Final Fantasy XIV’s updated Fantasia will finally unlock doors to Lalafell-only buildings

Anybody who has ever played even a small part of Final Fantasy XIV will know that it’s a gargantuan game. With over 300 hours of MSQ alone, not including any side content, there’s always something to do or discover. Worthwhile side quests, new people to meet, and even some secrets.

With almost 7,000 hours sunk into my own Eorzean adventure, I thought I’d found most of the secrets in the world. I labored under the illusion that I’d found all of the secret locations, interesting characters, and fun quirks of the world. However, one user on Reddit has proven me wrong, and I am now humbled. I’m also wondering what else might have escaped my attention, but that’s another story. 

According to this Reddit post, there are buildings in Kholusia that can only be accessed by those who play FFXIV as Lalafells. 

Now, I’ve dabbled in playing as a Lalafell. I have an alt character who has, in the past, battled through A Realm Reborn in her tiny little shoes. However, I never made it to Heavensward on that character, let alone Shadowbringers, so I could be forgiven for not knowing about this secret, right? Wrong. 

If you approach these buildings as any other race, something I was fairly confident I must have done at some point in the past, then a written prompt appears very blatantly on the screen saying, “This area can only be accessed by Lalafells.” How could I have missed that? How many secrets am I missing because I haven’t tried running up to random small doors? 

The main point of this Reddit post by u/DrForester wasn’t to draw attention to the secret itself, though many in the comments were as dumbfounded by the revelation as I was. It was to highlight a use for the upcoming changes to Fantasia and the new 60-minute window of opportunity it provides. I mean, think about it. 

Everyone is about to get a free phial of Fantasia, which will give us 60 minutes to transform into a Lalafell, head to Tomra, and investigate what we’ve been missing all this time (spoiler: according to this video, we’re not missing much) before heading back into Character Creation to turn back into our usual selves. Honestly, it’s a genius idea, when you think about it. 

I have to ask, though… Why do only Lalafells get a secret, exclusive area just for them to enter? Is there a secret Miqo’te meeting room I don’t know about? Or maybe a Hrothgar headquarters that never gets spoken about? If not, perhaps there should be. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have random buildings to try and enter.