Contrary to some popular misconceptions, a Final Fantasy 14 guide book is not meant to be a cheater’s manual. By definition, such a guide book is meant to introduce players to the full scope of Final Fantasy 14’s universe, all of its characters, quests, systems, activities, and many more. It is meant to be read from cover to cover, but rather selectively, meaning only when a player gets stuck with a certain aspect of the game. By doing so, its main intent is to prevent the game from becoming too frustrating or tedious at any point in time.
To accomplish that, a Final Fantasy 14 guide book is typically divided into several sections, each addressing a specific aspect of the game. One such section is the guild system. Its concept borrows a lot from its real-life medieval era counterpart, where people belonging to specific trades organize their own group, or their guild. In the game, a player can also start up or join such a group. But unlike the real world, it is fairly easy to hop from one group to the other. Moreover, such a group will have different missions or quests for the player, and completing them will make the player rise higher in rank and esteem, important for advancing through the game.
Another important section is the quest walkthrough. As the name implies, this section details every little quest, from every available guild, and from every available area in the game. Not only that, but it details what a player will gain from each quest, in terms of experience points, gil, and other items. Because of this foreknowledge, one can never get stuck with any mission (especially if you’re getting frustrated trying to find a single item), and it is easy to plan an overall strategy for progressing through the game. It is also easy to determine which equipment to bring, and how many people to bring to the party.
Related to this is the area walkthrough, another very common feature in all Final Fantasy 14 guides. This is essential because the most experience points, gil, and the best items may be found in specific areas of the game world as well. Knowing which areas hold which can be of tremendous strategic advantage, especially after the first 15 levels, and will greatly influence how you prioritize your subsequent missions and actions.
Then there is the section about character maximization. This section simply explains how to develop any character to its maximum level, complete with its most powerful attributes and option, in the fastest and most effective way possible. Very often such a section will also deal a lot with the weapons and gear of that character, and will frequently tell where such gear might be obtained for that character.
In the end, a Final Fantasy 14 guide book amounts to one thing: maximum enjoyment. Granted, since it shows you everything, it is not suitable for people who prefer an air of mystery to their gaming experience. Instead, it is reserved for those who want to squeeze out all the possibilities that Eorzea has to offer, and who are not skittish about wielding the most powerful weapons and characters against their enemies.