For new or legacy FFXIV players: some tips for maximizing your enjoyment

[Meia]

I really enjoyed my time with FFXIV. I like MMOs in general, for the most part(played WoW since launch after all). FFXIV, besides being an MMO that greatly respects the player's time(even if you don't get what you want at the end of a instance, chances are you're earning at least SOME progress to something that will empower your character anyway), also really does have one of the best stories I've seen in an RPG in a looooooong time with Shadowbringers.

I got to the end of the story of Shadowbringers, went a couple of weeks into the content cycle after it, realized I have fairly large anxiety about failing in instance content as a healer(one of the only roles I've ever truly liked in games), and without really knowing anyone in game to keep my going, kind of just dropped out. Joining an established guild is really nice(joined one then went to the Era one) helped a little bit, but for the most part I find myself just endlessly feeling like a third wheel and impossible to fit in, and wind up dropping out a bit later.


I will also say I have the same issue with WoW, but that game is almost impossible to really socialize with if you want to do any sort of content at times. FFXIV people generally seemed nicer, but I guess I just have a hard time connecting with people now. /shrug

 

[Lukar]

The expanded hotbar settings for controllers are absolutely essential once you get to higher levels. Having to constantly swap between hotbars was getting really cumbersome for me, but enabling those extra options made a world of difference (in a good way).

 

[Zen]

I really enjoyed my time with FFXIV. I like MMOs in general, for the most part(played WoW since launch after all). FFXIV, besides being an MMO that greatly respects the player's time(even if you don't get what you want at the end of a instance, chances are you're earning at least SOME progress to something that will empower your character anyway), also really does have one of the best stories I've seen in an RPG in a looooooong time with Shadowbringers.

I got to the end of the story of Shadowbringers, went a couple of weeks into the content cycle after it, realized I have fairly large anxiety about failing in instance content as a healer(one of the only roles I've ever truly liked in games), and without really knowing anyone in game to keep my going, kind of just dropped out. Joining an established guild is really nice(joined one then went to the Era one) helped a little bit, but for the most part I find myself just endlessly feeling like a third wheel and impossible to fit in, and wind up dropping out a bit later.


I will also say I have the same issue with WoW, but that game is almost impossible to really socialize with if you want to do any sort of content at times. FFXIV people generally seemed nicer, but I guess I just have a hard time connecting with people now. /shrug

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Something that might help is letting people know that you're anxious about the trial or duty and that you'll do your best. I think part of your anxiety stems from a fear of rejection by the other players, and it's a fear I also have when it comes to tanking. We can't control how other players will react, but we can communicate and show good intentions and do the best we can. I'm not the best at socializing in-game either, so I relate to your experience a lot. I don't really have answers for you, but know that you are not alone in feeling this way.

 

[TheOther]

I really enjoyed my time with FFXIV. I like MMOs in general, for the most part(played WoW since launch after all). FFXIV, besides being an MMO that greatly respects the player's time(even if you don't get what you want at the end of a instance, chances are you're earning at least SOME progress to something that will empower your character anyway), also really does have one of the best stories I've seen in an RPG in a looooooong time with Shadowbringers.

I got to the end of the story of Shadowbringers, went a couple of weeks into the content cycle after it, realized I have fairly large anxiety about failing in instance content as a healer(one of the only roles I've ever truly liked in games), and without really knowing anyone in game to keep my going, kind of just dropped out. Joining an established guild is really nice(joined one then went to the Era one) helped a little bit, but for the most part I find myself just endlessly feeling like a third wheel and impossible to fit in, and wind up dropping out a bit later.


I will also say I have the same issue with WoW, but that game is almost impossible to really socialize with if you want to do any sort of content at times. FFXIV people generally seemed nicer, but I guess I just have a hard time connecting with people now. /shrug

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It's not just you that feels this way, especially about the socialization.

This game can be very lonely at times.

If you ever get back into the game and the era FC, send me a message. I'm always willing to do whatever.

 

[antitrop]

I wish I had this thread when I started, nice job everyone.

Also it goes without saying that Tanks and Healers are more desired for duties, if you queue as a DPS you may be waiting a while.

I used Black Mage (DPS) for doing story content and Astrologian (Healer) for doing dungeons/trials ect

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People who want to do something like this should also look into the Arcanist class, which splits into both Summoner (a DPS) and Scholar (a healer) at Level 30 and you only need to equip the right weapon to change between them. They share experience and both jobs level together, so it's the best one for switching between DPS in the open world and healer for fast queues in duties.

