[IfritnoItazura]

[FAQ] I'm Interested in Final Fantasy XI, but...


Contents
0.0. Q: What is Final Fantasy XI (FFXI)?
0.1. Q: Can I download Final Fantasy XI to try?
1.0. Q: How much does Final Fantasy XI cost?
1.1. Q: How much is the game (media and registration codes)?
1.2. Q: How much does FFXI costs per month?
2.0. Q: What is playing Final Fantasy XI like?
2.1. Q: What is the game system like?
2.3. Q: Can any Race play any Job?
2.4. Q: Hobbies? Crafting? Is there anything else besides fighting?
3.0. Q: Is Final Fantasy XI difficult for beginners?
3.1. Q: Is Final Fantasy XI difficult for casual gamers?
3.2. Q: Can I buy in-game currency to make things easier?
4.0. Q: I bought the game! What can I expect?
4.1. Q: Just got in the game, what am I supposed to do now?
4.2. Q: Which job should I play?
4.3. Q: How can I find out more about Final Fantasy XI?


0.0. Q: What is Final Fantasy XI (FFXI)?
0.0. A: Final Fantasy XI is an online role playing game by Square-Enix, with approximately 500,000 subscribers divided into 32 "Worlds" at the time of this writing. The game is identical on each World.

There are three regions in which S-E official offers this service, Japan, Europe, and North America, and the game is available on three platforms, PlayStation 2, xBox360, and Windows 2000/XP/Vista. Each World is populated by players from all regions, and mixed platforms. (e.g. There is no "PS2 only" nor "European" World.)

The official website (for North America) is: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml


0.1. Q: Can I download Final Fantasy XI to try?
0.1. A: Not as of yet. The cheapest equivalent is to obtain a US$1.99 Final Fantasy XI Starter Pack Game Disc for Windows (PC), which comes with a 30 day trial. (Playing is limited to in-game area which do not require the expansion packs, until registration codes for the expansion packs are purchased for additional fees.)


1.0. Q: How much does Final Fantasy XI cost?
1.0. A: First, you have to buy the game, preferably with all the expansions. Then, there's monthly fee for the service.


1.1.Q: How much is the game (media and registration codes)?
1.1 A: This depends on the retailer you purchase from. Note that there are several different packages, but new players should generally get the most recent "Collection". The MSRP for North America: US$19.99 for the Vana'diel Collection 2007. Other regions: Japan, Europe.


1.2. Q: How much does FFXI costs per month?
1.2. A: For North America, it is US$12.95 (which includes one character), and $1.00 for each additional character ("Additional Content ID"). For all regions:

Japan: http://www.playonline.com/ff11/envi/charge.html
Europe: http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/envi/charge.html
North America: http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/envi/charge.html

2.0. Q: What is playing Final Fantasy XI like?
2.0. A: The best way to see what FFXI is like is to watch the New Player Guide tutorial video produced by Square-Enix itself.


2.1. Q: What is the game system like?
2.1. A: Five races, 18 jobs ("classes") which can any character can switch around without penalty, a "support job" system which allows a player to have use abilities and spells from a secondary job at half of main job's level, and a combat system which allows different players to combine weapon skills to form "Skillchains" and enable "Magic Bursts" by spells. Click here or here for more details.


2.2. Q: Can any Race play any Job?
2.2. A: Yes. However, a newly created character is limited to the six starter jobs, and can only switch to other jobs once appropriate quests have been completed. The ability to use a "Support Job" also requires a quest to unlock.


2.3. Q: Is there an involving story on a grand, epic scale?
2.3. A: There are multiple grand, epic story lines, many of which intertwine with each other! The catch is, while a lower level player can start and enjoy many of the earlier missions, to participate in the concluding missions usually requires a fully leveled or nearly so character. (Consider that an incentive to train and level characters.) Naturally, there are numerous smaller scale stories ("quests"), many of which also tie in with the major story lines.


