Image via Square Enix

FFXIV PVP Seasons and Series, explained: When does the current season end?

What is the difference between a Series and a Season?

PvP in Final Fantasy XIV seems to have multiple tiers of players, all out to get each other in an attempt to get their hands on some very sought-after rewards. Here’s what you need to know about Seasons and Series in FFXIV.

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What is a Season in PvP?

Image via Square Enix

A season is a period of time over which players fight in Ranked Crystalline Conflict matches in order to increase their Season rank. While Crystalline Conflict has both Casual and Ranked modes, only the Ranked mode counts towards your overall rank for the season. We previously saw Seasons during The Feast, introduced during patch 3.21 and running for 20 seasons before being discontinued during patch 6.0. 

We are currently on Season nine, which started during patch 5.1 and is set to run until the release of patch 6.55 on January 16. Each new season begins immediately upon the end of the previous one.

Here’s when each Season has started until now:

SeasonIntroduced
Season 1Patch 6.1
Season 2Patch 6.18
Season 3Patch 6.2
Season 4Patch 6.28
Season 5Patch 6.3
Season 6Patch 6.38
Season 7Patch 6.4
Season 8Patch 6.48
Season 9Patch 6.51

Seasons ranks

The ranks for Seasons are split into six tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Crystal. Each tier is split into risers; to progress toward the next tier, you must win matches in order to earn Rising Stars. Each win will reward one Star while each loss will result in the loss of a star. Increasing one Riser requires three Rising Stars to achieve. 

The number of Risers in each tier is as follows:

TierNumber of Risers
Bronze3
Silver3
Gold4
Platinum4
Diamond5

Crystal tier does not have any Rising Stars as it is the highest rank you can achieve. Instead, you are rewarded ‘Crystal Credit’.

To check your rank or for more information about the intricacies of Seasons, check out the Seasons Standings page on the Lodestone.

Seasons rewards

The rewards for doing well in Seasons remain the same across all seasons. One notable reward is Commendation Crystals, two of which are rewarded to the top 100 ranked players on each server at the end of a Season. These Crystals can be exchanged with the Commendation Quartermaster( X4.5 Y6.2 )at Wolves’ Den Pier in order to augment Hellhound weapons and add a little bit of glow to them. 

The rank rewards are as follows:

Rank at end of SeasonReward
BronzeSeason Nine Bronze Framer’s Kit
1,000 Trophy Crystals
SilverSeason Nine Silver Framer’s Kit
2,000 Trophy Crystals
GoldSeason Nine Gold Framer’s Kit
3,000 Trophy Crystals
PlatinumSeason Nine Platinum Framer’s Kit
4,000 Trophy Crystals
DiamondSeason Nine Diamond Framer’s Kit
5,000 Trophy Crystals
1 Commendation Crystal
CrystalSeason Nine Crystal Framer’s Kit
6,000 Trophy Crystals
2 Commendation Crystals

There are also rewards that are awarded to the top players from each Data Centre at the end of each Season:

Finishing rank on Data CentreReward
1st
(one player per Data Centre)
Season Nine Final Conflict Framer’s Kit
10,000 Trophy Crystals
2 Commendation Crystals
2nd – 30th
(29 players per Data Centre)
Season Nine Endless Conflict Framer’s Kit
6,000 Trophy Crystals
2 Commendation Crystals
31st – 100th
(70 players per Data Centre)
Season Nine Rising Conflict Framer’s Kit
3,000 Trophy Crystals
2 Commendation Crystals

What is a Series?

Image via Square Enix

A Series is a period of time that runs from the beginning of a major patch to the beginning of the next major patch – for example, patch 6.1 until patch 6.2. During these time periods, players can earn Series EXP in order to increase their level within the Series Malmstones system. By increasing their level, players can earn rewards including glamour sets, minions, emotes, and more. 

Series rewards

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We are currently on Series Five. Other than the 1000 Trophy Crystals earned for the majority of level-ups, there are the following unique rewards up for grabs every five levels:

RankReward
Rank 5Ballroom Etiquette – Defeatist Attitude
Rank 10Palaistra Framer’s Kit
Rank 15Tourmaline Weapon (minion)
Rank 20Cloud Nine Framer’s Kit
Rank 25Fierce Tyrant’s Attire Coffer

The Trophy Crystals awarded for the majority of rank-ups can be exchanged with the Crystal Quartermaster (X4.4 Y6.1) at the Wolves’ Den Pier for a variety of items, including exclusive gear pieces and glamour items. Most recently added were the Tactical sets of glamour pieces.


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Author
Image of Paula Vaynshteyn
Paula Vaynshteyn
With her first experience of gaming being on an Atari ST, Paula has been gaming for her entire life. She’s 7,000 hours deep into Final Fantasy XIV, spends more time on cozy games than she would care to admit, and is also your friendly resident Whovian. Juggling online adventuring with family life has its struggles, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
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