Final Fantasy XIV: The Best Servers to Join & All Servers

It can be challenging to figure out what server you should join when starting Final Fantasy XIV Online. There are multiple options in each region for you to select. We recommend prioritizing a server where you and your friends can play, but you have numerous options if you’re looking for a new home.

This guide will cover the best servers you join in Final Fantasy XIV, broken down by the four regions — Japan, North America, Oceanian, and Europe.

Which is the best FFXIV server to join?

Before picking where you want to go, it’s important to note that the servers, referred to as worlds, are divided into Data Centers. A Data Center contains a group of servers offered in a region. Players operating in the same data center can interact with each other and match up for raids and dungeons. A new feature added to Final Fantasy XIV is that Final Fantasy players can interact across Data Centers, giving players across the entire game a chance to play together.

The latest addition to the Data Center server list is Oceanian, Materia. Those who live in this region no longer have to choose one of the Japanese Data Centers to join. Instead, they can enjoy a more reliable connection to Final Fantasy XIV, giving them a chance to play the game with those closer to their region.

Data Center	Region
Aether	North America
Primal	North America
Crystal	North America
Chaos	Europe
Light	Europe
Elemental	Japan
Gaia	Japan
Mana	Japan
Materia	Oceanian

Each data center and their regions

There are populated servers, hardcore raiding servers, more casual servers, role-playing servers, and more. Final Fantasy XIV has a wide variety of worlds for players from all walks of life. You’ll likely find a server that fits your needs no matter what you’re looking for. We recommend making sure you speak with other players you plan to go through Final Fantasy XIV with because staying on the same server means you can do more together as a group.

Best Server for FFXIV: Aether – North America

Worlds	What they’re known for
Adamantoise	Laid-back with a friendly vibe. Great for new players.
Cactuar	Mainly endgame-focused. Large Spanish-speaking community.
Faerie	Welcoming and helpful to new players. Highly social and talkative community. Very LGBTQ-friendly. Plenty of glamour items for sale on the market board. Fashionable players.
Gilgamesh	Hardcore raiding community. Unofficial Reddit server. Large, congested population.
Jenova	Friendly atmosphere, with a decent raiding community.
Midgardsormr	Casual to semi-casual players.
Sargatanas	Active raiding community. Home to several FFXIV streamers and YouTubers.
Siren	Welcoming, social, and LGBTQ-friendly. Large crafting community.

Each server on Aether and what they’re known for

Best Server for FFXIV: Primal – North America

Worlds	What they’re known for
Behemoth	Hardcore endgame community. Sizeable Brazilian population.
Excalibur	Another hardcore raiding server.
Exodus	Casual raiding community.
Famfrit	Laid-back and friendly to new players, like Adamantoise.
Hyperion	Good mix of casual and hardcore players. Active role-playing community as the unofficial RP server on Primal. Largest Spanish-speaking community.
Lamia	Tight-knit, cozy community. Friendly to new players. Casual to semi-hardcore raiders. Decent Spanish-speaking population. Some popular YouTubers, content creators, and raid teams.
Leviathan	Primal’s premier hardcore raiding server, like Gilgamesh on Aether. Congested population.
Ultros	Polarizing reputation. Usually quiet and helpful to new players. It’s notorious for some trollish players, but they aren’t numerous enough to define the server.

Each server on Primal and what they’re known for

Best Server for FFXIV: Crystal – North America

Worlds	What they’re known for
Balmung	Largest role-playing community in the game. Unofficial RP server on Crystal; a primary RP server in general. Extremely congested population. Low market board prices due to high supply.
Brynhildr	Small, quiet community.
Coeurl	An excellent community for organizing and killing hunts (strong open-world monsters).
Diabolos	Quiet, disparate community. Players tend to mind their own business. But still friendly enough when it counts.
Goblin	Also quiet, but players usually stick to their own groups and communities.
Malboro	A mix of Goblin and Ultros. Quiet, with a particular reputation for toxicity.
Mateus	Another role-playing server on Crystal. Heavy role-playing bias, as non-RP players are generally frowned upon by those active in the community.
Zalera	Casual community with a decent raiding population.

