Final Fantasy XIV allusions

The following is a list of allusions present in Final Fantasy XIV.

Final Fantasy series

 * (1.0) Near the end of the cutscene in which Gaius fights Thancred, Y'shtola, Yda, and Papalymo, the four Circle of Knowing members stand a distance from him in a small row. This could be a visual reference to how parties used to stand in rows in the first ten Final Fantasy games.
 * Four crystals can be seen during the animation of Thaumaturge ability, Swiftcast, alluding to the four crystals in early Final Fantasy titles.
 * In the various promotional screenshots, names of various playable characters from previously released games are used to name the characters.
 * A miniature classic airship can be obtained as a pet, as well as a "pointing finger" similar to those used as a cursor in previous entries of the series.
 * The CG renders and concept art for the Summoner of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn show the summoner with a horn-like adornment on his head, echoing how summoners with forehead horns appear in various Final Fantasy titles. The horn is also present in the class's Artifact Armor.
 * The 2013 All Saints Wake (Halloween) event features a Magic Pot NPC. It resembles the imps of Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV hiding in the conventional urn. When players interact with it, it boasts that the Impressario gave it an Elixir and rocks backward gleefully. Magic Pot is a recurring enemy in the series that yields excellent spoils if appeased with an Elixir. There is also a Magic Pot NPC in the Isles of Umbra that gives you the wind-up sun minion if you give it an elixir.
 * Before most storyline battles, the common "whoosh" effect of previous games' random encounters is seen.
 * When completing to quest to obtain a Zodiac Weapon Zeta, the "Got an Important Item" jingle plays.

Final Fantasy

 * (1.0) The server Cornelia referred to city and kingdom of the same name.
 * (1.0) The server Melmond referred to a village of the same name.
 * The Warrior of Light's helmet is obtainable for those who purchased the Collector's Edition with the rest being available from the Crystal Tower dungeon.
 * "The Minion of Light," a set of minions based on the Warrior, the White Mage, and Black Mage can be obtained as a Veteran Reward.
 * "", another minion is based on Yoshitaka Amano's of the Warrior of Light.
 * Piscodemon appears as a regular enemy in The Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard Mode) dungeon.
 * Kraken appears as the last boss of the Hullbreaker Isle.
 * Matoya along with her cave and theme tune are alluded to Matoya from the original title. One of the main scenario quests in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward is also titled "Matoya's Cave."

Final Fantasy II

 * (1.0) The servers Kashuan and Palamecia alluded to, respectively, the kingdom and empire of the same name in Final Fantasy II.
 * Minfilia, the leader of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, uses the password "wild rose" to allow the player to identify other members of the order. This phrase was used by Princess Hilda of Fynn to identify other members of the rebels against the Empire.
 * A soundtrack used in multiple places, such as during the main storyline in Ul'dah, is a remix of the battle theme of Final Fantasy II.
 * "Dreadnought" is one of the Empire's airships.
 * Firion's outfit is available for player characters as a Veteran Reward for players who subscribed for 840 days in total.

Final Fantasy III

 * (1.0) The server Gysahl referred to a village of the same name.
 * (1.0) The server Saronia referred to a kingdom of the same name.
 * Cid Garlond's airship is named Enterprise. Enterprise first appeared as a name for an airship in Final Fantasy III.
 * The Artifact Equipment for the Summoner job class is called the "Evoker's equipment" and the upgraded version is the "Summoner's equipment", alluded to the job Evoker and its upgraded version, the Summoner from Final Fantasy III.
 * Nepto Dragon can be fished by Fisher class.
 * The Crystal Tower dungeon quests are inspired by the Crystal Tower from Final Fantasy III from the Labyrinth of the Ancients, referring to the Ancients' Maze, to Syrcus Tower. The dungeon is home to various bosses that pay homage to Final Fantasy III enemies. The Labyrinth of the Ancients holds Thanatos, King Behemoth, and Phlegethon (named Titan in Japanese), whereas Syrcus Tower has Scylla, Glasya Labolas (named Guardian in Japanese), Amon, and Xande. The Cloud of Darkness appears along with the World of Darkness as the final boss of the Crystal Tower arc. The themes "Altar Cave," "Battle 2," and "The Crystal Tower" have been rearranged for the raids.
 * When casting his ability, Glasya Labolas will make the same pose as his Final Fantasy III sprite.
 * Xande's obsession with his mortality and fear of the inevitable lead him to make a pact with a being from the void, the Cloud of Darkness, mirroring his ambitions in Final Fantasy III.
 * Doga and Unei are named after the two sages from Final Fantasy III.
 * The Onion Helm is a helmet available to players who purchased the Collectors Edition of the original game, the rest of the Onion equipment is available as prizes in the Crystal Tower. Onion equipment debuted in Final Fantasy III with the Onion Knight job.
 * The minion "Wind-up Onion Knight" can be found in a treasure chest after the party defeats Xande. It's a minion based on the original NES sprite of the Final Fantasy III Onion Knight.
 * All of the weapons that can be purchased with Rowena Tokens gained from the quest Primal Focus are named from weapons in Final Fantasy III. All of the weapons in Final Fantasy III are used by the job that equips them in Final Fantasy XIV with the exception of two: the Elder Staff and Omnirod are swapped, the Elder Staff is used by white mages and the Omnirod is used by black mages (in Final Fantasy III).
 * The Orison set of equipment for the White Mage job is based on the White Mage robe.
 * The Wind-up Magus and Wind-up Viking enemies inside of the Antitower are based on the Magus and Viking jobs, being based on their sprites from the original Famicom version.

Final Fantasy IV

 * (1.0) The server Mysidia referred to a village of the same name.
 * (1.0) The server Fabul referred to a kingdom of the same name.
 * The Artifact Armor for Dragoon is a reference to Kain Highwind's armor. The artwork of the Dragoon job shares the same pose as Kain in the.
 * A weather vane seen in the Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward cinematic is shaped like Yoshitaka Amano's original Final Fantasy IV logo featuring Kain Highwind.
 * The non-playable character for the Bard quests says the phrase "Call me a spoony bard, but...", in reference to the famous one-liner from Tellah.
 * The Artemis' Bow, the Relic Weapon for Bards, was long ago crafted specifically for a man named Gilbert, which is the Japanese name for the character Edward Chris von Muir. Edward can equip bows in Final Fantasy IV.
 * The boss ADS and its nodes found in the first and second turns of the Binding Coil of Bahamut are based on the CPU boss from Final Fantasy IV.
 * The interior decorating in the Allagan buildings, such as the Binding Coil of Bahamut, is similar to the Tower of Babil from Final Fantasy IV.
 * Cecil's Paladin headband and earrings could be obtained by pre-ordering Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward.
 * The final line on the card that provides the item code is "May they take you back to a time when two was four and four was two," a reference to how Square titled the SNES version of Final Fantasy IV as Final Fantasy II for the western market.
 * The players will encounter a "darkness" version of themselves during one of the Dark Knight job quests, similar to the event in Final Fantasy IV.
 * The Tantra set of equipment for Monk job is based on Yang Fang Leiden's Yoshitaka Amano's artwork.
 * The first final boss of Pharos Sirius (Hard), the Progenitrix, is based on the Mom Bomb boss from Final Fantasy IV. In the Japanese version, the boss is called "Mother Bomb".
 * She also spawns Grey Bombs.
 * The final boss of the Antitower, Calcabrina, is a reference to the dancing doll demon Calcabrina, even sharing the same theme music.

Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-

 * The second final boss of Pharos Sirius (Hard), the Progenitor, is based on the Dad Bomb boss from Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-. In the Japanese version, the boss is called "Father Bomb".