 

[Deleted member 3040]

Just wanted to chime in and say that this is a good initiative. Would be good for build up a huge resource if questions are asked.

As smaller notes, and these shouldn't be added to the OP, I saw some recent posts about fantasia and tank/healer anxiety.
1) A good way, if you want to fantasia (change appearance), is to simply make a new character and try them out real quick. Things like animations, emotes, voice, and so on are hard to grasp on a video!
2) Regarding tank and healing anxiety: you will get used to it, but it does indeed sound spooky early on. Early healing is especially forgiving, however, which helped me feel comfy pretty quick. Nowadays I'm never scared, just annoyed at bad tanks. And as a tank, I'd argue it's the comfiest role of them all.

 

[nonoriri]

Yes, but you will need to buy it for each system.

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If I made a character on a PC trial, can I pick it up in the PS4 trial? Or not until I've purchased the game on both locations?

 

[Zen]

If I made a character on a PC trial, can I pick it up in the PS4 trial? Or not until I've purchased the game on both locations?

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The character templates are saved to your system, so they can't be transferred between platforms. So if you make a character template on PC, if you were to log into your account on PS4 and try to load the template, it wouldn't be there. You can circumvent this by creating a new character with the template you made, skipping all the opening cutscenes, then logging out and logging in on the other platform, and right click/press square/press Y at the character select screen to copy the template from that character and save it to that system.

 

[Samaritan]

I'll throw out another, small piece of advice, this time about healing as a beginner. FFXIV differs from a lot of other MMOs in that the healer is expected to also participate in helping out with damage between casting their healing spells and buffs. If you're starting out as a healer, please just focus on keeping your party alive and healthy and worry about adding in your damage later. Things can very quickly go sideways if you aren't familiar with the dungeon you're in or if your tank starts making big pulls. As you get more familiar with your job and the game, you'll start to learn when you can and can't afford to damage between heals, but until you've gained that familiarity, it's okay to just heal, even if the community generally expects healers to also lay out some damage.

 

[MrMegaPhoenix]

DPS.

I recommend Dragoon if you want one of the easiest dps jobs.

Edit: You would require to play other players for dungeons and primal fights.

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Technically, you can't play solo the entire way, in fact very early you're gonna have to group. Dungeons and Trials(8man single boss encounters) are part of the MSQ. You can just queue with randoms and never talk to anyone with chat hidden if you want, but you'll have to group. Because of this taking into consideration queue times can be important. DPS generally have 10 to 20mins queues depending on the content, while Healers are like 30secs to 2mins and tanks are generally instant(healers and tank queues can switch depending on the day and time).

On the class question, every class can solo everything that's intended to be soloed very easily with proper gear. If you want to solo group content that you outlevel(doing ARR/HW group content at max lvl), classes like tanks and Red Mage are best, with Paladin generally the best of the best. For generic questing soloing, there's also classes that are better than others. Red Mage is probably one of the better ones since it has very high burst and short casting time while being ranged, so you can kinda explode mobs quickly. Tanks can work better on quests where you need to kill a bunch of stuff since you can just pull everything and aoe(healers can do that too but generally slower). Classes with movement speed buffs are somewhat better in instanced or city quests content(Ninja, Monk, all 3 physical ranged DPS) but that's a minor part of the overall game.

Ultimately it's a lot better to play a class you like than whatever is "optimal" if you just want to do the story though, especially since there will be a lot of cutscenes so you don't want to be playing a caster if you want the heavy armor look and such.

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Thanks to you both. I swear I read there was an update that made the story fully soloable. Might be mistaken.

I think I might be ok with a 20 minute queue though with dps. Gonna be playing this when it's quiet anyway. I mostly just don't want to mess it up and make things harder for myself. I don't want to let down other players either lol

 

[Xils]

General controller tips:

- On DS4, press touchpad (Select button for other controller iirc) to cycle between UI elements on screen. Not sure if the game already made it clear about this but I had a friend who didn't know and needed to use a mouse for this which can be annoying if you are using a controller.

- If you are using a controller, auto-translate is very useful even if you are speaking the same language. You'll be able to communicate with commonly used phrases (which is all you'll need for most general contents) without needing to type it out.

You can do this by pressing touchpad then X to enter chat window and press R1 for the list of auto-translate phrases in many different categories.

