Final Fantasy XIV Will Force Us to Link Steam and Square Enix Accounts

Final Fantasy XIV players who log in to the game using Steam, will have to link their account on the platform to their Square Enix account. In the official announcement of the Japanese company we read that we can expect notifications about the necessity of linking accounts at the beginning of March.

What will the process look like?

While linking accounts doesn't sound very appealing, once you read the announcement the whole process seems rather painless.

1. When launching FFXIV players will see a notification on their screens asking them to link their Steam and Square Enix accounts.
2. In order for the link to go smoothly, players should make sure that the game license they have on Steam matches the one on their SE account (it can be a trial or full version license).
3. You can check whether your licenses are compatible by logging in at Mog Station. There, under the Service Account Status tab, Steam users should find a record confirming that the a particular copy of the game has been assigned to an account on Valve's platform.
4. The license can also be checked using Steam, where should go to your account details, then purchase history and select the "View licenses and product key activations" tab.
5. After linking the profiles, you will be able to launch Final Fantasy XIV only via Steam.
6. Additionally, players who previously used Valve's platform will have to change the launcher layout to the new one introduced in patch 6.0. The modification can be done in the client settings.
7. It may happen that the game disappears from Steam library. Then players should contact Square Enix's technical support.

Concern for players

As we read in the aforementioned announcement, Square Enix decided on such a step because of the safety of players.

This is about better protection against hackers and possible account takeover attempts, which will be difficult to do when Steam and SE profiles are linked.

What's New in FFXIV

In addition to concern for the safety of users, the Japanese developer has also decided to ensure that players do not get bored. As Naoki Yoshida announced, Final Fantasy XIV will receive new Deep Dungeons (via PC Gamer).

1. Currently there are only two challenges of this type in the game - Heaven-on-High and Palace of the Dead.
2. New dungeons are expected to hit the MMO with the 6.X updates, and we can expect the first of these - i.e. 6.1 - around March or April.
3. Yoshida also announced that on February 18, he will share his plans for the future of Final Fantasy XIV.