Final Fantasy V

 * (1.0) The server Istory referred to a town of the same name.
 * (1.0) The server Karnak referred to a town of the same name.
 * (1.0) During Caravan Security, both "Boco" and "Koko" may appear as the chocobo names. Boco was Bartz Klauser's steed in Final Fantasy V who during the game found a girlfriend named Koko.
 * Gilgamesh's name is used in example sentences for the chat log filtering configuration. He later makes an appearance in the game and fights the adventurer during Hildibrand storyline. Enkidu also appears alongside him as a green chicken before he transform into his Final Fantasy V form later in the story. Gilgamesh debuted in Final Fantasy V as a recurring boss and comic relief character.
 * In the cutscene just before the second phase of the "Battle in the Big Keep" trial, Gilgamesh recites almost verbatim his pre-battle lines from Final Fantasy V.
 * Sastasha is a homage to the Pirates' Hideout from Final Fantasy V. Both locations are the first dungeon.
 * The Guardian Tree can be found in the Central Shroud. It's an allusion to the Guardian Tree on Planet R of Final Fantasy V.
 * The Forgotten Springs in Thanalan is a small village of predominately female Miqo'tes dressing in ancient outfits, similar to those villagers of Mirage Village. Their males (including the breeding male) are inside one of the huts.
 * In a later story quest, the player fights Siren on a beach surrounded by the hulls and flotsam of beached ships. The place is called "Ship Graveyard." A similar event happens in Final Fantasy V.
 * Gil Turtle appears in one of the Guildhests. It is the pet of Teledji Adeledji. The Gil Turtle is originally an optional boss from the bonus dungeon Gil Cave in Final Fantasy V.
 * A character based on Final Fantasy V lead character Krile Mayer Baldesion appears, designed after her namesake in White Mage attire. Prior to her debut in 3.1, Krile is only mentioned in a few scenes. The first one being when Minfilia speaks to her, via linkpearl in an underlain audio, after the Scions reunite and escape Castrum Centri together. After her audio is finished, there is a brief line where she says, "... My regards to grandfather." This references Galuf, another playable character in Final Fantasy V who is Krile's grandfather.
 * In patch 2.1, Krile is referred to in main-quest written dialogue, and in patch 2.2, it is discovered that the Isle of Val has "disappeared." Furthermore, the "Krile" character mentioned here is said to be part of the "Students of Baldesion." In Final Fantasy V Galuf and Krile hailed from the kingdom of Bal and their surname was "Baldesion".
 * Twintania, the boss of Turn 5 of the Binding Coil, is named after the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy V.
 * Halicarnassus, the final boss of Haukke Manor (Hard Mode), is named after the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy V.
 * Catoblepas, the second boss of Halatali (Hard Mode) is based on the optional boss and summon from Final Fantasy V.
 * Melusine, the boss of Turn 2 of the Second Coil of Bahamut, is named after the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy V.
 * Atomos, a boss in the Labyrinth of the Ancients, is based on the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy V.
 * Karlabos, the first boss of Sastasha (Hard), is based on the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy V; additionally, his signature attack is Tail Screw, and like in Final Fantasy V, it reduces the target's HP to critical levels.
 * Ice Soldiers are summoned as additional enemies during the fight with Shiva, possibly in reference to the Ice Commanders that fight alongside Shiva in Final Fantasy V.
 * Gaelicats in the Sea of Clouds area are based on an enemy of the same name from Final Fantasy V.
 * Bandersnatches in Dravania territories have the same design as their Final Fantasy V counterparts.
 * There is a sidequest in Dravanian Forelands that the player has to obtain a bunch of Wyvern Tails, a grass-like plant found growing on the northern hills, and used it to heal a wyvern's wounds. In Final Fantasy V the party must venture to Drakenvale to find dragon grass to heal a wind drake.
 * The Great Gubal Library instance dungeon is loosely based on the Library of the Ancients dungeon from Final Fantasy V. The enemy Page 64 and the boss Byblos are based on the enemies of the same name encountered in the Library of the Ancients.
 * The Living Liquid boss of The Arm of the Father can transform into three forms: human form, hand form, and whirlpool form, alluding to the Liquid Flame in the Fire-Powered Ship.
 * The Enchanted Fan enemies in Sohr Khai are based on the enemy of the same name from Final Fantasy V.
 * Calofisteri, the final boss of The Weeping City of Mhach, is based on the boss of the same name.

Final Fantasy VI

 * (1.0) The server Figaro referred to a kingdom of the same name.
 * (1.0) During the 2011 All Saints Wake (Halloween) event, the trickster imps would randomly say "Life... Dreams... Imps... Where do they come from? And where do they go?" upon spawning, quoting Kefka's speech during the final battle of Final Fantasy VI.
 * The Garlean Empire technology is called magitek, and has advanced considerably due to the works of a Cid and is primarily used for military purposes. Additionally, a Magitek Armor mount is available to players (although its actual design is based more on Yoshitaka Amano's "armless" design seen in concept art, rather than the "armored suit with arms" design seen in the game as printed). In Final Fantasy VI, magitek technology is employed by the Gestahlian Empire, invented by the engineer Cid Del Norte Marquez.
 * The first video showing the Magitek Armor in-game was a short recreation of the opening to Final Fantasy VI, with a green haired female hyur and two other characters riding the Magitek Armor in a snowy region, and a remix of "Terra's Theme" playing in the background. As of Patch 2.55, the remix of "Terra's Theme" is now the mount music for the Magitek Armor.
 * There's a Gladiator skill called "Riot Blade" and Rogue skills called "Spinning Edge" and "Shadow Fang". These skills shared the same name with Terra, Celes, and Shadow's Desperation Attack.
 * The 2013 All Saints Wake (Halloween) event features a circus troupe led by a man named "The Impressario," alluding to an NPC of the same name in the Opera House of Final Fantasy VI.
 * There is a Phantom Train linking several Garlean Castra. During the main story quest "Escape from Castrum Centri," Yda and Y'shtola sneak into the Imperial stronghold using the train, and a depot is briefly visited during runs through Castrum Meridianum. Phantom Train was a supernatural train in Final Fantasy VI that the party accidentally boards and must escape from.
 * Doma is the name of a nation-state far across the sea from Eorzea, and when it resists the control of the Empire, it is wiped out as an example to other nations. Doma in Final Fantasy VI is also wiped out after resisting the Gestahlian Empire. In addition to this, like its Final Fantasy VI counterpart, Doma appears to be based on feudal Japan.
 * An airship named Blackjack appears during the Ixal quests. Blackjack was Setzer Gabbiani's airship in Final Fantasy VI.
 * Ultros and Typhon make a cameo appearance as optional bosses in Hildibrand storyline. The original version of "The Decisive Battle" theme plays during the battle against them. Ultros is a recurring boss and comic relief character in Final Fantasy VI who has a friend named Typhon.
 * Ultros also uses direct quotes from Final Fantasy VI several times during his cutscenes.
 * Setzer Gabbiani's costume can be bought in Manderville Gold Saucer.
 * Moglin, Moghan, and Mogwin are named after the moogles from Final Fantasy VI.


 * The Gestahl dog minion is a reference to a joke where the Emperor Gestahl sprite in Final Fantasy VI looked like a dog.
 * The floating continent of Azys Lla is inspired by the Floating Continent from Final Fantasy VI. The connection is further established by several nods:
 * The Garlean Legion encountered in Azys Lla is the VIth Legion.
 * "Proto Ultima," a creature based on the Ultima Weapon, can be seen flying around the continent. The Ultima Weapon is a boss fought on the Floating Continent in Final Fantasy VI.
 * The Aetherochemical Research Facility dungeon in Azys Lla is inspired by the Magitek Research Facility from Final Fantasy VI. It houses three primals known as the Warring Triad.
 * The Allag flagship on which the Aetherochemical Research Facility is stationed bears golden statues of the Warring Triad around a tower-like object. The Warring Triad were petrified deities and the origin of magic in Final Fantasy VI. The first boss theme of Sephirot, the Fiend, is a remix of Battle to the Death, the boss theme that plays when fighting the Warring Triad in Final Fantasy VI.
 * Ymir appears as a boss in the Hullbreaker Isle (Hard). A group of Ymir Unshelled also appear in the cave before the boss room of Ymir.

