Finding Friends in FFXIV – Questions & Answers

XIVFriends is more than just a social platform for Final Fantasy XIV players. Besides the main focus of finding friends here on XIVFriends, there is also an interactive and playful way to customize profile pages, write guestbook entries and specify your own interests and hobbies. Every character who has registered on XIVFriends also has the opportunity to collect "Tomestones of Friendship", which are necessary for the mentioned profile effects. You can obtain these by connecting with other users, taking part in social activities on XIVFriends or completing the weekly Bingo.

Another centerpiece of XIVFriends is the gallery, because many screenshots, images, artworks and glams are uploaded here. Many FFXIV players also share their glam sets in the Glam Gallery. Check out the enchanting glams of other players there or even publish your own glam to introduce it to the FFXIV community. A meme section also regularly covers your daily need for humor.

There are still numerous other features to discover. Browse through the FAQ to learn more about the different features.

All features on XIVFriends:
• Live Feed
• Community Events
• FFXIV Gallery with Glam, Screenshots and Memes
• Pen Pals
• FFXIV Blogs
• Direct messaging single and group chats
• Groups with forum, bulletin board and direct chat

The live feed is one of the main parts in XIVFriends. The community use the live feed to answer the daily prompt, share short happenings and quick posts about Final Fantasy XIV or XIVFriends.

XIVFriends is based on the live feed which also means its the front page of XIVFriends.

In the live feed you can find 3 different tabs for the feed itself, players and groups.

You can mute the sounds for notifications in the shoutbox. The volume speaker symbol is for the shoutbox mute and unmute.

If you don't want to receive no more notification you can easily deactivate them in your profile settings under the notifications tab.

Tomestones of friendship is the currency used on the social platform XIVFriends. You can gain tomestones of friendship while being active in this platform.

What can I use the tomestones for?

You can use tomestones of friendship to design your profile page, card, avatar or username. XIVFriends has a daily shop to obtain any Item you like. Gifting to friends is also possible.

XIVFriends.net is a platform and meeting place for all Final Fantasy XIV players. On XIVFriends, you can not only find friends, but also take part in other social activities.

Here on XIVFriends, there are a variety of ways to find friends for FFXIV. If you would rather stay in written contact with someone, you can, for example, search for suitable pen pals under "Pen Pals" or even publish a letter yourself. A direct Icebreaker (if users have enabled it in their profile settings) is also a good alternative to start a conversation with a direct question.

XIVFriends is therefore a social network for FFXIV, which is designed to help you find friends and groups for all kinds of activities in the game.

If you would like to familiarize yourself with more features, feel free to browse through the Discover tab.

You can join a Free Company (FC) by

1. The Community Finder Website

The easiest way to browse active groups is through the official FFXIV Community Finder on the Lodestone.

• Filter by World: Select your Data Center and World server.

• Browse Recruitment Pages: Read about their activities active hours and possible requirements.

• Leave a Comment: Click "Apply" on their page to leave a message. A representative will contact you in-game or check what they tell about how to apply (sometimes they ask to join a DC, get back to members directly in game or apply through the housing tag).

2. In-Game Company Profile & Estate Signboards

If you see a player in-game with an FC tag next to their name that you like, you can apply directly:

• View Company Profile: Select "View Company Profile" on a player's info.

• Submit Application: Click the "Submit Application" button at the bottom of the window.

• At their House: You can also walk up to an FC's house signboard in the residential districts, click it, and select "View Company Profile" to apply.

3. Direct In-Game Invitations

If you chat with recruiters in major cities (like Limsa Lominsa) or respond to shouts in chat - alternatively you can use the shout chat in the major hubs to ask or join the Novice Network and send a message there. Chances are high someone will respond, invite or direct you to a FC that recruits.

Requirements

• Free Trial Restriction: You can't join a Free Company if you are on the Free Trial.

• One at a Time: You can only be a member of one Free Company at a time.

• Server Locked: You can only join an FC that is located on your home World.

A Cross-World Linkshell (CWLS) is an in-game chat channel in FFXIV that allows you to communicate with players who are on different servers (Worlds). While standard Linkshells restrict chat to players on your specific home server, a CWLS expands this, letting you stay connected with friends across your data center.
You can join up to eight Cross-World Linkshells.

How to Join a Cross-World Linkshell
You cannot browse and join a CWLS directly from an in-game menu on your own; you must be invited by a master or leader of that specific linkshell.

Here are the primary ways to get an invitation:

Use the Community Finder: The easiest way to find a group is online via the official FFXIV Community Finder. You can filter groups by your data center, language, and interests. Once you find one you like, you can leave a comment or contact the recruiter in-game.

In-Game Shouting: If you are looking for a specific type of community, like a "Hunt Train" or "Raids" tracking group, you can type /shout in highly populated city-states or during community events asking for an invite.

If you are already friends with someone in a CWLS, they can right-click your character or name in their friends list and select "Invite to Cross-World Linkshell".

How to accept the invite
When someone sends you an invitation, a notification will pop up. To accept it:

1) Open your Social menu from the bottom right corner (or press O on your keyboard).

2) Select Cross-World Linkshell.

3) Click on the pending linkshell name and select Accept Invite

( If you are playing on the Free Trial, you are fully allowed to join an existing CWLS if someone invites you, but you cannot create your own.)

Fellowships were introduced in Shadowbringers and offer a way for players who share common interests, want to recruit for FCS, Discords or communities aso to band together. They function like social boards for up to 1,000 players with shared interests across a data center.

What is a Fellowship?

Unlike Free Companies (which are bound to a single server), fellowships span across all worlds in your data center.

They function like an in-game bulletin board where leaders post notices, events, and announcements rather than offering a direct live chat channel.

Free trial players can join fellowships even though they cannot join Free Companies.

You can join or create up to 10 fellowships at a time.

How to Join a Fellowship

Open the main menu and go to Social.

Select Fellowships to open the Fellowships Finder interface.

Browse or search for a community that matches your interests.

Select the fellowship you want to join and apply or join directly.

The Novice Network ("NN") is an in-game chat channel channel designed to help new and returning players. It connects "Sprouts" (New Adventurers) and "Returners" (players back from a longer break) with "Mentors"—experienced, veteran players who can answer gameplay questions, offer advice, and help you team up for dungeons.
Because it links players across your entire server, it effectively functions as a global chat room for advice and social interaction

How can I join the Novice Network?

You can't join the Novice Network manually or from a menu if you are a beginner. To prevent spam and bots, you must be invited by a Mentor.
How you get that invitation depends on your account status.

If you are an on paid account

Ask in Shout Chat: Teleport to a highly populated main city hub—Limsa Lominsa is usually the busiest, Gridania or Ul'dah are the other options. Use the shout (/sh) chat to ask if someone can invite you to the Novice Network.

Message a Mentor: Look for players with a Crown icon next to their name. Right-click them and send a private message and ask for an invite.

If you are on the Free Trial

Free Trial players cannot use shout channel or send private messages, so your options to get invited into the Novice Network are:

Use Say Chat: Go to a busy area like Limsa Lominsa or the other city hubs. Look for a player with a Crown icon, stand near them, and use the regular /say chat to ask for an invite.

Wait for a random invite: Many mentors actively use the "Player Search" feature to look for uninvited Sprouts and will randomly send you an invite while you are out questing