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[encephalon]

This is my third try attempting FFXI. I tried once in 2008, had a free trial and somehow terminated my account in 2015 (no memory of this), and started fresh again this year. I had never really made it beyond Bastok before now. It's been an experience. Maybe a bit of a lonely one - almost everyone is gone now. I joined a linkshell named "beginner's manor" and found everyone at level 99. Towns are pretty empty now, except for the dedicated few. I managed to stumble across a party in the Valkrum dunes once, but have found myself mostly relying on the "faith" ("trust") system, where you can employ NPC parties. I'm having fun with the game and being able to freely explore locations by relying on a summoned party is convenient, but ... I kind of feel like I missed out on an experience that can no longer be found in the game.

I'm coming at the game from the perspective of FFXIV and there are lot of things I like about FFXI so far. I like that dungeons are something you walk into and not something you sign up for and wait. FFXIV is definitely more convenient that way, but the world in FFXIV seems to get lost somewhere along the way. At least before the next expansion comes out. The graphics are rudimentary, but the art direction shows through. And I find myself having to go through many varied locations in order to meet early objectives. The world is overwhelming, but it's also kind of a good thing. And I only have two expansions installed. Unfortunately, I can't really talk about classes. I'm still a lowly warrior making my way towards Samurai. There's also something that doesn't really seem to happen in FFXIV, albeit maybe less than in the past - friendly people will offer to help out. You can walk somewhere fighting somewhere, and a veteran will cast protect on you and wish you luck. You can be fighting Quadavs in the mines and someone might offer to help you farm whatever it is you're looking for. When I originally played the game in 2008 someone bought all of my equipment. I guess people don't have to rely on each other as much as before with the faith system in place, but it's something that feels a little more integrated. I'm only playing FFXIV because I have friends on there already (not so much now that I'm trying this out).

I've visited the main three cities, with many locations unexplored. I spent hours climbing a tower near Jeuno with cutscenes I couldn't really understand the significance of. And now I'm in Norg. I suppose it's only a matter of time before they end it (once that mobile version goes up?), but I wanted to experience some version of the game before it's over.

I've blocked out my name, but you can PM me if you want to know my username.

This is what male objectification looks like.

Fought a dragon after a scene making reference to an ancient evil awakening. There's a lot of talk about a war, but I don't know too much about it.

Got my chocobo license. Working on getting an egg.

Took an airship for the first time, to Khazam.

And made my way to Norg today, undertaking the Samurai quest.

Update - 7/30

Update - 8/06

Update - 8/12

Update - 8/22

 

[Desi]

Hot. Love the write-up dude.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

There are times I miss a lot of aspects of XI that aren't in XIV. I'm hoping the upcoming mobile version is a close experience

Nice choice on the subligar lol

 

[Dimitri LH]

One day ill get back to this game and play it properly, unlike back then when I knew jackshit how MMOs worked,

 

[Feep]

FFXI is a game I treasure, because I know it's the only one that I loved that I can never re-experience. All I'll ever have are memories.

There really aren't many pieces of art that you can't go back to and visit. It's a unique feeling.

 

[chronic_archaic]

I always regret never trying this on Xbox 360 - I had a long time to pull the trigger but never did. On PC it wouldn't be as strange - the thought of a full on MMO like this on the 360 always made me curious but I never pulled the trigger. Came pretty close on the last add on but didn't do it. Guess I'll never know. I played a ton of that PSO demo back in the day, but I understand this is more open?

 

[ViciousDS]

I like FFXIV, but i absolutely loved the slower style more turn based esque of XI.

There is no mmo out there like it.


Also OP, turn your internal resolution up like 10 fold.....your screen shots will look much cleaner and the game won't look so dated.

Are there any good guides for new players getting into it? I know for the most part you can solo almost everything up to end game now basically.

 

[Estoc]

Walk-in dungeons are great now that the population is down, but back during the height of the game, it was filled with people and felt nothing like a dungeon, more like a town without NPC and slightly scarier deco. Instance-based dungeons are necessary for both boss-farming and maintaining the image of a hostile dungeon worth exploring.

I get your feeling of amazement though, as I've played Ragnarok Online on both official and private servers, and I loved exploring the people-less dungeons on the private server.

Subligar though, they look like crap on anyone, regardless of gender.

 

[encephalon]

I like FFXIV, but i absolutely loved the slower style more turn based esque of XI.

There is no mmo out there like it.


Also OP, turn your internal resolution up like 10 fold.....your screen shots will look much cleaner and the game won't look so dated.

Are there any good guides for new players getting into it? I know for the most part you can solo almost everything up to end game now basically.

I'm using the game to do the screenshots, so it makes the game look worse than it does. I've been playing windowed, so I can keep tabs open to figure out what the hell I'm doing.

I haven't been following any comprehensive "you should do this this and this" guides, but I think I've been enjoying the game more for it. If I want to know how to do something I just look it up directly.

Walk-in dungeons are great now that the population is down, but back during the height of the game, it was filled with people and felt nothing like a dungeon, more like a town without NPC and slightly scarier deco. Instance-based dungeons are necessary for both boss-farming and maintaining the image of a hostile dungeon worth exploring.

I get your feeling of amazement though, as I've played Ragnarok Online on both official and private servers, and I loved exploring the people-less dungeons on the private server.

Subligar though, they look like crap on anyone, regardless of gender.

That makes sense. I wonder if it would be possible to pseudo instance it. No duty finder to sign up for - you have to go there yourself. But once a certain number of parties has entered a dungeon it puts you in a new one.

 

[encephalon]

Oops, double posting like an idiot. Sorry about that.

 

[Sillution]

FFXI is a game I treasure, because I know it's the only one that I loved that I can never re-experience. All I'll ever have are memories.

There really aren't many pieces of art that you can't go back to and visit. It's a unique feeling.

Exactly how I feel about FFXI. I played from PS2 US release until Wings of the goddess expansion and what a damn ride this game used to be.

 

[Brazil]

Subbed and tried playing it for the first time two months ago. Couldn't do it. Got through the introduction with the tiny-ass dialog windows and arrived in some big city.

It's a shame I didn't have a chance to play it back in the day.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Also miss AF gear being useful for more than a week

 

[mcw]

I can hear it now-- the distinctive piano melody that plays after you sign in to PlayOnline.

Is there a legitimate way to get the soundtrack for this game? And does it include the PlayOnline music? =P

 

[encephalon]

By the way, can someone explain to me what the hell is up with gathering in this game? Looked everywhere for a mining guild, couldn't find one until I found out ... there isn't one? And it's a "hobby?" That you don't level?

Took five pickaxes to a mine, and every single one broke after a single attempt. That's 200 gil per attempt at ore. What???

I guess I won't try to make a sword after all ...

Exactly how I feel about FFXI. I played from PS2 US release until Wings of the goddess expansion and what a damn ride this game used to be.

My greatest regret is missing on RE Outbreak on the PS2.

 

[Stormhammer]

I can hear it now-- the distinctive piano melody that plays after you sign in to PlayOnline.

Is there a legitimate way to get the soundtrack for this game? And does it include the PlayOnline music? =P

playonline was worth it just for the music imo

 

[Desi]

I really do need to sign up for a month or two so I can bang out Chains of Promanthia and Wings of the Goddess. Speed grind my BLU from 71 to 99 so I can stomp on everything.

 

[Stormhammer]

I really do need to sign up for a month or two so I can bang out Chains of Promanthia and Wings of the Goddess. Speed grind my BLU from 71 to 99 so I can stomp on everything.

i did the same thing 2 years ago. subbed for about a month, got my SAM to 99 and knocked out CoP. then.. i tried to solo a dynamis and died, deleveled, and felt that was a good way to end my ffxi career lol

 

[jiggle]

By the way, can someone explain to me what the hell is up with gathering in this game? Looked everywhere for a mining guild, couldn't find one until I found out ... there isn't one? And it's a "hobby?" That you don't level?

Took five pickaxes to a mine, and every single one broke after a single attempt. That's 200 gil per attempt at ore. What???

I guess I won't try to make a sword after all ...

Don't bother with crafting
Use Record of Eminence for all your gear and money needs
https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:Records_of_Eminence


Logging and mining can't be leveled up except through Mog Garden
Only fishing and chocobo digging can

 

[Perineum]

The game's time has come and gone. You either got to experience it then or you missed out on it. What is there now is not even FFXI. Just a husk of a really great game.

I could write a 7 million world essay on what makes FFXI the best MMORPG of all time, and one of the greatest games of all time.

FF14 is a turd in comparison.

Maybe someday Square will nut up and make a real MMO akin to XI again, but I don't think a game like that would work in this day and age. It was a huge time sink, but it rewarded folks for time spent and the challenges it presented. People just want to face roll and do action combat in MMOs now. Mostly solo content that requires no thought when in a group.

 

[blackflag]

Had a lot of fun playing this. Was so rich in the early days from crafting. Ranger/Ninja for life

 

[Conrad Link]

One of my most favorite games of all time, a huuuge part of my life and endless (good and bad) memories that will live forever. <3

Also something the likes I will never experience again.

