FFXI - 2 million users as of April '09

[Denmo]

I just thought I'd make this to keep those interested informed.

Most pavilion people that still play (and their friends) play on the Midgardsormr server. If you want to play with 'em, I can arrange to get you a world pass.

That is all.

[Phoenix]

I play FFXI

Well used to... Maybe I'll come back some day?

[Chuck]

I was about to start a new topic but this'll do. If you want to, you can skip straight to THE POINT.

I like MMORPGs. Well, I've only played one but I liked it and I like online cooperative games in general. Right now, I only have one functioning computer which can barely play games from the early 90's so PC games are out. I bought a laptop specifically to play CoH/V on and it turned out it wasn't able to play them and anyway it's nonworking now. So I'm stuck with console MMORPGs, of which there is what like 2? That one I mentioned having played being Everquest Online Adventures on PS2.

Anyway, I stopped playing EQoA a while ago. I enjoyed it but the game is all but dead. Right now the closest thing I have to an MMO is Monster Hunter which I enjoy a lot but it doesn't fully scratch the MMO itch. I considered PSU but after renting it it felt more like an XMen Legends type action RPG with a monthly fee than an MMO. Granted, I'm sure playing online is better than the offline Extra Mode but regardless I was underwhelmed. So all that's left is that other console MMORPG: Final Fantasy XI. Problem is I have a slim PS2. So...

THE POINT
Would it be at all worth it to sell/trade in my PStwo to get an original model and buy an HDD so I can play FFXI?

[Excelryu]

I'm not sure. The slim version does has its advantages but it also has its disadvantages. The slim versions break easily and compared to the normal version the the normal versions are superior in every way. So you can either keep your ps2 the way it is and buy the pc version of the game and a gamepad to play exactly the same way or go ahead with your plan. But since your pc is pretty old then I suppose it couldn't hurt to go ahead with your plan. If you plan to buy the PS3 then please read below.

A notice to PS3 users. The update released in December 13th, 2006 allows you to install FFXI for PS2 on the PS3. Currently the only file needed to carry on with the installation is a file that will be available at a later date on the ps store called the ps2 system data file. Once that is installed you can go ahead and isntall ffxi. I partition of 10GB of your hdd is required. Check http://www.us.playstation.com/ps3/network/updates/PS3_131_update.html#game for more information.

[Chuck]

10GB? Wow, that's pretty harsh for people with the 20GB PS3. But you can buy another hard drive so I guess it's not too bad.

I guess I could plan on getting a gameworthy PC eventually. But it seems kind of wasteful considering a really cheap computer is fine for everything other than gaming I'd basically be spending a hundreds more just to be able to play a few games, on top of buying at least one game system. If I did get a good PC I would probably pick a different MMO than FFXI anyway with so many more to choose from.

[Perversion]

We had the HDD at my work for 21.99, but someone had bought it before I was able to. I'll have to check the back room...there may be more. Remember, Chuck, if you plan to get one of the old PS2s to be able to use the HDD and play FFXI, you will still need to buy a network adapter, as the HDD will not work without it.

[Chuck]

The more I think about it, the more I figure it's more trouble than it's worth. I guess I could always go back to playing EQoA, assuming I could ever remember my login and password. Or just be happy with MH which I do like. Until I get a 360 or a better computer.

[Excelryu]

Ah another happy monster hunter. I miss it too. It was stolen from me......*sob* I miss it so much. But not enough to buy it. I've satisfied my sadness and hunger by playing mhf.

[Valkysas]

The slim versions break easily and compared to the normal version the the normal versions are superior in every way.
I don't buy that at all. the originals died constantly, to the point where a class action lawsuit was filed. the disk drives could come out of alignment easily, or just stop working completely. the slim PS2 doesnt have these problems.

[Denmo]

I have the slim PSTwo and it's as sturdy as a brick. Doesn't overheat when I keep the disk running, makes very little noise, and even reads disks faster than my girlfriend's PS2. Anyone who thinks these things are flimsy hasn't had to break open an old PS2 to clean the lens.

If you're planning on getting FFXI, it's playable on any PC less than 3 years old. And now that they've made a bundle pack for it for like, $20-30, it's a much cheaper idea than getting an entire PS2 and HD, PS3, or XBox360.

If you own a 360, I would definately invest in FFXI, but if not, the PC version would be my next choice.

[Phoenix]

Another thing about FFXI: If you're going to play casually, you might as well not bother.

That's said with love. I like the fact that the game was only fun if you
knew what you were doing and dedicated the time to getting it done.

Yeah, this way you don't get as many complete idiots at the higher levels, most of them defect by lvl 30.

[Denmo]

I just reinstalled the game.

http://www.drhealthsecrets.com/images/newsletter/hairloss.jpg

[Phoenix]

(Congratulations!)

[Chuck]

Every now and then I think I'd like to play FFXI based on my enjoyment of the regular FF games but then I think better of it.

[Misty]

I miss Vana'diel. I wonder how it is now, seeing how I've not played the game in over a year and a half.

I'm sure my Linkshell friends are still out there somewhere. :)

[Denmo]

You can get a Hauby, Errant, and a lot of other stuff for cheap now. They've been cracking down on RMT and it's brought a lot of cash out of the system.

Other than that it's basically the same...

[Misty]

I do hear some good things about the recent expansion. You guys might want to try the new jobs :)

[d2king10]

Ive always had an itch to play this, however i have heard that the grind is horrible and whats worse is, you are pretty much required a party to play, and you will spend hours trying to find one. So is this all still true?

[Denmo]

They've added things to help the grind from what it was, like items to increase exp gain, better areas, an NPC partner you can fight with past level 30, and some other things.

But all in all, you'll still be waiting at least an hour for a party. Don't expect to get much done unless you have 3 hours to devote to the game.

[Chuck]

I think FFXI would be my third place choice for an MMO to get into. First is CoH/V for the superhero theme, second WoW for it's popularity and ease to get into, and FFXI for the FF setting. Fouth would be Guild Wars but mainly because of no monthly fee. But right now I don't have the equipment to play any of them so it's a moot point. :|

[d2king10]

Well 3 hours a day to devote to a game isnt that bad, im just wondering if its my type of mmo. Is the battle system like that of WoWs, if so then you can count me out. However, i heard that it is a bit different, so how is it?

[Denmo]

Battles are much like FFXII only not automatic. You pick a target, hit attack, move in range and your character auto-attacks. While you're attacking you have abilities at your disposal (that you learn/buy eventually).

After level 10, mobs become too hard to face alone and still get decent EXP from. So everyone goes for partying together to fight Incredibly Tough mobs. Since monsters opperate on 'hate', they'll attack whoever is doing the most damage or most significant action against them. Parties operate around Hate, and generally try to keep hate on one person instead of others who can't defend very well. Depending on your job, after level 10 your role in each battle changes.

Melee jobs try to build up TP %, which adds up the more you hit the mob or are hit. When it gets to 100% or more, you can do a Weapon Skill. There are certain Weapon Skill chains, where if you do one, and then someone else does one, it causes an effect (Think Quickenings in FFXII).

Mages don't attack in a party. They just sit to the side and cast. The role of the mage is to provide as much support as possible without draining your MP or getting hate.

So you can see, grinding in FFXI pretty much revolves around party mechanics, which is why only certain party combinations work well, which is why many people end up waiting around seeking, especially if their job isn't that important (White mages and tanking Melee jobs usually get a party fast).

[Phoenix]

an NPC partner you can fight with past level 30, and some other things.

You can call your NPC partner from level 1 and up.

Well 3 hours a day to devote to a game isnt that bad, im just wondering if its my type of mmo. Is the battle system like that of WoWs, if so then you can count me out. However, i heard that it is a bit different, so how is it?

I've never played WoW before, but I'll try to shortly explain FFXI's battle system. Basically you walk up to a mob (monster), and engage it, your character pulls out his weapon andd begins whacking away at different speeds depending on the weapon. Some weapons are faster and have less delay that others, like daggers, some are heavier, like Great Swords.

Spells/Songs/Ninjutsu/Summons/etc. are all executed by selecting the said spell/song/whatever and then selecting the mob/player you want to use it on. Different spells/songs/etc. have different cooldowns and casting times. If you use a particular spell/song/etc. often you can macro it, which means you "program" (it's incredibly simple to do), a key on your key board to execute the spell when you press it. Magic uses MP, but Ninjutsu/Songs/etc. cost nothing.

Weapon skills are executed using TP, or tactical points. You gain TP from attacking mobs. When it gets to 100% or higher, you may use a weapon skill. WS's generally do more damage than regular attacks (duh), and sometimes are special qualities like stun, two-fold attack, or elemental damage. One of the biggest parts of a party is skillchaining. SCing involves several people (or one person in a Blue Mage's case), to use certain WS's in a certain order to perform a big attack for large, usually elemental damage.

Mages can also join in by casting offensive magic of the same element right after the SC comences, causing a Mana burst, or a lot of magic damage.

And so there it is, the battle system of FFXI in short. Your welcome.

EDIT: dang, denethor beat me too it =P

[Denmo]

You can call your NPC at any level, but you can't get the item to call it until you do quests which require you to have a job at level 30.

Also, about jobs and race:

You pick a race, you're set for that race forever. You can't change it unless you make a new one.

You pick a job, you can level it and then go level another job. But when you switch jobs, your stats are reduced to that job's level.

Some races are better at certain jobs than other, and it's pretty obvious which are which.

At about level 18, you can do a quest that gets you a subjob. A subjob is a job you leveled that boosts your stats and allows you to use those abilities. However, a subjob will always be at most half the level of your main job.

So if your main job is level 20, your subjob max's out at 10. But that's only if you leveled that job to 10.

A lot of people choose to level their subjobs first to 36 (half of 75), and then do the main job they want. This way they never have to go back to their subs to level them some more.

WHM/WAR or WAR/WHM will not work unless you enjoy being a soft pillow for the mob to stab at.

WHM/BLM or BLM/WHM works, and works well.

There are guides that tell you what job is good for what. Some are good just as subs, others are good only as mains.

[d2king10]

Im pretty interested in trying it, can i download and free trial it somewhere, or do i have to buy it to try it?

[Denmo]

They have a trial download... but you need a buddy code from the box of the Vana'Diel Collection... which I don't have.

