Hello FFXI, im new!

[Aksannyi]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

When I started playing I was unable to choose my server, but by now Hades is just my home, and I wouldn't think of changing. Many people do change servers though. Now you are able to choose which server you wish to go to, though I think you can let the game choose for you if you want. If you wish, someone here would probably have a social linkshell for you to join with so that you have some friends right off the bat, so you might consider joining with them. I'd offer you one, but I'm between socials.

There aren't major differences between servers. The populations are somewhat higher on some than others, but SE tries to keep them even. You might find higher concentrations of JP or EU or NA on some servers, but not necessarily. I'd say it's pretty hard to really know. As far as content, they are all the same.

Gil is not terribly hard to make but you do have to work at it, it's not as easy as most games. You will have to take time off from leveling to make gil for new equipment, spells, and consumables.

Job changing is free, and there's no limit to how often you can do it.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

If you wish, someone here would probably have a social linkshell for you to join with so that you have some friends right off the bat

That sounds like a great idea, I found a server population list and was thinking between Fenrir, Shiva, Asura and Phoenix, if there is anyone from these servers who has a social linkshell they would welcome me into that would be great. At the moment Fenrir is my number one choice.

Im going on a little holiday in two weeks so I wont be playing untill I return, such a shame, the help and warm welcome I have experienced just in this little thread makes me want to play right now!

There is also the chore of getting a copy sent from Hong Kong, hope it doesn't take more than 4 weeks.

[Alinys]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I would offer a social LS but sadly my only LS at the moment only has my boyfriend and I in it. XD We were in several but apparently during our short hiatus those disbanded.

You are welcome to a Linkpearl however, if you do decide to join Fenrir. Just /tell Alinys. (:

[zell1990]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I'm in NZ also, and I don't have any problems connecting or finding parties etc. I used to be on Asura which was very good for numbers of people, now switched to Remora where a few of the others at uni play.

either way, don't worry about time differences. and before you go ordering from Hong Kong, Game Planet Store NZ get the 2008 collection and you're sorted ^^

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

Thanks Alinys i will take you up on that offer when I can finally play!
Well I have ordered my copy of FFXI and now the wait begins, In my spare time I have been researching the new player guides and other various job guides.
I have run across a few things that have confused me though and was hoping to get them explained as simply as possible.

Leveling up - Once you hit 18 you can have a subjob, so I level a WAR to 18 and want to take THF as a sub, what next? So am I now a 18WAR/1THF, how do I level a subjob, In the guides I have been reading they seem to take you back to level 1 areas, Do I need to make my main job THF to level it up or as I gain exp will it be split between my 18 WAR main and 1 THF sub?
This is very confusing, trying to get my question across

Maybe it will be easier if someone can explain leveling job and subjobs right from the beginning.
Sorry if reading this gave you a headache, writing it certainly gave me one haha.

[Aksannyi]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

You can go to your Mog House and change jobs at any time, without losing progress on your current job. You will have to level your main job and your subjobs separately, though. My advice is that if you want to use THF as your SJ (as you said) then just go ahead and level that to 10-ish as well, before you even unlock the subjob quest.

Even if your subjob is underleveled (which means it is less than half that of your main job, highly considered to be "gimp" by the playerbase) you will not gain XP on that job. You only get XP on your main job. To level your sub you have to actually switch to it.

Three big reasons I say to do this: 1: You won't have to do it right after you get your subjob quest done, 2: WAR and THF share the same gear from 1-10, so you can save some gil by buying it only once instead of twice, and 3: You can make a bit more gil by taking two jobs to level 10 before you even join a party, so you can be sure to have the money to buy gear and other such necessities for your level.

Hope that helped.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

My 'plan' which is not concrete I have to admit, Is to play a SAM/? the ? being whatever is recommended be it WAR or DNC or ?, I will probably have to level a few different subs for different situations.
But now I am wondering, is it a waste to level up say, DNC above 37 since It will probably only ever be used as a sub? or do you miss out on spells/abilities etc if it is not maxed?

[Aksannyi]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

You get all abilities and spells for a subjob up to the level it is capped at. For example, I have WHM and RDM to 75. If I use WHM as a subjob for my RDM, I don't get all of my level 75 WHM abilities, only the ones that I would get if my WHM were 37. When I set WHM to my main job again, I get all those abilities back up to 75.