- You can copy item names by pressing square and copy then press L1+R1 to paste (I think you need to enable this it the setting first). This is especially useful when searching for items on the market board.

Thanks to you both. I swear I read there was an update that made the story fully soloable. Might be mistaken.

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That's about Shadowbringers main story which has Trust system that allow you to take NPCs into the dungeon with you. Even then, currently it's only available for 4-man dungeons, you will still need to use matchmaking for 8-man trials boss fights.

For older contents, there's a similar system called squadron but it's much more limited, only available for a few dungeon and you need to level your squadron manually (Trust will be at the dungeon level the first time you play).

 

[Chasing]

Thanks OP! I actually bought the game on PC a few months ago but haven't touched it for awhile because I couldn't get into it. I'm debating buying it again on the PS4 which is my primary system of use. I really want to get why people love this game!

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I play the game on my PS4 as well, it's a super comfy experience, especially when playing with controller. Just do take note that the PS4 requires a difference license for the account than the PC version.

 

[MrMegaPhoenix]

That's about Shadowbringers main story which has Trust system that allow you to take NPCs into the dungeon with you. Even then, currently it's only available for 4-man dungeons, you will still need to use matchmaking for 8-man trials boss fights.

For older contents, there's a similar system called squadron but it's much more limited, only available for a few dungeon and you need to level your squadron manually (Trust will be at the dungeon level the first time you play).

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That sounds like the thing I heard about. Doesn't sound as good as playing with other players then, but neat anyway

 

[Laughing Banana]

For new players I would recommend for you all to MAKE SURE make Au Ra as your character's race.

Because they're just the best.

 

[Dark Knight]

For new players I would recommend for you all to MAKE SURE make Au Ra as your character's race.

Because they're just the best.

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My brother always rails against Au Ra and the players who pick them. His criticism is that they are "too anime. for weebs."

... He plays Lalafell. 😐

*strikes anime pose*

 

[Xils]

That sounds like the thing I heard about. Doesn't sound as good as playing with other players then, but neat anyway

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For Shadowbringers though, I'd recommend using Trust for the first timeyou run any dungeon. You can learn fights mechanics from the NPCs as well as take your time to enjoy scenery without having to worry about other people. Most importantly, NPCs in Trust system are story related and there will be special dialogues during the run depends on which one you choose to bring with you. Their personalities also affect how they behave in a fight which is pretty fun to watch.

 

[caffe misto]

I just started playing this last week, and this thread has been really informative. Thanks for the help!

 

[Zen]

Updated with images and some clarification on a few pointers. Also, Fitz mentioned in the FFXIV OT thread that there's a new sale on the online store today.

Sale on the online store starting today: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/8f406fd1580d8be260c9280055b27bb9123a02f8

About 30% off most stuff, 50% for the collectors edition upgrades.

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I just started playing this last week, and this thread has been really informative. Thanks for the help!

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I'm glad it was helpful!

 

[TheOther]

For Shadowbringers though, I'd recommend using Trust for the first timeyou run any dungeon. You can learn fights mechanics from the NPCs as well as take your time to enjoy scenery without having to worry about other people. Most importantly, NPCs in Trust system are story related and there will be special dialogues during the run depends on which one you choose to bring with you. Their personalities also affect how they behave in a fight which is pretty fun to watch.

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I never had a trust NPC die in all the times I've used them. They rarely get hit by anything and are very useful in learning the mechanics for sure.

 

[Cerulean_skylark]

I never had a trust NPC die in all the times I've used them. They rarely get hit by anything and are very useful in learning the mechanics for sure.

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You're lucky. Never take alphie and alisae at the same time. She will stand in shit to get LB and he will prioritize her healing. Nightmare scenario

 

[TheOther]

You're lucky. Never take alphie and alisae at the same time. She will stand in shit to get LB and he will prioritize her healing. Nightmare scenario

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💜 Y'shtola

 

[Deleted member 5596]

I never had a trust NPC die in all the times I've used them. They rarely get hit by anything and are very useful in learning the mechanics for sure.

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They have moments when the AI goes full derp mode. Is not common, but it happens.

Is hard to do multiple packs and is definitely slower but they do the job. I can say they helped me to get some healing experience before dealing with real people.

 

[TheOther]

They have moments when the AI goes full derp mode. Is not common, but it happens.

Is hard to do multiple packs and is definitely slower but they do the job. I can say they helped me to get some healing experience before dealing with real people.