If you have XBox360 I think they have a trial CD or download.

There's a downloadable Benchmark program for Windows from the site:

www.playonline.com/ff11us/

But that's all I can get you. If you have a friend who recently bought the game, ask him/her to look in their box for a buddy code, then go here:

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/trial/index.html

The game itself, with all the current expansions, is $30 right now.

[Pinoy0004]

Hey Den, how's the Inner Circle these days? Anyone still there?

[Denmo]

Kuro, BtB, Romi, Jonquill, and Bubba are all still active.

[d2king10]

Ya i dont know anyone that plays FF11...aww shucks. Maybe after i buy my Wacom ill look into it. thanks for all the info

[Phoenix]

Sure thing, if you ever actually decide to buy the game, I or anyone else here can hook you up with a world pass, which basically let's you play on the same server as the person who gives you the WP code. If you get a gold world pass you get some other free items when you join as well, although they are more just freebies then anything you'll use for a long time.

EDIT: Breaking news! SE is now allowing new players to choose which server they get put on when they make a new character, this means no more world pass system. Unlike before where you would be placed on a new server randomly, you can choose now.

More info can be found here. (http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/1520/detail.html)

[Denmo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS8QqIMllTk

They just added Chocobo racing, here's a vid.

For those who are curious, lemme break it down a bit:

- You have to raise a chocobo to Adulthood before you can do anything with it. This requires 1 month and is accomplishable by any level 20 character.

- Raising your chocobo is like gardening. You stop by every day and check up on it, feed it, and do stuff with it. Your chocobo will not die. However, you have ~130 days (4 months roughly) to raise your chocobo's stats. After that, they retire it, and you can only use it for breeding, racing, and transportation.

- Raised chocobos do not run as fast as rented chocobos, and can not run any faster. It takes months to make a chocobo that's just as fast as rented ones. However, raised chocobos can be called in the field anywhere with a whistle.

- Chocobo colors depends on the nation you raise it in, and random factors that no one knows for sure. The easiest way to get a colored chocobo is to interbreed 2 chocobos of the same color.

- Racing as it is right now is only against NPCs. SE has announced that they're releasing it in stages to keep crouds happy. PVP and gambling in races is slated for summer 07.

- Let me repeat, getting a chocobo race-ready requires a good month at least. And even then it requires another 2-3 months of training to hone its skills for big league racing.


So yeah.

[Chuck]

That looks really cool. Shame you have to put so much time into it but as I've heard that's the norm with FF11. Are the controls like Chocobo racing in FF7?

[Denmo]

No, you don't control it at all asside from giving your chocobo commands, I think.

[Phoenix]

Yeah, I tried out the Chocobo racing. The place was packed and I had to go soon but I managed to enter my choco in one race. Basically you have a rider (forgot the special name for them) who rides your chocobo, and you can give him orderes before the race starts on how to ride, i.e., sprint, steady pace, sprint at end, etc.

You cvan also give your chocobo items to use during the race that bolster it's stats (like speed), or give negative affects to other chocos.

I was kind of disapointed, as you can't actually watch any races, only the ones your chocobo is in. You can't even visit the track, unless I just missed that.

Overall the system is pretty good. I have a fast chocobo so I came in 2nd on the Novice circuit. I was kind of hoping the track would be a new area that players could just go to and watch chocobo races as they happen or enter your chocobo, but unfortunatly that's not the case I don't think.

[Denmo]

I believe that will be added this summer.

[DarkEpyon]

As much as I like the story and visual style of this game, I don't like how tedious certain elements of the gameplay are compared with other games. Since the game is so party-centric, it would be helpful to have a few friends at around the same level. PUGs are a pain, especially if you get into one and a key member (like a WHM) has to bolt once you're in, then you're burning precious time looking for a replacement. Result of poor planning on their part.

[Phoenix]

For anyone who is interested, or preferably already plays the game, I have recently set up a FFXI blog (http://forums.ffxiclopedia.org/weblog.php?w=303&sid=258034dabf4b4cdd5ab24100c61ba820) on ffxiclopedia.org.

It's only got three entries (started 3 days ago), but I'm adding to it every day I play FFXI.

[Denmo]

They just announced the 4th Expansion, "Wings of the Goddess".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pnHfDQvNiU

From what I can tell, it looks like the expansion delves into what Vana'Diel was like before the Beastmen wars. Interesting stuff.

By the way, the 5th Anniversary is being celebrated with another Adventurer Appreciation thing, and the moogles give you an Anniversary Ring, which doubles your EXP gain for a maximum of 30,000 bonus exp (10 uses).

So if you had thoughts about playing, now would be a good time. That ring can get you to 20-25 in half the time it normally takes.

[Goufunaki]

Meh. if they want me to come back, they need to make it more solo friendly for people like me who could never get a party.

[Denmo]

Well, having Signet now lets you rest and not lose TP, and that helps a little bit.

Edit: The next update includes:

- Aht Urhgan
New NPCs have been stationed in Bastok, San d'Oria, and Windurst offering teleportation to Aht Urhgan Whitegate. A small fee is planned for the service.

- Choco-gals
Choco-gals will now offer chocobo rentals from the teleport crystals in the Eastern Altepa desert and the Yhoator Jungle, as well as from the leypoint in the WaENom Woodlands

- Outpost Teleportation
The level restriction on players allowed to use the outpost teleportation services located in Bastok, Windurst, and San d'Oria will be lowered. In conjunction with this change, a fee adjustment is also being considered.

This makes me a happy taru. :)

[Phoenix]

It's really not that hard to get a party. Yes, it takes a little while to get one, but once you get used to it it's really, really not that bad. Out of all the things in FFXI I complain about, searching for parties ISN'T one of them.

If there was one thing I would complain about, it would be the difficulty of some parts of the game. I've been trying to get Fenrir as a summon for my summoner, and man, it takes a long time and tons of effort. I've also been trying ot finish up my Chains of Promathia missions, and I'm having trouble there as well.

So yeah, the game may be as hard as hell at some points, but the waiting for parties isn't really a issue IMHO.

[Denmo]

The June update is looking to make Promyvion missions easier. We're waiting until then to help Jspace get through 'em.

[Phoenix]

Yeah, promys are hard as hell if you don't know what your doing. It took me awhile to get through all of them, only to get stuck a few missions later.

I think they should make it so that you don't lose exp when you die on all the BC missions.

[Denmo]

SE just announced a starter pack (http://na.square-enix.com/ffxi/starterpack/) for 3.99, with a 30 day free trial subscription. It's one DVD that contains all the current expansions, though you have to purchase a code for each one to be able to use it. Still a good deal.

I think it's obviously a ploy to get more people playing before Wings of the Goddess expansion rolls out, forcing everyone currently playing with an installed version to buy it for full price.

But if you're still interested in trying it out for a month, there are many worse purchases to be made with $4. Send me a PM and I'll even volunteer to introduce you in-game (items, gil, and power-leveling).

[Zieg Rauros]

Where do we pick this up at? I wanna try! PS2 players can play with PC'ers right?

[Denmo]

The starter pack is PC only. But yes, PS2, 360, and PC owners all play together.

[Zieg Rauros]

Where can I get this pack?

[Denmo]

Supposed to be in stores nation-wide soon. I don't know how soon though.

[Lord_Mofop]

i have a friend who's a level 75 bard. hes getting me interested in playing, although im not sure if id put a lot of time in it. i seemed to be more interested in guild wars, it seems more appealing to casual mmo gamers like me.

[Denmo]

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/campaign/wcb/index.html

This limited-time campaign offers customers who have deleted their characters an opportunity to adventure through Vana'diel once again with their original characters. When you purchase a FINAL FANTASY XI Content ID during the campaign period, you can have previously deleted character data restored onto that ID, and resume play immediately!

You get a free Anniversary Ring upon reactivation, which triples your exp for up to 30,000 exp bonus, so you can get back on track sooner.

Just letting you know.


Also, Wings of the Goddess (http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/altana/index.html) has a few updates, which include a new Dancer job.

[Phoenix]

a new Dancer job.

!!! MORE JOBS?!?

[Goufunaki]

Would be nice to have that ring if I could actually find a party to gain some exp. :p

[Fushigi na Renamon]

Lulz, I could make my cute Elvaan guy into a dancer... :heart

Yeah, um, no. >_>; As tempting as it is, no.

[DarkEpyon]

So, does anyone still play this thing? Looks like I'll find myself roaming Vana'diel once again.

[Denmo]

Yeah, I do when I have time.

[Pinoy0004]

I can't believe it's been two years since I quit FFXI. Seems like forever. It's good to see that they're still adding content. I really wish they added that 4th expansion before I quit though. It sounds very interesting, especially since it takes place in the past.

Dancer job? Interesting... I wonder if they'll add a Necromancer job too.

[Denmo]

Did I mention that BST no longer experiences exp loss from charmed pets, Woogy?

[Goufunaki]

How many people from the IC still play this?

[Denmo]

Kuro will never leave, apparently.

Bubba quit recently for WoW.

Romidant still plays.

Kirin plays.

Omnislash got an account from his cousin?, who is a girl named Aiya. He's already NIN 75.

Jonquill quit the IC a while back due to her and Kuro falling out. She's leading an endgame linkshell that does Dynamis and stuff.

Boristheblade left, not sure if he's coming back or not.

JSpaceman popped in during the summer. But then I guess he left for EVE. Not sure if he's still playing.

Anyone else you probably know already.


I'm really busy with school and work, so I barely get a chance to play anymore. Plus, my character has almost 0 gil. So poor :(

[Misty]

I used to play, but not with the Pavvies unfortunately. It would have been a lot of fun if I played with them as my old Mithra character, but I played with another group on another server. They were good, but they got into a lot of fights which eventually tore that Linkshell apart.

I'm glad people still play it though.

[DarkEpyon]

I had a linkshell with a pretty solid group of friends when I played in '04, but it fell apart shortly after I left in April that year.

[Goufunaki]

There needs to be a new online rpg all of us to play. :|


Something most of us will actually enjoy (PSU didn't last long for most of us :lol )

[Misty]

After Final Fantasy XI, I don't think I'll ever touch an MMO again.

