Square Enix has been quite vague, in the past, on how the free 30 days of game time coming with new boxes of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn for different platforms would stack, and if they would stack at all with the two free weeks veteran Final Fantasy XIV players are going to get as part of the "Welcome Back Campaign". At long last the publisher decided to fully clarify how it'll work.

The basics are that if you purchase a PS3 version or a PC version of the game you're going to get 30 days of game time with it. Everyone that purchased the original Final Fantasy XIV will be able to dowload the game for free and will also get 14 days of game time, until September the 9th. The actual details, though, are a little more complex than that and there are a few caveats to keep in mind as the table below explains.

FFXIVTable

Basically, you will get 30 days of game time with your copy of the game only if you register a new platform that you don't already have, meaning that if you played the original Final Fantasy XIV, purchasing the new PC version won't do you any good, because you cannot register it, since you already have an active PC service account. On the other hand, if you purchase the PS3 version and add it to your old PC service account, not only you'll get your free 30 days, but you'll also get the "Welcome Back" bonus, meaning that your new 30 days won't be counted down until September the 10th.

If you're a completely new player and you purchase both the PC and the PS3 versions and register them both to the same service account, you won't just get 30 days, but the two versions will stack up to 60 days.

So, to sum it all up, here are all the possible outcomes:

  • Veteran Final Fantasy XIV player making no new purchase: 14 days
  • Veteran Final Fantasy XIV player purchasing the PC version: 14 days
  • Veteran Final Fantasy XIV player purchasing the PS3 version: 44 days
  • Veteran Final Fantasy XIV player purchasing both PC and PS3 versions: 44 days
  • New player purchasing the PC version: 30 days
  • New player purchasing the PS3 version: 30 days
  • New player purchasing both PC and PS3 versions: 60 days
  • New player making no new purchase: you can watch the pretty pictures on the internet I guess...

A bit complex for my taste, but better than I expected to be honest. At the very least, whether you're a fresh face ready to brave Eorzea for the first time, or a veteran "warrior of light" coming back after the fall of Dalamud, now you know how many days you have.