Final Fantasy VII

 * (1.0) The server Wutai referred to a nation of the same name from Final Fantasy VII.
 * (1.0) When the player underwent the first "Horn & Hand" faction leve, a NPC said the following: "Why, if it isn't Sephiroth! Or was it Sephiross? Setirophx? xXxSephirothxXx?", referring to Sephiroth and common variations used to name characters on MMOs (and by proxy, Final Fantasy XIV itself—although of comical note is due to the game's naming conventions, some of the variations are not possible in XIV itself).
 * (1.0) An NPC in the Miner quests mistakenly called players by the wrong name. He called a Midlander Hyur "Cloud," and a Miqo'te "Aerith," both main characters from Final Fantasy VII.
 * (1.0) There were two references to the Final Fantasy VII main antagonist Sephiroth, both of which are made by main antagonist Nael Van Darnus (and might explain why he is designated the Legatus of the VIIth Legion):
 * In "United We Stand," after wounding the player, Nael took his leave similarly to that of Sephiroth in the Nibelheim burning scene.
 * Nael sought to destroy Eorzea and subsequently purify it by using forbidden magicks to summon the Meteor-like moon Dalamud. Sephiroth similarly attempts to destroy Gaia by using the Black Materia to summon Meteor in Final Fantasy VII. Both do so because they feel it is their birthright and duty.
 * One of the Cactuar enemies is called Sabotender Del Sol after the location Costa del Sol in Final Fantasy VII.
 * A small resort town named Costa del Sol is located in La Noscea, named after a similar place in Final Fantasy VII.
 * The Materia crafting system is named after and inspired by Final Fantasy VII Materia.
 * Final Heaven and Braver are Limit Breaks for melee classes. They originated as Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII.
 * Cloud's Buster Sword is used when the player performs Braver and Sword Dance.
 * "Healing Wind", "Breath of the Earth," and "Pulse of Life" all appear as healer Limit Breaks. These were Aeris's Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy VII.
 * A light form of Aeris's Guard Stick is used when the player performs healer Limit Breaks.
 * During the quest "The Company You Keep," both magitek engineers, Biggs and Wedge, are found at the crash site of an airship called the Tiny Bronco. Tiny Bronco was Cid Highwind's airplane in Final Fantasy VII.
 * Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart, and Aerith Gainsborough's names are used in example sentences for the chat log filtering configuration (with Cloud often being the butt of many jokes in the examples).
 * The design for Ultima Weapon is similar to that of Ultimate Weapon in Final Fantasy VII, one of the Weapons awakened by Sephiroth.
 * After construction upgrades were done to Revenant's Toll, it now features a tavern called "Seventh Heaven"—named after the bar and restaurant owned and run by Tifa Lockhart in Final Fantasy VII. The owner jokes that she was going to call the bar "Cloud Nine," but thought it would be too effeminate for the clientele.
 * Patch 2.3 introduced an NPC named Jessie as a member of Garlond Ironworks, a reference to the AVALANCHE member of the same name from Final Fantasy VII. They have a similar hairstyle.
 * One of Gilgamesh's weapons he uses during the Battle in the Big Keep appears to be Sephiroth's Masamune.
 * The quote of the Cait Sith Doll minion is "What may be a few to you was everything to those who died...", a line Cait Sith said to Barret in Final Fantasy VII in regard to collateral damage caused by AVALANCHE.
 * While between missions during the Dreams of Ice story missions, Yda competes at squats with Hoary Boulder, referring to the minigame from Final Fantasy VII.
 * Manderville Gold Saucer is inspired by the Gold Saucer from Final Fantasy VII.
 * The primal King Thordan and his Knights Twelve allude to the Knights of the Round from Final Fantasy VII.
 * During the final battle, their attacks go off in the same order as the summon animation in Final Fantasy VII.
 * After the last attack of Ultimate End the screen shattering effect is seen.
 * The achievement for defeating Sephirot on Extreme difficulty is "Veni, Veni, Venias", a line from "One-Winged Angel".
 * The Japanese name of the Savage variant of the Second Coil of Bahamut is the "Great Labyrinth of Bahamut Type-0", referring to the Japanese name of the Bahamut ZERO summon, who first appeared in Final Fantasy VII.
 * Dark Knight's victory pose resembles Cloud's victory pose.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * (1.0) The server Trabia referred to continent and Garden of the same name.
 * (1.0) The battle theme of the Black Shroud area, "The Forest's Pulse" may have been inspired by "The Man with the Machine Gun."
 * Zell Dincht's tattoo is available in Character Creation mode.
 * One of the Garlean Empire's main infantry weapons is a variant of a gunblade, a weapon originating from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * Eyes on Me is an enemy ability used by All-Seeing Eye, the boss in Dzemael Darkhold. It also the name of a quest from the main storyline, given to the player by Marques. These refer to the theme song from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * Tonberry King is the final boss of the Wanderer's Palace, referring to the boss in Final Fantasy VIII.
 * Diabolos is the final boss of the Lost City of Amdapor, and its appearance and entrance (emerging from a dark orb, surrounded by bats) strongly resemble that of its Final Fantasy VIII incarnation.
 * The Double and Triple abilities used by the Ascian Nabriales during the Chrysalis trial, like the same spells that first appeared in Final Fantasy VIII, allow the user to cast magic multiple times. The animations for the abilities strongly resemble the Double and Triple spell animations originally used in Final Fantasy VIII.
 * The Triple Triad card game originates from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * One of the Leatherworking tradecraft levequests added in Heavensward is called "Maybe He's A Lion."

Final Fantasy IX

 * (1.0) The server Lindblum referred to the regency of the same name.
 * (1.0) One guildleve objective was to retrieve the cargo of an airship named Red Rose. Red Rose is Queen Brahne's airship in Final Fantasy IX.
 * (1.0) An NPC in the Miner quests mistakenly called players by the wrong name, calling a Miqo'te "Quina", the playable character from Final Fantasy IX.
 * The Moogle Mail system is similar to the Mognet in Final Fantasy IX.
 * In Aleport, Western La Noscea, there is a winged mermaid statue close to identical to the one serving as the figurehead of the Prima Vista of the Tantalus Theater Troupe in Final Fantasy IX.
 * The Majestic Mogtome item, when unsheathed, is opened to reveal a pop-up moogle with a quill at the top, resembling the Save Moogles of Final Fantasy IX when viewed from the outside of the book.
 * During Battlecraft Temple Leves in the Coerthas Western Highlands, the player may encounter a Zahgnol as a Wanted Target. The Zaghnol was the final enemy the player had to defeat during the Festival of the Hunt in Lindblum.
 * Zidane's outfit is included within the game's data since version 3.15. The equipment set is named "Tantalus" set.
 * Ozma, one of the bosses in The Weeping City of Mhach, is based on the superboss of the same name.

Final Fantasy X

 * (1.0) The server Besaid referred to an island of the same name from Final Fantasy X.
 * (1.0) The theme song of Gridania, "Born of the Boughs" may have been heavily inspired by "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy X. Both themes were composed by Nobuo Uematsu.
 * (1.0) An NPC in the Miner quests mistakenly called players by the wrong name, calling a Midlander Hyur "Tidus," an allusion to the protagonist of Final Fantasy X.
 * Tidus is also referred to by an NPC who misheard Titan's name as "Tidus."
 * The circle of birth, life, and death in Hydaelyn works in the same way as Spira's. When a living being dies, it returns to the aetherial realm and reincarnate into a new life. The spirit energies in the realm are called "Lifestream", the term from Final Fantasy VII. Primals can be called from these energies similar to how the summoners in Spira call their aeons.
 * Garlean machines are referred to as "machina," a term used in Spira to refer to machines before the Eternal Calm.
 * The boss room of the Tam-Tara Deepcroft is called "Eternal Calm." Eternal Calm is a state Spira longs for in Final Fantasy X where Sin would never return.
 * The Relic Weapon for White Mages is Nirvana.
 * During the 2014 Heavensturn (New Year) event, during the year of the horse, an argument between the Chief "Chocowhacker" and the far eastern Uma Bugyo contains the following line: "As for your precious horses, they're just unicorns with a big empty forehead! Hornless! Hornless!" This alludes to Biran and Yenke Ronsos' mocking of Kimahri Ronso for his broken horn in Final Fantasy X.
 * The battle against Bismarck is reminiscent of the battle against Sin in terms of them both being giant flying whales fought in the air, while the mechanics of the fight also recall the battle against Evrae.

Final Fantasy X-2

 * Soul crystals have inscriptions related to past warriors' deeds and, when equipped, allow the player to use a job related to those warriors. This concept is similar to that of dresspheres in Final Fantasy X-2.
 * An Arcanist quest is titled "A Thousand Words" which is a reference to the song Yuna sings in Final Fantasy X-2.