Sorry, guys. :(

[Goufunaki]

Well, you WERE thinking about PSU a while back, so the thought of playing another MMORPG isn't completely out of your mind yet. :p

[Misty]

Yes, I did think about PSU, but then I remembered FFXI.

Besides, I'm happier playing offline games.

[hitogoroshi]

Y'know Zieg plays this a lot now. I should get him to post in this topic. >_>

[Denmo]

This is exciting stuff. (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Altana_Festival#Scholar)

Scholar, a new mage job that uses white and black magic in combination with it's own job-specific abilities in order to improve their effectiveness. It's kinda like Samurai's Hasso and Seigan.

Dancer, a new frontline melee job. It uses TP to perform abilities (holy cow).

Mog houses will be expanded, and now you can visit other people's houses!

Portals that transport players between Past and Present worlds will appear and be usable at any level for free.

A whole new Conquest system to coincide with the war in the Past. It looks to me like Beseiged meets Conquest.

I'm totally psyched. :thumbs I just wish I had time to play.

[Goufunaki]

visiting other people's mog house is long over due.
But nothing the game does will ever earn my interest again without solo play.

[Pinoy0004]

A Scholar job sounds very interesting. Kinda like a Red Mage, but not really. I wonder if they're going to add a 3rd new job before the expansion is released. (me thinks Necromancer)

I'm really digging that the new expansion really takes place in the past. Kinda makes me wish I were still playing. Just for the storyline.

And its wierd that BST doesn't take an exp cut from charmed pets anymore. There must be hundreds of lvl 75 BSTS by now.

[Smurvis]

Sorry to post off topic, and having nothing to do with FFXI but...

Holy ****! It's Pinoy!

[DarkEpyon]

Some sweeping changes coming down the pike along with the expansion.


* Existing jobs will get new abilities and spells.
* Adjustments will be from the start and be ongoing after WotG comes out.
* They will be making further (implied downward) adjustments to the 2-handed changes.

Warrior

Ability that creates a benefit to WAR for claims. Something like a MNK counter that also stores TP. Used to help pulling. Instead of creating a new tank job, trying to improve existing tanks.

Monk

Concept for MNK is to reduce TP given. Possibly adding something to Kicks - either a weapon skill or a battle stance that slows (kick?) attack speed and increases potency.

White Mage

At the time of the new expansion - new spell called Repose - a sleep spell. Also effective with scholar sub. Also want to add more teleport spells.

Black Mage

Recognize that skill chains are not happening and then no bursts. They are looking at lowering the resistance rate of skill chains in order to promote magic bursts. Also additions to transportations.

Red Mage

Considering magic to allow RDM to move up to front lines.

Thief

New JA "Accomplice" - it will steal a PT enmity and transfer to himself. Used with perfect dodge or to help a mage in trouble.

Paladin

Considering a reflect spell to reflect damage from attacks blocked by shields.

Dark Knight

Design concept was attacker with magic. More dark magic specific spells for use in battle.

Beastmaster

Several new things. 1. Amount of HP with wait will be Greatly increased. 2. New pet command - Snarl - jug pet only order a pet to take all master enmity. A provoke for pets. 3. New pet food to cure all status aliments and lowering recast on reward.



Bard

New songs and abilities. Command to select a single target for a song. Make bard busier by increasing number of casts.

Ranger

New ability - Velocity Shot - ranged attacks will be faster and more powerful and mele will be less powerful.

Samurai

Concept is profession able to build TP. Recent additions made SAM too powerful. There will be some adjustments. Additions may include ability to improve skillchains - such as making them faster or reducing resistance to skillchains.

Ninja

Possible new ninjutsu with sneak effect. Possible new ability which temporarily reduces enmity and then restores it to previous amount.

Dragoon

Increase number of actions wyvern takes in battle.

Summoner

New ability. Restore MP by elemental spirits. Ability may also be tied to days of the week and weather. There will be another announcement on SMN later tonight.

Blue Mage

New monster spells. Updates to come out first update of 2008.

Corsair

New rolls for 2 new jobs. Add effect to quick draw where they can charge it like the scholars. Updates to come out first update of 2008.

Puppetmaster

Considering new attachments and adjustments to existing ones. New automaton weapon skills.


Taken from FFXIclopedia. (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)

The expansion ships tomorrow. HELL YEAH!

[Pinoy0004]

Sorry to post off topic, and having nothing to do with FFXI but...

Holy ****! It's Pinoy!

Yeah, I try to drop by at least a couple times a month. Mostly just to lurk though :)

Reading up on the new expansion, I'm really missing FFXI. Not enough to want to play it again, but enough to remember the good times.

[Biggie]

Huh, where do you get the name Pinoy from?

I remember seeing someone named Pinoy_Warrior on Xbox Live and he was kicking me and my friends asses on Gears of War.

After one game where he won the match for his Team, I said "There goes Pony_Warrior again."

He yells "ITS PINOY!" It was really funny, we continued to call him pony warrior and he continued to give us the same response.

Yeah good story. :|

[altoecko]

I need a world pass, yo.

[Goufunaki]

It was painfully obvious that the battle system in this game is severely broken, but god damn it, square, 18+ hours for a boss and still not defeated???

http://petfoodalpha.com/?p=1055

People were passing out and getting physically ill. We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people’s lives.

We are one of very few LS who have killed AV (not using the wall trick) so we know quite well what is futile and what is not. None of us doubt that PW can be killed. We just call into question exactly what the development team thinks is reasonable from human beings.

-Sylphet

[Jeroak Nelave]

Just saw what they were talking about on Xplay...damn, that is a little much Square, ya gotta find a way to make the game not quite so hardcore.

[Goufunaki]

"REMEMBURR YER FRENDZ AND FAMEELEE!!!"

[DBtheProdigy]

I played a 3 day trial of this game. It was really but, I looked into buying it but I bought something else. Was I missing out on much?

[Goufunaki]

1) hours of sitting around waiting for a party.

2) Losing a **** load of experience points for every death, most likely causing you to de level.

3) Not being able to do anything solo. See #1.

4) Reaching a certain level where monsters that are a few levels lower than you can still kick your ass, forcing you to join a party to fight the stronger enemies all because a certain level gap with you and an enemy stops giving out exp if you're too high.

Good times.

[Denmo]

And I thought Absolute Virtue was bad.

18+ hours is a bit extreme. Don't ever expect me to attempt that, or AV.

I just play casually, and I have enough fun doing that to keep me interested. There's a lot of endgame players on FFXI right now who've stuck with it since beta, that've formed tight-nit endgame linkshells and have a general "I'm better than you" attitude. It gets annoying.


BUT

To answer Heroic on the plus side:

1. You may spend hours waiting for a party, but SE gives you plenty of things to do while you wait (craft, chocobo raising/digging, farming, Beseiged, Campaign).

2. After level 3 you lose 10% of your max exp upon death. It sucks in Valkurm when you're dying all the time (Valkurm sucks in general) but WHMs are later given spells to reduce the exp loss when they raise you. At the max level, if you can get a WHM to cast Raise III on you, you only lose about 400-500 exp, versus 4000 if you don't get a raise.

3. You can solo to an extent now with the new Dancer job. Melee jobs, especially Samurai, can have Dancer as a subjob which allows them to heal themselves using their TP (instead of MP). It's neat.

4. The game is flawed, but most players like me have learned to deal with it. Partying isn't as bad as it sounds, and a well rounded party is actually fun.

5. Endgame, if you can reach it (takes about 3-4 months of leveling), opens up a lot of cool stuff to do. Assault plays out like PSO with instanced dungeons for up to 6 people. Besieged and Campaign are easy extra EXP and fun.

But I'm gonna agree with Gouki, if you're not ready to deal with all the bad stuff this game has (and there's plenty), and you'd rather have a much quicker, safer experience, go for WoW or something.

[Denmo]

New Level Sync Feature to Change the Way You Party (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/2008_-_%2808/25/2008%29_New_Level_Sync_Feature_to_Change_the_Way_You_Party%21)

What it is - Anyone can scale down their level (min 10) to party with their friends! Equipment stats are scaled down as well!

What this means!

- No more storing extra equipment so you can do level capped missions/events!
- You can party with anyone of any level, anytime.
- No more 2-3 hours of seeking! Just find the right 6 jobs of any level.
- You can play with your newcomer friends whenever!
- You can do level capped areas (Promyvion, BCNM's, w/e) WHENEVER.


AND THIS ONLY TOOK SQUEENIX 6 YEARS TO FIGURE OUT.

Regardless, I'm super stoked.

[Phoenix]

:O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O :O ... :D

I... I'm at a loss for words. It really was a long time coming.

Edit now that I'm back on the ground:

Honestly this is amazing. This makes FFXI 10000 times better than it was before. Never again will you have to wait for hours to get a party. Parties will be everywhere. SE is genius. I just hope they don't screw this up.

[Goufunaki]

This.......is good.

Not enough to make me pay monthly again, but good.

In addition, the amount of EXP lost when rendered unconscious will be calculated based upon the player's reduced level.

No one will ever party at Lv75 again. :lol

[Denmo]

Gloomy's so gloomy. :(


So basically the easiest places to PT will be full of level 75 guys looking to group to get merit points,
but higher level PTing areas will be basically abandoned because no one wants to fight stuff there?

Seem like it could backfire. Severely.

I don't know of any better partying spot than some of the 75 areas. People make massive exp and chain 100+ with their level 75 abilities, which they may not be willing to give up just so they can level at 20 in Qufim or something.

I could level a Galka BLM to 75 in Valkurm Dunes (because I would be disproportionately
powerful with Astral Rings) and just keep scaling myself down for new PTs over and over while
never having to buy crazy stuff like elemental staves and ancient magic. Not impressed.

Did you read the link?

Attributes that will be affected include: DMG, DEF, HP, MP, Status Effects, Accuracy+, Attack+, Ranged Accuracy+, Ranged Attack+, Magic Accuracy+, and Magic Attack+.

* The current plan is for other special properties (including Evasion, Enmity, enchantments and ability bonuses) to be negated entirely.

That means that what was all powerful at 75 won't be as powerful at 10. There'll be some small bonus's, but you'll still be dealing with the same noobs, the same ultra hard mobs with your weak spells. Not every player wants to relive Valkurm Dunes. (Astral Rings are level 10 anyway! Durr)

And

Also, low-level players need not be discouraged! Statistics on higher-level equipment (including HQ and rare items) being scaled down will be comparable to those of common items at the target level. This means that lower-level characters who have obtained special equipment via quests, notorious monsters, or HQ syntheses will still have the best gear available at their respective level!

