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Should I switch from WoW???? Confused Gamer Chik
KiraUta
Member Posts: 2
Hey there I am a WoW player and I'd like to try a new game. I have always been intrigued by the FF series having watched my brother play them while growing up, but they were just never my style to actually sit and play. Anyways, I tried playing EQII and anyone that has gone from WoW to that knows how thankful you are to have an account on WoW. I was looking at Guildwars and then I remembered that FF has a MMORPG. My boyfriend is going to play GW and I'm not sure I like it..........wow I'm getting off topic. What I want to know is if I switch from WoW to FFXI will I be disappointed? HONESTLY! I have HIGH expectations for this game and I'd like not to be let down like I was with EQII
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Hello Kirauta, All i can tell you is that WOW has a very easy grind, where as FF has a much heavier grind. It all depends on your playstyle as well, are you a pve'er, pvper? I dont know much about FF as i never played it, i just know its got heavy grind and very hard to solo in.
You could also list your expectations so we can give you a better view of whats in these games.
You need a minimum of 4 hours or more a day to play.
You have to love PvE.
You need to love to grind.
YOU CAN NOT SOLO EVER. lvls 1-10 only.
It's a hard game, its the complete opposite of WoW.
My personal opinion after trying FF XI myself (coming from WoW and other MMOs) was that it.. quite frankly.. was horrible..
Now this is just My opinion, everyone's different, and I'm not out to trash the game.
First, to play the game, you have to install some community thingy software on your computer (can't remember it's name) and I remember it being a pain in my all too pretty behind to set it all up (don't remember why it was sucha pain though).
Well in the game I found the races looking a bit... different... some of them in a good way and some in... a not so good way.. but fair enough, I thought, and moved on.
Loggin in a friend of mine, who I were also with on Ventrilo, contacted me and tried to help me get setup... first off I didn't like the graphics but alright, I can look by that with good gameplay.
The controls however was a nightmare to me, trying to learn I sat out to grind my frist mobs. I felt it was quite boring and frankly that was the one and only time I logged in - since my personal experience was That Bad.
From what I've heard though, many think the game's really good - so I guess they have another experience and opinion. This however is mine.
Good luck in finding "your" game! ^^
FFXI is a lot different from WoW.
WoW is designed to "get in, get out" mentality.... meaning it is very solo freindly, but you can do groups. Solo'ing is always an option in WoW. It's focus is one the ease of use to new users... to put ot bluntly... WoW is a dumbed down MMORPG.... it leads you around by the hand, and shows you what to do.
FFXI is the complete opposite.... You are basically forced to group to level. There is no leading you round... you have to find quests in the game... no one has a "!" above their head. The UI is the biggest negative of FFXI.... since it was designed as a PS2 game.
Where FFXI excels is the story, and quests.... sure you got to dig for them... but they are wondeful. It is like playing an RPG on the console.. where you are just lead around to get quests you have to talk to people and discover the world.
IMHO, WoW is a great game, it is easy to use and opens itself to a wide audience, but it lacks the real challenge factor, playing WoW can get overly boring with it's simplicity. FFXI on the other hand it more like work, you actually have to learn how to play it, and for what it lacks in simplicity it more then makes up for in subtle quality.
One last fact... My 7 year old son plays WoW and is effective.. and has gotten to 40+ ....but FFXI is to complex and requires more communication then he is able to do at this age.
Ain't that the truth... Personally I prefer something in the middle.. Like Pre-CU SWG was..
As for subtle qualities, I'm not sure it's worth the time. It wasn't for me atleast. ^^ But others like it, so it must be decent if nothing else! ^^ It's all a matter of taste after all...
You can actually solo in this game, it just takes some work
I have played wow and, though I enjoyed it a lot, I left it because it lacked depth to me. LoTRO has some similarites to WoW, but has a lot more depth to it. If you're looking for something like that. I have a lifetime on that game and enjoy it alot.
That being said, I have gone back to playing Final Fantasy as well recently because..there's just something to this game. I missed it for a long time after I quit the first time.
You can solo, but you will probably want to group a lot in this game in order to progress faster. As I said in another post, it really wouldn't be final fantasy unless you were grouping often as that is what you do in the console games. That being said, because you group a lot this game requires a lot more strategy than WoW does. I have only recently started back so I'm working off of new limited experience and old memories so someone correct me if I'm wrong please.
