Hunts in FFXIV are inspired by FFXII, which had a similar system. You’d head to a noticeboard, check out what needs doing, then head out into the world and kill some monsters for rewards. And these side quests encourage you to go out into the world and hunt prey with a purpose, ridding Eorzea of troublesome pests or threats to innocent lives. It’s easy to get started with Hunts, but as the targets get harder, you’ll need to team up with other players to find and kill them. It’s possible to go alone, sure. But hunting is an activity that really comes to life when you get involved in the player-base that surrounds it. There are even in-game Linkshell communities, Discord servers, and extensive information resources to help you track down those elusive bounties.
How Do I Unlock Hunts?
First you’ll need to head to your Grand Company’s headquarters – Maelstrom in Limsa Lominsa, Twin Adder in Gridania, or Immortal Flames in Ul’dah. Once you’ve reached the rank of Second Lieutenant with them, you’ll be able to pick up a quest called “Let The Hunt Begin”. And just like many other feature-unlocking quests, this one’s not complicated. You’ll just have to listen to a bit of explanatory dialogue and then you’re ready to go. You can pick up Marks (targets) from Hunt Boards located at each Grand Company’s HQ.
Progressing Through The Ranks
In FFXIV there are currently five ranks of Marks: B, A, S, B+, and SS You’ll start with the B ranks. These won’t be too challenging to kill or track down, respawning frequently – so there’s more than enough of these to go around, even with other players hunting the same Mark. Keep hunting and you’ll be given new, more challenging opportunities to undertake. Things get a little more complicated when you move up to hunting A rank and above. These can take between 4-6 hours to spawn, and they can appear in multiple locations within a zone. And when you consider that multiple players will be on their trail, these marks might be killed before you get there – if you’re not prepared. It can be frustrating, but fear not – you actually have a ton of easy resources to get them done. One of the best (and easiest) things you can do is join a hunting Linkshell. These will be populated with players who’re scouting the world in search of specific targets, and they’ll shout the mark’s location out in the chat window when they spot them. Some of these Linkshells will be cross-world, with players on different servers scouting targets. As of Patch 4.57, players have been able to travel to other servers using the World Visit System, and this gives you more of a fighting chance to kill your target. I’d recommend joining a Linkshell if you really want to power through some hunts. I also definitely recommend checking out FFXIVHunt.com, too. It offers a complete and comprehensive list of hunt targets of all classes across all of XIV’s expansions. It even tracks spawn timers and locations, enemy lore information, and potential rewards for daily and weekly targets. Each expansion also has its own set of hunts. Clan Hunt in Heavensward, Veteran Hunt in Stormblood, and the Nutsy Clan Hunt in Shadowbringers. These will all essentially follow the same format, and you’ll have to hunt your way through the ranks to get to the top.
What Do I Get Out Of Hunts?
The rewards won’t be super impressive at first. Mostly gil and Allied Seals, which can be traded in at your Free Company for a variety of basic rewards. The gil itself is a decent enough bonus for newer players without a ton of income systems to benefit from. Plus they’re still worth your time to complete, as they’ll lead into hunting the harder targets in further expansions. Hunts really are a valuable addition to your daily routine in XIV, especially as you progress. They’ll also drive you to get more involved with the community built around the game, which can be rewarding by itself!