2.4. Q: Hobbies? Crafting? Is there anything else besides fighting?
2.4. A: Oh, dear...

• Crafting (8 kinds)
• Fishing
• Resource Gathering (Harvesting, Excavation, Logging, Mining)
• Chocobo:
  • Chocobo Raising
  • Chocobo Racing
  • Chocobo Digging
• Pankration (Monster battle arena, a la 'Pokemon')
• Gardening
• Clamming

Not to mention quite a few Quests do not require fighting, and some consider playing the Auction House to be a mini-game.


3.0. Q: Is Final Fantasy XI difficult for beginners?
3.0. A: The short answer is "Yes"; this is not a game which treats beginners with gentleness. The real answer is, however, FFXI has a amazing community filled with people willing and wanting to help new players get their bearings, and the difficulty actually makes the reward--your competence--that much more precious.


3.1. Q: Is Final Fantasy XI difficult for casual gamers?
3.1. A: While it is possible to make progress in the game on a limited time schedule, it takes fair amount of discipline and great deal of knowledge of the game to make good use of small windows of play time. This is probably not a good game for casual players, though one really has to try it to find out for sure.


3.2. Q: Can I buy in-game currency to make things easier?
3.2. A: To be brutally honest, while Gil (the game currency) is available for sale at various websites, real-money trade (RMT) is explicitly forbidden by the Terms of Service for FFXI. Plus, the player community heavily frown upon this, and it is considered a form of cheating. Furthermore, quite a few players hold RMT companies responsible for nearly ruining FFXI, and consider players who buy Gil from them to be accomplices in degrading the game.


4.0. Q: I just got the game! What can I expect?
4.0. A:

• (Hopefully, you've already check to see that your system/platform meet the requirements of FFXI before you bought anything.)
• A good deal of time to install the POL viewer, the game, and the expansion packs.
• Fill in registration info in POL viewer.
• Some very significant amount time to download the updates for the game.
• Select a World.
• Creat a character.
• Pick one of three starter cities.
• Start your adventure in Vana'diel. ^_^

4.1. Q: Just got in the game, what am I supposed to do now?
4.1. A: After you've enjoyed the initial cut scene,

• Get used to the controls, and become familiar with the menus.
• Figure out how to bring up the map.
• Redeem your Adventure Coupon.
• Enter the Mog House, and greet your Moogle.
• Explore the town, check out the shops and the NPCs (non-player characters).
• Browse the Auction House.
• Try your hand at battle, just outside of town! (Don't feel too bad if you are K.O.'ed; you can't lose experience points during the first four levels.)
• Learn how to send someone a private "/tell".

4.2. Q: Which job should I play?
4.1. A: This author recommends White Mage as first job to take to Lv.18 (or even Lv.25). By then, a new player should have encountered many other players using a variety of jobs, and can decide for himself or herself which job to focus on.

For more information, check out the Which Job Should I Play? guide.

4.3. Q: Where can I find out more about Final Fantasy XI?
4.3. A:

Official Site:

(NA) http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml
(EU) http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/index.shtml
(JP) http://www.playonline.com/ff11/index.shtml

FFXIclopedia: http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/

Dreams in Vana'diel (this forum): http://www.ffxionline.com/

Version History
- 2007.11.26 Added "Which job should I play?", at KoukiRyu's suggestion.
- 2007.11.09 Creation.

* * *

Would something like this be a useful addition to FFXIOnline? If you think so, help me improve it; make suggestions, and tell me what's missing.

[KoukiRyu]

I'd say, although I know they're in your sig, link to your other guides and include questions there pertaining to them.

4.3 Q: What job should I be first?(What job is best?)
4.3 A: That really depends on your play style, what you want to do, and how patient you are with leveling up.

Try these links; (insert Itaz's job FAQ)

Everyone asks that almost right away, so I think that'd be helpful. Or you could update the question you have about jobs above, and just include this. Asking about jobs is a huge part about the game, and usually what people ask before they're even fully registered. A lot of people want to "take <insert job here> all the way" before they've even played the game, and that's usually a mistake, so I think your FAQ could help. And other than that, I'm not too sure, this is great, and hopefully some new people read it. :] Thanks for this Ita.