So that way, players (like me) who spent much hard effort on getting stuff like Empress Hairpin, Bounding boots, and Astral Rings will still feel like they're at the head of the pack when playing with sync'd players.

I'm betting there's going to be lots of tweaks and modifications to this of course. But at least it's a giant step in the right direction.

[Phoenix]

I know Astral Rings are level 10.. that's why I used them as an example.

Having +100 MP at level 10 is a huge boost. Porportionately more
so than anything I can think of later on (well, at least when I quit).

How does this new update change that in a bad way then? Astral rings have always been available for dunes parties, with or without this new feature.

[Phoenix]

How is this confusing?

I know Astral Rings are low-level. They also give you a huge advantage at that
level.. so why would you want to level anywhere besides, say, Yhoator Jungle?

A Galka PLD with Astral Rings could tank Mandragoras forever and never have
to buy any gear beyond level 30 until he wanted to get his AF and HNM stuff.

Think about it.

It just takes a lot of the.. I don't know.. struggle.. out of the game.

You have a point, but unless I'm mistaken you make the assumption every party will now take place in Valkurm Dunes/Yhoator Jungle because of the benefits you just listed. Problem is, there's only so much space for people in those two places. As is, with people within the normal level ranges of those areas, they are usually full or near full, leaving little room for new parties. Now image every party in the game camping in one of those two places. The competition would be beyond fierce.

My point is that people will still be forced as they gain in level to party at higher level locations, simply because of space issues.

People will still party at higher levels, I think. At lower levels you don't have access to all the spells and abilities you have at higher levels. Personally as a SMN I would get tired of having the same exact blood pacts all the time. I'd want diversity in my partying experiences. Maybe I'd sync for a few days but the next day go for something more close to my actual level.

[Karim]

People wouldn't level there because it gets significantly easier to get xp as you gain levels, melee can't hit anything reliably at level 30 and their available weaponskills and job abilities aren't great.

Either way, leveling up has been extremely easy ever since TOAU was added as it opened up new areas that give so much more exp than everywhere else in the game.
I assure you there's still plenty of struggle, it just doesn't involve exping.
Hell, Den even posted about the new monster that can't be killed in a DAY; and I've talked to a couple people who still play that are retarded enough to actually sit there for that long trying to kill it; FFXI is not and will never be "casual". The best they can do is try and emulate the things other MMOs have done years ago.

Edit: To be really honest, almost anyone who still plays this game will like the changes, because most people who are still playing are leveling their 3rd, 4th, or 12th job.

[Denmo]

exactly, this is like the best thing that can happen to people with 3+ high end jobs.

It doesn't make the game more casual, but it does make parties easier to come by.

[Phoenix]

IAt least having a scaled down level 60 in "the dunes" would allow you essential
immunity from bad pulls and/or aggro from monsters when on the way to a PT.

It takes 30 seconds to remove the scale, if that's what your saying.

[Denmo]

click here for details. (http://www.playonline.com/pcd/verup/ff11us/detail/3668/detail.html)

Overall it seems they're making the game easier, more accessible, and faster. I'm going to play it after the maintenance is over and get back to you on how it looks.

[Goufunaki]

Let's just take all these little improvements and create a SaGa MMO, yes? :D

*Sparks*

[Denmo]

The 360 runs pretty well, but you can't take out shadows (lame, because it slows down fps in overpopulated areas). If you have an HDTV (and your Xbox is set to HDTV) the game windows will be shrunk down, but if you have a regular TV the windows are huge like PS2.

I use my controller on the PC too, but I hate the logitec one. I got a PS2->USB adapter, and it works pretty well.

[Denmo]

Just got my first level sync party underway.

Searching 30-75 is a bit crazy. @_@

Got the party together without much trouble. Took me about 15 minutes to find the members (there were about 51 people from 31-75 seeking at the time). The group was 31-65 and I was the lowest member whom everyone was sync'd to. We partied in Eastern Altepa Desert (usual spot for level 31) and did pretty well. Everyone gained a level (I gained 2), and we pretty much operated as if everyone was level 31-32.

Also, now all Decent Challenges give about 90-100 exp per (used to be 30-45). Easy Preys give 40-60 per (used to be 10-20). Couple that with Dancer as a subjob, which lets you heal yourself with TP, you can turn just about any melee job into viable soloing adventurer.

[DarkEpyon]

This is certainly a boon for my PLD in terms of meriting until my BLU reaches 75.

Gotta get sea first though, since I promised myself I wouldn't go past 72 on BLU without it.

Now I just need to get up some more points with my dynamis shell so I can get my BLU AF2 body.

[Denmo]

Hardly, BLUs are like 3/4 whatever job you want them to be. And doing your own skillchains rocks hard. BLMs love you.

[Phoenix]

I never played the job and I quit like two months after Aht Urgen came out.

People (at the time) were saying BLUs sucked after level 40 or so. I dunno'.

People didn't know how to play BLU then, now it's regarded as one of the best jobs in the game.

[Goufunaki]

Also, now all Decent Challenges give about 90-100 exp per (used to be 30-45). Easy Preys give 40-60 per (used to be 10-20). Couple that with Dancer as a subjob, which lets you heal yourself with TP, you can turn just about any melee job into viable soloing adventurer.

:blink


Hmm...

How much exactly can you heal yourself?

And is getting Dancer simple, or annoying requiring help from others?

[Denmo]

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Lakeside_Minuet

Getting DNC seems easy enough, from what this guide says it just looks like a lot of running around.

Dancer moves use TP instead of MP, so, so long as they keep hitting the monster, they can heal themselves constantly. At around level 30 their heal move is equivalent to Cure II's and Cure III's, and generates a lot of hate. They also get Curaga, Erase, Sneak&Invis in one move, Drain/Aspir/Haste sambas (drains small amounts of HP, MP, or speed from target when you hit it), and even a Provoke.

The only real drawback to a DNC is that their damage is pretty poor. They're basically a THF with no Sneak Attack. And you can't use weapon skills that often either, since you need the TP for your moves. So soloing can be very slow and steady. Otherwise they're placed in parties as a support role, or just leveled to 37 and used as a sub for TP hogs like SAM.


About Level Sync, there are several more things I've noticed.

- You can't get skillups when sync'd up.

- Equipment seems to suffer a huge blow when it's leveled down. From what people have told me, it's even worse than equipment of that level. Like really bad. Some equipment only gives one stat boost, when it originally had 10 stat boosts, other equipments give no stat boosts at all.

- As party leader, you can de-sync your party at any time with a 30 second cooldown. This can be helpful if you accidentally aggro, link, or face certain death. Just remove level sync, and your high level players can save everyone in a jiff. Really streamlines the process and gets rid of game-halting party wipes.

[jspaceman]

getting the dancer job is very easy.
and i use it 100% as a /sub for my
75 mnk during campaign. it is amazing
to me how much easier this game has
become over the years. rmt are nearly
absent, the economy isnt nearly as bad
as it used to be, making money can still
be a strain. i used campaign items as a
means of income for a long time, making
around 200-300k on cobra unit bows...sadly
that market has slowed but there are always
other options.

i can not say for sure how dnc as a main
does in terms of dmg, but i can say that
having mnk75/dnc37 is pretty nice. dances
are chr based, so while most of my main pieces
are mnk relic or sky gear, rings and other items
play the role of chr bonus. chr is a dancers
fuel for waltzes, which heal us or a pt member.
at this point i cure around 167hp per waltz.
that coupled with drain samba, which feeds me
almost 10hp per round, you can see how this job
is a real benefit for melee. its only negative
is its tp based, so you have to be careful firing
off weapon skills. i have grown used to it that
it doesnt even matter to me anymore. sometimes
i WS and sometimes i dont. i have seen SAM's
use /dnc in campaign with great success.

hope that helps

jj

[Goufunaki]

Add a kraken club to that, and i guess that's a lot of healing. o_O

[Denmo]

Kraken still goes for 20mil, in a market where 1 mil is damn expensive now.

I remember when even just 100k was chump change. Now that reward you get for Rank 10 actually matters!

[Denmo]

In that case, this info will cost you 1 mil.

[Goufunaki]

Kraken still goes for 20mil, in a market where 1 mil is damn expensive now.

I remember when even just 100k was chump change. Now that reward you get for Rank 10 actually matters!

100k hard to get now?

How much do you earn from getting rank 10?

[Pinoy0004]

It's crazy how much this game has evolved since I quit. Are there still pieces of Woo-wear floating around?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v161/woogark/woogarky.jpg

[Denmo]

I don't think kuro or any LS member'd have the heart to drop/sell them, Woogy.

And yeah, Gouki, rank 10 gets you 100k.

[Goufunaki]

I really wanna try out all this new crap, but I don't wanna pay monthly again. :D

That, and I'm sure my character is far from being recovered, so I don't wanna redo everything again.

[jspaceman]

you can contact SE from the ffxi/playonline
site and inquire about your character. you
will need to give them your ffxi login, the
key you got when you started, the 4 letters
and 4 numbers thing...they can look up
your account with that and tell you over chat
if your character is alive.

give it some thought, a lot of the old gang
is still in there...me included since i returned.


jj

[Denmo]

Yeah, I think so. They've been doing it for a while.

Gloom, if you came back would you join me and JJ's LS?

[Biggie]

Also, now all Decent Challenges give about 90-100 exp per (used to be 30-45). Easy Preys give 40-60 per (used to be 10-20). Couple that with Dancer as a subjob, which lets you heal yourself with TP, you can turn just about any melee job into viable soloing adventurer.

Dammit, I think I might get this game again. Only if I can recover my character of course.

[Denmo]

That describes half our social LS. And we're getting newcomers too.

Thing about moving servers though, you gotta pay money to do it. :|

[Goufunaki]

I thought it was free, then a time limit before you can move around again?

[Biggie]

Dammit, I found a used copy of FFXI for 360, but I can't find a copy of the PC version anywhere in town for a registration key.

Anyone have an extra code laying around? :|

[Denmo]

I thought it was free, then a time limit before you can move around again?

