--- key: mechanic/rpg-grind--catch-up type: mechanic id: rpg-grind--catch-up lang: en title: Catch-up progression summary: >- The route to older gear becomes shorter. FFXIV lets players buy gear from previous stages with shared Poetics instead of each stage’s original currency. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/rpg-grind--catch-up/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/rpg-grind--catch-up.json markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/rpg-grind--catch-up.md' aliases: [] tags: - RPG grinding - Schedule and pacing sourceIds: - source-ec81ae3b15929ea5 - source-bfdb5d72aea0f93f sources: - id: source-ec81ae3b15929ea5 title: Final Fantasy XIV url: >- https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_number.html verifiedAt: null - id: source-bfdb5d72aea0f93f title: 'FFXIV: Exchanging Tomestones' url: >- https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_exchange.html verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: rpg-grind id: catch-up title: RPG grinding url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/rpg-grind/#catch-up' categoryIds: - cadence-controls supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Catch-up progression description: >- The route to older gear becomes shorter. FFXIV lets players buy gear from previous stages with shared Poetics instead of each stage’s original currency. image: src: images/mechanics/rpg-ffxiv-currency-13.webp width: 896 height: 544 game: Final Fantasy XIV sourceUrl: >- https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_number.html originalUrl: >- https://lds-img.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/na/6a/da90fc8309d4f3b790a3b4ddfef806ef91b0bb.jpg credit: Square Enix; official guide screenshot rights: >- Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Official game guide or publisher-distributed screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. caption: 'FFXIV: Poetics are used to exchange for gear from earlier stages' alt: 'FFXIV: Poetics are used to exchange for gear from earlier stages' markers: - x: 27 'y': 62 label: Tokens accumulate separately from ordinary currency tips: - >- Speed access to shared play while preserving mastery and recent reward value. examples: - title: Final Fantasy XIV url: >- https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_number.html - title: 'FFXIV: Exchanging Tomestones' url: >- https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_exchange.html endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial RPG grind taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and expanded to cover activities, progression goals, reward rules and constraints. All original thirty family/branch/variant identities are preserved. Official developer and publisher sources support only the specifically described released-game observations; design variants and scenarios are hypothetical. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/rpg-grind --- # Catch-up progression id: rpg-grind--catch-up type: mechanic key: mechanic/rpg-grind--catch-up lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/rpg-grind--catch-up/ The route to older gear becomes shorter. FFXIV lets players buy gear from previous stages with shared Poetics instead of each stage’s original currency. ## At a glance ![FFXIV: Poetics are used to exchange for gear from earlier stages](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/rpg-ffxiv-currency-13.webp) [Final Fantasy XIV](https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_number.html) · Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Official game guide or publisher-distributed screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0. 1. Tokens accumulate separately from ordinary currency - Speed access to shared play while preserving mastery and recent reward value. - [Final Fantasy XIV](https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_number.html) - [FFXIV: Exchanging Tomestones](https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_exchange.html) ## How it works A behind or returning player accesses earlier stages at reduced cost or increased speed. ## Variants ### Variants - Increase rewards up to a defined threshold. - Accumulate missed periodic opportunities. - Reduce the cost of previous progression tiers. ## Design example A late-starting hero earns extra tokens until reaching baseline equipment. ## Context and limits A systematic RPG grind reference: 110 mechanics and 330 variants in 18 sections. Four layers answer different questions: what the player repeats, what develops, how rewards arrive and what constrains the loop. It covers single-player RPGs, ARPGs, MMORPGs and adjacent management and accumulation systems. Every mechanic has an explanation, variants and a hypothetical example; coverage, combinations and verified game observations follow the catalog. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial RPG grind taxonomy authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and expanded to cover activities, progression goals, reward rules and constraints. All original thirty family/branch/variant identities are preserved. Official developer and publisher sources support only the specifically described released-game observations; design variants and scenarios are hypothetical. - [Final Fantasy XIV](https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_number.html) (id: source-ec81ae3b15929ea5) - [FFXIV: Exchanging Tomestones](https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/uiguide/currency/currency-ats/ats_exchange.html) (id: source-bfdb5d72aea0f93f) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors