That having been said, I think Final Fantasy XIV might have actually gotten it mostly right. Not perfect, but considering that the development team felt it was important to include these quests, I think they’ve at least provided us with the best possible implementation for this content. So the inclusion doesn’t really bother me after all.

Let’s get something out of the way before we go any further, however: Not wanting forced group quests is not the same as wanting to play a single-player game. Final Fantasy XIV comes from a long line of single-player games; you can be fairly certain that most of the people playing are familiar with that fact. There’s a number after the title, for example.

I’ve written about this before, but the short version is that there are lots of reasons to play MMOs that don’t necessarily correspond to being in a group at all times. Having group content is very different from having your story stop and demand that you get a group together right now to progress. Group quests are often a whole other ball of wax.

For starters, a lot of them don’t actually coincide with anything worth repeating; you’ll be fighting enemies that reward only you despite needing other people with you. So you need people who either have the quest or are generous enough to do it despite that fact. Assuming you’ve actually assembled a group, hopefully your group is actually capable of getting through the content without a hitch. Plus, these quests are worth bothering with for only a small period of time, and no one wants to face a brick wall of content until you can manage to work around all these restrictions.

So let’s address the last point first: Hitting a brick wall in terms of content in FFXIV is really hard to do.

I talked about this a bit the other week, but the fact is that even if you never dip into the group content of the game and thus block yourself off from further exploration of the story, you are still awash in things to do. You’ve got class content, you’ve got leves, you’ve got sidequests, you’ve got crafting, and you’ve got hunting logs. I haven’t tried this for various reasons, chief among them being the fact that the game is not yet released, but I’m willing to bet that if you really wanted to go from 1-50 without ever grouping up, you’d be able to do so.

Beyond that, there’s the simple fact that the group quests currently in place amount to “go into these dungeons.” Not “do something strange and time-consuming in these dungeons,” just “go in and fight your way through.” There are time limits in place, and truth be told even amateurs can clear a given dungeon in about an hour with some dawdling, less with an efficient group. This is not painful content to complete.

More to the point, though, it’s content that’s meant to be experienced multiple times because it’s a low-level dungeon with stuff for lots of classes and plenty of experience to earn. People will be queueing up for this even if they’ve already cleared the quests because there are rewards to be earned all the same.

And even more to the point, it’s still worth experiencing even if you’re overleveled. If you get distracted and wind up leveling past the usual range, you can still queue up and just sync down to the appropriate level with no real loss of time or reward. Or switch to a class that is level appropriate. There’s no statute of limitations, no point at which a dungeon becomes completely obsolete. That is a big change from other games, one that allows you to enjoy content at many levels without diminishing the experience.

I keep mentioning queueing for good reason. Remember, FFXIV launches with a group finder. It would be problematic if the group content you needed to do were all quests, but the group finder (all right, Duty Finder) works effectively and lets you set up for all of the things you need to do at this point. Instead of trying to chase down a group, you have groups just waiting for you to ask in. How readily available they will be down the line is a bit more questionable, but at least for the moment they’re in steady supply.

About the only thing that Yoshida hasn’t done to make grouping better is physically changing people to be more capable in group content. And I don’t think that’s within his power.

Do I like having the story throw a forced grouping curveball at me midway through? Not especially. But I can recognize the thought process that goes into it. And it’s done in such a way as to be as unobtrusive as possible while still giving players incentive to team up. I’m as leery of forced group quests as the next person, but this won me over most of the way.

Crafter’s Compendium by Class

Alchemy Recipes    Armorcraft Recipes      Blacksmithing Recipes    Carpentry Recipes

                                                                          
Cooking Recipes    Goldsmithing Recipes    Leathercraft Recipes     Weaving Recipes

 Crafter’s Compendium by Type
[+] Armor                      [+] Weapons                 [+] Tools
[+] Materials                 [+] Metal                       [+] Wood
[+] Weapon Parts         [+] Armor Materials
[×] Foods                        [+] Medicines

Subcategories

This category has the following 8 subcategories, out of 8 total.
A

[+] Alchemy Recipes‎ (14 C)
[+] Armorcraft Recipes‎ (14 C)

B

[+] Blacksmithing Recipes‎ (14 C, 1 P)

C

[+] Carpentry Recipes‎ (14 C)
[+] Cooking Recipes‎ (14 C)

G

[+] Goldsmithing Recipes‎ (14 C)

L

[+] Leathercraft Recipes‎ (14 C)

W

[+] Weaving Recipes‎ (14 C)

Pages in category “Recipes”

The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.
A

Alchemist
Armorer

B

Blacksmith

C

Carpenter
Culinarian

G

Goldsmith

L

Leatherworker

W

Weaver

In general, there is a fourfold classification of adventurers based on the disciplinary paths to which they devote themselves: Disciples of War, masters of arms who live for the call of combat; Disciples of Magic, erudite researchers of all things esoteric; Disciples of the Land, gatherers of material resources and students of the natural order; and Disciples of the Hand, crafters who invest their creative ingenuity in synthesis and industry.

Players may opt to specialize in one discipline, excelling in a single skill, or they may take a more general approach, making free use of the Armoury. The choice is yours.

 Classes

See: Main Article.

In FINAL FANTASY XIV, characters can take on a number of different professions, or classes. Changing classes is as simple as switching the weapon or tool equipped in the character’s main hand. Some classes have associated jobs as well, which confer additional skills and abilities. Players can switch to these jobs once they have met certain prerequisites.

Jobs

See: Main Article.

By meeting certain prerequisites, Disciples of War or Disciples of Magic can change from their classes to more specialized jobs. Taking on a job gives characters access to exclusive skills and actions.

Disciples of War

“The advancement of a nation may be gauged by its ability to craft weapons,
but its future depends on its ability to craft wars.”
– from Leading the Van, by master tactician Owyne Cosserand

Followers of this discipline devote themselves to the mastery of weapons and the wars waged with them. Through rigorous physical training, they hone their minds and bodies into instruments of combat, ever ready to make a decisive contribution to the cycle of conflict which plagues Eorzea.

Classes     Archer     Gladiator     Lancer     Marauder    Pugilist

Jobs             Bard        Paladin      Dragoon    Warrior         Monk

Disciples of Magic

“An empty hand is akin to an empty heart — ever does it long for a companion.”
– former Leatherworkers’ Guild guildmaster, Saiverin Vaireloque

These harvesters of nature’s bounty utilize an array of tools in their work with all forms of plants and minerals. Their trade encompasses knowledge of all of Hydaelyn’s natural resources, be it in a cultivated garden or the great outdoors. As a cornerstone of Eorzea’s economy, their impact on her inhabitants can hardly be overstated.

Classes     Alchemist    Armorer    Blacksmith  Carpenter    Culinarian    Goldsmith    Leatherworker    Weaver

Disciples of the Land

“Gladiators haven’t a care whence steel comes, nor archers timber. ‘Tis no concern of ours — so long as their gil is good.”
– esteemed naturalist Pilfa Dalfa, in his cups

These harvesters of nature’s bounty utilize an array of tools in their work with all forms of plants and minerals. Their trade encompasses knowledge of all of Hydaelyn’s natural resources, be it in a cultivated garden or the great outdoors. As a cornerstone of Eorzea’s economy, their impact on her inhabitants can hardly be overstated.

Classes         Botanist       Fisher      Miner