There is a lot to do in Final Fantasy XIVSquare Enix’s highly acclaimed MMORPG. Sure, the latest expansion, Morning trailhas just added a ton of new locations and quests to explore in its continuation of the game’s sprawling main story, but wait until you hear about all the other things you can do! There are optional raids, alternate jobs for leveling, the minigame-filled Golden SaucerCooking or learning botany, fishing, and the real FF14 Final game, that is Fashion. Amidst all of this, one activity often goes ignored: the humble sightseeing log. But with the recent graphics update beautifying old and new regions alike, now is the perfect time to dust off the log, revisit old haunts, and remember why you fell in love with Eorzea in the first place.
The Sightseeing Log is exactly what it sounds like – a list of locations on the map that players can visit to see some sights. It will take you to scenic vistas and reward you with nothing but a beautiful view. From Morning trail, The Sightseeing Log includes over 300 vistas in the game, and because there are so many exciting and rewarding activities, I’ve noticed that many friends understandably haven’t completed it.
However, over the last month I have been racing through the MMO to catch up Morning trailI started in the middle of Endwalker and am now within sight of the new expansion, but I have been slowing my progress lately. This is partly to avoid burning out, the very thing that has been holding me back from completing Endwalker when it came out in 2021. And as I’ve shifted gears to focus on enjoying aspects of the game outside of the Main Scenario Quests (MSQ), I’ve grown quite fond of the Sightseeing Log. In fact, I’d say it has a subtle brilliance in the way it encourages you to just stop and enjoy the beauty of the world from time to time.
It helps that with Morning trail, Final Fantasy 14 also received a long-awaited Graphic update. While the new areas have benefited the most from the visual overhaul, the rest of the game looks significantly better as well. Which begs the question, when was the last time you visited your favorite place in the game? Because every player has one. Personally, I am a fan of the emptiness in Norvrandt. But so often we forget the places of the past and move on to what’s new. The graphical update gives you the chance to see things in a new light, literally. If you’ve never done the sightseeing log, you’re in luck because the game’s most beautiful locations look better than ever and are waiting for you. It also serves as a great break from the MSQ grind of a new expansion.
With so much to do in Final Fantasy 14everyone around you is constantly working on this or that, with an end goal or reward in mind. Maybe it’s a cool mount or piece of gear, but it probably requires completing one of the game’s most challenging tasks. For example, think of all the effort it takes to defeat the Baldesion Arsenal, which many players go through to get the Demi-Ozma mount. In contrast, the Sightseeing Log requires little effort and offers no tangible reward. But that doesn’t mean it’s pointless. The reward of the Sightseeing Log is connecting with the beautiful, hand-crafted landscapes we so often ignore in everyday gaming. Final Fantasy 14.
Final Fantasy 14 is a beautiful, sprawling game with varied environments. However, MSQ isn’t always particularly good at showing off the complexity of its regions. Yes, it lets you wander back and forth between maps countless times, but usually along the same paths and rarely encourages you to explore further. Side quests and other activities can take you off the most traveled path from time to time, but everything is so tied up in combat that you often have little opportunity to focus on the world around you. Even Aether Currents, locations scattered throughout the maps that unlock flying in each region, often have questionable placements that miss the opportunity to show the world at its best and most beautiful. The Sightseeing Log succeeds in this regard, offering stunning views of the game that I didn’t know were possible, while also being a quiet and contemplative respite.
I think a lot about the digital worlds we inhabit as players. Too often I find they are designed to be passed over and walked through without much thought. Even beautiful vistas are often quick demonstrations of graphical power that rarely convince you that this digital world is actually a world unto itself. For me, the Sightseeing Log presents Eorzea as a world of its own, rather than an amusement park, because it reframes your relationship to that world. So often, as Warriors of the Light, we carve our way through regions without much friction. It’s on to the next quest, the next raid, the next reward. The Sightseeing Log asks us to simply notice the environment around us, just to see it. Engaging with it has deepened my appreciation for Final Fantasy 14 as a whole. It’s about stopping and enjoying the scent of the roses or, better yet, the Elpis flowers.
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