I think X has the best story, while XII has the best moment-to-moment writing. Best combination of the two would be Tactics, followed by IX.
FFXII is second to none in terms of themes. It's an entire examination of freedom, power, family and free will. It is extremely consistent at that all throughout without fail. You can't take that away from the game. It literally only speaks about that.
6 is my favorite cast and story but everybody saying 14 is making me want to slog through the mmo leveling grind to see.
5.3 is the end of shadowbringers story, 6.0 (which is next xpack) will end the overarcing story they started with ff14s reboot.
Why Delita and Ovelia stab each other to death in the epilogue
I never got the chance to play 11 back in the day, unfortunately, but makes sense!
XIII has a great cast of likable characters that go through really well crafted arcs. There's great drama, fun world-building, and a heavy emphasis on themes. It's not the best in the series but I legitimately don't trust the tastes of people who say it's bad. Most of the time they're just going off of what the internet said. When someone does bring their own complaint forward about XIII's story, it's usually either "they had made up words and I didn't want to wait a scene or two for them to explain what the words meant" or "all the characters weren't fully realized badass heroes right away and I didn't have the patience to watch development happen".
Seriously, XIII would be my fourth or fifth pick for best story, purely on the characters, themes, and setting alone. They are very well done and that game's reputation has always been done a disservice by it becoming popular to hate because the complaints against it are garbage.
I hear this sooooo much I really should try the game out. XI and XIV are the only mainline entries I haven't played. How new-player friendly is the game though? Would I have to slog through the base game content first? Because I hear a lot of mixed opinions about that, and don't really have the time to invest in levelling up an MMO character to reach the good stuff.
Can't stress this enough - BY FAR the best written Final Fantasy story. Nothing comes close and it's hilarious. If you don't play this you're missing out.
The game is free to play now for the entire original game and first expansion. And they optimized the original games story quests to reduce that pain you are talkin about. It is worth your time.I hear this sooooo much I really should try the game out. XI and XIV are the only mainline entries I haven't played. How new-player friendly is the game though? Would I have to slog through the base game content first? Because I hear a lot of mixed opinions about that, and don't really have the time to invest in levelling up an MMO character to reach the good stuff.