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Worth starting from the beginning?
MertzaSkertz
Member UncommonPosts: 161
I have just started looking at this game gaining interested. However, I am put down by the fact I will be so far behind everyone else. If I started now, is there a chance I could catch up in due time? Also what features does this MMO have that others don't that make this game stand out?
It would be nice if I could actually try this game, but there is no trial unless I have a buddy key. If you all have any spare ones I would definately appreciate it, as I am TRUELY wanting to play this game, just worried about spending money on it first.
Comments
Well do you know what makes this game stand out from the rest?
Nearly required group play. Massive end game bosses. A wide variety of classes and the dual class system. A very long grind to get to max level.
It's really very heavy in the grouping department. I'm sure there are more things that people can list that have played it more recently.
Do you happen to know how long it takes to find a group?
I don't even know how many are playing FFXi now since FFXIV released. I'm actually curious myself to find out how populated the world is now.
No clue. If it's like it used to be... 5 seconds to 1 hour.
The begining areas are fairly empty now. Almost everyone has gotten to max level on multiple jobs, and are focusing on certain gear types. There are new "expansions" coming out slowly raising the level cap, but that will just reduce the number of people starting new jobs.
If you can find a group of people that are willing to help you level, I'd give it a chance, but if you can't find a Link Shell, you probably wont make it much passed 30 or so before the grind becomes un-barable. They have added some new content in the last few years that makes it "possible" to level to 75 solo, but its still tough.
Well there really is too much to explain,the game may look the same as others on the outisde,but it is far from it.
Class are called jobs,and you can have a sub job at level 18,doing a mini quest in either Mhaura or Selbina.
The quest system on a whole is not like other games that offer you free xp for running around or killing some simple mobs,it is centered around a Rank and Fame system.At level 30 you can do mini quests to attain one of the advanced jobs[classes]and there are many.
What a new player will be overwhelmed with is the VERY poorly designed economy,this is the one pet peeve i have always had with this game.You will not have a very good market to work with,especially at low levels.You will be overwhelmed with crafting and it's cost,and again you will not be able to make much gil[currency] since it takes a high skill to[HQ] make several items to be able to make a profit.
At level 5 you learn your first Weaponskill,also known as heroic opportunity or combos .The difference is that this game is designed to be played with other players,it is not a solo game,so you do your combo attacks for more damage with another player.learning these combos is tough,you need to look online for Renkai chart.
Basically in a nutshell ,it is the thinking mans combat that makes this game,it is not about super fast kills and speed leveling,albeit no matter any game design,players still try to treat them as speed leveling games.If you can look past the very poor economy design,then it is truly a challenging and self rewarding game to play.
BTW....Fishing is a really good craft to get into,but it is so nerfed now,that it will takes forever to raise it to the point you can make a good profit.You also need to do crafting deeds for the NPC's to attain pts that you can spend for various skills in yoru craft or to buy crafting gear.
There is two ways to enjoy a game,you can do everything the game offers,or do like most and just login to gain levels,if all you care about is leveling,then it is not too bad,if you want to actually enjoy all the content,it will take at least 2-3 years of dedicated playtime.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
I think I am going to head over to gamestop tomorrow and buy it for 10 dollars and get the free month. I have really interested in a game like this. However, I heard finding a group is a pain, is it really that bad? Also how is the combat system?
Grouping can be a pain. Like I said, if you find some peole that are willing to level with you it isn't so bad. But Much passed 30 or so, it is almost impossible to level without a group. And because most of the pop is in endgame, finding a PUG can prove difficult. The combat is slower than you find in most MMO's, but once you start to get the Skill chains down (Renkai) it starts to get really fun.
Also, back to the grouping, part of leveling efficiently requires a full or almost full group. Again, this is where you would want some dedicated help. Finding a Full PUG that can work together efficiently, and that is able to tolerate your "noobness'' while you learn the game could be a challenge in it self. I remeber LFGing for hours in the Dunes, and later in the Mithra home land (dont remeber the name). Also if you aren't the "right class" at certain points in the game, people wont want to group with you if they can find "better" jobs (see theif before lvl 30)
FFXI is very fun once get used to the combat system, the UI, and the almost required grouping.
If you really want to buy and play this game you need to have this in mind:
This is not the kind of game you can play 30min or 1hr, if you are looking for casual playing you should stick with games like WoW atc, where leveling is easy. 30min~1hr is what its going to take you to find a group (party).
If you plan on playing endgame (high level events with tons of people) anytime soon, you need to be ready to play 8hr+ a day. I am not kidding, this is what you will need to get to max level (85 atm, 99 soon) in a few months, and you will need a friendly linkshell (guild, clan, etc) who helps you from the beggining. If you enjoy a more casual way of playing the game, just grouping for level, doing some missions (missions in this game are serious bussiness), and getting some regular gear then playing a few hours a day is enough.
