Final Fantasy XIV contains a long list of content that requires players to work together against a common enemy and towards completing duties such as Trials, Dungeons, and Raids to earn unique rewards. Every mount, minion, and glamour item doesn't happen to require camaraderie and teamwork — sometimes, you have to turn the blade back onto your fellow Warrior of Light.
PvP in FFXIV contains a handful of game modes that appeal to different players' tastes, each offering similar rewards in the form of PvP-specific currencies and EXP. The concept of the PvP Series was first introduced with Patch 6.1, allowing players to earn time-limited rewards no matter which mode they chose. Each major patch brings a new PvP Series, and if this season’s rewards call your name, you'll need to know how each competitive mode works and which sounds the most enjoyable to you.
Unlocking PvP, The Wolves’ Den, and PvP currencies in FFXIV
To be able to participate in these PvP modes, you must first unlock an area known as The Wolves' Den by having a Disciple of War or Magic at level 30 and taking the quest "A Pup No Longer" at your respective Grand Company's headquarters.
The Wolves' Den is home to several vendors who provide unique rewards in exchange for various currencies only obtained through battling it out in PvP. It's also the only location in-game where you can edit your PvP-specific hotbars outside of the matches themselves. PvP modes use their own specific kit for each job, completely separate from PvE kits. You can use the abilities in the PvP Profile of the Character menu rather than the usual Actions and Traits menu. Thankfully, the Wolves' Den has striking dummies to test these skills and a large arena for having 1v1 spars against friends or other Wolves' Den loiterers.
Four different currencies are tied to FFXIV's PvP modes, but only one is directly rewarded for match completion – Wolf Marks. Every mode rewards Wolf Marks, though the amount received is based on whether or not your team wins. You'll also be rewarded with another resource known as Series EXP. Each PvP Series has 30 levels, also called Malmstones, to work through Each one requires a higher amount of Series EXP than the last. Each Malmstone offers a reward for completion, with most of these rewards being another currency known as Trophy Crystals.
Trophy Crystals are exchanged for their own rewards, separate to Wolf Marks, and obtaining them will require more work as you progress through the respective PvP Series as the Malmstone EXP requirements grow. With 1,000 Trophy Crystals in hand, another currency, Wolf Collars, becomes available to purchase. 10 Wolf Collars are required to obtain special weapon glamours, or you can exchange one Wolf Collar to gain 4,000 Wolf Marks.
The fourth currency is known as a Commendation Crystal, though it is one that many players will only see if they participate in the ranked modes. Placing at specific tiers throughout a season, separate from the PvP Series, gives players certain rewards like the Commendation Crystal. At the time of writing, the Commendation Crystal's only use is to augment the weapons gained from the Wolf Collar Exchange. While it may not sound like the greatest reward for the greatest PvP players, it is a badge of honor and an indicator that the Warrior of Light is one to be feared on the battlefield.
The vendors where you can exchange the various currencies earned in PvP are found at X: 4.5, Y: 6.0 in The Wolves' Den.
PvP modes in FFXIV and their rewards
There are three modes Warriors of Light can participate in when looking to earn the variety of currencies PvP brings. Each has a different play style, meaning if you don't enjoy one method of progressing through the current PvP Series enjoyable, you're likely to find another better suited for you.
Frontline
Frontline is the largest-scale PvP instance Final Fantasy XIV offers, with three separate 24-person alliances fighting to take control or destroy objectives across the map. Points are earned by defeating members of the other alliances and playing the objective, meaning individual contribution plays less of a factor in Frontline. With 72 players, the mode can get pretty hectic. It will take communication or a game of "follow the leader" to avoid being charged by two alliances at once.
Frontline is the only mode on this list that features a Daily Roulette, and offers extra rewards as a result. It has the lengthiest match time, but you may prefer starting out with Frontline rather than the alternatives, since the pressure of individual contribution matters less compared to other modes.
When completing a match of Frontline, players are rewarded the following, depending on placement:
First Place
- 1000 Wolf Marks
- 1500 Series EXP
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
Second Place
- 750 Wolf Marks
- 1250 Series EXP
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
Third Place
- 500 Wolf Marks
- 1000 Series EXP
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
Crystalline Conflict
Much smaller in scale than Frontline, Crystalline Conflict has two teams of five facing off against each other to push a crystal payload toward the enemy team's goal to win. Players must work together to ensure that the opposite team doesn't make further progress while battling the various environmental mechanics each Crystalline Conflict map brings.
Matches of Crystalline Conflict are fast-paced and relatively quick compared to its PvP counterparts, making it the prime candidate for those limited on time but wanting to progress through the Series. The mode also offers both casual and ranked competitive play. Because of this, you can't queue into Crystalline Conflict with friends unless you are starting a private match, and communication is limited to preset messages to avoid unnecessary toxicity.
Here are the rewards for both winning and losing a match of Crystalline Conflict:
Victory
- 500 Wolf Marks
- 900 Series EXP
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 10 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
Defeat
- 250 Wolf Marks
- 700 Series EXP
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 10 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
Rival Wings
Perhaps the most overlooked PvP mode, Rival Wings pits two teams of 24 players each against each other. This mode is similar to MOBA games like League of Legends or Dota. Teams are broken up into light parties tasked with destroying the enemy team’s crystals near and inside their base. Defeating enemy players and collecting resources around the map allows Warriors of Light to take control of unique mechs that make destroying targets easier while also painting an even larger target on their backs.
While Rival Wings match times can take up to 15 minutes, the queue times are the real barrier for entry with this mode. Unless participating during a Moogle Tomestone event, where Rival Wings grants tomestones on top of its other rewards, players can wait over 30 minutes to get into one match. Thankfully, communities like PvP Revival schedule matches and get-togethers across the various servers and Data Centers, making it possible to earn Rival Wings-specific rewards with some coordination.
Participating in Rival Wings gives players the following rewards upon winning and losing:
Victory
- 1000 Wolf Marks
- 1250 Series EXP
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
Defeat
- 500 Wolf Marks
- 750 Series EXP
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Poetics
- 50 Allagan Tomestones of Causality (if level-capped)
- 20 Allagan Tomestones of Comedy (if level-capped)
With the variety of PvP modes available in Final Fantasy XIV, you can choose how you wish to progress through the current PvP Series and earn the various currencies needed to purchase unique rewards. While the objectives are different in each game type, learning how to play a job in one means you know how to play it in another, making it simpler to swap modes if the gameplay isn’t your style or queue times aren’t on your side.