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It definitely does take longer and the pulls are smaller for sure.

 

[Goodacre0081]

will this require me to sub if I already played pre-Heavensward ?

got to lv 50

 

[Zen]

will this require me to sub if I already played pre-Heavensward ?

got to lv 50

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If you have an existing registered account then you need to resub, yes. I'm assuming that once August 11th drops Heavensward itself will become free for all subbed players. It would really suck if people with pre-existing accounts still had to buy HW when it's offered free for all free trials and starter editions. On the bright side, you can buy Shadowbringers really cheap these days and it automatically gives you the other two expansions as well.

 

[Goodacre0081]

If you have an existing registered account then you need to resub, yes. I'm assuming that once August 11th drops Heavensward itself will become free for all subbed players. It would really suck if people with pre-existing accounts still had to buy HW when it's offered free for all free trials and starter editions. On the bright side, you can buy Shadowbringers really cheap these days and it automatically gives you the other two expansions as well.

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i just checked mogstation and it's showing that I own Heavensward and Stormblood already.

does buying Shadowbringers come with a free 30day sub?

 

[InfiniDragon]

OR ever. I've well over several thousand hours and i've never parsed and i've done plenty of high end raiding. Just learn to play your job and only worry about this if you're like top 90th percentile.

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Knowing your damage performance in high end raids is super important; you don't want to think you know what you're doing just because you can perform mechanics only to find it's been carrytown USA the whole time.

As long as you're not using that knowledge to bully people in game and only use it to analyze yourself and ensure you're meeting a good baseline for your job (aka not constant grey parses) you don't have to always parse, or be a 90% percentile raider.

You're lucky. Never take alphie and alisae at the same time. She will stand in shit to get LB and he will prioritize her healing. Nightmare scenario

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Funny enough, Alph and Ali never die on my Trust runs, it's always that mfer Urianger. He was my last trust to level to 80 because of it, lol.

 

[Zen]

i just checked mogstation and it's showing that I own Heavensward and Stormblood already.

does buying Shadowbringers come with a free 30day sub?

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I don't believe so. I think that typically happens with new expansion preorders or with the starter edition.

 

[Xelan]

A tip for people about to head into a dungeon for the first time when you reach level 15 is to first visit a place called the hall of the novice. It includes tutorials on how each role (tank,healer,dps) functions in a dungeon.

As a bonus if you complete the novice quests I believe they actually award you with some pretty useful gear, so thats another reason to complete them even if you are already familiar with dungeon mechanics.

 

[TheOther]

A tip for people about to head into a dungeon for the first time when you reach level 15 is to first visit a place called the hall of the novice. It includes tutorials on how each role (tank,healer,dps) functions in a dungeon.

As a bonus if you complete the novice quests I believe they actually award you with some pretty useful gear, so thats another reason to complete them even if you are already familiar with dungeon mechanics.

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That gear is good for a while as well.

 

[Xils]

i just checked mogstation and it's showing that I own Heavensward and Stormblood already.

does buying Shadowbringers come with a free 30day sub?

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Expansions don't come with sub.
If you already own the game, the only way to get the 30-day sub is to add another platform's license. If you have PC version, registering the PS4 starter edition to your account will get you 30 days and vice versa. I recommend doing this even if you don't plan on playing on another platform, as you can find the starter edition cheaper (or even free) than the sub from time to time. You can only do this once.

Not sure about mac version though.

 

[rpm]

FFXIV 5.3/the ARR rework/the new free trial is releasing soon, so I'd figure I'd bump this thread since it's a great resource for new players. I've also written up a Q&A regarding a lot of the account side questions that I've seen people ask in other threads surrounding 5.3. I've bumped this thread about 18 hours before the servers get taken down for maintenance because:

If you're planning to start playing XIV on Tuesday, especially if you want to play on a specific server (i.e. to join a friend who already plays, or to join the Era Free Company (which is on Ultros)), you should create a character now. When a server receives a large influx of new players, character creation becomes unavailable. Most servers were not accepting new characters during the launch of the most recent expansion pack, and it's possible that the same thing might happen on Tuesday.

Servers go offline for maintenance in:

Q: When does 5.3/the ARR rework/the new free trial release?
A: The maintenance that adds 5.3/the ARR rework/the new free trial is scheduled to end on August 11th at 3 AM PDT.

