FFXIV: Our 12th Year Anniversary
Posted on September 2, 2025 by Aywren
Final Fantasy XIV - A Realm Reborn has just celebrated its 12th year anniversary on August 27th. This means that as mid-September rolls around, I’ll have been playing this MMO for 12 years straight, without a break in subscription, and pretty consistently over the years.
A Look Back at 12 Years Ago
I don’t have the exact date I started playing because I was doing it on the lowdown at first. I would have picked up the game closer to launch except S/E had stopped selling copies – both physical and digital – due to the overwhelming popularity and the strain on servers and log in. So, I was forced to wait a few weeks after I’d made the choice to try it out for the game to be sold again.
Even so, I wasn’t fully sure if I was going to stick with the game or not in the beginning. I know that I first rolled on the Gilgamesh server because at the time of launch, it was the official Reddit server. I supposed that meant there would be a solid population.
But then, I let the cat out of the bag about the fact I was trying the game out on my Tumblr. My first ever FFXIV post (which was eventually moved to this blog) was written on September 20, 2013. I noted that I’d been playing for “a few days” at that point.
Some folks I knew from GW2 contacted me and told me they were over on the Midgardsormr server, and they had a Free Company I could join. So, I deleted my original moon cat and re-rolled her on Midgardsormr to hook up with them. I quickly caught back up to where I was on my original character (level 12, it seems), and Midgardsormr became my home server until I moved to Mateus in 2018.
In December, Syn decided to join me in FFXIV. I rolled my first alt so that I could start the game over along with her, and thus began my alt-rolling addiction in this game!
12 Year Reflection
On one hand, it’s hard to believe I’ve been playing the same game, mostly at endgame, for the past 12 years. On the other hand, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that sometimes, I really feel the fact I’ve been playing the same game for the past 12 years… and I struggle to find something novel to do in the world.
So much has changed over time, and not all for the better. Unlike many of the MMOs I’ve played in the past, the answer is not always to roll yet another alt, however. I’ve got far too many alts as it is, and the thought of moving through the mountain of content (especially dungeons and trials) is sometimes exhausting to me. I have a hard enough time trying to take my level 90s through the newest expansion as it is.
Since Dawntrail launched, it’s been a tough time to be a dedicated FFXIV player. Things have been far from perfect, I haven’t been charmed by the direction the story and content have taken, and the once bright beacon of community that used to laud the game now seems to have turned sour and negative.
However, as is normal for the anniversary event, Yoshi-P has spent time communicating with the players – in an anniversary video, in a post that addressed the use of mods in the community, and through the typical anniversary event, The Rising.
I wasn’t the only one who sensed an underlying sense of apology in these things. In fact, there’s a Reddit thread that discusses how the conversation Yoshi-P’s avatar has with your character in The Rising was outright apologetic. I felt that from the message, too, and thought it was interesting someone else also sensed that.
Filtering the Negativity
The amount of negativity floating around the community has been heavy on me. I try not to let it get me down, but it’s tough when so much of the content and commentary out there about a game you have played for 12 years leans towards negativity.
I do believe in voicing criticism, don’t get me wrong. I think if something isn’t landing, we have every right as paying players to say so. I honestly do have my own share of thoughts on the situation, though I usually voice it only behind closed doors with poor Syn as my sounding board.
I hate bringing too much negativity to my blog. I figure there’s enough of it out there already.
I also can sense that my own enjoyment of the game has been soured by the general atmosphere surrounding the community, especially on social media. It’s tough for me to disconnect, however, as social media sites, such as Tumblr, also serve as my creative outlet and connection to friends and other players in the community.
However, I’ve come to the conclusion that going into this next year with FFXIV, I will do my best to stay away from the extreme negativity as I can. That doesn’t mean I will never have something critical to say, but there’s just some sentiments out there that are far, far more extreme than others.
I think it’s time that I do more to filter my consumption of content, especially on YouTube where I’m terrible about tuning into drama videos and getting sucked into the train wrecks in the fandom. I do have my own personal struggles with FFXIV, but it doesn’t make it any easier to work through and enjoy the game when I constantly have a negative buzz humming in my ear.
I’m going to focus on being more patient and hopeful – especially given the tone of the interviews, videos, and posts we’ve seen from Yoshi-P lately. I think the team has earned a little grace from me over the years, and I vow to wait and see what they have in development, allowing them to work through this tough time in the game’s history.
We’ve all seen amazing comebacks – be it A Realm Reborn itself, or even the bounce-back that WoW has made recently. I want this to be a redemption story because I still want Eorzea to be my online home… even if I’m having trouble making it so for myself right now.