For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

[Telal]

I have looked around, and have a few questions about Final Fantasy XI.

First off, this willbe my 5th MMORPG, I'm not new to the genre, but this game has different mechanics than others.
I know some (or all) of these have been asked before so please bare with me.


1) I know alot of people ask about soloing, I'm not. I'm asking about duoing. My wife and I will be playing together, and frankly, I want to know if the two of us can play 90% of our time as a duo, and still enjoy this game? I'm not interested in how much of a grind it is, because if it is enjoyable, the grind doesn't matter.
I'm not overly concerned with the speed, or efficienty of leveling, or exp chains (as I have no idea what or how they work).
My question is simply: can my wife and I have fun playing primarily as a duo?
If it takes me 3 years to hit lvl 75, and i have fun doing it, then it is time and money well spent.

2) What does a duo do when we hit lvl 75? I'm not big into multigroup play and would not make a "career" out of it, what other options exsists for us? I guess, is there alot of depth to the game, are there "side things" to do or accomplish if we want to take a day off from exping? Hard to explain really, but not to make leveling feel like a job, are there options available that isn't exping, that is still fun?

3) Is crafting fun, needed, worthwhile at all? Any benefit to being a cook? or Gardener?

4) With the World Pass System, will it be possible for one of us to delete/recreate our character over and over until we land on the same server?

Basically we love everything Final Fantasy, and i'm really curious if this game feels like a final fantasy product. Where combat may or maynot be menu driven, but it is fun and beautiful to play/watch.

Also, I'm not really asking for job/subjob suggestions, I would rather us make those mistakes and learn our lessons that way (makes the game more fun IMO).

Thanks for your time.

[Spinnthrift]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

1: Yes - you can duo a lot. Personally - if I had a duo partner... I would rarely party any more except for missions and boss fights and the like. Sometimes partying is nice, but... truth be told, if you've got someone you can party with solo, you'll make a lot more money/seals/crystals/drops/enjoyment for your time than with some of the parties you can get out there.

2: Merit. Merit some more. Fight big things.

3: Crafting isn't for everyone, but it can be a lot of fun. Cooking and Gardening can both net you profits. Pikko has an awesome guide to crafting here.

4: With the WP system, one of you creates and farms up 1000g. Buys a Gold WP for the other and gets you online. Either that - or find a server you want to play on and request a WP for both of you - that way you can get started together!

- Saeriel

[Murphie]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Welcome to the game! I hope you like it.

1.) There are some relatively viable duo options. Early on, you only have access to the six starting jobs (Warrior, Monk, Thief, White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage), but after 30 you can start to unlock advanced jobs, and many of those (especially Beastmaster) lend themselves more towards solo or duo play, so that's certainly something to consider.

DRG/WHMs can duo pretty well. Or NIN/WAR and NIN/Mage could be fun. SMN can solo relatively well, so that could be an interesting duo choice. I have some friends who duo'd BST and SMN together to about 40ish at least, so that's definitely a viable combo.

I'm sure someone more informed on solo/duo options will come along and expand on all that.

2.) Engame options if you're not interested in being part of a larger LS (Guild) are a bit limited, but there are still a lot of things you can do, I suppose. Especially in light of the new expansion.

3.) Crafting can definitely be worthwhile. Cooking in particular is a great skill to have (and it's pretty easy to level), as food plays such an important part in this game. Gardening is something you can do regardless of what other crafts you focus on, but it's not for everyone. I personally have no skill at it, but many people swear by it. So you'll just have to try it and see.^^

4. Ideally, one of you could land on a random server, and within an hour or so raise enough gil to get a WP for the other person. Not perfect, but better than having to try to randomly end up together. That, or you could choose a server, and then ask someone to provide you with two world passes, thus making things a lot simpler.

Hope that helps!

[sevenpointflaw]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Well, if you aren't in a particular rush to get to 75, it sounds like you could really benifit from playing Beast Master. Beast Masters, in my opinion, are the ne plus ultra of soloing, duoing, and trioing. Its a perfect option if you want to play together without others involved.

However, there are other ways to "duo" without being the only two people involved. Especially since you have to get another job to level 30 before you can unlock Beast Master, you may find it beneficial to duo together with different, complimentary jobs. For example, one of you playing a tank and one of you playing a white mage would probably work very well. Likewise, Black Mage and White Mage can often duo together.

As for end-game duo, if you choose the Beast Master route for example, there are a lot of thigns that you will be able to do that others say are impossible - if you're willing to invest the time and effort into figuring out how to do it.

Crafting fun factor is totally an individual thing. Some people hate it. Some people love it. I know people who are only level ~40 in game, but have all crafts maxed 'cause thats what they prefer. I suggest picking your job, then researching what crafts are good for it (cooking is usually most "useful" because its the only "consumable" craft). Try out that craft and see if you enjoy it.

Randomness is kinda iffy if you both want on same server. If you are interested, post a WP request in a sepcific WP thread in the server forums, or hit me up for a WP if you two would like to get into Odin. I'd be happy to arrange it. If you are interested in Beast Master, I can also put you in touch with a few people that can better explain it and offer more practical pointers.

[Matera]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

1) Duoing is viable, and you can have fun while doing it, although it is dangerous. If you're the type that gets angry when they die a lot, you may not enjoy duoing.

2) When you hit 75, you can't do much as a duo except what you've been doing all along: Relatively easy quests, farming, and meriting. Be prepared to not have the absolute best gear.

3) Crafting is worthwhile, but unneccessary, and it takes a good amount of money and time to skillup (Get better at).

4) Previous suggestions work, but when a Worldpass is purchased, it can be used by more than one person.


Most other online games have an immature audience, so you might want to open your mind and find friends. There are plenty of couples that I know on my server, and really, there's only a handful of assholes compared to games like WoW and such.

[Telal]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Wow quick replies, and the first time i have read "yes duoing is not only possible but fun" i have heard many nightmares of the "grind" of FFXI. To me, grinding is part of the game, as long as I have fun, i don't care.

Noobish question, what is "merit"?

I'm reading guides on various sites, and trying to soak up somethings.

We aren't apposed to grouping or link shells or anything like that, just "raiding" (or alliances ? here) has burned us out on most of the games we have played.

Basically we are looking to see if this game has what we want, and that is the ability to have fun playing a game together, where there is no really emphasis on "being better than your neighbors". I just wanna play and have fun.

I have read alot online, and trying to learn what is what, and don't really know the class abbrivations yet, i know: whm, rdm, nin I assume drg is dragoon and shm is summoner? anyway, I think part of the fun will be me going like ranger/nin while my wife is nin/thief or something part of the fun for us is making the most complete backwards duo work.

I guess my depth question was, City of Heroes was a great game, but all there was to do was fight, then fight some more, and then fight again. while the combat was fun, the only thing to do in the game was leveling.

I guess, if we pick up the game next week, i will be back here to ask for assistance with world passes, i will gladly pay back the 2k gil, as i'm not a mooch and not asking for handouts, just ease in getting my wife and i playing together.

Again thanks for your honesty, your time and being helpful, don't see that on many forums anymore

I don't get overly upset by death. Dying, like grinding, is part of the game. :D

As far as server selection, i have no idea what the difference in them is, and just now, found out one of them is named Odin.

It's also nice to hear that this community ismore mature than WoW, man, that game was a complete headache.

Beastmaster intrests me, i've always been a fan of pet classes. but really, if it's fun enough (and possible), i'm the kind of person that would attempt to get every class as high as possible.

having the best gear isn't a big issue to me, as long as I can get gear that allows me to do things that are "my level". Eventually during the leveling process, i'm sure we will meet people and befriend others, it's the nature of the beast. we just go afk alot, and a "smoke break" could turn into a 45 minute "gah, i'm hungry lets cook something break", and we don't like to inconvience others.

Though through EQ, DAoC, CoH and WoW about 90% of our play time is spent as a duo.

Oh, is there pvp in this game?

bring on more replies, I hunger for information.


EDIT:
I'm sorry, i have a "problem" with emoticons... I will try to behave

[Spinnthrift]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Merit'ing... the end game grind...

Basically... you keep exp'ing for shiny buffs to your character that you wouldn't normally get at 75, improved stats, better effects, quicker recasts.. that kinda stuff.

I wouldn't worry about it for a looooong time yet.

The stuff that burned you out on previous games is a *looooooong* way off, even if you are fast levellers. That's the End-Game and to be fair - you don't have to do it.

Most people tend to pick up a few linkshells early on in their gaming career - then settle down to one or two social linkshells - where they make their home. At lower levels, this is mainly used for advice and mission help to be fair. Later on that'll grow into BCNM/Events, and you might start to pick up event specific Linkshells.

Don't worry about the abbreviations - you'll pick those up very quickly in game.

The game is long - and if you treat it like a rush to 75 - it is a grind. Me personally, I take my time over stuff, and rarely go *levelling*... there's so much to do otherwise (like running in circles around Galka's and getting under people's feet).

Never fail to ask questions too... it always helps.

Also... look up a fishing guide. I cannot stress how much of a difference getting into fishing early will make your financial lives easier in the game. It's about the cheapest and most reliable way of making money at the start of the game.

- Saeriel

[Matera]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Meret Points basically make you stronger after endgame. There are many things you can merit, and even job-specific things. It's really not important until 75, and if I can assume that you're a casual player, you won't need to worry about that for a long time.

As for raiding/alliances: Alliances aren't required as often as you'd think. They're not exactly enough to burn you out, but getting together with 17 other people for a couple hours a week 65+ is fun, and lucrative.

If you want a game with a lot of plot, quests, and time/patience required, then this is for you.

Abbreviations for Classes

Initial 6 classes:

War - Warrior
Whm - White Mage
Blm - Black Mage
Rdm - Red Mage
Thf - Thief
Mnk - Monk

Advanced Jobs (Quested):

Pld - Paladin
Drk - Dark Knight
Rng - Ranger
Smn - Summoner
Nin - Ninja
Bst - Beastmaster
Sam - Samurai
Brd - Bard
Drg - Dragoon
Cor - Corsair
Pup - Puppetmaster
Blu - Blue Mage

Rng/Nin and Nin/Thf is a good combination. Ninja main/sub is great when you can't heal yourself (Without spending loads of money on Potions). As a Rng, you'll be doing most of the damage, while your wife will be tanking when possible.

As for City of Heroes - This game is not ALL about fighting, like I previously said.

And 2k isn't much gil at all.

Have fun!


Editting on your Edit:

There really is no difference between servers, other than people, and prices (It's all independant based on a server's economy... They're quite isolated that way.).

Good gear is always buyable, until level 50-60 where you quest for your usually worthwhile artifact armor, which is exclusive to your job, looks cool, and provides great stat boost. After that, there's expensive buyables and a lot of questables.

PvP: Yes, but it's extremely optional, and lately has been overshadowed by besieged, which is a new event that occurs in the new expansion territory, Aht Urghan.


Oh! As for consoles... If you're on Xbox or PS2, don't worry. If either or both of you are on PC, then look into getting the "Vana'diel Collection". It has the first two expansions, the game, and a pass for a free month for a friend: Use it on your wife.

[Telal]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

It's hard to explain our game mindset, basically we are "hardcore" in the fact that if we like the game, we play it ALOT.

We are also, Powergamers, meaning, we like to accomplish stuff when we log onto play. Please don't confuse this with rude and got to level level level mentality. I'm not rude to people unless they are rude first, and to be frank, accomplishment might be, not getting lost trying to find the next outpost.

To be honest, the acronyms in this game scare me, You guys (the community) have accronymed EVERYTHING, it seems. I wouldn't be suprised to find posts with no actual words in them.

I'm so glad I found this forum, you guys beat IGN to the far ends of the earth, leaving it in the dust. Everyone there seems so rude.

Mertiting sounds like what I wish WoW had, something that wasn't raiding, that's an option, and hooks my character to boot. Will have to learn about that at some point.

OHHHHH

For a Final Fantasy XI complete noob (me), is the "Offical Strategy Guide" a worth while investment to learn about classes, skills, maps ect?

[Matera]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

IGN is crap. Never ever buy gil. Please.

Depending on what you do, you may learn to hate them.

And don't buy the strategy guide. All the information in there is... Just...

Horribly wrong.

I purchased it, and yes, it does help, but the only things I use it for are ability and spell levels (When you learn them) and Skillchains, but as I get higher, even that is become less useful. As for meritting, I believe there are posts around.

Oh, and I editted my post after you editted your second one, check it out.

[Telal]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

we are both pc gamers.

So i we can buy one copy? both play for 30 days, then just start a subscription for the second person?

Can it really be that easy to get both of us playing?!? YAY! (if so)

And please dont' confuse IGN with IGE, two completely different entities.

IGN is the Vault Network alot of normally really good fansties, and nice forums, for some games (depending on the population there).

IGE is crap game destorying internet item sellers.

[Matera]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Right, my mistake, misread about IGN/E.

Well, the Collection is cheap, ~30$. You get a buddy pass which lets your wife play for 30 days for free, although she doesn't have any access to the expansions, but that doesn't matter until level 25 for most people anyways. However, you can install the expansions on both computers with one copy: You can only register one though.

Hope that helps. Anything else you want to know?

[Telal]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Yes, is there a screenshot for this game that shows me the interface? So hard to find one that shows what all the windows and what not looks like.

Also, system spec question, we have 4 gaming machines (don't ask! ) 2 desktops, and 2 laptops.

There specs:
Desktops:
AMD 3200+
1GB matched pair pc3200 ram
GeForce 6600GT 128MB Video cards
-- I downloaded the benchmark and scored in the 3900's but the benchmark scores are missing from the offical site.

Laptops:
Dual Core 2.4 Ghz Intel Processor
1GB PC400 Ram
Sata 10k rpm hdd
ATI X1800 128MB video cards

-- extra laptop question, does FFXI support wide screen resolutions?

I'm so excited, to get the game now.

About the buying the game.
The PC "collection" is $19.99 has the original game, and 2 expansions.
Do we need to buy 2 of them (eventually), or after the "friends trial" do we just start a subscription and away we go, full access to everything (eventually picking up the new expansion, because i have a twisted fasination with the blue mage).

EDIT:
Why do i still get email for replies, if i have turned that option off? it's gonna blow up my inbox!

[Oogami]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

No, you can't have both players on using only 1 account.

My advice would be that one, and only one of you to get to a server first.
Then start our with either Red Mage, Warrior, or Monk (These jobs are a lot easier to level from 1-10 imho). Get a signet from the NPC near the town exits to farm crystals. Learn how to use the Auction house, play about 4-5 hours to get enough gil to buy a gold worldpass.

The gold world pass gives you some pretty cool stuff.

I could of course get you a worldpass to Seraph if you're interested, the normal one.

All you got to do is post your character name.

[Telal]

Re: For my first post, i bombard you with questions!

Another question, concerning the UI.

is it customizable? as in can i move the group window, and such?

Is ther ean option to show you're macros? and which buttons they are assigned to? (I'm reading a macro guide now, and well, seems odd so far, but I'll understand it more in a minute.)

Edit:
I didn't mean on the same account, Matera suggested that the box comes with the "CDKey" for me to play, and a buddy pass for my wife to play (with out expansions, for a month). i was just curious if after the buddy pass, do i have to buy a new game for her? or just start the subscription? (makes sense that I have to buya new game, so not turned off on that).