 

[ViciousDS]

BAH, damn you OP


I just bought the complete collection

 

[Pandacon]

I returned a little over ttwo months ago from a 5 year absence. Suprisingly there where still three people from my old dynamis LS still playing, they meet up a few times a week for a couple hours a at time, so it's nice having a group to hang with right off the bat. Besides that i've been working through the story missions, since i never finished Wings of the Goddess, which i did finish about a week ago, and now i'm starting Seekers of Audilon, and eventually will finish Raps of Vanadiel. If you are returning, i would recommend doing Raps asap since you get items that give you pretty nice buffs to exp gain and such, i've only played through half of Raps so far and it has had much better rewards that the other story mission lines.

With all that i've been working on leveling up my relic weapon and trying to max out my DRG, still enjoy the game a lot especially since i can solo a lot of things now, in large thanks to Trust magic.

 

[RiouV]

By the way, can someone explain to me what the hell is up with gathering in this game? Looked everywhere for a mining guild, couldn't find one until I found out ... there isn't one? And it's a "hobby?" That you don't level?

Took five pickaxes to a mine, and every single one broke after a single attempt. That's 200 gil per attempt at ore. What???

I guess I won't try to make a sword after all ...



My greatest regret is missing on RE Outbreak on the PS2.

Mining is like gambling. I doubt it's worth doing these days but back when I played it was one way of making money. I spent countless hours mining in Gusgen Mines and Ifrit's Cauldron. The reason your pickaxes broke after one attempt is because you weren't wearing Field gear. Field gear is a set of level 1 armor that improve gathering results. Without them they tend to break after one use but with them you can get multiple tries with 1 pickaxe.

 

[PandaPandaPanda]

The game's time has come and gone. You either got to experience it then or you missed out on it. What is there now is not even FFXI. Just a husk of a really great game.

I could write a 7 million world essay on what makes FFXI the best MMORPG of all time, and one of the greatest games of all time.

FF14 is a turd in comparison.

Maybe someday Square will nut up and make a real MMO akin to XI again, but I don't think a game like that would work in this day and age. It was a huge time sink, but it rewarded folks for time spent and the challenges it presented. People just want to face roll and do action combat in MMOs now. Mostly solo content that requires no thought when in a group.

yup, if you didn't play 2004-~2009/2010, you missed out the game at it's prime. I'm not entirely sure why the team made the decisions with Abyssea as they did, but I felt some of the stuff they did hurt the game more than it helped (eg level 30s being able to leech). Yeah leveling sucked and they should have done something else to address it, but leeching in Aby at level 30 to cap was not the answer.

Anyway, game is a shell of it's former self. The game at it's peak with it's mechanics and leveling system wouldn't work today. The only thing that remains is the memories and that's fine by me.

 

[Perineum]

yup, if you didn't play 2004-~2009/2010, you missed out the game at it's prime. I'm not entirely sure why the team made the decisions with Abyssea as they did, but I felt some of the stuff they did hurt the game more than it helped (eg level 30s being able to leech). Yeah leveling sucked and they should have done something else to address it, but leeching in Aby at level 30 to cap was not the answer.

Anyway, game is a shell of it's former self. The game at it's peak with it's mechanics and leveling system wouldn't work today. The only thing that remains is the memories and that's fine by me.

Leveling together is how you made friends, got LS' with people you liked, met more people on your server, etc. It was key to a game like this where the end game was damn near limitless.

If they wanted to help with exp just give more exp per kill or chain so that they could cut it in half on how long it takes to get from level X to Y. Heck even removing the lose exp when you die mechanic would've been enough to satiate folks, and yet keep what makes XI as a group game still a good group game.

Steam rolling to max level is just casual slop shit. That's not a game I would want to fuck with.

 

[Wagram]

XIV wins in the story department although XI was no slouch with CoP, ToAU, and WoTG.

However, I still feel XI had a much better gameplay loop. XI isn't the same game it was though. It's so much different now.

 

[PandaPandaPanda]

Leveling together is how you made friends, got LS' with people you liked, met more people on your server, etc. It was key to a game like this where the end game was damn near limitless.

If they wanted to help with exp just give more exp per kill or chain so that they could cut it in half on how long it takes to get from level X to Y. Heck even removing the lose exp when you die mechanic would've been enough to satiate folks, and yet keep what makes XI as a group game still a good group game.

Steam rolling to max level is just casual slop shit. That's not a game I would want to fuck with.

when I said leveling sucked, I was talking something like increasing the chain cap from 5 to like maybe 10 or even 20. It would have needed to be tested/balanced, but small changes like that would have gone a long way.