No, it's $25, and you're stuck there for a month or so, a preventive measure to ward against RMT ganging up on one server.

oh btw, they totally upped the drop rate for Dynamis. I just got out of one, we got CORx4 DRK MNKx2 PUP BLU RNG THF SAMx2... it was insane.

[jspaceman]

here here denmo,

so glad to finally have my mnk relic body.
and we got clearance! next up for me is
trying to get claim on kirins osode. shouldnt
be too hard since almost everyone in calamity
have it already. cant wait for wednesday.

jj

[Vonwert]

I'll stick to playing with Funk on WOW. I can't stand the thought of waiting for an hour to get a group.

[Denmo]

I'll stick to playing with Funk on WOW. I can't stand the thought of waiting for an hour to get a group.

If you kept up to date with what's been said, you would know that now you don't have to wait an hour for a party. It takes me 15 minutes to make a party, and there's usually 40-60 people seeking for a party at any given time.

[madcopper]

I bought the $2 demo disk and thought about playing it. I saw what sever your on but can you give me some tips for just starting out. Also im not sure if they have guilds in FFIX, but if so does the Pav have one?

[Denmo]

tips for starting out? get to level 10, fight Decent Challenges and Even Matches, and don't beg for money. Can't really think of anything specific.

Guilds = Linkshells in FFXI. We sorta have one.

[madcopper]

tips for starting out? get to level 10, fight Decent Challenges and Even Matches, and don't beg for money. Can't really think of anything specific.

Guilds = Linkshells in FFXI. We sorta have one.

We sorta have one?

[Biggie]

Anyone know of another site I can download this game?

D2D won't let me because I use a free email address.

Why is it such a challenge to get this game?

[Red Dragon]

Anyone know of another site I can download this game?

D2D won't let me because I use a free email address.


I use a free e-mail too D2D lets me in just fine.


Here, try Gamestop's download service.

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?sku=647298

[Biggie]

I use a free e-mail too D2D lets me in just fine.


Here, try Gamestop's download service.

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?sku=647298

Thanks bud, I'll definitely try that when I get home!

[Red Dragon]

So, are people starting to play this?

I have been looking for an MMO to play if people are playing this I may get in on the action.

[Denmo]

Jesus, I guess it was only a matter of time...

[jspaceman]

the article is a bit misleading.

"A group of players brandishing super rare Kraken Club took down Absolute Virtue, the other impossible boss that supposedly takes 18 hours to kill, in like a minute."

absolute virtue does NOT nor ever did take
18 hours. the boss that took 18 hours before
the linkshell called it quits was pandemonium warden.


jj

[John Mora]

So how long DID it take?

[Red Dragon]

Uh, didn't they patch it though? Like to make them NOT take 24 hours to kill?

[jspaceman]

it was patched in the september update.
and while this video shows how much
they nerfed AV...no videos yet
of PW being killed. only a matter of time.

AV has been killed, even before this
patch was put in. and he did prove to
be a teenie bit too hard. i dont know exactly
how much time he took. PW is the main
reason for this nerf, as the linkshell that
fought PW for 18 hours, couldnt finish
the boss off...nor could the players continue
as they were getting sick.

PW has never been killed. yet.

[Karim]

For having to wait 4 years to be able to kill it I think a minute is still probably too long of a fight.

And I'm pretty sure the only times AV was ever killed before this were due to glitching; either getting it stuck in a wall, or the update that accidentally broke its ability to summon infinite wyverns.

[Goufunaki]

Soooo many Kraken clubs.

*edit*

Ok, i sent an email to playonline, but all i got back was an auto response. I WAS expecting to see something from the friendlist+ site (it showed nothing), but i ended up having to reinstall PlayOnline just to see my message.

Looking through my content IDs, the characters I deleted show up as "New Content ID" while my main I never actually deleted still has his name showing "Goufunaki (Mid)".

So what's that mean? :happy

[Denmo]

For having to wait 4 years to be able to kill it I think a minute is still probably too long of a fight.

And I'm pretty sure the only times AV was ever killed before this were due to glitching; either getting it stuck in a wall, or the update that accidentally broke its ability to summon infinite wyverns.

Seriously, if I ever wanted to kill AV, now I really don't want to. That video really cheapened the whole process. Of COURSE you can kill it with 18 kraken clubs and the best Haste+ gear. I wouldn't be surprised if they did that to Pandemonium Warden too, eventually. Is the equipment AV gives really deserving enough to do all that, though? I don't really think so... it's one of those pop-a-blood-vessel-because-you-have-to-get-100%-on-everything things, and you end up doing it and nobody cares. Who are these people? Some yellow linkshell? I can't recall anymore.


BTW, if you just started playing and want to hook up, give me your character name so I can find you. My char's name is Denmo.

Oh, and here's some screenshots I took over the summer:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/denmofightsleviathan.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/denmocliffside.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/DenmoRift.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/DenmoPast.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/DenmoKhalilSunrise.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/DenmoGrabTail.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/DenmoDynamis.jpg

Edit:
Soooo many Kraken clubs.

*edit*

Ok, i sent an email to playonline, but all i got back was an auto response. I WAS expecting to see something from the friendlist+ site (it showed nothing), but i ended up having to reinstall PlayOnline just to see my message.

Looking through my content IDs, the characters I deleted show up as "New Content ID" while my main I never actually deleted still has his name showing "Goufunaki (Mid)".

So what's that mean? :happy

I don't know, Gouki. I guess that means your account hasn't been deleted?

[Red Dragon]

Bought the complete collection off of gamestop (20 bucks is cheap for an mmo and 4 expansions)

So what server are you losers on?

[John Mora]

If you don't want to beat it by working hard to get the best gear and teaming up with a bunch of people, how DO you want to beat it?

[Denmo]

This game isn't about beating anything. It's about enjoying yourself with friends and setting your own goals.

I'm on Midgardsormr. Before you start playing, Boo, lemme get you a gold world pass. That way we can get nifty turnip hats and other special items. Could you hit me up on AIM?

[Red Dragon]

This game isn't about beating anything. It's about enjoying yourself with friends and setting your own goals.

I'm on Midgardsormr. Before you start playing, Boo, lemme get you a gold world pass. That way we can get nifty turnip hats and other special items. Could you hit me up on AIM?

Um. No AIM. Just use the PM system.

[Goufunaki]

$20.

360.

installed.

Reactivated ID.

downloading updates.

See you freaks later. maybe not tonight, cuz it looks like the FFXI update might take a while.

Spread the word.

Did anyone feed my moogle while I was gone? o_O

[Denmo]

<Welcome back>

[Red Dragon]

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/4606/36324879lm5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

...


Do they really need this?

[Toaster]

People are stupid, so, yeah. (http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2005/8/10/923)




http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g83/mr_wizard_album/ZergRush.jpg

[Denmo]

that message's been there since day 1.

[Red Dragon]

So I started updating this game and I am having trouble deciding what I want to do once I actually make my character and what-not.

I really like the idea of punching stuff as a monk, but I also like the whole dragon-thing with the Dragoon. Plus the attack bonus and ACC bonus traits.

However I hear Drg/Mnk or Mnk/Drg is a horrible combo.

I kinda hate being cookie-cutter and going as a WAR subclass.

Anyone help me with this?

[Goufunaki]

I'm running around now. Still my Lv61 THF :D

[Red Dragon]

*farts* Just finished patching. Still trying to figure out who I want to be first and how to adjust my resolution.

[Denmo]

Do you have it for 360? you can't adjust resolution in the game, it has to be Xbox settings.

Who you should be?

Well, WHM can be boring curing all the time.

WAR and MNK are pretty straightforward, starting out WAR is good for sub leveling, since WAR is a great sub for Tanks.

THF is a lot fun, but can be weak and hard to level at first.

BLM is nuke nuke nuke fun.

RDM is good all around.

So you gonna tell me your character name and sign in or what?

[jspaceman]

it depends on what i am doing
but my monk either goes /war
during dynamis and sky, or /dnc
for campaign. i rarely use any
other subs for mnk. i have a
nin at 22 right now and will be
working on getting it to 37 to
sub with as well but it isnt a high
priority right now.

IMO
monk should /war, /dnc, or /nin

you are going to need war level'd
if you are leaning towards melee.
it doesnt take but 4-5 days to get
jobs to 37 anyways.


and welcome back gouf!!! i wont
be online until 8:30ish EST because
i have classes to teach all day. shoot
me a tell around then...we do have
SKY event tonight but that aint too
difficult. hopefully denmo can get you
a pearl to NR which is the new home
for the InnerCircle. NewRevolution includes
a bunch of people that kuronori met up
with once the IC all but vanished. so
its a combination of the 2 families.


oh and since SE deleted JJ from the
servers so many years ago, the name
i go by now is, Beachwood. BW is the
son of JJ and the lovely Amara. BW
continues the efforts of JJ to battle evil
all throughout vanadiel as well as find
clues to the mysterious disappearance
of JJ and Amara...

to be continued

ps
gouf! lvl 61??? that means you are
ready for the WotG campaign grind
to 75. if someone doesnt already get
you started in wotg i will definitely
help you get all the zones logged for
npc warping. when i got BW to 60 i
started my campaign exp and went
to 75 in just a couple months. i think
i was in 4 or 5 actual pt's during that
time. as i said before, campaign is
an exp whore. you never have to pt
again, at that level, believe me.

[Red Dragon]

Do you have it for 360? you can't adjust resolution in the game, it has to be Xbox settings.

Who you should be?

Well, WHM can be boring curing all the time.

WAR and MNK are pretty straightforward, starting out WAR is good for sub leveling, since WAR is a great sub for Tanks.

THF is a lot fun, but can be weak and hard to level at first.

BLM is nuke nuke nuke fun.

RDM is good all around.

So you gonna tell me your character name and sign in or what?

PC. I can't get past the character generation because the game keeps freezing on me, >:( I should be able to get out of this stupid 640x480 resolution on my 1400x900 screen.

I got yelled at enough on GFAQs (I know, but it's faster than signing up on a FFXI board) about the subclassing.

However why would it be a bad idea to just got straight to 30 for a class? Remember I still don't understand the mechanics.

I am thinking about DRG/SAM or DRG/BLM. For extra nuking/healing goodness, or just some stored TP.