Final Fantasy XI

 * (1.0) The server Selbina referred to a town of the same name.
 * (1.0) Two of the Achievement NPCs bear the last name of "Ironheart," a reference to the famous cartographer Gwynham Ironheart. They are Milith Ironheart (in charge of Dungeons) and Nedrick Ironheart (in charge of Exploration). The two have switched roles after 2.0, as Milith is now the character who gives the adventurer access to the Sightseeing Log, and Nedrick is present as the quest giver for various dungeons apart from the main story, such as the Sunken Temple of Qarn and Amdapor Keep.
 * (1.0) The NPC responsible for unlocking the battle category of achievements was named Atelloune, sharing her name with a minor NPC present in Final Fantasy XI. Both of them are researching monsters, wear the exact same outfit and are of similar races (Elvaan/Elezen).
 * All of the playable races are derived from the Final Fantasy XI races, although there are enough differences that they are likely not connected (namely the female Roegadyn).
 * Several beast tribes, namely the Qiqirn, Mamool Ja, Gigas, and Goblins, are upscaled versions of their Final Fantasy XI models. Many other monsters are taken from Final Fantasy Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII, and Final Fantasy XIII.
 * The design of chocobos are based on the chocobos from Final Fantasy XI.
 * The original beastmen from 1.0 were likely derived from beastmen in Final Fantasy XI as well. The Ixal are flightless birds like the Yagudo, the Amalj'aa strongly resemble Mamool Ja, and the Kobolds are reminiscent of Goblins (or more specifically their subterranean brethren, the Moblins). Goblins and Mamool Ja were not introduced until long after 1.0's release.
 * The primal, Garuda strongly resembles the design for the Final Fantasy XI Garuda in that she is a pale green winged woman.
 * Several weapons from the Grand Companies of Eorzea lore are direct references to important characters and weapons from Final Fantasy XI.
 * Both the names of the artifact and vintage armor sets for all jobs (e.g. Healer's/Cleric's gear) are identical to the names of the two artifact armor sets in Final Fantasy XI.
 * The Pugilists's Guild's introductory statements refer to a woman named Cornelia, who founded the guild. This is a reference to a Monk of the same name in Final Fantasy XI.
 * The first name of Raubahn Aldynn, the leader of the Grand Company Immortal Flames, is identical to Raubahn, the captain of the Immortals in Final Fantasy XI.
 * Among Eorzean NPCs, Thaumaturges are predominately Lalafell, much like the Tarutaru of Windurst are strongly tied to Black Magic, particularly Shantotto.
 * More specifically, Shantotto is frequently alluded to in all things relevant to the Black Mage job:
 * A legendary female Black Mage named "Shatotto" was the bearer of the Soul of the Black Mage (BLM's Job Crystal, a.k.a. Shatotto's Stone), which was used to seal the voidgate.
 * Shatotto was the creator and wielder of the original Stardust Rod. In the quest line to obtain the recreated rod, the relic smith Gerolt mistakenly calls her "Shantotto."
 * She is also referred to by the achievement "Ohohohohoho!" granted by obtaining the Stardust Rod Relic Weapon.
 * Shantotto appeared in a cross-game collaboration event between Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and Dragon Quest X, Square Enix's three MMORPGs.
 * The Shadow Lord's name is used in example sentences for the chat log filtering configuration.
 * The Mammet in the Goldsmith quest line, Gigi, is considered the first Mammet. His original name is Mnejing.
 * A Mammet by the name of Ovjang appears as a hunt in Central Thanalan, a reference to the other of Aphmau's automatons.
 * An NPC in the Weaver's guild sings the line "Distant worlds together. Miracles from realms beyond" from the song "Distant Worlds" in a speech bubble while she spins thread.
 * Fenrir appears as the final boss of Snowcloak, and both his appearance and his abilities (such as Lunar Cry) are similar to that of his Final Fantasy XI incarnation.
 * The gatekeeper for the Ninja headquarters in Final Fantasy XIV speaks the word "Ayame", to which the password that must be replied is "Kaede". Ayame and her sister Kaede are both figures in the Ninja questline of Final Fantasy XI.
 * The bosses of Wanderer's Palace (Hard) seems to be based on the following Mamool Ja Notorious Monsters from Final Fantasy XI in terms of looks and design:
 * Frumious Koheel Ja is based on Lancelord Gaheel Ja.
 * Slithy Zolool Ja is based on Sagelord Molaa Ja.
 * Manxome Molaa Ja Ja is based on Gulool Ja Ja.
 * Numerous Miqo'te names are taken from Final Fantasy XI; see Miqo'te/Naming for details.
 * The enemies inside the hard mode version of the Lost City of Amdapor are upgraded models of the enemies from Final Fantasy XI. The Void Monk is based on the Sea Monk enemies, Mana Idols are based on the Doll enemy class, and the Mana Pots are based on the Magic Pot enemies.

Final Fantasy XII

 * (1.0) The server Rabanastre referred to a city of the same name from Final Fantasy XII.
 * The Imperial Legatus armor designs are based on the Archadian Judge's armor from Final Fantasy XII.
 * A scene with Nael Van Darnus marching, followed by a few Garlean soldiers, resembles the Archadian judges marching towards the screen during the opening of Final Fantasy XII. The same can be said of Gaius Van Baelsar and his Tribunes during the events of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
 * Members of the Ascians who worship Zodiark, are named after the Scions of Light mentioned in profiles on the Espers in Final Fantasy XII.
 * When fighting the Ascian Nabriales during the Chrysalis trial, he will use certain abilities that first appeared in Final Fantasy XII. His damage over time attack, Blight, is named after the special attack of the same name used by the Esper Cúchulainn, who was the Scion of Darkness that opposed Nabriales, the Majestic. He also uses Dark IV as his special attack during the battle, with Dark IV's spell animation strongly resembling Zodiark's Darkja spell used during the boss fight against it inside the Henne Mines.
 * The primal essences that can be called forth by the Summoner are called egi, an allusion to Garuda-Egi boss in Final Fantasy XII.
 * Likewise, the last battle from the Summoner quest line is against Belias-Egi, the essence of Belias, the first Esper the player is likely to fight in Final Fantasy XII.
 * In general, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn reuses an enormous number of creature models, and in certain cases even textures, from various Final Fantasy XII enemies.
 * The Feral Croc and Mirrorknight enemies are reused directly; the Mirrorknights also receive a new version called "Dreadknight" in the Binding Coil of Bahamut, with an updated texture.
 * The model of the Basilisk enemy is heavily reused as the design for various serpent enemies, ranging from low-level monsters to major bosses like Caduceus in the Binding Coil of Bahamut (in the latter's case, the texture has been updated substantially).
 * The Scythe Mantis and some of its cousins also feature directly in the game, again with fairly un-updated textures. As with the serpents, mantises also appear in the Binding Coil, where they also receive a major texture revision.
 * The Qarn Facer enemies and the Adjudicator boss inside the Sunken Temple of Qarn use the same models as those of the Miriam Facer and Miriam Guardian enemies from the Stilshrine of Miriam, but again with substantially updated textures.
 * The Clockwork Bug enemies found inside Turn 4 of the Binding Coil of Bahamut are the same model as that of the Mimic enemies from Final Fantasy XII.
 * The Spinner-Rook is also reused directly in the same Turn; even retaining the "Pox" ability.
 * The dragons of the Dravanian Horde use a large number of "dragon" models from Final Fantasy XII—the Aevis dragon-soldiers use the model, animations and even the wholly unmodified texture of the Cataract Aevis (with the "Jura Aevises" found later in Stone Vigil Hard Mode using the texture of the Archaeoaevis instead); "smaller" four-legged dragons, including Stone Vigil boss Chudo-Yudo or hunt mark Maracco, reuse the model and texture of the Ring Wyrm (sans its iconic rings); the general model and design of Tyrant is used for a number of enemies, including Tyrant himself in Pharos Sirius, and the Stone Vigil Hard Mode boss Gorynich, reuses a model and design similar to that of the Fafnir mark.
 * The first boss of Halatali is named Firemane; curiously, the model for the creature is that of a "normal" fire elemental.
 * The "ADS" and similar enemies in the Binding Coil take some design cues from the Sphere-Rook; unlike many of the above examples, however, this is only very general visual cues, as the actual models, textures and animations are unique.
 * Giruveganaus, the last boss of the Stone Vigil (Hard Mode) is based on Giruveganus.
 * Since version 2.3, the players can accept hunt requests from the billboard in all three Grand Companies. It is an allusion to the hunt sidequests in Final Fantasy XII.
 * Clan Centurio makes an appearance in Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. Returning as a clan of hunters they give players mark bills and reward them with Centurio Seals upon defeating Marks. In Final Fantasy XII Clan Centurio was an elite hunting club the player could join.
 * The Mandragora royals appear in a sidequest involving Hildibrand.
 * The King Tomato minion alludes to the Rogue Tomato mob with a quote: "It is apparently a rogue, outcast from its kin, a stranger in a strange land" attributed to Tomaj. In Final Fantasy XII, Tomaj tasks Vaan to fell the Rogue Tomato as the first hunt.
 * Tomato King is also an enemy in the game.
 * Targeted enemies for Hunt sidequests will have a Tomato King icon on their name plate.
 * The Gnath Beastmen are modeled after the Urutan-Yensa from Final Fantasy XII.
 * In the stinger for the Patch 3.1 Main Scenario Quest "As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness", Urianger discusses a book called the Gerun Oracles, which shares its name with the Occurian king.
 * Kuribu, the final boss of the hard mode version of the Lost City of Amdapor, uses the Reverse and Decoy abilities, spells that first appeared in Final Fantasy XII.

