A lot of new players are looking at Final Fantasy XIV because of the upcoming release of Endwalker. In this FFXIV beginner's guide, we have put together some essential tips and tricks to help get you started the game.

Character creation

The first thing you'll be required to do before jumping into Final Fantasy XIV is to create your very own Warrior of Light. You'll be given access to a total of six races to choose from:

1). Hyur: Eorzea's most human-esque class, the Hyur will likely feel like your most natural avatar in the world of Final Fantasy.

2). Elezen: An elegant, almost elven race, the Elezen are defined by their pointed ears and willowy physique.

3). Lalafell: Cute and diminutive, this gnome-like race might look harmless enough, but they're anything but.

4). Au Ra: A demonic humanoid race with horns and tails, the Au Ra was added as part of the Heavensward expansion.

5). Miqo'te: Part human and part feline, the Miqo'te are slender and cunning warriors known for their regal tails.

6). Roegadyn: These hulking goliaths are truly intimidating in stature and are unsurprisingly natural fighters.

Additionally, the Shadowbringers expansion adds two new races: the Hrothgar and Viera.

Choosing a Job in Final Fantasy 14

Starting in Final Fantasy XIV means you'll need to choose your first Job (aka Class) within the character creator. You'll choose one of eight basic classes:

• Arcanist
• Archer
• Conjurer
• Gladiator
• Lancer
• Marauder
• Pugilist
• Thaumaturge

As you progress, these classes will evolve into a much broader selection of specializations called 'Jobs,' including Black Mage, Dragoon, Ninja, Warrior, Paladin, Dark Knight, White Mage, Scholar, and Astrologian. Others include Bard, Monk, Summoner, Samurai, Machinist, and Red Mage. The Shadowbringer expansion also adds two additional classes: Gunbreaker and Dancer.

Your class determines the play style you'll experience for dozens, if not hundreds of hours of playtime. The class you choose at the beginning of the game also dictates where your story begins.

You can eventually switch classes later in the game. In fact, you can play every single type of class on a single character, but to start, you should pick one class archetype and stick to it while you get comfortable.

Questing

Main Scenario Quests (MSQ) – Your top priority in Final Fantasy XIV is going through the MSQ. XIV is primarily a story-focused MMO requiring you to follow the MSQ to expand and unlock high-level content. To follow the MSQ, you'll want to look out for the gold meteor icon on your map or look at the top left of your screen to see where to go next.

Class/Job Quests – Your second priority when questing is your Job quests. You must complete your Job quests as you level up to unlock even more abilities and eventually unlock your Artifact gear. Reaching Level 30 will unlock your Job's next phase and give you your Job Stone – YOU MUST EQUIP THIS to access the related Job abilities.

Quest Icons – There are side quests with a blue color to them. These icons indicate something unlockable, such as a dungeon, a trial, or a mechanic. You'll want to look out for some of these early in the game and after you've completed ARR MSQ, as some will unlock some pretty interesting storylines and other important stuff.

Leveling

Early on in your journey through Final Fantasy XIV's story, you'll find yourself leveling up quite easily, although you may come to a point down the road where you're unable to progress to the next MSQ until you're at a certain level.

When you want to obtain that extra XP, this is where the daily duties come in, called the Duty Roulette. After the daily reset, you'll be able to participate in Duty Roulette located in the Duty Finder that will reward you with Gil and bonus XP for completing.

Final Fantasy 14 Dungeons, Trials, and Raids

While playing through the game's story, you'll encounter quests that will unlock a particular dungeon, trial, or raid. These must be completed to progress to the next MSQ and can be completed by forming a party or queuing in the Duty Finder.

Final Fantasy 14 tips & tricks for starting out

To help you get the most out of the game, here are several FFXIV tips and tricks worth knowing.

Learning the basics – FFXIV has a few helpful ways of introducing players to the game's combat mechanics. One of them being the Hall of the Novice, a tutorial and practice arena that can be accessed from an NPC located in every starting city.

Teleporting – Whenever you arrive in a major city in Eorzea, you'll be required to "Attune" to the big blue crystal in the center of the map called an Aetheryte and several other smaller ones Aethernet Shards located around each city. To make traveling around easier, you're able to use these Shards to teleport to certain areas of the city, cutting that travel time down. Although you can use your map when teleporting from zone to zone, although you can use your map, you can also use your Teleport compendium filled with your unlocked Aetheryte points. This will make finding the place you need to go much easier in the long run and is something I wish I knew before reaching Heavensward.

Always eat first – Before starting any quest or dungeon, be sure to eat some food. You can find food from various vendors all over each settlement and town. Eating food gives you the Well Fed buff for 30 minutes. This status effect increases all XP gained by 3%. It's not a ton, but it's a best practice to do before any adventuring to level up faster.

Learn what your skills do before using them – As you level up, you'll unlock new skills. Whenever you get a prompt telling you that you've unlocked a new talent, read what it does. By default, new skills are automatically added to the next available slot in your skills menu. Highlight the skill and get an overlay that appears explaining what the skill does. You can also go to Main Menu > Character > Actions & Traits to look at your skills.

If you are a newbie "sprout," here are some tips and tricks I wish you knew when you initially went into the game. Also, for more FFXIV guides, tips, updates, or to buy FFXIV Gil, stay tuned for ffxiv4gil.com.