Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

[Greyfist]

I've noticed that many of the guides for newbies are a few years old now, have any of the expansions provided better ways to start off a character than sticking close to one's home town? I'd hate to struggle tooth and nail outside my starting town, only to hear a few months later, 'Oh man, you did what? Didn't you know that the Oasis of Infinite Experience and Gil was just two zones away? Man, I leveled to 20 in half a day there...'

I have all three expansions, so if there's any area in an expansion that a newbie should migrate to ASAP, please be kind enough to let me know!

[Murphie]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

The expansions don't really have much of an effect on the newbie (sub level 10) experience. Heck, they don't even have that much of an effect on the average sub-20 experience. There are a few alternate areas, but most people still party in the same zones they have been since the game launched.

For your first 10 levels at least, you are good to go in the starting zone just outside your home town.

Don't forget to get signet, and an EXP ring using your conquest points when you save up enough of them.

[LilithAngel]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Nope, the starting cities are known as the starting cities for the simple reason that that's where everyone starts. Ever since the core game of FFXI on up to ToAU, the starting regions of Gustaburg, Ronfaure, and Sarutabaruta always have been where you get on your feet and go. Perhaps the WotG expansion might shake things up, but I highly doubt it.

Every other zone/region out there that's not a city will eat a lvl 1 alive. Period. Even the far sides of the starter zones will kill you before you're ready. The only real change the expansions introduced is perhaps some extra gear available in the lower levels, but that'd be just about it.

[Lunaryn]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

The only expansion that's had any impact at all that I can see on low-level XP is Rise of the Zilart. And the impact of that is fairly well integrated into resources on where good camps are and such.

1) Korroloka Tunnel -- Viable xp camp for 15-20. If you're sick of the dunes, try to drag your party out here and fight worms. However, a lot of people will be reluctant to move.

2) Yuhtunga Jungle and Yhoator Jungle -- These have totally supplanted core camps such as Batallia Downs for xp from 25-30.

CoP doesn't come into play for XP until the late-30s (and a lot of people won't have Tavnazia access yet the first time they get a job this high anyway), and ToAU doesn't until the mid-50s.

[Greyfist]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Thanks to all who replied, and special thanks to Murphie; I'd never heard anyone mention the existence of the exp rings before, and they've made an awesome difference in my experience rates! Never would've even thought to look for them.

[Malacite]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Aht Urhgan has messed up the economies of the starting cities and reduced the populations quite a bit, but if anything it's easier to EXP now than it's ever been before.

[wrongfeifong]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

One thing about the old guilds is....

They screwed up the invites for any TOAU jobs. I swear, i have not gotten a BCNM/KSNM/Any missions invites because they will say "Our strategy guild does not have corsair in the description, so we will go with a BRD or a rdm just for refresh". Now i don't blame them if they need AOE sleep, but its ridicious to assume that i can't perform better then brd or RDM as a cors when fighting 1-2 enemies....

[Malacite]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Don't you mean "guide"?

Spelling and Grammar are your friend.

[Murphie]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

They screwed up the invites for any TOAU jobs. I swear, i have not gotten a BCNM/KSNM/Any missions invites because they will say "Our strategy guild does not have corsair in the description, so we will go with a BRD or a rdm just for refresh". Now i don't blame them if they need AOE sleep, but its ridicious to assume that i can't perform better then brd or RDM as a cors when fighting 1-2 enemies....

Well, those people are idiots. You're better off.

[Legal Fish]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

I'll be writing a mega guide soon that should be up to date. For now use the new player guide videos on playonline.com

And anyone who says expansion doesn't change your experience is full of it.

[Murphie]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

And anyone who says expansion doesn't change your experience is full of it.

Please explain how the expansions have affected the 1-10 level range. That's what the OP was asking.

[Irisjir Callard]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Expansions, not so much. Expansions are pretty much exactly that. You start in one of the three starter cities and start moving outwards, and each expansion expands how much farther 'out' you can go, in a manner of speaking. RoZ was the first expansion and you'll get into RoZ areas first, probably at around level 20 and jeuno, then CoP, then ToAU. So while the expansions have changed leveling mid-game somewhat, and endgame to an extreme degree, for the first 20 levels it honestly doesn't matter if you have the expansions at all, to my knowledge.

If that answers your question.

But all levels have changed, wildly, drastically over the years with normal standard game updates. The recent updates of rings that grant EXP bonuses, the signet upgrades granting defense and evasion bonuses, both of these are very new to me as a standing member of the FFXI community. Since I predated them, I am in AWE of how easy it is, comparatively, for newbies to level up and get started. It seems to me this game has gotten a great deal frendlier to the lower levels.

I also remember a certain set, the trader's/baron's set coming out, in CoP, an excellent level 20 mage gear armor. I remember at the time being angry, because, if I remember correctly, I basically wore the level 11 bais-and-gaiters set clear up till seers, because there was no decent gear for a mage job between the two. I remember wishing I would have had access to the trader's set back when I needed it.

So yes, the lower levels have better gear, better advantages, there are better foods available on the market, and signet nowadays is for more than just farming crystals. If your question was asking, "hey old fart, how are my first ten levels in this game going to differ from your first ten levels three years ago", that's how in a nutshell. Signet, exp ring mostly, and then armor once you get past oh, level 15, and expansions don't really start to kick in until level 20 at the earliest, more likely level 30.

[Murphie]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Which was all answered in the first response in this thread.

[wrongfeifong]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Its amazing how people doesn't brother to do any research about the new classes, i mean TOAU been out for a year and more. I still have people ask me "What do your 2 hour do?". Many still doesn't have a clue about ability like Random Deal or is corsair able to sleep.

We will see that with the new 3 classes of WOTG.

[Pteryx]

Re: Have the expansions altered the newbie experience?

Its amazing how people doesn't brother to do any research about the new classes, i mean TOAU been out for a year and more. I still have people ask me "What do your 2 hour do?". Many still doesn't have a clue about ability like Random Deal or is corsair able to sleep.

Even worse, there are still people out there who don't realize that Corsair can refresh... -- Pteryx