Will the allure of Tamriel pull you away from FFXIV?

What’s the Endgame Like?

As important as the story and gameplay are like, since we’re talking MMOs we can’t leave without discussing endgame. While both games offer leveling aplenty with FFXIV’s classes and TESO’s various skill paths, eventually you’ll reach the point where you have all of the tools you need and want to set out on some form of epic adventure. FFXIV’s answer to this fits with its more classical design: instanced dungeons and raids with loot that typically exceeds that available from crafters. For those uninterested in instanced PvE, there are other alternatives: FATEs, PvP in the Wolves’ Den, daily Beast Tribe quests, crafting, and Free Company (and eventually personal) housing.

TESO also has dungeons and raid-style Trials available as well for the group-oriented PvE player. In addition, the Adventure Zone of Craglorn offers a PvE-focused zone built for a group of four players with its own quest lines, story dungeons and Delves with bosses and Skyshards to test the group’s mettle. If group PvE isn’t your style, TESO also offers PvP in the form of Cyrodiil, a zone dedicated to a massive three Alliance war with its own skill lines and rewards. Prefer more solo content? In addition to TESO’s Veteran Rank zones filled with two Alliances worth of quest content, Skyshards and upscaled rewards, they also consider crafters as important as FFXIV does. According to the developer AMA, crafted gear is almost always better than equivalent gear found in the world and, even when a better piece is found, crafters are always useful because they can improve those pieces. There currently is no player housing in TESO, so if you want a gold sink from all of that crafting, you’ll have to settle on buying and feeding your mounts.

Conclusion

So which is better? It all comes down to what your focus is as a player. While both games offer dungeons and raid content, I believe most traditional group PvE players will prefer FFXIV’s content. Instances in FFXIV offer the standout equipment and loot that raiders have come to expect, plus it’s easier to design encounters around the more traditional holy trinity classes in FFXIV than the “build your own” decks of TESO. However, if PvP is your focus, then go TESO all the way. Wolves’ Den gives you a taste of PvP in FFXIV, but Cyrodiil just provides so much more and is honestly the only MMO PvP I’ve ever actually enjoyed. Crafting is a toss-up between the two, though I personally prefer FFXIV’s implementation since I like having actual buttons to hit while crafting rather than moving some sliders and clicking Craft. For me, personally, it’s still FFXIV all the way. TESO has its strengths, but their combat still feels weak to me compared to other MMOs.

That's it for this week's edition of the Eorzea Examiner. What do the rest of you think of TESO? Are any of you considering dipping your toes into the waters of Tamriel this Friday or are you firmly rooted in Eorzea? Are there aspects of one game you’d like to see in the other? If you've got any opinions on this or you've got an idea for next week's column, let us know in the comments below. Until next time, see you in Eorzea.

Michael "Ragar" Branham