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I would love to know about the crafting and synthesis, could someone give me a few key points of info? (To get me started so I know what to go research)

From what I understand, If I am having trouble finding a partying and soloing isn't too great (I am dieing alot etc) there is always something I can be doing, I assume this is where the crafting/synthe comes In to soak up some of my attention.
I could be mistaken though, If there is something else that I am supposed to do when I am out of luck on partys etc please say so.

But what I want to know is,
Is it something a beginner can go into easily or is it more of a, recommended for players with experience kind of thing.
If it is suitable for beginners what would you recommend to beginners, does crafting work the same way jobs do? (Can I switch between crafts without a fee and keep my old levels in the craft?)
What it involves (crafting i assume is gathering bits and pieces of... monsters? maybe and making a shield from the hides or something)

Any info is appreciated, Thanks

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

What you're "supposed" to do when you can't find a party is whatever you enjoy. Craft, solo, farm, quest, fish, harvest/excavate/log/mine, run around in circles, poke NPCs, compose poetry about your home nation.

Crafting doesn't work the way jobs do, generally; you don't have to set yourself to a specific craft and do only that. If you want to do some goldsmithing synths, you just grab the materials and start. You want to do some cooking, you just grab the materials and start. That does change when you get to level 60 in a craft, or if you want to start racking up guild points, but just to get started, you don't have to worry about that. The only thing you do have to worry about is that every 10 levels in any craft, you have to turn in a certain item to the guild to go further in that craft. (You can turn the first item in anytime between 8 and 10, the second between 18 and 20, etc.)

You don't really need experience with the rest of the game to start crafting, but you do need to pay attention and be good at research. You'll want to find recipes that 1) are only a few levels above your current craft level 2) have ingredients you can easily find and afford and 3) sell for reasonable amounts. Skilling up and making a profit don't often coincide. You'll find recipes that will be good for skilling up, but will either break even or lose money, while the recipes you can make money on will often be ones that are below your current skill level (and thus won't give skill-ups).

The basics are that you use the appropriate cyrstal with the appropriate ingredients, and you have a chance of success based on your skill level and the recipe's skill cap (and some other factors like day vs. crystal etc.). On success, you end up with the item you're trying to craft (maybe even an HQ version). On failure, you end up with one less crystal, and possibly some lost ingredients. Either way, if the cap is above your current skill, you have a chance of getting a skill-up.

You'll want to use sites like FFXIClopedia to find recipes just a few levels above your current skill, and the best ways to get their ingredients, etc., and compare prices at the AH and at the guild and at NPCs, etc. etc. etc. Do not craft without researching. Guild prices fluctuate a lot (based on how much of the item in question has been bought recently), so they may be better or worse than other NPC vendors, and the AH may be better or worse than any of them.

One recipe that's generally always good to start with is Sheep Leather. Watch the AH and guild shop prices on Sheepskins (and/or farm them), but it's only level 2 leathercraft, so you can skill up fairly reliably without many failures, and it's generally profitable.

[Armando]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

By the way, crafts aren't made equally. Some will rape your wallet on the way up a lot more than others. Some like Alchemy and Cooking are relatively cheap to level to 60.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

What you're "supposed" to do when you can't find a party is whatever you enjoy. Craft, solo, farm, quest, fish, harvest/excavate/log/mine, run around in circles, poke NPCs, compose poetry about your home nation.

Ellipses made wonderful suggestions but I'd like to add another. EXPLORE! When you are new this is one of the most interesting and fun things to do. Get on a job you don't care if you die on and see how far you can go without dying. I am determined myself to get to Jeuno on a level 1 character without dying. Nearly did this last time, I only died once! Thank god I had a scroll of Reraise on! It really was exciting to make it there! When you are new, this also helps you to know your surroundings better and teaches you how to avoid aggro, which is always a good thing!

[NewbZealand]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I seem to get the impression that crafting is a very evil thing that will -surprise buttseckz- my wallet and must be avoided, I wouldn't want to break the bank and then have crappy equipment.
Unless there Is a way that is simple to understand and relatively safe for the bank.

I came across a guide for skill chains and these seem to be important when in partys (can you do them solo?), although I cant for the life of me figure out what it all means.
The basics seem to be... Player1 hits the monster with a skill of a certain type, Player2 hits the same monster with a skill that opens a skill chain within 5 seconds.
A few things I want to know are,
Am I able to see my party members TP at all times, so I can know when to expect a skill?
How do I know what 'type' Player1 just used and If my skill will open the skill chain? (Do i essentially have to learn all the skills that all the jobs can use at certain levels?)

