Been away from Eorzea? Start here.
Tell us where you left off and what you care about, and we'll give you a return plan built around you, including what you can safely skip.
Haven't played since a past expansion?
Jump straight to a catch-up guide for where you left off.
A catch-up plan, not another wiki
Coming back to Final Fantasy XIV after a long break is less about what's new and more about what actually matters. There are years of content, and most guides just list all of it.
This one is opinionated on purpose. Tell us the last patch you played and what you care about, and you get a plan sorted into do first, do next, do if you care, and safe to skip, built around where you left off and the patch that's live now.
The single most useful thing we'll tell you: don't grind gear in the expansion you're leaving behind. Keep moving through the story and you'll out-gear the old stuff on your way to current.
Returning player questions
- I haven't played since a past expansion. What did I miss?
- Story-wise, whatever came after you left, all on one continuous main scenario line. Pick your expansion below and we'll lay out what's new, what's worth doing, and what you can skip.
- What should I do first when I come back?
- Handle the quick stuff on login: if you own a house, step inside to reset its demolition timer, then clear out your retainers. After that, follow the Scenario Guide to your next story quest. We sort everything else into do-first and safe-to-skip so you're not guessing.
- Do I have to redo old content to catch up?
- No. The main scenario is one line you just keep following, and you never replay finished story. Old dungeons along the way can be run solo with NPC allies, so you're never stuck waiting on a group.
- Is my old gear still good?
- Probably not, and that's fine. Story rewards will replace it within a few quests, so save the re-gearing for the current cap instead of where you left off.
- How long will it take to get caught up?
- It depends how far back you left off. The further back, the more main scenario sits between you and current. Your plan shows the whole road so you can see the shape of it and cut anything optional.
- Is it worth coming back to FFXIV?
- If you liked it before, yes: the story kept going, and there's years of it. The catch-up is mostly just playing forward, and this planner exists to keep that from feeling like a chore.