FFXIV Mobile launched in China several days ago, so what are players' impressions like? Is the game truly "FFXIV, but better"? Let's find out all of changes FFXIV Mobile made so far!
If you haven't caught on already, FFXIV Mobile has a growing English community over on Reddit! Throughout its launch week, many Redditors shared their gameplay and latest info, letting overseas players know what the game is currently like. But is FFXIV Mobile living up to the legacy that's over a decade old?
Final Fantasy XIV's A Realm Reborn first launched back in 2013, and after many years of expansions, it underwent many changes to its storytelling, quality of life additions, and content features. For example, players have an easier time farming for the Zodiac weapons today, compared to what it was like in Patch 2.0.
Now in 2025, A Realm Reborn has returned on FFXIV Mobile, allowing players to re-experience what the "good old days" were like -- but better. Reddit user RablaAndrews has carefully compiled a post detailing all of the differences, and we're here to point out all of the good (and bad) things for you! If you found the information helpful, be sure to give them a thumbs-up and comment, or visit the unofficial FF14 Mobile US Discord!
Story and Quests

Every player starts out in Ul'dah, regardless of what class you chose to play. If you wanted to start in Limsa Lominsa or Gridania, sorry! Maybe they'll add this later on? Main scenario quests are better streamlined, so now players have an easier time following the story. Quest navigation is now easier, such as using Chocobo flying and NPCs for direct teleports. In FFXIV, you only unlock flying in A Realm Reborn zones after completing the expansion's entire main scenario questline. Thank goodness Chocobos in FFXIV Mobile are modernized! However, FFXIV Mobile requires you to unlock Aether Currents to fly in A Realm Reborn zones. Also, you'll get the Aether Compass in A Realm Reborn instead of Heavensward. At least you can still fly, right? Quests with solo instances now have a minimum item level requirement. If you don't meet it, you can't continue the quest. Remember to gear up as you level up! No more Combat levequests! Surprisingly, there are also no Guildleves. FFXIV Mobile's current MSQ goes up to the end of Patch 2.0, after "The Ultimate Weapon". There's no information yet on when the next expansion content from Heavensward will release for FFXIV Mobile. World and Regions

All of the locations in A Realm Reborn are the same in Mobile and FFXIV. This includes Allied Societies, Revenant's Toll, and even the Gold Saucer! I love playing Triple Triad! One teleportation difference is that you can teleport to any city's Aethernet shards, not just the big ol' Aetheryte. This streamlines the process of me traveling between Limsa Lominsa's fisher guild and Gridania's Amphitheatre! A Realm Reborn features Aether Currents, ranging from 4 to 8 currents on each map. None of them are locked as quest rewards, though part of Western La Noscea is restricted until you progress in the MSQ. FATEs still exist, so better get started on the Zodiac relic weapon grind! I'm just kidding, but they've updated FATEs to include Bicolour Gemstones, Forlorn Maidens, and even a new feature called High Risk rewards! You can also get some limited-time buffs that'll empower you after completing a FATE. FATEs also have a cumulative milestone tracker, where you can complete tasks over the course of completing the same FATE several times. For example, you'll get rewarded for killing monsters X times and collecting Y number of items, but you'll have to come back many times to get all of the rewards! Do you know about the Happy Bunny FATEs in Eureka, and how they'll help you find buried treasure? Well, FFXIV Mobile has that too, except it's Marmots and it can be in any region in Eorzea. Apparently, if you find all of the buried treasure, you can trade them in with a traveling Goblin Merchant. The Wolves' Den is currently unavailable in FFXIV Mobile. Does this mean no PvP? Not exactly: there's a completed map with everything included, but you just can't access it. Maybe they'll save it for a later patch? No Hall of the Novice, Housing, nor Palace of the Dead either! Battle Classes & Jobs

