On your FFXIV Island Sanctuary, with the help of some robots, you can create your personalised space while exploring a giant island and taking care of adorable animals, but what actually is the FFXIV Island Sanctuary, how do you unlock it, and what can you do there?
The addition of Island Sanctuary was one of the most anticipated features and it has finally been implemented in patch 6.2. Now, players can create their private paradise in Eorzea, the world in which this hugely popular MMO game is set in. This new area offers players a space to enjoy some functions that only house owners have had until now while amplifying it with simple farm activities. It’s another feature that sets FFXIV apart from a host of other MMOs and cements its place as one of the best PC games you can play right now.
How to unlock Island Sanctuary in FFXIV
The FFXIV Island Sanctuary is an instanced location where you can explore, farm items, and hunt creatures to build a special place for resting after saving the world. This feature is available for players that have at least completed the main scenario quest ‘Endwalker’ – if you’re still yet to reach that point, our guides to the FFXIV classes and the leveling system may come in handy.
If you meet that requirement, all you need to do is to look for the Clueless Crier NPC in Old Sharlayan (X: 11.9 Y: 11.0) who gives the quest “Seeking Sanctuary”. After starting it, you will be taken through a small sequence of quests that will introduce the concept behind the island.
What is the FFXIV Island Sanctuary?
The island works as an independent part of the game where you will get materials to craft items and build facilities, then sell these items for special currencies, Seafarer’s Cowrie and Islander’s Cowrie, and take care of animals. It is also a social hub because you can leave the island open for your friends, Free Company members, and Party members to visit. While engaging with this new feature is not mandatory, it is an alternative method to have access to items that would cost Gil or other currencies in the game, like materias.
First, the Islekeep’s Index is your best friend when you’re on your Island Sanctuary. This is a menu with everything you need to interact with the island. By using the Index, you can place your minions in specific regions, craft tools, and food, and check your gathering log showing everything you already collected as well as the item locations.
At the same time, it’s important to understand the different modes available on the Island Sanctuary. A mode works as a stance and it determines how you are going to interact with the place. For example, there is the Gather Mode which you need to activate if you want to gather materials from trees and rocks you find in the area. Others, like the Sow and Capture Modes will demand a specific item to be used together with the command. All modes can be activated through the Islekeep’s Index.
The Island Sanctuary has a rank system and you gain experience through gathering, crafting, building structures, and completing missions called Visions that are given by various NPCs in the area. The Visions will not only give experience but also give access to new construction spots, facilities, and crafting recipes. Most Visions are quests easy to complete, requiring a certain quantity of items. Gathering is also easy, but gives little experience compared to Visions, while crafting and making builds takes too long.
Another aspect of how the Island Sanctuary works is that the materials gathered there can only be used within the island itself. Although you can craft items with them or sell them for Seafarer’s Cowrie, they won’t give you Gil. In addition to this, these materials take up slots in your Isleventory, instead of your usual inventory.
How to get to your Island Sanctuary
While you may be tempted to stay at your Island Sanctuary forever, this isn’t feasible if you want to experience the rest of the game. When you want to return, you need to go to Lower La Noscea in La Noscea and talk to Baldin (X: 24.8 Y: 34.8), an NPC near the Aetheryte. By talking to him, Baldin will give you the option to visit your island, or someone else’s island if you’d rather visit a friend.
What to do at your Island Sanctuary
Although the activities in the Island Sanctuary are not difficult, there are a lot of different things you can do there. To make it easier, it helps to think about the island divided into sectors. These have more than one location, but each has a different function. Learning what each of them does separately is important, so you can deal with everything together later on. All of these can be unlocked by completing the initial quests:
Cozy Cabin, Cropland, and Pasture
The Cozy Cabin is the main building on the island and is where others can visit you. It comes even with an Orchestrion to play your favorite tunes. However, the Cozy Cabin is not only a place for some cool photos with friends. There you will find important NPCs, such as the Horrendous Hoarder who sells items for Seafarer’s Cowrie and Islander’s Cowrie.
It is also from them that you can buy pieces of gear or materias for equipment. Although you won’t use this facility to craft or farm any type of material, it works as a hub since there are a lot of important areas around it. It is also the only customisable building, as you can change its appearance.
Next to your Cozy Cabin is a Cropland. In this area, there are spots to cultivate different types of plants. In order to interact with it, you must first change to the Sow Mode to place the seeds, then to the Water Mode to water the plantation. You won’t need to worry about the second step if it’s raining, mind. The materials you can get from your crops can be used to craft items like food for the animals in your Pasture.
The Pasture is exactly where all the creatures you capture are kept, so head here to interact with them. The Feed, Pet, and Beckon Modes are used in this area to increase the relationship with each creature. To check the status of each animal you have, simply talk to Creature Comforter NPC and review their status.
Workshop and landmarks
The Workshop is an important processing facility because it will allow you to produce handicrafts to be exported. Once the building is ready, the Tactful Taskmaster NPC will appear, who you need to talk to so you can work on the Isleworks Agenda. The agenda allows you to schedule the production of items using materials you found on the island but each item takes real time hours to be crafted, so producing them is a longer process. You can simply schedule the items you want to be crafted and get the earnings later.
The second type of facility that you can create is the landmarks. While they require specific plots to be constructed, these structures will give you experience and buff NPC workers on the island. If you are trying to increase the rank of your island, it is important to build one of these. However, they take 11-12 real time hours to be completed.
The Wilds
All the rest of the Island Sanctuary is filled with The Wilds. This is quite a vast area and it is where you can find nodes to collect materials. There are some that you can interact with right at the beginning of your adventure without any tool at all, but on the other hand, there are other nodes that will require tools or give you more than one material by using them. You will also find Island Sanctuary animals in The Wilds, from a small sheep to the famous Chocobo. These can be captured by using the Capture Mode together with an item to restrain them (e.g. Makeshift Net) and kept in the Pasture.
With all of these topics covered, you are ready to build your Island Sanctuary and make it the place you will escape to relax in Eorzea. However, in case you may be looking for some action after too much time on your farm, there is always a match of Crystalline Conflict waiting for you.