Q: What does the new Free Trial include?
A: The new Free Trial includes all of the content from A Realm Reborn (the base game) and Heavensward (the first expansion). The new free trial level cap is 60.

Q: What are the free trial restrictions?
A: https://support.na.square-enix.com/rule.php?id=5382&la=1&tag=freetrial

• Free Trial Players are not required to purchase licensed software to use the Free Trial.
• One (1) Free Trial account may be registered using a Square Enix account so long as that Square Enix account has not been previously registered with any version of the game.
• Free Trial Players cannot make in-game micro transactions during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players can create only eight (8) playable characters, restricted to one (1) playable character per world.
• Free Trial account characters have their level capped at level thirty five (35).
• Free Trial account characters can obtain only a capped amount of in game currency (GIL).
• Free Trial Players cannot use the "shout", "yell" or "tell" in-game chat options during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot access the in-game market board during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot trade items with other players during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot use the Mogletter service during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot hire a retainer character during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players can join a Linkshell if invited, but cannot create a new Linkshell during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot create or join a Free Company during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players can join a party if invited or by using the Duty Finder, but cannot assemble a party during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot login to the Lodestone and or any other game forum during the Free Trial.
• Free Trial Players cannot progress past Floor 10 in the Deep Dungeon during the Free Trial.

These are the restrictions of the current free trial. The only known changes to this list are the level cap (35 -> 60) and the Deep Dungeon progression cap (Floor 10 -> Floor 200, which is the final floor, meaning the restriction has been fully lifted from Deep Dungeon)

Q: Can I play the Free Trial if I've already bought the base game (A Realm Reborn/Starter Edition)/received the base game for free through a promotion (Alienware Arena, Twitch Prime, free PSN giveaway)?
A: No, the Free Trial is not accessible to those who have already bought the base game.

Q: Is a subscription required if I own the base game but am still in A Realm Reborn/Heavensward content?
A: Yes, you need to pay the subscription fee if you own the base game/are not on the Free Trial.

Q: I'm currently playing the Free Trial. Will my current Free Trial be upgraded to the new Free Trial?
A: Yes, you should be automatically upgraded when 5.3 releases.

Q: What do I need to buy if I want to continue playing after the free trial?
A: You need to buy both the base game and the latest expansion, Shadowbringers. These can be bought separately, or together in the Complete Edition.

Q: Does the base game/the Complete Edition include 30 days for free? Do expansions include 30 days for free?
A: The base game/Complete Edition provides a free 30 days. Every time the base game/Complete Edition is registered on a new platform, you will receive a free 30 days (i.e. if you're playing on PC, buying and registering the PS4 version to your account would provide you with a free 30 days.

Q: Does the game have cross-play/cross-progression? Can I play the free trial on two platforms at once?
A: The game has unified servers across all platforms. You can play your account/characters across multiple platforms if you buy the game on multiple platforms. You cannot play a free trial account across multiple platforms; if you want to play on two or more platforms, you must buy the game on each platform you wish to play it on.

Q: Can you pay the subscription via PSN?
A: No, subscriptions are paid via SE's own XIV account management website, MogStation. You can pay with a credit/debit card, PayPal, or via prepaid game time cards found in stores or on Amazon.

Q: How does cross-server play work?
A: Servers are grouped into clusters called "data centers". You can play with others within your own data center. The main things that are still determined by your server is what FCs (read: guilds) you can join (you can only join FCs on your own server) and housing (you can only own housing on your own server)

Q: What is the "Recruit a Friend" system? How does it work?
A: The "Recruit a Friend" or "RAF" system is a system that allows both existing and new players to be rewarded for bringing in new players to XIV/joining XIV. For recruits, the rewards are:

• Friendship Circlet, a headgear that increases XP by +20% when level 25 and below
• 99 Aetheryte Tickets. An Aetheryte Ticket allows you to use a ticket to teleport instead of incurring the normal gil cost.
• A fist bump emote.
• 10 Silver Chocobo Feathers, which you can trade in for gear

RAF codes are entered after you buy the game, but before you pay for your first month. You will receive the rewards upon paying for your first month.

 

[BadWolf]

If you're planning to start playing XIV on Tuesday, especially if you want to play on a specific server (i.e. to join a friend who already plays, or to join the Era Free Company (which is on Ultros)), you should create a character now. When a server receives a large influx of new players, character creation becomes unavailable. Most servers were not accepting new characters during the launch of the most recent expansion pack, and it's possible that the same thing might happen on Tuesday.

