FFXIV: How To Build A House And Why You'll Want To

Player housing has become a staple of MMORPGs, and "Final Fantasy 14" is no exception. The hit title in the "Final Fantasy series" offers lots of options for housing and numerous great places to own a house. Further, it provides plenty of incentive for players to invest in such a purchase.

Apart from the fun immersion of owning a house in the world and being able to decorate it to one's personal taste, there are more tangible benefits as well. Houses can include a storeroom for keeping extra gear and crafting facilities for all of the Disciple of the Hand classes. Further, Free Company Houses can also be upgraded with a Workshop for even more crafting and can even be used to build an Airship.

Whether adventuring alone or with a Free Company, it's well worth it to have a place to call home. However, actually building and owning a house in "FF14" isn't exactly easy, and players often find themselves asking what's going on with player housing. As it turns out, building a house is a multi-stage and fairly complicated process.

Before they can even start, a player will first need to be at least level 50. Further, to go for a personal house, they'll need to have obtained the rank of Second Lieutenant in a Grand Company or, if looking to build a house of a Free Company, they'll need to be at least at Rank 6 in that company. After meeting these prerequisites, the journey can begin.

Before they can build a house, players first need to acquire the land to put it on. Unfortunately, just like in the real world, space is limited, and land is expensive.

To purchase a plot of land, players should head to whichever of the five residential districts they want to have their house in and start touring the wards to find an available plot. Plots are divided into five different classes based on quality and, within each class, there are three different sizes. Players should be sure to decide which class and size they want before they start and note that each size plot will only accommodate a house of the same size. Once they've found an available plot of land that they want, the next step is buying it. Again, this is more complicated than it may seem at first.

Some plots are designated for "first-come-first-serve" purchases. These plots can be bought by anyone as soon as they become available. Simply interacting with the sign in front of the plot will allow a player to buy it. Grabbing one of these plots will require some luck and lots of legwork to beat other players to the punch.

Some plots, on the other hand, are part of the newer lottery system. Introduced to give more players a chance to own property, this system requires players to submit an entry by interacting with the plot's sign. Going for a lottery plot is nice for players who don't have the time to search every ward for a plot that just became available, but it does have its costs and risks.

Submitting a lottery entry requires paying the full cost of the plot up front. If they lose the lottery, players will be able to get their money back by going back to the plot within 90 days to collect it, but it does mean that money will be unavailable during the lottery period. Further, if they win, a player will only have four days (real-world time) to finalize their purchase. If they don't, they'll miss out on the property and forfeit half the cost they put up.

Still, if they have the money available, submitting lottery entries is certainly the easier way to get a plot of land in the long run.

However, they go about it, once a plot of land is in their possession, a player can finally build their house.

The final step to start construction is buying a building permit. This can be done from the Social menu or from a vendor. Either way, the price will vary based on the size of the house being constructed, and players should be careful to note that the permit will specify which material — wood, stone, or composite — that the house will be made of, so they should choose accordingly.

Once they have their permit, players can go to the Social menu and use it to build a brand new house. From there, they can begin customizing and decorating it as they please.

It may be a lengthy and expensive process, but it's certainly worth it in the end. Between providing a greater attachment to the world and all the uses a house — especially a Free Company house — can provide, houses are yet another reason "FF14" is still worth playing years after its launch.