Guide to the Triple Triad Mini-Game in FFXIV

Triple Triad is a card game in the Final Fantasy series that was first introduced in FFVIII. The objective of Triple Triad is to capture all your opponent's cards on the playing field. The popular card game also allows players to collect many cards throughout Eorzea!

Triple Triad in FFXIV is a collectible card game and one of the mainstays of the Gold Saucer. Players can collect cards from all over Eorzea, whether it be from NPCs, dungeons, or even raids. Players can challenge NPCs and other players to matches, or play in tournaments to decide who is the best Triple Triad player on the server.

To unlock Triple Triad, you must first unlock the Gold Saucer. Afterwards, head to the Triple Triad Master in the Card Square to accept and complete the quest "Triple Triad Trial." You can collect cards before accepting this quest! To learn more about the Gold Saucer, visit our Gold Saucer hub.

Cards form the backbone of Triple Triad, and there are 326 total cards to collect. More are added each patch, so avid collectors continuously have their hands full.

Cards can be purchased with MGP, rewarded from defeating NPCs in Triple Triad, obtained from card packs purchased with MGP, or rewarded as drops from dungeons, raids, and trials.

When players obtain a new card, it is deposited in their inventory. You can add a new card to your card list by using the card. Although you cannot trade extra cards to other players or sell them for gil, they are exchangeable with the Triple Triad NPC at the main counter for MGP. You can view your collection of cards at any time through the Gold Saucer menu.

If players collect all cards numbered 1 to 312, they can accept a quest in the Gold Saucer, "The Adventurer with All the Cards," from the Gold Saucer Attendant (x5.0, y6.7). Completing this quest will reward them with the Magicked Card mount!

Cards belong to five rarities, denoted by stars: one star (★) cards are the most common, while five star (★★★★★) cards are the most rare. Decks are built with rarity restrictions in mind, which we'll touch on later in the deck building section.

Cards have four values on them, each corresponding to one side of the card. These values range from 1 to 9 as well as A, which is equal to the number 10. For example, in the card listed above (yes, there is a 2B from Nier:Automata card!), the left side is 8, the top side is 6, the right side is A (10), and the bottom side is 4.

Cards can also belong to a faction, which has an effect on certain game rules. This will be shown as the type of the card when building a deck. Four different types exist: Scion, Beastman, Primal, and Garlean. Not all cards belong to a type.

Triple Triad is a simple card game at its core, but deceptively difficult with all the additional rules that may come into play depending on the NPC or location. Here we explain the basic rules, as well as the special rules that alter these base rules.

Players must first build a deck of five cards before being able to play Triple Triad. There are two restrictions when building a deck. Keep in mind that NPCs are not bound to these restrictions.

1. There can only be two cards of four-star or higher rarity in a deck.
2. There can only be one card of five-star rarity in a deck.

Otherwise, there are no restrictions on three-star cards or those of lower value. You can filter your card list by rarity, type, or side power. Ideally, a deck is built with three 3-star cards, one 4-star card, and one 5-star card.

Triple Triad is played on a 3 by 3 grid with nine spaces total. Players take turns placing cards onto empty spots on the board, with the first player being chosen at random. The objective of the game is to control more cards than your opponent after all nine spaces have been filled. To capture a card with normal rules, you must place a card next to an opponent's card where the number on the card facing the opponent's card is greater than their number facing yours. As there are 10 cards available to be played and 9 cards on the board, the 10th card is also counted. At the end of the match, whoever controls more cards wins. If both players control the same amount of cards, then a draw is declared.

However, there are many rules that alter the rules of the game. Some of these rules affect the deck, while some affect gameplay.

Below is a list of the special rules that can come into play during Triple Triad. NPCs are affected by regional rules, which reset daily. These are also applied when playing against other players.

• All Open reveals all cards in the decks of both players.
• Three Open reveals three cards from the decks of both players.
• Same affects how cards are captured. When Same is in effect, if the numbers of two or more cards adjacent to a card you place is the same as the numbers of your card, you will capture every matching card. For example, if you play a card with 8 top and 8 right, and the cards to the top and to the right of your card have an 8, you capture both cards. Cards can belong to either you or your opponent.
• Sudden Death repeats any match that ends in a draw. However, the player's deck consists of the five cards they had control of at the end of the previous match. Sudden Death can occur up to five times, after which a Draw will be declared.
• Plus affects how cards are captured. When Plus is in effect, if the sum of a card you place and an adjacent card equals the sum of the card you placed and another adjacent card, you will capture every matching card. For example, if you play a card with 4 top and 2 right, and the card to the top has a 2 while the card to the right has a 4, you capture both cards. This is because 4 + 2 is equal to 2 + 4. Cards can belong to either you or your opponent.
• Random changes your deck to be comprised of five random cards from your entire card list.
• Order requires you to play the cards in the order they appear in your deck.
• Chaos randomly selects the card you play from your deck each turn.
• Reverse swaps the power of cards so that smaller numbers are more powerful. For example, a 2 would capture a 9.
• Fallen Ace allows cards with A to be captured by cards with 1. If Reverse is in effect, 1 is able to be captured by A.
• Ascension increases the power of all sides of a faction when a card of that faction is played. This applies to all cards in both the player and their opponent's deck, and cards cannot go above A.
• Descension decreases the power of all sides of a faction when a card of that faction is played. This applies to all cards in both players' decks, and cards cannot go below 1.
• Swap switches one card between the player and their opponent at random. Swapped cards are returned to the original owner after the match ends.
• Roulette selects random rules to be played during the match.
• Combo affects rulesets during Plus and Same. If players capture a card with Same or Plus when Combo is in effect, the captured cards can then in turn capture adjacent cards if they have a weaker value.
• Draft is an advanced rule where players draft decks using cards given to them by the Gold Saucer instead of using their own decks.

NPCs with the Triple Triad symbol above their head can be challenged to a game of Triple Triad. These often have Eorzean time restrictions on when they are able to be challenged. NPCs reward cards when they are defeated, and certain cards can only be dropped from NPCs at a rare rate.

In special zones, you can challenge other players to Triple Triad by inspecting them and selecting Challenge to Normal Match. The Triple Triad Battlehall is a cross-server location where players across the data centre can challenge each other to Triple Triad. You can queue up to enter the Battlehall or Invitational Parlor through the Duty Finder.

Players can participate in Triple Triad Tournaments to win rare cards and MGP. These are held at specific dates and times, with three types of tournaments: a regular tournament, an Open Tournament, and an Invitational Tournament.

The regular Triple Triad Tournament has players participate in a set number of matches in order to achieve a high score. Players can enter a tournament when it is active by talking to the Tournament Recordkeeper in Card Square at the Gold Saucer. Each tournament has a special set of rules that apply. Winning matches increases the score, with more points being given for wins against higher ranked opponents.

At the end of the tournament, scores are locked and players will receive rewards based on their score. In the case of a tie, it will be broken first by greatest number of wins, followed by lowest number of matches played, then whichever participant recorded a score first.

An Open Tournament has players employing the Draft ruleset and playing three matches against each other. To participate, players must speak to the Open Tournament Official in Card Square. Here, you will also be able to view when the next tournament will be held. Sign up to enter the tournament, if applicable. Players must not be in a party. If there are fewer than 8 participants available, empty slots will be filled in by NPCs.

During the tournament, players will play three matches. A win grants two points, a draw grants one point, and no points are awarded for a loss. After the three matches are played, the player with the most points is declared the winner. Ties are broken by the number of captured cards. Seeding is determined at random - for the second and third matches, players will face whoever is closest in point total.

Rewards for Open Tournaments include MGP, Triple Triad cards, and titles.

An Invitational Tournament is functionally the same as an Open Tournament, except players can queue as a party and there are no rewards offered. Players can sign up for an Invitational tournament by heading to the Invitational Parlor through Duty Finder and queueing up.