It can be challenging to figure out what FFXIV server to join, since there are multiple options in each region for you to select.
Our best advice is to prioritize servers based on where your country and friends are. However, there are a few other servers you might want to check out. This guide will cover the best servers you can join in FFXIV.
Related: All New Worlds in the Dynamis Data Center in Final Fantasy XIV, and Bonuses for Joining Them
Which is the Best FFXIV Server to Join?
Before picking where you want to go, it’s important to note that the servers, referred to as worlds, are divided into Data Centers. A Data Center contains a group of servers offered in a region. Players operating in the same data center can interact with each other and match up for raids and dungeons. A new feature added to Final Fantasy XIV is that Final Fantasy players can interact across Data Centers, giving players across the entire game a chance to play together.
The latest addition to the Data Center server list is Oceanian, Materia. Those who live in this region no longer have to choose one of the Japanese Data Centers to join. Instead, they can enjoy a more reliable connection to Final Fantasy XIV, giving them a chance to play the game with those closer to their region.
| Data Center | Region |
| Aether | North America |
| Primal | North America |
| Crystal | North America |
| Chaos | Europe |
| Light | Europe |
| Elemental | Japan |
| Gaia | Japan |
| Mana | Japan |
| Materia | Oceanian |
There are populated servers, hardcore raiding servers, more casual servers, role-playing servers, and more. Final Fantasy XIV has a wide variety of worlds for players from all walks of life. You’ll likely find a server that fits your needs no matter what you’re looking for. We recommend making sure you speak with other players you plan to go through Final Fantasy XIV with because staying on the same server means you can do more together as a group.
Best Server for FFXIV: Aether – North America
| Worlds | What It’s Known for |
| Adamantoise | Laid-back with a friendly vibe. Great for new players. |
| Cactuar | Mainly endgame-focused. Large Spanish-speaking community. |
| Faerie | Welcoming and helpful to new players. Highly social and talkative community. Very LGBTQ-friendly. Plenty of glamour items for sale on the market board. Fashionable players. |
| Gilgamesh | Hardcore raiding community. Unofficial Reddit server. Large, congested population. |
| Jenova | Friendly atmosphere, with a decent raiding community. |
| Midgardsormr | Casual to semi-casual players. |
| Sargatanas | Active raiding community. Home to several FFXIV streamers and YouTubers. |
| Siren | Welcoming, social, and LGBTQ-friendly. Large crafting community. |
Best Server for FFXIV: Primal – North America
| Worlds | What It’s Known for |
| Behemoth | Hardcore endgame community. Sizeable Brazilian population. |
| Excalibur | Another hardcore raiding server. |
| Exodus | Casual raiding community. |
| Famfrit | Laid-back and friendly to new players, like Adamantoise. |
| Hyperion | Good mix of casual and hardcore players. Active role-playing community as the unofficial RP server on Primal. Largest Spanish-speaking community. |
| Lamia | Tight-knit, cozy community. Friendly to new players. Casual to semi-hardcore raiders. Decent Spanish-speaking population. Some popular YouTubers, content creators, and raid teams. |
| Leviathan | Primal’s premier hardcore raiding server, like Gilgamesh on Aether. Congested population. |
| Ultros | Polarizing reputation. Usually quiet and helpful to new players. It’s notorious for some trollish players, but they aren’t numerous enough to define the server. |
Best Server for FFXIV: Crystal – North America
| Worlds | What They’re Known for |
| Balmung | Largest role-playing community in the game. Unofficial RP server on Crystal; a primary RP server in general. Extremely congested population. Low market board prices due to high supply. |
| Brynhildr | Small, quiet community. |
| Coeurl | An excellent community for organizing and killing hunts (strong open-world monsters). |
| Diabolos | Quiet, disparate community. Players tend to mind their own business. But still friendly enough when it counts. |
| Goblin | Also quiet, but players usually stick to their own groups and communities. |
| Malboro | A mix of Goblin and Ultros. Quiet, with a particular reputation for toxicity. |
| Mateus | Another role-playing server on Crystal. Heavy role-playing bias, as non-RP players are generally frowned upon by those active in the community. |
| Zalera | Casual community with a decent raiding population. |
Best Server for FFXIV: Chaos – Europe
| World | What It’s Known for |
| Cerberus | Quiet community with many Russian-speaking players. |
| Louisoix | Casual player base of all languages. |
| Moogle | Large French-speaking population. |
| Omega | The unofficial role-playing server on Chaos. |
| Ragnarok | Hardcore raiding server for Chaos, similar to Gilgamesh and Leviathan. Large Italian-speaking population. Also, some Arabic and French players. |
Best Server for FFXIV: Light – Europe
| Worlds | What It’s Known for |
| Lich | It used to be a ghost town with very few players. Now much more active and lively. |
| Odin | Hardcore raiding community on Light. Many Scandinavian players. |
| Phoenix | Laid-back server with a balance of casual and hardcore players. |
| Shiva | Large German-speaking population, with some role-playing communities. |
| Zodiark | Strong Italian-speaking population. |
Best Final Fantasy XIV Japanese Servers
Due to the sheer number of Japanese servers, we had to pick and choose which ones to cover. Therefore, we selected the more notable ones than others, mainly for overseas players. Check out the official list for a complete list of all servers, including Japanese ones in Final Fantasy XIV.