You will need help for everything, from subjob quest (lv18) to kazham quest (25) to getting your job's artifact armor (50~60), you will not be able to this on you own, so again you will need a friendly ls (linkshell). If you are a mage then its even worse because you will need help for things even at higher levels.
That's it with the bad parts, now with the fun:
22 jobs (classes) all playable on the same character and all up to lv85 (99 soon), this means you will hardly have nothing to do ingame.
A lot of missions, nation missions, zilart (Rise of the Zilart) mission, cop (Chains of Promathia) missions, ToAU (Tales of Aht Urghan) missions and WotG (Wings of the Goddess) missions, without counting all the addon scenarios (5 atm).
Those missions are far from being the "kill 50 mobs and i'll give ya exp" missions in all mmorpg, these missions tell a story, and are based on exploration, PVE battles, etc. Chains of Promathia storyline is probably better than ffxii or ffxiii storyline imho.
Highly rewarding when you get something done, its not like WoW, where getting great gear is pretty easy. In ffxi getting anything is really hard. As an example, when i completed CoP missions after around 100hr of doing CoP (yes just CoP, which you can start at level 75, not counting leveling time etc) all i got was a ring. A ring. Good ring. Yet i was happy, not because of the ring (which was cool anyways), but because i had 100hr of fun doing the missions, planning strategies for bosses, runing up and down maps an mainly, making a lot of friends on the way. That is some kind of experience that you cannot get in other games based on grinding levels and rushing instanced dungeons.
Worldwide servers: no region servers, this means you will find english, german, french, italian, spanish (like me
), japanese, korean, chinese and even some Vana'dielian people (reference to roleplaying friend), remember that you will need group for leveling and help for anything you want, so interaction with other countries is mandatory. The game has an autotranslate feature that translates certain terms to whatever language, but still you will fin yourself in situations where the autotranslate is wothless. This is in my opinion other good point of ffxi. You will have to somehow comunicate with people that doesn't understand you, and that is kind of fun in my opinion.
Players are usually helpful, if they find you dead on a road they will revive you or try to get someone who can do it. They will throw you a Cure just because you are not full health, some people will even expend some hours of their time just to get you an item, without them getting anything. But you know the best part? When they need something, you will be glad to help them out, and again not because you are going to get a reward, just because it is part of the fun of the game.
Actually people are focused on doing the new events, and every single person on the server has a maxed level character for sure, but again if you find yourself a good ls willing to help, this shouldnt be a problem.
There used to be a 14 day trial version but it looks like its off now. I guess SE had to take it down because it was a really easy way for rmt (real money traders) to get free accounts to sell gil. Too bad.
Well, if you like a hard game that rewards high dedication not with items but with good memories you should try this out.
If you want a max level character with the best gear in the game all in one month, go WoW.
I hope this helped you decide.
I just started a new character, and I am appreciating the Fields of Valor books that you can find floating about here and there. But I agree with those posters who points out that the newbie areas are sadly devoid of players, making it hard to find a teammate, let alone a whole group.
And good luck achieving anything without a group after level 15. You CAN solo, but it goes at a snail's pace.
dang you to heck! i've been on the fence about FFXI for a really long time (turned off big by tales of eternal grind) but your description of the quests has made decide to get it offa steam. i still don't know if it's for me but for $10 and first month free i'll live.
edit: i'm danging you because i should be doing homework.
It's not so bad as everybody says, a lot of updates have been made since these guys played. Soloing gives double the exp as it did 2 years ago, groups can be made easier because of level sync ( means everybody above the level of the one or those who has the lowest level, will gain the same level as the lowest leveled members of the party). And when you can't party just solo until you find one.
So hope you're not scared a way by these other posts, FFXI is not as easy as WoW, but it's not hard either.
EDIT: About money traders and other people violating the rules of FFXI, then the team behind the game is doing an incredible job, I remember numbers like '8000 bans each month'. I've never met any 'rule violater' in FFXI.
There's always I chance for something new and exciting to happen, so I can always wait until tomorrow.
I have played FFXI for the past eight years through high school and college - it wasn't my first mmorpg but it was the first one that I took seriously. I have around 400 days logged in and have seen the game evolve from the Japanese controlling everything to a reasonably balanced economy. From IGE x-mas inflation to the current extreme deflation and destruction of the game economy. If you're thinking of starting up this game, I have one question for you.
Would you be willing to forego your social life for advancement in the game?
It might sound like a stupid, rhetorical, question but for anyone who has played as much as I have it's valid. XP-parties can last 8-10 hours in the later levels (Abyssea) and earlier levels can last 3-5 hours with an expectation of at least two... plus the very long wait period to find a party. Then, unlike other games, you will have to find a way to make money. In WoW you can make enough money to play with pretty good gear by just mining and skinning mobs while XPing - in FFXI you barely make any money with xping. Personally, I resorted to botting (Against the rules, I know, but whatever). This is one of the few games that I've played where you literally cannot play a job if you don't have the funds to support it (Ninja, Ranger, Pup).
