My group of FFXIV friends on Cerberus EU has been growing these past few weeks. Returners and newcomers alike are flocking to the game and the excitement for Endwalker lies heavy in the air.
For sprouts (FFXIV newcomers) it can be an overwhelming start in Eorzea. The game is 8 years old and packed to the brim with different activities, some of which are their own game inside the game. I noticed many are struggling to find the proper resources to look things up, as it can be a bit difficult at times to find the best resource for something in FFXIV. Beginner’s guides (like this one) are fine for the first few days but you will quickly outgrow them. So below you can find my own (ongoing) list of recommended sites to help you navigate your beginner experience!
The FFXIV Link Collection
Basic info & MSQ
- The Lodestone – FFXIV’s official website for news, patches, server status, FC rankings etc.
- FFXIV Wikis: Gamer Escape XIVDB or FFXIV Consolegames
- Tracking the MSQ: Lodestone Playguide or FFXIV Consolegames
- Class & Jobs Introduction and tracking your Class quests, Job quests, Role quests
- FFXIV Gillionaire – Leveling guide for all crafting/gathering from lvl 1-80
- Crafting & Gathering DB: Garland Tools or Wikis
- FFXIV Retainer Info – Learn about your retainers and how to maximize profits
All things gear & progression
- Ariyala’s FFXIV Toolkit – All BiS gear and enhancements for endgame
- FFXIV Armoury Collection – All class gear in the game with pictures (glamour!)
- Relic Weapons – A basic overview of the different relics and questchains in the game
- The Balance Discord – The best place to get tips on your class from pros
- FFXIV Rotations – Plan and document your skill rotation for further analysis
- FFXIV logs and FFXIV analysis – Everything from world ladders to parsing and analyzing performance
- FFXIV Dungeon/Trial/Raid list – Track all your unlocks and PVE progress with this public spreadsheet
- MTQ Capture – Great narrated YT guides for normal/savage trials & raids strategy
Side activities
- FFXIV Hunt – Find those pesky A, B and Elite Rank mobs easily
- Centurio Hunts Discord – Where big cross-server hunts get organized
- Ariyala’s Hunt Tracker – Hunt timers for each server
- The Gold Saucer – Chocobo Racing, Triple Triad, Lord of Verminion and more
- Palace of the Dead – Deep Dungeon Guide for all 200 floors (YT also has good guides)
- The Forbidden Land Eureka – Beginner’s Guide from 2021 (or YT guides)
- Grand Company Info – How to raise GC rank and unlock squadrons
- Ariyala’s Sightseeing Log – Help for tracking sights incl. weather & time conditions
- Beast Tribes – Where to find them and how they work
Fluff & Collecting
- FFXIV Housing – Database for all things housing and decorating with pictures
- FFXIV Collect – Look up mounts, minions, orchestrion rolls etc. and track your collections online
- Heavenswhere – Locations for all Aether Currents, treasure maps, hunts etc.
- Treasure Hunt maps – Japanese site with very useful image information for treasure hunts
- FATE rewards – Find FATES with unique rewards around the world
- FFXIV Mounts – A detailed overview on where to obtain all mounts in 2021
- Chocobo Color Calculator – Find out how to recolor your Chocobo (requires an FC stall)
- FFXIV Fishing Guide – How to level from lvl 1-80 as an angler
- All Hairstyles Guide – Get all the extra hairstyles in the game