In the world of MMORPGs, there are two big games that have the attention of most players—World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV. They're both fantastic games worthy of playing, but in my opinion, FFXIV just barely edges out WoW as the better game.
Before you scream that I'm crazy and tell me how about WoW has been the king of the genre for over a decade, just hear me out!
1. The Story
WoW's story is really good when it comes to grand scenes and characters, but it's lacking terribly when it comes to the smaller details. Why, exactly, do I need to kill 10 of this random monster? It just doesn't do a good job of giving weight to those small quests.
FFXIV, on the other hand, has cut-scenes that provide a story for even the smallest quests in the game. This makes it feel like your actions actually have a purpose, rather than just going out and doing fetch quests for the sake of doing them.
And when it comes to the grand stuff, FFXIV goes all out with some of the most entertaining and emotionally-charged scenes you'll find in any game.
2. Controller Support
For me, having the ability to play with a controller is what got me into Final Fantasy XIV in the first place.
I was just about to reactivate my WoW account for the fiftieth time, and I decided to give FFXIV a chance since I could play from the comfort of the couch with a controller. It was a great decision, and one I certainly don't regret.
3. Better Use of Dungeons
Generally speaking, once you out level a dungeon in World of Warcraft, you won't see that dungeon again until you decide its time to level up some alts.
In FFXIV, the clever use of level scaling and the daily roulettes means you'll be revisiting older dungeons all the time.
Not only is this fun for you, but it makes it so players looking to do the early game dungeons as part of their story experience don't need to worry about having people to play with, as it will fill their groups with scaled-up high-level players.
4. No Need for Alts
In WoW, if you want to change classes you have to go ahead and make a whole new character. In FFXIV, you simply need to take on a quest and change your weapon.
Want to test out a healer? No problem, just go talk to the right person and you'll start your healing journey. It's a really smart system that makes playing FFXIV a lot more fun because you can try out all different classers without any commitment.
Because there's no limit to how many professions a character can take, you won't need to level up alternate characters to have all of the crafting and gathering professions leveled up.
5. Better Crafting and Gathering
In World of Warcraft, crafting and gathering are pretty simple mechanically. You click a thing and gather it.
In Final Fantasy XIV, there's a bit of a mini-game involved with crafting, which makes it far more interesting.
Sure, you'll fail to craft items sometimes, which can be rather frustrating, but it makes crafting or gathering a high-quality item even more satisfying.
6. Console Availability
If you don't own a gaming PC, this is pretty much the only point that matters to you. You can play Final Fantasy XIV on PlayStation 4. World of Warcraft is only available on PC.
If you've always wanted to play an MMORPG that delivers a real MMO experience on console, this is 100-percent the one to play.
7. No Factions
One thing a lot of WoW players get into is the battle between Alliance and Hord. It was fun for a while, but it's become played out over the years, and now it just serves as a way of splitting the player base.
In FFXIV, all players are on the same side of the battler, and there isn't that split down the middle. Everyone hates the same baddies, and that makes for a better experience.