Classes have been condensed into levels 1-10, instead of 30. The class quests are considered part of the early-game and tutorial content, giving you gear and EXP. After you complete the level 10 class quest, you'll receive the class ring as a glamour and the associated job stone. Now I can be a White Mage starting at level 10! Also notably, you cannot remove the job stone once you equip it. I guess the developers realised Gladiators accidentally queuing into Labyrinth of the Ancients wasn't a good idea... Oops! Scholar and Summoner no longer share a level. Job quests are basically the same as it is in FFXIV, with updated quest rewards such as gear. Job actions have mostly been streamlined, possibly due to mobile limitations. But that doesn't mean Monk's job identity isn't there, I can still punch stuff! There are also new job actions and animations too, that aren't present in FFXIV. Speaking of job actions, FFXIV Mobile added a feature where, if you are a melee job and a certain distance from the target, your primary action button will automatically change from melee to ranged (such as Warrior's Tomahawk). If you're a ranged job like a caster instead, you it changes the action to an instant cast. Very handy for movement! There is also an evasive action button. Pretty self-explanatory, but different jobs have different animations, like dashing or rolling. For casters, you cannot slidecast -- you must finish the cast before doing another action. Thankfully, dying enemies won't interrupt the cast either: if the target dies mid-cast, the action will just automatically redirect to the next target. If you are using a healing action without a target, it will automatically target the party member with the lowest HP. Crafting and Gathering
Disciples of the Land are basically the same, but with less buttons. Notably, Fisher has an unique UI feature that shows the Fishing Log for the current gathering location. Disciples of the Hand, on the other hand, have a job gauge called "Tension". Instead of two synthesis gauges to keep track of, progress and quality actions will shift the "tension" dial in opposite directions. If the dial is in a coloured zone near the end of the gauge, it can boost the efficiency of an action in the opposite direction. Certain actions can also manipulate the job gauge, removing the item's Condition state entirely. General materials (such as wood lumber) are only made with quick synthesis, with the option to pay Gil and skip the wait times. If you have the materials, you can also craft items in bulk with the same progress/quality gauge. After you have crafted the item and meet certain stat requirements, you can automatically craft the item instead.  If you're feeling kind of lazy, you can purchase materials with Gil easily through the crafting menu. If the item is available through NPC vendors, you can select how much of each item, and just pay directly on the one screen. No more travel time! Dungeons, Trials, and Alliance Raids
Check out RablaAndrew's video on Labyrinth of the Ancients while you continue reading!

Dungeons are largely the same, such as with quality of life updates or updated mapping. Notably, there are some not reworked yet, which suggests the current state of FFXIV Mobile is from somewhere between late Shadowbringers and early Endwalker. You can obtain Allagan Tomestones of Poetics immediately, even on jobs below level 50. This allows you to work on your level 50 gear progressively without having to intentionally grind. No optional chests as you move through dungeons! Cutter's Cry and Dzemael Darkhold are both dungeons not in the game. You can skip cutscenes in Castrum Meridianum and the Praetorium, even if it's your first time. No more waiting on Gaius to finish his speech! The Labyrinth of the Ancients alliance raid has been adjusted to accommodate only 8 players, not 24. There are also no loot restrictions, which is different from alliance raids on release. All of the story trial duties are now 8 player content and feature new mechanics. This includes Ifrit, Titan, and Garuda. Gold Saucer
Bet you weren't expecting a section for this, now did you?

GATEs and gameplay is largely the same, though the mini-game machines are slightly different from what we know. Fashion Report is completely different! Instead of guessing with individual hints for what to wear, you figure out the pieces based off the scores of different participating NPCs. For example, if a NPC has a low score, that means only a few pieces they're wearing matches the theme. If the NPC has a high score, they're probably wearing pieces that match the theme well! Thankfully, you don't have to own the glamours to participate in Fashion Report, you can just borrow gear instead. But you'll get bonus points if you actually own the glamour yourself! You can get 88 points maximum if you only borrow gear, and 100 points if you own everything~ Jumbo Cactpot now pays out extra MGP if any digit on your number matches the winning number. For example, if the winning number was 1234, both 1337 and 0004 would receive more MGP than 4321. RablaAndrew notes the minimum payout is 2,000 MGP, which is still better than nothing! If you win GATEs on the "Main Stage", you can also unlock an extra three Jumbo Cactpot tickets to purchase that week. The Mandervilles are truly generous in FFXIV Mobile! No Leap of Faith, Chocobo Racing/Breeding, Lord of Verminion, or Doman Mahjong. Darn it! Quality of Life and Other Changes
Currently, there is only one data center available. All parties and linkshells are cross-world by default, and only Free Companies are limited to each world. Marketboards are cross-world. No more traveling to other worlds (maybe data centers too?)! You can also access them, along with any vendor store you can think of, anywhere in Eorzea through the main menu. A lot of glamour pieces are actual level 1 gear you wouldn't use for stat purposes. So these pieces either get automatically added to the Glamour Dresser or become an outfit on the Store. If you dye a glamour piece with a colour once, you can continue to re-dye it the same colour at no cost. Currently, 15 free Glamour Plates are available, and more can be bought with the paid currency. The glamour plates can be saved and linked to a job. If you meld materia onto a gear piece slot, it stays that way forever on the job. So if you melded on a Paladin's headpiece slot, and change the headpiece gear, the materia will stay the same. If you swap jobs, you'll have to re-meld accordingly. Inventory is shared between gear and normal items. You start with 300 slots, and can expand inventory slots from quests, events, battle pass rewards, or even by paying Gil. FFXIV Mobile is a 100% free-to-play game with optional monetization! Currently, you're not required to pay for any of the content unless you so choose. Feel free to read more about it in our news article! There are definitely parts of the post I have left out, and this is still long to read through! Again, a big thank you to RablaAndrews and the FFXIV_Mobile Reddit community for all of the information today! Be sure to check the game out if you're interested, and maybe we'll see these changes (or more!) added to the Global version of FFXIV Mobile!

