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The Final Fantasy series has always had a mini-game or two that distracted you from the main story Final Fantasy 14 no different. Making its triumphant return from Final Fantasy 7, the Golden Saucer features all the mini-games and activities you could want, from the Triple Triad to the Chocobo Race.
There are a lot of things in the Golden Saucer that can be extremely difficult for first-time players. Below you can find a complete guide to the FF14 Golden Saucer, including how to unlock it, how to earn MGP and where to spend it, as well as a list of all the activities you can participate in.
What is a golden saucer?
As mentioned above, the Golden Saucer is an amusement park where you can go to experience several different mini-games. You can earn Manderville Gold Saucer points or MGP in short, participating in these activities. The MGP can then be spent on a variety of exclusive items, e.g fastening and glamorous things.
The Golden Saucer is purely side content that is a great distraction from other aspects of the game. However, if you’re dedicated, there’s plenty of depth to explore here, as well as some nice rewards for the true Golden Saucer fans.
How to unlock the golden saucer
To unlock the golden saucer, you must first complete one of the following level 15 main scenario quests.
- “Hridan Envoy”
- “Messenger of Lominsan”
- “Messenger of Uldan”
Which quest you complete depends on which starting class you chose, and subsequently on which city-state you started the game in. After these quests, the quests of the main scenario are synchronized.
After completing the messenger quest, go to Ul’dah and talk to Wealthy youth (X:9.6, Y:9.0). This NPC should give you a quest “It could happen to you”. Complete this quest to gain access to the golden saucer.
Be sure to attune to the Aetherite in the Golden Saucer before you leave for a quick return!
What is MGP?
MGP is a special currency that can be earned in the Golden Saucer. Almost every activity you participate in will reward you with a varying amount of MGP, which can then be spent on various rewards. If you’re wondering which NPCs you can buy rewards from, check out their list of locations below.
|
NPC name |
Location |
Offered products |
|---|---|---|
|
Assistant with a golden saucer |
Entrance area (X:5.1, Y:6.6) |
The glamor of weapons Armor Glamor Furniture Emotions hairstyles Minions Fastening Roles with an orchestra |
|
Modern aesthetics Saleswoman |
Entrance area (X:5.4, Y:6.5) |
hairstyles |
|
Triple Triad Trader |
Entrance area (X:4.1, Y:7.4) |
Cards of the triple triad |
|
Grege |
Entrance Square (X:5.0, Y:6.5) |
Food Furniture |
|
Trader of tacks and fodder |
Chocobo Square (X:5.9, Y:4.7) |
Gysahl Greens Chocobo feed Chocobo Breeding Guides Chocobo Training Guides |
|
Minion merchant |
Minion Square (X:7.7, Y:7.0) |
Minions |
|
Kasumi |
Square of Miracles (X:7.2, Y:7.3) |
dyes Furniture Armor Glamor |
Golden saucer activity
As mentioned above, there are more than a dozen activities available in Gold Saucer, ranging from quick mini-games to long strategic endeavors. Below you can find a list of all Gold Saucer activities, where to find them and how to play them.
Cactpot
Cactpot is a lottery system which is available in two variations, daily and weekly. Daily Mini Cactpot available three times a day from the Mini Cactpot broker (X:5.1, Y:6.5) at the main counter of the entrance area.
By purchasing a Mini Cactpot for 10 MGP, you can play small scratch game, where your goal is to make a line of three numbers that add up to one of the sums on the right side of the screen. You will be able to open three numbers to get more information about which line to choose.
The weekly Jumbo Cactpot it’s a lottery style system where you have to correctly guess the four winning numbers this week. Up to three tickets can be purchased each week from the Jumbo Cactpot broker (X:8.5, Y:5.9) near the Aetheryte Cactpot Board.
After purchasing a ticket, you can select four numbers that you think will win. Or, if you want to leave things to your own devices, you can click the randomize button to choose four numbers for you. The winning numbers will be drawn at the end of the weekand the players who guess these numbers correctly will be win the MGP jackpot.
Even if you don’t hit the jackpot, there’s a chance you could win in another category. If the last number, the last two numbers or the last three numbers match, you will also receive the MGP reward.
