I've been gone for a while now, and the entire time I've been on WoW.
I've got a lv60 troll Shaman on Stonemaul(Yes, it's a pvp server).
So now that that's out of the way, I'll explain some things about the game.
From 1 - 60, you're given the option to solo, group with your best buddy, or do whatever the hell you want really. Quests can get repetitive but that's a given. Blizzard put at least two or three "Go fetch this, kill 15 of such mob" in every town to get you started off and exploring the area. Aside from there, there are usually another several quests with the backstory concerning the people in that area or little town that outweigh the "Go kill 15 of such mob" quests. I found it to be far, far more fun on the way to the end of the game in WoW. There's no feeling of grinding, you can really enjoy the game(even on a pvp server, even after the honor system. Go pve if you can't take the heat. Carebears are always gonna be carebears whether you like it or not.)
At 60, you get the usual "endgame blues" that you get with every MMO if you're closeminded and look only for pve options. Honestly, FFXI has nothing more than WoW does for endgame content. FFXI has all of Dynamis and HNMs(I still stand by my opinion that spouting dribbling mess in front of your monitor for three hours while waiting for a single mob to spawn and then hoping to god you can claim it before some other folks does not go under entertainment, but to each his own), and WoW has instances from the beginning of the game until the end of the game. Instances are your group's own personal version of an elite dungeon(there are a TON of instances for all level ranges in the entire game). When you get to 60, the instances tend to be a lot like Dynamis. Molten Core has lv62ish elites that hit for 1500 dmg a swing(Average max hp varies from 3000 to 6000 depending on your class and stam gear). They're definately not easy, but there is a downside. When I first stepped into MC and you start going.. or any endgame instance for that matter, and some nice loot drops that's BOP(bind on bickup) you get dynamis competition all over again. Remember running Dynamis 20 some odd times and still having no relic gear? Welcome to end game of EVERY MMORPG. I really wish they'd drop this crap, but apparently some people enjoy slaving away every weekend and having a crappy chance at getting something nice. Aside from that, the instances are all very creative and the game itself is nice on the eyes. Definately easy to get lost in the environment.
There are tons of great ways to go from lv1 to 60, you're not forced into doing anything you don't want to, and the game is just really fun. On FFXI, even with my closest friends, I couldn't do anything. Two lv75s on FFXI won't do crap except maybe a BRD and a NIN fully decked in the best of everything, and that's just ridiculous. On WoW, one or two guys can go out exping together, do quests together, and really just enjoy the game without being forced into a group full of idiots. This was my biggest complaint with FFXI. Yes, it's an MMORPG. No, I'm not paying $ every month to have you ruin my entire day because you suck at your class and the game is so dependent on parties. Blizzard saw this and fixed it thank god. Only thing in the entire game you absolutely NEED parties for are instances, and you don't NEED to do instances. They're just there for equipment that's a -tad- better than regular stuff you can buy or make. This is speaking as a cap lvl character on a pvp server.. you CAN wreck people with equipment that's just "good enough." Cloth classes benefit from this more than anybody else. Mages/priests/warlocks especially don't need to run instances for all the "phat lewt" and can still hold their own fine 1v1 and 1v2 depending on your skill in pvp.
And finally, pvp. If you're on a pve server, well that sucks for you, because the honor system really is a great thing and the pvp servers benefit from it so much. No, there's no downside to ganking somebody below your level, but you chose to be on a pvp server. Blizzard has a nice long part of the site devoted to warning people what they're getting into if they choose a pvp server. Being on a pvp server is all about being ruthless and living out the REAL world of /WAR/craft. If you'll take a look at the actual story of Warcraft, the horde and alliance are at /WAR/, and it's not pretty. I personally enjoy this. So what if you steamroll me with several people? I'll just rez and figure out a way to get you back eventually. It's fun like that. Cubs, what you mostlikely saw are the official WoW forums, and those can be explained easily. All the crybabies and little twelve year old fanboys and e-wimps go there because they feel that they've been cheated. If they lose, something is obviously wrong with the game and needs to be fixed. Since those are the -official- forums, they feel that if enough of them whine together Blizzard will think that they matter and make the game easier for them. Sorry, but the doomsayers and such are all just a bunch of little children crying about the sky falling. The honor system is actually pretty awesome, pvp in most areas is nice(I'm on a mid-high pop pvp server, doesn't get much more congested than that), and more than not, the guy with more skill will win out. There are areas that are zerged like crazy with massive amounts of players from both sides, but that's usually only Hillsbrad, and there are tons.. and tons more areas that aren't zerged and are very playable.
Most people who whine about WoW just usually suck at the game. I've got my shaman and have a hunter on the way to 60(the omfgwtfgimped class) and it's all very balanced in my opinion. As far as the earlier post about hunters being nerfed into oblivion, I hate to break it to you, but hunter is a class that takes extreme skill to win with in pvp, but once you master kiting and changing your aspects on the go, this is possibly one of the godliest classes in the entire game for pvp. It's a shame people blame their lack of skill on the development team and then cry foul when they don't win. I assure you the devs don't sit at a desk going, "Let's pick on this class this patch just for the hell of it." All nerfs/buffs are imped for a reason, and if you know how to play the game, they usually don't effect you to the point of "I'M QUITTING THE GAME BLIZZARD, CHANGE THIS NOW, WAHHHHHHHHHHH."
And that is my take on WoW, lv1 to 60, pve and pvp, on a pvp server, before and after the honor system. All very enjoyable, all very awesome. End game instances make me a little nostalgic and I feel like ripping my hair out when I get reminded of dynamis, but you don't really need the crap from there anyway, and they're nice to run with guildmates if you're in a nice guild. Loot's easier to distribute that way and you don't have people being bastards. Pvp isn't for the light hearted. Don't choose to be on a pvp server if your ego can't handle being smashed by somebody way above your level quite a few times on the way to the top. All of us on pvp servers have earned our stripes and we like it that way, now we enjoy it at level 60. It's definately more satisfying than being spoonfed everything on a pve server and never having to watch your back or having the thrill of being jumped and somehow by the grace of the WoW god himself surviving and beating your would-be ganker, then sitting back and going "Damn I love this game."
Conclusion: WoW rocks the hell out of FFXI. I am lv60 now, speaking at endgame point, and pvp offers so much. Definately something you can log on, enjoy, pvp some, log, and feel like you had fun as long as you're not a crybaby and don't expect everything to go your way. Unfortunately, a lot of people are exactly like that and that's why they should just go to pve servers.
-Mithe.
