How to hide players near quest NPCs in Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail

Trying to wade through a sea of players swarming quest NPCs during a new update is an age-old problem in MMOs—but thankfully, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail comes ready with a fix to help you see the characters you actually need to click. 

Technically, the option to change your targeting settings to only target NPCs has always been around. But that’s never helped with the fact that other players can obscure all the animations and expressions of the NPC you’re talking to—here’s how to hide players around MSQ targets so you can immerse yourself in the sprawling new story of FFXIV: Dawntrail. 

How to hide nearby players when you’re near quest NPCs in Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail

Even if you’ve already heard of this new feature from the previous Live Letters or even the Patch 7.0 notes, you might have trouble finding where to enable it—the option is somewhat hidden in the Character Configuration menu.

If you scroll all the way down on the General tab of the Control Settings category, you can find a section labeled Quest Progression Settings beneath the usual camera adjustment settings. 

There are two options:

• Hide nearby players when close to quest NPCs hides the players around the NPC when you are close to them. However, players reappear once you start interacting with the NPC unless you have the second option checked. 
• Hide nearby players when interacting with quest NPCs hides players once you initiate dialogue with the NPC. Players reappear as soon as you finish speaking to the NPC unless you have the first option checked. 

Additionally, you can include your own party members in either option if you’re going through the MSQ with friends. Since parties cap out at eight players, leaving these sub-options unchecked shouldn’t be too disruptive—but it’s up to you to decide what feels most immersive to you as you start the Dawntrail MSQ or unlock Pictomancer and Viper alongside a swath of other players.