Final Fantasy XIV’s Gold Saucer Is Now My Favorite In-Game Pastime

If you’ve ever played Final Fantasy XIV, even just through the initial base game ‘A Realm Reborn,’ then you probably have some idea of the sheer amount of things to do within the game, whether it’s the Gold Saucer or running dungeons and raids. The scale of the world alone is something to behold. But it’s within this world that the true magic lies. The amount of different things the game offers you. There are so many ways to play this game it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen really.

You can obviously go through the game’s main scenario with a variety of different battle classes. You can also choose to level up crafting and gathering classes. It essentially turns your playtime into a relaxing farming simulator as you travel the lands of Eorzea and beyond gathering materials to use for crafting or selling. The crafting is also somewhat like an entirely different game with how much can go into it.

My favorite thing to do of late, however, is going to the Gold Saucer, a location that first appeared in the original Final Fantasy VII. It’s made a return in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, one of the best PS5 games available right now, which also just recently launched for PC. It’s also been in Final Fantasy XIV since the game launched over 10 years ago.

The Gold Saucer is your ticket to fun

This is the game’s version of a casino and it’s filled to the brim with attractions and minigames. You can partake in Triple Triad, a card game, and challenge other NPC players around the Gold Saucer. There’s also a weekly fashion report attraction you can do that tasks you with putting together an ensemble. The NPC that gives out the task each week will give you some clues as to what items are needed for each gear slot. After putting together the outfit, you submit your look to earn a certain number of points.

If you can manage to get a high enough score, you’ll get a significant amount of MGP (Manderville Gold Saucer Points – the location’s currency) just for putting on specific gear pieces. The fun in this isn’t just the easy MGP, though. It’s in trying to figure out what gear you need to put on for the most points. Certain gear even has to be dyed a specific color.

Then there’s the Mini Cactpot and weekly Jumbo Cactpot, both of which have the chance to reward you with boatloads of MGP. You can even partake in Chocobo Racing, another Final Fantasy franchise staple that’s been in several series titles.

There are several mini-games and various events to satiate your casino game needs

What’s unique and really entertaining about the Gold Saucer is how many different attractions there are. This includes various events that can happen weekly or daily, and a variety of mini-games you can play to earn MGP and other rewards. The only thing the Gold Saucer is really missing is a proper slots game, something like what you might see at SlotoCash. There’s just something that sounds fun about pulling a slot machine lever and having it land on a jackpot to earn MGP, even if only in smaller amounts.

Especially because there’s no real monetary commitment. Although the Gold Saucer doesn’t have slots or poker, it does have a variety of other mini-games that can scratch that itch. Such As Doman Mahjong. There’s also Monster Toss which is like a basketball-style game where you need to sink as many baskets as you can before the buzzer runs out.

Then there’s one of my favorites, Finer Miner, where you need to swing a pickaxe to locate the hidden ore. I do a lot of mining on my Miner gathering class for crafting materials. So this mini-game always spoke to me. The point is, there’s loads, and loads of stuff to do at the Gold Saucer.

You could spend hours in there and not get bored of it. Perhaps part of me loves it because it was something you saw in Final Fantasy VII. The original version of the game is something I grew up on and it’s my favorite in the series. So there’s some nostalgia there. Whether you’re new to Final Fantasy XIV or if you’ve just never checked out the Gold Saucer, I’d highly recommend visiting this in-game location at least once. You might be surprised at how much fun you’ll have.