The best thing to me about this game is the class system. HANDS DOWN the best ever. I'm one of those people that has to play every class. Well, in this game you can do it with one character. You have two jobs at once even. A job/subjob (subjob is half the level of your main job), and you can switch then through your house at any time.
This game is a lot more grindy than most of your wow-ish games, but you do get a great feeling of satisfaction when you level. There's also a lot of non-leveling things to do that wow doesn't have. You have a mog-house that you can decorate. You do quests to unlock new jobs, storage space, etc. you have a quest to learn to ride a chocobo..and I read that now you can raise your own mount from a baby! Beat that!
The crafting skills are different, and I remember being greaty addicted to fishing back when I played before. The quests are laid out very differently (you won't see any exclamation points or rings over any npc's heads in this game).
Others can probably tell you more about the game than me, but I've been enjoying it again so far. You just have to have some patience with it. Start out accepting that it will not be like the other MMO's that you have played. That will help. Also, I have taken note that getting starting in a good guild/community can make or break a game.
If you don't think you'll have the patience for it, I'd highly recommend LoTRO. If you do, good luck on your travels in Vana'diel. Either way, hope to see ya in-game
The part in red stands out to me. Do you still feel that way? If so, then you're not going to want to play. I don't know what you're hoping this game offers. It's a totally different animal from WoW. Do you like a deep and rich story in your games? Do you not mind partying for exp? Can you stand to actually explore things and talk to the NPC's in towns to discover quests and such? Can you deal with the fact that soloing in the beginning can be somewhat frustrating? Can you stand losing exp from dying? Can you deal with the fact that it might take some time to get to the max level? Can you deal with the fact that you'll have to farm for money? These are the questions that you need to answer to see if you'd like this game or not.
I love this game to death. Despite the flaws it has, I've always had fun. I've met my wife on this game (Nerdy, I know) and I've accomplished a lot. Well, not really a lot. Just seems like a lot to me. I haven't even gotten through all the content for this game and I've been playing since NA PC release. This game isn't very newbie friendly. But, you can always ask for help with things. People usually don't mind at all. Also, if you decide to play on PC, get a controller, that'll help a ton with the interface. Anyway, if you're expecting FFXI to be anything like WoW, you will be severly disappointed. So, just come in with an open mind and you should have fun, if you could answer yes to those questions I had asked. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer.
To be the best, you must help each other become the best.
FFXI Character: Satimasu
FFXI Server: Valefor
FFXIV Character: Tamorae Fonteil
im also intersted in trying this game out and was wondering if i could get a few questions answered.
1. is the pop good? cause i dont care if i ahve to find groups all the time as long as there are a good pop.
2. im a person that chooses a lot of his games by how good graphics look and all i want to know is are the graphics decent enough were ill enjoy watching my computer screen while i play the game?
3. so its easier to play this game wit a controller on the pc, what kind of controller?
4. there any pvp in this game at all? just curious.
those are my questions i wanna know the most but if anyone can explain anything else aboutt he game thatd be awsome.
thank you!
Honestly you gave me the perfect answer lol. I am getting bored with WoW I've got a level 38 hunter and I've noticed that I've done the same thing from level 10-38......level up.......level up my pet.....learn new abilities......level up again and repeat. I want a game that makes me work to level......then when I do, I feel like I've actually accomplished something. I love WoW and I intend to continue playing it but it's just not the greatest out there. I'd actually like the RPG factor when playing a MMORPG. To better explain what I wrote at first about watching my brother play the FF series, was actually in the VERY beggining of FF's release in the states....when PS was BRAND NEW. Perhaps that is why my thoughts of FF aren't as they should be. I can understand different gameplay and different graphics but here is my main concern.......Vista.......I read somewhere that FFXI has a few bugs with Vista, perhaps they've fixed the problem by now? Also should I buy the Vana'diel Collection? So far everything everyone has told me is GREAT!!!! I think I'd really like to try it. I'm an 18 yo gaming chick that has just discovered the world of MMORPG and still slighty confused by what to look for in games, so having a forum such as this with great reponses is amazing. I thank you ALL!!!
You don't want to discount the rest of the "original numbering" Final Fantasy releases that were state side, such as Final Fantasy for NES, Final Fantasy II (SNES), Final Fantasy III (SNES). In order to really sit down and enjoy Final Fantasy XI, you need to know your terminiology and understand the game world and lore it self, because it will show you no quarter in the online world.
You don't need to "know your terminology" or any of that from previous FF games in order to play or enjoy XI - any more than you need to the lore fror the first three Warcraft games to enjoy WoW. There are plenty of people who have never touched another FF game who play and enjoy FFXI.
Sure there's mobs and such that have existed in other FF titles, but their existence in FFXI does not require having played any others to "understand" anything about them. It's not like watching Advent Children without having played FFVII; the player isn't missing out on any crucial info necessary to understand the story, because everything in FFXI is self-contained.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
before spending money on sony games do yourself a favor and read some of the forums for these games here. you will see what i mean. if you enjoyed wow try lotro.
http://www.soesucks.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=10
I've played FFXI for a few years now, and I've also played WoW; I have to say that I prefer FFXI almost hands-down. I've known a lot of people who've gone from one to the other, and the people that go FFXI -> WoW always wonder at how easy WoW is to play, and that's part of the draw for them. For a lot of the people I meet that've gone WoW -> FFXI, they're surprised by how hard it can be to do things.
There really is a lot to do in FFXI. Missions, quests, crafting, exping, Ballista, Besieged, in my experience the game provides you a lot of opportunities for things to do pretty much whenever. The game can easily be time-intensive, and it really is focused on grouping, but while that means it takes longer to find groups to do things, it's also fun because it helps to add a sense of community. When you go to FFXI forums for a server and mention a name of a bad or delinquent player, a lot of people know who you're talking about because word spreads.
I would recommend that you at least try this game, because it's kind of hit or miss; if you don't like it then you'll be disappointed, but if you like it, it won't just be a little bit. There aren't a real huge number of people who play that don't really like the game.
My only advice to you would be to try on these forums or another FFXI forum to ask around for a linkshell to join if you do give it a shot, because early on the game can really be lonely if you don't know anybody. In any event, good luck on your decision, and if you feel like you could use some more info feel free to shoot me a PM or something.
If your favorite parts of WoW were NOT raids or PvP or nekkid dancing elves and beggers, or hardcore or cartoons try Lord of the Rings Online.
It's far less raid and gear centric, and most likely has the most mature player base of any game out there. ...and the world is truly beautiful.
LotRO is also at an almost perfect spot in developement for new players....the systems and classes are pretty solid now and by the time you get to max level, the so-called end-game should be pretty well established.
Anwar
LotRO, Gallant Few, Nimrodel Server
As someone who has been around the MMORPG block a few times you would do yourself a favor in atleast trying FFXI for yourself. Keep in mind that it is a different breed of MMO where you actually need to pay attention and be mindful of what you are doing in a group or solo. I recently came back to FFXI due to a friend begging me to, I had been gone from the game for over 2 years at this point and never thought of coming back as it was so dated. However, now that I am back I find myself eager to log in everyday to grab that next, check on my Chocobo that I'am raising, check on my plants I am growing to sell their harvests for gil, so on and so on. There is plenty to do other then grinding but yes it is a grinding game.
As for the Vista question, I don know of any game that works 100% with Vista so cant really judge a game on that. You would be better off reloading XP as it will improve your gaming performance hands down. If you do decide to play then yes the Vanadiel Collection is the way to go.
For the Vista question, I don't know if the new 08' collection has the POL viewer compatible with Vista. It should, but if not, you'd have to download the Vista version online at the website is all. I know this because I had to do this with the '07 collection, three times.
To be the best, you must help each other become the best.
FFXI Character: Satimasu
FFXI Server: Valefor
FFXIV Character: Tamorae Fonteil
Yes theres alot of lvl grinding. But thats like 1% of everything you could do. Crafting, Fishing, Mining, Chocobo digging, Gardening, Decorating your house, Camping NMs, Teleing people, Farming, Besiged, Campign battles, PvP, Missions, Quests, Raising a Chocobo, Betting at the race tracks, Capturing a Monster and having him fight somebody elses monster in the pit, travel back into time. the list goes on and on. Alot of people just simplly hang out in one of the big cities with there friends conversating with eachother.
