New Player

[N0MAD]

K so I’m currently playing World of Warcraft. And getting rather bored of how gear oriented . How if you don’t have this item you cant do this raid, and how quick it is to level . So as I said I’m leaving WoW . Ive looked into many other MMORPG’s and none has caught my eye yet . Many of my friends have played FFXI and have told me diff things each time so im here to get some info from real players.

1. With regular game play how long does leveling take?
2. Friends have told me that the gave is quite old and have lost lots of members so is there still enough around as low levels so it doesn’t make it impossible for new players to level?
3. Are the Gold Spammers as bad in FFXI as they are in WoW ?
4. Even with how old the game is are servers still populated enough with vets and newcomers?

[WovenDarkness]

Re: New Player

Well, let's see here....

1)Regular game play is rather subjective.... The amount of time that I currently have to play the game is probably about 10-14 hrs a week...for several months on end, I was playing the game between 60 and 70 hrs a week. ...so that's one issue to look at as far as how fast leveling goes... Then there are things like in game currency to think about. You've got to have money for things like armor, weapons, food, etc., etc. That'll take some time... Then there are quests to fulfill to allow you to enter certain areas of the game.... finding people to help you with "limit breaks", artifact armor, your subjob quest, leveling your appropriate subjobs....the list really does go on for some time.... FFXI has loads of stuff that you can do/need to do. I started playing the game sometime in January of 2007, if you'll take a look at my character information, you'll notice that I don't have a single job at 75 yet....

Other people have beaten me there, and probably with a couple of different jobs. So leveling really goes at your own pace. If you walked into the game with buttloads of in game currency, and lots of time on your hands, I imagine that you could probably get a job to 75 and your subjob to 37 in a few months. ...on the other hand, that might be a bit optimistic...

2)FFXI has lot of players....leveling lots of different jobs. Getting party invites won't be a problem early on.

3)I have *zero* clue. I've never played WoW. ...and I have no desire to do so. FFXI eats up all of my available time....and I like it that way.

4)Yup. I see new players all the time.


~~EDIT: Why worry about how fast or slow leveling takes? I think the game is an absolute riot. Play at your own pace. Make some really cool in game friends. Just have fun. IMHO, the game shouldn't be a race to "end game" events. ...after end game, there's burnout.

[Silent Howler]

Re: New Player

2. Friends have told me that the gave is quite old and have lost lots of members so is there still enough around as low levels so it doesn’t make it impossible for new players to level?

I'm not sure if this is true. I think it only seems that way because so many players have moved to newer locations. The starting nations and Jeuno are not as crowded today as they used to be, but if you head over to Aht Urhgan Whitegate (introduced in the latest expansion, Treasures of Aht Urgan) you will find quite a lot people there.

[Ketsum]

Re: New Player

1. With regular game play how long does leveling take?
2. Friends have told me that the gave is quite old and have lost lots of members so is there still enough around as low levels so it doesn’t make it impossible for new players to level?
3. Are the Gold Spammers as bad in FFXI as they are in WoW ?
4. Even with how old the game is are servers still populated enough with vets and newcomers?

1. WAY WAY WAY WAY longer than in WOW. (WOW is like kindergarten of MMOs)

2. nar they're just in higher level areas

3.nope, WOW gold spammers are nuts... haven't seen a single in game person try sell me gold or direct me to a gold selling site.

4. yeah of course. Because it's a Job-system where you can freely change your job without any draw backs there is always someone around that level.
it would take insane amounts of time and gill to get every job to 75... I highly doubt anyone has done it... most I've seen is someone with 3 jobs at 75... and they're your old school players.


just me 2 cents... or gill as it were

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: New Player

1. With regular game play how long does leveling take?

Most leveling is done within a group of six ("full party"). Usually, this is configured with a tank job, healer job, support job, and damage dealers. If lacking any of the first three, no one usually wants to form new parties, so you'd be forced to wait for slots in existing parties to open, and hope you have the right job for that party.

You can spend a lot of time just waiting for the right jobs to form parties with, or waiting for replacement spots to open up.

That said, S-E has done a number of things to improve solo and small party plays: NPC fellow, improved exp and TP saving under Signet, etc.

Still, full parties tend to get better experience points per hour due to faster kills, and to do well in small party or solo requires fairly deep knowledge of the game. (Either you already know the stuff, or can learn fast from the first few K.O.'s...) Progression will not be fast as a soloing newbie.

However, exp'ing in a good party where people are working well together, is a beautiful thing. After years of playing, seeing a party timing Weapon Skills to form Skillchain and cast magic to perform Magic Burst still brings a smile to my face. (Not so common these days, though, with melees so powered up with food and gears, compared to the past.)

2. Friends have told me that the gave is quite old and have lost lots of members so is there still enough around as low levels so it doesn’t make it impossible for new players to level?

From what little information S-E has released, the population size has been pretty stable over the last three years, hovering around 500,000. Lower levels are bit depleted these days, but the coming expansion pack has new jobs, so many people will be leveling in the low end again.

Your timing is good. ^_^ Pick up the game and the Wings of the Goddess expansion pack, due to come out Nov. 20th, and you should see plenty of people on low level jobs.

3. Are the Gold Spammers as bad in FFXI as they are in WoW ?

We are not flooded with shout (called "public channel" in WoW?) spams for RMT (Real-Money Trades), but it still happens, I think. (I play at odd hours, so my experience may differ from others.)

There are still RMT activities, but they have been severely reduced compared to just an year and half ago. (IMO, S-E has largely been doing the right things; I sent a message to its "Special Task Force" about two fish bots (likely RMTs), and the next day, they were gone. Can't say that's true for all instances of players reporting RMTs, but I take it to be a good sign.)

4. Even with how old the game is are servers still populated enough with vets and newcomers?

As I've said, the popular size hasn't really changed much over the last few years, according to S-E's own census.

* * *

However, it's not really the number of people you should be concerned with; it's how well you'll do in the game as a newcomer.

FFXI's strongest point is its communities of players. Its weakest point is possibly the dependence on these communities for one's in game experience. The foundation of your FFXI game play is your Linkshell ("Guild").

Find a Linkshell which welcome new players with veterans acting as mentors, and you will think vets and newcomers mix well as you progress and learn in LS parties.

Don't have Linkshell members to exp with, and you'd find a boat load of aloof-ish old players anonymously soloing jobs to Lv.20+, while newbies flounder in Valkrum Dunes, unable to get any party going, and struggling to get to Lv.15.

In short, how well you mix with long time players depends heavily on your Linkshell, which also affects how fast you can progress.

Of course, this isn't a horse race, and there's no need to rush. Plenty of people have spent over two years without a single fully leveled job--and still enjoy the game tremendously. (Hint: I'm one of them.)

* * *

FFXI is a deep, involving game. Why don't you give it a try? ^_^

US$19.99 will get you the "FINAL FANTASY XI Vana'diel Collection 2007" with all the existing expansion packs, or US$3.99 "FINAL FANTASY XI Starter Pack" will give you the basic game (no codes for expansions). Each of that comes with one month free game play, I think.

[WovenDarkness]

Re: New Player

FFXI is a deep, involving game. Why don't you give it a try? ^_^

US$19.99 will get you the "FINAL FANTASY XI Vana'diel Collection 2007" with all the existing expansion packs, or US$3.99 "FINAL FANTASY XI Starter Pack" will give you the basic game (no codes for expansions). Each of that comes with one month free game play, I think.

Whoa!! Shameless/selfless plug!! /clap

....why the hell didn't I do that? LOL

[N0MAD]

Re: New Player

would like to thank everyone for there information its helped me alot with my decision.and im happy to say i shall be getting the game in a few days

[Mhurron]

Re: New Player

Well, Welcome to Vana'diel then.

[Shadowneko]

Re: New Player

No one mentioned my favorite part of FFXI: Story.

Vana'diel has some great siories and even some of the quests have cool tales all thier own. The best story for me so far belongs to the Chains of Promitha expansion. WoW has very little story compared to what exists in FFXI.

Maybe it's not your thing...but I love the stories myself ^^