Final Fantasy XIII

 * (1.0) The server Bodhum referred to a city of the same name from Final Fantasy XIII.
 * The Eshtaime Lapidaries (Goldsmith guild) of the Ul'dah city-state are based on the surname of Hope Estheim, a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII.
 * Players who participated in the Full Active Time Event, "Lightning Strikes," could acquire a Lightning costume for females or a Snow costume for males, and weapons from Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. These items were eventually released on the game's Mog Station online store.
 * Some of the Pulse/Ancient Automata-type enemies are reused as enemies in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. The Beta Behemoth enemy is also brought into the game during the Lightning Strikes storyline.
 * During the event Lightning Strikes, there is a Harbor Herald article entitled "The Trinkets of Eshtaime's Lapidaries Fail to Strike Lightning's Fancy," linking Lightning's emergence to Eorzea's native allusion to Hope Estheim.
 * Lightning and Snow's hairstyles are available for player characters after finishing event Lightning Strikes and "Beauty Is Only Scalp Deep" sidequest.
 * Jandelaine, the aesthetician non-player character, begins his service by turning a female Lalafell's hair into Lightning's hairstyle.
 * Ruin appears as an Arcanist ability. It shares the same animation and effect with its Final Fantasy XIII counterpart.
 * In the quest "Rolling With The Snowies" in Coerthas Central Highlands, the snowman says "Revolutionaries always get called crazy." The same line was used by Fang in Final Fantasy XIII.
 * An NPC in the All Saints Wake 2014 event quest "Yes We Cant" uses the phrase "sugar and rainbows." "Sugar and rainbows" was said by Sazh Katzroy in Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII-2

 * Serah Farron's starting weapon, the Starseeker and Mog's Staff can be obtained from one of the "Lightning Strikes" event.
 * The Aspect of Chaos, the last boss of the "Lightning Strikes" event, shared the same model with Chaos Bahamut.
 * Ultros appears as a smaller version of how he appeared in Final Fantasy XIII-2. When he loses to the party he got cooked up similar to the event of Final Fantasy XIII-2.
 * The Manderville Gold Saucer sidequest name "So You Think You Can Ride This Chocobo" refers to the lyrics from the "Crazy Chocobo" theme from Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

 * A weapon conjured by Snow Villiers and briefly used by him in the opening, called the l'Cie Bardiche in Final Fantasy XIV, could be obtained from one of the FATEs during the temporary event "Lightning Strikes".

Final Fantasy Type-0

 * The hairstyle of Cater, Cinque, Nine, and Jack were made available for player characters since version 3.2. Seven's hairstyle was implemented later in version 3.3.
 * The imperial salute of the Garlean Empire is the same as the Militesi Empire salute.
 * The "Savage" version of the Alexander raid is called "Reishiki" in the Japanese version.

Final Fantasy Tactics

 * There are several references to a Corpse Brigade led by Milleuda the Slitter, in Full Active Time Events and guildleves.
 * In one quest, there's line uttered by the cowardly merchant, Ungust, that quotes, "Spare me your contempt! If you want to blame someone for the mess the world's in, blame yourselves or the gods!" A line Delita Heiral says in the beginning of the PS version of Final Fantasy Tactics to Princess Ovelia Atkascha (it was changed to "'Tis your birth and faith that wrong you... not I" in the War of the Lions version).
 * In the Japanese version, Lahabrea's incantation for casting Ultima during the cutscene inside the Praetorium is loosely based on Ultima's incantation for her Divine Ultima ability when fighting her in the Airship Graveyard.
 * The dark deity Zodiark is represented by a character called Elidibus, named after an optional superboss fought at the bottom of the Midlight's Deep in Final Fantasy Tactics; Zodiark appeared as a summon used in battle by Elidibus, who was implied to have pledged his soul to the dark being.
 * The Veil of Wiyu and the Omnilex are the Summoner and Scholar relic weapons.
 * Construct 8 appears as an enemy in Pharos Sirius (Hard).

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

 * One of the titles that can be earned is "Crystal Bearer."

Bravely Default

 * Rowena mentions the phrase "Flying Fairies," a reference to the Japanese title of Bravely Default, known as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

 * One Paladin skill is named Spirits Within.
 * The Wild-Eyed Swordsmen fought in the Akh Afah Amphitheatre have an ability called Spirits Without.

Triple Triad

 * Thirteen lead protagonists of the past thirteen main Final Fantasy titles appear as a legendary card:

Allusions to the number fourteen
Being the fourteenth installment of the series, Final Fantasy XIV makes some references to the number itself. Although they are not necessarily deliberate allusions to the number 14 (whether they are or not is speculative), they are nonetheless present.
 * There are fourteen warriors grouped together on the.
 * The Garlean Army is divided into fourteen legions.
 * Of these legions, Gaius Van Baelsar is the Legatus of the XIVth Legion.
 * At one point in the story, a guard in the Waking Sands will say, "My shift number? I don't know, fourteen?"


 * Brickman, the famous Golem monster from  series appeared in a cross-game collaboration event. The players obtain a Thug's Mug headgear and a Wind-up Brickman minion for clearing the event.


 * The first boss of the Keeper of the Lake dungeon is called Einhänder, in reference to a PS1-era Squaresoft side-scrolling shooter by the same name. The boss, as well as the game's titular spacecraft, arm themselves by carrying around large projectile weapons snatched from the battlefield. It has identical companions named Astraea, which is one of the ship types the player can use in the game.


 * A Full Active Time Event titled "Full Metal Alchemist" can be found in U'Ghamaro Mines.
 * There are two young NPCs sitting at the fountain near the Alchemist guild in Ul'dah, referencing the series' protagonists, Elric brothers: One says, "No manner of alchemy can bring our father back." The other replies, "But there must be a way! There has to be!"


 * , a in the Kingdom Hearts series, is mentioned as a sword in the Paladin job quests.
 * "Heartless" is the name of a thaumaturge staff that can be purchased in the Manderville Gold Saucer. The shape of the staff resembles the iconic heart from the Kingdom Hearts series.


 * Hairstyles of and his sister,  are available for player characters.
 * One of the Scholar job quests is named "The Last Remnants."
 * In the southeastern corner of Azys Lla, there's a lone structure called the Last Remnant.

Lord of Vermilion

 * The name of the the minigame Lord of Verminion is a pun on the arcade card strategy game.

PlayOnline

 * There's a FATE in Azys Lla titled "Prey Online."


 * There is a main storyline quest named "Let Us Cling Together."
 * New sets of equipment based on Akihiko Yoshida's artworks for Tactics Ogre jobs can be obtained from Heavensward dungeons.


 * Gaius's helmet is somewhat similar to Grahf's mask, particularly when it comes to shape of the helmet and the earrings used.

Christianity

 * "Cleric Stance" is a Conjurer ability that swap current INT and MND attributes of the user, increasing magick potency of attacking spells and decreasing healing potency of healing spells. This ability is called "Crusader Stance," referring to the warriors of Crusade War.
 * "Benediction" is a White Mage ability that restores all of HP of the target.
 * The titles of the two FATE's for the Behemoth battle, "Behold Now Behemoth" and "He Taketh It with His Eyes," are both quotes describing the behemoth from the Book of Job in the Bible: Job 40:15 and Job 40:24 respectively.
 * A quest in Western La Noscea is titled "My Brother's Not a Keeper," in reference to the line Cain says of Abel.
 * The power structure of the Ishgardian Orthodox Church is loosely based on the . The official name of Ishgard is even "the Holy See of Ishgard", just as the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome is called the.
 * A quest in Outer La Noscea is called "Return to your Dust," which is similar to the phrase a priest says when giving ashes on Ash Wednesday.
 * A room within the Vault is called "Saint Thordan's Basilica". Similar to, it is located within the Holy See and named for an important figure in the founding of the denomination that worships there: Saint Peter was the first Catholic Pope and "Saint Thordan" could refer to one of seven Ishgardian figures, but most likely Thordan I.
 * The Heavens' Ward is associated with : King Thordan casts spells such as Light of Ascalon and Ascalon's Mercy, and the title for defeating the Heavens' Ward is called "The End of Ascalon". Ascalon was the site of the final battle of the, and, according to a myth popularized in the Crusades, the name of the lance of , who slew a dragon.
 * The field track of Alexander raid is titled "Sins of the Father, Sins of the Son". Sets of achievements related to the raid are also called "Sins of the Father" and "Sins of the Son".

Hinduism

 * The primal Garuda is inspired by the in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
 * The primal Ravana is inspired by the.

Greek

 * The Artemis Bow is the relic weapon for Bards.
 * The boss of the 1st Turn of the Binding Coil of Bahamut is named after Hermes's staff (Caduceus). Incidentally, Hermes's Caduceus has two snakes wrapped around it.
 * The snake mini bosses as the 5th turn of the Binding Coil of Bahamut are named after Asclepius, god of cure and son of Apollo, and Hygiea, one of Asclepius' daughters, goddess of hygiene. One version of the greek myth states that, after being killed by Zeus for bringing the dead back to life, Asclepius's body was made a star of the Ophiucus (the snake holder) constellation. Asclepius if often represented holding a staff with one snake wrapped around it, which is a common symbol for medicine.
 * The first boss of the Void Ark, Cetus, is the name of the sea monster slain by the hero Perseus.

Irish

 * The final boss of Amdapor Keep (Hard) is Ferdiad, a character from the Ulster Cycle.
 * At the end of the Void Ark, Diabolos retrieves a coffin containing Scathach, the Shadow Queen. In the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, Scáthach was a Scottish warrior woman and martial arts instructor who trained both Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad.

Norse

 * While the Roegadyn's Sea Wolves and Hellsguard seem to correspond to the frost giants and fire giants, the Elezens' Wildwood and Duskwight branches are respectively based on the Light Elves (Ljosalfr) and the Dark Elves (Dókkalfr).
 * Mjolnir is a giant hammer weapon wielded by Nero Tol Scaeva.
 * Midgardsormr, three of his children (Hraesvelgr, Nidhogg, and Ratatoskr), and two of Hresvelgr's own children (Vidofnir and Vedrfolnir), are named after creatures from Norse myth.
 * The primal Odin was sealed in an area called "Urth's Gift," with a trial battle at "Urth's Fount." Urth, or Urðr, is the name of one of the three Norns that decide fate.


 * Illuminati Commander, the first boss of Brayflox's Longstop (Hard) will throw bombs that do horizontal and vertical AoE all over the room, similar to bombs in the Bomberman series.


 * "Breath of Fire" is one of the abilities of the Five-headed Dragon, the second boss of The World of Darkness.


 * (1.0) One of the sidequests is called "Call of Booty."


 * The achievement for completing the Dragoon quest line is named "Dragoon Age."


 * One of the Dragoon quests is named Double Dragoon.


 * One of the sidequests is called "Hail to the King, Kupo," a reference to Duke's phrase "Hail to the king, baby," which itself is a reference to 1992 movie Army of Darkness.


 * Jehantel of the Bard quests speaks the line "You would know why I truly abandoned the battlefield and became a bard? That I took an arrow to the knee is what most folk believe...", a reference to the infamous Skyrim NPC line "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow to the knee."


 * The title of the level 25 Arcanist quest is "Grimoire Fandango."


 * One of the Botanist levequest is named Maple Stories.


 * During one of the cutscenes in the main storyline, in response to the death of a soldier codenamed "Mad Snake", Raubahn Aldynn cried out "Mad Snake! Mad Snaaaaake!" This is a reference to the Game Over screen in the Metal Gear Solid series where, following the death of the protagonist—normally codenamed Solid Snake or Naked Snake—one of the characters similarly cries out "Snake? Snake?! Snaaake!" in reaction.
 * A chain of FATEs in the Dravanian Hinterlands involving gobling machinery references the series. The FATE names are "Metal Gears Rising," "Metal Gears Revengeance" and "Metal Gears Revengeance 2."


 * One of the battlecraft Levequests is named "Red Stead Redemption."


 * There is a conversation in the Paladin questline: "What... what is this? Blood?", "Hope this is not Solkzagyl's blood...". This is a reference to the conversation between Jill Valentine and Barry Burton from the first Resident Evil game.


 * (1.0) Guildleves theme song in La Noscea area is called "In the Shadow of the Colossus."


 * There's a FATE called "Tarantula Hawk, Pro Stinger."


 * One of the battlecraft Levequests is named Drakes' Misfortune.


 * There's a sidequest titled "Watchcogs".


 * The final boss of Brayflox's Longstop (Hard) says "All your cheese recipes are belong to us," which is a play on "All your base are belong to us" from the poorly translated Zero Wing.


 * A quest in Eastern Thanalan is titled "All Dogs Go to Hell."

series

 * Level 30 Achievement "This One Time, at Level Thirty...", refers to the famous quote "This one time, at band camp..."


 * A Carpentry Levequest is titled "Citizens' Canes."


 * The achievement that is earned by defeating Shiva in Akh Afam Amphitheatre (Extreme) is called "Let it Go," after the song from Disney's Frozen. In addition, her theme contains the lyrics, "These voices telling me let it go (let it all go)."


 * A quest in Lower La Noscea is titled "Failure to Lunch."


 * The Gnat type enemies will use an ability called Brundleflight, which is a teleportation maneuver. The main character in The Fly inadvertently merged species with a housefly through a teleportation pod and began calling himself "Brundlefly."


 * The title of a main story quest is "An Offer You Can Refuse," a play on the line famously spoken in the movie. Additionally, a Goldsmithing Levequest is titled "An Offer We Can't Refuse."


 * There is a FATE in South Shroud titled "The Hunted" in which boss is a Deer, which is also the iconic animal in the Danish movie The Hunt (known as Jagten in Denmark)."


 * There is a sidequest in Dravania titled "How to Feed Your Dragon."
 * There is a FATE in The Churning Mists called "How to Cane Your Dragon."


 * One of the Botanist levequest is called "Shaken, Not Stirred." It's a catchphrase of Ian Fleming's fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, and his preference for how he wished his Martini prepared. It was first uttered in the films by Sean Connery in Goldfinger in 1964.


 * One of the Level 50 Astrologian Job Quest is called Sharlayan Ascending.


 * A FATE in the Black Shroud featuring a pack of invading Anoles, which are velociraptor-type monsters, is titled "Clever Girls." This refers to a line spoken by the park's game warden Robert Muldoon just before being out-maneuvered by velociraptors in the first Jurassic Park movie.


 * A Beast Tribe quest titled "Feed Me" involves saving multiple sylphs from the maws of carnivorous plants. Both the title and the actions of the quest refer to the carnivorous plant of the movie.
 * There's a FATE called "Feed Me, See More," another reference to the line "Feed me, Seymour!" from the film.


 * There's a quest called "No Country for Young Moogles."


 * The character Hildibrand Manderville is based on Inspector Closeau from the Pink Panther series and his entire quest line is based on the films.


 * A sidequest started in Limsa Lominsa is called "Edelweiss, Edelweiss," which refers to the song from The Sound of Music.

series

 * The boss room of Captain Madison, the second boss of Sastasha (Hard) is called "Dead Man's Drink," a reference to "Dead Man's Chest," the second installment of the series. In the same dungeon, the last boss Kraken casts a move called "Stranger Tides" and when the player gets hit by it, it says "World's End." These are similar to the titles of the third and fourth movies of the series, "At World's End" and "On Stranger Tides."
 * Another "Dead Man's Chest" reference is a FATE called "Dead Man's Rest" in Western La Noscea.