Each server on Crystal and what they’re known for

Best Server for FFXIV: Chaos – Europe

World	What they’re known for
Cerberus	Quiet community with many Russian-speaking players.
Louisoix	Casual player base of all languages.
Moogle	Large French-speaking population.
Omega	The unofficial role-playing server on Chaos.
Ragnarok	Hardcore raiding server for Chaos, similar to Gilgamesh and Leviathan. Large Italian-speaking population. Also, some Arabic and French players.

Each server on Chaos and what they’re known for

Best Server for FFXIV: Light – Europe

Worlds	What they’re known for
Lich	It used to be a ghost town with very few players. Now much more active and lively.
Odin	Hardcore raiding community on Light. Many Scandinavian players.
Phoenix	Laid-back server with a balance of casual and hardcore players.
Shiva	Large German-speaking population, with some role-playing communities.
Zodiark	Strong Italian-speaking population.

Each server on Light and what they’re known for

Best Final Fantasy XIV Japanese Servers

Due to the sheer number of Japanese servers, we had to pick and choose which ones to cover. Therefore, we selected the more notable ones than others, mainly for overseas players. Check out the official list for a complete list of all servers, including Japanese ones in Final Fantasy XIV.

Best Server for FFXIV: Elemental, Gaia, and Mana – Japan

Worlds	What they’re known for
Kujata (Elemental)	A decent number of English-speaking players, usually from Australia and New Zealand. New players often come here when the primary English-Japanese server (Tonberry) is too crowded.
Ramuh (Elemental)	A good amount of players are from South Korea.
Tonberry (Elemental)	The primary server for English-speaking players outside of North America and Europe. Many players are from Australia and New Zealand. Japanese players are accepting of the English-speaking community, but their culture is still dominant—some culture shock is expected for anyone not used to Japanese customs in FFXIV.
Typhon (Elemental)	Taiwanese players mixed with some Australian and New Zealand players after Tonberry and Kujata.
Durandal (Gaia)	Some English-speaking players, but not many.
Ifrit (Gaia)	It also has relatively few English-speaking players.
Asura (Mana)	Some English-speaking players.
Chocobo (Mana)	Hardcore raiding community in Japan. Usually congested.
Ixion (Mana)	Several fun community events are open to all players.
Masamune (Mana)	Primary English-speaking server for Mana. Also home to Indonesian players.
Pandemonium (Mana)	A main role-playing community for Japanese players.
Shinryu (Mana)	Very Japanese-centric community with little-to-no English-speaking players. Casual atmosphere.

Notable Japanese servers and what they’re known for

Best Server for FFXIV: Materia – Central and South Pacific Ocean, Australia

Worlds	What they are known for
Bismarck	Many New Zealand players have flocked to this server
Ravana	It contains many English-speaking players and is primarily a raid server.
Sephirot	This is a mixed server with healthy balances for those looking for any activity.
Sophia	Primary role-playing server for players.
Zurvan	Like Sephirot, there’s a healthy balance for all players.

All Oceanian servers

The Oceanian servers are now over a year old, which means many players are still trying to find their place in Final Fantasy XIV. Their identities are likely to change as many find what they appreciate most about the community within each of them.

For anyone looking to socialize on their server, check out Limsa Lominsa, the city-state situated by the sea. Limsa Lominsa is usually packed with many players hanging out together at all times. If you’d rather keep to yourself, you can stick to the other cities instead, avoiding Limsa altogether.

You’ll typically find a warm, welcoming community no matter which server you join. Final Fantasy XIV has a positive reputation for its community, with many friendly players who are often willing to lend a helping hand. There are some apparent exceptions, but it’s a friendly space open to new players of all skill levels. Pick the server that sounds best for you.