FFXIV - The ENTIRE 1.0 Story EXPLAINED

This is the first part of my Final Fantasy XIV Full Story Recap. I made this as an extensive recap which includes the basic info like the city profiles and a quick introduction to races and the like. I hope to improve the quality and presentation for the next parts of this recap whenever they come out! The "important" bits from this story is really just everything in year 1557 and from 1572 and onwards. The city-state stories were included just to have a comprehensive recap, but they aren't important to the overall story of FFXIV. Events that happen in these years is mentioned here and there in 2.0 onwards, and you do meet characters from these stories. But, again, they aren't important if you just want to know what happened right before The Calamity.

Thanks for watching and if you enjoyed then please consider subscribing :D

Sources and credit for much of this footage:
- Encrypted Duck: @EncryptedDuck

- Roivas Alenko: @Roivasff11

- Viewtiful ASMR: @ViewtifulASMR

Mekkah Dee: @MekkahDee

- GameNChick: @GameNChick

- Brian Heminger: @SFPTrainer81

- Raveheart: @Raveheart

- Sylvarion Ryulong: @sylvarionryulong2922

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:10 The World of Hydaelyn
16:04 The Story of 1.0
18:32 Year 1557 - Prelude
21:37 Year 1562-1572
35:28 Year 1572 - The Adventure Begins
44:55 Dalamud's Descent
1:01:52 The Calamity

Music list (in order):
Prelude - Remembrance
Opening Theme (FFXIV)
A New Hope
I Am the Sea
Wailers and Waterwheels
Against The Wind
Imperial Will
Canticle
Wrath of The Eikons
Order Yet Undeciphered
Relics
Tears for Mor Dhona
The Twin Faces of Fate - Theme of Ul'dah
Emerald Labyrinth
On Windy Meadows
The Echo
Without Shadow
Nemesis
Answers - Reprise

[Verlurion]

Having just started playing the game, going through ARR had me asking alot of questions "Whose this character?" "Whats this event they talk about?" and so on, this was genuinely a big help in answering pretty much all off them! So fantastic job

[gethygethy]

Just your recounting alone makes me wish I played this game back then, flaws or not. Amazing recounting. Thank you so much for this!

[Kairamek]

This might be the best summary I've seen so far. Most of them present the information in the order the player encounters it, like a let's play for those of us who missed it. This is in temporal order and really helps put the pieces together.

[JPypa]

All these years later I still tear up at that last cutscene with Answers playing in the background. I remember 1.0 fondly even with its misgivings, my LC from XI were there til the end. Sadly most didn't come back for ARR

[ravenmadd]

Okay, a little correction in one of the early storyboards: 1.0 was still the Sixth Astral Era, while 2.0 was the fifth year of the Seventh Umbral Era, with 2.1 being the beginning of the Seventh Astral Era.

[natebroadus]

God, I wish there was a way to experience 1.0's story in FFXIV 2.0. This explains so much about characters like Thancred and why he was so broken in Shadowbringers. To him, it was like losing a daughter.😢

I know 1.0 was rough, but the story sounds so interesting, especially when you factor in the events of the later expansions.

[NieroshaiTheSable]

PSA: for anyone who remembers everything you read from ARR to now, and clicked for 1.0 lore, start at 16:04. Everything before then, is something the game itself should've told you a hundred times.

[spikkle]

Extremely comfy video, a story well told with just the right amount of detail. This really deserves more exposure.

[Powrug]

Holy sh*t this summary was fantastic. I have always wanted to learn the story and lore in 1.0 since it plays such a significant role in 2.0 and every following expansion. You managed to make this video not only comprehensive and easy to follow- but an epic retelling that instantly captures you. Thank you so much for putting effort into creating this masterpiece! You’re truly the MVP.

Addition: So THAT’S what the Great Gobbue Wall was!! I wish I had been there.

[luisburgos]

Two years and no other vids? Hope you’re ok man. This was an AMAZING video to listen to while at work. Whatever you’re up to now, I hope that you still have time for Dawntrail <3

[crazyprsn]

I was left breathless... I've watched that cutscene so many times, but knowing the story leading up to it made it so much more impactful.
I really wish we could play through Legacy as a New Game + chapter, but I suppose that would require them to remake the whole thing in the current engine.

[RJRedtail]

Thank you, this is the best 1.0 summary I've found

[YaBoyNiloc]

just found this and all i can say is you deserve more subs and views. this is the exact kind of summary of 1.0 ive always wanted to see and my only regret is I didnt find it sooner.

[Rewwgh]

Glad you made this. Helped clarify some things even though I have studied 1.0-1.23 quite a bit. :) I think you could still make at least a video about ARR since it ties so intimately with 1.0 and many players, like yours truly, have started to forget some things.

[StefanBorglycke]

This video was so concise and SO GOOD... The rest I've played from 2.0 on but I can't wait to watch future breakdowns as well. Subscribed. Great work :)

[darkshado]

One little detail that's off: Viera are the longest-lived race by "life-times more" than Elezan. It's not stated what amount a "life-time" is, but it's assumed to be the average lifespan of all races on the low end and Elezan on the high end.

[twilightgeneral]

This gives so much context to ARR that I didn't even know I was missing!

[anastasiolabropoulos]

As someone who has just started ARR, I think you should keep up with explaining the story. You have a knack for giving the necessary gravitas to the story beats when needed and explaining things well enough that people know the context but can still dig deeper to know more if they want to. Great work on the video.

[shikyo]

Dude, THANK YOU everything makes so much more sense now. I was having some slight trouble with the MSQ because I had no idea Eorzea-- err...nevermind I don't want to spoil it. But jeez SE could have at least warned us that there was confusion afoot if we have never played 1.0 beforehand. Q.Q but from the way they seemed to have ended it, that is absolutely unsettling yet awesome to watch just on video. I wouldn't know how to react if I had actually been there to experience it. Admittedly, I might have been brought to tears during the last ten minutes, no lie.

[rattlethecages]

Perfectly explained and paced. Keep going with these videos, you provide just the right amount of story and context to make it feel interesting, without getting too into the weeds or skimming over important events.
It also blows my mind that so much of this important narrative is simply cut from ARR. I would argue it’s required knowledge to getting any sort of real connection and enjoyment out of ARR.