Hey friend! So you‘ve been enjoying your time in Final Fantasy 14‘s incredibly generous free trial and now you‘re looking to keep your progress while upgrading to the full game? You‘ve come to the right place!
Transferring your free trial character to a full account is thankfully a very simple process. I‘ll walk you through step-by-step how to link your accounts, purchase the game and expansion packs, and carry over all your hard work from the trial.
Whether you‘re a total FFXIV newbie or a seasoned veteran, this guide will cover everything you need to know about getting the most out of the free trial and making the transition to the full experience. Let‘s dive in!
Getting Started with the FFXIV Free Trial
Before we talk transfers, let‘s quickly cover the free trial itself for any new players. Here are the key details according to the official FFXIV free trial website:
- Completely free with no time limits – play as long as you want up to level 60
- Includes the entirety of A Realm Reborn AND the Heavensward expansion – hundreds of hours of content
- Play as all races and classes – freely switch between them all on one character
- No restrictions on playtime – enjoy the game as much as you want
It gives you the base game, first expansion, and even lets you experience late-game jobs and content. It‘s extremely generous compared to most free trials!
Some drawbacks to note:
- Max level limited to 60
- Cannot join Free Companies (FFXIV‘s player guilds)
- No market board or player-to-player trading access
- Restricted social features like friend adding and linkshells
But overall, an insane amount of free content that every MMO fan should check out!
Upgrading to the Full Version – Step by Step
Once you‘ve had your fill of the free trial and are hungering for more, it‘s simple to upgrade to the full game. Here‘s what to do:
1. Link Your Square Enix Account
First, log into the Mog Station using the Square Enix account you registered with for the free trial. This is the hub for all your FFXIV account management.
Inside the Mog Station, click "Manage Service Options" and choose your free trial service account. Select the "Upgrade to Full Version" button.
This will permanently link your free trial account to the full FFXIV service, allowing you to maintain your characters and progression.
2. Purchase the Game and Latest Expansions
You‘ll want to pick up the FFXIV Starter Edition which includes the base game (A Realm Reborn) and the Heavensward expansion.
Then grab the latest expansion Endwalker to get all the current content.
You can buy them digitally right on the Mog Station after linking accounts.
3. Begin Your Subscription
In addition to the game itself, you‘ll need an active subscription to play past level 60 and access all content.
You can set up recurring subscription payments on the Mog Station or pay manually each month.
And that‘s it! Once you‘ve purchased the Starter Edition + Endwalker and set up a subscription, your account will be fully upgraded.
Time to carry over those free trial characters!
4. Transfer Your Characters and Play!
After linking your account and adding a full license, your characters should transfer over automatically.
However, make sure you log into the character selection screen at least once before your free trial expires.
This ensures your character data is synced to the servers so it carries over properly after upgrading.
Once transferred over, just log in and pick up right where you left off! Enjoy the expanded world of Eorzea.
Breaking Down the Cross-Platform Licenses
One of FFXIV‘s best features is full cross-play support across PC and PlayStation. But how do the licenses work?
Here‘s a quick cheat sheet:
| Platform | License Needed |
|---|---|
| Windows PC | Windows PC License |
| PlayStation 4 | PlayStation 4 License |
| PlayStation 5 | PlayStation 5 License |
| Steam PC | Steam PC License |
- You need to buy separate licenses for each platform you wish to play on
- But you can access the same characters across all platforms
- Steam and regular PC licenses are incompatible
So for example, if you want to play on both PC and PlayStation, you‘d need to own both the Windows PC and PlayStation licenses.
You can‘t share a license between platforms or accounts. But thankfully you can access the same characters!
Transfer or Start Fresh? The Choice is Yours!
Once you upgrade from the free trial, you have two options:
Transfer your existing character – Maintain all your progress and keep playing where you left off
Start a brand new character – Begin anew on a fresh World and storyline
The pros of transferring:
- Keep your character, levels, gear, mounts, progress, everything!
- Skip hundreds of hours leveling and doing old content again
- Experience those sweet Heavensward zones you just unlocked
The pros of starting fresh:
- Play through the Realm Reborn story again from the beginning
- Try a brand new class or race without leveling
- Join a preferred World for double experience bonuses
- See how far you‘ve come after learning so much
Personally, I‘d recommend sticking with your free trial character so as not to lose everything you worked for. But the option is there if you really want to restart your adventure!
Key Free Trial Social and Economic Limitations
The free trial may seem extremely generous, but there are a few key social and economic restrictions to keep in mind:
No friend invites or Free Company joining
You cannot send friend requests or join an FC. Be sure to exchange Discord or contact info before upgrading!
No market board or trading
The market board auction house and direct player trading features are blocked. Limited ways to earn gil.
No sending letters
The moogle mail delivery system cannot be used during the trial.
Maximum 8 characters per account
Paid accounts lift the limit of 1 character per World and 8 total characters.
No retainers or estate housing
Retainer inventory management and instanced housing purchases are locked out.
These limits are designed to prevent illicit botting and gil selling. But overall, well worth the tradeoff for so much free content! Just good to know.
Maximizing Your Free Trial Experience
With no time limits, you‘re free to explore and level to your heart‘s content during the trial! Here are some tips:
Level multiple classes – Take advantage of the flexible class system to try them all!
Unlock your chocobo mount – Complete your Grand Company hunting log at level 20.
Do your job quests – Important skills are locked behind level 30 and 50 job quests!
Run Palace of the Dead – Perfect for leveling alt jobs with instant queues.
Participate in seasonal events – Fun yearly events offer exclusive items!
Build up your gil – Amass funds via challenge logs, quests, and drops.
Finish your Hunting Logs – Easy early game experience and unlock allied hunts.
Join a linkshell – Linkshells offer social channels to coordinate with others.
Take your time and experience all Eorzea has to offer before moving on!
Answering Your FFXIV Free Trial FAQs
Let‘s wrap up by answering some frequently asked questions about the FFXIV free trial:
Is there a time limit on the free trial?
Nope! No time limits or expiration. Enjoy it as long as you like.
Can I reinstall the trial client?
Absolutely. You can install, uninstall, and reinstall on as many PCs as you want.
Does my progress carry over after I upgrade?
Yes, all your progress and characters are retained by linking your accounts!
Can I upgrade to Steam later?
You can, but Steam licenses don‘t transfer existing characters. Must start fresh.
Can I play the trial on multiple devices?
Yep! Feel free to install on all your PCs and devices and log in anywhere.
Is the free trial worth trying out?
Without a doubt! It offers hundreds of hours of amazing MMORPG content to experience!
What‘s the catch? Is this too good to be true?
No catches, just some social and economic limitations. But you get a crazy amount of free gameplay!
Transferring Your Adventure to the Full World of FFXIV
I hope this detailed guide gives you everything you need to know about getting situated with the FFXIV free trial and eventually transferring your progress to the full game.
Here are the key points:
- Take advantage of the super generous free trial with no time limits
- When ready, link your accounts on Mog Station and purchase expansions
- Characters and progression carry over automatically after linking licenses
- Consider the pros and cons of transferring vs starting fresh
- Be aware of key social and economic limitations of the trial
- Play and explore as much as possible before upgrading!
Let me know if any questions come up at any point in your FFXIV journey! I‘m always happy to help guide new warriors of Light. Now get out there and enjoy the vast magical lands of Eorzea my friend! Adventure awaits!