 

[Toth]

Also miss AF gear being useful for more than a week

Well, now that there are i119 +2/3 versions of it that offer some pretty amazing stats. Besides, you can glamour anything you can equip on another job as your permanent wardrobe with Style Lock,

For those interested in what the game offers now, check out:

https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Main_Page

 

[Arzehn]

Not sure what server you picked, but Asura is still decently populated, should see a decent amount of people still running around.

They really should be merging the servers, no idea why they haven't.

 

[Desi]

Well, now that there are i119 +2/3 versions of it that offer some pretty amazing stats. Besides, you can glamour anything you can equip on another job as your permanent wardrobe with Style Lock,

For those interested in what the game offers now, check out:

https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Main_Page

Should someone be looking to acquire a particular group of trusts for a well-rounded squad? I stopped playing a good deal before they were introduced but did have one of those partners from another dimension whatever.

 

[Rad Shadow]

Loved being a lol drg during the days everyone shit on them.

Made people respect me when I'd keep up with the best DDs around.

Good times.

 

[TheSadRanger]

I played quite a bit of it way back in the day after I left SWG around when FFXI launched. It was pretty brutal going from SWG to FFXI which were complete polar opposites of each other in terms of game design.

I loved the world of FFXI but hated a lot of everything else about it. Game was freaking brutal in that you could actually de-lvl if you died too much from losing xp. I also hated the UI it launched with.

I got past the dunes and basically couldn't find a group after to that to lvl. My gear was too under level'd and everything was too expensive for me to afford. I remember trying to craft my own gear but the process was just too slow. Was freaking brutal too cause if you missed a renkei when your up the group would disband and reform without you.

Then WoW came out which completely swept me away with it's "Do whatever you want design"

edit: Also fuck not being able to choose your realm, shit was infuriating.

 

[AwShucks]

I returned to FFXI last year after a dozen years to try the stories. I had only heard good things, especially about CoP. It took about 9 days of play time over nearly a year (I don't have a ton of time) but I finished the main story, all major expansions and Rhapsodies of Vanadiel. There were some clunky parts for sure, but I overall very much enjoyed the game. CoP ended up being my least favorite story which I found funny. Treasures of Aht Urghan probably my favorite. And I've barely scratched the surface of non story content, so I'll come back for free logins. It does suffer from the MMO aspects, especially having to run around everywhere the first time before you get warp points. And character creation is not great so my character is super boring.

 

[Perineum]

I returned to FFXI last year after a dozen years to try the stories. I had only heard good things, especially about CoP. It took about 9 days of play time over nearly a year (I don't have a ton of time) but I finished the main story, all major expansions and Rhapsodies of Vanadiel. There were some clunky parts for sure, but I overall very much enjoyed the game. CoP ended up being my least favorite story which I found funny. Treasures of Aht Urghan probably my favorite. And I've barely scratched the surface of non story content, so I'll come back for free logins. It does suffer from the MMO aspects, especially having to run around everywhere the first time before you get warp points. And character creation is not great so my character is super boring.

CoP without the challenge it provided in its inception isn't CoP. That shit took me YEARS to complete due to how difficult it was and what it required of players to do. When you got to that ending it was fucking monumental and I haven't played a game before or since that made me feel as rewarded as I did when I got to pick my ring from completing CoP.

 

[Irishonion]

I loved XI because it never held your hand. At all. Showed one cutscene when you started at that was it. Figure the rest out.

Never been able to find another game with its party mechanics.

 

[Toth]

Should someone be looking to acquire a particular group of trusts for a well-rounded squad? I stopped playing a good deal before they were introduced but did have one of those partners from another dimension whatever.

For the vast majority of content, you can choose any tank, healer, support, and DD you want. However you cannot get the max number (5) without progressing in Rhapsodies of Vanadiel.

 

[Ken]

ye

 

[jiggle]

Should someone be looking to acquire a particular group of trusts for a well-rounded squad? I stopped playing a good deal before they were introduced but did have one of those partners from another dimension whatever.

There are definitely some better than the others
Waaaay better
And not always obtainable

But luckily the game gives u a set of pretty good ones, and a couple of great ones, right off the bat

 

[Joe T.]

Should someone be looking to acquire a particular group of trusts for a well-rounded squad?

It depends on what you're aiming to do. At level 99 I'd choose between a combination of the two bards, Ulmia and Joachim, the red mage Koru-Moru, the black mage Shantotto II (if you have access to her), the samurai Iroha (or Iroha II, preferably, if you've managed to complete Rhapsodies of Vanadiel) and one of the two Unity leader trusts who happen to be white mages, Apururu and Yoran-Oran. If I happen to be playing a mage job I'd usually swap out the bard slot for a paladin.

