Hello! FFXIV Thoughts...

[Sneakypants]

2 years since last post, longer since I have played, longer since I have played actively. Hope you are all doing well.

This morning I was telling someone about FFXI, and how incredibly involved and absorbing it is. As I started to describe the game, I began to recall all the tiny details that made the game something I would return to, day after day, to enjoy. That said, I gave up Sneakypants to Pascal...No idea what's become of her, but I admit I am a bit curious. Especially after taking a glance at the main site and noticing many adjustments, some of which we wanted for years. How is FFXI doing??


Anyway, I read about FFXIV as well, but I haven't seen a single good review about it. Who plays, on what servers, and is the game worth it? By worth it, for me, I mean do I need to spend all day seeking parties to get anywhere notable? Do I need to rely on others for nearly everything, or has the game become more balanced between solo and teamwork? If it has, how so? I'm sifting through websites and now QCDN for information, but I know many of you from years back and would rather chat it out with you all. The last thing I want to do is get involved in something that I can't play for a bit and put down, or that requires other people...Lots of other people. I have no hopes to be leet or whatever, but I am hoping to have a more casual gaming experience in the vein of FF that I have enjoyed since the very first FF.

Any feedback is appreciated. Hope to see some of you soon!

 

[Raesvelg]

Sometimes it feels like FFXI is in the middle of a tug-of-war between the elitist pricks and the hapless noobs, with those of us who fall into the odd category of hardcore casual stuck in the middle.

In short: Most things are a lot easier since Abyssea came out. Leveling isn't a grind in particular, meriting even less so, and pretty much anyone can get decent gear without too much effort. Linkshells, as a result of this, have largely shrunk down into smaller groups than in ye olden days. I can remember days that my shell had over 30 people on; now we're lucky to have 10. It's not that all of those people have quit (though given that a lot of them were in the aforementioned "elitist prick" category, quite a few have), it's that there's not much incentive to having a large, event-driven, DKP-tallying linkshell anymore.

Future content, specifically the upcoming "Legion" battle system, promises to change that, but we'll see what happens when it actually gets rolled out on the servers.

For the moment, if you've got the right jobs, or a few friends, you can pretty much solo/duo/trio at the worst almost anything in Abyssea. Voidwatch is the endgame event of the moment, and that's entirely handled through shout groups, though you'd have to go back and probably organize tier runs for yourself to get the necessary key items in order to be considered competent at the higher levels. Not hard, just time consuming for the setup. XI is vastly more casual friendly than it used to be, all things considered.

As for XIV... I can't say too much. I played in the alpha/beta/launch period, but my interest dwindled pretty rapidly as SE floundered, and ultimately failed to add the sorts of basic functionality that I expect from any MMO.

 

[Isanien]

I took a long break from FFXIV until patch 1.19 came, when I decided to give it another chance. I made a new character on server Besaid, which has a really good population. Tbh, I'm having a ton of fun in the game right now, and I think much of it comes from the social aspects of the game (talking/killing stuff with linkshell friends) which is the most important thing for me. The game has improved a lot since launch, but it was pretty boring for me until I found people to talk to. It really depends on what you value in an MMO... I remember being really excited for swtor at some point, but I left rather swiftly since no one ever bothers talking to each other.

If you're interested in coming back to FFXIV, feel free to make a character on Besaid, add me to your friends list (Seraphine Lautrec) so u can find me, and I'll ask someone from the LS to pearl you up. I'm sure they'll love to have another member ^^b

edit: sorry! I actually forgot to add the more important info lol. It is possible to remain casual and make progress at the same time. Parties are easy-peasy to find now that there's a proper search function .The main storyline can be done solo, while more hardcore stuff like Primal battles need groups, but again, they're pretty easy to find.

 

[Chasym]

i played FFXIV when it first came out and after a month of casual play i was bored and stopped playing. I did not like alot of things about it.
Once i got a better laptop i decided to go back a few weeks ago and i can say that the changes made to the game since i last played are a major step in the right direction. A lot of the things i despised about the game have been changed greatly. Hated the stacking system for battles, Now its gone and replaced with the much better combo system. There is no AH, but now there is a search in the market wards that makes it pretty much the same as an AH. Leve quests used to be only useable once every 24 hours, now you can just keep doing them. Melding materia to your gear or turning items you have bonded with into materia is a nice feature as well.
All in all, i enjoy the game much much more now than i did before. Servers are being merged soon as well so population will not be a problem. I am currently on Istory.

 

[Sneakypants]

Thanks for the feedback, all. Decided to join Besaid on a trial basis. I made a character for fooling around and once I figure a few things out, I may may a different one as my main if I feel I screwed something up. I don't know jack about this game. What is the best forum to visit for information?
I'm confused about the whole armoury system. Decided to go pugilist, if that's good, bad, or whatever, we'll see!!
This trial character is, you guessed it, the MITHRA wanna be. If you see me in game or wanna friend me, it's Amber Willoughby. LOL. Done nothing but been through the initial tutorial cutscenes. Good times. Any links or additional tips or opinions are very welcome. Thanks for helping get me on my feet.

 

[Sneakypants]

By the way, where the heck is my beloved THF class? The job selections look limited. Please tell me I am wrong and there's more to it.

 

[Romper]

By the way, where the heck is my beloved THF class? The job selections look limited. Please tell me I am wrong and there's more to it.

There's no real thief in FFXIV although from what I know there might be an advanced class thief coming soon. Probably related to Puglist.