Final Fantasy 14: FATEs Guide

Final Fantasy 14 often doesn’t require that players interact with each other outside of duties, but before Dawntrail adds more group-focused content, one way the game allows for that interaction to happen is through FATEs. This feature makes the open world itself more lively and allows spontaneous interaction to happen as players meet by chance and team up to complete various goals. The encounters can also be fun to complete, as well as offer interesting rewards.

New players, while learning this world’s rules, will likely stumble on FATEs while going about their quests, but it might not be clear right away how they work, or what their purpose is. Even experienced players might not know exactly what the reward is for completing these battles, or might want to know where the FATEs are for each level range. Everything you need to know about Final Fantasy 14‘s FATEs can be found here!

What Are FATEs In Final Fantasy 14?

Full Active Time Events, also known as FATEs, are encounters that happen around the world itself, instead of in instances like dungeons or solo duties. They are dynamic, meaning they appear at different times in any of the game’s different locations, and the type of encounter can also vary, going from escort missions to defeating enemies or gathering items. It’s not necessary to participate in those encounters at all, and finding a FATE on the map doesn’t mean it is necessary to complete it. Many Final Fantasy games offer optional fights, and similarly, FATEs are optional content that can be fun to complete or offer nice rewards.

All players have access to FATEs, as there are no Free Trial restrictions regarding them. This content is flexible when it comes to players completing it alone or in groups, although they are usually completed faster and more easily when several adventurers unite to achieve that goal. Because they are open world events, FATEs don’t depend on the player’s character and can be completed by anyone, which will end that encounter, meaning it won’t be available for others to join. They also have a time limit and will disappear when the time runs out, regardless of completion.

The map will show active FATEs in the player’s current location, marking them with a seven-sided purple symbol. Hovering over that marking on the map will provide additional information, as it will show the encounter’s level and name, the time remaining, and how much progress has been made already. As an example, look at the picture below:

It shows the FATE “Love is in the Air” is happening close to Bentbranch Meadows and that it’s a level 11 encounter. Here, there are 29 seconds remaining, meaning the FATE must be completed before that time runs out. This can be useful information to know if it’s worth it to join a FATE by gauging if there is enough time to complete that task. Lastly, the progress percentage is at 33%, a piece of information that can also be used to have a better idea of if it will be possible to complete the encounter on time.

The Time Remaining and Progress parameters also allow players to decide whether there is enough time to reach and complete the FATE, as the distance from the player’s location to the encounter should also be considered. On top of the time spent moving, if the progress is at 90%, for example, the player might not be able to get there before someone else finishes that task. Rewards are also affected by the contribution made to completing the encounter, so joining only by the very end will not be as well rewarded.

Types Of FATE In Final Fantasy 14

Escort

In this type of FATE, the players must escort one or more NPCs from the starting point to another place. Throughout the journey, it will be necessary to defend the NPCs from monsters, as the FATE will fail if the NPC dies. This kind of encounter only starts after a player speaks to the NPC, and it’s one of the easiest to complete alone.

Defend

Similar to the Escort type, the Defend type requires players to defend an object or NPC. Instead of moving. However, players need to prevent the destruction of their charge in the same position for a specified amount of time, facing waves of enemies in the process. If the object or NPC is destroyed/defeated, the FATE will fail.

Collect

It’s easy to achieve the highest rating in the Collect FATEs, as they do not require defeating any enemies. In this type of encounter, players must gather items and turn them in to the FATE NPC. While the items can be acquired by defeating enemies, they can also be found on the ground. After turning in the required amount, the game will still give players a little more time to turn in extras to guarantee a higher rating.

Kill Enemies

A common and simple type of FATE, this one requires only killing waves of common monsters. Hitting a monster first helps players achieve a higher rating, so using area of effect (AoE) skills is highly recommended.

Kill Boss

Instead of facing several enemies, this type of FATE puts the players against a single, more formidable foe. It’s harder to complete these encounters alone, and they’re impossible when it comes to Rare Boss FATEs. Also known as World Bosses and superbosses, these enemies can be as challenging as some of the game’s best bosses. They don’t show up on the map, only on the minimap, and require certain conditions to be met in order to spawn.

How To Join A FATE In Final Fantasy 14

While FATEs will appear on the map, it’s possible to find them by accident when they spawn close to the player’s location, or when they just happen to be near the location the adventurer was going to. Any time the player is close to one of these encounters, the game will give a warning with the message “FATE discovered nearby!” After entering the area (or speaking to the NPC that will start the FATE, in some types of encounters), the “FATE Joined” message will show on the screen accompanied by a music change.

Any player can join a FATE, but if their level is lower than that of the encounter, their contribution won’t be considered as heavily. If the situation is the opposite, and the player’s level is higher, they will be required to sync level. This is easily done, as the game will warn this action is necessary and show the “Level Sync” button, as shown above.

The Level Sync will put the player at the highest possible level to participate in the FATE. This will also impact the available skills, as only the skills acquired up to that level can be used. As an example, if a level 32 player syncs to a level 25 FATE, any skills they unlocked after level 25 won’t be available.

If the player accidentally joined a FATE — if it simply spawned at the player’s location, or the player wandered in by mistake — and they doesn’t wish to complete it, it’s possible to simply leave. By walking away from the designated FATE area, the player will no longer be part of the encounter, but as long as they are in the FATE’s zone when it ends, they will be rewarded for their contribution (if there was any ).

FATE Rewards In Final Fantasy 14

The three main rewards players can earn from FATEs are gil, Company Seals, and experience. Because of the latter, these encounters are often sought by players who want to level up other jobs than their main one. Some FATEs will also drop minions and reward players with achievements. The encounters added in Shadowbringers and subsequent expansions, sometimes referred to as Shared FATEs, also reward players with Bicolor Gemstones that can be exchanged for materials, furnishings, Triple Triad cards, Orchestrion Rolls, minions, and more.

Some FATEs are tied to specific quests, and the necessary items to complete a quest will be rewards from said FATE. For example, level 45 FATE “The Mandragoras” drops Stolen Foodstuffs, the required item to complete the “Seeds of Rebellion,” part of Hildibrand’s funny sidequests. Usually, A Realm Reborn beast tribe quests require items that can only be earned by completing certain FATEs, and some events, like the Yo-Kai Watch crossover, also reward players through FATEs.

It’s important to remember that the reward depends on the contribution to completing the FATE:

• Gold medal: Highest rating. Will grant the player the full reward. This includes minions, if the FATE rewards them, and Bicolor Gemstones for Shadowbringers and subsequent expansions.
• Silver medal: Second-highest rating. Won’t grant the full reward, but will grant a substantial amount of gil, Company Seals, and XP.
• Bronze medal: Third-highest rating. Will grant the player an okay amount of gil, Company Seals, and XP.

If the players can’t complete the FATE successfully, they will still be rewarded accordingly for their participation.

Final Fantasy 14 FATEs By Level

Knowing the FATE level per area can be useful when farming them for experience, Bicolor Gemstones, or items necessary for Relic Weapons. Below, you can check out where to find FATEs by level in Final Fantasy 14: