It’s that lovely time of the year again, when the snow falls in Final Fantasy 14’s main desert city and everyone’s in the spirit of Starlight! Or Christmas and Hanukkah, in real-time commercialized gift-giving holidays.
Like any lively MMORPG, you may have met some friends in FFXIV that you want to show a little holiday spirit to—and I don’t just mean by blasting Mariah Carey in voice chat. Maybe one was especially, well, special, and you want to give them a little something in appreciation. Or you just feel generous in general.
It’s a little late to get your FFXIV friend real gift, but an in-game one will do; after all, they spend plenty of time there, right? Below are some ideas for some last-second gifts for your favorite FFXIV players.
Don’t forget: In order to send “mail” or real-money items to your FFXIV friends, you need to have them on your friend's list, as they eliminated the “gift code” system last year. For any tradable in-game items, they just need to be in proximity.
You’ve Got Real Good Money
What’s great about picking a mount as a gift is that you can check their Lodestone to see which ones they already have! Therefore, you’re not just dropping $24 to $40 on a duplicate. That would be awkward.
At the very least, the most essential one is arguably the SDS Fenrir. It’s not only a cool motorcycle: it also moves faster than any other mount. Some other essentials are the Cruise Chaser (which makes the two of you look rad), Fatter Cat, the four-person Chocobo Carriage, and the Megashiba (including commands to bark).
You can also get them one of the many cool outfits or other optional glamour items, as well as the “rock” side or “piano” side of the latest official cover album, but you’ll need to ask and ensure that they don’t have one already.
You Have Some IRL Pocket Change
You want to get your friend a little something. Maybe because they’re more broke than you, or you just don’t think they need that big of a splurge (which, fair!). Totally cool!
A safe bet is emotes, which range anywhere from $2 to $12. Many people tend not to directly buy the more outrageous ones, such as the new, arguably controversial Eat Pizza or Power Up. But if you ask and they don’t have these, very heavily-utilized ones across the community include Play Dead, Toast, Splash and Dote. (Did you know you can Splash in Labyrinth of the Ancients’s lava and the tenth Pandaemonium fight’s poison?)
There are also smaller single-track orchestrion rolls that’ll suit their apartment, house, or inn.
Sadly, there’s no way to check these specific purchases, so you’re going to have to ask them before you buy. But it’s definitely worth that extra effort!
You Have Lots Of Gil
Oh, look at you! You crafted, you did maps, you did content and didn’t spend money, or maybe you just never got into crafting and gathering. So you have gil to spend! Wow!
In short, you’ve got options. The issue is, chances are, anything your level 90 friends actually want, there’s a very good chance they have it, everything from raid gear down to the glamour.
If you don’t think they do, good! You have options. Most of the cool expensive gear is stuff that you’d need to grind Treasure Maps for, whether it’s glamours or minions. Your safest bets for “something someone may not have” are Pixie Wings, Wind-Up Philos (spoilers), and anything made from Fireglass Leather. They’re expensive because maps only occasionally drop these things, meaning there’s some kind of genuine scarcity; for crafted items, there’s also the extra high-level crafting levels needed to complete the items.
If your friend is grinding up a class, you can buy them the current highest crafted gear for it. You can also just give them gil! Maybe they’ll get a house!
You’re Every Kind Of Broke
It’s fair to be kind of broke in FFXIV if you’re actually doing content, unless you’re a finely-tuned crafter or gatherer. But that means your options here are limited.
So here’s what you’re going to do: Be endgame. If you’re not at least through Endwalker’s main story, you’re going to get judged for trying to give a gift when you’re not even all the way through yet. Like, it’s a rough year, take care of yourself before you take care of others, alright?
Once you’ve gotten sufficient levels and item levels, you’re going to look at your friend’s aesthetic. What class do they like to glamour? What’s that glamour like?
And then you’re going to figure out which end-of-expac Extreme Trial Glamour Weapon they should get. Not baseline, crafted. There’s some really cool stuff out there; for instance, the level 80 third trial’s purple glowing weapons look outstanding with anything from blue to black. I also love the level 70 Weapons of the Demon, which look sick for your edgiest friends.
At level 90 and with a good Party Finder, you can grind out pretty much any extreme trial. Get those supplies, find a willing Crafter somewhere, and there ya go: a perfectly cool weapon for your friend. Even if they never use it, I suppose it’s the thought that counts.
If you don’t have the time for that, get them a little sweater and a cap. It’ll do in a pinch. Again, it’s Christmas—it’s all about the heart and soul behind the gift, right?