[Denmo]

The thing about subs is, everyone expects you to perform at your best in a party, so that everything can go smoothly. If you're level 25 and you still don't have a sub to complement your main job (You gain access to subs at level 18), people are gonna stop inviting you.

DRG/SAM is a waaaay better pick than DRG/BLM. Subbing black mage does nothing to aid your DRG abilities, and the choice if magic is pitiful. I sub BLM as a WHM, and I only do it because it gives me a healthy boost in MP.

If you want to be a DRG, I would suggest this leveling method:

MNK -> 18

WAR -> 37, subbing MNK

Unlock DRG (requires one job at 30)

DRG -> 75, subbing WAR

And while you level DRG, when you get bored you can unlock SAM and bring that to 37 as a sub for DRG.


If you really, really want to do it your own way, expect to not get any parties to gain fast exp.

PC. I can't get past the character generation because the game keeps freezing on me, >:( I should be able to get out of this stupid 640x480 resolution on my 1400x900 screen. If you go into the PlayOnline folder in the start menu, there's a FFXI config program. You gotta be out of POL completely to do it.

[Dreamknight]

****in' A.

Why am I tempted to get this all of a sudden?

[John Mora]

Because of the social aspect narrowly restricting your options on how you can play the game?

[Red Dragon]

The thing about subs is, everyone expects you to perform at your best in a party, so that everything can go smoothly. If you're level 25 and you still don't have a sub to complement your main job (You gain access to subs at level 18), people are gonna stop inviting you.

DRG/SAM is a waaaay better pick than DRG/BLM. Subbing black mage does nothing to aid your DRG abilities, and the choice if magic is pitiful. I sub BLM as a WHM, and I only do it because it gives me a healthy boost in MP.

If you want to be a DRG, I would suggest this leveling method:

MNK -> 18

WAR -> 37, subbing MNK

Unlock DRG (requires one job at 30)

DRG -> 75, subbing WAR

And while you level DRG, when you get bored you can unlock SAM and bring that to 37 as a sub for DRG.



I was actually thinking of doing it that way. I am just used to GW where you can do anything you want and still be able to get in groups because any class combination is viable.

What do you get for the extra 7 levels in WAR instead of just going 30 in WAR to unlock and start up DRG immediatly?

[Denmo]

you level WAR to 37 so you can be done with it. A sub for the highest level has to be half of 75, which is 37. That doesn't mean you can't unlock DRG whenever after level 30.

[Red Dragon]

Ah I see.

When/if I get on, are you part of a LS I can join Den?

Because of the social aspect narrowly restricting your options on how you can play the game?

Yes, my biggest fear is that everyone is going to to be a dick about my gear and such. I am definetly a casual player because I have school, work, etc.

And SE told me not to have it control my life :)

[Denmo]

You gonna give me a name/nation/job to look for? I'm on right now.

[Red Dragon]

No I have yet to even create a character as my game is screwing up and I can't even make a character.

Soon as I get home I have to open up some ports or somthing and see if that works.

[jspaceman]

utsu ichi? or ni??

if you mean ichi then wow! hahaha a nin @37
without ni is like jimmy page without his guitar.


Boo, since you are only just beginning and want
to play casually, i would recommend playing a
job that isnt costly. if you jump into advanced
jobs too soon and dont have a steady way of
making gil you are gonna get frustrated fast.

easy, cheap melee jobs to play @start
monk
warrior
thief

since ninja requires the super expensive utsu ichi
and utsu ni scrolls perhaps stay clear of this job
for a while. ranger too is very costly as you will
be burning through stacks of arrows which get
more and more pricey but also the fact that you
will need specific rings and such that are also
a fortune.

i can not speak for mages as i have never played
one. i like beating up stuff.


jj

[Red Dragon]

Finally got in. Made a Galkia named "Minsc". Trying to get the controls all down I mean, using the Numpad to walk? It's weird... I started in Bartok or whatever it's called.

[Denmo]

I'm standing right in front of you.

Edit: well, I was.

I'll be back on after 8. Go fight mobs until then.

[Red Dragon]

Sorry, I was making dinner and breaking things...

Galkia? Bartok?

Have you no respect, son?

Not really.

[Red Dragon]

:V

[Red Dragon]

It's going to be interesting being a Galka Dragoon. I can't imagine a Galka in that purple armor.

[Denmo]

http://hc-phoenix.com/images/pahn/wyrm_set.png

[Red Dragon]

Well, at least it doesn't look horrible.

[Denmo]

Some helpful resources:

http://ffxiclopedia.org - everything you need to know
http://www.ffxi-atlas.com - quick map access with labels for EVERYTHING

[Goufunaki]

FYI, my game just froze :(

resetting

[Biggie]

I bought this game again.

I'm enjoying it alot more this time. I've only had it for three days and I'm already lv 18war/15mnk. The xp increase is a major bonus, it actually makes the game fun again. Not to mention the level sync system, I was playing with my buddies from work who were both lv75. It makes the games possibilities limitless when it comes to leveling.

Best part is I've managed to basically skip the dunes altogether!

[Denmo]

Cool, what server are you on?

[Biggie]

Asura, same as my buds. :/

[Denmo]

Eventful first day. Gouki was introduced to Wings of the Goddess, JJ got his super rare Monk body armor, and Boo got to level 10. Stay tuned.

[jspaceman]

cant believe it either denmo.
2 weeks ago i got my shura haidate, last
week my mnk relic body, and now the abjuration
for my shura togi....unreal.


and how wild seeing gouf again.
hope we didnt confuse you too much
on the mechanics of WotG. it seems
a little funky at first but once you start
using the warp npc, do a few campaigns,
learn how the op system works, and learn
how the world map has changed you
will be up and runnin in no time.

also gouf, i am including links to cobra
gear your thf might want. since it is sold
in windy and you need serious medal
status to buy them, let me know if you want
anything. i have full promotion medals
with windy and can buy anything...as long
as i have enough AN.

cobra knife (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Cobra_Knife)

cobra armor (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Cobra_Cap_Set)


the cobra body isnt out yet...perhaps next update.

seeya in a few hours. i will be online all day.


oh and another link that you might wanna go ahead
and register for is ffxiAH. you can link your character
data to it and monitor AH items, as well as seeing
your AH history.

here is mine

ffxiahbeachwood (http://www.ffxiah.com/player.php?id=872094)
jj

[John Mora]

You can't use cute smiley faces anymore, son. You're a Galka now.

/salute

No I bet there are galkas that go :3

[John Mora]

No, they go :3 and sometimes even x3

[Karim]

Occasionally we eat raw meat just cause we can.

This reminds me of the time one of the only galkas we ever had in my guild, Mistatim, lotted on and then proceeded to eat Nidhogg's heart in the middle of Dragon's Aery. Why? Simply to see how people in other guilds would react to him throwing away an item worth 500k.
Retarded? Yes, but of course this was the same guy who wore a royal's cloak on his dark knight and bought two more simply to show off in his bazaar.


Ahhh, good times.

[Biggie]

I'm on both 360 and pc.

Because sometimes I bring my laptop to work. :D

[Red Dragon]

Somthing tells me that you could play it even on a crappy PC Gloom. I mean, my 5-6 year-old laptop still meets minimum specs.

[Denmo]

My comp is 6 years old and it runs just as well as 360, if not better IMO.

[Denmo]

I don't think I've ever had so much fun in Valkurm Dunes. We're tearing **** up out here.

[Goufunaki]

My npc Yoli :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080918180231a.jpg

Level sync in dunes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080918191929a.jpg

My lizard army!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080918202804a.jpg

Jspace and I.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080918205520a.jpg

[Red Dragon]

Got to level 16 today. I may play more later on if everyone isn't to tired from doing their end-game raids.

[madcopper]

for some reason every time I try and register it either will say server is busy, then when I try it again it says my credit card is "not a valid method for current payment"!!!!!!

I called them and told me to wait 30 minutes and try it again. So I did, same thing!

I know my credit card is good because I just used it yesterday to buy dinner. I seriously have no idea whats going on with this game.

[Denmo]

Raids = Dynamis

We partied through 10-14 for him. Other than that he's been running around La Theine killin' ****.

[Red Dragon]

Yeah, that and partying in the dunes with a helpful guy PLing us 'cause I helped him level his thief to 70.


edit: 18 now, going to do my sub-class quest.

[Goufunaki]

...ding.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080921190107a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080921091108a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080921213128a.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080921220104a.jpg

[jspaceman]

the LOVE machine!!!!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080921213128a.jpg

[Jeroak Nelave]

Damn you people making me want to play again! Especially with the updates to the game now that make soloing a bit easier, and easier to find groups.

ARGH, I cant do this, WoW and CoH!!!

[Denmo]

I'd still say that compared to CoH and WoW, FFXI is a harsh reality check. If I had a nickel for every time Minsc said "ugh"... :p

[Red Dragon]

I can't see how anyone could play this game without Level Sync. Especially the way the community disallows freedom and how much time you have to invest exp grinding. It's less of a reality check and more of a time warp to 2002.

However it's an enjoyable grind when you get to play with nicer people. However any way you look at it, it's still a grind. Which I guess is sorta the business model. It gets annoying when I level up to 18 only to have to reset back to level 1 when I have to change my class. Or have to beg for a group in the dune because any of the good content is locked to me until really high levels. Which, if I have a life, will take me over two months to do.

Again, it's just the business model to get people into a Time Played=Award mentality. It's an easy game that takes a lot of time and devotion to get anywhere. A lot like WoW or EQ. I am getting the impression that it's like any other game out there, Get a Healer, Tank, Damage, and Enfeebler and go go go. It's nothing special.

I am going to have to play more and try to at least get my special class before I decide to invest any more of my time and money into this game. Also with Star Trek Online, Guild Wars 2, Aion, etc. coming out in the years if I want to spend it playing FFXI.

---

tl;dr version: Wahh wahh, too long to do anything, wahh wahh.

---

[Denmo]

I've been syncing up in Korroloka Tunnel with friends who are 24-27. With how much exp we were getting from even just Easy Preys and Decent Challanges, and with how packed that tunnel is, we were making fairly decent exp with just a group of 3-4, running around killing bats, worms, and crabs. It was fun and a very nice change of pace.