 * One of the earliest available Miner Levequests is named "Get to the Copper!" Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer, in the 1987 sci-fi action movie Predator, was directing a helicopter evacuation from a scene on the ground after the rest of Dutch's team had been killed off by the alien Predator. Before confronting the monster, Major Schaefer yells the line "Get to the Chopper!" to get Anna safely onboard the chopper.
 * Quest for entering The Bowl of Embers (Hard) is called "Ifrit bleeds, we can kill it." Major Schaefer says "if it bleeds, we can kill it" after noticing predator's blood.


 * Two Battle achievements ("A Tankless Job" and "But Somebody's Gotta Do It") are based off the lyrics in the song "Thankless Job" from this cult-classic movie musical.


 * Cid shouts "Engage!" while lifting off the Enterprise excelsior, a reference to Jean Luc Picard's quote.


 * A quest in Mor Dhona is titled "The Wrath of Qarn."


 * (1.0) During a quest in Gridania, a NPC said he "feels a great disturbance in the forest."
 * (1.0) In the end of the Seventh Umbral Era storyline, a victory scene similar to the end of A New Hope played out.
 * A quest in the Gridanian main story involves the return of the egg of a chocobo named Leia. The egg's item description reads, "You're our only hope."
 * Biggs and Wedge are named after two pilots in the original trilogy, and continue a trend of references in the Final Fantasy series.


 * There's a FATE called "Wild Wilde Death."


 * A Full Active Time Event titled "The Big Bagoly Theory" appears in the Burning Wall area of Eastern Thanalan.


 * A Full Active Time Event titled "Breaking Bud" appears in the Blessed Bud area of the North Shroud.
 * The achievement for training another player's stabled chocobo 30 times is "Breaking Bo."


 * The quest to unlock Akh Afam Amphitheatre (Extreme) is called "Drop Dead Shiva."


 * A Full Active Time Event titled "It's Not Lupus," where the player fights a giant crab called Cancer, is a reference to the lupus running gag used in the medical drama House.


 * The third Thaumaturge Class Quest is called "Law and the Order."


 * A carrier mission called "Sudul Eht Nioj" is the phrase, Join the Ludus backwards, this is likely in reference to the famous 'Join the Navy' episode of the Simpsons.
 * The post-release storyline includes a quest by the name of "You Have Selected Regicide;" a reference to the Season 6 episode Bart of Darkness.
 * An NPC named Heavy-eye Invalid from the Scholar storyline says the line "Can't sleep, mummer will eat me. Can't sleep, mummer will eat me."; a reference to the tenth episode in the fourth season (Lisa's First word) when Bart says "Can't sleep, clown will eat me. Can't sleep, clown will eat me."


 * A quest in Western La Noscea is called "To Catch a Cutthroat."

series

 * (1.0) A sidequest available during the 2011 Starlight Celebration was named "Winter Is Not Coming."
 * A quest title for marauder is "The Mountain that Strides" in reference to Gregor Clegane, "The mountain who Rides." One of the character's name involved in the quest is Neddard (Ned + Eddard)
 * The achievement for leveling gladiator is called "Stick Them with the Pointy End," after Arya's first swordplay lesson.
 * One of Edda Pureheart's attacks in the Tam-Tara Deepcroft (Hard) is called "Red Wedding."
 * The first Black Mage job quest is called "Taking the Black" which refers to Brothers of the Night's Watch.
 * During the All Saint's Wake 2013 event one NPC states that "The night is dark and full of delightful terrors," which is almost the same as Lady Melisandre's motto.
 * The description for the Direwolf mount reads "...one of five pups found huddling together in the snow near the corpse of their slain mother."
 * A Delivery Moogle quest is known as "A Qiqirn Always Pays His Debts." The unofficial words of House Lannister are "A Lannister always pays his debts."
 * The sidequest needed to unlock The Dusk Vigil is named "For All the Nights to Come," after the vows of the Night's Watch.
 * The final boss of the Dusk Vigil, Opinicus, uses an attack called.
 * The description for the Wind-up Haurchefant minion reads "What isn't dead ... can never die." The holy words of the Drowned God are "What is dead may never die."
 * The achievement series for collecting Maelstrom seals is called "A Storm of Seals", perhaps after.


 * The trainer for the Warrior class is named Curious Gorge, who tells the adventurer not to ask about the origins of his name.
 * A Warrior job quest is named "Curious Gorge Goes to Wineport."


 * There is a set equipment that is invisible, called "The Emperor's New Robe", "Breeches," "Hat," "Gloves," "Boots," "Necklace," "Earrings," "Bracelet," and "Ring".


 * The achievement for completing the astrologian quest line is called "The Stars in Our Faults."


 * A quest in Western La Noscea is titled "Flowers for Aerghaemr."


 * The Lv.54 White Mage job quest is called "The Girl with the Dragon Tissue."


 * A quest in the main storyline is named "Life, Materia and Everything."
 * One of the mammets in Ul'dah says, "The answer is...................42."
 * The fishing log description of the Mushroom Crab mentions that after eating the mushrooms on the crab's back, a theologian had a vision showing him that the meaning of life was the number 41.
 * The title of the Level 50 Fisher class quest is "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish", which is the title of the fourth book in the Hitchhiker series. A Beast Tribe quest is similarly titled "And Thanks for All the Fish."


 * 's outfit and the flying cloud mount will be available for players in the Chinese server.


 * One of the Achievement NPCs, a writer named Derwin, mentions that he is working on a story called "The Antlion, the Itch on My Earlobe."


 * A quest in Western La Noscea is titled "Mummy Dearest," involving a letter from a mother to a none-too-grateful daughter.


 * The achievement for defeating 5000 Frontlines enemies is called "Slaughterhouse Five".
 * The achievement for completing the quest "As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness" is called "So It Goes", a fatalistic mantra repeated in the book.


 * There is a FATE in Western La Noscea called "Tender Buttons" in which the boss is named 'Gluttonous Gertrude.' Tender Buttons is a 1914 book by modernist author Gertrude Stein.


 * There is a minion called the "Ugly Duckling" that can be obtained from the Neverreap dungeon.


 * There is a FATE in Mor Dhona that is called "V for Vinedetta."


 * There is a quest called "Who Moved My Headcheese."


 * The phrase "mortal coil", meaning the turmoil of mortal life, appears several times in Final Fantasy XIV, despite not being used often in modern English; the description of the culinarian levequest "Drinking to Your Health" notes that "Neither the search for knowledge nor service to the poor is known for its tonic effects upon the mortal coil" and Alexander's boss theme includes the lyrics "The mortal coil we serve is taut like a spring". This phrase originates in Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" speech, in which he muses on being "shuffled off this mortal coil", i.e. dying.
 * A series of Legacy achievements involving defending Hamlets are called "To Be or Not To Be the Guardian".


 * A Weaver quest is titled "Once More unto the Breeches."


 * There is a quest called "Much Ado about Dodos."


 * The achievement "A Flower by Any Other Name" obtained by defeating Rafflesia in The Second Coil of Bahamut - Turn 1 (Savage) and the quest title "A Wild Rose by Any Other Name" are based on the frequently referenced line "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" from Romeo and Juliet.


 * The Dark Knight's Artifact Set is based on Guts' Berserker armor. The job in general takes inspiration from Guts.


 * The Pugilist quest giver Hamon remarks once, "Make no mistake, these toads are huge, which means they have huge guts," referring to a similar statement made by Doomguy in the ill-fated comic book adaptation of Doom.


 * The levequest "Shut Up and Take My Gil," is a reference to the "Shut up and take my money!!" line from the episode Attack of the Killer App. Additionally, during the quest "Scent of Cinnamon," an NPC exclaims "Be silent and take my gil!"


 * The FATE "Go, Go, Gorgimera" references the "Go, go Gadget" catchphrase from the "Inspector Gadget" series that is uttered whenever the Inspector activates one of his devices.
 * A FATE in the Coerthas Central Highlands is called "Inspector Hatchet".


 * The Pugilist quest giver is named Hamon, a reference to the Hamon in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the signature martial arts technique in the first two parts.
 * The NPC Jandelaine dresses in the extravagant style the manga is known for and does many of the signature poses from the manga, including those of Dio Brando, Josuke Higashikata, Noriaki Kakyoin, Joseph Joestar, and Killer Queen.