One of the newest updates to FFXI seems to be a party level scaling kind of system. If a 25 scales down to 18 to not ruin the party's exp, I would assume the 25 cant use its skills that require level above 18, is that correct? and does the 25 gain experience at all?

How does aggro work in FFXI, in and out of partys.
When in a party are there any hints as to how close I am to the tank or is my first hint a monster smacking me across the face?
If I do decide to run to Jeuno on a level 1 how is the aggro, for example, I run past a level 3 aggressive rabbit, he chases after me if i get within 3 yards of him.
Then I somehow find myself running past a level 40 aggressive sheep, he smells my newb scent from 30 yards away and chases after me? If that made any sense at all haha.
Thanks for all the help thus far everyone, please keep it coming!

[Aksannyi]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I seem to get the impression that crafting is a very evil thing that will -surprise buttseckz- my wallet and must be avoided, I wouldn't want to break the bank and then have crappy equipment.
Unless there Is a way that is simple to understand and relatively safe for the bank.

Personally, I wouldn't concern myself with crafting just starting out. Concentrate on just gathering items dropped from mobs and making gil off those. Sell crystals mostly, and do some of the repeatable quests in your nation. You can amass a small sum fairly quickly if you do this, at least enough to keep you geared for a while. I'd say after you make it to Jeuno you can start to think about crafting, by that time you should have a bit saved up and also you'll have more resources at your disposal (Jeuno AH, chocobo license to ride to other cities, etc.) to make it easier.

I came across a guide for skill chains and these seem to be important when in partys (can you do them solo?), although I cant for the life of me figure out what it all means.
The basics seem to be... Player1 hits the monster with a skill of a certain type, Player2 hits the same monster with a skill that opens a skill chain within 5 seconds.
A few things I want to know are,
Am I able to see my party members TP at all times, so I can know when to expect a skill?
How do I know what 'type' Player1 just used and If my skill will open the skill chain? (Do i essentially have to learn all the skills that all the jobs can use at certain levels?)

You won't have to concern yourself too much with skillchains anymore, as most parties don't even bother with them. Just from fighting mobs you will start to memorize a few basic skillchains after a few parties that actually use them. Essentially, you are correct. One person uses their weapon skill, and a few seconds later, the second person does. It can be very effective especially with a good Magic Burst from a RDM, BLM, or SCH, but people do not use it very much anymore because of how long it takes mages to rest MP back after fights.

Still, you will want to learn how to skillchain so you can at least have the ability available. It's not hard at all.

You will not be able to see your party members' TP without using third party tools such as Windower, so you will have to rely on them to tell you when they have enough TP for a weapon skill.

You will gain skill points on your weapons as you use them, and as you reach certain points (5, 30, 50, 75, 100, etc.) you will automatically learn new weapon skills. There are also some weapon skills that are quested, but you won't need those until you are 70+ anyway. Some jobs will require you to learn skill in more than weapon for end game, but you can pretty much make it to the mid levels (40's) having only one weapon skilled. For skilling other weapons, people join skill up parties.

One of the newest updates to FFXI seems to be a party level scaling kind of system. If a 25 scales down to 18 to not ruin the party's exp, I would assume the 25 cant use its skills that require level above 18, is that correct? and does the 25 gain experience at all?

That is correct. Last night I synced with my boyfriend, who was (then) 48 BLM. My BLM is 60. I was scaled down to 48 as well, and only had access to the same spells and abilities he did. I was still able to get experience points with this method. Before level sync, I would probably not have gotten any experience points, and neither would he. In traditional parties, experience points are based on the level of the highest party member. So if you're 20, you can't party with someone who is 75 in the dunes and leech exp.

How does aggro work in FFXI, in and out of partys.
When in a party are there any hints as to how close I am to the tank or is my first hint a monster smacking me across the face?
If I do decide to run to Jeuno on a level 1 how is the aggro, for example, I run past a level 3 aggressive rabbit, he chases after me if i get within 3 yards of him.
Then I somehow find myself running past a level 40 aggressive sheep, he smells my newb scent from 30 yards away and chases after me? If that made any sense at all haha.
Thanks for all the help thus far everyone, please keep it coming!

In parties, there is a thing we like to call the "hate list." To get on the hate list you must either

1. Take an action against a mob, such as hitting it or casting on it.
2. Take an action on someone who has taken an action on the mob, such as curing them.

