Lifestyle Content
Lifestyle Content refers to a variety of non-combat endgame content released in some expansions of Final Fantasy XIV.
Ishgardian Restoration and Cosmic Exploration are multiplayer content hubs for 
crafters and 
gatherers with limited-time server-wide progression aspects, while Island Sanctuary is single-player content with its own, class-agnostic progression systems.
The Ishgardian Restoration is a "lifestyle content" introduced in patch 5.1 as a content hub for Disciples of the Hand and Land during the 
Shadowbringers expansion. The goal of the restoration was to help reconstruct the Firmament, a district in Foundation that had yet to recover from the ravages of the Dragonsong War. Active construction took place from patch 5.1 until completion of the Firmament in patch 5.5. This time period included several competitive events in which players were ranked by the quality and quantity of items they submitted to the restoration, measured by their skyward score for a specific class. The top players in each server per DoH/DoL class were awarded with exclusive achievements and titles that are no longer obtainable.
While the competitive events are over, players can still submit items to the restoration. This provides an efficient means of leveling any DoH/DoL class from 20 to 80 (note that EXP is capped to 1,000 past level 80). However, with the release of Cosmic Exploration in patch 7.21, Ishgardian Restoration is no longer an optimal method in many cases, especially because players can level to 100 using Cosmic Exploration. One advantage that Ishgardian Restoration has is its lower Main Scenario progress requirement and availability on the Free Trial (Cosmic Exploration requires completion of 
Endwalker).
In addition, players can still earn exclusive rewards from spending 
Skybuilders' Scrips, which are obtained for turning in items, and the Kupo of Fortune. Players are also awarded skyward score points based on the items they turn in, which is associated with some achievements for accruing a sufficient number of points across different classes, notably the highly time-consuming 
Castle in the Sky, which rewards the 
Pteranodon mount. There is no cap on how many items a player can submit to the restoration.
Skyrise Celebration Fêtes are held multiple times a week in the Firmament and provide a large number of cosmetic rewards.
The Firmament's restoration also led to the construction of Empyreum, the Player Housing district of Ishgard. This district became available in the 
Endwalker expansion.
Island Sanctuary is a "lifestyle content" released in patch 6.2, allowing players to explore and develop an uninhabited island in the tropical Cieldalaes near Vylbrand. Here players can collect resources and materials, build accommodations, grow crops, capture wild animals, and more. The goods produced on the island can also be exchanged for various rewards, including minions, mounts, glamour, and Grade IX/X crafting and gathering materia. Aside from providing a source of materia, Island Sanctuary has no interaction with regular character progression and does not interface with normal crafting of gathering, with the exception of some special landmarks that require expert recipes.
While there are a variety of activities to pursue in the island, the primary means of development is to increase production of Isleworks Handicrafts in the Island Workshop. Most island activities provide items that serve as crafting materials for handicrafts.
Major development updates for this feature concluded with the release of patch 6.5, although there may be some minor updates in future patches. There are no announced plans for additional major updates.
Cosmic Exploration is a "lifestyle content" released in patch 7.21 during the Dawntrail expansion. Similar to Ishgardian Restoration, it is a content hub for crafters and gatherers and contains server-wide progression. The level 100 series of Relic Tools, Cosmic Tools, is tied to Cosmic Exploration.
Players are able to explore and develop locations on different planets by working with the Loporrits. New planets will be implemented with later patches.
- The first location is the Source's moon, where the goal is to build a spaceship and an associated launch station to explore other planets.
- The second location is Phaenna, the "glass star," an uninhabited planet with a pink, crystalline surface.
- The third location is Oizys, a planet with shattered floating rock formations and containing ruins from an unknown civilization.
- The fourth location is Auxesia, a lush green planet.
Cosmic Exploration allows players to level crafters and gatherers starting from level 10, in addition to providing a wide variety of challenging endgame crafting and gathering content. Unlike Ishgardian Restoration, Cosmic Exploration activities do not require players to procure outside crafting materials, including crystals. The only items players need to acquire externally are gear and consumables, the latter of which are more commonly used in advanced missions.
Cosmic Exploration rewards several cosmetic items, mounts, minions, achievements, and titles. In addition, players can spend Cosmic Exploration currency to obtain materia and some endgame crafting materials, the latter of which are normally only purchasable with scrips, making it an alternative to scrip farming.