[Biggie]

The only problem I have with the update right now though is that it seems that everyone is just leveling at Valkurm.

Amd I am sick of Valkurm.

I got sick of it three years ago.

[Goufunaki]

God i hate people. I finally earn just enough gil to buy a scorpion harness (it was going for 100k), but now I see people jacked up the prices to 160k. :upset

http://www.ffxiah.com/item.php?id=12579

[Denmo]

Did you try logging back into POL to see if your character was still in the Content ID reactivation section? If it is you still have it. If not you can probably email SE about it...

[SirTMagus]

Hey, Den and I were talking Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross last night and we found out on Wikipedia the Chrono Cross team is too busy updating FF11 all the time to work on Chrono Trigger 3.

So yeah, thanks, guys.


:buddy

[John Mora]

That team is also the Xenogears team. :3

[Denmo]

Hey, Den and I were talking Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross last night and we found out on Wikipedia the Chrono Cross team is too busy updating FF11 all the time to work on Chrono Trigger 3.

So yeah, thanks, guys.


:buddy

http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/dawson-crying.jpg

[Red Dragon]

That's one of the reasons I got a Wii. I know it's not going
to tempt me twenty-four-seven like this evil game would.

How many hours did you devote to MH1 or MH:PSP?

[Denmo]

oh god. OH GAWD. IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!!!!!!!

http://monsters.ffxi-atlas.com/monsters/imgs/goobbue.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a216/lomasi/ChronoTrigger-NuWalking.gif

[Karim]

I had seriously wondered for a long time whether they were supposed to be a homage to the Nu or just some incredibly obscure mythological reference.

... I wonder if this means I can blame Sage 'RED LIKE FERRARI' Sundi for Poshul and Korcha?

[Biggie]

Gloom simply chose to lose his son to something new other than XI.

Plus his woman can enjoy Wii Fit in the mean time.

[Goufunaki]

Ok, XBL was working just fiine ealier today, but now I cant do anything. It's incredibly retarded that the 360 version of Playonline requires you to be logged into XBL first before you can even stat the damn thing, yet everything worked fine to keep me online for FFXI when XBL got shut down yesterday.

[Denmo]

So there's this new minigame event going on where you heard buffalo, and if you win you get some prizes, such as a thing that turns you into bugs:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/bugs.jpg

They jump pretty high

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/Den081002014139a.jpg

You also get this horn:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/horn.jpg

Oh and here's me laughing at how stale Gouki's place is.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/goukishouse.jpg

[jspaceman]

they added that a while ago i think.

[Biggie]

I still can't figure out how to let poeple into my moghouse.

[Goufunaki]

Either talk to the moogle or open your menu to go to the mog house menu.

at the bottom is has an option to open your MH. but only people in your party can enter.

[Denmo]

So I was running through Upper Jeuno when I ran into something invisible. There was this graphical glitch or something that was blocking my way, on this very tiny spot. I got Gouki to come over and check it out and he confirmed it too. So I called a GM to see what's up.

This is the response I got.

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/2285/gmcallwj0.jpg

To top it all off, he appeared right before us!

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/7038/den081005012114alj7.jpg


GM sightings are rare, so it's easy for me to say, I think I creamed my pants a little today.

[Goufunaki]

I took a couple of pics too.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou081004222105a.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou081004222124a.jpg

Fighting the boss for the last adventuring fellow (my npc) quest.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou081004170711a.jpg

Bug costume.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou081001224452a.jpg

New friends.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/Gouki22/Goufunaki%20-%20FFXI/Gou080928121502a.jpg

[Chuck]

OK. So I downloaded the 14-day trial. I have no idea what I'm doing. I barely managed to figure out the movement controls. How to play dis?

[Red Dragon]

Change your controls to Compact Keyboard controls.

Then it's just WSAD using the mouse on the edge of the screen to turn the camera.

I am guessing it's the PC version.

[Biggie]

I had this problem too.

Just hit "fn" plus "-" and that'll bring up the menu, go to config and change it to compact controls like RD said.

[Red Dragon]

Or the middle mouse button.

[Chuck]

"Fn -" who the frak came up with this control scheme? Or did they just throw together a very awkward transliteration of the PS2 controls?

[Biggie]

It's so you can access the menu then change the configurations more fit for a laptop.

[Jeroak Nelave]

What 14 day trial are you talking about Chuck?

I've kinda got a "hankerin" to check this out again, just to see what type of changes there have been.

[Chuck]

What 14 day trial are you talking about Chuck?

I've kinda got a "hankerin" to check this out again, just to see what type of changes there have been.

http://www.fileplanet.com/192215/190000/fileinfo/FINAL-FANTASY-XI-14-Day-Free-Trial

Make sure to go to that "freetrialus" link to get your reg code. I didn't bother reading the page at first and it took me forever to figure out where I was supposed to get that code from.

[Denmo]

Are you still playing Chuck? What's your char name / server?

[Chuck]

That's also some advice I was hoping for. What's a good character for a first timer? What server should I go on? I made a character just to jump in and check it out but like I said I had no idea what was going on. I already deleted him but it's not like I lost anything.

[Denmo]

If you're just looking to hop in and mess around, I would go Hume. They have balanced specs on everything and you can switch jobs from the get go without much trouble.

As for the other races:

Mithra are the fanboy sexy's that excel at Theif, Ranger, Red Mage, etc.

Galka are the hulky hardasses that excel at anything physical.

Tarutarus excel at mage jobs.

Elvaans are the 2nd best at melee (some would argue 1st), and have more MP and mage stats than Galka.


as for jobs it's what you'd expect:

White Mage cures a lot, has a tough time doing anything without a party.
Black Mage nukes a lot.
Red Mage is a versatile mix of white and black.
Warrior starts out as the Tank because of their Provoke ability, and later turns into a damage dealer.
Theif starts out weak, but later becomes a heavy damage dealer with their Sneak and Trick attack.
Monk is straightforward ass-whoopin' with high HP.

We're on Midgardsormr. If/when you get in, you can do a search to see if I'm on (/sea all Denmo) and send me a whisper (/tell Denmo).

[Jeroak Nelave]

I'm gonna check this out, i was hoping to be able to find a way to play FFXI again to see wether i might like it again, without having to pay for a month. I wonder if there is a way to find out wether Jeroak is still there, but i'm sure she has been deleted after 4 years.

I gotta run out and buy an NES since i think i damaged my roommates (and it wont work now), and i'll be back to download the trial.

[Chuck]

I can't find compact keyboard controls in the menu.

I am not liking this game at all so far. :(

[Jeroak Nelave]

Okay, so how do i find you buggers? I've created a new character (i guess they deleted Jeroak, cause the game let me create that character again), and i'm on Midgardsormr, will this trial let you into linkshells and stuff. I know i have no way of partying with you guys because of our level differences, but it would be cool to have people i'm familiar with to chat with while getting used to the game again.

Now i just gotta figure out how to set up the controls again...

[Biggie]

I can't find compact keyboard controls in the menu.

I am not liking this game at all so far. :(

I think its config 1 or config 2.

I forget.

[Denmo]

I'm on now Jer, but I can only find you if I know your char name.

Compact Keyboard is under Config / Misc. 2

[Jeroak Nelave]

Sorry Den, i had already logged off, but my characters name is Jeroak, and i made a mithra again.

Edit: i'll be back on tomorrow...

and even though i dont remember leveling being so slow, there is something making me want to get the game again with all the expansions and start playing again. I was actually enjoying myself when playing earlier, even with the excessive downtime, difficulty in finding quests, etc, i was getting nostalgic from when i quit playing this game like 4 years ago.

[Chuck]

I just got killed by a wild rabbit. And then a blood worm. :lol I'm pretty sure I'm doing something wrong.

[Red Dragon]

Are you a monk?

You are pretty much forced into Monk at level 1 if you don't want to die.

But don't worry you'll be forced back to level 1 if you ever want to change your class!

[Jeroak Nelave]

I dont think anyone is forced to play a specific class, you just have to understand how the battle system works, and if you are lvl 1, i think the rabbit enemies are a little too strong to fight, depending upon the area you started at, there are certain enemies you should start with at lvl 1...it sucks that i'm starting to get back into this game again...

Edit: I DONT REMEMBER HOW TO RESPOND TO WHISPERS, lol!

[Jeroak Nelave]

Okay, so i went out today and bought the Vanadiel collection 2008 that has all of the expansions. Unfortunately, i dont know how to "reset" playonline so i'm going to uninstall FFXI and reinstall from the disk and everything.

When i mean "reset", i created an account with placeholder information, so that if i decided i wanted to restart the game again, i could set up with a login and email address of my choosing, and unless i can change it in the Playonline setup, i'm just going to reinstall so i can get it my way.

So hope to see those of you that are still playing again soon...although i'll probably have to restart Jeroak again too...

[Jeroak Nelave]

So, is there a linkshell that will let a noob like myself join? damn i'm getting into this game hardcore again. The only thing that might take me away from the game for a short time, is that we may be getting a 47 inch 1080p tv for the game room...woo hoo!

[Denmo]

If I see you on I'll get you a pearl for my LS. I haven't seen you on yet though!

[Sivart]

So I just got the trial for the game.

Besides the ***** of an update, anything I should look out for when starting?

[Red Dragon]

Be a Monk first 18 levels.

Oh, and uninstalling is a pain.

[Denmo]

I was WHM my first few levels. All depends on what route you want to take.

MNK is the easiest, most WoW like path. You just beat stuff up. WHM and BLM have to be more careful about what fights they pick on the first 10 levels. After that they're pretty much required to find a party, save for a few soloing tricks that I wouldn't recommend.

[Denmo]

That's right, I said it.

Compared to a year ago, FFXI has become just about as easy and casual as any other MMO.

What's changed:

1. Fields of Valor (WoW style quests) - Level's 1-50 have the option of soloing using "Fields of Valor", a new system which gives bonus exp and gil for killing a set number of monsters in a single area. You also get FoV points which can be redeemed for enhancements, such as Refresh, Reraise, Regen, food items, and home teleportation. Literally any job can just pick off easy prey monsters and gain bonus exp to make it worthwhile.