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Thanks for the tip!

Just put the demo on download via steam.

So I just start it up, create the character and then wait for the update to hit on Aug 11, right?

This will be my first MMO, what's a good job/class to pursue? The more fun the better, and hopefully viable for solo play.

 

[snausages]

Black Mage at high levels is like what if Vergil was a MMO class. Lots of teleporking and big burst damage

At low levels its hard to recommend a class for new players due to all the skill pruning. I've been levelling Ninja/rogue recently and find it fun enough

 

[Castia]

Bought shadowbringers on release due to the hype.....started the game at level 1 and never made it that far. Waaaay too much shit to play through to reach the latest content it's ridiculous.

 

[seroun]

Bought shadowbringers on release due to the hype.....started the game at level 1 and never made it that far. Waaaay too much shit to play through to reach the latest content it's ridiculous.

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You mean.. that it's a pity there is content between the beginning and the end of the game? lol

 

[rpm]

Thanks for the tip!

Just put the demo on download via steam.

So I just start it up, create the character and then wait for the update to hit on Aug 11, right?

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Yep. Feel free to start playing now, though. The only changes at the lower levels is tweaking the amount of XP the main quest gives, so at worst you'd just have to do some side quests. The big changes are in the later base game (where you have to do quite a bit of side content to continue the main story) and in the patch quests between the base game and the first expansion (where there's a lot of filler being cut)

This will be my first MMO, what's a good job/class to pursue? The more fun the better.

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Whatever looks best to you. I'd recommend watching this video. Just keep in mind that the video also covers expansion pack jobs, which you will not be able to access for quite a while, so don't expect to boot up the game and immediately be able to play as, for example, a Dark Knight

 

[BadWolf]

Black Mage at high levels is like what if Vergil was a MMO class. Lots of teleporking and big burst damage

At low levels its hard to recommend a class for new players due to all the skill pruning. I've been levelling Ninja/rogue recently and find it fun enough

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...you have my attention.

Yep. Feel free to start playing now, though. The only changes at the lower levels is tweaking the amount of XP the main quest gives, so at worst you'd just have to do some side quests. The big changes are in the later base game (where you have to do quite a bit of side content to continue the main story) and in the patch quests between the base game and the first expansion (where there's a lot of filler being cut)


Whatever looks best to you. I'd recommend watching this video:

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Awesome, thank you!

 

[Kupo Kupopo]

Bought shadowbringers on release due to the hype.....started the game at level 1 and never made it that far. Waaaay too much shit to play through to reach the latest content it's ridiculous.

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interesting 'complaint'...

 

[QisTopTier]

...you have my attention.

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Not really like vergil at all they are a pretty stationary class even at end game, everyone has to do mechanics certain ways they just get a couple teleports now and then so they can maintain uptime or finish cast and be able to keep up with everyone else.

Monk and Ninja would be more in your interest if you like aggressive fast paced fighters

 

[Castia]

You mean.. that it's a pity there is content between the beginning and the end of the game? lol

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I've played mmo's for 20 years I know about 'the grind'. FF's mandatory playthrough of the main story is tedious at best. Playing hundreds of hours of outdated content/story isn't engaging one bit.

Most of the quests in the main story (in ARR at least) are shite as well. A NPC sending you from point A to B then back to C constantly, awful game experience.

 

[QisTopTier]

I've played mmo's for 20 years I know about 'the grind'. FF's mandatory playthrough of the main story is tedious at best. Playing hundreds of hours of outdated content/story isn't engaging one bit.

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The end game "grind" of FF14 is extremely short and can be jumped into at almost any tier start and you are on equal footing due to gear soft reseting every tier in the middle of a tier raids are unlocked and 100% farmable on repeat for pug groups. At no point is the story outdated content and older players are actively encouraged to run older content with new players daily. Events that happen in every single main storyline across the base game and expansion are still being referenced and called back now or barely just getting answers

 

[Castia]

interesting 'complaint'...

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The low level gameplay, story and questing is god awful and it takes hundreds of hours to slog through......its content for the sake of content that isn't fun or engaging.

Other MMO's usually have a quick catch up system that tries to get you into the latest content. WoW comes with a level boost and even without that if you want to play through the story it's significantly faster than that of FF. ESO let's you play through the latest expansion no matter your level as well.