Best Server for FFXIV: Elemental, Gaia, and Mana – Japan
| Worlds | What It’s Known for |
| Kujata (Elemental) | A decent number of English-speaking players, usually from Australia and New Zealand. New players often come here when the primary English-Japanese server (Tonberry) is too crowded. |
| Ramuh (Elemental) | A good amount of players are from South Korea. |
| Tonberry (Elemental) | The primary server for English-speaking players outside of North America and Europe. Many players are from Australia and New Zealand. Japanese players are accepting of the English-speaking community, but their culture is still dominant—some culture shock is expected for anyone not used to Japanese customs in FFXIV. |
| Typhon (Elemental) | Taiwanese players mixed with some Australian and New Zealand players after Tonberry and Kujata. |
| Durandal (Gaia) | Some English-speaking players, but not many. |
| Ifrit (Gaia) | It also has relatively few English-speaking players. |
| Asura (Mana) | Some English-speaking players. |
| Chocobo (Mana) | Hardcore raiding community in Japan. Usually congested. |
| Ixion (Mana) | Several fun community events are open to all players. |
| Masamune (Mana) | Primary English-speaking server for Mana. Also home to Indonesian players. |
| Pandemonium (Mana) | A main role-playing community for Japanese players. |
| Shinryu (Mana) | Very Japanese-centric community with little-to-no English-speaking players. Casual atmosphere. |
Best Server for FFXIV: Materia – Central and South Pacific Ocean, Australia
| Worlds | What It’s Known for |
| Bismarck | Many New Zealand players have flocked to this server |
| Ravana | It contains many English-speaking players and is primarily a raid server. |
| Sephirot | This is a mixed server with healthy balances for those looking for any activity. |
| Sophia | Primary role-playing server for players. |
| Zurvan | Like Sephirot, there’s a healthy balance for all players. |
The Oceanian servers are now over a year old, which means many players are still trying to find their place in Final Fantasy XIV. Their identities are likely to change as many find what they appreciate most about the community within each of them.
Best City for Socialization
For anyone looking to socialize on their server, check out Limsa Lominsa, the city-state situated by the sea. Limsa Lominsa is usually packed with many players hanging out together at all times. If you’d rather keep to yourself, you can stick to the other cities instead, avoiding Limsa altogether.
What are Preferred Worlds?
When a world’s population count is smaller than average. they’ll sometimes get what is known as preferred status. What this means is that making a new character on any of these worlds gives you special bonuses. You’ll get the Road to 80 buff, which gives you double exp on everything, including jobs. You can find out what’s a preferred world by checking if there’s a yellow star by the names of any. If so, that means any character created on that world will get bonuses for 90s days.
You’ll typically find a warm, welcoming community no matter which server you join. Final Fantasy XIV has a positive reputation for its community, with many friendly players who are often willing to lend a helping hand. There are some apparent exceptions, but it’s a friendly space open to new players of all skill levels. Pick the server that sounds best for you.