 * There are several instances alluding to My Little Pony in referring to the chocobo mount system, such as newspaper articles posted on the lodestone, using the phrase "My little Chocobo." It is also an achievement gained when the player gets their chocobo.
 * The follow up quest in which the players learn the ability to summon his/her chocobo into battle is called "My Feisty Little Chocobo."


 * The Enforcement Droid 208 and 210 enemies in Azys Lla and the Aetherochemical Research Facility allude to the Enforcement Droid Series 209.


 * The Guildhest called "Hero on the Halfshell" references the slogan "Heroes in a half shell."


 * The quest to Thok Ast Thok (Extreme) is called "Thok Around the Clock."
 * A series of Legacy mining achievements are called "Rocking Around The Clock."


 * The Achievement for completing Binding Coil of Bahamut is named The Binds That Tie, a reference to Bruce Springsteen's song "The Ties That Bind."


 * One of the quests from the main storyline is called "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie" which is a reference to a famous cowboy folksong/ballad of the same name.


 * One of the leves available is titled "Call Me Mating," a reference to the hit single "Call Me Maybe."


 * A FATE in Western La Noscea is called "(I Just) Died in Six Arms Tonight."


 * The second boss of the Antitower is Ziggy who is accompanied by a group of Stardusts. This is a reference to "Ziggy Stardust", a song from Bowie's album, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars".


 * There is a FATE called "Rogue on the Water," a reference to Deep Purple's song "Smoke on the Water."


 * In the 2013 All Saints Wake (Halloween) event, the Magic Pot (see in Final Fantasy series allusions) sings "Earth, Wind, and Fire; That's what I desire" upon receiving three candies representing those elements.


 * There is a FATE called "What's on your Mind," consisting of enemies named "Pure Energy"—a reference to Information Society's 1987 song "What's on your Mind(Pure Energy)."


 * Primal Shiva says "Embrace the serenity... Renounce the hatred that consume you... And scatter them like dust in the wind..." before using her ultimate attack, Diamond Dust. "Dust in the Wind" is a song written by Kansas.


 * The quest to unlock Astrologian job is called "Stairway to the Heavens".


 * A quest in Gridania is titled "Not a Material Girl," in reference to the song "Material Girl."


 * The level 5 Blacksmith quest is called "Hammer Time," in reference to a line in the song "U Can't Touch This."


 * There's a NPC called "Immodest Mouse," who may say "The ocean breathes saulty, and it be her briny whispers what give our salt ale its temper," referring to the song "Ocean Breathes Salty."
 * The level 45 Black Mage quest, "The Voidgate Breathes Gloomy" is also a reference to "Ocean Breathes Salty."


 * A Mor Dhonan sidequest is called "Straight Outta Abalathia," in reference to the album "Straight Outta Compton."


 * There is a FATE called "Nine-Ilm Snails." An "ilm" is the Eorzean equivalent to an inch.


 * There's a FATE called "Smells like tree spirit," a reference to the song "Smells like Teen Spirit."


 * The FATE "Big Time" in central Thanalan and the enemies associated with it (sledgehammer beaks), are references to two Peter Gabriel songs, "Big Time" and "Sledgehammer."


 * There is a quest in the main story called "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magitek" which is a reference to the song "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic."


 * The quest to upgrade companion chocobo to flight capability is titled "I Believe I Can Fly".


 * There is FATE in the Sagili Desert east of the Forgotten Springs called "Blood, Augur, Hex, Magicks," an allusion to their album Blood,Sugar,Sex,Magic.


 * The main story quest "Killing Him Softly" references "Killing Me Softly With His Song."


 * The initial quest to unlock the Warrior job is named "Pride and Duty (Will Take You From The Mountain)," a reference to the Skrillex song "Rock n' Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)."


 * There's a guildleve for Golsmith called "High Above Me, She Sews Lovely," a reference to the lyrics "She's so high... high above me, she's so lovely" of the song titled "She's So High."


 * There's a guildleve called "You Cannot Kill the Metal" which is a reference to the Tenacious D song "The Metal" which features the same phrase.


 * The quest "Licensed to Reave" references the album "Licensed to Ill."


 * The Paladin quest "Hey Soul Crystal" is a reference to the song "Hey, Soul Sister."


 * The level 20 leatherworker class quest is titled "Aldgoat Everything" which is a reference to the Trinidad James song "All Gold Everything."


 * The quest to unlock The Navel (Extreme) is called "Quake Me Up Before You O'Ghomoro," a reference to the song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."

Computer software

 * There's a sidequest called "It's Not a Bug, It's a Creature," a reference to "It's not a bug, It's a feature," the excuse made by to try to convince the users that a bug in  is actually what it's supposed to be doing.

The Emerald Tablet

 * A text known as The Emerald Tablet which was translated by Isaac Newton, purported to contain the secrets of alchemy and transmutation, begins with the line "'Tis true without lying." The alchemy achievements reference this.

Internet memes

 * During the main quest, the players meet a character named Tataru. While alone, before the player arrives, she sings various tunes, one of which is "Trololo-lo". This is a reference to the popular Internet meme, the troll song, often associated with s.
 * In reference to the popular acronym "WTF", a series of three achievements named "WTFungah I," "WTFungah II," and "WTFungah III" where added in patch 2.51.

Nursery rhymes

 * There is a FATE in Coerthas called "Baa Baa Black Sheep."
 * A Zodiac Relic Weapon quest is titled "Star Light, Star Bright."
 * A quest in Lower La Noscea is titled "Moegrimm Had a Little Lamb."

Popular culture

 * One of the Ninja job quests is named "," refers to the comedic internet and gaming meme regarding a theoretical conflict between archetypal Western pirates and Japanese ninjas, generally including arbitrary "debate" over which side would win in a fight.
 * The title of a Beast Tribe quest, "In the Sylphlands, Treasure Hunts You," references the popular "In Soviet Russia" jokes reversing the normal order of things for humorous effect.
 * A White Mage job quest is titled "Only You Can Prevent Forest Ire", referencing the Smokey the Bear "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" ad campaign.

Professional wrestling

 * There's a FATE called "Royal Rumble" in the East Shroud where the players have to fight a miniboss on a huge stump, referred to the, 's famous event in which a number of wrestlers aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them out off the ring.

Roman Empire

 * The ranking within the Garlean army is modeled after that of the Roman Empire.
 * The XIVth Imperial Legion is inspired by the, the legion of the Roman Empire levied by in 57 B.C.
 * Gaius van Baelsar was named after Gaius Julius Caesar (simply known as Julius Caesar)
 * Livia sas Junius was named after Drusilla, the wife of Emperor . Both Livia were adopted into a noble family.
 * Nero tol Scaeva was named after Emperor and Marcus Cassius Scaeva, a centurion in Julius Caesar's army.
 * The Goblin Fraternity who created materia is called the Illuminati.

Shaolin

 * The Artifact equipment of Monks is a set of yellow Chinese-style clothes, refer to the martial artists of.

Others

 * The quest name, "A Modest Proposal," informs the player that they must recover an adamantoise egg that it might be eaten. The real is a satire suggesting the starving Irish public consume babies.
 * There's a FATE in Lower La Noscea titled "You Call That a Toad," the player has to kill a group of enemies called "Cane Toad" after local wheat farmers brought these toads from Cieldalaes to devour the locusts but the cane toads have no natural predators on Vylbrand and have taken over the region, leaving the farmers with no choice but to slay them all. This is an allusion to the where the government had to ask their citizens to eliminate s to protect the environment and the food chain in Australia.
 * The surname of Yugiri Mistwalker might refer to, the video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi.
 * A quest in Eastern La Noscea called "To You from Failing Hands We Throw" refers to the famous war poem "In Flanders Fields". The quest involves finding the medals once held by the quest giver's friends, who died in service to the Company of Heroes.
 * A quest in Middle La Noscea is called "Orange Crush," like the soft drink of the same name.
 * There's an achievement titled "Heaven Eleven", a pun on convenience stores.
 * The Vanu Vanu dance is based on the tribal war dance of the  in.
 * The Heavensturn 2016 event items "See No Helm", "Speak No Helm" and "Hear No Helm" are based on the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" of the three wise monkeys.