An awesome YT FFXI channel...

Hey all.. Just wanted to pop in here and share a great YT channel I've found related to FFXI (well, partially; he does other stuff).

The channel/user's name is FahrosTTTT, and he's doing a series on FFXI, having recently returned to the game himself.

What's great about it, is that he goes into depth and detail about the game, explains things, how things work, gives tips and advice to new players, while demonstrating it, etc. He's also started out on a new job (Red Mage) and is going through that from level 1, while also going up through the ranks as a Sandorian (he was with Bastok but switched over). So you're getting just about as close to a "newbie" experience as you can get, short of him actually being one. He also discusses Campaign Battle, and has a couple videos on that, etc.

It's a great series that is, in my opinion, well worth watching.

What I particularly find commendable about it is the complete lack of cynicism in his videos that has grown and pervaded the FFXI community over the last few years. It started sometime before, but seemed to really grow with Abyssea. The excitement, joy and enthusiasm he has for the game is something that you used to see from a large part of the player community, but seems to have had greatly diminished as the game became little more than "PL to 30 in Gusgen... PL to 99 in Abyssea... then do end-game stuff ad nauseum". He shows that there is more to the game to take in and enjoy. That it doesn't have to be all about PL'ing and that you can still have a hell of a lot of fun in XI - if you give yourself the chance and really dig in.

I can empathize - to a degree - with the cynicism or what-not that comes from people who've been with the game for a while, have "been there and done that" and really have very little "new" to look forward to. What bothers me, though, is to see that same cynicism being impressed on new, or even returning players. I experienced my share of it upon returning, but have made a conscious decision to ignore it and just do what I enjoy doing. People think I'm nuts or am wasting my time, but whatever. I'm playing for my own enjoyment, not theirs.

It would just be nice to see the veterans of the game take a step away from their own cynicism, forget what the game is to them "right now", and remember what it's like to be a new player working their way up through the game for the first time; all the goals you had in front of you. It would be great, and far more constructive and helpful, to give players sound advice on doing those things in a way that would be beneficial to them - not that would be "easiest" by just power-leveling through it. Hell, maybe even go back and give them a hand with some of it. It's something I certainly intend to do when/where I can.

FFXI is an immensely deep game, even to this day, and especially for a new player who has so much ahead of them to do. It seems kind of irresponsible and unfair to try and encourage people who've never experienced any of it to dismiss the original campaigns, the expansion campaigns and various "side activities" as "unimportant", as many long-time players tend to do now.

Fahros is, in my opinion, doing a great job in illustrating what XI really can be about and, in fact, was about for many years. He approaches it more from the perspective of an Adventurer who takes in and enjoys everything about the game - not just focusing on "getting to level cap" and "making it all about End Game" as so many others do.

So anyway... Great channel and I highly recommend it to anyone returning to the game, new to the game, or even just interested in seeing someone who's truly still passionate and enthusiastic about this gem of a MMORPG (one of the few that still lives up to the 'RPG' part).

Here's a link to his "introduction" vid where he discusses going back...