Also the amount of job options is amazing!! Theres like 20 jobs you can choose from, unlike WoWs 7 or 8.
You also dont have to start a new charactor to lvl up a new job either. Plus you can mix jobs up with /subjobs like Blue Mage/Ninja.
This game takes ALOT of your time, takes patience, work and skill. But in the end of the day you get an item youve wanted or did some quest, you feel an accomplishment like youve never felt in any MMO.
I've played both games at separate times, over a year each.
Agreed with mostly everything here...
They're very different...
I would add a few things... some opinions here:
FFXI has the best community of any MMORPG I've played.
FFXI cutscenes enhance the gameplay so much. Make sure to at least try storyline missions... it's an MMORPG with some actual quality 'lore'.
FFXI requires a much larger attention span than WoW. It requires much more patience. It is a slower paced game. It is a more difficult but rewarding game.
Soloing in FFXI is NOT impossible, actually it can be done with pretty much any job... Not always, it's just usually VERY slow... BUT
FFXI can be depressing when alone, try doing some server research on how many players of your time zone/language play on each before dedicating to one. Find a friendly, decently populated Linkshell to join.
All in all, they are pretty different from each other... and I think FFXI is a much deeper, higher quality experience..
If you're really new to MMOs, I recommend trying out the many free trials you can get. Download a free trial, focus on that game until your free trial runs out and then try another one. This way, you'll gain a lot of experience with MMOs and you might even discover a game that you love while you're at it.
I don't know if you can get a free trial for FFXI, but you should definitely look into it. Some games that I've enjoyed include:
-City of Heroes/Villains (free trial available at this site)
-EVE Online (free trial at their official site)
-EverQuest II (but you didn't like it so guess not)
-Pirates of the Burning Sea (I'm not certain if this one has a free trial)
I should also mention that I love FFXI. But, I don't think it's a game for everyone.
It looks like you might be looking for a fantasy game, and a huge number of MMOs are fantasy. But, keep in mind that there are other genres out there. On my list City is superhero, EVE is science fiction, and Pirates is ship sailing/combat.
Also, be wary of some free trials. Star Wars Galaxies makes you stay on the training space station, but last time I played that game it sucked very bad compared to the just recently released training station. Conversely, you are stuck on the training island for EverQuest II, and the training island sucks compared to the rest of the game (if you tried the free trial and hated the training island, you might have liked the main game and you'd never know it. That's why I think it's stupid to confine free trial people to the game's training area. You never really get the feel for the game from a crappy training area.)
So yeah, try out different games and find what you like. I'm curious as to what you'll choose.
I definately recommend at least trying it out for awhile. Like people have said it's not very new user friendly but if you stick with it youll fall in love with it like I did. Let's see i've played the game for like 4 years (off and on) and theres still tons and tons of stuff for me to do, lol. So the game is jam-packed with content. Granted alot of the stuff is for higher level players but it just gives you something to work to. Compared to WOW i'd have to say I like not having people with quests have marks over their head. It makes you talk to everybody and to me gets you more involved with the overall setting and story. Inall honesty FF11 is my favorite mmorpg and everytimg I quit I just have to come back. The community in the game is one of the best ever and it's very easy to make new friends especially since grouping is almost a must. As for soloing the Beastmaster job is designed for it but it can still be very slow. One of the new jobs, the Dancer, isdesigned to be useful for smaller groups of like three people so if you like smaller parties the option is there. ^.^
This game is easy if you have some good friends to help teach you the basics along the way. Heck you can find the most intelligent people about this game right here. If I did not have xyphon and sati to teach me I would have been lost no doubt. Now though afterI learned all the basics its just a fun and good game. I do not see myself going back to world of warcraft or any other mmorpg for that matter. You will not be disappointed by this game, its a grind fest but a fun grindfest with A LOT of classes!
Confused Gamer Chick, try the game, go pick up the $5 disk at gamestop and try it for a month, if you like it get the vana diel collection, if not throw it away, heck it is only 5 bucks.