The Ultimate FFXIV Cookbook Vol.2 is here! With recipes inspired by Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and Dawntrail, 192 pages of lore and stunning food photos, it's perfect for fans and home cooks!
Square Enix just announced the second official FINAL FANTASY XIV cookbook, Volume 2: The Culinarian's Journey from Shadow to Shore. It officially releases on October 21, 2025, and is up for pre‑order now.
Priced at $34.99 USD, £24.99, €35, the book contains 192 pages of beautiful, full-colour photography, lore bits and pieces, and easy-to-follow recipes.

You will find over 70 dishes inspired by the expansions Shadowbringer, Endwalker, and even Dawntrail! Here are a few recipes you will have the possibility to find in this new volume:
Alpine Breakfast - start your morning with a highland twist Tacos de Carne Asada - a wild culinary adventure, one that G'raha will definitely enjoy The quirky-sounding but irresistible Pudding of Perseverance & Prominence And plenty more creative meals straight from Eorzea!
On top of that, this volume includes an exclusive foreword by Naoki Yoshida!
This cookbook follows a first volume released in November 2021, which also introduced 70+ recipes covering Eorzea and Norvrandt. It featured, for example:
Farmer's Breakfast Knight's Bread of Coerthas La Noscea's Rolanberry Cheesecake Volume 2 takes things further, expanding into the most recent zones and cultures, like Sharlayan, Garlemald, or Tuliyollal! Expect more exotic dishes such as Hot Buuz, Xibruq Pibil, Zero's Spicy Curry, that were not explored in book one.
You can pre-order cook book Volume 2 right now on the official Square Enix Website!
If you are a Final Fantasy XIV fan who loves to cooks, or if you just love a gorgeous game-themed coffee-table book, volume 2 is definitely for you! Enjoy the new flavours, lore, and a real taste of adventure!

There's still a few more weeks until Patch 7.3! Is there enough time to do everything? What's left, crash the hat market in Eorzea?
Final Fantasy XIV's Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXXVII just aired yesterday, packed with the latest updates for Patch 7.3! If you haven't had the chance to watch it yet, why not check out our Live Letter summary on IcyVeins?
Patch 7.3 is expected to release early in August, which is only a few weeks away! Each patch cycle is four months long, so I can't believe how fast time flies by. For the busy Warriors of Light, perhaps it's time to check things off your to-do list?
Here are five things you should do before the upcoming changes in Patch 7.3:
1. Ending Soon: PvP Series 8 and Crystalline Conflict Season 15

Have you done your PvP Series this season yet? There are some limited Series Malmstone rewards, such as the Magitek Slasher Identification Key, which will go away once Patch 7.3 arrives!
If you haven't started yet, you still have time! The last unique reward from PvP Series 8 is at Series Level 25. There are a variety of different ways you can get Series EXP, such as:
Crystalline Conflict matches, Rival Wings, and Frontline Roulettes! All three methods are approximately the same amount of time, but you will earn more or less Series EXP based on wins, ties, and losses. Learn more about the PvP Series 8 rewards here!

If you're still looking to rank up in Crystalline Conflict, the last tier of rewards is the Crystal tier. This will be changing, as they're adding two new tiers in Patch 7.3: Omega and Ultima! After reaching Crystal, you can only go up (or down!) based on your Crystal Credits.
Remember you can only progress in ranked matches on specific Logical Data Centers listed below. Good luck!

2. Suzaku Unreal Will Be Replaced

The faux commander asks you to regale him with a tale of fiery passion and heartbreak...
Have you tried out the latest Unreal duty yet? The Hells' Kier (Unreal) is only available until the start of Patch 7.3. Once the patch releases, The Wreath of Snakes (Unreal) will become the new Unreal duty instead. Seiryu will certainly prove to be a challenge!
Unreal duties are only available for a limited-time, and are the perfect way to get started in high-end raiding without committing to Arcadion Savage! You get to re-experience a fight from an older expansion, and learn how to play your job with ease at level 100! Go get some amazing Faux Hollow rewards before Suzaku's gone!
3. Hats, Hats, and More Hats!

Coming soon to Hrothgars and Vieras near you, Patch 7.3 will expand the supported headgear available for these races! This not only includes funny hats and helmets, but also the ability to hide Viera ears! Maybe I won't chop off my fluffy ears just yet...

There will also be newly added support for hair fringes too! We have so many Warriors of Light balding accidentally, now wearing hooded headgears won't feel so... revealing!
Headgear pieces are widely available everywhere: various marketboards, instanced duties, item exchanges, quest rewards... If there's something you might like, get it now before they're all gone!
4. Ready Your Phantom Weapons

With a new patch comes a new Phantom Weapon update, getting you one step closer to "perfection". In Occult Crescent, players can upgrade their relic weapons, eventually becoming the best-in-slot weapons by the end of Dawntrail. This is one way to power up without having to do Savage or Ultimate raids!
If you already completed the current steps for one Phantom Weapon, why not pick up another? Though there will be no updates to the Demiatma grind, relic weapons will surely keep you, well, busy! Maybe you won't suffer as much as the Warrior of Light over here...

5. Quests to Read with Just Enough Time

And last, but not least, why not get some light reading done? In Patch 7.3, there will be many story updates, including the main scenario quests and Echoes of Vana'diel alliance raid series. If you haven't done any of the quests below yet, schedule some reading time!
[Main Scenario Quest] Seekers of Eternity (Patch 7.2) [Alliance Raid] Echoes of Vana'diel - Jeuno: The First Walk (Patch 7.1) [Sidequest] Inconceivably Further Hildibrand Adventures (Patch 7.25) [Allied Society] Pelupelu (Patch 7.1) and Mamool Ja (Patch 7.25) Also, if you want to explore the new Deep Dungeon in Il Mheg, you need to complete the main scenario quest "Endwalker". Stay tuned for more stories to experience in Patch 7.3!

Remember there's an upcoming Moogle Treasure Trove event, filled with limited-time rewards and fun activities to discover! For the promise of tomorrow, good luck with your adventures!

FFXIV Mobile's Open Beta in China just released yesterday, and players are discovering what the monetization has in store for them... literally and figuratively!
If you haven't heard already, Final Fantasy XIV's Mobile game is currently available for open beta testing on their Chinese servers. We have previously covered how to play and what features the game offers, but what about their plans for monetization? Has it held up to what the developers said, and what the community wants to see?
Over at the r/FFXIV_Mobile community on Reddit, a lot of players have already dipped their toes, excited to revive their love for the Final Fantasy XIV universe. If it’s been a while, watching a new player go through A Realm Reborn might hit you right in the nostalgia.

Thanks to Reddit user RablaAndrews, they have summarized all of the things you can pay for in FFXIV Mobile. The game is currently free to play, but any game development takes time and money. For example, FFXIV on consoles and the PC requires you to pay a monthly subscription. So what are the ways you can support the game financially?
In-Game Currency & the Shop

Well, for starters, you can obtain exclusive in-game items using "Top-Up Points," which are purchasable with Chinese yuan. The approximate conversion rate is 1 Yuan for 0.14 USD, but keep in mind the current conversion rate changes and the Global version of the game may not reflect the same prices. These look just like the Crysta you can purchase from the Mog Station!

