ffxiv how to add friends

The rise in the popularity of multiplayer games has dramatically influenced the MMORPG genre. There are a ton of free-to-play games out there, but Final Fantasy 14 isn't one of them. To play the MMO, you have to not only buy the game but also pay a subscription fee every month.

While this would normally drive players away, the game is incredibly well done and has one of the highest player bases to date. The game also offers a free trial version that allows you to play without paying the fee or buying the game. Players can experience hundreds of hours without having to purchase any type of software or input any sort of credit card information. However, this trial does have some major restrictions that could cause some frustrating in-game moments.

Updated July 28, 2021, by Avery Lawrence Feyrer: Final Fantasy 14 has grown exponentially since the original posting of this article. Square Enix expanded the free trial to include both A Realm Reborn and Heavensword expansions, offering considerably more content for players. It also increased the level cap, allowing you to enjoy more time playing Final Fantasy 14 for free. However, there are still some severe limitations in place. Here's what you need to know.

10 You Can't Get Mail

This isn't as big of a deal as some other things locked away, but it can still be annoying. By using various Moogles, the famous furry creatures with the red ball antenna, players can send mail in the game to other players. This mail can contain a message or even have an item attached. This is a great way to send friends gear if you're not able to get on at the same time.

Sadly, even mail from paying members is blocked during the free trial. Square Enix completely disables this feature in virtually every way for anyone on the trial. Unless you plan to upgrade to a paid subscription, there's no need to hoard weapons and pieces of armor. Although most gear is virtually worthless when selling to in-game merchants, you might as well scoop up some extra Gil instead of clogging up your precious inventory space.

9 Your Gil Limit Is Restricted And Inventory Space Is Limited

While this problem doesn't seem to be that critical, if you play more than one class it can quickly become a nuisance. You aren't able to use the retainer service while you're on a free account, making your item storage limited. This means you will need to sell off lower-level items quickly. Selling items probably won't net you substantial Gil, but because free trial players can't trade items there's virtually nothing else to do with your inventory.

Your wallet will also be limited to 300,000 Gil. At first glance, you might think what's the point of putting a limit on Gil and have a fear of hitting that limit. However, it's safe to say that 300,000 Gil is essentially unlimited. There's no conceivable way for a player to attain that much money in the free trial, given the costs to purchase weapons and gear from merchants. On top of purchasing new gear, you'll also consistently spend Gil fast traveling among the game's Aetherytes crystals.

8 You Can Only Play With Friends If Someone Has A Paid Account

One of the stranger restrictions is the fact that you can't add friends in a free trial. That means you cannot send or receive friend requests. You're also banned from forming a party. However, you can join your friends if they choose to invite you to their party. In simple terms, playing with friends in the free trial is dependent on someone buying the paid version.

This restricts who you can play with greatly, especially if your group doesn't have a paid account. MMORPGs truly shine when playing with other people, especially friends, so not allowing players to engage with friends is a major disappointment.

7 You Cannot Make Free Company Requests

This is another letdown since joining a company can be a huge benefit and add a lot to your experience. Free Companies are like Guilds in other games and come with perks such as earning bonus experience when playing with company members. Companies also have houses and their own shops.

Companies are also an important part of finding teammates for dungeon runs. While Final Fantasy 14 does offer the Duty Finder, which teams you up with random players to complete dungeon-type missions, the main problem with that is they're random.

6 Your Character Is Locked At Level 60

As you may have guessed, you can't play through the whole game using the free trial. With that being said, it is possible to play each class all the way to level 60. This is almost the halfway point in the game as the current level cap hits 80 with the Stormblood expansion, but Square Enix plans to increase the level cap to 90 with the upcoming release of the Endwalker expansion in November 2021.

While it may be difficult or frustrating to play the free version with many features disabled, the amount of free content is astronomical. Final Fantasy 14 offers over a hundred hours of content just for simply signing up, which is something not many games can say.

5 Select Classes Are Unavailable

If you're a Final Fantasy enthusiast and know about all the various classes in the series, there might be some disappointment when it comes to selecting which class your Final Fantasy 14 character will have. The trial will only allow you to play classes that are available in the base game, which means that the Red Mage won't be a class that you can start as. Red Mage is only available in the Stormblood expansion, and the free trial only contains A Realm Reborn and Heavensword.

Some classes aren't available at the beginning of the game but are accessible at later stages of the free trial. For example, players have the ability to swap to Dark Knight or Rogue when they learn how to change classes or during the Heavensword expansion. Square Enix does allow free trial accounts to create up to eight characters, so there is some flexibility if a certain class does not pan out for you. If your heart is set on a class type, then check to see if it's available with the trial.

4 There Are Limited Microtransactions

Since Final Fantasy 14's original release, Square Enix has loosened the limitations regarding microtransactions for free trial players. Instead of completely eliminating that action, the game now allows free trial players to purchase select items from the Final Fantasy 14 Online Store for in-game use. However, they are still restricted in regard to trading items.

In addition, free accounts are also banned from posting on the Lodestone forum, a community portal that contains the latest game updates and news, along with other general information associated with the MMORPG. Although free trial players are unable to comment on any of the forum posts, you can still read them and gain the information.

3 Trading Is Completely Blocked

Another major downside is that one of the most basic MMO functions is completely blocked for trial members. You cannot trade with any other players in the game. This bars you from being able to get good gear from or for your friends or even get the extra potions you need for solo quests.

This is yet another reason why you should sell any excess gear and weapons for Gil. It's unfortunate that Square Enix restricts practically every social feature in Final Fantasy 14, making you tackle the massive online game almost completely by yourself.

2 The Market Board Is Restricted

Not only can you not have help from friends or companies, but the market board is unavailable as well. The market board is where players try to make money off of their old gear. It's a great place for finding good armor that you would otherwise have to grind dungeons for.

New players will only be able to rely on NPC run shops for their items. Most of the time, weapons and armor sold at these shops are decently priced, but the game gets you back when trying to sell items. Selling an old weapon for only a handful of Gil might seem like a waste of time, but what else are you going to do with it?

1 There Are Restricted Speech Commands

Another strange restricted feature is that a lot of the speech types are cut off from free players. While you can talk to your party, you can't yell, shout, or tell. Whispering is allowed, but for the most part, this makes it harder for you to find random players to party up with when you're stuck.

If you're going into Final Fantasy 14 alone, then you may need to use a third-party forum for help. Because Square Enix has eased back restrictions on various features in the free trial, such as level cap and purchasing items with real currency, players can still hold out hope that the developer will also ease some of the social restrictions on the game.

Final Fantasy 14 has exploded back onto the scene and has seen incredible waves of new players to the game that they were forced to halt sales. It could be a matter of time before Square Enix allows free trial players a bit more freedom in defending the world of Eorzea. If it does, we'll let you know.

NEXT: Final Fantasy: The Most Powerful Limit Breaks Ever, Ranked

Ubisoft Says Assassin's Creed Valhalla Is Its Second Largest Profit Generating Game Ever

Valhalla proved to be a bountiful raid for Ubisoft.