Raise your hand if you realized we have a blockbuster, AAA MMORPG releasing in the next month. Don’t be shy, I’d bet a lot of people didn’t raise their hand, but it’s true. On September 22^nd, pre-order customers will be knee-deep in Square Enix’s (SE) latest MMO offering: Final Fantasy XIV. The game hasn’t received a ton of press, so there are still a lot of misconceptions floating around.

For this week’s Some Assembly Required, I thought I’d take a minute and lay out the top ten things you should know about FFXIV, good and bad, so you can make the smart decision come launch day.

X. FFXIV is NOT a repeat of FFXI.

• While this is probably a big enough factor to land it in the number one spot, it’s too important not to address up front. Final Fantasy 14 is NOT the same game as Final Fantasy 11. Think of it like this, it’s been a decade since 11 released. They would be crazy to apply the same design today. Gone are the days of forced grouping and unforgiving PvE. Instead, players can look forward to tackling content themselves in a meaningful way, even if they don’t have much time to play.

IX. Servers are international, not regional

• That’s right, you’re going to be playing on the same server as players from Japan, China, and the rest of the world combined. Following the model of FFXI, Square is packaging the client with built-in translation tools and common expressions to keep players connected. While some players fear the potential of racial division, others are optimistic at the potential for cross-cultural relationships this system is sure to encourage.

You can craft to the level cap (aetheryte crystal to the right, used for quests, transport, and MP regeneration)

VIII. You can be any class, any time

• And anyone can learn them, just by equipping the appropriate weapon. Want to be a tank? Whip out your sword and shield. Healer? Try you hand at a staff. Using different weapons awards you with skill points in that profession.

VII. So long quests, hello guild leves

• I’ve heard it asked many times: what is a leve? Well, the short answer is that it’s a scalable quest. Players pick up these missions with tiny bits of lore that give your mission context and flavor. From there, only the player on the leve can see the mobs they’re after, making it easy to avoid griefing and kill stealing. Leves are designed to reward casual players, but also offer greater challenges for those who like to play in groups. Many scale up to full raid-level difficulty. Like other quest systems, leves reward players with money, loot, experience, and come in a wide variety of mission-types.

VI. Crafting is its own game

• Just like EQ2, Vanguard, and FFXI before it, FFXIV allows you to play the role of a crafter/gatherer all the way to the level cap. Developers have said that it will probably be necessary to play a combat profession to experience the whole story, but it’s entirely possible to enjoy the game without ever entering combat. If fishing is any indication, gathering should also be much more interactive than we’ve seen it in the past.

V. Combat is strategic – but slow

• Now, before someone bites my head off, I’ll say it now: this is a controversial point and not everyone agrees. Over the beta phases, Square has increased the pace of combat substantially. Even still, it’s slower than World of Warcraft. I know, I know. WoW bad, FF good. But, since many players will only have WoW to compare by, this is important. The good news is that it’s by design. The developers want combat to be more strategic and thought out. For a good indicator or how combat functions, see the ATB gauge in FF13.

Your FFXIV character panel (translated)

IV. Mana doesn’t regenerate, HP does

• This is another hot button issue. In FFXIV, once mana is used, it’s gone until you visit an Aetheryte crystal. That means magic users will have to be much more conservative with how they use spells and abilities. My personal concern is that magic users will be more difficult to level, and thus less common, than melee classes. If anyone has information on this, please feel free to share it in the comments.

III. Levels, not as you know them

• Levels in FFXIV work a little bit differently than what you’re probably used to. Actually, your “level” is just one of two ways to gauge your character’s progress. For progress in each profession, you are awarded skill points that unlock new powers and abilities. Your “physical level,” or overall power, is a representation of how much experience you’ve earned and provides you with extra stat points, health, mana, and more.

II. Progress is throttled

• You read that right. Through the fatigue system, FFXIV will not let you hit your head against the wall for marathon gaming sessions. Well, they will, you just won’t get XP for it. The whole system is a bit convoluted, but it can be summed up with this: Square figured out how much XP you should be earning in an hour. After 8x that amount, you’ll start to receive diminishing returns. The important point here is that physical level is the only cap most players will need to consider. You can still switch weapons and progress in a new class, so switching around is a good way to avoid fatigue entirely. It’s worth noting, too, that anything non-combat related will allow your fatigue to diminish and disappear.

I. It’s the story that counts

• Finally, the most important thing to know about FFXIV is that it is no different than any other Final Fantasy title: there’s an epic story and you’re part of it. Silent cut-scenes play a big role in delivery, as we see in the introduction and original FFXI. Square has a plan for you, one you’ll remember, and that may just define your expectations for MMOs to come.

If you can’t tell, I’m excited for this game. Excited enough, even, that I’m considering skipping out on the open beta to keep everything new for me on launch. But, with all that being said, I still have my reservations. No jumping or swimming? Lame. Leaving 80% of the game un-tested before release? Nerve wracking.

Still, I’ll be there on day one with bells on. Heck, I might even buy it twice when it comes to the PS3.

How about you, excited for this latest entry in the FFXIV franchise? Tell us about it in the comments!