On my journey to play every Final Fantasy game, it was finally time to give XIV a try. Deciding to get into an MMO isn’t an easy choice. MMOs require a lot of time investment, especially those that have been out for years. I had tried others in the genre, like Elder Scrolls Online, but none have captured me the way Final Fantasy XIV did with its welcoming community. In-game social interactions and a sense of community have always been elements I seek in video games. I grew up playing Call of Duty titles and Halo 3, which, at the time, were known for being very social games, both in local play and multiplayer interactions. While most of the games in that multiplayer genre have moved on from those social features, Final Fantasy XIV completely relies on its community to keep the game astir.
This got me curious as to what the key element is that motivates players to have such a welcoming and positive attitude in such a massive game. That curiosity drove me to ask some questions to Sam “Voltenyne” Abe, a well-known Community Team member for Final Fantasy XIV, at Square Enix America. “Speaking up in chat is a huge part of enjoying the online multiplayer experience and lets others know that you’re friendly. For example, saying “Hi!” at the start of a dungeon can be a good way to turn each run into a fun group experience with your party, even if you’ve never met them before. A simple greeting can show that you’re approachable and encourages others to chime in for a good time!” advises Voltenyne. “Always remember that each player character is a real person, just like you. Be polite and treat others how you’d like to be treated, and you’ll generally find that people are chill and eager to enjoy the game with you.”
As with any MMO, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the systems and quests Final Fantasy XIV had to offer. I was in the middle of the Gridania forest, trying to find a path to my next objective when a tall bunny-person, a race known as Viera, approached me. I was completely mesmerized by the players’ armor since it clearly looked like something you could only obtain much later in the game. “Hi. I’m new.” I wrote in the text chat. “Yeah, I noticed,” answered the Viera, “Go to the settings and change this, this, and this.” After our initial conversation, that player has remained one of my best in-game friends who keeps helping me even after hundreds of hours of playtime. This was the first of many similar interactions I had in my initial hours of the game.
No gaming community is perfect, but that sure sounds like a good goal to foster great community interaction. I have treated every player I interact with with respect, and that respect is felt back. Voltenyne has additional advice for new Warriors of Light: “If you ever have any questions, try asking in Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, or Ul’dah. The starting city-states are usually filled with players who are eager to help. Of course, you can look up answers on the internet if you want, but asking in Say or Shout chat is great for finding friendly players whose gaming hours overlap with yours!”
What continues to make Final Fantasy XIV such an active MMO are the many game modes that encourage social interaction. Fishing, for example, requires you to go on ocean expeditions, where you need to take a boat trip with 20 other players. Here, veteran fishers share their advice on the best bait for each area. Expeditions are not the only way to fish; you can take your rod anywhere in Eorzea, and you can encounter fishers in many places, making the social experience even richer. The fishing community even organizes events where players go in groups following fishing routes.
Fishing is just one of many social features in the game. There’s the Gold Saucer, a casino-like location full of minigames in which you can participate with other players. Most duties, such as Raids or Dungeons, require multiple players to get started. While there are many social elements in these modes, players themselves can elevate the role-playing experience thanks to the ability to customize houses and apartments, which they can transform into restaurants, spas, cafes, and even music clubs. However, Square Enix does officially support weddings, letting players have their own ceremony, cutscenes included.
Final Fantasy XIV also features PvP modes that take player interaction in a completely different direction, with competition. With such a mixed bag of game modes, I asked Voltenyne if there was any difference in experiencing the game as a player and as a developer: “As a member of the Community team, I have a broad view of the wider player community. Understanding player feedback is a huge part of my job, so I’m constantly looking into various online communities and socials to read what players are saying about the latest patch and how opinions shift or stay the same over long periods of time. And because I’m a translator, my role is particularly focused on communication: relaying feedback to the Development team, then translating their responses back to our players! Overall, I spend most of my time observing and communicating on behalf of the game’s community and developers.”
While PvP was something that I wasn’t interested in at first, after trying it, I discovered a good competitive spirit among unique multiplayer game modes (and where all the best glam is stored). “As a player, I’m involved in a bunch of micro-communities,” shares Voltenyne. “Our free company is really into PvP, and we have a friendly rivalry with other PvP FCs on our World. I spend a lot of my free time helping new players learn the basics of Crystalline Conflict, my favorite PvP mode—it’s always so satisfying when someone I coached becomes a regular participant and confident enough to teach others themselves! Outside of PvP, I’ve also been with the same raid group since Shadowbringers, and I’m in multiple different friend groups on Discord. When I’m just another player, my interactions involve individual groups and the content we enjoy together.”
This community spirit in Final Fantasy XIV has expanded into something bigger that transcends the game with its Fan Festival. In this big event, the Final Fantasy XIV team shares its plans for the future of the game, such as the next expansion, new raids, collaborations, and more. But most importantly, it is where the developers and the players share special moments that transform into stories, “At the North American FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival in 2023, I worked in the cosplay repair room, and one cosplayer came in visibly flustered because their kneepad had fallen off, right before the cosplay stage event was about to begin.” narrates Voltenyne, “We hurriedly tried a couple different adhesives before it finally stuck for good, and I remember feeling a huge relief when they (cautiously!) rushed back in time for their turn onstage, where their elegant costume was absolutely adored by the crowd. I didn’t run into them for the rest of Fan Fest, but several months later, our team was working at a games convention, and the same cosplayer came running up to our booth! They were thankful for my help, and it warmed my heart to know that someone so talented had remembered me.”
That’s not the only Fan Fest story that Voltenyne has to share: “Another moment was when I was overseeing the in-game matches for our latest Crystalline Conflict tournament. One of the teams was quite lively and asked, “Voltenyne, could you give us some words of encouragement?” so I typed a couple of silly one-liners that got a chuckle out of them. They ended up being one of the semifinalist teams that were invited to FINAL FANTASY XIV Fan Festival 2026 in Anaheim, where I was accompanying the participating teams to their breakrooms. As we were heading backstage, one of them asked, “Do you know if Voltenyne is going to be here?” Apparently, they found my jokes amusing and had wanted to meet me in person, which was honestly quite flattering to hear!”
The trailer for the next expansion in Final Fantasy XIV, Evercold, refers to the Warrior of Light with a new title, The Wanderer, which I feel fits perfectly with my journey with this game. For years, I wandered across different multiplayer games and communities, but finally, I’ve found one that I can call my gaming home. As the saying from that other fantasy series goes, “Not all who wander are lost.” If you find yourself wandering the video game realms, make sure to make a stop at Final Fantasy XIV. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Many thanks to Square Enix and Voltenyne for answering these questions. You can try Final Fantasy XIV for free with its free trial. For more Final Fantasy coverage, stay tuned to GameObserver.