 

[BadWolf]

Not really like vergil at all they are a pretty stationary class even at end game, everyone has to do mechanics certain ways they just get a couple teleports now and then so they can maintain uptime or finish cast and be able to keep up with everyone else.

Monk and Ninja would be more in your interest if you like aggressive fast paced fighters

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Thanks, guess I'll pass on the mage.

Watched the vid that rpm linked to above and am definitely interested in the Monk (this class did work for me in FF Tactics), the Ninja looked cool too (though it sounded it might be over complicated).

Other classes that stood out:

Gunbreaker (FF8 fan so can never say no to a gunblade)
Machinist (this one probably interests me the most right now)
Paladin (melee+healing is always a safe combo)
Samurai (design reminds me of Aaron from FFX, the attacks look badass)

 

[Deleted member 3040]

I've played mmo's for 20 years I know about 'the grind'. FF's mandatory playthrough of the main story is tedious at best. Playing hundreds of hours of outdated content/story isn't engaging one bit.

Most of the quests in the main story (in ARR at least) are shite as well. A NPC sending you from point A to B then back to C constantly, awful game experience.

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XIV is all about the story, though, so I don't get why you'd play just for the endgame (which is fairly small compared to other MMOs). With the release of patch 5.3 this Tuesday, the ARR slog should be drastically shorter.

Obviously, I'm not one to dictate what kind of game people like, but virtually everyone I know that has rushed (or skipped) the story or just outright bought a skip potion have all been miserable later on as they got no sense of attachment.

 

[Castia]

The end game "grind" of FF14 is extremely short and can be jumped into at almost any tier start and you are on equal footing due to gear soft reseting every tier in the middle of a tier raids are unlocked and 100% farmable on repeat for pug groups. At no point is the story outdated content and older players are actively encouraged to run older content with new players daily. Events that happen in every single main storyline across the base game and expansion are still being referenced and called back now or barely just getting answers

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But you can't even start he shadowbringers stuff until you've done the main story in each expansion that takes hundreds of hours to complete, that's my main issue.

 

[QisTopTier]

Thanks, guess I'll pass on the mage.

Watched the vid that rpm linked to above and am definitely interested in the Monk (this class did work for me in FF Tactics), the Ninja looked cool too (though it sounded it might be over complicated).

Other classes that stood out:

Gunbreaker (FF8 fan so can never say no to a gunblade)
Machinist (this one probably interests me the most right now)
Paladin (melee+healing is always a safe combo)
Samurai (design reminds me of Aaron from FFX, the attacks look badass)

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If you like fighting games Ninja has a move system similar to it with it's ninja arts , the elements you chain together could be thought of like directional inputs for specials

But you can't even start he shadowbringers stuff until you've done the main story in each expansion that takes hundreds of hours to complete, that's my main issue.

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Because it ties to the story ff14 is a story first game, if you dont like that buy a skip potion. And no it doesnt take hundreds of hours to complete the story with a fresh character if that's what you focus on. I've leveled alts.

 

[SunKing]

But you can't even start he shadowbringers stuff until you've done the main story in each expansion that takes hundreds of hours to complete, that's my main issue.

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IT. IS. A. STORY. DRIVEN. MMO. It's one of the major selling points of the game - and it's what a lot of fans praise it for. Yoshi-P's analogy for XIV being like a TV show is very apt - each expansion is a new season of a continuous story.

There's story skips on the online store if you really don't care about it at all.

 

[Castia]

XIV is all about the story, though, so I don't get why you'd play just for the endgame (which is fairly small compared to other MMOs). With the release of patch 5.3 this Tuesday, the ARR slog should be drastically shorter.

Obviously, I'm not one to dictate what kind of game people like, but virtually everyone I know that has rushed (or skipped) the story or just outright bought a skip potion have all been miserable later on as they got no sense of attachment.

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Yeah I believe the story gets better and better, that's great. But the initial ARR isn't engaging enough for me to play through to get that far. Knowing there's that much filler to play through before I get the good stuff isn't worth it in my opinion.

Last I heard the dev team acknowledged this and had plans to help cut out the filler but I'm not sure if anything was changed.

 

[Feep]

But you can't even start he shadowbringers stuff until you've done the main story in each expansion that takes hundreds of hours to complete, that's my main issue.

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Yeah, I mean, this is effectively like complaining you can't read the fourth book in a series until you read the other three. These aren't separate games. They're continuations.

I will note that the original ARR story is being streamlined in approximately (checks watch) two days from now, to make it easier and smoother.