2. Treasure Caskets - In the normal areas (that is the ones included with the original game and not the expansions), monsters will now randomly drop treasure caskets. These caskets can either contain a random item/equipment, or temporary items that can only be used in that area (such as potions, ethers, eye drops, elixirs, etc. The stuff that SE decided to make super expensive so no one used them). Not only that, they often drop more than one temporary item, assuming you're in a party with people who want to share the loot. Gone are the days of waiting around to heal up. Just grab a treasure casket and hope it has an elixir or potion!

3. Level Sync - Stated before but I'm reiterating, you can level with anyone levels 10-75 by syncing your level down to the person of the lowest level. Exp is gained/lost as if you were that level. If you wanted to, you could spend your entire FFXI life in Valkurm Dunes playing with noobs. Even better, this effectively eliminates the looming danger of having a person in your party die. If you get in bad situations, just cut off the Level Sync so your higher level characters can take care of it!

This has caused a cascade of changes in player behavior. Now everyone is focused getting to the best camp sites and playing with their friends. Gone are the days of waiting 3 hours for a party invite. And even if you do, while you wait you can just solo for exp to pass the time, because the exp doesn't suck anymore!

4. Wings of the Goddess Campaign - After you reach level 60, you never have to party again. Seriously. Campaign provides Defend/Attack the Fortress style battles that give you exp based on your participation in the battle. You don't even have to kill anything, you could just heal people and you'd get exp at the end of the fight. At 1000-2000 exp per 15-30 minute fight on average, you can make quite a bit of progress just playing casually. And they teleport you straight to the battle. Geez!

5. Teleportation Options - SE has given out teleporting options across the board. All that's required is the initial effort of unlocking them, and then you can pay a small gil fee to go to/from these points. It used to be anything you do in FFXI takes 20 minutes to get to/from, so you had to have about 2-3 hours worth of time available to get anything done. Not anymore.


Combine all these together and you have a very streamlined experience. I recently went back to playing with my level 37 Corsair. I was on my way to solo exp in Qufim Island while I waited for a group, but I got invited to one on the way (took about 15 minutes to get an invite). They happened to be partying in Qufim as well, syncing down to level 20. It was an all Black mage party except for me, I was to pull crabs to them so they could nuke em to death.

We got there in about 10 minutes (some teleported from their home nations), signed up for a Fields of Valor quest which had us kill mostly crabs, then started away. With our empress bands' exp bonus, we were getting about 350-400 exp per mob, and killing them each within minutes. The normal max exp is 200-250, and that's on really tough monsters in a normal party set up which takes about 3 times as long to kill. To put that into perspective, at level 37, I needed 4500 exp to get to level 38. A year ago, the average party gave you ~4000 exp per hour. I got my level within 11-14 crabs in under half an hour.

The Fields of Valor quest was regularly giving us a bonus 630 exp and 6300 gil, and points which we could use for Refresh (MP) and Regen (HP) to keep us alive. Not only that, but the crabs would drop treasure caskets every now and then, supplying us with hi-potions, elixirs, Daedalus wings (bonus TP), and sneak oils.

There was very, very little downtime. I only stopped every now and then to let the BLM's replenish their MP's for the next round. We had one guy die due to skeleton aggro, but he warped back to his home point and quickly teleported back to us ready to go for another round.



Why am I telling you this? I guess I'm ranting. I spent most of my FFXI life fighting an uphill battle just to get to level 75. The game was challenging but rewardingly so. Now they've dumbed it down to the point of casual play, and while still rewarding, addicting, and challenging on some levels, I feel a bit cheated!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/DenethorM/DenmoPast-1.jpg

Cheers from Vana'Diel.

[Biggie]

I actually enjoy it better now. :[

[Denmo]

Oh I do too. It's fantastic.

[Goufunaki]

Fallout 3 and Metal Gear Online have been keeping me away from FFXI lately. I end up logging on every other day now just to screw around with campaign. I retired my chocobo because I couldnt get any of its other stats raised, tho I am satisfied with it's speed being maxed out.

I dunno, I think it's losing its charm again for me. :p

[Caciss]

Yeah, this sort of makes me want to play FFXI.

[Jeroak Nelave]

Yeah, when WotLK came out, i pretty much stopped playing FFXI. I really love FFXI, but i can only do 2 MMORPG's at a time, City of Heroes pretty much fills one slot, and then the other ends up being WoW or FFXI.

I need more hours in the day to play the games i WANT to play.

[Denmo]

Did I mention that RMT are non-existent now? They auto-ban them, along with those who bought the gil.

[Karim]

I heard a bunch of endgame players got permabanned a couple of days ago; something about a salvage exploit that let you dupe equipment.
I have to laugh at SE's decisions of banning the people who are insane enough to still play after 5 years.

Anyone notable on ol' Midgard get axed?

[Denmo]

There was a gil farmer who hunted gigantobugards like 24/7 for their hides to sell at the NPC for like 2k per. Happylife I believe. He was banned.

Not only that, but they axed the price of those hides down to 30 gil, so it's losing situation for everyone.


I don't know anyone in Midgard well enough that's been banned.

[Goufunaki]

It's still funny how I exploited the xmas event for an entire weekend before SE nerfed the drop rate. :D Made lots of gil from that. Best part was that I was pretty much the only person that was in N.gusta taking advantage of it so I didn't stress over competition.

[Denmo]

10,000,000 will have you set for life.

You can check current prices of stuff at www.ffxiah.com, but it might make you angry.

[Denmo]

When they banned those guys, they effectively removed billions of inflated gil out of rotation, so prices began to rapidly fall because gil became worth more.

Now the 100k you get for getting rank 10 actually matters, and a lot of people are also finding that selling junk to the NPC can be more profitable than putting it up on the auction house.

I wish we could ban all the corporate assholes who horde their money in America, it might have the same effect.

[Denmo]

Some of the items are easier to get now thanks to Assault.

[d2king10]

I signed up for the 15 day trial and it is taking forever to send to my email...

EDIT: Got to play after the long ass updates. I like it so far, but I have a question. I am in Windurst as a healer, and I am wondering where I can find quests and such to do to help the leveling?

I am trying to get another trial key for my GF so she can play with me, but the damn thing keeps saying it can't send the key at this moment.

EDIT 2: Got a key and man is it a blast if you play with someone you know. We are in Windurst and I am having a hard time finding quests to do below level 10. Is there quests that give low level equipment and such? Thanks.

[Pinoy0004]

10,000,000 will have you set for life.

You can check current prices of stuff at www.ffxiah.com, but it might make you angry.

out of curiosity I looked up my old name to see if I was still somewhere in the auction house.

Item Name Date Seller Buyer Gil
jug of grasshopper broth Oct. 28, 2005 Woogark Popteen 20,000
jug of grasshopper broth Oct. 26, 2005 Woogark Minions 20,000
jug of grasshopper broth Oct. 26, 2005 Woogark Minions 20,000
jug of grasshopper broth Oct. 26, 2005 Woogark Lonlon 20,000
mushroom locust Oct. 17, 2005 Woogark Woogark 1

...October 2005. Jeez, has it really been that long? The Beastmasters if Midgardsormr got no love for Grasshopper Broth!?

It's a shame they decided to make everything so easy. But if it keeps the players playin'...

[Denmo]

I signed up for the 15 day trial and it is taking forever to send to my email...

EDIT: Got to play after the long ass updates. I like it so far, but I have a question. I am in Windurst as a healer, and I am wondering where I can find quests and such to do to help the leveling?

I am trying to get another trial key for my GF so she can play with me, but the damn thing keeps saying it can't send the key at this moment.

EDIT 2: Got a key and man is it a blast if you play with someone you know. We are in Windurst and I am having a hard time finding quests to do below level 10. Is there quests that give low level equipment and such? Thanks.

Quests do very little. Windurst has some okay quests (Onion Brigade!), but they're usually fetch quests that only net you a small amount of gil. You're best off leveling and performing missions (given by the trio of gate guards at each gate in Windurst).

To gain money for equips, keep signet up while fighting stuff to acquire crystals, and sell them per dozen at the Auction house. Fields of Valor (the floating book outside the gate) gives you extra gil too.

I'd play with you (assuming you're on Midgardsormr) but I'm banned from playing until I can sort out my bills.

[d2king10]

Quests do very little. Windurst has some okay quests (Onion Brigade!), but they're usually fetch quests that only net you a small amount of gil. You're best off leveling and performing missions (given by the trio of gate guards at each gate in Windurst).

To gain money for equips, keep signet up while fighting stuff to acquire crystals, and sell them per dozen at the Auction house. Fields of Valor (the floating book outside the gate) gives you extra gil too.

I'd play with you (assuming you're on Midgardsormr) but I'm banned from playing until I can sort out my bills.

Yeah, I am on shiva.

Hmm, I haven't seen any floating books, I will have to keep an eye out for it.

Yeah, I did some quests and the amount of time it took to run and turn them in isn't worth the 150 gil they were giving me...I am easily getting over 4k a day in just normal monster loot on the auction.

[Denmo]

The FoV book is right outside the gate in west or east Sarutabaruta. There's only one book in each area.

I'm not surprised you haven't jumped on it yet. SE's tutorials are ****. You literally have to have the game explained to you by other people.

[d2king10]

The FoV book is right outside the gate in west or east Sarutabaruta. There's only one book in each area.

I'm not surprised you haven't jumped on it yet. SE's tutorials are ****. You literally have to have the game explained to you by other people.

Yeah the one tutorial mission I am on told me to go kill some monster and I did (in a party), and it didn't give me credit for it, but it gave everyone else the reward. :(

Thanks though, I will have to check it out when I get home.


Any other useful information? The game seems to leave a lot in the dark.

[Denmo]

My FFXI bible is the wiki (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/index.php/Main_Page). Even has job-specific guides to leveling up.

Basic things to know is, as a WHM you won't get much done going solo after level 10. Once you hit that magic level, make your way to Mhaura (http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Mhaura) and take the ferry to Selbina and set your homepoint at the crystal there, because you'll be exp partying just outside there until at least level 18.

For equipment, focus on stuff that gives you MND+. Anything else doesn't matter. White mages sit on the side and shouldn't fight, so regular equipment that just increases defense is not necessary. A nice cheap thing to invest in is a Wand (Yew, Willow, Maple, etc). Those give good MND+ and INT+.

Are you thinking about playing it further than just the trial?