If I were to join FFXI now...

[Oddsocks]

...would I still be able to access and go through the storylines for each expansion without having to go out of my way to do so?

I'm assuming that the original game had a campaign and storyline, then say the first expansion came out and everyone hip-hoorahs for that and does the campaign then, and so on and so on. My question is, joining the game now what difficulties (if any) would I face in... well, joining in?

I'd basically end up purchasing the 2008 edition shown here http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/5476201/Final-Fantasy-XI-Online-2008-Edition/Product.html

Now I played FFXI a year or two ago and recently made a thread here ranting about how much I loathed the time I spent in Van'Diel or whatever that place is called. To be honest, I think I lacked the patience to let the game show itself to me. I got to a point when I found quests to be far too easy and have little, if any, exp, or so difficult that fighting one mob would get me owned so hard i'd need plastic surgery or accept living life in the sewers as a hidious freak for all eternity (not unlike a Batman villian but that is beside the point).

Another issue I had (and this is where you come in) was mass confusion and a feeling of being massively overwhelmed (lvl 10ish I think); I found the game came to a screeching halt, not that it had being moving particularly fast anyway. I found very little help for this in the general chat of the game and ultimately gave up. A few of the issues I can remember were;
-What the hell am I supposed to do about these quests being either so ridiculously easy or so unforgivingly hard?
-Why for the love of all things great and good (especially pornography) is it so hard to get a party going?
-Why is exp so low in a party?
-When do I start making any good money whatsoever? I am so poor... So, so poor...
-My god this place is big. What the hell is on with these three nations and how come I can choose a nation to be loyal to that goes against my race?
-My god this place is massive.
-Hey, my nation is doing terribly on this server, there are no merchants! What am I supposed to do about that?
-Seriously guys this place is huge.
-Holy shit is that a bear?

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gray Fox]

Hello, I'll try to touch on as many questions as I can, but sadly I do not have much time right now to go into depth on them.

I'd say you should be able to get the quest done in the right order, but it may be a tad hard these days for the sole reason that most players are already leveled far behind having to do them. So it'll be hard to find people to do these quest unless you find friends that are willing to buy low level armor and do the lower level quest with you.
For latter on quest like level caps and stuff, that should be easier to do since there should be many high level players that can solo them for you.

Now for the other topics.

-You mentioned being at level 10 and the game seeming to slow down. IMO the game doesn't really 'start' until much later. Most the content is level 75, but you'll find the game to start picking up at level 20.

-For the exp comment. I think it is rather easy to xp once you get rolling an used to the game. Expecally how easy players get it these days. I started like 6 years ago and the ex you you needed for each level was double of what you need now. I was pissed that they lowered the exp needed by the time I got 2 jobs to 75.

-For lower levels xp will seem low in parties. I wouldn't really recommend partying until level 14+ and still even at that level the xp won't seem to great yet. You'll have to wait for later levels to see it roll in higher and faster. By the time I got to 75 I could get at LEAST 50,000 in one party a day.

-I started getting good money around level 30ish, coulpe 100k. Within the 40s and 50s it started going up to 100k's. You just need to find a nich that you are good with.

-The nations are all for varity. It doesn't matter what race you are.

-There isn't much you can do all by yoursel to save your nation from doing poorly, just kill stuff in certain zones and it helps your nation. Each nation will have on again off again wins though. In the end it all seems to even out.

Anyway, sorry I didn't have to much time to answer these. I'll be back to try and answer any questions you have when I get more time. Hope I helped a tiny bit though.

 

[Raikyo]

I knw this is kinda a stupid question but like do is the battle system in FFXI

 

[Gray Fox]

Sorry, I don't fully understand the question.

 

[Raikyo]

Like if you play WOW you double-click the target with the let mouse buttons so is it the same in FFXI

 

[Gray Fox]

Yeah, cept I like the battle system a lot more in FFXI. I couldn't get into WoW.

 

[Shu]

Well as I recently answered in another thread, it is true alot of people have their advanced jobs, but on Hades I have noticed that people are just starting to play again. Alot of people are just starting to pick the game up and play again it seems, and yes not as much as 2003-2005, but I have noticed people starting on all their advanced jobs. If you are just starting a few (real life) friends and I (four of us) are starting again all at the same time on Hades and I will be grabbing a linkshell pretty soon and invite all who wishes to join us. /tell krazyshu

Also the reason it comes to a screeching halt at lvl 10-11, is because (MOST) people are just starting to be introduced to parties. As anyone knows that has played this game, this game isn't entirely a "Solo" friendly game, it's not WoW. You absolutely need groups if you want fast exp past lvl 15. So get used to parties, and get the feel for you character FFXI has probably the most complex Party Battle System, but it is probably the best I've ever played.

(I have played WoW with 3 70s, DAoC, Lineage II, Diablo (all of them), AC, Ultima Online, LOK, never touched evercrack) So I'm a tad bit exprienced when it comes to RPGS.

 

[Fryhtaning]

When you're around for a while, it starts to become more obvious that they designed the game to be progressed at a certain rate to have the most enjoyment. Usually you can tell by the level that a fight is capped at.

On average, you should be able to get a "rank" every 10-15 levels or so - rank2 around 15, rank3 at 25, rank4 around 35, and rank5 around 40. That's with a full party, for the most part. As far as quests - just gather up as many as you can get (no limit) and just plan out doing them when you're in certain areas for a mission.

XP is tricky... if you have at least 2 friends you can rely on playing with, you are set for life. My wife and best friend play - tank, dd/support, and healer - as a threesome, and get a ton of xp per hour - at least as much as the 6-person groups of old. Just chain T mobs up to 4 or 5 and use the XP boost rings. If you're alone.. getting from 10-20 can be a nightmare. Valkurm is horrible and full of noobs and parties that think you can kill IT mobs at 12. You just can't. Just form a strong party of 3 and kill T mobs til 20, then go to Qufim.

Money sucks for a while.. just keep everything you find and sell them all on the auction house. Never go without a Signet, so you can sell crystals. I agree with the others - once you're 30+ or so, loot wil get you a bit more on the AH or from vendors. The market as a whole is pretty solid now.