'Final Fantasy 14' Free Trial: Patch notes say the trial is now indefinite

If you've been waiting to dip your toes into Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, Square Enix's second foray into the massively multiplayer online gaming world, you might have just gotten a golden opportunity. According to recent patch notes, the game's developer has just lifted the 14-day (we see you Square Enix, we see you) free trial for the game in favor of a more freeform model.

If that intrigues you, read on below.

Final Fantasy 14 free trial: The 14-day trial period has been waived

According to Kotaku, the latest patch notes for Final Fantasy 14 state that the game's 14-day trial period has been removed. Players will no longer see a countdown for the number of days left in their trial on their character screen when they enter the game. 

The Japanese patch notes are apparently even more forthcoming, stating that the free trial is now indefinite. So if you've wanted to explore the realms of Hydaelyn but didn't want to pay $15/month to do so, now's a great time to explore the Realm Reborn.

Final Fantasy 14 free trial: What limitations are there on free accounts?

Of course, there are still going to be limitations on what you can do with a free account as opposed to a full, paid subscription. You can find a full list of the limitations here, but the most important consideration is that you won't be able to advance past level 35 on the free trial. Additionally, the amount of in-game currency you'll be able to accumulate will be capped, you won't be able to trade items with other players and you won't be able to use the shout command in chat. 

None of these should really affect your enjoyment of the game during a trial until you reach the level cap, so a lot of these limitations are presumably set in place  to prevent exploits and spamming. That said, they're probably also in place so players will eventually pony up for the full retail version.

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