Dying, zoning, or killing the mob clears your hate for that mob. The term for hate in parties is emnity. The person who has the highest emnity is the person the mob hits. Everything you do has some sort of emnity, so even for mages it is important to watch how much you are doing so that you don't pull hate.

Aggro, on the other hand, is when a monster that has aggressive tendencies detects you and decides to eat you. Only mobs that are easy prey or higher will aggro in most cases. Aggro is one of the hard things to understand in this game. It took me the longest time to realize that some monsters detect by sound, and not by sight. I would run behind sound aggroing mobs thinking, "Oh, they can't see me so I'm safe!" And they'd turn around and tear me a new one.

You will generally have to learn which mobs are sight and which are sound, which are both, which do not aggro at all, which aggro to magic, aggro to job abilities, which are true sight (meaning they can see you even through invisible) and true sound (can hear you through sneak). I will say that you won't have to worry about true sight and true sound just yet. You will also learn to judge at what distance you can avoid getting aggro. It is a bit difficult to tell, but you will eventually learn it. You can use items that give you sneak and invisible (and I'd recommend it!) but you should also learn how to avoid aggro without these tools as well. It's a valuable skill to have.

Best advice: If you are going to an area you are unfamiliar with, look it up and take a look at what mobs you can expect to be aggressive and how they detect. Some zones will only require sneak, some zones will require both sneak and invis. Aggro never goes away, unfortunately. I still have to avoid it at 75, so learning how to do so at a low level is a good habit to get into.

[Ellipses]

Re: Hello FFXI, im new!

I seem to get the impression that crafting is a very evil thing that will -surprise buttseckz- my wallet and must be avoided, I wouldn't want to break the bank and then have crappy equipment.
Unless there Is a way that is simple to understand and relatively safe for the bank.

Some crafting makes sweet love down by the fire, some crafting has never even heard of lube. There are a few recipes you can make right from the start that will go slow and treat you right, but if you want to stay a virgin for now, that's a totally valid choice.

I came across a guide for skill chains and these seem to be important when in partys (can you do them solo?), although I cant for the life of me figure out what it all means.
The basics seem to be... Player1 hits the monster with a skill of a certain type, Player2 hits the same monster with a skill that opens a skill chain within 5 seconds.
A few things I want to know are,
Am I able to see my party members TP at all times, so I can know when to expect a skill?
How do I know what 'type' Player1 just used and If my skill will open the skill chain? (Do i essentially have to learn all the skills that all the jobs can use at certain levels?)

Certain jobs can do self-skill-chains, but not until later on, so for now pretend I didn't even say that.

If a party is going to do a skillchain, the way it will generally work is that someone who knows what they're doing will look at the weapon types and levels of the melee in the party, and find a skillchain that works. Then they'll tell the melee what skills to use in what order, and it will stay the same for that party. So you don't need to memorize every conceivable combination, or react on the fly. If you're one half of the skillchain, you'll know which half you are, and which weaponskill you're going to use.

To know when it's going to happen, melee will have TP report macros. Something like:

/p TP: <tp> (Ready to start skillchain!)

When one half of the skillchain hits 100%, they fire that macro. The other half then fires their TP macro to show how close they are, and then fires it again when they're at 100%. When both are ready, the first fires his weaponskill, the second waits the few seconds it takes, then fires his. Or some approximation thereof.

This all assumes that you get into a party that bothers performing a skillchain. If you'd like to learn how to do them, speak up and ask your parties if they can get one sorted out so that you know how.

When in a party are there any hints as to how close I am to the tank or is my first hint a monster smacking me across the face?

Not really. Just pay attention to your damage vs. the tank's, your ability use, etc. You generally just get a feel for it and learn what you can and can't get away with based on all the jillions of factors that go into this.

If I do decide to run to Jeuno on a level 1 how is the aggro, for example, I run past a level 3 aggressive rabbit, he chases after me if i get within 3 yards of him.
Then I somehow find myself running past a level 40 aggressive sheep, he smells my newb scent from 30 yards away and chases after me? If that made any sense at all haha.

Aggro - FFXIclopedia - a Wikia Gaming wiki

Y'know, I've never been really clear on whether your level vs. the mob's has any effect on aggro range. I don't think it does, but sometimes it really seems that way. Not so much that high level mobs will run across creation to smack you (except for magic or /heal aggro, those have some stupidly long ranges sometimes), but more that lower level mobs grow increasingly blind/deaf the closer they get to being too low level to aggro. It's one of those things where I don't really trust my observations, and better safe than sorry.