Chocobo Races
In a golden saucer Chocobo Races mini game you can breed, train and race your Chocobos against other players to win MGP and other prizes. The Chocobo races are very deep and require a much deeper understanding of the Chocobo to succeed at the next levels.
You can start Chocobo Racing by completing a quest “So you want to be a jockey”after accepting it from Chocobo Race Registrar in Chocobo Square (X:6.1, Y:4.8).
Doman Mahjong
Doman Mahjong is a Japanese style mini game mahjong, in which four players take turns drawing and discarding special tokens to form a group. Playing against other players can earn you MGP and exclusive titles.
Doman Mahjong can be accessed by completing a quest “Every little thing she does is mahjong”talking to Levena on the Entrance Square (X:4.8, Y:6.1).
Fashion report
Fashion report it weekly activity which includes creation of specialized equipment that follows certain guidelines. Fashion Report topics are chosen on Tuesday, and judging begins on Friday, so you’ll have a few days to create your masterpiece.
Each week, a set of clues will be set that will give clues about different pieces of armor or accessories. By wearing items that match the overall theme of these guidelines, you can earn points. The more points you earn, the more MGP you earn.
To start playing Fashion Report, talk to Levena in the Entrance Square (X:4.8, Y:6.1) to accept the quest “Passion for fashion”.
Lord of Verminion
Lord of Verminion is an RTS style game that uses your collection of minions fight with another player. Your goal is to destroy their crystals by sending your minions to attack, using their unique abilities to control the battle.
Lord of Verminion has a lot of depth to it, from creating a party with different minions to micromanaging them on the battlefield. You can start playing Lord of Verminion once you gain access to the golden saucer.
Triple triad
Triple triad is a card game first introduced in Final Fantasy 8. If you played the original minigame, this one is very similar. After creating a deck of five cards from your card collection, you can battle NPCs and other players to win their cards and MGP.
In the Triple Triad, both players take turns laying down cards. Each card has four stats which indicate the strength of each side of the card. By placing a card next to an opponent’s card, and if yours has a higher power on that side, the opponent’s card will reversed under your control. Your goal is to gain majority control of the board until the end of the game.
The Triple Triad can be unlocked by turning to Master of the Triple Triad in the card square (X:4.2, Y:7.5) and accept the quest “The Trial of the Triple Triad”. After completing this quest, you will also receive the first five cards for the starting deck.
GATE (Gold Saucer Active Time Events)
Golden saucer active time events, or GATE for short, are events that occur every 20 minutes in a golden dish. As the name suggests, they are similar to FATE in an open world setting and often involve multiple players taking part in the event at the same time. Below you can see the list of every current GATE along with the time when it is taking place.
|
GATE Name |
time |
description |
|---|---|---|
|
precipice |
XX:00 |
A jumping challenge where you jump onto a structure to save a baby chocobo while goblins throw bombs at you. |
|
Air Force One |
XX:00 XX:40 |
A rail shooter where you earn points by knocking down as many targets as possible. |
|
A leap of faith |
Every 20 minutes |
A jumping challenge in which you must overcome an obstacle course and collect Cactuar trophies. There are three different versions of this game: The Falling City of Nim, The Fall of Bela’diaand Sylfstep. |
|
No matter how the wind blows |
XX:20 |
A game of luck where you try to avoid being blown off the Snoring of Typhon stage. |
|
The slice is right |
XX:20 XX:40 |
A game of luck and skill where you try to avoid falling bamboo stalks as Yojimbo cuts them down. |
Mini-games
Finally, there are various mini-games that can be played found around a golden saucer. It usually only takes a minute or two and you get rewarded accordingly a small amount of MGP. Many of these games have real-life arcade counterparts, such as hoop shooters or claw machine games.
|
Mini game |
description |
|---|---|
|
Crystal Tower Striker |
A power game where you have to hit a button at the right time with a hammer. |
|
Cafe-a-ker |
A time-based game where you have to group Gilgamesh at the right time to get maximum points. |
|
Throwing monsters |
A basketball-style game where you try to score as many baskets as possible within a time limit. |
|
Muggle Paw |
A claw game where you move a Muggle towards one of the prizes and try to catch it. |
|
Exit to the limb |
A botanical-inspired game where you score points by hitting your ax over the course of several rounds. |
|
The thinnest miner |
A mining-inspired game where you time your shots to score points over several rounds. |