This game's economy is absolutely shot, especially if you're planning on coming in blind from level 1. Crystal prices are skyrocketing so that's nice for low level people, but you won't be able to support yourself selling crystals alone.
With the bad out of the way... how about some of the good.
You will get about as close as you can get to anyone you play with regularly. Yes, groups are required, but it creates a bond that is really hard to match. Example: I have two friends that I have played with regularly. We might quit for a few months... then one of us will start playing again... then he brings the other two in. One night we went from CoP airship fight to getting our Rajas Ring (About 7-9 hours of missions and fighting). *No homo* We've grown really close and still communicate via texting/fb/AIM.
You cannot match victories in this game to any other game. Period. Getting your first 75 (Now 85) character is one of the best feelings you can have.
I could probably write about this nonstop for hours but I'll stop here. This game requires a huge time investment, then when you get to the endgame you're never on your own schedule. You will have a very very tough time finding people for low level parties, but now that there's a level sync system and nobody below 75 gets an invite for a normal party you can probably climb your way up there. If you decide to start this game and find that you like it... just tell your friends that you won't be seen outside for a decade.
EDIT: Opinions on "cheating" via botting or buying gil are very hot topics. Botting is very dangerous and only a good idea if you know the game... buying gil is frowned upon in many circles but if you think you're going to continue playing the game for awhile just do it. Seriously: without my fish botting or craft botting I couldn't make enough money to play this game... the economy is just so weird and f'd up. Actually I could probably make enough money crafting without a bot, but it took me a few million gil to get it high enough (bonecraft making reraise gear). Fishing is a travesty, they've nerfed it so much to deter botters that it's too slow for legit people as well. Lastly, if you play the game for a couple of weeks and like it... you could probably find a cheap 75 character. Shhh don't tell anyone I told you to buy an account, people who buy accounts are fucking annoying since they don't know their job in parties.
I played FFXI on and off for years, quitting when it was announced Rapture was actually FF XIV. It just seemed to make everything in XI not worth it. After the dissapointment that is XIV, I decided to come back to XI, as a fresh character. I'll update later on and let everyone know if it's worth coming back.
Playing - EVE, Wurm
Retired - Final Fantasy XI, Anarchy Online, Mabinogi
Waiting - ArcheAge, Salem
I quit after I lvled couple classes to like 25 because grouping became much more heavy and most of the time there was only japanese players for parties plus EVERYONE LOKED THE SAME! not only did the game have only a few looks per race but the gear too. When someone got higher level they looked exactly the same as the next person at that lvl so I quit becaue of those 2 reasons ither then that I want to know if that was fixed and if they included more godo weapons and armors per class and added new looks thats all and I might come back cause I hate ffxiv!
... Or, you know, you can ignore that "advice", learn the game and actually play it legitimately, rather than cheating your way through it. Making money is *not* difficult in FFXI. Can it be time-consuming? Yes, but then again FFXI's setup is such that anything that benefits your character has to be earned. Very little is handed to you.
Don't listen to people who encourage or support buying gil or botting. For one, it's cheating and undermines the point of playing the game in the first place. Second, by giving RMT business, you're encouraging what they do... monopolizing the market, various techniques they use to try and hack accounts, etc. Third.. cheating, in any form, is just lame.
My take is if I feel the only way I think I could enjoy a game is by finding ways to bypass core aspects of it.... I'm not actually enjoying the game and it's time to move on to something else. There is no justification for cheating. Contrary to popular belief, no game "forces you" to do anything... including playing the game at all.
Oh yeah, SE's very tough on RMT and Botting and you will quickly find your account banned when you are eventually caught. Don't think you will be? Well, that's your chance to take.
I played FFXI for about 7 years. Not *once* have I botted or spent a dime on gil, power-leveling, or any other "secondary market service". I did fine. So do many, many others.
Don't undermine the game for yourself... Dig in and play. FFXI's a deep game with much to do and see and learn, and it's best experienced and much more rewarding when doing all that *without* cheating.
As far as putting groups together - it can be tough these days, especially as SE implemented various mechanics into the game that makes soloing more feasible and/or grouping less necessary for much of the gameplay. That said, if you *really* want to get the group experience, be pro-active. Do some research, find out what the basic requirements are for a solid party, find an ideal spot for your group's level and job make-up and do it. The people you find complaining most about "no parties" are - typically - those who sit around waiting for an invite. Those who are partying regularly are - again, typically - the ones who show initiative and put them together themselves.
However, bear in mind that grouping doesn't really kick in 'til about level 10, give or take depending on your current job. The first 10 or so levels are intended to allow you to learn the basics of the game, learn your job and so forth. You'll likely find yourself sticking to your starting area (E or W Saruta for Windurst, E or W Ronfaure for Sandy or N or S Gustaberg for Bastok) for most of that time. As you move farther away from those zones, you'll notice the mobs get harder to defeat by yourself.
Like with much else: you get out what you put in.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops