So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

However, if you're willing to listen to advice from people who are trying to give it, and be open-minded, perhaps you'll find FFXI is actually a pretty fun and rewarding game.

Perhaps he's be willing to listen to advice is he wasn't just trolling.

[Spazz]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

As a person who has played this game for years and years... Im sure I speak for everyone here when I say that seeking parties is a pain in the ass! Yes, we all want to get out and level up! Yes, we all want to do our part to reach 75 and become elite! But want makes this game so damn awesome is the same painful multi-day seeking of parties! Not anyone can just pick up this game without becoming a part of something bigger than themselves. Not anyone can pick up Final Fantasy XI, play for a month and get bored because they reached level cap!

I have quit FFXI a total of 6 times... I dont say much on these forums anymore but I do read them daily. And what keeps me coming back is the same community that makes this game worth putting in days of seeking for just 1 level. I can proudly say that I have multiple level 75 jobs! I busted my ass to get to where I am now!

I have played WoW, EQ2, Lineage, Guild Wars, Archlord, Eve, etc.... Each of those games are fun and very interresting. Each of those games can be picked up and you can practically solo everything except for some endgame gear. But each of those games will never have the hardcore community of XP Grinding, Limit Breaking, Pushing their job beyond the norm, poise, stamina, and legacy... as Final Fantasy XI!

I rest my case!

[Dopples]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

I'll never really understand the obsession with "solo play" in MMOs. I mean, sure, some quests should be soloable, but if I can solo everything in the game and reach the lvl cap (I usually avoid PvP mind you), it just feels like I'm playing a single player RPG with an online text box and the occasional smart A.I a.k.a another player once in a while. The whole point of playing online is to play with others, which is why I love FFXI to death.

[assumedvigilance]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

I'll never really understand the obsession with "solo play" in MMOs.

How about paying to be limited in what you can do? say for instance you decide to lvl blm. and you're going along fine until the mid 50's. when suddenly all the invites dry up. so now you are stuck. make a party? well when they see you as a blm they leave. solo? well SE made sure you can't do that either. at least not for anything resembling a reward for your efforts...

i mean would it be so horrible to allow for solo play? the game happens to be awesome, so why not take into account that there are those who happen to be socialy inept but enjoy the game as much as you do. why not make the system work to allow these people to enjoy the game still with out forcing them to be in a party thats going to end up ragging on them constantly?

[The Mauva Syndicate]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

You might want to talk to LadyKiKi - she didn't seem to have a problem leveling a number of jobs to 75. I'm sure she could give you some advice, or you could just sponge off of her wisdom and, what she calls XPS - Extreme Precision Soloing. I can't post links yet, but she posted a walkthrough for Beastmaster in a recent thread that I'm looking forward to myself, so soloing can be done.

It's just really really HARD. SE made things a bit easier with the boost granted by Signet against lower level Mobs (DC and below I believe, Could be wrong) and especially as a mage, that still means EP Mob> EP Mob> Rest> repeat repeat repeat (ad infinitum) DC's are do-able depending on your job - and frankly RDM can solo mobs most people run from, (All I can say is that RDM is a uniquely effective mage as a Soloist, due to the enfeebs and self-buffs, WHM and BLM are not nearly as easy to solo) so I'm not sure I can relate too much. I also am made to understand that once you get to 20, SMN isn't too hard to solo, BST, of course a lot of jobs. Then there are jobs that really can't be solo'd, and even getting to 10 alone can be a drag, meh.

It's a Fiinal Fantasy game, it's to be expected.

[CroweMidgard]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

I think alot of players also miss something in FFXI that isnt necessarily avaliable in other MMOs. In which content is spread through out the level ranges. Think some other posters sort of hit on this earlier...

You don't have to be 75 to experience most of the game. Is it an advantage absolutely, but not a necessity. You have Chocobo Racing, Pokemon wanna be game, BCNMs, Garrisons, Promyth, etc. And from what I have experienced the closer your level is to the level cap to these type of events, the better you are at them. Usually your are better geared and have better knowledge of your limitations than a 75 who is being capped does.

[Juiced]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

I love the final fantasy series and would like to start playing again without having to resort to the crappy beast master class to do so.

Crappy Beastmaster class....

why, I oughta...

[Feenicks]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

How about paying to be limited in what you can do? say for instance you decide to lvl blm. and you're going along fine until the mid 50's. when suddenly all the invites dry up. so now you are stuck. make a party? well when they see you as a blm they leave. solo? well SE made sure you can't do that either. at least not for anything resembling a reward for your efforts...

Sorry, just had to pick on this. BLM is one of the best jobs for soloing XP. A guy in my LS just finished soloing BLM 1-75 in only a few months.

[Balfree]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

Who ever said you can't solo? Last time I checked, Easy Prey mobs still awarded you EXP. And every job can kill EP mobs.

[Heartily]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

Been playing 2 hrs a day for 3 years- LFP time =0
solo'd beast to 68- gets better every level. Solo blu/war/pld/red/nin
easily (my only expectation is a little excitement, some exp, something to sell)
My LS provides all the social aspects that makes the game rewarding. They help me, I help them. Cooking to 100 and when I'm lazy I fish. Solo'd so many quests and missions and still have a ton more to do. I can't see why someone would consider this a grind. Since i'm an older generation and I've played games since
pong, I can compare present content to the beginning versions. Not only was it a grind, there was a single path to follow and very step had a prerequisite to advance. I can't complain about anything in this game. Boredom time= ZERO

[Luna]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

FFXI is one of the best MMO's you'll find online as of now. Not only are there a solo aspect but there is also the ability to party with ppl all the way to 75 (job permitting) there is also a ton of quests, missions, rank ups, edngame events (once you get there) There is also Assault, Salvage, Limbus, Sky gods: that you can get really nice gear from onc you lvl up. With the evergrowing esspansions that have come out along with i'm hoping to be many more, there is not only alaways something to do in FFXI but there is alaways something "Interesting" to do, it is a very competative game making it a lot of fun, More ppl lay this game based on talent and hard core gaming so if you are not into that its better to go to WoW where all the other little kids and "just to pass the time" players go. But I warn you, you wont find any better MMO out there to date.

[LadyKiKi]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

Thanks you The Mauva Syndicate for pointing me out.

To solo, it depends on the person (mentality/patience/experience/knowledge). Granted, I relied on the BST subjob to solo my jobss, if it was to be taken out/crippled that would severely affect my EXP/hour and my desire to solo, purely because I'm sure people will no doubt have experienced that the effort required to fight something Even Match past Level 35~ far outweighs the benefit (EXP). This may not apply to some jobs, but applies in a general sense of the way the game works.

To offset ths the only way is to use the game's mechanics against itself. Due to the "power surge" (is what I label it) of monsters after Level 35, the increase in HP, attack and Double Attack (to most monsters) makes it very difficult to solo efficiently and get a decent amount of EXP at the same time. Hence it's why BST are able to solo.

Note that while I am aware of a BLM's soloability on a beastmen's pet, I am unfamiliar as to why they can solo at 75, is it because these "puddings" take lots of magic damage? Anyways ...

When I solo, I do it like chess. I think of possible outcomes before, during and after fights. These factors will determine whether I'll cure, run/lose aggro, kill my pet, kill my prey, what to charm next/to fight first let pet die and then charm, etc. I am constantly thinking/planning/taking awareness of my surroundings, what's available, etc. I combine this with the power of my main job's abilities/spells and the basic powers of BST, charm, fight. Due to the "no EXP penalty" update for players with pets, this has made it even more easier for me to solo. That particular update came at the time when my PLD was 71.

I must stress, what I do is not for everyone. There's a few people I've known that does this type of soloing but not on my scale, as far as I know. This isn't to say you cannot do it, but this mentality and experience was carved via lots and lots of deaths and mistakes. I have my bad days, sometimes when I just couldn't zone in time or if my connection dies. I homepoint, take a break, and go back.

As for soloing without a BST subjob, well I would think most jobs (barring BRD, WHM, COR, I think... don't quote/hold me to this) should be able to pull it off the same way a BLM does, via Beastmen's pet. I myself prefer not to use that route, simply because it seems a lot of people do it, and there's a shortage of camps for certain levels.

I don't blame people for complaining about this, the way they made this game is really quite limited.

I have finished my Ninja to 75 last week, and I am starting on THF, continuing from level 35 where I had left it off a while back. I am currently nearly Level 40.

[Dopples]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

How about paying to be limited in what you can do? say for instance you decide to lvl blm. and you're going along fine until the mid 50's. when suddenly all the invites dry up. so now you are stuck. make a party? well when they see you as a blm they leave. solo? well SE made sure you can't do that either. at least not for anything resembling a reward for your efforts...

i mean would it be so horrible to allow for solo play? the game happens to be awesome, so why not take into account that there are those who happen to be socialy inept but enjoy the game as much as you do. why not make the system work to allow these people to enjoy the game still with out forcing them to be in a party thats going to end up ragging on them constantly?

Everyone on FFXI is socially inept, join the club.

[Shadowneko]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

I like the team aspect but I hate some of the attitude. Let me explain: Some people in this game yell "Don't invite the Summoner! That job is useless!" or make me heal when triditonally the job's claim to fame is and was Summoning monsters.(it works in FFXI with elemental syphon and modify gear)

Most mele is created basicly equally(minor differences) so things like Dragoon(espc. now that we have the straps for subs on 2h weapons) should get the same chance as Dark Knight...but due to this darn Attidude thing people yell and it doesn't get the due attaention it should. People currnetly yell about puppetmaster having no mele skill...I though the whole point was the puppet which has gotten better!

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: So after 3 years you still can't solo this game?

FFXI was the last in the line of what I'd consider the "old school" approach to MMOs.

EXP Loss, lots of griding and missions over a focus on questing. There are actually people who prefer this approach and find the solo hype of the WoW generation to be nothing but a bait-and-switch.

Let's look at the WoW-style. So you can solo from 1 and quest for EXP. While this is nice, you go from zero-dependancy to complete dependancy on an alliance at endgame to get anything done. From zero competition for gear to loads of competition. Not even all of FFXI endgame content is like that, its gotten far more progressive.

And best of all, in WoW after all that work to get "l337 g3arz" is swiftly outdated by the next expansion - Meh. That something FFXI never does. FFXI never directly obseletes a piece of endgame gear, instead, they make alternatives that are often quite respectable. Rise of the Zilart gear is still great gear, CoP Sea/Limbus gears are excellent, ToA Assault and WotG Campaign rewards are respectable and ToA Salvage and Nyzul Isle rewards are immensely good in thier own right.

Not only that, FFXI's endgame is far more varied and robust than most MMO endgames. You have the old-style big-window mob spawns, Dynamis and now lots of instanced content that can sometimes be low-manned rather than requiring tons of people to do it. Meanwhile, Assault and Campaign offer high level rewards players can persue at thier own pace.

Simply put, FFXI doesn't dance around the grouping issue. Rather than make it an inevitablitly, FFXI makes it the norm. However, there are PLENTY of jobs that solo and have soloed to 75 without resorting to just killing EP mobs.

Ignore the facts about the soloability of FFXI if you want, but the fact remains that solo in FFXI is earned, its not given away and the game will not be stupified to the point where its possible from level 1.

If it is not your flavor of MMO, move on, FFXI ain't changing for the WoW generation.