If you're looking for a group of trusts to get you from level 1 to 99 it really depends on how you prefer to approach it, balanced party versus my no-nonsense group of 4 black mages (Shantotto II, Domina Shantotto, Ullegore, Mumor II, Kayeel-Payeel, Ajido-Marujido were the best of the bunch, I think) and 1 WHM that I used to plow through "Very Tough" and "Incredibly Tough" monsters in short order.

If you're entertaining the idea of a server transfer I'd suggest moving to Asura because it's a night and day difference compared to most of the other servers. There were still a good deal of players in all the home nations and their surrounding areas when I was playing earlier this year along with active linkshells openly recruiting.

 

[encephalon]

I'm on Odin.

Don't bother with crafting
Use Record of Eminence for all your gear and money needs
https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Category:Records_of_Eminence


Logging and mining can't be leveled up except through Mog Garden
Only fishing and chocobo digging can

I returned a little over ttwo months ago from a 5 year absence. Suprisingly there where still three people from my old dynamis LS still playing, they meet up a few times a week for a couple hours a at time, so it's nice having a group to hang with right off the bat. Besides that i've been working through the story missions, since i never finished Wings of the Goddess, which i did finish about a week ago, and now i'm starting Seekers of Audilon, and eventually will finish Raps of Vanadiel. If you are returning, i would recommend doing Raps asap since you get items that give you pretty nice buffs to exp gain and such, i've only played through half of Raps so far and it has had much better rewards that the other story mission lines.

With all that i've been working on leveling up my relic weapon and trying to max out my DRG, still enjoy the game a lot especially since i can solo a lot of things now, in large thanks to Trust magic.

I'm a little bit behind in content because I've been buying an expansion a month. I know I'm sort of holding myself back that way, but otherwise I feel like there's just too much. I didn't want to craft to make cash, just to have the satisfaction of making a few swords while leveling a samurai. Although it would probably take longer to level crafting than the Samurai.

Mining is like gambling. I doubt it's worth doing these days but back when I played it was one way of making money. I spent countless hours mining in Gusgen Mines and Ifrit's Cauldron. The reason your pickaxes broke after one attempt is because you weren't wearing Field gear. Field gear is a set of level 1 armor that improve gathering results. Without them they tend to break after one use but with them you can get multiple tries with 1 pickaxe.

I didn't realize the gear was that important.

 

[Kanann]

Wasted 5 years of my life on this game, never regret.

 

[PrismStar]

I played it for the first time this year. Going from FFXIV to this game was brutal, from the confusing as fuck registering progress, had to spent 30 minutes to figure out how to enter the game, and when I finally in the game, it was unplayable, every 3 seconds my game freezed up for about 0.5-1 second (happened to all my PC), had to spend serveral days to find a resolution online to fix the problem. And when it was finally playable, I coudn't figure out how to play it Didn't know where to go, how to do the main quests (is there even a main questline like other mmos?) , why the monsters in the starting area wrecked me with ease, didn't have a lot money to gear up. You really need a guide to play this game. In the end, I realized this game is not for me and I just wandered around the fields and enjoyed the scenery and the great music

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

I still listen to the OST pretty often: Ronfaure, San D'oria, and Gustaberg.

 

[jiggle]

I'm on Odin.





I'm a little bit behind in content because I've been buying an expansion a month. I know I'm sort of holding myself back that way, but otherwise I feel like there's just too much. I didn't want to craft to make cash, just to have the satisfaction of making a few swords while leveling a samurai. Although it would probably take longer to level crafting than the Samurai.



I didn't realize the gear was that important.

Yeah look into records of eminence if you haven't already
You get in game credits for doing things you are already doing(leveling, killing stuff)
And trade them in for weapons and armors(that you can also sell for money) from lv1 to ilv117
So you can focus entirely on leveling, until u hit the lv50 barrier

 

[Chessr]

Nice read op.
It was my first mmo wich i joined back in the prime days. I have Some Nice memories. Did solo Some expansions last year. I could finally experience more areas. I love there is so varied lanscapes in this game

 

[ApharmdX]

I'm glad to see that people are still enjoying Final Fantasy XI. It was a special experience in its prime, and even now, you can see flashes of greatness in the remains. I like XIV but XI was more special and the greater game, no question.

 

[Royce McCutcheon]

No MMO compares to prime XI, a game that forced you to remain on good relations with the community in order to get the best gear. Post WoTG to the first abyssea was real ass shit

 

[encephalon]

Can I delete the "FFXI_INST folders on my C drive (not in program files)?