When you first start playing an MMO, your desired name might not be available so you might be stuck with your second or third-best choice. Some names age better than others, and not everyone will like the first name they came up with years ago. That’s why most MMO games offer some type of renaming service.
For Final Fantasy XIV, renaming your character is unintuitive since you can’t do it within the game itself, and you’ll have to shell out a bit of money for the privilege.
This article will explain how to rename your character and some other companions. It will also review other name-related features in FFXIV to make your gameplay experience more enjoyable and streamlined.
How to Change Your Name in Final Fantasy XIV
Unlike other MMOs offering free character renames or not having the feature, FFXIV uses a slightly different model to allow players more customization.
To change your name, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to Lodestone, FFXIV’s online repository.
- If you’re already logged in, select the “Character Renaming Service.” Otherwise, you’ll need to log in with your account credentials to the Mog Service to proceed.
- The renaming service costs $10 to initiate. When the payment is processed, you’ll get access to your characters’ names in the Mog Service.
- You can change the name of any characters associated with your account. If you need to change more than one name, you might need to pay the fee for every additional character. The Mog Service doesn’t change the names but only allows you to apply for a name change in the client.
- Confirm your renaming application on the Mog Service.
- Log back into the game.
- You can now edit the name of your character(s) before jumping back into the fray. If your character names are not editable, you’ll need to wait for the renaming application process to finish on the server’s side or log out and into the game again.
You can refer to many fantasy name generators for a cool-sounding name that looks more in-universe. Some work better than others. For example, the fantasynamegenerators.com generator can provide unique names for any FFXIV race, works for male and female characters, and is completely free to use.
You can also use the website navigation to find names from other fantasy serials like WoW and D&D and use those for your FFXIV characters. Or you can just come up with a name of your own and follow the guidelines provided by the generator to make it more exciting.
How to Change Name Text Size in Final Fantasy XIV
Sadly, the name tags floating above people’s heads are locked into your resolution and UI scaling. There are no practical ways to customize them to be less intrusive or more prominent.
The one workaround for the system locks we’ve seen is to use the UI scaling option in the Settings menu. The “High Resolution UI Settings” scaling option is typically the go-to. You can use this setting to change the scale of the entire UI, then manually edit the rest of the UI options for each element.
Read: Final Fantasy Awakening Tips and Tricks
Using the “/uiscale [number]“ command can also achieve an effect similar to scaling the names down compared to the rest of the UI. Still, you’ll need to tinker with the parameters for a finite number of enjoyable settings.
More often than not, changing your monitor size will also impact the UI scaling. If you can change the screen size directly on the screen or PC’s resolution settings, those changes can propagate somewhat to the game and shift the nameplates accordingly.
However, trial and error is the only reliable way to get nameplates to look like you want them to.
How to Change Chocobo Name in Final Fantasy XIV
When you first obtained a Chocobo for your character, you could name it while talking to the Chocobo ranch attendant. To rename the Chocobo later, you must return to the attendant and talk to them again. The female attendant will have a “Customize” interaction option, which allows you to change your bird’s appearance and name.
You might encounter a rare issue where you can’t click on the name text box to input your desired name. We’ve found the only known fix is to exit the game and enter Steam’s Big Picture Mode, then open the game again through that. Your gameplay shouldn’t be affected by the Big Picture Mode otherwise.
How to Change Retainer Name in Final Fantasy XIV
If you want to change a retainer’s name, you must get a Retainer Fantasia. Luckily, you can get these from the retainers themselves since some retainer ventures award Fantasias occasionally. Otherwise, you can use the Marketboard to purchase a Fantasia, and they aren’t particularly expensive.
Once you’ve gotten a Retainer Fantasia, go to any Retainer Advocate. They can be found in most larger cities, and you don’t need to find the exact Advocate you used to receive the retainer you’re renaming.
To use the Fantasia, you must unequip your retainer and customize them by interacting with the Advocate. You can change the retainer’s name once you go through the appearance change menu. After that, you’re free to put the retainer back with you.
How to Change Chat Names in Final Fantasy XIV
If you want to change the names of the chat subcategories in your menu (i.e., the small tabs at the bottom of the chat), you’ll need to go to the chat settings. Use the cog icon on the bottom right of the chat to change the available chat categories or add new ones.
You can also use the “+” icon on the bottom of the chat to add new subcategories and keep the chat more organized and searchable. You have limited chat tab slots available, so keep that in mind.
How to Change Tab Names in Final Fantasy XIV
To change the name of a custom chat tab, you can use the settings option (the cog icon on the right) to access all chat-related settings. You can edit all chat tabs’ names and logging options, including the premade ones.
You can also move the tabs around by dragging them with your mouse. That way, you can create a new primary chat tab to stick on the leftmost side and keep emergent messages in check.
Changing Names in FFXIV
You can change many things in FFXIV, but some changes, like your characters’ names, come with a cost. Keep that in mind before trying out new names, or you might spend more money on name changes than you’d like.
Do you prefer more in-universe names or account nicknames for FFXIV characters? Let us know in the comment section below.