Everything in the "Mog Station" shop is purchasable using these Top-Up Points. This includes discounted costume sets we've seen from the actual FFXIV Online Store, mounts, minions, and even consumables such as the infamous Fantasia!

Surprisingly, even regular armor — the kind you'd normally grab off the marketboard for under 1,000 Gil — has been monetized. Have you seen how cute the penguin mount is?!

Monthly Subscription
FFXIV Mobile also offers a "daily check-in" subscription service that you can purchase for 30 days at a time. The game is free-to-play, but this is an optional premium service. It provides Top-Up Points each daily reset, and also seems to offer unique buffs and discounts, such as:
EXP Boost and Booster Consumables Less Marketboard Tax More Marketboard Slots Faster Mount Speed This is very similar to the "monthly card" system you can see in a lot of gacha games, such as Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero. However, it is a little more player-friendly, as you can apparently "store them for up to 15 days if you [forget to login]". The current FFXIV subscription model does not account for daily gameplay, though this is slightly different for other regional versions of FFXIV.

Battle Pass System
FFXIV Mobile also offers a battle pass system, where players can do daily activities for battle pass points, and receive valuable rewards when the battle pass levels up. They originally didn't have a free tier in place, but it was added for the Open Beta after receiving player feedback. The battle pass provides up to 60 free levels of rewards, and an additional 80 (and some more) if you purchase for the paid tier instead.

Some of the free rewards this current battle pass offers include:
If you purchase for the paid tier instead, you'll get the free items along with some paid-exclusive things that appear to be purchasable from the shop too. Check out the full list here, translated by Reddit user RablaAndrews.
That’s everything noted so far from the Open Beta. What did you think of the different ways FFXIV Mobile has monetized their game? Do you think we will see something similar in the Global version of the game when it releases? If you want to show your appreciation, be sure to check out the full post on Reddit! Or even better, try FFXIV Mobile yourself!

If you have played Final Fantasy XIV since Dawntrail's release, you may have heard about PlayerScope, a third-party tool. Recently they got a cease and desist letter!
Let's discuss what this means for the plugin's development, distribution of data, and what players should expect moving forward. As a reminder, Square Enix does not encourage any use of third-party tools. You can consult the official Prohibited Activities FAQ for more information.
What is PlayerScope and How Does It Work?
In summary, PlayerScope is a third-party plugin that records data from thousands of players without their explicit permission. This data can include anything regarding your character data to even learning about your User ID (which ties all of your characters together). Previously, Square Enix had officially confirmed third-party plugins cannot access your account, such as address and payment details, unless you give away your security information.
How does collecting this data work? According to what the community knows, players using this third-party plugin can automatically collect information from other players nearby. It’s like walking up to a stranger and they instantly know everything about you. Weird, but more importantly, scary: it only takes one nefarious player to ruin someone's day.

And opting out wasn’t easy either—you had to dig into their Discord and hand over your info just to be removed. Talk about unnecessary hoops! Square Enix has previously implemented a solution by changing how the information was being collected, but there is no official confirmation yet on its success, nor any hints we will get one. You can review the Letter from the Producer LIVE Part LXXXV where this topic was addressed below:

PlayerScope Stops All Development

Well thankfully, the PlayerScope third-party plugin announced on Discord they will be ceasing all activities due to a "formal cease and desist notice." Shared by the community on Reddit, the activities include "all stored data, including character and user records have been permanently and irreversibly deleted." This supposedly covers files from the public server and the developer's personal server.
What does this mean for the general playerbase? Thankfully, there is one less person who will advocate for sharing your data without permission. However, this does not stop future plugin developers, or those who have previously saved your data, from trying again. Unfortunately, the best we can do is to try and prevent it whenever we see it.
Are third-party tools prohibited in Final Fantasy XIV? It really depends. For example, we can say using a VPN or communicating over an external voice program are third-party tools. But neither of those really impacts how others enjoy the game. It definitely toes the line with the Terms of Service, but as far as we know, no one in any community has any positive feedback about PlayerScope.
Square Enix has been putting in the effort to prevent harassment and privacy breaches as much as possible, so we should be helping them. You can provide player feedback through their official channels. If you can't stop it from happening, at least spread the word so others can stay vigilant too.