brand new ffxi player, looking for social friendly server

[coptsoldier]

hey guys, new player to ffxi here. Looking for a nice friendly server with a friendly guild. I am an experienced MMO player, but brand new to FFXI. Thing that held me back was told the community was horrible to new players, but decided to see for myself. x

[Yygdrasil]

Re: brand new ffxi player, looking for social friendly server

Hey, Coptsoldier!

I'm sorry nobody has gotten back to you yet. Maybe I can be of some help by providing some insight into the way the game was... and how it evolved into what it currently is.

As you well know by now, I'm sure, the game has been out for almost 11 years. That being the case... and you being an avid MMO fan, you understand that the playerbase is very top-heavy and that most of the events people are exclusively interested in now are all geared towards end-gamers who want nothing more than the next shiny object that will increase their over-all damage by OMG1.

This wasn't always the case. 11 years ago, the community was very helpful and people practically jumped at the chance to join in on just about anything. There was a line drawn in the sand between many Japanese Players and the American playerbase... but that has a lot to do with competition and language barriers.

Over the years, as SE became aware that the game was shifting from beginner-heavy to Endgame-heavy, they started to readjust the scope of the game to satisfy those of us at the top. Unfortunately, that left many of the people just starting with hardly anyone to help them. The overwhelming theme was "Too busy, Noob. Go figure it out for yourself".

That, paired with the limited things that one could do SOLO at low levels, meant learning things on your own... or just quitting from the frustration. Some people got lucky and made friends with others who didn't mind helping them get on their feet and reach the end game... but that isn't often the case.

The turnover rate for players in FFXI is so high that most of us at the top aren't interested in helping new players... because we know that 90% of them will play for a month, get bored and find something else to play instead. Then what did we get out of it? We wasted our time helping you when there were a million other things that we could be doing instead. And in the end... you quit anyway.

In the past few years, SE has implimented some changed that recieved mixed reviews. The changes altered the game so that new players (or low level players) could level up much faster and easier then ever before... and do it alone to boot. They increased the amount of experience each monster gave you from killing it... and they tweaked the formulas for how the EXP level curve works.

Lastly... the game does VERY little to explain to you how to do just about anything. You pretty much sign up, log in and you're on your own. The turorial stuff basically points you in the right direction for how to do storyline quests for your starter nation... but thats it. That isn't to say that you wouldn't be able to figure it out on your own... but as I said before... most people get frustrated at the lack of information that they are given... and the lack of help provided by others in the playerbase. If you're willing to ask around... a lot... and do a lot of dying and searching and trial and error... you can figure it all out on your own in a few months. God knows that if you had tried to start playing 2-3 years ago you would have had a lot harder time doing just about anything on your own. These days it's a tiny bit easier.

As for servers with a good population? If there is such a thing, I've never been there. Your best bet is to go to whatever server has the highest population. You'll increase your odds of finding helpful people that way... among other things. Just bare in mind that every server is also going to be full of trolls, assholes and elitist end-gamers who are going to give you a hard time for being new if you let them. The key is to do your own thing, adventure, discover and enjoy the game however you like. The best part about FFXI is that you don't have to play any specific way.

I hope that helps. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us here on the forum. Hardly any of us still play these days, but all of us have at one point or another and I can guarentee we can answer anything you ask us.

-Yyg

[aurector36]

Re: brand new ffxi player, looking for social friendly server

I'm just starting this game as well and I'll start over over whatever to play with you. I plain to be a WHM/BKM but may throw dragoon in there, my username is aurector, please send me a message!