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Final Fantasy XIV has an epic story and can be serious, but the Hildibrand side stories provide the perfect break from this with a little comedy.
The Final Fantasy XIV community has had a huge influx of new players this past year thanks to dissatisfied World of Warcraft players making a change and FFIXV’s awesome free trial which includes the first expansion, Heavensward. There is a ton to be discovered in the game thanks to its enormous storyline and lore. However, there’s more than the main story to experience. There are tons of side stories to experience as well, which unlock more or are simply a bit of fun. The Hildibrand side stories are one example and provide a lot of content while being unrelated to the more serious ongoing narrative in FFXIV. They’re a great comedic break that every new player should experience.
The Hildibrand quests come at the end of expansions after players have completed the core part of the main scenario quests and are venturing into the post content. They don’t follow a thread from one to the next but do require having completed the previous expansion’s line, and there are some call-backs here and there. Shadowbringers is the first expansion to not have a Hildibrand side story, but only to take a break from it; he’s already been confirmed to return in Endwalker.
Long-time players and new sprouts who have played through the Hildibrand Manderville experience all agree that these are some of the best quests in the game. They’re comedic and ridiculous in tone, providing the perfect break in the otherwise serious tone the majority of FFXIV takes. Especially when making it through A Realm Reborn for the first time, arguably the driest part of the game since it spends its time world-building and setting up characters. Players who make it that far and enjoy the game but are finding themselves trudging through the story should take a break and kick off the Hildibrand quest to recharge their FFXIV batteries.
These quests are filled with comedy while having their own self-contained adventures. They follow the adventures of inspector extraordinaire Hildibrand Manderville and his companions, who “solve” mysteries through buffoonery and a little luck. There is slapstick comedy, bizarre encounters and, oddly enough, some lore involved. The Hildibrand quests have grown over time too and receive more animation than other side stories, leading to new places and introducing entirely new characters each time. They’re long and even have their own New Game option which means they offer plenty of content to enjoy when players need to get away from the grind or experience again with friends.
The first quest can be obtained after completing “The Ultimate Weapon,” which is the final quest for the main ARR story. Simply head over to Ul’dah and look for a man named Wymond who will point you in the right direction. The second requires the completion of the quest “Heavensward” and can be found in Ishgard; you’ll know the NPC since you need to complete the first questline to unlock it. Stormblood’s is similar, with the same NPC showing up in Kugane. This one, however, only requires that the quest “Stormblood” be completed.
They don’t just provide the perfect break in an epic story, but also have some great rewards for players throughout. Emotes, Minions, outfits and additional items can be obtained at various points in the quests. Some of the more popular ones are the Manderville Dance and Manderville Mambo emotes, the inspector’s outfit and Gigi the minion. On top of this, the side stories include running certain dungeons and trials which can only be unlocked via this questline. Something that may be important to players looking to unlock everything FFXIV has to offer or to expand their roulette options.
While the Hildibrand quests tend to be self-contained, there are also other quests in the game which involve some of the characters from these side stories. It adds to the lore further and they provide a smaller version of this comedic break. New players should definitely stop by to do these quests, especially after completing ARR, to experience an entirely different side of FFXIV.
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