sub.
This one’s simple: don’t require an active subscription just to download the game. It’s counterintuitive and creates unnecessary friction. I almost didn’t resubscribe because of it — and now, after all that effort, I’ve unsubscribed anyway.
I still love the Final Fantasy franchise and have a lot of great memories from my time in FFXIV. I’ll probably share more thoughts later about the in-game issues and possible improvements. Many of these problems have straightforward solutions, but I feel like the current development culture is too bureaucratic and prideful to consider genuine change.
Continue reading...